Thanksgiving. Pastor 4-5. Minister of Music 6-7. Office Administrator. Youth Directors. Thanksgiving Fun. Safety and Security. Nursing Home Ministry

Transcription

1 Volume XI, Issue 11 Thanksgiving Pastor Minister of Music Office Administrator Youth Directors Thanksgiving Fun Safety and Security Nursing Home Ministry VGBC Giving Tree Wreaths Across America Food Pantry Needs Staff, Office, Invitation Calendar and Birthdays

2 Vine Grove Baptist Church will be hosting our annual Thanksgiving Meal at the church on Wednesday, November 15. We will be serving from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. If you know of someone who is homebound, you may take the meal to them. Please call Debbie at the church office ( ) by Tuesday, November 14, to let her know how many meals you will need. These meals will be ready for pickup at 4:00 p.m. It will be your responsibility to deliver them. The church will be furnishing the meat, vegetables, rolls and drinks. We are asking that each family in our congregation bring either a salad or a dessert. There will be a signup sheet for you to sign, as to which you will be bringing and how many will be coming from your family. Everyone is welcome to our Thanksgiving meal and fellowship time. If you have any questions, or if you can help in the preparation, serving, or cleaning up after the meal, please let me know. -Marian Kidder Fellowship Committee Coordinator If you would like to give a monetary donation to help purchase the turkeys, please write Thanksgiving Dinner on an offering envelope and place it in the offering basket. Thank You.

3 When I looked up definitions of Hope, I found that these three best defined my personal understanding of the word. - Desire accompanied by expectation, Belief in Fulfillment and To expect with confidence. Hope for me is a wonderful Thanksgiving gift from God. It is God s source for my strength and courage in the face of Life s hardest trials. When I say my final farewell to someone I love, it is my Hope in God s Promise of the life beyond that helps get me through my grief. Like many of you, when I find myself trapped in a tunnel of mostly self-inflicted misery, Hope points to the light at the end. When I am overworked and exhausted, Hope gives me fresh energy. When I am discouraged, Hope lifts my spirit. When I am tempted to quit, Hope keeps me going. When I fear the worst, Hope brings reminders that God is still in control. When I must endure the consequences of my bad decisions, Hope fuels my recovery. Each of us should be able to relate to the following true story of a man who fell short of his own expectations and Thanksgiving Loyalty. (I ve told it my way) There once was a man who loved the sea, he was passionate and expressive, he did nothing halfheartedly. When it came to fishing he was determined and sometimes obnoxious, but he was loyal when it came to friendships - Loyal to the core. He was blindly courageous and boldly overconfident. This overconfidence on more than one occasion caused him to overstate his commitment. But there he stood, alone if necessary, making promises with his mouth that his humanism would later be unable to keep. Yes, it was Peter and his most known, un-kept promise was made during a conversation he had with his Lord and Best Friend Jesus, just prior to His Crucifixion. Luke 22:33 NKJ But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." However, when Peter s commitment was put to the test, the Loyal, Strong-Hearted, Courageous Rock of the Church, failed his Lord. Not just once, but three times Peter deliberately and openly cursed and denied his Lord. Then he came face to face with his failure. Luke 22:61 NKJ And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." The question for me, and I believe it should be for each Christian in our church is - Does God s received promise of Thanksgiving Hope - receive our commitment of Thanksgiving Loyalty? Yes, it is very personal to me. Your Pastor Loves You ~Bro. Larry -3-

4 -4- Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss. Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life, but took her child's?" "Good afternoon, can I help you?" Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk. "I... I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra. "For Thanksgiving? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?" "Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, "Hi, Barbara, let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers. "Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched - was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said, as she gently tapped her chest. Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with... uh... she left with no flowers!" "That's right," said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel." "So what did you do?" asked Sandra. "I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, Why? Why me?! It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the flowers of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

5 Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about what her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God." Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement... twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator. "Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?" "Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced," Phil replied. "After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem, the Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us." As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!" "I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life" Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh." "Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns." Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out. "I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute." "Thank you. What do I owe you?" "Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first." It read: "My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant." Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns. ~Randy Kidder -5-

6 Annual Kingdom Meeting Sunday, December 3 6:00 pm Vine Grove Baptist Church adopts our annual budget in December of each year. Our church empowers our Staff and Ministry Team Leaders to be good stewards of what they need within the church approved budget. Throughout the year the only other time our church votes is if we need to borrow money, purchase large items, property, or building facilities. Otherwise, we operate by consensus. The meetings we have are called Kingdom Meetings which are opened and closed with prayer and praise. Please mark your calendar to join your church family for our annual Kingdom Meeting on Sunday, December 3, as we adopt our 2018 Budget. Come with a song in your heart and a praise on your lips. You may pick up a copy of the Proposed 2018 Budget in the mailroom. Please feel free to call the church office at if you have any questions. Our encouragement in giving begins with an acknowledgement that God is the source of all that we have. Our testimony of God s generosity is our response in gifting back to the needs of the community through the church. Stewardship begins in the understanding that we as Christians have a need to give in response to God s gifts to us. When we give to God s work, we are not only blessing the ministry within our congregation; we are blessing the community in which we minister; the world through the spread of the gospel message, and ourselves because we will receive a rich blessing and reward beyond what we could have imagined - all by generously giving to God. The feeling of knowing that we are helping to carry out God s will for ministry in our church and community helps us place a higher value on our giving than on our money. -6- M a l a c h i 3 : 1 0 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the LORD of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

7 Vine Grove Baptist Church Proposed Budget (There are no changes from our 2017 Budget) 2018 General Fund Needs $ 5, (weekly) 2018 Monthly Note Payment $ 1, (monthly) 2018 Radio Ministry $ (monthly) NOTE: Remember - our Radio Ministry and Church Note are not included in the budget. Both are above and beyond our general fund tithe. In His Service -Debbie Williams Financial Secretary Fiscal Year End September is our fiscal year reporting month to the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Key areas within the report of interest to you are: Total Baptisms: 3 Statement/Letter: 7 Total New Members: 10 Operation Christmas Child Please have your boxes at the church by noon on Wednesday, November 15. You may begin bringing them in at any time and place them at the foot of the cross in the Sanctuary. Go to samaritanspurse.org for more information -7-

8 Man, oh man do we have a lot to be thankful for? As the old saying goes, Count your many blessings name them one by one! Have you ever genuinely tried to do this? It s amazing how many things we take for granted every second of every day. When you start counting your blessings, it seems to lighten your mood. It makes your heart so happy and full of joy it seems there is NOTHING we can t do. Nothing is too small for us to give glory to God and thank Him for it. If it is important to us, it is important to Him. One of the biggest blessings we are truly thankful for is being your child s Sunday School teachers. Sometimes it feels scary, as though we are not qualified for the tasks at hand. On the other hand, it is one of the richest blessings we receive. We thank God for giving us servant hearts and willing hands to spread His word. Please know that our hearts are full of love for each one of your children. We count each member of you, our church family, as a very special blessing. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17 ~Jayne and Gary Sheroan -8-

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10 All of us looked on in horror as a gunman in Las Vegas began firing a barrage of bullets into the crowd of people in an open-air concert. The number of dead and wounded is staggering. The motives for the shooting run the gambit from ISIS to left-wing, gun-control proponents. Will we ever know the full truth? I doubt it, but I do know that Brother Larry s teachings on pure evil are right on the money. Sadly enough, these events are no longer isolated and in my opinion, they will continue on an ever-increasing scale. So, if these events cannot be prevented what can we do to protect ourselves if we are caught up in such a situation. First and best: Avoid large crowds. Now, before you pull out the rotten tomatoes and start hurling them at the messenger, I know the arguments. You can t avoid all crowds. If I alter my lifestyle, then the terrorists have won. I hear you and agree to a certain extent, but remember if you are in a target-rich environment the probabilities of getting hit increase. Second: Be aware of your surroundings. Scope out the exits, look for existing cover (materials that will stop bullets) and decide on a meeting spot away from the venue in the event that you become separated from friends or family. Do all these things the minute you enter the venue. Third: Keep scanning your area. If shooting does start, you will likely see bullets hitting objects before you hear the sound of gunfire. So, if the pavement in front of you suddenly starts getting chewed up don t hesitate, move to cover. Put that stupid cell phone in your pocket -10- and concentrate on moving to safety. Just remember when you think you have to call someone during this moment of terror all you are doing is making yourself a target. In addition to your lack of concentration to the task at hand, if you (especially at night) raise the phone to your ear it powers up and illuminates your entire head, giving away your location. Fourth: Possess the knowledge and materials to save a life. As this article is going to press, several members of the congregation are participating in First Aid/ CPR classes sponsored by the church, and I applaud them. As in the Las Vegas situation the emergency services will quickly become overwhelmed and you become the first responder. There are a number of stories of civilians saving lives by stopping bleeding and performing CPR. As for materials, at a minimum carry a marvelous piece of high tech equipment known as a bandana. This device can be used as a bandage, a sling, a tourniquet, or at minimum a liquid-retention instrument if you have a cold. Just make sure you get one that is 100% cotton, the ones made of synthetic materials will melt if exposed to heat. In conclusion my friends, I believe it s going to get worse before it gets better so take on the responsibility of protecting yourself and your loved ones. Do not be a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster. Jeremiah 17:17 NIV ~Steve Trotter

11 Florence Littauer writes Think of your words as gifts wrapped up in little boxes, or around your neck as a necklace. In the box the verse from Proverbs 16:24 (NIV). Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Our singing at North Hardin and Helmwood was received well in October. The residents love to call out a song they like for us to sing. Both were lively groups and enjoyed singing with us. Love you all ~Jean Scheible Everyone loves to hear from a friend. Thanksgiving - Christmas Remember our Members with a Card, Visit or Phone Call Morning View Gardens Estelle C. Harper Apt Westport Rd. Elizabethtown, KY Mary Brown 144 Home Run Court Vine Grove, KY Radcliff Veterans Center Bob Barrow 100 Veterans Drive Room 430 Radcliff, KY North Hardin Health and Rehabilitation Ctr Myra Cannon Room Rogersville Rd Radcliff, KY North Hardin Health and Rehabilitation Ctr Catherine Bates Room Rogersville Rd Radcliff, KY

12 The Giving Tree has become a very special tradition at Vine Grove Baptist Church. Each year many different shaped ornaments are placed on this tree for children with a special need or Christmas wish. Ms. Debbie has the forms for you to fill out if you have a special need or know of children whose names you would like to place on the tree. All names are kept in strict confidence. Please submit names as soon as possible. The Giving Tree will be located in the right vestibule as you enter the Sanctuary the first Sunday in December. Gifts must be wrapped. Place the paper ornament you took from the tree on the top of your package and have it back at the church by December 17. Vine Grove Baptist Church Keepsake Ornaments Will be on display for sale Sunday, November 5 $5.00 Each -12-

13 The National Theme for 2017 I m an American. Yes, I am. Wreaths Across America is a national organization that places a wreath on veterans graves at Christmas time across the United States. For the past eight years our local Wreaths Across America group has been able to place a wreath on every grave in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery in Radcliff, Ky. We will participate once again this year and will need to raise enough funds to place wreath on the 5,500 graves now in our beautiful veterans cemetery. We are asking individuals and organizations to help with donations to purchase the wreaths from the nonprofit company that makes them. Wreaths are $15 each and for every two wreaths we purchase, we get one free. Donations are tax deductible. We invite you to come out on the day the wreaths are laid to help place them on the graves of our Veterans. The ceremony and laying of wreaths is 10:00 a.m., December 16, Checks need to be earmarked for our cemetery. Make sure your check is made payable as follows: Wreaths Across America ID#KY0011 Cemetery Designation ID KYVCCR All sponsored wreaths are sent directly to our cemetery. However, if you have a loved one buried at the cemetery, you will have the opportunity to place a wreath on your loved ones grave before anyone else does. You can mail your contribution to me at the address below. Donna Betson, Chairman 702 Augusta Dr Vine Grove Ky Or, if you would like to turn your donation in through our church, we will mail them all together as a group. Just make sure your check is written out as designated above. Larry Vance Pastor REMEMBER our fallen U.S. veterans. HONOR those who serve. TEACH your children the value of freedom. -13-

14 In order to meet the needs of those in our church family and community during the upcoming holiday seasons, it is very important that we begin stocking our pantry shelves with needed items. Please check the list below as to what you can donate. May God bless your generosity. Gravy Cornbread Mix Rice Evaporated Milk Canned Potatoes Canned Fruit Cake Mix and Icing Canned Pumpkin And/Or Monetary Donations for Hams, Turkeys Eggs, Bread, Milk Stuffing Mix Yams Pancake Mix Syrup Mac and Cheese Jello Instant Pudding Sugar Thanksgiving Food Baskets If you know of a family who would be in need of a Thanksgiving Food Basket, please submit their name to the church office as soon as possible. The baskets will be picked up during the week of Thanksgiving. If you would like to give a monetary donation to help purchase the turkeys and other perishable food, please write Thanksgiving Food Basket on an offering envelope and place it in the offering basket. -14-

15 We, at Vine Grove Baptist Church believe a church should be a place where everyone feels at home. Our invitation is Whoever You Are, Come as You Are, Whenever You Can.. At Vine Grove Baptist Church our principles are based on our belief that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, true in its entirety. We believe that Jesus Christ is God s only Son, our only Savior, and that salvation is a gift of God which is received by faith. Vine Grove Baptist 408 West Main Street Vine Grove, Ky Office: Fax: Web: A.L.T.A.R. Radio: The Point Pastor: preacher@vgbc.net Office Administrator: secretary@vgbc.net The most important decision you will ever make in your life is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, join a church fellowship and get involved in its ministries so you too can win others to Christ. If you are looking for a church home, we sincerely hope you will consider Vine Grove Baptist. We ll be waiting for you and look forward to worshipping with you. -Bro. Larry Larry P. Vance Pastor Randy Kidder Choir Director, Worship Leader Deborah Williams Office Administrator Doloris Leeds, Debbie Williams Children s Ministry Directors Wendy Steinhoff Pre-School Director Nursery Ministry Team Gary and Jayne Sheroan Youth Ministry Directors (6th-12th) VGBC Security Team Steve Trotter, Facilitator Frances Johnston Pianist/Organist Webster Cundiff Sound Technician Dena Newton Custodian -15-

16 November 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Election Day Radcliff Nursing Home 10:30 a.m * VGBC Family Helmwood Thanksgiving Nursing Home Dinner 10:30 a.m Warm Blessings Soup Kitchen Volunteers 5:30 p.m. Braxton Booth Nov 3 Lai Lah Simmons Nov 7 Hunter Vance Nov 9 David Crider Nov 10 Joyce Graham Nov 10 Mary Smith Nov 11 Patrick McDonald Nov 11 Tristan Butler Nov 13 David Allan Nov 15 Claude Kidder Nov 12 Benjamin Wilkins Nov 18 Tim Hudson Nov 20 Eric Massengale Nov 21 Estelle Harper Nov 21 Andrew Cranmer Nov 22 Travis Binyon Nov 25 Desiree Craig Nov 27 Grayson Cranmer Nov 27 Luke Scheible Nov 28 April Seley Nov 29