First Baptist Church Messenger Rev. Charles R. Whitfield, Pastor

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 DECEMBER, 2013 First Baptist Church Messenger Rev. Charles R. Whitfield, Pastor SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ. The traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood of Christ; and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty. Evergreens have been symbols of eternal life and rebirth since ancient times. Christmas is a contraction of Christ s Mass, Derived from the Old English Cristes maesse. The letter X in Greek is the first letter of Christ and Xmas has been the abbreviation since the mid 1500s. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: SUNDAY SCHOOL INCENTIVE THANKSGIVING SERVICE WOMEN S DAY 5 HANGING OF THE GREENS BIRTHDAYS 9 STATE CONVENTION 10 NEW MEMBERS 11 2 4 6 IS IT WRONG TO SAY 'XMAS' INSTEAD OF 'CHRISTMAS'? FROM THE PASTOR S PEN When I was growing up in the home of Christian parents, it seemed as though there was even a war on Christmas then just as it is now. People would use the word Xmas in place of the word Christmas. My mother was under the impression that to say Xmas was in fact a blatant attempt to take Christ out of Christmas, and she taught us (her children) the same thing. But I ve discovered that while it is undeniable that some use Xmas as a way of diminishing Christ, the actual origin of the word Xmas has nothing to do with taking Christ out of Christmas. In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word for Christ is Χριστός, which begins with the Greek letter that is essentially the same THIS CHRISTMAS - A WORD FROM FIRST LADY In today's world we are inundated with images of Christmas from the media. We are told that it is all about buying expensive gifts for each other. In today's challenging economic times it is a tragedy that parents spend way more than they can afford to try to please their children. The sad truth is that, "money can't buy you love". Christmas is about the time spent together with loved ones. It is about gifts that come from the heart, and most importantly about the greatest gift ever given. The gift of Jesus! God letter as the English letter X. So, originally, Xmas was simply an abbreviation of Christmas. Originally, this was not a grand conspiracy to take Christ out of Christmas as my mother had suggested, it was simply an abbreviation. But there is no denying that there is a conspiracy these days to take Christ loved us so much that he gave us His only begotten son, there is no gift greater than that. So this Christmas instead of focusing on what gifts you can or cannot afford, focus on the greatest gift ever given.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH MESSENGER PAGE 2 IS IT WRONG TO SAY 'XMAS' INSTEAD OF 'CHRISTMAS'? - CONT. out of Christmas. While CONT D page 2 many are attempting to make our culture one of tolerance, inclusiveness, and political correctness, some are attempting to remove totally the Christian origins of Christmas as if our society s materialism has not already clouded the meaning of Christmas. Whether they refer to it as Xmas or the holidays or THIS CHRISTMAS - CONT. something else, some will not be satisfied until the celebration is entirely secularized. So in response to this, rather than getting angry or complaining about the use of Xmas, we should make every effort as believers to share the love of Christ through word and deed, and always point others to the Christ who makes Christmas possible. The average American will spend $801 this Christmas, which is 6% less than last year. http://americanresearchgroup.com/holiday/ CONT D page 2 Focus on celebrating the birth of Jesus. As we celebrate, let us also celebrate family. This Christmas make it priority to spend with family. Not just time, but quality time. Let those closest to you know that you love them. Instead of worrying about what gift to purchase, spend time building memories that will last longer than any of material gift that could be given. So this Christmas, let s celebrate the gift of Jesus and also celebrate the gift of family. There are no greater gifts that we could ever receive! Be Blessed, Sis. Whit Sunday School Incentive Sunday School Award winners received a $25.00 incentive. The 2013 winners are Elexis Dandridge, Ashton Gravely, Ethan Morton, Evan Morton, Charity Whitfield, Tyrese Perkins, Chas Whitfield, Savannah Brown, and Kemya Menefee. Must be a member of First Baptist Church s Sunday School and attended a total of 36 Sundays. The Sundays begin the 2 nd Sunday in June until the 2 nd Sunday in July the following year. Students in grades K-12 are eligible. Students must present report cards to their teacher by the required date to be turned in the committee for consideration. Students must have an A or B as the final grade in each subject. A grade of C or below in any subject will disqualify the student. Students must be of good character at home, church, school and in the community. They also must maintain a B or above in Citizenship at all times.

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 PAGE 3 Gala Flyer

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH MESSENGER REFLECTIONS PAGE 4 THANKSGIVING SERVICE First Baptist Church celebrated its annual Thanksgiving Service on Wednesday November 27, 2013. The service was uplifting with testimonies and songs from the saints. With each testimony reflecting the blessings and goodness of our Heavenly Father. Pastor Whitfield gave those in attendance a word of encouragement from Psalm 100. He explained how we as Christians should be thankful and how to exemplify those actions by praising God, serving God, and worshipping God. We must always remember thankfulness is an attitude we should express everyday and every hour, not just on Thanksgiving Day. All the gifts in The Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts. HAITI MOTORBIKE Pastor Whitfield, On behalf of Bethanie Mission of Haiti, I want to thank you for coming to Haiti last July with Dr. Croston. Thank you for giving the Motorbike to Brother Junel Phanor. May God continue to bless you and your ministry. Pastor Ignace December 31- New Years Eve Service @ 10:30 P.M. January 19, 3:00 P.M. Pastor@ Shiloh Baptist Church, Cascade February 2- Pastor s 16th Anniversary @ 3:00 P.M

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 PAGE 5 REFLECTIONS WOMEN S DAY 2013 First Baptist celebrated its annual Women s Day Weekend on November 16-17, 2013. The theme for the weekend was Women of God Using Prayer Effectively. The Saturday morning event was more than those in attendance anticipated. Caroline and the girls, along with Orlando Marsh provided music. Each note of praise help worship in the spirit from the beginning with the opening selection. Sis. Carmela Whitfield gave an encouraging word telling the women how we should go to God for all our needs and if we have a developed relationship with our Father we can rest assure he will hear our prayers and provide our needs. Following a great service the attendees dined on a manly breakfast provided by the men of First Baptist. On Sunday morning Minister Tamika Hairston was prepared and ready to bless the congregation with the wonderful songs prepared by the Women s Choir of First Baptist. The hard work and many practices were evident from the wonderful songs the choir sang. The opening song What a Fellowship started the praises going up but soon as the prayer chant Fix What Is Broke came forth the spirit was in complete control. Minister Toni Ramey- Webster delivered the word of God from Nehemiah 8: 9-10 verses, entitled I m not happy but I still have joy. The entire weekend was an awesome weekend, to God be the Glory for providing us with renewed faith, knowledge, and strength as we are encouraged to continue to walk this walk with God.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH MESSENGER PAGE 6 The Hanging of the Greens O n Sunday December 1, 2013, the first day of Advent, First Baptist held its first Hanging of the Greens. The vision for this service came from Sis Veronica Dancy, who also served as overseer. The Hanging of the Greens is the preparation for the celebration of Jesus birth. Through this service we learned the meaning of some of the decorations we use every Christmas. First we have the poinsettia. For some the star of the leaf represents the star that stood over the Christ Child. The red flower reminds us of the blood of the male infants that King Herod had killed and the blood of Jesus on the cross. Then we have the evergreen, a sign of everlasting love that our Savior has for us. Holly, ivy, pine and fir suggest the everlasting life because they are ever-green, (ever-alive) even in the midst of winter. They symbolize the eternal life God gives the believer. Christians reinterpreted holly, The red berries represented the blood drops from the cruel thorns in the crown of Jesus. In Isaiah 60:13 we find these words: "The glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, the fir tree, the pine tree and the box together, to beautify the place of your sanctuary. Then we have our wreaths. When evergreens form wreaths, the endless circles become joyous symbols of God's endless love and everlasting life though Jesus Christ, a circle of unending Joy. We also learned the origin of the candy cane A candy maker in Indiana incorporated several symbols into the candy cane that represented the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White symbolized the virgin birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hardness symbolized the solid rock, the foundation of the church, and firmness of the promises of God. The candy maker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our savior. It could also represent the staff of the good shepherd. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received, by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life. Unfortunately, the candy became known as a candy cane, a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who have "eyes to see and ears to hear." May this symbol again be used to witness to the wonder of Jesus and His great love that came down at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today Last but certainly not least we learned about the candles and their colors. Advent season is sometimes referred to as the season of the lighting of candles During our service we lit 5 candles, 3 purple 1 pink and 1white. The first purple is the Candle of Hope. The second purple is The Candle of Preparation. The third candle Pink is The Candle of Joy. The fourth candle lit is the last purple candle, The Candle of Love. Lastly and more important than any item or symbol used in the "Hanging of the Greens" is the White Candle, The Candle of Christ The white

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 PAGE 7 The Hanging of the Greens

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH MESSENGER PAGE 8 Moses

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 PAGE 9 PRAYER REQUEST Bro. Anthony Dillard (VA Beach) Bro. William Dillard (Golden Living) Sis. Ressie Beamer (Blue Ridge) Sis. Corine Hairston (Home) Sis. Leutisha Hairston (Blue Ridge) Sis. Mable Hairston (Brian Center Rehab) Bro. Ronnie Ramey (Golden Living) Bro. Jesse Millner (Stanleytown Rehab) Sis. Dolly Ann Holland (Home) Bro. Stanford Hairston (Home) Bishop Robert Moyer (Home) Sis. Jackie Devin (Home) Bro. Coy David King, Jr #1057172 Bro. Matthew Brim (Blue Ridge) (use KMCC correctional facility address) Blue Ridge Nursing Home 300 Blue Ridge Street Martinsville, VA 24112 Golden Living Center 1607 Spruce Street Ext. Martinsville, VA 24112 KMCC PO Box 860 Oakwood, VA 24631 Stanleytown Healthcare Center Nursing Home State Rte 682 & 57-A Stanleytown, VA 24168 VA Beach Rehab Center 1801 Camelot Drive VA Beach, VA 23454 Brian Center Rehab 226 N. Oakland Avenue Eden NC. December Larry O. Hodge 3 K Sime Millner 4 De Jah Williams 4 Elexis Dandridge 9 Ardaith Winslow 9 Marla Eldridge 12 Renee Brown 12 Kenneth Devin 21 Brooklyn King 21 Jerron Morton 22 Janette Smith 24 Patricia Walton 25 Alexis Wood 30 Benjamin Hairston 31 January Blanche Scott 4 Brenda Hampton 5 Marguerite Wilson 8 Alfreda Brown 8 Leslie Brooks 8 Bruno Hodge 9 Chas Whitfield 12 Wayne Moore 15 Morris Geter 15 Leslie Simmons 17 Karen Carter 21 Gorrell Webster 24 Sybil T. Worrell 25 Dorethea Kirby 26

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH MESSENGER PAGE 10 STATE CONVENTION The Virginia Baptist State Convention midyear session was held on November 12-13, 2013 at First Baptist East Martinsville by regional Vice President Rev. Charles Whitfield and the members of First Baptist. The regional midyear session was the first of its kind from the vision of immediate past President Dr. Mark A. Croston whom felt like the convention should be brought to the local churches. The sessions last two days with preaching and teaching provided. The classes included the Mission of the Church, and Affordable Care Act. Pastor Whitfield stated, His focus was to get the church back to its mission and mandate that Christ left for us. Rev. Eddie Spencer of Elon First Baptist was the speaker for Tuesday night. Wednesday Minister Tamika Hairston taught Women Walking In Our God Given Authority. The Virginia Baptist state convention is broken down into three regions throughout the state. There is the central region, eastern region, and the western region. First Baptist is part of the Western Region. This region is divided into four associations. The Smith River Association which includes churches in the Danville, Martinsville, Pittsylvania and Henry county area. The Pigg River Association consists of Rocky Mount and Franklin County churches. The Valley Baptist Association consists of the Roanoke Valley Baptist churches. The fourth is the Clinch River Association which consists of South and Southwest Virginia churches. Each region has its own Vice President. The convention was the first to be held in the state and was a great success.

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 PAGE 11 NEW MEMBERS Carla Thomas has joined with First Baptist as a Watch Care Member. She has relocated here from Raleigh, N.C. to accept a job as a veterinarian. After moving Carla decided to visit First Baptist while looking for a church to attend. During her visit she seen she was being fed the word spiritually and we reminded Carla of her home church, Pleasant Union Christian Church. After New Members Class she is interested in working as an usher and anything concerning community Elson Price has expressed his desire to join with First Baptist if we would have him. Of course the congregation said yes! His reason for joining with us is because he loved the atmosphere and the friendliness of the church. He is a retired furniture worker with one child. Elson is a member of both the NAACP and FAHI. In his spare time he really enjoys watching sports. The Meaning of The Twelve Days of Christmas Y Üáà UtÑà áà V{âÜv{ Xtáà `tüà Çáä ÄÄx Presents Its Annual Christmas Play Âb{ [tññç WtçÊ Sunday, December 15, 2013, 3:00 p.m. Dinner will be served afterward "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith - a memory aid. The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The other symbols mean the following: 2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments 3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues 4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists 5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace. 6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation 7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments 8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes 9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit 10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments 11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles 12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed Read more at http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/ music/12days.asp

...to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:12