themainline January 2018 A Monthly Publication of Main Street Baptist Church THE MISSION

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January 2018 themainline A Monthly Publication of Main Street Baptist Church SUNDAY 9:40am Bible Fellowship Groups 10:50am Worship Celebration WEDNESDAY 5:45pm Kingdom Kidz 6:00pm The Following

Bruce Smilie Senior Pastor Don Johnson Associate Pastor Heather Good Director of Children s Ministry Nancee Reddick Ministry Assistant Curtis Good Maintenance Director Physical Location: 313 N.

1 January 2018 themainline A Monthly Publication of Main Street Baptist Church SUNDAY 9:40am Bible Fellowship Groups 10:50am Worship Celebration WEDNESDAY 5:45pm Kingdom Kidz 6:00pm The Following (Student Ministry) 6:00pm Bible Study Group CHURCH STAFF Dr. Bruce Smilie Senior Pastor Don Johnson Associate Pastor Heather Good Director of Children s Ministry Nancee Reddick Ministry Assistant Curtis Good Maintenance Director Physical Location: 313 N. Main St. Grand Saline, TX Office Phone: info@churchonmainstreet.com THE MISSION To become completely committed Christ-followers (3Cs) who: Touch God through expressing and demonstrating love to Him, to Christ-followers, & to the unbelieving (worship). Transform lives through connecting in small groups, growing together in unity, maturity & Christ-likeness, and reaching out to serve others (fellowship, discipleship, and ministry). Take risks through relationally and compassionately sharing Jesus Christ locally, nationally, and internationally (evangelism/missions). THE VISION To be a disciple-making, multiplying, missional church community, where imperfect, irreligious, and inquiring people are encouraged and equipped, to become life transformational, servant leaders for the Kingdom of God.

2 Dear MSBC, By the time you are reading this article, a year will have ended and a new one, 2018, will have just begun. But whether you have already started or are just now considering it, contemplation of the New Year ahead requires some needed preparation on the part of Christians. How do you prepare for the New Year? Well, here are some interesting New Year's traditions from around the globe as reported in Daily Infographic, "New Year Traditions from Around the World" ( ), that speak of how some people prepare and celebrate the incoming New Year: In Siberia it is tradition to dive into a frozen lake while holding a tree trunk, which is placed underneath the ice. In a traditional festival from Burma, people splash water on one another to start the New Year with a purified soul. Armenian mothers bake special bread that they knead with good luck and good wishes. In the Philippines homeowners open all their doors and windows on New Year's Eve to allow negative energy to leave and good energy to enter. Spanish tradition holds that eating 12 grapes just before the clock chimes midnight will bring good fortune for all 12 months of the upcoming year. One New Year's custom in Russia is to write a wish for the upcoming year on a piece of paper, then to burn the paper and place the ashes in a glass of champagne, which needs to be consumed right before the New Year is rung in for the wish to come true. Residents in Johannesburg, South Africa throw old appliances and furniture out the window, representing the old adage "out with the old and in with the new." Brazilians wear white clothing, a custom meant to bring good luck for the upcoming year. This is often accompanied by a trip to the beach to throw flowers in the sea while making a wish. In America, we generally prepare for the New Year in a different but somewhat similar way as our friends around the world do (except for that Siberian thing of which I have no clue) by making New Year s resolutions. Our New Year s resolutions are generally about making firm determinations to end old, bad habits like smoking or drinking too much alcohol, or mismanaging money and to begin new, good habits like losing weight, exercising more, or reading the Bible more often. While all these are certainly good New Year s resolutions to consider, I suggest we approach the New Year and accompanying resolutions with two things in mind: 1. Reflect To reflect is to meditate. In Ps. 143:5 David says, I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. Reflect/mediate then on this past year. First, rejoice over the good things that have happened and the people who have enriched you, the life lessons you have learned, and even the ways God has stretched you and your faith during this past year. Thank Him for His faithfulness to you through it all in 2017 (Lam. 3:22-23). Second, repent over those areas of personal shortcoming, failures, sins, relational hurts that need rectifying, and other areas needing improvement, all of which kept you from reaching your potential in Pray First, pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) regarding what resolutions, if any, He would have you make for Second, pray for wisdom as to how you are to fulfill the goals God gives you. Third, pray for God s motivation and strength to help you accomplish your resolutions. Fourth, pray that God perhaps will direct you to an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you in your pursuits. And fifth, pray that you won t become discouraged when occasional failures and setbacks occur, but rather, allow them to motivate you further still to accomplish your God-given goals. Go ahead then reflect, pray, make and diligently keep those resolutions God gives you for this new year. Prov. 21:5 says, The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage (NASB). Remember though, you can t do it alone or in your own power. John 15:5 says, Apart from Me you can do nothing. But you can accomplish all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13). So get to it! I don t know about you, but I m looking forward to what God has in store for me, my family, and MSBC in Blessings from your friend and pastor, Bruce

Our family has played it a few times since our return home. There is a saying that my mother-in-love made sure we understood as part of the rule of the game: A domino laid is a domino played.

3 ALL THINGS NEW And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true. - Revelation 21:5 There is a game my family learned to play while spending Christmas with my wife s parents in the hill country. It is a great game played with dominoes! Our family has played it a few times since our return home. There is a saying that my mother-in-love made sure we understood as part of the rule of the game: A domino laid is a domino played. Once you lay a domino down it s a play! There is no grace or mercy if you make a mistake and realize you should have played a different one. Much like the game of chess. After you remove your hand from the piece you moved, you have made your move you ve made your play. You cannot take it back. Because of your and my sin, (Rom. 3:23) God understood we needed a do over or fresh start. Because He is The Creator - who is always creating still - He has chosen the rule for a new start. In essence - to borrow the rule of the game mentioned above - The LIFE laid is a LIFE paid. In John 15:13 Jesus tells His audience, Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. Jesus laid His own life down in exchange for mine (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24) Jesus took my losing game and turn the game board around and put me on the winning side! How awesome is that! Thank You, Jesus! And there are benefits that come with the win. Because Jesus IS The Way, The Truth, and The LIFE, you and I cannot be winners of our own doing. Jesus gave us the benefit of a do over - so to speak. So what about the do over? What about a fresh new start? He is making all things new. Here are just a few benefits of the new life in Jesus Christ: 1. A New Creation (2 Cor. 5:17) 2. A New Life (Rom. 6:4) 3. New Thoughts (Is. 43:18; Phil. 4:8) 4. New Mercies (Lam. 3:22-23) 5. A New Heart and New Spirit (Ez. 36:26) All Things (Rev. 21.5) The thing to key in on, though, is that, it is the soul of man that this ultimately applies to. For example, Henry Ford went bankrupt 5 times before the first Model T ever left the assembly line. He continued trying. His determination paid off, becoming one of the wealthiest most influential people of his day - here on earth. Unfortunately, for Mr. Ford, he was into living his own life and nobody, not even God, was going to exchange it with him. Religion, like everything else, is a thing that should be kept working. I see no use in spending a great deal of time learning about heaven and hell. In my opinion, a man makes his own heaven and hell and carries it around with him. Both of them are states of mind. -Henry Ford You can t go back and make a brand new start but you can start now and make a brand new ending. This can only happen if you and I let the God of All Things New make us into a new creation through faith in Jesus Christ. If you want a New You this year - today even - be resolute to let Jesus make all things new in your life! He is waiting for the Greatest Exchange ever! Because of Jesus, Don

4 ... MEAL Wednesdays from 5:45 7:15pm All Pre-K 6th Grade are welcome!! Next Meeting Discover Your Spiritual Gifts In The HUB

5 JANUARY 2018 Happy New Year!! It is time to begin a new year in our lives. Over the last month everyone has probably had a busy and hectic life of family parties, decorating, shopping, cooking, gift-giving, etc. Now it is time to settle down and get back into a routine at home, work and church. Ready or not 2018 is here. This new year is a gift all 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes and 31,536,000 seconds. We will all have that same amount of time and what we do with it is up to us. We can use it for good things or we can waste it. Let s try to let the mind of Christ be in us and do more for Him and others and have an attitude of Christ. Philippians 2: 1-5 says: Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another and working together with one mind and purpose. Don t be selfish; don t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. I think this passage is very self-explanatory about how we should live. Just think what could happen to our world if we truly let God s mind and attitude live in us. It might cause a revolution in the way we all conduct our lives. There was a passage in one of the Stand Firm devotional books that challenges us as Christians to be more like God. We are desperately in need of a new mind. Why don t we start looking at the world with the grace-filled eyes of Jesus? What if we choose to serve people with the hands of this carpenter King? What if we let people off the hook? What if we come into this year with a totally clean slate toward everyone who has ever harmed or hurt us, choosing to forgive and letting all of that go? What if we prayed for others and then became intentional about finding ways to help them, love them, and give to them? One of our new year resolutions should be to have a revolution in our lives to have the mind of Christ living in us and it will bring a solution to many of our problems. Let s pray for Father God to teach us how to allow the mind of Christ to be in us during this New Year. As we look back over 2017 we have many blessings to thank God for, but we will probably have some regrets over things that we did that we should not have done, should have done differently, or not done at all. Lord please help us to be more like you and have a pure heart. The song I ll Tell the World That I m a Christian by Baynard L. Fox tells us that we should be glad to tell others and busy about doing it. I ll tell the world that I m a Christian, I m not ashamed his name to bear; I ll tell the world that I m a Christian, I ll take Him with me anywhere. I ll tell the world how Jesus saved me, And how He gave me a life brand new. And I know that if you trust Him, That all He gave me, He ll give to you. I ll tell the world that He s my Saviour, no other one could love me so; My life, my all is His forever, and where He leads me, I will go. Happy New Year to everyone and may we resolve to have a revolution in our lives and have the mind of Christ living in us. We are beginning a new choir year. If you like to sing please consider joining one of our choirs. There are no requirements. Just be willing to do it. Our Sr. Adult Choir meets each lst and 3 rd Wed. mornings at 10:00 a.m. in the choir room and then we go to the nursing homes. Our Sanctuary Choir meets each Wed. night at 7:00 p.m. in the choir room. Both choirs are in need of more singers and this would be a good way to tell others about Jesus. Shirley Bailey

... Upcoming Meeting Deacon Council Sunday, January 14th 5:00 p.m. Conference Room Church Council & All Adult Sunday School Teachers Tuesday, January 16th 6:00 p.

6 ... Upcoming Meeting Deacon Council Sunday, January 14th 5:00 p.m. Conference Room Church Council & All Adult Sunday School Teachers Tuesday, January 16th 6:00 p.m. Conference Room Youth Council Meeting Sunday, January 21st 12:30 p.m. HUB

January Birthdays Vicki Parker 3 Miguel Tirado 4 Carson Brown 5 Edelle Davis 6 Coy Fisher 7 Patricia Romero 8 Hunter Carver 9 Curtis Good 12 David Martin 13 Kim Gillentine 16 Virginia Grier 21 Amber

7 January Birthdays Vicki Parker 3 Miguel Tirado 4 Carson Brown 5 Edelle Davis 6 Coy Fisher 7 Patricia Romero 8 Hunter Carver 9 Curtis Good 12 David Martin 13 Kim Gillentine 16 Virginia Grier 21 Amber Marshall 21 Kathleen Lowdermilk 22 Martha McBeath 23 Carter Maciel 24 John Steger 26 Shannon McCown 30 Emma Milliorn 31 Tithes/Offerings Analysis January - December 2017 Month Month To Date Year To Date January $38,192 $38,192 February $34,940 $73,132 March $36,215 $109,348 April $37,882 $147,230 May $36,017 $183,247 June $42,838 $226,085 July $38,309 $264,344 August $38,793 $303,137 September $38,964 $342,101 October $41,199 $383,299 November $30,847 $414,146 December $41,239 $455,385 S.S. Mission Giving For T World Unidentified Cash Pre K-K 1st-2nd 3rd-4th 5th-6th Charity Friendship Gleaners Hispanic Jubilee Koinonea Maranatha Rejoicers Young Adults Youth Total , Weekly Offerings 3rd - $9, th - $6, th - $7, th - $9, st - $8, Weekly Worship Attendance 3rd th th th st - Didn t Count Sunday School Attendance 3rd - No Sunday School 10th th - No Sunday School 24th st - 118

themainline JULY2017 A Monthly Publication of Main Street Baptist Church THE MISSION

themainline JULY2017 A Monthly Publication of Main Street Baptist Church THE MISSION JULY2017 themainline A Monthly Publication of Main Street Baptist Church SUNDAY 9:40am Bible Fellowship Groups 10:50am Worship Celebration WEDNESDAY 5:45pm Kingdom Kidz 6:00pm The Following (Student Ministry)