ILLUMINATOR. Ye are the LIGHT of the world. Matthew 5:14 VOL. LVI JANUARY 2, 2019, WHITESBURG, KY NO. 01 A NEW YEAR WITH THE LORD

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1 THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH ILLUMINATOR Ye are the LIGHT of the world. Matthew 5:14 VOL. LVI JANUARY 2, 2019, WHITESBURG, KY NO. 01 A NEW YEAR WITH THE LORD A new year is about to unfold With new opportunities to explore Doors will open for new experiences, New adventures with the Lord. Remember not the former things, The things of the past year, The Lord will do new things in us, Much more than we are aware. For He will make a way for us As we put our trust in Him And He will guide our every step By His presence we have within. What God has placed within our hearts, We find we ll be able to do If we look for the opportunities, We ll see the door to go through. We mustn t let anything hold us back But rise up and take our place And be all that God wants us to be With a fresh touch of His grace. M.S. Lowndes

2 Frances Ridley Havergal was the daughter of Rev. W. H. Havergal. She was born at Worcestershire, England on December 14, She inherited a musical ability from her father to compose sacred songs and play the piano. Frances was able to read at age three, and at four years old she was able to read the Bible. As a gifted song writer she wrote many hymns, some that are in our hymnal: I gave my life for thee, Take my life and let it be. One of her writings is a New Year s poem, Another Year is Dawning. May it be your prayer too for Another year is dawning, dear Father let it be, In working or in writing, another year with thee. Another year of progress, another year of praise, Another year of proving thy presence all the days. Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace, Another year of gladness, the glory of they face. Another year of leaning upon thy loving breast, Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest. Another year of service, of witness for thy love, Another year of training for holier work above. Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be, On earth, or else in heaven, another year for thee. Although Frances R. Havergal died at the early age of 42 in Swansea, Wales on June 3, 1879, somewhere along her life s journey she wrote these words, I committed my soul to the Savior, and earth and heaven seemed brighter from that moment. I can t think of a greater goal for your life in 2019 than to commit your lift to Jesus, like Frances. If you haven t given your life to Jesus, why not ask Him to come into your heart today? We have no promise that we will still be on earth when 2019 ends. Scripture tells us to Boast no thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth (Proverbs 27:1). I pray that you have a Happy New Year! May 2019 be a year in which your walk with Christ becomes even richer. PASTOR TONY Everyone seems to have at least one resolution that seems impossible to keep. And that can become very discouraging. The prophet Jeremiah, who had is own reasons to feel down, wrote, the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23, NRSV). God refuses to give up on us. When we lose hope, when we fail and fall short, His mercy never runs out. Tomorrow is full of promise and our Lord s unceasing love.

3 Happy New Year to our church family. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us this year! Be watching for information about these short-term Bible studies that will begin early in the year: The Daniel Plan, Christ-Centered Parenting, and It Could Happen Tomorrow: Understanding Future Events that Will Shake the World. We will also be offering Beginnings: A Class for New Believers in February during the Sunday School hour for kids who have recently made a profession of faith. If you haven t been to our website lately, be sure to check it out at We changed host companies and completely redesigned the website and mobile app. To gain access to the new app, download Church.App by Faith Connectors from the App Store or Google Play. After you download the app, it will ask you to enter our church name; after that you will have complete access to our app which includes The Illuminator, Online Giving, event registration, and more. If you are not already serving in some capacity, let me know and I will connect you with a Serving to Grow mentor who will help you discover your spiritual giftedness and opportunities to utilize that giftedness. In Christ, JEREMY Proverbs 27:17 FROM THE CORRECT PERSPECTIVE A child sat at his grandmother s feet as she embroidered. Looking up, he saw a mishmash of threads and ugly knots but no discernible picture or words. Nana, he said with concern, that s not very pretty. Come up here, Grandma invited, and look at it from this side. You have to see it from my perspective. Oh!, the boy exclaimed then. It s beautiful! Seeing the world from our human, earthly viewpoint, we can t grasp the masterpiece that God is completing. But when we finally see it from his perspective, we ll discover that the threads and knots all contribute to a beautiful work of art. That work won t be finished until Jesus returns, but in the meantime, may God grant us an occasional glimpse of the work in progress from God s side!

4 I have loved you from the start I have seen your hurting heart (your hurting heart) And you feel so lonely, but you keep on hiding Cause you feel so guilty for what you ve done, but There s no distance too far, that I can t reach you There s no place that s so dark, that I can t find you Anywhere that you are, if you need proof Take a look at these scars, and know I love you. Doesn t matter, doesn t matter, doesn t matter what you ve done You are never, you are never, never too far gone. Lyrics from Never Too Far Gone by Jordan Feliz A song that we heard this weekend really spoke to me and I thought I would share a verse and the chorus from the song with you. The prevailing message in the song is that you are never too far gone and that no matter what you cannot outrun His Love. I am glad our Savior never leaves us or gives up on us. Last month was very busy as everyone prepared and then led us in worship for the Christmas season. As we begin to move forward in the New Year, I would like to invite each of you to come out and join us in singing in the choir. There is always room for you and we would love to have you. The choir will begin practicing new music for Sunday morning worship and for Easter. If you have youth or children, bring them out on Sunday evenings for practice. The children will begin working on the Vacation Bible School musical which they will perform before the end of the school year. Our youth will begin preparations for Youth Sunday and Mission Trip; and Ignite will be working on stuff on Sunday evenings as well. Another great ministry opportunity is our Drama Team. If you just really are not into singing, Saranell and Tessa would love to have you join them as they prepare dramas for worship services. A minister on the Internet, who calls himself simply Pastor Tim, loves to tell jokes. One joke is about a little girl sitting on her grandfather s lap, while he reads a bedtime story to her. As the child listened, she kept reaching up to her grandfather s face to race his many wrinkles with her finger. When the story was finished, she looked at him quizzically and said, Granddaddy, did God make you? He answered, Yes, sweetheart. God made me a long time ago. God made me too, didn t he? He affirmed, Yes, God made you not too many years ago. She then placed one of her hands on her own face, noticed how smooth it was and said, God s getting better at it now, isn t he?

5 Make it count, leave a mark, build a name for yourself Dream your dreams, chase your heart, above all else Make a name the world remembers But all an empty world can sell is empty dreams I got lost in the light when it was up to me To make a name the world remembers But Jesus is the only name to remember And I don t want to leave a legacy I don t care if they remember me Only Jesus And I, I ve only got one life to live I ll let every second point to Him Only Jesus All the kingdoms built, all the trophies won Will crumble into dust when it s said and done Cause all that really mattered Did I live the truth to the ones I love? Was my life the proof that there is only One Whose name will last forever? And I, I won t want to leave a legacy I don t Lyrics to Only Jesus by Casting Crowns Our youth and leaders had a wonderful time of worship and fellowship this weekend at our Xtreme Winter Conference. We are very thankful to our church family for supporting us, praying for us, encouraging us, and for providing us with opportunities to learn and grow in Him. One of the highlights for me this weekend was that Casting Crowns would be leading us in worship on Sunday night. Prior to leaving for Gatlinburg, I had read that Mac Powell would also be singing with Casting Crowns, which made me even more excited because I also love to hear him sing. Until that night I had no idea why Mac was singing with Casting Crowns, but at the very beginning Mark Hall, the lead singer for Casting Crowns, announced he had a paralyzed vocal cord and that they had cancelled many of their concerts because of his illness. He explained that being a youth minister himself, he valued the work that was done for our youth at the Xtreme conferences and had prayed that he would be able to sing. He shared that the Lord answered his prayer through Mac coming to sing with them. He shared that if he never sang again, it would be okay as long as people remembered Only Jesus. He then sang the song, Only Jesus, with Mac taking over on the higher parts of the song. It was a very moving moment and the song has so much truth so I thought I would share the lyrics with you. SUNDAY SCHOOL SNACKS January 6 Amy Craft, Jeremy Horn CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS January 11 January 25 February 3 Movie Night Game Night Souper Bowl Sunday

6 CHRISTIAN NEW YEAR S RESOLUTIONS How can I use the New Year To better serve my Lord? I ll read my Bible every day, And be more in accord. Jan. 6: Ritter Lucas 8: Josh Caudill, Kassandra Ramirez 9: Rayden Ison 10: Caroline Horn, Vicki Setzer 11: Haley Banks, Aaron Hacker, Landon Webb I ll find new ways to serve others; I ll love my neighbor, too. I ll focus on give instead of get In everything I do. I ll forgive the people I m mad at; Angry feelings I ll discard; I ll try to love my enemies, Even though it s hard. In the new year, I ll lift people up, Instead of putting them down. I ll fill my heart with love and joy, And never wear a frown. LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING Church Goal $ 2, Given to Date $ 1, I ll let go of my worries; I ll put it all in His hands; I ll repent and try to sin less, And obey all His commands. These new year s resolutions Are difficult, at best, But there s something I can do each day That will put my soul at rest. I ll love my Lord with all my heart, With all my mind and soul, And if I do that essential thing, All the rest will be in control. --Joanna Fuchs Thank you for the prayers, cards and donations made in honor of my late mother-in-law, Faye Sperger. The food provided by the Grief Ministry Team was delicious and greatly appreciated. I am so blessed to be a part of such a loving church family. TILITHA SPERGER MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 6:00 P.M. CHURCH FELLOWSHIP HALL

7 UNIFIED BUDGET M/M STEPHEN DAY R.C. & FRANCES DAY MYREL & SHARON SHORT LAVINNA ADKINS PAUL PIGMAN GEORGE & BETTY KINCER VENSON CAUDILL GEORGE w. & MAYMIE KINCER ANGIE KINCER And in Honor Of MOLLIE CAUDILL TOM & BILLIE STANSBERRY BRUCE SEXTON LOTTIE MOON OFFERING PHIL & LINDA BENTLEY PAUL PIGMAN EXTENDED SESSION WORKERS January 6 Laura Whitaker, Tricia Lewis January 13 Holly & David Caudill PRESCHOOL WORSHIP January 6 Lee Adams January 13 Kayla Sexton CHILDREN S CHURCH WORKERS January 6 Saranell Caudill, Margaret Fisher, Rita Broome January 13 Donna & Mike Watts, Eleanor Caudill The FBC staff and church family extends love and sympathy LOIS SHORTT and family in the death of her sister, ALMA BOGGS CAUDILL. STEWARDSHIP TEAM MEETINHG MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 6;00 P.M.

8 LAST SUNDAY S STATISTICS Sunday School Adults Youth -- (22 at Xtreme) Children Preschool -- 7 Morning Worship SPECIAL MINISTRIES Housing Authority Letcher Manor AWANA/IGNITE/YOUTH Children: Adults: ADDITIONS TO DATE (September August) By Baptism By Letter By Statement TOTAL ADDITIONS TOTAL RECEIPTS (Dec. 23 & 30) IN THE HOSPITAL ADA STURGILL, Hazard CHELSIE REYNOLDS, Pikeville ******************** FAMILY LIFE CENTER TOTAL NEEDED PHASE 2 $500, GIVEN TO DATE $449, NEEDED $50, DEACON OF THE WEEK January 6-12 FRED HALL Budget Receipts $ 12, Budget Requirement $14, Family Life Center $ Designated $ Lottie Moon $ Budget Required to Date $357, Budget to Date $345,466.50