Now is the time! Dr. Martin Luther

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1 From the Shepherd to the Sheep First Lady Speaks - 2 Health and Wellness Ministry - 2 Pastoral Anniversary - 2 The Voices Music Ministry - 2 Ministry Matters Baby Dedication - 3 Christmas Dinner Happenings on the Mount Age Group Fellowship - 5 The Balm Team - 5 Spotlighting Sis. Patricia Adams - 6 Gone But Not Forgotten At A Glance Photo Collage - 7 Bible Word Search - 8 CHURCH NEWSLETTER First Edition 2012 From the Shepherd to the Sheep NOW IS THE TIME: Teaching + Training = TRANSITIONING By: Pastor Roderick J. Glatt Now is the time! Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a book with these very words and often would speak this truth in his presentations: NOW IS THE TIME. Why? Some things can t wait. Progress doesn t wait on regress. Success doesn t wait on failure. Change doesn t wait on anyone or anything. Now is the time! Mount Gilead is soon to be 132 years old and what do we have to show for it? Christ is still our Savior no matter how post-modern society gets. God is still our father regardless of changes taking place in the laws of this land. The Holy Spirit is still our guide and comforter, not the White House or President of the United States, but the Prayer House and Holy Spirit of our souls. Therefore, we continue to teach and preach Christ and Him crucified, buried and resurrected! Growth is occurring at The Balm. Sustained and faithful members are growing in their faith, attending Bible Study and Sunday School (Discipleship Training Classes at 10am Sunday) more regularly. New disciples of Christ are being added to our ranks. Visitors are increasingly coming to evaluate who we are and who Christ is to us. Reports of God s blessings are given by many. We re still seeing sinners changed into believers and committed to believers baptism. Our fluff membership is being formed into favored members. By this I mean God is reducing the unfaithful by replacing them with the faithful. People are running out of excuses NOT to do for Christ and an abiding commitment is sweeping across our congregation with people who desire to DO MORE for Christ and his people. Our finances are better than before. Our stewardship is increasing. God is adding to our numbers. Guests are coming to see and hear about this Christ we proclaim. Growth indeed is occurring at The Balm. What do we lack? We still need more people to step up and be committed. We need more people who claim to be whole hearted Christians to commit to the Kingdom agenda. Let s DO what the Bible says not what the world says. Let s give our time, talent and tithe to the Kingdom of God. If you don t attend worship regularly, are you whole hearted about the Kingdom Agenda? If you don t study the Bible at home and with the believers when they assemble (Hebrews 10:24-25) are you whole hearted about the Kingdom Agenda? What do you believe Christ for today? Is He your provider, protector and priest? If so, what do you lack? You ought to get real serious about getting to know Christ and his Kingdom Agenda better. This is what we lack Don t let this year pass you by without making better progress in being committed to Christ and His Kingdom Agenda. This is what we lack Commit today to be taught, trained and transitioned into God s agenda for you! This is what we lack Now is the time for teaching, training and transitioning. Y Yours in HIS service, Elder Roderick J. Glatt, Pastor

2 HEALTH AND WELLNESS MINISTRY By: Sis. Joyce Walker The Health and Wellness Ministry took a different direction this past 2011 year by taking in the fresh air of the great outdoors. Directed by Sister Mary Williams, her small group meets every Saturday morning, depending on the weather, at 6:30 a.m. to walk approximately three miles around the church neighborhood and as far as Sevier Park. They originally started out with about 15 members but have since dwindled to about 6 or 7 members to date. A few in the group have participated in the Mayor s Walk for Health, the Kidney Foundation Walk and the Susan G. Komen Cancer Walk for the Cure. Perhaps the arrival of spring this year and the efforts of Pastor Glatt and Sister Williams to educate all of us on the importance of healthy eating and exercise will motivate more of us into moving. Pastor Glatt has indicated that possibly sometime in the near future the church may sponsor a workshop on nutrition and healthy eating. Sister Williams mentioned that other activities may be forthcoming in the future such as a senior citizen s fitness class or bringing back an aerobics class at the church. Sister Williams intends to help keep our family and community updated on the different health issues through the distribution of brochures and leaflets. Y PASTORAL ANNIVERSARY Our Pastor s Sixth Year Anniversary By: Sis. Barbara Ridley On the Second Sunday in October, our church family celebrated the sixth year anniversary of our Pastor, Elder Roderick J. Glatt and First Family. This day was set aside for our members and friends to show their love and appreciation of them for another year well done! Dr. Robert Smith, Professor at Sanford University, delivered a dynamic sermon at the 8:00am and 11:00am services. The choirs were at their best and blessed our souls. We love our Pastor and First Family and we know they love us. We ask God s continued blessings on the Glatt Family. Truly, it was a mighty good day! To God be the Glory! By: Sis. Barbara Ridley THE VOICES MUSIC MINISTRY Thanksgiving Joys Once again the Lord blessed the Voices of Mt. Gilead to make Thanksgiving a special time for 32 families who received food baskets. The baskets were filled with all the ingredients to prepare a delicious dinner. Choir members along with other church members boarded the church bus and made many deliveries. A special thank you goes out to all that took part in this endeavor and gave of their time and treasures to prepare the baskets. Special recognition and thanks is also extended to AWG Food Services for all the produce and can goods they donated. The families were so grateful and appreciative for making this season a more thankful and blessed time for them. It is really more blessed to give than receive! In all things give thanks, for God is good all the time! Y First Lady of Mount Gilead Speaks By: Sister Angela Glatt I am in awe of how our church has grown and blossomed over the last year- not only physically but spiritually as well. Our faith has increased as we are learning how to trust God. Let it be known as stated in Hebrews 11:6 Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We must practice our faith regularly and the only way to practice faith is through a trial. Remember, we as Christians are on stage. We show others how to be faithful in how we handle stressful situations. See, without faith, there can be NO relationship with God! You decide= Do you believe or not? Yours in Christ Y 2

3 BABY DEDICATION WINTER CEREMONY On Christmas day, Sunday, December 25, 2011, the Mt. Gilead family held a baby dedication ceremony during the only service (10:00 a.m.) for that day. There could not have been a more fitting and appropriate date to dedicate these little ones than on the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. Pastor Glatt officiated with the assistance of Mother Sara Mitchell. The three infants were Jai Cameron Jackson, son of Jared and Laciana Jackson, born August 18, 2011; Jordan Carrethers, daughter of Ryan and Alisa Carrethers, born January 3, 2011 and Jaida Latrease Davis, daughter of Erica Jordan and Tavaris Davis, born August 18, The godparents were also present. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Miree are the godparents of baby Jai. Deacon James and Kenitha Reed are the godparents of baby Jordan, and Mr. and Mrs. Adonis Halbrook are the godparents of baby Jaida. Emphasis was placed upon the importance of the parents and godparents in raising their children in an environment that embraces our Christian doctrine. Mother Mitchell wants to give special thanks to Brother Roderick Owens for creating the poster board that was used for this special occasion. Y MINISTRY MATTERS CHRISTMAS DINNER 2011 The 2011 Christmas dinner was held in the Foster G. Young Fellowship Hall December 17, 2011 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. There was good food and good fellowship among approximately members who dropped by. This was a wonderful opportunity to bring in one of the most glorious and religious holidays as well as feed our physical bodies. Mother Tate coordinated the catered event and reported that some members brought a variety of delicious desserts such as coconut cake, Mississippi mud pie and other additional goodies for those with a sweet tooth. The menu consisted of turkey and dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes and your usual holiday favorites. For those members who were unable to attend, the following Sunday family members were able to pick up a to go box for their Sunday dinner. Y 3

4 PENCIL PARTNERS Robert E. Lillard Receives Socks and Supplies By: Mother Debra Thompson The students and staff of Robert E. Lillard (REL) Design Center are very thankful for generous donations of socks, paper, pencils and rulers. You don t know what a real blessing it is to be able to give students socks to warm their feet. So many of our babies come to school without wearing socks on a daily basis, therefore, your sock contributions help our students have happy feet! Some of our children have many needs that take the focus off of learning. Hopefully, cold feet will not be a stumbling block for our students. We are blessed to have been recipients of your Sock It 2 Me Ministry. NEW MEMBERS TO OUR CHURCH FAMILY By: Sis. Renae Collins We are so blessed to have the following new members join our fellowship. Here at Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church, we always welcome new faces and look forward to getting to know you better. We are so very pleased to have you with us. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Bro. Herbert Jenkins Bro. Kenneth Underwood Jr. You can never have enough supplies such as paper and pencils. The teachers hurried to the office when they heard that Mt Gilead had sent some school supplies for our students. The pencils and paper went quickly. Just think, notebook paper and pencils made so many children and teachers smile and be excited and thankful for things we sometimes take lightly. There are many ways to be involved with our fabulous students and excellent staff. Your gifts and talents are welcome at REL. The harvest is plentiful but the labors are few. If we can help our children make good choices, what a better place this world would be! Train up a child in the way they are to go and when they are old they will not depart! 4 Sis. Debraln Williams Sis. Lela Pinkard Sis. Jaquisha Bond Sis. Yolanda Bond

5 Happenings on the Mount AGE GROUP FELLOWSHIPS Are You Connected? By: Mother Debra Thompson The Age Group Fellowships activities are planned as a means to meet together, enjoy great company, good times and delicious foods. Members and friends of all ages have an opportunity to participate in a variety of activities such as bowling, dinners, movies, skating, service projects and other planned events. What a fun and relaxing way to get to know our members outside of Worship Services! If you have not had the opportunity to attend one of the events planned by your age group, don t let the next function happen without you! Get Involved! If you have suggestions of activities you would like to see your age group participate in, please contact the Team Leaders for your group. For more information about your group, check out the information table in the foyer or contact one of the members listed who serves as your Age Group Team Leader. The leaders are: Bro. Nate James (The Kings Teens); Elder Daniel Miree (Twenties and Thirties); Bro. Anthony Anderson (Forties and Fifties); The Church Office (Sixty Plus). Don t let your next age group fellowship meet without you being present and accounted for! Get to know your members and be a part of the awesome fellowships! HHHHH On November 26, 2011, the 40s & 50s ministry served dinner at the Women and Children s campus of the Nashville Rescue Mission. The Mission statement for Nashville Rescue Mission: Following God s command to love our neighbor as ourselves, the Nashville Rescue Mission seeks to help the hurting of Middle Tennessee by offering food, clothing and shelter to the homeless and recovery programs to those enslaved in life degrading problems. Our goal is to help people know the saving grace of Jesus, and through Him, gain wisdom for living, find fulfillment in life and become a positive part of their community. The 40s & 50 s ministry tried to help fulfill the aims of this tenet by serving over 100 women and children. Thanks to all who participated in person and in spirit. The Balm Team The Balm in Gilead Ministry would like to thank all Ministries that contributed their Good News for this edition. Continue to share your Good News with us! Articles for the next edition must be submitted by the third Sunday in March The Team members are: Sis. Pat Adams, Sis. Renae Collins, Sis. Barbara Ridley, Sis. Latrisha Talley, Mother Debra Thompson, Sis. Joyce Walker and Sis. Chequita Winters. 5

6 SPOTLIGHTING Sis. Patricia Adams By Sis. Barbara Ridley Mt. Gilead is blessed to have so many miracles among our church family. God allows us to share and see that He still takes care of His own. This Balm wants to Spotlight and Honor Sis. Patricia Holmes Adams for her unwavering faith and dedication to our Mt. Gilead Church family! Pat, Memaw and even Rabbit are some of the affectionate names given to her. Sis. Pat started many years ago as a member of the former Choir Number Two and then The Voices of Mt. Gilead. She later was instrumental in being one of the advisors to the Young Peoples Choir and helped Gone but Not Forgotten Submitted by: Sis. Pat Adams devote her time and talent for their growth. She sings with her Family, The Holmes Family, at many different occasions. She has served in countless capacities which include: Pastoral Anniversary Team, Choir Director, Newsletter Ministry, Photographer for many events and services at the BALM, member of the Praise Team, Choir and others. Even though she has and is experiencing health issues, she still continues to smile and give you an uplifting testimony. We salute Sis. Pat for a job well done and we wish for you, God s continued Blessings. Thank you for all you are to us! We Love you! Y We take this opportunity to remember our loved ones who ve gone on and now are absent from the body and present with our Lord. Dearly missed from our Church family but precious memories of their sweet spirits remain in our hearts.. Elder Ronald Little I ll See You Again By: Richard Smallwood Seems like only yesterday that your laughter filled the air and whatever I was going through, you were always there. How you gave of all your love and time to those who were in need, in my heart, you ll always be a part of me. Though sometimes it s hard to deal with you not being here, I rejoice that you have reached that place of peace where there s no fear Heaven has become a little sweeter just because you re there. I ll see you again, where the sun is always shining, where sorrows are no more, where we ll join hands together and sing around the throne. over there, over on that other shore, I ll see you, I ll see you again, yes I ll see you again, but until then, God be with you, till we meet again. James Flemings Maple Walker 6

7 2011 AT A GLANCE 7

8 Thank You! Special Thanks of appreciation to our photographers who share their talents and gifts to help make The Balm come alive: Sis. Pat Adams, Deacon Ricky Martin and Bro. John Mitchell. Thank you also, Sis. Tamara Shaw, for submitting photos and providing requested information! Mt. Gilead members are truly the BALM! Office: Fax: Pastor s Residence: Office Hours: Monday Friday 9 am till 5 pm