ABW: Join Us!

Our ladies meet the first Thursday of every month 12 :15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We have several mission projects that we are working on and would love to have you join us. Our “undie Sunday” project is going well. each month. We ask the congregation the last Sunday of each month to bring in underwear and socks for children. These items are taken over to Helping Hands and distributed from there.

Courage

Joshua 2:11 Rahab Shelters Spies

When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

1 Samuel 4:9 Philistines Take the Ark in Victory

Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight.”

The two passages above are two separate usages of the word “courage” in our English language, but the Hebrew words are different and the contexts are different. Joshua 2:11 is from the perspective of an individual outside of fellowship with YHWH hearing of the Great deeds of YHWH and the other is reminding those that walk with YHWH also have the One True God. So what can we learn from these two verses in the context and the source thereof?

Joshua 2:11 the word translated here for courage is רוּחַ/ruwach—used 378 times in the Hebrew text. 232 times it has been translated into Spirit/spirit. This is the same exact word used in Genesis 1:2, “…And the Spirit of God moved upon the waters.” It is translated “courage” once! Rahab uses this word to explain to the two spies that absolutely no courage/spirit could be found in any man because of them. In other words, she confessed her realization that their God, YHWH is the one true God, the Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all that exists; for without the ruwach/Spirit of YHWH there is nothing else that could remain in anyone, for they are all false gods.

Which brings us to 1 Samuel 4:9, “Take courage”/חָזַק/chazaq—this word is used 290 times, strong 48 times; repair 47 times; hold 37 times; strengthened 28 times; strengthen 14 times. In the context of 1 Samuel it serves as a reminder of the strength of God and with whom He supports, at least to those that have fellowship with Him. Since they are serving the One True God they must remind themselves of His strength thus in turn have strength also!

Two separate uses of the English word “courage.” What is the take away?

First, if your trust, courage, hope and faith are placed into anything other than YHWH, then you actually have no trust, courage, hope and faith in you at all. It’s all vain and fruitless.

Second, if you place your trust, courage, hope and faith in God/YHWH you must remind yourselves of His promises. Deuteronomy 31:6, “6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

Blessings! Pastor Bryan

200 Millionth Shoebox!

Last month in Orlando, Florida, people gathered from over 150 nations to celebrate the 200 millionth shoebox being distributed and what a weekend it was. There was a time of praise and worship, many workshops and just gathering with people at the receiving end of these shoeboxes. They shared their stories of the children receiving their box along with the program “The Greatest Journey” which outlines for the children how they can give their life to Christ and gives them an opportunity at the end of the program to “graduate” and hopefully share their lessons with their families. This ministry has grown tremendously in the last 25 years and with your help will continue to grow and reach out to children in previously unreachable countries and share the love of Jesus. This ministry works 365 days a year to spread the gospel.

Last month I asked for small toys such as jump ropes, small balls or a small doll and that’s what we are asking for again. The dollar stores are your best bet to shop for these items. There is a box located in the Welcome Center for your donations.

Backpack Kids: Counting the Days

I am sure our Backpack children are counting down the days left until summer vacation. The school calendar shows June 6 as the last day. We have provided food every week to ensure our children will have enough to eat during the weekends.

Thanks to everyone who has donated food, money and prayers for our backpack children. May God Bless each one of you!


For the month of May, please donate Ramen Noodles.

Help!

Our children’s group is growing and we have big plans for this year. We still need volunteers to teach during the morning worship service. Our children are the future of our church and they need to be taught and encouraged to follow the way Jesus lived and that He died for them. So please contact Megan Knight and let her know when you can help.

ABW: Join Us!

Our ladies meet the first Thursday of every month 12 :15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We have several mission projects that we are working on and would love to have you join us. Our “Undie Sunday” project is going well. We ask the congregation to bring in underwear and socks for children on the last Sunday of each month. These items are taken to Helping Hands and distributed from there.

Spring and Summer Clothes

As the cold weather gives way to spring, so does our clothes closet here at Helping Hands. The winter clothing is packed away and the spring and summer items are brought out. These clothing items, along with non-perishable food, are what our clients receive when they come in once a month. Through your donations, along with donations from local grocery stores, is what enables this ministry to help those in need in the Beckley and Raleigh County area.

The blankets and coats you donated during the winter were much needed and appreciated. Your generosity and those of some community groups helped us keep people warm this winter and for this we give you much thanks.

We are always in need of volunteers to donate their time. We are open Tuesday through Friday from 9AM until noon. It’s only three hours one morning a week and you will be blessed. See Edna Nasby and let her know what day would be best for you.

Spring Cleaning

by Pastor Bryan

Spring Cleaning!! It’s that time of year again, when we turn the furnace off and open the windows to the cool night air and the sound of the frogs singing. It’s also that time of year where we begin to clean out our houses and storage buildings. Have we ever thought about why it’s important to take care of what we’ve been blessed with? Have we ever thought about how our belongings are actually attached to God and simply on loan to us? Where does this idea of “stewardship” begin and end? Let’s start with scripture.

Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” If we begin here, we obviously understand that all of creation belongs to God. Anything man has made or created must first start with raw minerals that are already in existence. Man has never created anything that didn’t start with something already in existence. Only God has. That being said, all that we own, including our bodies, is property of God. Shouldn’t that elevate our habits of caring?

Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” Wow, we read here that man has been created with a purpose, Christians should be leading by example in how we handle what we are surrounded by. If we begin with the understand that “all” things belong to God and then He created man to have dominion over His belongings, why have we not shown more care for them? Much less, how have we not shown this same care for our basic blessings?

“The biblical doctrine of stewardship defines a man’s relationship to God. It identifies God as owner and man as manager. God makes man His co-worker in administering all aspects of our life. The apostle Paul explains it best by saying, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Starting with this concept, we are then able to accurately view and correctly value not only our possessions, but, more importantly, human life itself. In essence, stewardship defines our purpose in this world as assigned to us by God Himself. It is our divinely given opportunity to join with God in His worldwide and eternal redemptive movement (Matthew 28:19-20). Stewardship is not God taking something from us; it is His method of bestowing His richest gifts upon His people.”

We must then ask ourselves an introspective question, am I the lord of my life or is Christ the Lord of my life? What am I dedicating to God? Does God get every aspect of my life or is He guiding my life’s decisions? Do I plan around God’s sovereignty or do I tithe, offer, service when it’s convenient to place Him in the gaps of my weekly schedule?

Don’t just give God 10% of what’s left of yourself, give Him 10% of what we begin with. He rejoices in the condition of our hearts, not with what is given.

Spring Break for Our Backpack Kids

Spring is here and the weather is improving. Our Backpack Children will start their Spring Break on April 7th and will have a whole week out of class. We are praying that the children will have fun during their break and that they will have adequate food.

After the Spring Break only six weeks of school remain. It seems we just started the 2022-2023 school term. We continually shop every week to keep our pantry stocked. Finding food that is reasonably priced is becoming more of a problem but God has seen fit to provide money for our purchases.

Thanks to each one of you who has donated food, money and prayers for our Backpack Ministry. May God bless each one of you.

For the month of April please donate 12oz jars of peanut butter.

Our Undies are Growing!

Our ladies of the Lizzie Lewis Circle continue to meet the first Thursday of each month here at the church. Our “undie Sunday” idea seems to be growing each month. We ask the congregation the last Sunday of each month to bring in underwear and socks for children and these items are taken over to Helping Hands and distributed from there. We also have several other mission projects that we continue to work on and would welcome you to join us.