Grace Notes Pastor s Notes Mark Elkins This Thanksgiving our church has so much to thank the Lord for! Our children s ministries have continued to grow in both number and Gospel effectiveness. God brought a record number of souls to both our VBS and AWANA ministries this year. We were also able to adjust our classrooms downstairs to allow us to increase the size of our nursery to accommodate all the new children and our new Puggles Ministry. And, after a lot of planning and hard work, we were able to open our Children s Ministry Room so teachers would have better access to the many teaching tools that God has provided for us, including our amazing Puppets and a new wall-mounted TV with DVD player. We are also very thankful to God for leading us to form seven new teams to clean the church, in addition to several teams to cut our grass. And, since the switch to our new July to June fiscal year these savings combined with an increase in our weekly giving has created a marked decrease in our MONTHLY NEWSLETTER GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH NOVEMBER 2018 budget gap. In fact, we have determined that if every family in the church increases their weekly giving by only $10.00, we should be able to completely close that gap! God has also blessed us with a number of new families that He has already begun to weave into the fabric of our Grace family. This summer, He gave us four new professions of faith and two new baptisms. And I m happy to announce that we are going to have at least one more new Baptism on Sunday, November 18 th. We also had 13 new souls in our summer New Members/Grace Family Foundations Class and as of our Business Meeting last Sunday, we have two more individuals who want to take the class as soon as possible with the intention of joining the church. Beloved, this Thanksgiving, we truly need to thank our Lord for the blessings and grace He has bestowed on our church this year! Upcoming Events Nov 4 th Daylight Saving Time Ends Children s Christmas Play First Meeting Nov 18 th Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Deadline & Packing Party Nov 21 st NO WED NIGHT ACTIVITIES Nov 22 nd Happy Thanksgiving! Dec 9 th Angel Tree Gift Deadline Dec 9-16 th Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Week of Prayer Dec 16 th Children s Christmas Play Lottie Moon Christmas Ingathering Dec 24 th Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Student Corner I want to give a big shout to Pam Hylton, who did a great job at our Ministry Partners luncheon and training last month. Thanks Pam for your insight and encouragement! Isn t this the best season of all?! As the colors are brightening the trees, I am reminded of how blessed we are as a church family. I am especially encouraged by our children. It is so amazing to see each of them grow in the Lord. As we approach Thanksgiving, I would like to say thank you to all the partners on the Children s Ministry Team. Philippians 2:3 says, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. I see this displayed on a weekly basis and I am grateful. The Grace Kids are learning so much because of dedicated teachers and assistants. The children that attend Children s Church will be having lessons on God is Love this month. There are take home pages for the parents to ask specific questions about each session to reinforce the lesson. Thanks to all the parents for allowing us to be such a special part of your child s life. I covet your prayers for the Children s Ministry Team. Blessings, Nandrea Groves Director of Children s Ministries Prayer Deacons Nov 04 Greg Carlson Nov 11 Dick East Nov 18 Pat Groves Nov 25 Dale Hollandsworth Fellowship Meals Nov 07 Prepared Nov 14 Potluck Nov 21 NO FELLOWSHIP MEAL HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Nov 28 Prepared (MOPS) Visit our website at www.hisgraceforyou.org Nursery Schedule Nov 04 Pat & Nandrea Groves, (Annetta Lind) Nov 11 Dawn Gregory, Leisa LeFew, (Amy Shelor) Nov 18 Brenda Vaughn, Susan Holt, (Nancy Howell) Nov 25 Sandra Carson, Jane Hall, (Bud Brown) Children s Church Nov 4 Paula Reynolds & Brenda Vaughn Nov 11 Margaret Carlson & Annetta Lind Nov 18 Casey Elkins & Dawn Gregory Nov 25 Maura Elkins & Barry Jones
Ladies Retreat Trunk and Treat
Announcements Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 4 th at 2am. Remember to set your clocks back one hour! Our GBC Children s Choir is starting to prepare once again for their yearly Christmas performance. This year, we will be presenting the musical production, Christmas Where, When, and Why. We will have a short meeting Sunday, November 4 th, directly after the Worship Service, and practices will be held each Sunday, at 4pm, until our show on Sunday, December 16 th, at 6:30pm. Please contact Pam or Maura Elkins with any questions or if your child is interested in being a part of this fun ministry. It's time again for Operation Christmas Child! Please help us share God's love with a child who needs the gospel. You may take one of our OCC boxes to fill with a special toy or craft, hygiene items, clothing, school supplies, and please include $9 for shipping. Also, consider sending a personal note and photo along with your box to send a little extra love! Or you can just bring some of the supplies suggested or donate money for shipping costs. This year, OCC is asking that we refrain from including any candy or liquid items, including toothpaste and lotion. There will be a Packing Party after church on Nov 18 th. Also, you can donate money for shipping costs or pay online and track your box as it makes its incredible journey around the world! Visit https://www.samaritanspurse.org/whatwe-do/operation-christmas-child/ to learn more. Please, contact Peyton Elkins if you have any questions. We are excited to announce the arrival of Online Giving here at Grace Baptist Church! Visit hisgraceforyou.org/giving to learn more or visit our Online Giving webpage! We are truly grateful for your partnering and hope the convenience and simplicity of online giving will be a blessing to you and your family. Please be sure to join us for a very special Baptism Sunday Service on Sunday, November 18 th. Being with your family is one of the special blessings about the holiday season, but so many kids don t have that same privilege this Christmas. You can help bless a child who has a parent in prison by stopping by our Angel Tree, which will be in the hallway outside the Sanctuary very soon. Please, consider picking up an angel card from the tree, and purchasing the requested items on the card, praying for the child, and dropping off your wrapped gift (with the angel card attached) by the Angel Tree. The deadline is Sunday, December 9 th. Please, contact Wendy Buchanan if you have any questions. December 9-16 th is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering s 2018 Week of Prayer for International Missions. Every year, the International Mission Board (IMB) collects money from churches around the Christmas season. 100% of the proceeds go to missionaries serving all around the globe to spread the gospel and the love of Jesus Christ. Our annual Offering date is Sunday, December 16 th. We invite Mothers of Preschoolers (and other ages, as well) to join us for Grace Baptist MOPS, an inclusive group of authentic women who offer friendships, advice, and a place to fellowship. The MOPS meet here at Grace Baptist Church, every 1 st and 3 rd Tuesday of the month at 10am, to encourage and equip one another in the love of Jesus Christ. Childcare is provided, and every meeting ends with a delicious lunch! New books and movies are being added to our church library all the time! Please be sure to check out our wide selection of Christian materials in our two library rooms upstairs across from the youth room. There is a sheet on the Library table for you to check materials in and out with. Please contact Beverly Stowe if you have any questions.
November 2018 Birthdays Anniversaries SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 6:30pm Deacons Meeting Larry & Sandra Carson 2 Dawn Gregory Beverly Stowe 3 Jeff Lind Lauren Stegall 5 8 9 10 4 Daylight Saving Time Ends 12:30pm 1 st Children s Choir Practice 3pm Jessica Messer s Baby Shower David Byrd Glenna Shelor Trey Smith 11 Veterans Day 18 11am Baptism Sunday OCC Packing Party! Shoebox Deadline Sue Smith 25 12 Jimmy & Jane Hall Joyce Belcher 19 7pm Women on Mission Robert & Paula Reynolds 6 10am MOPS Natalie Worley 7 Robert Reynolds 13 14 20 10am MOPS 21 No Wednesday Night Activities Alma Guzman 26 27 28 15 10am Women of Grace 6:30pm Deacons Meeting Jessica Clark Lamar Howell Logan Reynolds 22 Happy Thanksgiving from Grace Baptist Church! 16 17 23 24 Leon Howell 29 30 31