May 2014 Volume 11 Issue 5 From The Pastor "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalms 51:10 KJV). A Clean Heart To have a clean heart means that your heart has been renewed, quickened, or made alive (awakened) in the Lord by the Holy Spirit. It is said, that in times of failure or difficulty, only a clean heart can heal. In times of despair, inspiration can become hidden, and many times we want to give up. However, this is the time when healing can be found. In David s case, he found healing (a clean heart) in the midst of loneliness, fear, and rejection. After realizing that he had sinned against God and humanity, he confessed create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew the right spirit within me. So, the next time you are feeling empty, rejected, and sad for whatever reason remember, only confession and prayer can renew your spirit and create a clean heart! Your Servant Leader, O. Wendell Davis
Do You Want Your Church to Grow? And the Lord added to the church daily. Ac 2:47 NKJV God doesn t mind your church having small attendance. What He objects to is your church having a small vision, for that limits what He can do through you. The story s told of a tourist visiting a small English village. He asked an old gentleman, Is there anything special about this place? The old man smiled and said, Yes, you can start here and go anywhere else on earth. In Acts chapter 5 verse 28 the New Testament church was accused of turning the world upside down. What impact! God has a plan for church growth, and you have a part to play. You are called to: Invite them. You say, Isn t that my pastors job? No, your pastor is a shepherd. Shepherds don t give birth to sheep; sheep do that. When was the last time you brought someone to church? If you discovered a cure for cancer or Alzheimer s, wouldn t you share it? Jesus said, A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant...to say to those who were invited, Come, for all things are now ready (Lk 14:16-17 NKJV). When the invited guests started making excuses as to why they couldn t come in, that my house may be filled (v. 23 NKJV). Not the words compel them to come. Pick them up in your car, arrange breakfast before church or lunch afterwards. Get creative, but whatever you do, bring them to church! Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional 2014 CHURCH THEME Meeting The Challenges With Spiritual Wisdom Matthew 10:16-26 Page 2
New To Our Family Geoffrey M. Cooper Kayla A. Cooper Nevaeh C. Eggleston Jaekeia S. Fuqua Emma Harrington Ervin Harrington Jaden A. Johnson Jayla E. Johnson Za Kera L. Lilley Sidney L. Oden India J. Sales Adarius A. Sanders Raven S. Southward Welcome to Our Church We are delighted to have you fellowship with us today and hope that our services will serve as an inspiration to you during the coming week. We hope that when you entered our doors, you felt a sweet, sweet spirit of warmth and love. Union Chapel is the church with a big heart of LOVE; where everybody is somebody, and JESUS CHRIST is the HEAD! If you are new to our community, a cordial invitation is extended to you to prayerfully consider becoming a member of our church family. New Sunday School Class: Breakfast with the King 7:00 a.m. Sunday School Lesson: Jesus Use of Scripture Pastor will be teaching a Sunday School Class entitled Breakfast with the King each Sunday morning beginning at 7:00 a.m. in the Church Sanctuary. The new Sunday School Class, led by Pastor Davis, is intended to prepare the congregation for the times ahead. May 4 May 11 May 18 May 25 Just Say No! Deuteronomy 6:13-16; Matthew 4:4-11 A Fulfilling Vocation Luke 4: 14-21 Get it Right Matthew 15:1-11, 15-20 First Things First Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Mark 12:28-34 Bible Study Join us Every Wednesday! Time Class Location 12:00 noon Mid-Day Bible Study Fellowship Hall 7:00 p.m. Adult Bible Study Youth Bible Study Collegiate Bible Study Fellowship Hall Basement Conference Room (old Library) Page 3
Happy Mother s Day BIBLE QUIZ Ephesians 6:2 mentions one of the Ten Commandments as being the first commandment with a promise. The commandment is the fifth which reads: Honor your father and mother. Which of the statements below is the promise? A. So that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. B. So that you will have a happy home life. C. So that they may be proud of you. Always. D. So that you may learn and grow from their wisdom. Hint: The answer is in Ephesians 6:3. Page 4
Beauty of Brokeness Leonard Sweet, author of Strong in the Broken Places, describes a style of Japanese pottery called kintsukuroi. It s the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer, leaving the piece more beautiful for having been broken. God is like a kintsukuroi potter, healing and staying near to the brokenhearted (see Psalm 34:18; 51:17; and 147:3). Instead of ashes, mourning and despair, God provides a crown of beauty, the oil of joy and a garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3, NIV). Although earthly brokenness brings pain, the Master Creator can turn it into something amazing that glorifies him. When life seems to fall apart, remember that our powerful God can make you more beautiful for having been broken. The Mission of The Church ( An excerpt from Church and Ministry by O. Wendell Davis) Jesus came into this world to redeem humankind. He revealed God to People and His purpose was to set people free from sin. The mission of the Church is to carry on the life and to present the redemptive message of Jesus Christ. Christ himself committed this responsibility to the Church. The various ministries of Union Chapel exist for no other purpose than to carry out the mission. We pray this ministry profile section will encourage you to begin your service to the ministry and mission of the church. Opportunities To Serve// Matrons Ministry The Matrons Ministry purpose is to encourage women to practice Christ s teachings in their daily walk, to dedicate their gifts of the Spirit to the Lord s service, to give of their time and means to spread the gospel message and to win souls through personal service to God. Ministry Coordinators: Sis. Joyce Neville and Sis. Charlotte Corbett Progressive Matrons Ministry The purpose of this ministry is to grow in fellowship with God and each. To aide each other whether through prayer or for physical needs, to Continue on page 11 Page 5
Union Chapel Christian Academy News Regional Spelling Bee Math Olympics Congratulations to Katherine Ward, who placed in round four of the Alabama Christian School International (ACSI) Regional Spelling Bee in Atlanta, GA on March 22. This year marks the second year the Academy has advanced to the regional competition. The annual ACSI Math Olympics was held April 11 at Whitesburg Christian Academy, Huntsville, Ala. Academy student participants were represented in the following categories and awards: 3rd Grade Computation: Dylan Atakoussak, 1st place Kearra Rice, 4th place Raegan Stuckey, 5th place 3rd Grade Reasoning Theodore Lorio, 5th place 4th Grade Computation Trenton Barnes, 2nd place Taylor Hicks, 3rd place 4th Grade Computation Preston Knight, 2nd place 5th Grade Computation Raymond Taylor, 1st place Angelina Williams, 2nd place 8th Grade Computation Macario Kelley, 1st place State Track and Field Meet Union Chapel Christian Academy track team participated in their second Alabama Christian Education Association (ACEA) state track and field meet at Briarwood Christian Academy in Birmingham on April 24. The academy was represented in the following categories and awards: Zyon Green 6th grade, second place 400 meter dash. Iauniss Smith 8th grade, first place 100 meter dash, setting a new state record with a time of 11.41 seconds, first place 200 meter dash. Seated from left, KeShawn W ilson, Iauniss Smith, Everett Berger, Leslie Dancy and Richard Williams; standing from left: A mari Blake, Rawn Pearcey, Jaedan Johnson, Coach Jarriel Phipps, Zyan Green, Ashanique Turney, Keanna Rice and Katherine Ward. Continue on page 7 Union Chapel Church Christian Academy Summer Camp Registration: Summer camp will begin on Monday, June 2, 2014 July 25, 2014, at 7:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. for ages Kindergarten through 7 th grades. Registration applications may be picked up at the Academy Office. Page 6
Union Chapel Christian Academy News Jaedan Johnson 9th grade, first place 100 meter dash, first place shot put, first place long jump, second place discus. Rawn Pearcey 9th grade, first place 880 meter run, third place 440 meter dash. Richard Williams 9th grade, first place 220 meter dash. The junior high boys, placed first in the 440 relay and placed second overall in the meet. Congratulations to the members of the UCCA track team for exemplifying excellence in sportsmanship. The Millenials Outreach Join Us! 4 th Sunday s 11:00 a.m. Food, Music, comedy, Christian Rap, Christian Dance Union Chapel, under the leadership of our great visionary leader, Pastor O. Wendell Davis, recently embarked on establishing a new effort to connect with The Millennials (young adults between the ages of 16 through 30) of our church. The We Care Christian Fellowship held it s first service April 27 at 11:00 a.m. This service offers contemporary prayer, praise, worship and fellowship to young adults who are active or inactive in church. The fellowship began with praise and worship led by Union Chapel Gospel Choir followed by the dynamic ministry of Christian rap artist,cai. The service was then opened to an engaging question and answer session facilitated by Pastor Davis that we pray will assist in connecting the gap with the older generations. The service ended with a great time of food and fellowship at the Pavilion. There is one simple goal that this effort hopes to accomplish; to encourage young adults to continue attending church and to evangelize to inactive members to come back to church regularly. Please refer to the church announcements for exciting upcoming events. Page 7
Senior Adult Ministry Senior Adult Ministry continues to hit the mark! It was another fun filled adventure for the Senior Adult Ministry. On March 25th, the ministry again went bowling on Redstone Arsenal and had an wonderful time. There were strikes as well as gutter balls. Not all members were bowlers. Approximately 20 attended but only 12 actually participated in the bowling. The others provided a lot of cheering, encouragement, and support throughout the games. There was some talk about who was going to out bowl the other, but it was all in fun. Top bowlers in the 1st game were: Sis. Edna Horne (123) Dea. Nathaniel Sanders (104) Mother Betty Craighead (101) Bro. Jerry Tibbs (94) The 2nd game's top bowlers were: Dea. Nathaniel Sanders (136) Bro. Jerry Tibbs (117) Bro. Douglas Moore(114) Dea. William Battle(106) In addition to the bowling, the Senior Adult Ministry enjoyed the fellowship as well as the food. This Senior Adult Ministry continues to stay active and full of energy. We encourage anyone 55 and older to become a member of this very active ministry. If interested, please contact the Coordinator, Sis. Jessie Wade. We remember, O Lord, all those men and women who have made the supreme sacrifice for our country. Do not let us breathe the air of freedom or claim the right to justice or enjoy the privilege of worship without remembering with great gratitude those who gave the last full measure of devotion - their very lives - for our benefit. May they now know the peace of eternity and the joy of your presence. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Page 8
Happy 31 st Wedding Anniversary Pastor and Sis. Davis Your anniversary is a time For sharing your affection; It's obvious the two of you Have quite a deep connection! We send glad congratulations And heartfelt wishes, too, For joyful happiness and love In everything you do. By Joanna Fuchs Pastor and Sis. Davis 25th Pastoral Anniversary Celebrating the past Embracing our future in Christ (Jeremiah 29:11) Page 9
Members in the News Kennedi Maleah Nichols, the daughter of Marvin Nichols and Dr. Deirdre Joiner-Nichols, was honored recently by the Huntsville Literary Association for her poem that was submitted to the 46th annual Young Writer's Contest. Kennedi's poem, "Late Nights", won 3rd place in the Upper Elementary Division in the North Alabama area. She will receive special recognition from Dr. Dee Fowler, Madison City School Superintendent, on May 22. Way to go, Kennedi! May God continue to bless you! Kennedi Maleah Nichols Sis. Davita White, ARI Literacy Coach at Highlands Elementary, was recognized by her peers and University Kia as Teacher of the Month (April 2014) for their Drive for Education Campaign. She was awarded a cash prize as well as a $4,500 donation to Highlands Elementary for technology and school supplies. Congratulations to Sis. White on this great recognition. May God continue to bless you! Davita White A PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH When my spiritual vision is foggy, help me to find my way. When my understanding is incomplete, open my mind and increase my patience. When my indifference blocks my senses, touch my heart. When worry or fear raise their voices, speak to my faith. Let your Spirit permeate my longings as well as my living and my loving. Amen. Peggy Ferrell, Prayers and Poem Page 10
The 2014 Union Chapel Vacation Bible School will be held Monday, June 2 Friday, June 6 from 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Classes for all ages are available. Pre-registration is highly encouraged!!! You may register before or after each Sunday service in the lobby or on-line at www.unionchapel-hsv.org. June 2-6, 2014 For more information, please Sis. Audra Allen. Mark Your Calendar 5.20 5.19 Monthly Men s Meeting 6:00 p.m. 5.20 City-Wide Prayer Service First Missionary Baptist Church 6:30 p.m. Union Chapel Christian Academy Graduation (K 5, 5th and 8th Grade) 4:00 p.m. 5.21 Union Chapel Christian Academy Graduation (12th Grade) 6:00 p.m. 5.22-5.23 Mud Creek Women s Congress Mud Creek Center, Woodville, Alabama 5.25 Wellness Ministry Women s Health: Spring Forward to Better Health NATIONAL HEALTHY WEIGHT WEEK JANUARY 19-25 Bein g over weig ht 5.30 Youth Lock-In Friday 6:45 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. Page 11
Monthly Ministry Meetings Ministry Time When SUNDAY Intercessory Prayer Line 7:00 AM 8:00 AM Every Prayer Line Ministry 8:00 PM 9:00 PM Every New Members Orientation 9:30 AM Every MONDAY Intercessory Prayer 6:00 PM 7:30 PM Every Revised Version Choir 6:00 PM 1st, 2nd & 4th Progressive Matrons 6:45 PM 1st Male Chorus 7:30 PM 1st, 2nd & 3rd Cancer Support Group 6:30 PM 1st Cub Scouts 6:00 PM 1st Missionary Ministry 6:00 PM 2nd Ushers #1 Ministry 7:00 PM 2nd Youth Ushers Ministry 6:00 PM 2nd Deacon's Ministry 6:30 PM 3rd Deaconess Ministry 6:30 PM 3rd Mother's Ministry 10:00 AM 12 Noon 3rd Stitching and Quilting Ministry 6:00 PM 2nd & 4th Trustee's Ministry 6:30 PM 1st TUESDAY Senior Adult Ministry 1:00 PM 1st Boy Scout 6:00 PM 1st & 3rd Matrons 6:30 PM 1st & 3rd Church Choir 7:00 PM 1st & 4th Gospel Choir 7:00 PM 2nd Laymen Brotherhood Men s Bible Study 7:00 PM 2nd Community Care 6:00 PM 2nd Recreation Ministry 6:30 PM 2nd Women's Choir 6:00 PM 3rd Minister s Wives 6:30 PM 3rd Cub Scouts 6:00 PM 4th WEDNESDAY Intercessory Prayer 11:00 AM 12 Noon Every The Passage 5:45 PM Every Sign Ministry 5:45 PM Every Sunday School Teachers 6:00 PM Every Education Assistance 5:30 PM 3rd THURSDAY Church Choir 7:00 PM 1st & 4th Laymen Brotherhood 6:00 PM 2nd Gospel Choir 7:00 PM 2nd Tour and Hospitality Ministry 6:00 PM Women s Choir 6:00 PM 2nd & 3rd Ushers # 2 Ministry 7:00 PM 4th Young Women's Ministry 5:45 PM 3rd SATURDAY Minister s Meeting 8:00 AM 2nd Wellness Ministry 9:00 AM 2nd Street Ministry 10:00 AM 12 Noon 3rd Community Care Outreach 11:00 AM 4th Progressive Matrons 10:00 AM 4th Girl Scouts 10:00 AM 11:30 AM 2nd & 4th The above ministry meeting schedule does not supersede your internal ministry calendar that has been previously posted. The Herald is a monthly publication of Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. Members are encouraged to submit all newsworthy articles by the 10th of the month to newsletter@unionchapel-hsv.org. All articles are subject to editing for clarity and grammatical correctness. CHURCH LOCATION 315 Winchester Road Huntsville, AL 35811 256.852.1150 256.851.6949 fax OFFICE HOURS: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. WEBSITE: www.unionchapel-hsv.org EMAIL: unionchapel@unionchapel-hsv.org \ O. Wendell Davis, D.Min., Pastor Early Worship Service 7:45 a.m. Sundays Sunday School Hour 7:00 a.m. 9:30-10:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:45 A.M. Sundays Combined Services 4th Sundays 7:45 a.m. Bible Study Monday - Wednesday 12:00 Noon Wednesdays 7:00 p.m. RADIO MINISTRY WEUP AM 1700 RADIO Sermon 1:30 p.m. Sundays TELEVISION MINISTRY Each Sunday WAWB TV 7:00-8:00 A.M. Comcast Cable 3 TV 8:00-9:00 P.M. (Check your local cable services for more broadcast times) Prayer Lines Are Open 8:00-9:00 P.M.