The Shiloh January 2013 Glorifying God by Reaching, Building, Serving JANUARY MISSION FOCUS MICAH MINISTRY Micah Ecumenical Ministries is a Christ-centered community response to our neighbors in need of shelter and related care. Micah 6:8 challenges us to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God. The Micah Ministries envisions a community where every citizen, business, agency and government collaborates to ensure no neighbor goes in need of housing, work, health care, education and a support network. Feed the Needy is an effort coordinated by Micah Ministries. Kathy Maples reminds us, God has led people to us to pray with and for. Sometimes you come across single people or families who have medical problems. Our church took up a collection at a revival for a family who had a little boy with brain cancer. We prayed for little Ricky for a long time. And we stayed in contact with them for a couple of years. Thankfully, we no longer see them at the meals, which means they don t need our help any longer! Praise God for all the miracles! Rob Dean and Kathy and Butch Maples have energized, along with the efforts of many others, our Feed the Needy ministry for several years. On Wednesday, January 16, Meghann Cotter, Executive Servant Leader of Micah Ministries will share with us about this mission opportunity. Plan to be with us for dinner (5:30 pm) and for Meghann s presentation beginning at 6:00 pm. Please pray for this ministry, as well as how God might use you to help others facing difficult challenges. Don t forget to change your clocks... Beginning on January 2, we will extend our Wednesday night schedule, adding 15 minutes to our six o clock activities. So the Children s Music/Missions (M&Ms) will be from 6 to 7:15 (refer to Ray s article). Also our Youth Study and Adult Bible study will follow this schedule. So if we haven t totally confused you, our new Wednesday schedule is: 5:30 Family Dinner 6:00-7:15 Adult Bible Study Children s Music/Missions (M&M s) Youth Study 7:15 Sounds of Praise Practice Churc First 2013 The Body of Christ We Know as Shiloh That s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. ~Romans 12:5 (CEV) What would we look like in January 2014, if in 2013 we committed our very best to God through the body of Christ we call Shiloh?
Over the next few months, we will publish a series of articles, spotlighting our Sunday School classes to give you an idea of all the choices available to you. This month we are highlighting the Betty Parker Senior Ladies and the Senior Men s Sunday School classes. Meet Our Sunday School Team by Gail Davis I n the Old Testament, the lampstand was the only source of light in the tabernacle. It was positioned on the table to do one thing, cast light on the table and on the (shew) bread that represented God s provision and presence. That bread would one day be used to symbolize Christ s own body. Today the church exists to show the world who Jesus is the lampstand gives us a powerful metaphor for the church s purpose: To shine Christ s light into the darkness! As we move into and through this new year, your Sunday School team is developing a Christ-centered approach of partnership among church, home, and family (family units are made up of one or many persons). Your Sunday School team is diligently working to create an environment of study that will enhance understanding and knowledge and illuminate our church and community with Christ s light. The members of this team are Kerry Childers and Rafe Parker, leading the Nursery, 2-3 year olds, prekindergarten and Kindergarten, and 1st through 6th grades; Cindy Chalkley and David Bateman, with Joe Busic and Abby Hastings advising and leading the 7th through 12th grade boys and girls and college and career classes; Tom Breese and Angela Clatterbuck, leading the adult classes; and Bobby Lumpkin, heading our Homebound program. We invite you to come fellowship and learn with us as we launch this focus. *** The Betty Parker Senior Ladies Sunday School class, taught by Bonnie Bowen, is for adult ladies. They use Lifeway s Explore the Bible study book. The weekly lessons compel members to live out the calling God has for each by living as disciples for Jesus. Our studies provide relevant and inspiring Bible lessons and practical content that lead to transformed lives, Bonnie said. The class meets in Rm. 202 of the church. *** The Senior Men s Sunday School class motto is We know where we re going when we graduate, affirms Tom Breese who teaches the class with Bob Lumpkin. We use the Explore the Bible curriculum. We like this course of instruction because it reaffirms lessons we have learned throughout our Christian walk. Additionally, it reestablishes and renews what life has taught us about following sound Christian doctrine and the importance of Scripture as it pertains to seeking and knowing God in our lives. The class believes in the old saying: If it ain t broke; don t fix it! You can find us in Rm. 203. 2 Sunday School Team (front row, l to r) Bobby Lumpkin, Abby Hastings, Cindy Chalkley, and Kerry Childers; (back row) Cathy Lyon, Tom Breese, Gail Davis, Angela Clatterbuck, Dave Bateman, and Rafe Parker (Joe Busic, not shown) Betty Parker Senior Ladies (l to r) Thelma Gibson, Faye Lumpkin, Henrietta Hastings, Paula Southall, and Bonnie Bowen Senior Men (l to r) Galen Rothrock, Ray Tubbs, Sr., Tom Breese, Jim Pitts, and Lee Frank
Children s Ministry News by Ray Tubbs, Jr. Children s Minister. Music News by Barbara Perry Music Minister As we start out 2013, I find myself excited about all the great things God has in store for us as we reach, build, and serve. Here is what s in store for the next couple of months. On Saturday, January 26, we are roller skating from 10 12 a.m. at Stan s Skateland. This is free so invite as many people as possible. Also starting in January we are shifting focus towards missions with the children. They will still have music but we are starting Missions Friends with the younger ones and Children In Action (CIA) with the older children. Wednesday night activities will extend to 7:15 so we will have time for all the great things we are doing. On Saturday, February 16, we will be having a Bible Adventure. The Bible Adventure is designed so that the Bible will come alive right in front of the children. We will be following the life of Moses. During the adventure, the children will have a map following in Moses footsteps moving throughout the church. The Children s Council and I are in the process of working on this; if you would like to take part in the decorating or brainstorming, you are invited to our meeting Sunday, January 6, at 6 pm. Childcare will be provided. By: Angela Clatterbuck We have completed the first half of the AWANA year. We had a successful Christmas store on December 9 where the children could purchase gifts for their family members. Thank you to everyone who donated items. Also a big thank you to those who helped that evening with setting up, wrapping gifts and cleaning up. The children were so excited to purchase gifts with "money" they earned. Thank you also to the adults who come out regularly on Sunday evenings to listen to verses, do crafts and lead counsel times you are appreciated! We look forward to seeing everyone back on January 6, 2013, at 4 pm. What a wonderful December! The choirs worked so hard and really did a great job! Thank you to Jennifer Hagewood, Meredith Busic, Angela Clatterbuck, and Mrs. Mary Burnley Owens for working with the kids. Their music was just wonderful. Thank you to the Sounds of Praise for their beautiful presentations as well. The Sounds of Praise also visited the nursing home in December. Thank you for taking time out of your busy holiday to share the love of God thru music!! In January we will start back on our Wednesday evening practices. The children's choir will sing on January 20 and I am always looking for special music. Please let me know if you want to get involved. It is always the perfect time to join one of our wonderful choirs!! Jim Reger, Youth Minister In Youth Group we just finished our evangelism series, Way of the Master. This series focused on getting past arguing with the intellect and getting to a person s conscience. Some students have already talked to family and to friends. We are looking for opportunities in the community to put what we have learned into practice. As we enter the New Year, we will begin a study by Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. On Wednesdays we continue our discussion of the Gospel of Matthew. We are proud of our youth for stepping up and stepping out in their faith. You can help out by praying for this ministry and encouraging our students to bring their Bibles to church. 5
A-Stitch-and-a-Prayer Saturday, January 12, 2013 10:00 am 2:00 pm Family Life Center Ever feel like your family is hanging on by a stitch and a prayer? Do you desire God's involvement in your family matters? More than ever today our families need to be surrounded and upheld by a power greater than our own. PRAYER provides that power. Kathy McLaughlin will be sharing insights from Evelyn Christianson s book, What Happens When We Pray For Our Families and also sharing Biblical insight into the Quilting Process, as Cindy Chalkley teaches us how to piece and sew quilt blocks together. The quilting aspect of the prayer study will introduce basic quilting techniques for beginners, whether they are hand-stitching or machine sewing. We will be using patterns from a free website that are rated as beginner level projects. No sewing experience is necessary. In the initial phase, fabric will be provided. Together we are going to join our prayers and our quilt blocks to form a Prayer Quilt that will bless someone who desperately needs to be covered in prayer. Our hope is to develop this project into a sewing ministry that will help Shiloh show Christ's love to others. When women pray, wonderful things happen! Birthdays 1 Ed Hastings Gloria Tubbs 2 Tom Breese 3 Galen Rothrock Frank King 4 Barbara Yancey 5 Debbie Williams 7 Joan Turner 8 John Minter Chaila Rigg 10 Mike Johnson 11 Samantha Lee 19 Chuck Floeck 20 Debbie White Zack Dean J a n u a r y 23 Melissa Rollins 24 Carol Butler 26 Maxine Madison Suzanne Headley 28 Mac McQueen Zachary Rose Thomas Gill 29 Rafe Parker 31 Tara Kroner Anniversaries 8 Duane & Leah Myers 14 Glen & Diana Moore 29 Tom & Sandy Breese Upcoming Events Jan. 6 4:00 pm AWANA resumes Jan. 12 10:00 am A-Stitch-and-a-Prayer Jan. 15 1:00 pm Feed the Needy Jan. 26 10:00 am Roller Skating at Stan s Feb. 16 1:00 pm Children s Bible Adv. Feb. 17 1:00 pm Business Meeting Feb. 19 1:00 pm Feed the Needy Rev. Michael Jessee, Pastor Barbara Perry, Music Minister Ray Tubbs, Jr., Children s Minister James Reger, Youth Minister Shiloh Baptist Church 13457 Kings Hwy King George, VA 22485 (540) 469-4646 www.kgshiloh.org The Shiloh Visitor is published monthly as an official communications medium for Shiloh Baptist Church. The deadline for submission is the 15 th of each month. Address all comments and submissions to: Sherri Hall, Editor, The Shiloh Visitor Shiloh Baptist Church 13457 Kings Highway King George, VA 22485-3015 telephone (540) 469-4646 fax (540) 469-4500 or email office@kgshiloh.org Forwarding Order Requested
A NEW YEAR S WISH One of my favorite images of the church is the family of God. While that specific phrase is never used in scripture, the suggestion of a close family relationship amongst faithful people certainly is clear. As in all families, there are times when difficult conversations take place (sometimes the holidays lead to this kind of experience), and the church is not immune to these kinds of public as well as private talks. One of the most important characteristics necessary for a healthy dialogue is trust. I recently read an interview of Chris Gambill as he lead a conference on difficult church talks. Please let me share some of his insights for us all: Mr. Gambill started by saying: It s difficult to have a significant (honest) conversation with someone you don t know well. He s acknowledging the fact that if we don t know someone we don t trust them and don t know how much you can say. He goes on to identify that congregational life can have a deficit of social capital, basically conceding that churches can become a company of strangers. Because of the movement away from close knit communities, Mr. Gambill identifies that members go weeks or months without seeing fellow congregants anywhere except the sanctuary on Sunday morning. This leads to the experience of when we have a difficult conversation at church, we don t have a group of people who have a deep relationship they can build off of we have a group of strangers. Going forward, will we have difficult talks? I suspect that we will. If we affirm the thoughts of Mr. Gambill, what can we learn from these insights? Let me share Mr. Gambill s instructions for churches that want to be healthier in their relationships. Practice genuine listening. The beginning point is not how well you can tell but how well you can listen. If it s all about telling, then we don t want to listen we just want to get our point across. Speak the truth in love. Part of our culture is all about speaking the truth and whatever happens to everyone else, that s just tough. That may be American, but it s not biblical. Our words matter. Build up the body. Will [what I say] make us stronger, more empowered, more enlightened? Or will I walk out beat up because we wrestled, not with angels, but with each other. Bring an attitude of curiosity. That s the most important thing I can bring to the conversation. Instead of the goal being to educate him/her, I should approach the topic curiously: I wonder how it came to be that she/he thinks this way? I wonder what he/she knows that I don t know that causes her/him to be in that very different place? What are the life stories that brought him/her to this place? If I can have that little bit of curiosity, I might even think to ask her/him. That s the missing piece in a lot of conversations. Do not confuse people with their ideas. We re not the same as our ideas. Some of us have even been known to change our opinion. Mr. Gambill concludes with creating safe spaces emotionally, psychologically and spiritually for conversation is essential. He also reminds us to remember the power and relationship of facts and feelings. We get hung up on facts and are surprised when feelings cause problems, because our emotions will always trump our cognitive systems. We can t think about it until we express our emotions. Recently, I have noticed a recurring comments we make about ourselves, such as, Wow, what a good spirit I feel. There also seems to be increased laughter when we get together. Could it be that God is working to increase our social capital with one another (and with Him, I might add)? I sense a growing trust for each other and our church. Will it be possible that in future days when we have difficult conversations, in our personal lives as well as at church, that trust and a good spirit thrives here at Shiloh? Let it be dear Lord, let it be. Trust in the Lord, with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths. Proverbs 3: 5-6; NKJ HAPPY NEW YEAR! SEE YOU SUNDAY! PASTOR MIKE 3