Volume XXXIX, No. 1 The Banner January 6, 2015 PRAYING GOD GIVES YOU A. year of favor FULL OF HIS UNENDING LOVE

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1 Volume XXXIX, No. 1 The Banner January 6, 2015 PRAYING GOD GIVES YOU A year of favor FULL OF HIS UNENDING LOVE

2 JANUARY 11 11:00am Worship Today: Baptist; Tomorrow: Desert Mark 1:4-11 Genesis 1:1-5 6:00pm Sunday Night Kaffee` Restoration Acts 19: 1-7 From Your Pastor... Dear Abingdon Baptist Family, The past 30+ years have found every major Christian denomination in internal conflict about their identity. It is very difficult for any two people to come to agreement as to the "verbiage" that belongs in such a description. While there have been, literally, whole libraries written on the subject, I think the clearest identification to date comes from the pen of Walter Shurden. (Dr. Shurden has served in a number of positions in a numbers of seminaries and is someone whose insights I place a lot of stock options in). In 1993, Shurden wrote a book entitled, The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. In that book he offered. In it he uses four simple statements about Freedom that frame the most important aspects of a general 'Baptist identity.' The first is Bible Freedom. Simply put, it is the historic Baptist affirmation that the Bible, under the Lordship of Christ, must be central in the life of the individual and church and that Christians, with the best and most scholarly tools of inquiry, are both free and obligated to study and obey the Scripture. The second is Soul Freedom (sometimes called Soul Competency). This is the historic affirmation of the inalienable right and responsibility of every person to deal with God without the imposition of creed, the interference of clergy, or the intervention of civil government. Third is Church Freedom. It is the historic Baptists affirmation that local churches are free, under the Lordship of Christ, to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, to ordain whom they perceive as gifted for ministry, male or female, and to participate in the larger body of Christ as they see fit. Finally, Shurden uses Religious Freedom to describe the historic Baptist affirmation of freedom OF religion, freedom FOR religion, and freedom FROM religion, insisting that Caesar is not Christ and Christ is not Caesar. Those are the primary ideas that lay behind the beliefs expressed by our forbearers over the last 400 years. They are certainly ideas I can support whole heartedly. I pray they are powerful enough to bind together all believers who believe Christ came and set us free. See You Sunday. Your Pastor, Steven P.S. I would encourage you to read Shurden's entire book. He has much more to say than a few brief summaries can contain.

3 F.Y.I.... Deacon of the Month - January Sheila Willis (c) SUNDAY SCHOOL Attendance for Sunday, January 4: 106 Greeters Upstairs entrance Charles Grogan Jim Hughes Downstairs entrance Peggy Hughes Patricia Hensley Extended Session Workers January 11 Charlene Phelps & Denise Gobble Ushers & Greeters 11:00am Co-Chairs: Kevin Abel, Larry Payne, Mike Overstreet January Greeters Mary Fraysier Nan Jones John Crigger Floyd Sutherland Ushers: January Ronnie Webb Tony Roberts Jerry Culterlson Roy Morelock Worship Technicians: Bill Klose and Norman Klose Tony Roberts & Thomas Roberts Van Drivers: January Judy Osborne (c) Financial Update January 7, 2015 Budget Funds Weekly Requirement $7, Received December 21 $5, Received December 28 $18, Received December 31 $5, Budget $416, Receipts $338, Received January 4 $7, Building Fund To-date $98, FRIDAY January 9 SUNDAY January 11 9:00am Church Wide Breakfast Fellowship Hall 9:45am Sunday School YAK Fellowship Hall 11:00am Worship 6:00pm Sunday Night Kaffee MONDAY January 12 Hearts of Gold WEDNESDAY January14 5:00pm Wednesday Fellowship Supper Menu: Ham, Green Peas, Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Roll Assorted Desserts Kid s Menu: Corn Dogs, Fries 5:30pm Cherubs (Music for 4 & 5 yr-olds) Mission Friends (Missions for 3 yr-olds) Children in Action (Missions grades 1-5) Youth Missions (6th-12th Grade) 6:00pm Worship 6:10pm Music for Threes (Music for 3 yr-olds) Mission Friends FRIDAY January 16 Widows Support Group with Dana Duncan Gifts... The following people have given in memory of W.C. Patton to the Samaritans Purse...Buddy & Betty Jo Carrier Hearts of Gold...Martha Patton The following people have given in memory of Vivian Anderson to the Lottie Moon...Joe & Ann Johnson

4 Prayer Concerns Hospitals: Holston Valley Ken Johnson Recuperating: Abingdon Health & Rehab Mary Holbrook Treatments Continuing/Pending: Ken Bailey, Mike Beard, Mack Bowman, Maxine Benson, Evelyn Campbell, Buddy Carrier, Jay Childers, Terry Christian, Ann Colley, Tristan Duncan, Eddie Dunn, Beverly Eason, Elizabeth Eskew, Terry Gingrich, Roger Glass, Keith Goodman, Wayne Goodman, Evelyn Gregory, Ron Gunter, Beth Hagan, Sandy Haney, Mary Holbrook, Jimmy Hughes, Jr., Peggy Hughes, June James, Herbert Johnson, Joe Johnson, Ken Johnson, Beatrice Jones, Jim Jones, James Kiser, Pat Litton, Helen McCall, Sharlene Miller, Jeanette Millsap, Jett Moore, Ann Mowell, Betty Mullins, Brenda Mullins, Don Nixon, Savannah Parks, Adam Parris, Ronda Phillips, Alice Porterfield, Bertha Prater, Ruth Rasnake, Sandy Riley, Sheila Robinson, Renee Roberts, Sylvia Simmons, Ruth Slate, Rheba Starnes, Michael Taylor, Candy Tignor, Martha Tignor, Manuel Townsend, Shirley Turner, Leona Willis. Long Term: Curtis Burkett, Roger Clifton, Corine Collins, Frances Dover, Ray Duncan, Judy Ferrell, Betty Griffith, Lucille Heath, Jim & Ann Howard, Paul Jones, Esther Kelly, Vivian Kite, Bill Munsey, Buzz Murray, Mary Pace, Don Ray, David Robinson, Wesley Smith, Bob Taylor, Joyce Wright. Independent Living/Retirement/Assisted Care & Rehab Facilities: John Blankenship, Lydia Collins, Dancey Flanagan, Doris Fleenor, Evelyn Hilt, Christine Kohr, Janet Lambert, Mae Ledford, Genevive McCall, Jean Moore, Virginia Moore, Ruth Noe, Rosa Lee Phelps, Jimmy Repass Jr., Vera Rivera, Howard Smith, Sally Stevens Homebound: Mary Dennison, Mary Hunicutt, Jeanette Millsap, Jake Turner, Shirley Turner. Homebound of the Week Christine Kohr 5635 Bsg Dr. Nortan, VA If you have prayer requests or know of needs in our church family, or have an update or correction to any of our prayer requests, please contact the church office prayer & share line at ext. 42. Happy Birthday... Monday, January 12 Judy Osborne Sarah Farmer Tuesday, January 13 Becky Willis Friday, January 16 Rori Simmons Saturday, January 17 Vivian Kite Bo Henderson Gracynn Sills Sunday, January 18 Harold Dunaway Becky Nunley

5 Church business... The church will be voting on two motions from the Deacons this Sunday, January 11 after the morning worship service. The motions are: to adopt the 2015 Budget and approve the Identity Statement. Peanut Butter Drive Ecumenical Faith in Action The Seekers Class wants to thank all that participated in the Peanut Butter Drive. We delivered 160 jars to EFIA on January 5. Volunteers Needed... Craft idea Coffee Can Card Holder W.C. & Martha Patton donated coffee cans before moving to Georgia. We are looking for volunteers to help turn these into card holders to give to folks in nursing homes. A few items that we could use are: Yarn of all sizes and colors Duct Tape If you can help please call the church office to be added to the list of volunteers. Date will be determined Church Wide Breakfast January 11, :00am Fellowship Hall A Word of Thanks... Thank you for your participation in the Lottie Moon Post Office. Your participation generated $ for the Lottie Moon Offering from the Seekers Class

6 Ministers Entire Congregation Pastor ext. 23 Dr. Steven Pollard Minister of Music and Worship ext. 24 Rev. Parke Deans Church Organist Mr. Edward Eller Church Pianist Mrs. Rose Payne Church Secretary ext. 32 Mrs. Trina Vickers A church with a world mission and a world program in association with the Lebanon Baptist Association, Baptist General Association of Virginia, Southern Baptist Convention, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and Baptist World Alliance. Church office hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm Phone: 276/ PRAYER LINE: extension 42, FAX: 276/ WEB Site: