One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime. Elisabeth Elliot This quote captures a great piece of the sanctification picture. We are not completed in a single act or season or a single year. We are completed in all seasons, years and days. It is hundreds of worship services, thousands of hymns sung with fellow believers, our years in group Bible study and sessions of prayer alone and with others. We put off and put on all through this life as we see our Savior conquer us from the inside out. But completed we will be this is the guarantee of the finished work of Christ on the cross. We end a year and begin a year with worship of God. As an exercise of joyful surrender to the one whose love will not be resisted. Bill Douglas, Pastor WELCOME VISITORS We are glad to have you as our guest! As we seek to bring glory to our Father together, we welcome you to join any or all of the events and ministry activities at St. Andrews. We invite you to worship God with us, to find us as a place for encouragement and fellowship, and to become a part of this church. We invite you to tell us who you are and let us get to know you, as you get to know and become more familiar with us. The back of the program has the office phone number and email addresses for the staff. God has moved you to come to worship him. We are honored that you are here.
December 31, 2017 Preaching: Bill Douglas Leading Worship: Mike Stewart Songs of Ascent Hymn #642 Be Thou My Vision Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one. Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight; Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight; Thou my soul s Shelter, Thou my high Tower: Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power. Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise, Thou mine Inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High king of heaven, my Treasure Thou art. High King of Heaven, my victory won, May I reach heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of All. Come All Ye Pining Lord, we adore thy boundless grace, the heights and depths unknown, Of pardon, life, and joy, and peace, in thy beloved Son. Chorus: Come, all ye pining, hungry poor, the Saviour s bounty taste; Behold a never-failing store for every willing guest. O wondrous gifts of love divine, Dear Source of every good; Jesus, in thee what glories shine! How rich thy flowing blood! (Chorus) Here shall your numerous wants receive a free, a full supply; He has unmeasured bliss to give, and joys that never die. (Chorus)
Hymn #457 Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love. Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I m come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood; O to grace how great a debtor Daily I m constrained to be! Let Thy grace now, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above. Oh that day when, freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face; Clothèd then in blood-washed linen how I ll sing Thy sovereign grace. Come my Lord, no longer tarry; take my ransomed soul away, Send Thine angels now to carry me to realms of endless day! He Will Hold Me Fast When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast; When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast. I could never keep my hold Through life s fearful path; For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast. Refrain: He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast; For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast. Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast; Precious in his holy sight, He will hold me fast. He ll not let my soul be lost; His promises shall last; Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast. (Refrain) For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast; Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast. Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast Till our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last! (Refrain )
Call to Worship (from Isaiah 61) The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, Because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives And release from darkness for those in prison. To proclaim the year of the LORD s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, To comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, The oil of joy instead of mourning, And a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD For the display of his splendor. I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation And arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, So the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. The Lord be with you And also with you. Prayers of Invocation & The Lord s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn #30 Our God Our Help in Ages Past Our God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home: Prayers of Confession Promise of Pardoning Grace Under the shadows of your throne your saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is your arm alone, and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame, From everlasting you are God, to endless years the same. A thousand ages in your sight are like an evening gone; Short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. The busy tribes of flesh and blood, with all their lives and cares, Are carried downward by your flood, and lost in foll wing years. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away; They gly forgotten, as a dream dies at the op ning day. Our God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come: O be our guard while troubles last, and our eternal home. Confession of Faith (Apostles Creed ) I believe in God the Father Almighty; Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell.* The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; and is seated at the right hand Of God the Father Almighty; From thenre He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; ** The communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; The resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. * Died a true death and bore the full weight of the wrath of God as the Redeemer ** This phrase means the true, universal invisible church in all ages
Hymn #38 Immortal Invisible Immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light in accessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, they great name we praise. Unresting, unhasting and silent as light, nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might; Thy justice like mountains high soaring above Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight; All praise we would render, O help us to see Tis only the splendor of light hideth thee! Offering (At this time, the Pre K4 and Kindergarten children are invited to meet their leaders at the back of the sanctuary for Children s Church.) Prayers for the New Year Scripture Lesson Ephesians 1: 15-16 & Galatians 5:6 15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Sermon Hymn # 405 God That Madest Earth and Heaven God that madest earth and heaven, darkness and light! Who the day for toil hast given, for rest the night! May thine angel guards defend us, slumber sweet thy mercy send us, Holy dreams and hopes attend us, this livelong night! And when morn again shall call us, to run life s way, May we still, whate er befall us, thy will obey. From the pow r of evil hide us, in the narrow pathway guide us, Nor thy smile be e er denied us the livelong day. Benediction Nunc Dimittis Hymn # 405 God That Madest Earth and Heaven Guard us waking, guard us sleeping; and when we die, May we, in thy mighty keeping, all peaceful lie: When the last dread trump shall wake us, do not thou, O God forsake us, But to rein in glory take us with thee on high.
Ephesians 1:15-16; Galatians 5:6 Is it true that the Protestant Reformation has left Christianity in splinters? The repeated emphasis in the New Testament on living faith and demonstrated love. Faith in the Lord Jesus. A way of seeing by faith instead of other ways of knowing. Not in addition to other things but instead of other things. Which derives its power from it s object and not its subject. Which grows to supply us with assurance, comfort, and power in all of life. Love for all the saints. Not based on our shared preferences but rooted in the Savior to whom we belong. Not principally feelings but the convictions and practices I Cor. 13:4-11
A N N O U N C E M E N T S Happy New Year The church office will be closed tomorrow, January 1st. We will be open normal hours on Tuesday. Sunday School Sunday School will resume next Sunday, 1/7/2017. Women's Retreat This year, the retreat will be held at St. Andrews. Reserve the dates - February 23th -24th!
Monthly Calendar For St. Andrews D E C E M B E R - 31, Sun Church Life Fellowship (refreshments at 9:45am in the Narthex) 1, Mon HAPPY NEW YEAR! J A N U A R Y 5, Fri Women's Early Morning Study (630 am at Panera) 7, Sun Sunday School Resumes (9:30am) Normal Worship Schedule Resumes (10:45am) 8, Mon Youth, College Football National Championship at SAPC Moms in Prayer 11, Thu Titus 2 at Paula Anderson s House (7:00pm) - 14, Sun Sunday School Clubtime (5:30pm) Youth (5:30pm) 15, Mon Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Office Closed) 19, Fri Women's Early Morning Study (630 am at Panera) If you have questions regarding any event, please contact the church office. 706-327-7750
Calendar of the Month Ushers: Brad Brooks, Warner Kennon, Jr., Bill Buck, Sydney Brasseaux Deacons: Allen Whitley, Dan Gwaltney Greeters: December 31: Allen Whitley & DR McNew January 7: Ted & Elizabeth Thorne January 14: Gracie Scott & Annie Simpson Children s Church: December 31: Diane McGowan & Aracelis Williams January 7: Stephanie & Josh Schuster January 14: John & Jennifer Anderson Nursery Volunteers: December 31: Caitlin Ballard & Alison Ross January 7: Alicia Mason January 14: Volunteer COVENANT FAMILY NEEDS Expectant Mothers Mary Lou Cantrell, Danelle McNew, Elise Jones, Heather Cannon Pursuing Foster Care Matt & Katherine Maxey St. Andrews Missionaries Mission to the World - David and Erin Pervis (Ukraine) St Andrews Ministries Deacons Please pray for those in our church family who are recovering from surgeries, accidents, cancer treatments, and other illnesses: Dorothy Bryant Jackson Family Libby Dahlin Dorothy Young Sam Killeffer Please pray for service members and families from our church family who are deployed or moving to new duty stations in the coming days and weeks.
MISSIONARIES AND MINISTRIES SUPPORTED BY ST. ANDREWS Bethany Christian Services (Columbus, GA) Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis, Missouri) House of Mercy (Columbus, GA) International Friendship Ministries (Columbus, GA) InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Paul and Margaret Tokunaga Mission to North America (MNA) Chaplain Ministries Chaplain Dr. Mike Stewart (Medical Center, Columbus, GA) Mission to the World (MTW) David and Erin Pervis (Ukraine) Johan and Stephanie van der Westhuizen (Chile) Gary and Tammy Elliott (Bulgaria) Pete & Ruth Mitchell (France) Pioneers Tom and Iris Lowder Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) Auburn University (Wes and Nancy Simmons) Mercer University (Elliott and Carrie Everitt) University of GA (Justin and Elizabeth Clement) University of South Alabama (Jacob and Leigh Zoller) Valley Rescue Mission (Columbus, GA) Young Life Greater Columbus, GA Slate and Lindsay Fluker Elders of St. Andrews 2018 Andy Dickens Dimon Kendrick-Holmes AJ Morris 2019 Bill Brouwer Matt Maxey 2020 Chris Schuster Greg Johnston John Mitchell Deacons of St. Andrews 2018 David Clickner Dan Gwaltney Dale Pope 2019 DR McNew Josh Schuster Allen Whitley 2020 Morgan Kimball Bill Shirley Ben Wallace
The Purpose of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church: We exist to glorify and enjoy God as His called-out people: Who are called together to worship God, To be instructed in the Scriptures, To be conformed to God s truth, To reach out into our world with the news of the gospel.