THE MAIN ARTERY. April 2018

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1 April 2018 THE MAIN ARTERY Rev. James Gross Interim Pastor Mr. Jan Kliewer Choir Director Mr. William Lawson- Organist Mrs. Tryntje Keesler Secretary/Editor Contact Information: Phone Office Hours Monday to Friday 9:00am 1:00pm Website Service times: Sunday 11:00am 6:00pm Sunday School 9:45am 6:00pm Youth Group From Jim s Pen This is a very exciting time in the life of Main Street Baptist Church! The unanimous vote by the congregation to call Luke Beattie as your next pastor is truly a great reason to give thanks to God for His leading in the future of the ministry here. We can be thankful for the great weekend with Luke, Jennifer and their two little girls as everyone had a chance to meet them and hear Luke preach. Luke gave a powerful message on March the 11th and many of us had the opportunity to fellowship with them after the service and on Sunday night. Luke s first Sunday will be on June the 3rd. Let s continue to pray for this young couple as they move from Florida and leave Jennifer s family to become part of this fellowship and live relatively close to Luke s family in PA. Janet and I consider it a real pleasure to continue to serve here through the month of May. Our desire is to pave the way for a smooth transition as the Beatties begin their ministry here in June. I believe God is already at work here to start a new chapter in the life of this church. There are so many opportunities to grow as a congregation spiritually and to reach out to this community. Please be in prayer for the leadership as they seek God s leading for the future. Serving Him, Pastor Jim Broome Tioga Baptist Association 2018 Prayer Calendar 4/1 - First Baptist, Deposit 4/8 - First Baptist Church Endicott 4/15 - First Baptist Church Owego 4/22 - Main Street Baptist Church 4/29 - Memorial Park Baptist Church Tim & Peggy Bennett 24 Field Planters Circle Carolina Shores, NC Great in Little Tasks J.H. Jowett People who are faithful in that which is least wear very radiant crowns. They are the people who are great in little tasks. They are scrupulous in the rutty roads of drudgery. They win triumphs amid small irritations. They are as loyal when wearing aprons in the kitchen as if they wore purple and fine linen in the visible presence of the king. They finish the most obscure bit of work as if it were to be displayed before an assembled heaven by Him who is the Lord of light and glory. Great souls are those who are faithful In that which is least.

2 2 Phoebe Bennett 4 Cheri Busch 6 Tom Conklin 7 Rebecca Vermilyea 11 Sue Carl 12 Haylee Allen 13 Jennifer Crawford 15 Pam Baker 16 Amy Bennett 17 Deb Stalker 19 Kim Crawford 24 Doris Willett 28 Dan Fassett, Sr. 30 Tom Reed, Sr. Happy Anniversary April 25th- Bob & Anna James 48 years CELEBRATING OUR YOUTH NYASIA COPELAND Nyasia Copeland is a busy young lady, and I was able to catch her for a few minutes on a day off from school. She is in 4th grade at Brookside Elementary School in the Susquehanna Valley School District. Her favorite subjects include math and science, and she s studying at present ecosystems, food chains and the like. At school she s in the Robotics Club and plays violin in the orchestra, but hopes to change instruments so she can play in the band. Her choices would be flute or clarinet. Violin isn t appealing to her. The choir at school is another activity. She also cheers for the Town of Binghamton basketball and soccer teams and for the baseball team in the Town of Conklin. In her spare time, Nyasia enjoys playing games and going out to eat, especially at Jane s diner down the street. There aren t many kids in the neighborhood with whom she can spend time. I asked what most people wouldn t know about her and she replied that she wants to play football as a running back. She s a fast runner. However, there aren t any mixed teams about in her area. In keeping with her acknowledging that goal, she also, in the future, would like to be a cop or a firefighter, or a doctor or teacher. In Nyasia s short life, she s encountered some difficult things with which to contend. A major one is her father s death. She says that what has helped her deal with his loss is thinking about the happy times. Nyasia had words of wisdom for her peers: start practicing fractions and read to anyone. We at Main Street love your hugs and the way you light up the room. We pray God s richest blessings for you. May He always be the closest friend ever and may you let Him direct your future as only He can. -Submitted by Diane Runion

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4 Montrose Bible Conference Montrose celebrated 100 years of Christ-centered ministry to kids and adults at their camps and retreat centers. I recall going there as a child with my parents to meetings in the pine-scented auditorium that had sawdust on the floor. There were many wonderful speakers and music. Of late, the Dunnemans have provided music for some of the meetings. Two of our youngsters have been campers there and can t wait to go back. The ministry has been consistently focused on Christ and His saving power and in fostering long-lasting spiritual growth. There s a comprehensive schedule of summer camps, snow camps, adventure activities, and adult retreats. Montrose Bible Conference will be the recipient of our breadbox offering through the month of April. Breadbox offering envelopes are available in the giving packet and in small envelopes found in the pew racks. Thank you. SOUP KITCHEN Thank You to Maynard Wark for his headship of our Soup Kitchen outreach. After April, we will need someone to take this on. It involves coordinating the second and fourth Saturdays, getting coverage for weeks in which regular staff can t be there, securing people to pick up the donated bread at Panera. We could also use a few more people to staff it on the 4th Saturday from around 3:30 to 5:30PM. Sandwiches need to be made, the tables set, soup served, and there is some clean up. MUG AND MUFFIN WHEN - April 14 Saturday 9:30AM WHERE - Mizpah Room WHY - Meet to roll bandages, fellowship, eat muffins. WHO - YOU Bring your favorite mug. For our youth, this is a good way to get your hours in for community service. Let Diane Runion know if you can help out in either way. BOOK REVIEW We have in our library a very interesting and informative book called, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Quereshi. The author was brought up Muslim by very devout parents who schooled him in respect for the prophet Mohammed and for the traditional writings. He had been taught that Jesus was a prophet, yes, but that He d never claimed to be God. He d learned all the arguments against the Trinity, learned that Jesus was on earth to proclaim the greatness of Allah, and also that the Bible had been unauthenticated by many revisions. Challenged by a good friend to discuss his beliefs with a group that met to discuss faith, Nabeel studied the Bible, studied the Quran, studied the claims of Islam and had to confront that Jesus is Lord. It s a book that stands as an apologetic for faith in Christ and is very informative about what Muslims believe. You won t breeze through it, but it s a worthwhile endeavor. There is a copy in our library display in the entry way.

5 A look back 70 years ago! MAIN STREET BAPTIST CHURCH A Friendly Church In the Heart of the Triple Cities with a Warm Message for the Hearts of the Triple Cities -Part of our church advertisement in the April 10, 1948 [Saturday] Binghamton Press [Saturday] (pg. 5) On March 11, 2018 we were delighted to have Pastor Luke Beattie and his family during the morning worship service. If all goes according to plan, he will soon become Main Street Baptist s 15th Pastor. As you may know, Pastor Luke is a veteran of the US Navy. It was Seventy years ago on Palm Sunday March 21, 1948 former Navy chaplain Rev. William Prigger Jr. Started his ministry at Main Street Baptist Church. In World War II, he served in the Pacific theater and earned two battle stars. During his military service, he met Peyton Hibbitt who would become our church director in 1948 ( and later co-found the Tri-Cities Opera). An early highlight in Rev. Prigger s ministry was high attendance at the Wednesday Evening Prayer meetings. At that time the meetings started at 7:30PM. The April 11, 1948 church bulletin noted: Flash Flash. 140 attended the prayer meeting Wednesday [April 7, 1948]. Let s make the 150 goal this Wednesday [April 14, 1948] at 7:30 pm. (04/11/1948 Bulletin). Although we no longer have the Wednesday Evening prayer meetings, the Sunday Evening Services have resumed under Pastor Jim and Janet Gross. An encouraging sign is the growth in attendance at them. On March 11, 2018, 27 people were present. The topic is on prayer. A big thank you to the Gross s for all their work.

6 Deaconesses Meeting 6:30PM Deacon s Meeting Faith and Family Night 7:05PM CPR 9AM L2L 10-2 CHOW 12-2 Dunneman s Concert 6PM 8AM Red Oak Mug & Muffin 9:30AM Saturday Soup 4:30-6:30 CHOW Coffee Hour Saturday Soup 4:30-6:30 ABW Convention ABW Convention