Coming Up This Week

Summer is in full swing at Antioch and there are a lot of activities going on the next few weeks.
Keep in mind for this week:

Wednesday - Family Meal at 6:00 PM
followed by Youth Bible Study at 6:30 PM
M&M's at 7:00 PM
Adult Prayer Meeting at 7:00 PM
Bring a covered food dish for the Family Meal and the family Wednesday night.

Friday:
4th of July Celebration!
You won't want to miss this time of fun, food and fellowship. Beginning at 4:00 PM there will be games, food and fun. Kids are encouraged to bring bathing suit and/or dry clothes and a towel. They WILL get wet with the slip and slide and the "throw the sponge" game where there will be a chance to soak the pastor and other teachers with a wet sponge. There will be games for adults as well as a cake walk, hot dogs and hamburgers, fun prizes and great fellowship. Make plans to come and bring a friend!

The Early Bird...

At Camp Sonrise, a few people ventured out early and got to enjoy the beauty and splendor of God's creation. Sunrise was a beautiful time and we captured a few pictures of the days beginnings.

Early morning fishing was a big hit with the guys!

Young and old alike enjoyed some early morning fishing.

Sights like this made early rising worth it!

The Campers Are Back!

Camp Sonrise was a week filled with fun, fellowship and hearing God's Word. There were around 130 children campers plus counselors and adult workers. It seemed like everyone had a good time and there was plenty of activities to keep the kids busy. Lots of pictures will be coming up on the blog in the next few days. Thank you for your prayers for the camp and campers.

Remember the 5th Sunday Night Sing on Sunday night at 6:00 PM. This is always a blessing for our church! If you would like to be a part of the service, please see Sis. Dianne. This is an excellent opportunity to share a talent or a testimony or a special verse from the Bible. Pray about it and let the Lord lead you!

Camp Week

This week is the week of Camp Sonrise - our church children's camp. We have 25 children attending from our church and several counselors and camp workers who will stay at Yogi Bear in Madison Monday through Friday. With the combined churches, there will be approximately 170 people there for camp.
Please keep the camp in prayer this week. Please pray that each one would have a good time, stay safe and most importantly, be drawn close to God and hear Him speak to them this week. Please pray for the workers, that they will be sensitive to the needs of the children, love each one with God's love, be patient and wise and have the energy and stamina needed.
Your prayers are needed and are such a blessing.
There will not be any posts on the blog this week, see you next week!

Are You Real?

Our church heard a very powerful message this morning. What A Real Christian Looks Like was the theme and it was encouraging along with heart searching for each one.
Please keep a few of the nuggets running through your mind this week:
Do we resemble our Father - in our actions, words etc. Family traits should flow from the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father. He has given us a new heart - taken our old heart and placed a new one within us when we accepted Him as Lord and Savior.
A verse to ponder this week is Ephesians 4:1 - "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
This is the beginning of a series of messages on what a real Christian looks like. Are we genuine through and through? This morning we spent some time searching our hearts and asking God to examine our lives that everything we do may be pleasing to Him. Please be in prayer for these messages to minister deep into our lives and bring honor and glory to Him.

Today (Friday) at 7:00 AM began our church's participation in Intercede I-366. This is a statewide effort to have Florida Baptists in prayer each day of 2008. Many have signed up for a 30 minute block to spend time in prayer. If you didn't sign up, please take a few minutes today and pray.
Taken from the Intercede I-366 page, here are a few tips for prayer:

Spend Time in Worship:
True worship is walking in the fear of the Lord, obeying Him and His Word, and withholding nothing from Him, it is a moment-by-moment surrender of all you are to all He is (Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 6:9).

Give Thanks To the Lord:
—We have much for which to be thankful. Some helpful Scriptures to focus your thanksgiving include: Psalm 100; Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 9:15; Ephesians 1:15-16; Colossians 1:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3; 2:13; Philippians 1:3-4. be specific in thanking the Lord for the following:

Spiritual Blessings—You may want to write these in your notebook/journal.

Relational Blessings—Name names of family members, friends, and fellow believers.

Physical Blessings

Material Blessings

Trials/Pressures and Certain People— Matthew 5:10-12, 43-48; James 1:2-5).

Spend Time In God's Word:

Pray the Scriptures

Passages you can pray or that can help you pray the Word of God include: Joshua 1-2; 1 Samuel 1-2; Psalm 1, 19, 119; Matthew 5-7; Ephesians 1:15-21; 3:14-21; Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5.

A Time of Prayer for Spiritual Awakening
In our churches, neighborhoods, communities, schools, government, recreation and media.

A Time of Prayer for Your Work
Pray for your work of ministry, missions and maintenance.

A Time of Prayer for the Warfare You Face
Pray concerning your war with the “flesh”, your war with the world and your war with the devil.

Pray about your relationship with the Lord

Pray over your daily schedule

Pray over your family/home

Pray over your other relationships

For each of these areas, especially for those closest to you, pray the B.L.E.S.S. prayer.

B.—Bodily needs: physical health, strength

L.—Labor needs: work, finances/budget

E.—Emotional needs: strains and stresses in life, freedom from worry, well-being in their lives

S.—Social needs: relationships at home, work, school, church or in the neighborhood

S.—Spiritual needs: that each would have a personal, growing relationship to Jesus as Lord and Savior and be involved in a healthy, truth-telling, truth-living local church

As you close your “Day of Prayer,” thank the Lord for His guidance in this day; the way He has spoken to you; and for the way He will work in the days ahead through your praying. You may want to write a letter to the Lord in your journal, notebook or simply on a piece of paper. Record your praises, thanks and thoughts from the day. Remember, you have invested in eternity (Revelation 5:8).

As you close your “Day of Prayer,” consider the days ahead. Continue your time with the Lord with these helpful ideas for your daily walk.

Information

Here is the information about the services for our pastor's aunt. There will be a brief visitation on Saturday from 1:00 - 1:30 PM at Daniels Funeral Home. Following there will be a graveside service at Wellborn cemetery beginning at 2:00 PM. The family will be having a meal together following the service.
If you are interested in bringing some food, please have it at our church Saturday morning by 10:00 AM. This is a wonderful way to minister to the family and express our love. Antioch is always generous with this ministry and it has been said time and time again what a blessing this is to familes during times like this.

Prayer Need

Many of you have been praying for our pastor's aunt as she has struggled with cancer. She has gone home to be with the Lord. She was weary in this life and ready to go, so it is with peace and joy we feel as she is no longer sick and place her safely in God's arms. Please lift her family up in prayer for God's comfort to be with them.

Pure Water, Pure Love

The M&M (Music and Mission) ministry for our children is introducing a mission project that the entire church can participate in.

Pure Water, Pure Love is a ministry designed to provide missionaries and the people they serve with clean drinking water - at no cost to them. This ministry began in 1997 with the purpose of providing water filters and purification equipment to missionaries and those they serve. You can read more details about this ministry with some praise report at Pure Water, Pure Love.

Our children have placed a container in the foyer to accept donations for this project. The goal is to raise $250.00 which will purchase one water purifier. Thank you for your support and thank you to our M&M children and leaders for the opportunity to reach others with God's love.

Happy Father's Day

Sunday is Father's Day! Godly men who lead their families in the ways of the Lord are a true gift and are deeply appreciated.
Take a peek HERE for a special tribute to one of our church family fathers!
God's Word has much to say about fathers and here are a few verses:

Proverbs 10:1 "The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad
father: but a foolish son [is] the heaviness of his mother."

Ephesians 6:2 "Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first
commandment with promise;)"

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children
to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord."
~Ephesians 6:4~

Proverbs 4:1-9 A father's wisdom - "Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father's son, tender and only [beloved] in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee."

Proverbs 3:11-12 "My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD;
neither be weary of his correction. For whom the LORD loveth he
correcteth; even as a father the son [in whom] he delighteth."

The IDEAL Man of God and father would be?
A man who loves the Word of God and Loves the Lord with all his heart
and all his soul and all his mind. He would love his wife like Christ loves
the Church. He would love his family UNCONDITIONALLY and would
".... provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in
the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
~Ephesians 6:4~

Proverbs 20:7 "The just man walketh in his integrity: his children
are blessed after him."

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 "As ye know how we exhorted and comforted
and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children."

Graphics and verses are taken from Annies Fathers Day Page - go for a visit!

Verse for the Day

Youth Trip

On June 28, the youth will be taking a trip to Wild Adventures in Valdosta. There will be a Christian music group performing there that evening. All youth grades 6-12 are invited. The cost is $15.00 for admission, plus please bring money for meals, etc. The $15.00 is due this Sunday in order to place an order for tickets. For more information, visit the youth blog.

Prayer and June Activites

As you know, we have three ladies near to our church family who are battling cancer. Lori A., Claudie B. and our pastor's Aunt Dell. Your prayers are needed for each one this week. Lori has some new suspicious spots they will be checking out this week. They have stopped her treatments while they investigate these spots. Claudie B. struggle with some confusion this weekend and the cancer in Aunt Dell seems to be progressing. Please keep each of these and their families in your prayers.

In June, we have several things going on. This week the Southern Baptist Convention will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our pastor and his wife are attending. You can keep current with the convention highlights by clicking at Southern Baptist Convention
Your prayers for the convention and our pastor and wife are appreciated.

June 20-21 is our designated 24 hour time of prayer. I-366 is a state-wide effort for Florida Baptists to spend each day this year in prayer for our world, country, churches, leaders and families. Antioch has a 24 hour opportunity to join in this prayer circle. If you have not signed the prayer sheet, please do so. Each member is asked to pray in a 30 minute increment. You can read more about I-366 here

Children's Camp will be June 23-26. Please begin to pray for each camper, counselor, helper and worker for God to minister into the hearts of these young children, for everyone's safety, for the energy and wisdom for the workers and for God to be glorified in all that is done.

June 29 will be a 5th Sunday Night Sing and Testimony Time. These sings are always a blessing. It is a joy to hear others share their talent or a testimony with the church. There is such a powerful witness when we share a talent that God has blessed us with or a word of testimony about Him. Please plan to participate and see Sis. Dianne to get on the agenda to minister!

4th of July Celebration: We are planning a huge 4th of July celebration on July 4. It will be a great time of fellowship, food, games and fun as we celebrate our nation's Independence and freedom. There are sign up sheets around the church, please sign up for food or a cake for the cake walk and be prepared to have a great time. More details will be coming.

Funny

Verse for Today

May you have a blessed day!

Prayer Requests

On Sunday there were some requests made for prayer. Let's be faithful to keep our church family in prayer through the week and let one another know, they are loved and cared for.

Some updates:
Eldora B. had a pacemaker replacement and is doing well.
Debbie P. had surgery and is recovering well.
Ida D. was in the hospital last week, had many tests done and is now at home recovering.

New requests:
Felton R. and Shirley W.'s brother's family is grieving the loss of their 42 year old daughter. Please keep this family close to your heart.
Our pastor's cousin who has been on our prayer list - has passed away. Please keep them near in prayer.
Our pastor's aunt is battling terminal cancer.
Lori A. and Claudie B. are also battling cancer and undergoing treatments.
Beulah S. had surgery last week and needs your prayers for recuperation.

Please remember these along with each one posted on the back of the weekly church bulletin. If you have a request you would like posted, please use the email link on the side of this blog.

Summer's Here!

June has arrived and with it came HOT weather and summer vacation for school children. During these summer months where fun and relaxation rule over schedules and activities, let's all continue to be faithful to church services and activities.
Remember on Wednesday that our monthly Family Meal will begin at 6:00 PM. Following the meal together there will be something for the entire family. At 6:30 the Youth will do the weekly Bible study they have been involved in with the pastor. At 7:00 M&Ms (children's music and missions) will begin for children age 2 - 5th grade. Also at 7:00 the adults will meet in the sanctuary for a time of devotion and prayer.
Please plan to come Wednesday night: bring a covered food dish to share and the entire family!