Grace Notes MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH DECEMBER 2016 Pastor s Notes Pastor Mark Elkins Without a doubt, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year! And one of the best parts of Christmas is all the wonderful music, hymns, and carols that come with the season. One of my favorites, if not the favorite, is Hark! the Herald Angels Sing. Did you know that when Charles Wesley first wrote it in 1739, it was a poem titled after the original first verse: Hark, how all the welkin rings? By the way, welkin is roughly translated the heavens or the the skies. It was his ministry partner George Whitefield, who in 1758 is believed to have changed the first verse to the now famous Hark! the Herald Angels sing and he also dropped verses 8 and 10 from the text. The tune that we are all so familiar with wasn t even added until another 100 years later, in 1856. But after 100 years of changes, additions, and subtractions we have one of the most theologically rich Christmas hymns of all time. If we did nothing else this Christmas, but study each of the truths unveiled in this hymn (including the often forgotten last 2 verses), we would be blessed beyond a mountain of wrapped gifts: Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With th angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem! Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King! Christ, by highest Heav n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord; Late in time, behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th incarnate Deity, Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel. Hail the heav nly Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. Come, Desire of nations, come, Fix in us Thy humble home; Rise, the woman s conqu ring Seed, Bruise in us the serpent s head. Now display Thy saving power, Ruined nature now restore; Now in mystic union join Thine to ours, and ours to Thine. Adam s likeness, Lord, efface, Stamp Thine image in its place: Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love. Let us Thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the inner man: O, to all Thyself impart, Formed in each believing heart. DECEMBER Dec 4 th Shelor/Carlson Sunday School Christmas Party Dec 4 th -11 th Week of Prayer for International Missions Dec 11 th Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Dec 14 th Angel Tree Drop-off Deadline Dec 18 th Christmas Celebration Dec 24 th Christmas Eve Service Dec 25 th Special Christmas Service Jan 1 st New Year s Day!
Announcements Nursery Schedule Dec 04 Casey Elkins & Sandee Davis Dec 11 Nandrea & Pat Groves Dec 18 Amy Shelor & Jane Hall Dec 25 Brenda Vaughn & Linda Daumen Children s Church Dec 04 Wendy Buchanan & Barry Jones Dec 11 Linda Daumen & Peyton Elkins Dec 18 Dale & Shelley Hollandsworth Dec 25 No Children s Church Prayer Deacons Dec 04 Lee Bryant Dec 11 Chuck Buchanan Dec 18 Greg Carlson Dec 25 Joe Griffin Fellowship Meal Dec 07 Prepared Dec 14 Potluck Dec 21 NO WED Night Activities! Dec 28 NO WED Night Activities! Thank you to everyone who helped with this year s Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes! By God s grace, we were able to send off 85 Shoeboxes around the world in the name of Jesus Christ! December 4-11 th is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering s 2016 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 11 th. Mark your calendars for an amazing musical celebration on Sunday, December 18 th at 7pm in the sanctuary. Join us as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas! The experience will be a night of worship, a drama from the Children s Choir, the Voices of Grace, and more! Refreshments will be served following the program. Attention everyone involved with this year s Christmas Program! We will be having a special Rehearsal on Saturday, December 17 th at 10am in the sanctuary. Please try to be there as we prepare for our special event! The Children s Choir will be performing a short skit for the Christmas Celebration, which will be on Dec 18 th. Any children interested in being a part of this, please join us in the sanctuary on the next two Sunday evenings, Dec 4 th and 11 th at 5pm. Please, contact Pam Elkins with any questions.
Announcements Cont. Thank you to everyone who has picked up an Angel Tree card. Please remember to drop by your new, wrapped gift in the hallway outside the sanctuary next to our Angel Tree, along with the angel card by Wednesday, December 14 th. You can help bless a child who has a parent in prison this Christmas. You will find that there are still some cards that on our tree waiting to be picked up. 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. Contact Wendy Buchanan if you have any questions. All Wednesday Night Activities, including AWANA, will be cancelled on December 21 st and 28 th for the holidays. Enjoy time with your families! Christmas Eve, we will be hosting our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in the sanctuary at 7pm. It will be a festive event of remembrance and rejoicing as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ over 2,000 year ago in a little town called Bethlehem. This Christmas, we have the special opportunity to celebrate Christmas in the Lord s house Sunday, December 25 th. Sunday School will be cancelled, but will have a brief, worshipful church service at 11am, with nursery available, but no Children s Church that day. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, Birthdays November 2016 full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Anniversaries
Birthdays December 2016 Anniversaries SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 Shelor/Carlson Sunday School Christmas Party 5pm Children s Choir Practice 11 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions 5pm Children s Choir Practice 18 7pm Christmas Celebration Refreshments to follow 25 11am Special Sunday Morning Service 5 Marceia Bartlett 12 Allison Hughes 19 7pm Women on Mission 26 6 7 5:15pm Dinner (Prepared) 6pm AWANA 6:15pm Bells Bible Study AWANA Mamas 7:40pm Choir Nadine Smith 13 14 5:15pm Dinner (Potluck) 6pm AWANA 6:15pm Bells Bible Study AWANA Mamas 7:40pm Choir Angel Tree Deadline 20 21 27 28 No Wednesday Night Activities! No Wednesday Night Activities! 8 9 10 15 10am Women of Grace 16 Nandrea Groves Chris Howell Mark Elkins 22 23 Junior & Charlotte Hughes 17 Lewis Carroll 24 7pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Leon & Chris Howell Jane Hall Clay Menear 29 30 31 New Year s Eve! No Sunday School Winfred Stowe Margaret Carlson John Hughes Laurie Salser
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Thank you for helping us send 85 shoeboxes in Jesus name!