Announcements
SYMPATHY: to Steve & Paula Clemons and Laura Clemons on the passing of their mother/grandmother, Evelyn Clemons, on Tuesday, November 3. A viewing will be held Wednesday, November 11, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., at Pritts Funeral Home in Westminster. Visitation will be held at the church Thursday, November 12, from 10-11 a.m., followed by the service at 11:00 a.m.
2027 TITHING ENVELOPES: Don’t forget to pick up your envelopes if you have an assigned number! They will be available for pickup in the church hallway through next Wednesday, November 11.
POINSETTIAS: Forms are now available at the Welcome Desk to purchase a poinsettia in memory or in honor of loved ones. Orders may also be placed online through the church website. All orders must be received by Wednesday, November 18.
GOOD SHEPHERD CLASS: will be having their annual Christmas Dinner on Sunday, December 6. Two cooked, sliced, and deboned turkeys are needed. Please deliver to the Great Room Kitchen by 9:30 a.m. that morning in a disposable pan, with broth in a separate disposable container. If you can help, please sign up at the Welcome Desk.
SPORTSMAN BANQUET DETAILS: Sign up at the Welcome Desk or online. Tickets are $15. Gym doors open at 4:00 p.m. for games and fellowship; dinner is at 5:00 p.m., followed by a falcon presentation at 6:00 p.m. in the Great Room. Door prizes at the end!
JOYFUL CONNECTION UPDATE: The December Ladies Joyful Connection has been rescheduled to December 14, due to the Sunday School classes' Christmas dinners on December 7.
From My Heart
I am writing this column on Tuesday morning, and I am sure hoping that today, when you read this in church, America has not voted all of these radical Islamist and Socialists and Communists into Congress. It amazes me that there are as many people as there appear to be who want America to become a Socialist nation. But we will see what happens! If it is not during this election, it will be in the next one, or the one after that - but they will not stop reaching for it until they ultimately get what they want.
A few of the men in our church and I were playing golf two weeks ago, and we noticed these little caterpillars everywhere we looked. My grandfather used to swear by those things and would say, “Well, looks like it is going to be a bad winter!” I would ask, “Why do you say that?” He would respond, “Look how that little guy is all brown!” And then, we would take a step, and there would be one that was all black! And then another would come out that was half brown and half black! He would laugh and say, “I have never put much stock in all of that, myself!” But he always had an opinion about them!
Jesus mentioned how folks would see the red sky at evening as the sun would set, and then say, “Tomorrow will be a nice day!” But would see the red sky in the morning and would say it was going to be a bad day! I suppose there might be some truth to some of that stuff, but I am not sure I would write a book about it and stand behind it as a sure-fired science.
I read an interesting verse the other morning and would like to share it with you. In II Cor. 7:6, the Apostle Paul says, “Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus.” This is a wonderful little verse that teaches us about why God comforts us. God does not comfort us to make us comfortable; He comforts us to make us comforters. Life is filled with things that make us discomforted. But the Lord comforts us not just to make us comfortable but instead comforts us so we can be a comfort to someone else.
In II Cor. 1:3-4, Paul said the same thing in another way! He said God the Father is the “God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves, are comforted of God.” So, again the challenge is to use the comfort given by the Lord to you, so you can be a help to someone else who might be struggling.
It is a great thing to be able to wrap your arm around someone who is having a difficult time and share with them how the Lord comforted you. The whole idea is that God helps me, and then I take God’s comfort to me and share it with someone else. Have a great day, and may the Lord bless you richly!
Pastor Norris