Bethel Beacon
The
Bethel Beacon January, 2017 Bethel Baptist Church 3030 Bethel Rd, Morristown, TN 37814 PH: 423-586-1421 www.bethelbaptistmorristown.org
Rev. C. Scott Helton, Pastor Trey Dishner, Worship Pastor
Keep on swimming…Keep on swimming! Well, here we are beginning a new year already! What are your goals or resolutions? Let me give some suggestions… We all can be more than we are. We all can be more Christ like than we are. We all can grow closer to God in our daily lives than we are right now. Or maybe you are on the verge of just giving up. You’ve decided that life isn’t worth it. Forget the struggles, forget the heartache, just forget it all! You are just ready to pull your hair out from the stress of life. Well, just keep reading! A teenage girl had just begun driving. She was driving down the road with her dad beside her in the passenger seat. Up ahead, she could see huge dark clouds, lightning strikes, and a wall of rain. What should I do? She asked her dad. Keep going he replied. As she drove into the edge of the storm, cars began to pull over to the side of the road and park under overpasses. What should I do she asked again. Again came the reply, keep going! Now in the heart of the huge storm, with terrible rain beating on the car and lightning striking all around, she saw even tractor trailers pulling over to the side of the road. She said, I’m going to stop and pull over. Her father softly replied, no keep going. Before long, they were out of the storm and the warm rays of sunlight filled the car. Now stop and pull over her father said. Why? She asked. Now you’ve made it through the storm, it’s time to enjoy the sunlight! It may take some time to get there, but if you will just keep going you will get where God wants you to be. Don’t give up, don’t surrender! Be like the soldier who had a physical… After joining the Navy, a soldier underwent a physical. During the exam, it was discovered that due to an abnormality, he couldn’t fully extend his arms above his head. Perplexed, the doctor conferred with another doctor. "Let him pass," suggested the second doctor. "I don’t see any problems unless he has to surrender." Don’t you throw your hands up in surrender to Satan as he tells you that you can’t be more, you can’t do better, you can’t be more Christ-like! You put on that new man or woman that you are in Christ and keep going this year! Ephesians 4:24-32 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Deadline to submit articles or announcements for the February newsletter is January 25.
Sun 1
Mon 2
Tue 3
Wed 4
Resume Normal Wed Activities
Thu 5
Fri 6
Sat 7
Normal AM Services No PM Services
Marriage Retreat 1/6-1/8
Church office closed
8
Planning Meeting 4-6 PM
9
10
11
Daytime Meeting 1:30 PM
15
16
12
13
14
20
21
Evening Meeting 6:30PM
17
18
19
Disaster Relief Training
Birthday Celebration following morning service
Alpha Baptist
22
23
24
29
30
31
25
Regular Church Service Schedule: Sunday Services Sunday School -----------------------------9:30 am Morning Worship Service ------------------10:30 am Discipleship Training ---------------------- 5:00 pm Evening Worship and Bible Study ------------ 6:00 pm Wednesday Services Choir practice ---------------------------------6:00 pm Bible Study, Children’s Activities, Youth Meeting ----7:00 pm
26
27
28
CHILDREN’S CHURCH: (4 years to 4th grade)
If you have questions or concerns and would like to speak with a deacon in January, please contact: Winfred Smith 423-581-4693 or
Jim Hipshire
423-586-4918
1/1 – Ron & Linda Thornton 1/8 – Tony & Leann Long 1/15 – Sam & Rhonda Stockton 1/22 – Stan & Sharon Greene 1/29 – Tony and Leann Long
Birthdays 01 – Mary Otis Hazelwood 01 – Nancy McDaniel 02 – Sarah Seals 03 – Pastor Scott Helton 03 – Suzy Martin 05 – Cheria Johnston 07 – Karen Dishner 15 – Rachel Catherine Nave 17 – Eddie Ward 17 – Kermit King, Jr. 19 – Todd Cross 20 – Raymond Oxendine 20 – Brian Rasnic 22 – Aaron Williams 22 – Seth Laughner 23 – Abigal Moody 23 – Brian Jamison 24 – Kristin Anders 24 – Samuel Greene 25 – Staci Busler 27 – Alysa Marker 30 – Doris Greene 31 – Travis Price
1/1 – Dorsie Rushlow, Mary Nida 1/8 – Russ and Jill Romines 1/15 – Stan and Sharon Greene 1/22 –Cristina Worth, Marie Sawyers 1/29 – Rachel, Lauren & Brooke Martin
NURSERY: (Birth – 3 years)
1/1 – Rick and Suzy Martin 1/8 – Connie Noble, Dana Bible 1/15 – Jim and Marie Sawyers 1/22 – Mary Nida, Judy Hedrick 1/29 – Rick and Suzy Martin
2017 Offering envelopes are still available in the foyer. Please sign your name and the number of the box you take.
PLANNING MEETING Sunday, January 8 4 PM to 6 PM For: All Committee Chairmen Treasurer Staff Deacon Chairman Finger Foods served
Attention Sunday School Teachers: If you need to make any changes to your Spring Literature order, please turn them in no later than January 3.
If Hamblen County closes schools due to weather, there will be no services at the church and the church office will be closed that day.
Join a WMU group this year! Daytime Meeting: 1/9 at 1:30 PM
Evening Meeting: 1/12 at 6:30 PM
Thankful for the Generosity
The church gratefully acknowledges the receipt of $5000 at the bequest of Mr. Harrell Pendleton’s estate. This bequest was made in memory of Mr. Pendleton’s long time friends, Mr. & Mrs. Ruble L. Hipshire. Several area churches received similar bequests in memory of his other close friends, and we here at Bethel are honored to be included in his last wishes.
Pregnancy Crisis Center Baby Bottle Campaign January 15, 2017
Begins soon, Start saving your change now!
Nolachucky Baptist Disaster Relief Training Alpha Baptist Church January 21, 2017 Participating in these classes enables you to be able to serve in a local disaster such as the recent Gatlinburg fire. Mass Feeding, Spiritual Preparation, Ash-out Recovery, Fork-Lift or Chainsaw Operation are just a few examples of the classes that are offered.
Music Road Complex, Pigeon Forge January 6-8, 2017
Leaders: Willie & Antonia McLaurin Celebrate your marriage in a very anti-marriage world! Final payment due January 1
Thursday-Friday-Saturday March 2 – 4, 2017 Ladies, sign-up in the foyer if you are interested in going. More Details to Come…. See Rhonda Stockton with questions.
For a full list of classes and times, contact your church office. For more info, contact Nolachucky Baptist Assn. 423-586-7331
QUIET PRAYER TIME Sundays – 9 to 9:30 AM The church sanctuary is open for you to arrive early and spend some time in prayer. Even a few minutes spent in silent personal prayer will be a blessing to you as well as those you pray for. Let a renewed commitment to prayer be your New Year’s resolution!
Please Pray for Church leaders and Revival in America!
You are invited!
Birthday Celebration Celebrate some Special Birthdays!
Join us in Fellowship Hall January 15 following the morning service
Serving Baked Spaghetti, Salad, Cake and Ice Cream Food provided by the church
Dear Church Family, A few weeks ago I was blessed to be able to go work at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in Boone, NC. I would encourage each one of you to volunteer if you should get the opportunity to do so. You could feel the presence of our God in that place, and I learned so much about the whole shoebox process. We began our work shift with an opening prayer. Then each volunteer was assigned a different job to do. As each box came by me, I was to take out any money that was in the shoebox and put it in a collection box where it would later be used to help pay shipping. I also had to be sure that each box was properly labeled for a boy or girl and for the correct age. Next down the line were two inspectors that would go through any books or papers in the box to take out any money people may have hidden inside the pages. Once someone had hid $20 bills in a coloring book, and someone had even tucked in a Wal-Mart gift card. The children cannot use American currency in their countries, and there aren’t any Wal-Mart stores there, so these things have to be removed. Liquids also have to be removed since customs of other countries won’t allow these products to come in. Beginning in 2017, toothpaste and candy will not be allowed either. Some volunteers worked to be sure that every box was full so that no child would open a half-full box while sitting next to a child opening a box bulging with gifts. If a box had crayons, they made sure the box also had coloring pages. Or if the box had paper, they were sure to add pencils or crayons to go with it. Throughout the morning, we listened to stories from people that received shoeboxes when they were children. They told how important these gifts were to them, and about special gifts they knew were Godsent. A story about a girl and the pink shoes she received really spoke to my heart. (You can read that story elsewhere in this newsletter). We would stop to pray from time to time, and at the end of our day we all stood around the boxes and prayed over them once again. The Spirit of the Lord was so strong there; you could feel God’s presence. Each volunteer received a t-shirt and an ornament to take home. It was such a blessing to have been a part of something that you know God is a part of. I hope the good Lord lets me live long enough to get to go again. My prayer is that each of you at Bethel could go experience this special work. I would like to see us go as a church family next year. Although I went with First Baptist on a Thursday, they also pack boxes on Saturdays. Maybe if enough feel led to go, we can make a commitment and book a time slot that will allow us to go together. This ministry started with about 8,000 boxes being sent, and now sends millions and still every child is not reached. Let’s commit now to doing all we can as a church to reach even more children in these last days! With Christ’s Love, Maxine Harrison Bethel WMU Director
Praise God for His Provision Bethel donated 270 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child this year. Each box has the potential to draw a child closer to our Lord as in the story below.
Alina and The Princess Shoes Alina received a shoebox at age 5 in a Central Asian country “My family and I had what we needed, but gifts were a luxury we didn’t always get. So when I received a shoebox gift, I stood there baffled and confused. It seemed impossible for someone overseas, for someone I didn’t know, to send me a gift for Christmas. I carefully undid the tape and unwrapped it. In the box, there were ponytail holders, a toothbrush, socks and candy. What caught my eye were a pair of plastic princess shoes. Those shoes were like nothing I had ever seen. They were pink, and I loved the color pink. I got so excited when I put on those shoes. They were too big, but I still wore them. I tried to wear them as much as I could. I showed them to everyone. As I looked closer through my shoebox, I found a photograph of a little girl the same age as me. She was wearing a tiara that matched the shoes I received. Her gift to me became so personal – I felt like I connected with her.
Before I received the shoebox, I was really discouraged because of the way I was treated for my faith in Jesus. A lot of my teachers lowered my grades for no other reason than they didn’t like me. One time, my teacher grabbed my sweater and pushed me against the wall, demanding, “Where is your Jesus now?” I remember that so vividly. At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where is He? Why is He allowing this to happen?” It felt like God was very distant, very far away from me. The shoebox was a representation of His love to a five-year-old girl. I no longer felt like Jesus had abandoned me. The box was an act of kindness that represented hope, comfort and the fact that God is watching over me. My perception of God changed. He became a personal Father to me. After I received the shoebox, the persecution I experienced for my faith in Him didn’t stop. But my reaction to it was different because of the way God had revealed Himself to me. No longer did it feel like He was looking down at me from far away – He was walking right beside me. To this day, 13 years later, I still remember what it was like to receive a shoebox. In that moment it felt like God was there giving that gift to me. As the years went by, memories of God’s love, expressed through the shoebox, stirred up this passion in me to tell children, especially orphans, the Good News of Jesus and to help them feel His love – the same love I felt and still feel. I’ve been packing shoeboxes ever since my family came to America. For the past three years I’ve been volunteering at a collection center. Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are gifts that keep on giving. They are a tangible representation of Jesus’ love for me and millions of kids around the world. These boxes change lives. I’m just one of many whom God has drawn closer to Himself through a shoebox gift.” (https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/shoebox-stories-index/)
Bethel Beacon January, 2017 Bethel Baptist Church 3030 Bethel Rd, Morristown, TN 37814 PH: 423-586-1421 www.bethelbaptistmorristown.org
Rev. C. Scott Helton, Pastor Trey Dishner, Worship Pastor
Keep on swimming…Keep on swimming! Well, here we are beginning a new year already! What are your goals or resolutions? Let me give some suggestions… We all can be more than we are. We all can be more Christ like than we are. We all can grow closer to God in our daily lives than we are right now. Or maybe you are on the verge of just giving up. You’ve decided that life isn’t worth it. Forget the struggles, forget the heartache, just forget it all! You are just ready to pull your hair out from the stress of life. Well, just keep reading! A teenage girl had just begun driving. She was driving down the road with her dad beside her in the passenger seat. Up ahead, she could see huge dark clouds, lightning strikes, and a wall of rain. What should I do? She asked her dad. Keep going he replied. As she drove into the edge of the storm, cars began to pull over to the side of the road and park under overpasses. What should I do she asked again. Again came the reply, keep going! Now in the heart of the huge storm, with terrible rain beating on the car and lightning striking all around, she saw even tractor trailers pulling over to the side of the road. She said, I’m going to stop and pull over. Her father softly replied, no keep going. Before long, they were out of the storm and the warm rays of sunlight filled the car. Now stop and pull over her father said. Why? She asked. Now you’ve made it through the storm, it’s time to enjoy the sunlight! It may take some time to get there, but if you will just keep going you will get where God wants you to be. Don’t give up, don’t surrender! Be like the soldier who had a physical… After joining the Navy, a soldier underwent a physical. During the exam, it was discovered that due to an abnormality, he couldn’t fully extend his arms above his head. Perplexed, the doctor conferred with another doctor. "Let him pass," suggested the second doctor. "I don’t see any problems unless he has to surrender." Don’t you throw your hands up in surrender to Satan as he tells you that you can’t be more, you can’t do better, you can’t be more Christ-like! You put on that new man or woman that you are in Christ and keep going this year! Ephesians 4:24-32 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Deadline to submit articles or announcements for the February newsletter is January 25.
Sun 1
Mon 2
Tue 3
Wed 4
Resume Normal Wed Activities
Thu 5
Fri 6
Sat 7
Normal AM Services No PM Services
Marriage Retreat 1/6-1/8
Church office closed
8
Planning Meeting 4-6 PM
9
10
11
Daytime Meeting 1:30 PM
15
16
12
13
14
20
21
Evening Meeting 6:30PM
17
18
19
Disaster Relief Training
Birthday Celebration following morning service
Alpha Baptist
22
23
24
29
30
31
25
Regular Church Service Schedule: Sunday Services Sunday School -----------------------------9:30 am Morning Worship Service ------------------10:30 am Discipleship Training ---------------------- 5:00 pm Evening Worship and Bible Study ------------ 6:00 pm Wednesday Services Choir practice ---------------------------------6:00 pm Bible Study, Children’s Activities, Youth Meeting ----7:00 pm
26
27
28
CHILDREN’S CHURCH: (4 years to 4th grade)
If you have questions or concerns and would like to speak with a deacon in January, please contact: Winfred Smith 423-581-4693 or
Jim Hipshire
423-586-4918
1/1 – Ron & Linda Thornton 1/8 – Tony & Leann Long 1/15 – Sam & Rhonda Stockton 1/22 – Stan & Sharon Greene 1/29 – Tony and Leann Long
Birthdays 01 – Mary Otis Hazelwood 01 – Nancy McDaniel 02 – Sarah Seals 03 – Pastor Scott Helton 03 – Suzy Martin 05 – Cheria Johnston 07 – Karen Dishner 15 – Rachel Catherine Nave 17 – Eddie Ward 17 – Kermit King, Jr. 19 – Todd Cross 20 – Raymond Oxendine 20 – Brian Rasnic 22 – Aaron Williams 22 – Seth Laughner 23 – Abigal Moody 23 – Brian Jamison 24 – Kristin Anders 24 – Samuel Greene 25 – Staci Busler 27 – Alysa Marker 30 – Doris Greene 31 – Travis Price
1/1 – Dorsie Rushlow, Mary Nida 1/8 – Russ and Jill Romines 1/15 – Stan and Sharon Greene 1/22 –Cristina Worth, Marie Sawyers 1/29 – Rachel, Lauren & Brooke Martin
NURSERY: (Birth – 3 years)
1/1 – Rick and Suzy Martin 1/8 – Connie Noble, Dana Bible 1/15 – Jim and Marie Sawyers 1/22 – Mary Nida, Judy Hedrick 1/29 – Rick and Suzy Martin
2017 Offering envelopes are still available in the foyer. Please sign your name and the number of the box you take.
PLANNING MEETING Sunday, January 8 4 PM to 6 PM For: All Committee Chairmen Treasurer Staff Deacon Chairman Finger Foods served
Attention Sunday School Teachers: If you need to make any changes to your Spring Literature order, please turn them in no later than January 3.
If Hamblen County closes schools due to weather, there will be no services at the church and the church office will be closed that day.
Join a WMU group this year! Daytime Meeting: 1/9 at 1:30 PM
Evening Meeting: 1/12 at 6:30 PM
Thankful for the Generosity
The church gratefully acknowledges the receipt of $5000 at the bequest of Mr. Harrell Pendleton’s estate. This bequest was made in memory of Mr. Pendleton’s long time friends, Mr. & Mrs. Ruble L. Hipshire. Several area churches received similar bequests in memory of his other close friends, and we here at Bethel are honored to be included in his last wishes.
Pregnancy Crisis Center Baby Bottle Campaign January 15, 2017
Begins soon, Start saving your change now!
Nolachucky Baptist Disaster Relief Training Alpha Baptist Church January 21, 2017 Participating in these classes enables you to be able to serve in a local disaster such as the recent Gatlinburg fire. Mass Feeding, Spiritual Preparation, Ash-out Recovery, Fork-Lift or Chainsaw Operation are just a few examples of the classes that are offered.
Music Road Complex, Pigeon Forge January 6-8, 2017
Leaders: Willie & Antonia McLaurin Celebrate your marriage in a very anti-marriage world! Final payment due January 1
Thursday-Friday-Saturday March 2 – 4, 2017 Ladies, sign-up in the foyer if you are interested in going. More Details to Come…. See Rhonda Stockton with questions.
For a full list of classes and times, contact your church office. For more info, contact Nolachucky Baptist Assn. 423-586-7331
QUIET PRAYER TIME Sundays – 9 to 9:30 AM The church sanctuary is open for you to arrive early and spend some time in prayer. Even a few minutes spent in silent personal prayer will be a blessing to you as well as those you pray for. Let a renewed commitment to prayer be your New Year’s resolution!
Please Pray for Church leaders and Revival in America!
You are invited!
Birthday Celebration Celebrate some Special Birthdays!
Join us in Fellowship Hall January 15 following the morning service
Serving Baked Spaghetti, Salad, Cake and Ice Cream Food provided by the church
Dear Church Family, A few weeks ago I was blessed to be able to go work at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in Boone, NC. I would encourage each one of you to volunteer if you should get the opportunity to do so. You could feel the presence of our God in that place, and I learned so much about the whole shoebox process. We began our work shift with an opening prayer. Then each volunteer was assigned a different job to do. As each box came by me, I was to take out any money that was in the shoebox and put it in a collection box where it would later be used to help pay shipping. I also had to be sure that each box was properly labeled for a boy or girl and for the correct age. Next down the line were two inspectors that would go through any books or papers in the box to take out any money people may have hidden inside the pages. Once someone had hid $20 bills in a coloring book, and someone had even tucked in a Wal-Mart gift card. The children cannot use American currency in their countries, and there aren’t any Wal-Mart stores there, so these things have to be removed. Liquids also have to be removed since customs of other countries won’t allow these products to come in. Beginning in 2017, toothpaste and candy will not be allowed either. Some volunteers worked to be sure that every box was full so that no child would open a half-full box while sitting next to a child opening a box bulging with gifts. If a box had crayons, they made sure the box also had coloring pages. Or if the box had paper, they were sure to add pencils or crayons to go with it. Throughout the morning, we listened to stories from people that received shoeboxes when they were children. They told how important these gifts were to them, and about special gifts they knew were Godsent. A story about a girl and the pink shoes she received really spoke to my heart. (You can read that story elsewhere in this newsletter). We would stop to pray from time to time, and at the end of our day we all stood around the boxes and prayed over them once again. The Spirit of the Lord was so strong there; you could feel God’s presence. Each volunteer received a t-shirt and an ornament to take home. It was such a blessing to have been a part of something that you know God is a part of. I hope the good Lord lets me live long enough to get to go again. My prayer is that each of you at Bethel could go experience this special work. I would like to see us go as a church family next year. Although I went with First Baptist on a Thursday, they also pack boxes on Saturdays. Maybe if enough feel led to go, we can make a commitment and book a time slot that will allow us to go together. This ministry started with about 8,000 boxes being sent, and now sends millions and still every child is not reached. Let’s commit now to doing all we can as a church to reach even more children in these last days! With Christ’s Love, Maxine Harrison Bethel WMU Director
Praise God for His Provision Bethel donated 270 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child this year. Each box has the potential to draw a child closer to our Lord as in the story below.
Alina and The Princess Shoes Alina received a shoebox at age 5 in a Central Asian country “My family and I had what we needed, but gifts were a luxury we didn’t always get. So when I received a shoebox gift, I stood there baffled and confused. It seemed impossible for someone overseas, for someone I didn’t know, to send me a gift for Christmas. I carefully undid the tape and unwrapped it. In the box, there were ponytail holders, a toothbrush, socks and candy. What caught my eye were a pair of plastic princess shoes. Those shoes were like nothing I had ever seen. They were pink, and I loved the color pink. I got so excited when I put on those shoes. They were too big, but I still wore them. I tried to wear them as much as I could. I showed them to everyone. As I looked closer through my shoebox, I found a photograph of a little girl the same age as me. She was wearing a tiara that matched the shoes I received. Her gift to me became so personal – I felt like I connected with her.
Before I received the shoebox, I was really discouraged because of the way I was treated for my faith in Jesus. A lot of my teachers lowered my grades for no other reason than they didn’t like me. One time, my teacher grabbed my sweater and pushed me against the wall, demanding, “Where is your Jesus now?” I remember that so vividly. At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where is He? Why is He allowing this to happen?” It felt like God was very distant, very far away from me. The shoebox was a representation of His love to a five-year-old girl. I no longer felt like Jesus had abandoned me. The box was an act of kindness that represented hope, comfort and the fact that God is watching over me. My perception of God changed. He became a personal Father to me. After I received the shoebox, the persecution I experienced for my faith in Him didn’t stop. But my reaction to it was different because of the way God had revealed Himself to me. No longer did it feel like He was looking down at me from far away – He was walking right beside me. To this day, 13 years later, I still remember what it was like to receive a shoebox. In that moment it felt like God was there giving that gift to me. As the years went by, memories of God’s love, expressed through the shoebox, stirred up this passion in me to tell children, especially orphans, the Good News of Jesus and to help them feel His love – the same love I felt and still feel. I’ve been packing shoeboxes ever since my family came to America. For the past three years I’ve been volunteering at a collection center. Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are gifts that keep on giving. They are a tangible representation of Jesus’ love for me and millions of kids around the world. These boxes change lives. I’m just one of many whom God has drawn closer to Himself through a shoebox gift.” (https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/shoebox-stories-index/)
