Last Wednesday was See You At the Pole, a student led time of prayer around the flagpole of the school. Our pastor and youth leader were present along with many of our youth to gather and pray before school. At our local high school, (elementary and middle schools also had prayer times), over 100 students were counted. What a blessing to see these young people rise up and know where their strength comes from!
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Wednesday Night Meal
This week the menu for Wednesday night meal will be Sloppy Joes, Tater Tots, Corn, Salad and Dessert. The meal begins at 5:30 PM, ministries for the entire family begin at 6:30 PM. Be encouraged to join this time of mid week spiritual renewal! It is a perfect opportunity for a time of coming to the house of the Lord, growing in the Lord, exercising our spiritual disciplines, spending time in powerful prayer and equipping our children to learn and grow in the Lord.
Monday, September 28, 2015
164th Homecoming
Mark the date...October 11 will be our 164th Church Homecoming. It will be a special day to celebrate with church family near and far, current and beloved family from the past.
Activities will begin at 9:45 AM with the singing group Delivered. This group is one of our favorites with family roots in Antioch. The morning message will be shared by former pastor Rev. Roger Sumner. Bro. Roger is involved in ministry in an association church near us and is an active part if the children's summer camp each year. We are excited to renew and catch up with Rev. Sumner.
Don't forget about the dinner on the grounds following the morning service. Our ladies love to prepare and lavish out guest with home cooked food. Church family, be encouraged to bring a covered food dish to share and let's prepare to celebrate God's faithfulness to Antioch.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Our Prayer Life
Here are 3 Quick Things to examine our prayer life from Sunday's sermon;
1. Examine our heart attitude: If we love God, it will be reflected. What does our prayer life say about our love for God?
2. Measure our words: Prayer begins in the heart and ends coming through our words.
3. Release our Life: Be willing to present ourselves to God. To act on His answers.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
The Spiritual Discipline of Prayer
"The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer." F. B. Myer
Prayer is an area that can be undisciplined, but one of the greatest resources to tap into. There is no small prayer, every prayer is important.
Salvation is the beginning of the Christian walk. To grow, we must take in nourishment. We can't be a growing Christian and not pray.
Christians are called to pray. Here are 5 ways:
1. Called to Pray Persistently. Being dedicated and devoted to prayer, this is not an option, but a command from Scripture.
2. Pray Passionately: There is no emergency, trouble or situation that will not yield to the power of prayer. Passionate prayer opens heaven and shines God's light of direction on our life. Prayer from the heart is passionate prayer.
3. Pray With a Grateful Heart: Gratitude should be a constant theme as we pray. As Christians, we have no reason not to be thankful.
When we pray with gratitude, it does three things;
1. Shows dependence on God. every breath is a gift from God, gratitude acknowledges that.
2. Generates humility
3. Demonstrates relationship with God
4. Pray Selflessly: Often our prayers are for us and ours only with little being offered for others. Who can we be praying for?
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Walk 4 Life...This Saturday!!!
Walk 4 Life is this Saturday (September 26). The walk will begin at 9:00 AM and will be followed by a time of refreshments and community activities you won't want to miss.
Even if you are not a walker, your support is needed! There are shaded picnic tables to sit at, or be encouraged to line the route and cheer our walkers on as we share with our community, we support the sanctity of life and our local Pregnancy Care Center. There is something for everyone!!
“Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Don’t ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work.”
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
See You At the Pole
See You at the Pole is Wednesday. Our local schools are participating and our youth leader has rallied our youth to take part.
See You at the Pole™ is a global movement of prayer which is student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led. It revolves around students praying together on the fourth Wednesday in September, usually before school and usually at the school's flag pole. It involves student in elementary schools, middle/junior high schools, high schools, and colleges/universities across the globe. Adults often pray in support of the students on campus by gathering nearby, at their places of work or worship, or at city halls.
Adults Can Pray
Since See You at the Pole™ is all about students praying, as adults, be encouraged to pray over this event. Some ways to pray:
- Pray for:your students and their friends to take part in See You at the Pole™.
- the other students in your community (or church) to take part in See You at the Pole™.
- your youth pastor/leader in your church as he/she motivates and guides students for See You at the Pole™.
- your students' parents to be supportive of their involvement in See You at the Pole™.
- the non-Christian students that could be reached through See You at the Pole™.
- the Christian students in your community to strengthen their unity on campus all year long.
Let's be supportive of our youth and pray alongside of them for our students, our community, nation and world.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Family Ministries This Week!!
Wednesday night Family Ministries will begin at 5:30 PM with a meal prepared for you! The menu will be pork loin, potatoes, vegetables, salad, rolls and dessert.
Following the meal will be a time of ministry for the entire family beginning at 6:30 PM. Be encouraged to come out and support Family Ministries and grow in Christ together!
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Friday, September 18, 2015
It's here!!! Our Children's Christmas Play script is in and our workers are excited to begin practicing on Wednesday nights during Family Training Hour. All children, all ages are welcome to be a part of sharing the true meaning of Christmas and celebrating Jesus this season..
The Light Before Christmas was, and is, Jesus Christ. Before God set one star in place or separated the oceans from the land, He had a plan for the eventual redemption of His creation
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Family Ministries
This Wednesday is Family Ministries!! A meal will be provided and the menu will be Baked Chicken, Chicken and Rice, Broccoli, Lima Beans, Rolls and Dessert. Meal begins at 5:3 PM with ministries for all of the family beginning at 6:30 PM.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Spiritual Disciplines
Sunday's sermon was on the subject of Spiritual Disciplines. In order to grow spiritually, there are some things we must do. Regular Bible reading is a must for growth, it is our spiritual food that nourishes us.
Be encouraged to read Psalms 19 this week.
Reading the Word keeps us from being spiritually insensitive. That's what happens when we are in the world every day and get the attitudes of culture rubbed off on us.
5 Ways to Practice Spiritual Discipline:
1. Read the Word: Find a reading plan, set a time or schedule each day and read regularly.
2. Meditate/Reflect on what was read: Focus on the passage, bring it to remembrance through the day.
3. Memorize it...get the Word hid in our hearts. It can be brought up any time!
4. Share it: Tell others what your read and what it meant to you.
5. Respond to it. When what we read convicts us, follow up and be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
What Does It Mean to Persevere?
Sunday's sermon was on perseverance. Based on Jeremiah 37, a few points were brought out about
"How to Persevere in Obedience."
1. Stand by your convictions. A person with conviction knows where they stand and where they are going. Convictions are the mainspring of actions.
2. Make the choices. Yesterday's decisions affect today's choices. Obedience is always a choice.
3. Maintain personal character. Christians need Christlike character. It should encompass all we do. It is the ingredient in our lives that makes us different. When people look at us, do they see Jesus in us? What kind of Jesus are we showing people?
4. Refuse to Compromise. May we never compromise the truth of God's Word in our words, attitudes or actions.
"Who we are today is the result of choices we made yesterday. Tomorrow we will become what we choose today. To change means to choose change."
Friday, September 11, 2015
Dinner and Movie with the Church Folks!
A few of our church couples got together and saw the movie War Room. Movie was followed by dinner and a little shopping...well...some shopped, some sat and chatted!! Be encouraged to take advantage of special times of fellowship with one another, they build relationships and strengthen church family bonds!
Monday, September 7, 2015
Walk 4 Life
Each year, our church participates in the local Walk/Run 4 Life which helps support our local Pregnancy Care Center.
This year's event is September 26 beginning at 9:00 AM. There are brochures and registration forms available on the church foyer table. Be encouraged to take part in this opportunity to support LIFE!
You don't have to walk to support, there are shady picnic tables you can sit at or park along the walking route to cheer our walkers on! There is a place for everyone at the walk to show your support!
Friday, September 4, 2015
Beth Moore Simulcast
Ladies, don't forget the Beth Moore Simulcast coming Saturday, September 12!
Tickets are $20.00 and need to be purchased in advance, by September 10. You may purchase a ticket at Westwood Baptist, or we can purchase together as a church. Let pastor know you would like to go by Wednesday!
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Avoiding Discouragment
There are times we have all been discouraged. The sermon last week was on the subject of
"How To Rise Above Discouragement".
1. Be honest - tell God how you feel...He knows anyway!
2. Be obedient - continue on the path of obedience, keep doing what God has called you to do.
3. Be watchful - know that the Lord is always with you...be watchful for His hand.
“The instant cure of our religious ills would be to enter the Presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and that God is in us. This would lift us out of our pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged. This would burn away the impurities from our lives as the bugs and fungi were burned away by the fire that dwelt in the bush.” A. W. Tozer
4. Be worshipful - praise God with the whole heart. The key to victory is praise, acknowledging that God is in control. The enenmy has no defence in the face of praise.
What Does Praise Do?
- Recognizes a promis and takes our mind of situations and focuses back on God.
- Acknowledges God knows more about what we need than we do.
- Accepts that God can take all the bad and make something beautiful out of it.
- Acknowledges a plan - God has a plan for good for our lives. We can join Him and accept it or e can fight against it.
- Accept the present. Praise Him- not for what we expect in our lives, but for who God is. It releases the power of God in our lives. His presence and power are near when we praise Him.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
6 Things Mom Taught Me About Church
These pieces of 'old fashioned advice' were shared in an article from a preacher's child growing up several years ago! But, after a few decades, I’m wondering if they weren’t so bad after all. Do you think the mom was nuts or maybe on to something!!!
1. Dress up.
Mom felt that church was about honoring God, and looking right was a big part of that honor. Today, even pastors preach in jeans and t-shirts, and the truth is, everyone loves being casual.
But attorneys and other professions have learned that how you dress impacts your attitude and perception.
As mom said, it shouldn’t be about pride, it should be about honor. Looking around the congregation these days, I just wonder if we could use an occasional dose of my mom’s advice.
2. Pay attention.
Back then, we had to pay attention. But looking back, it taught discipline and a remarkable amount of Bible teaching.
3. Send the babies to the nursery.
Back in those days, we didn’t have “children’s church.” All we had was a nursery for the babies, and my mom thought they should go.
To her, there was nothing more rude than parents allowing a screaming baby to interrupt the worship of the congregation. She knew babies weren’t getting anything out of the sermon, so get them out where they could have a little fun!
I thought about my mom last Sunday, sitting behind a young couple with a screaming baby who just sat there, and sat there, and sat there. (You know the kind of parents that can’t POSSIBLY leave their children with anyone else?)
What did the pastor preach about? I can’t remember …
4. If you show up late, sit in the back.
Mom thought church wasn’t the same as a movie, concert or classroom. It was holy, and we needed to respect that.
Although 99 percent of the time our family sat on the front row, if we showed up late for any reason, we sat in the back. She would never distract anyone from my dad’s message by walking down the aisle after the service had started.
5. Bring your Bible.
Mom’s motto was, “Buy a Bible, read it and underline it.” She never understood how people could come to church without their Bible.
To her, it was like showing up at a baseball game without a bat. I’ve tried the “pew Bible” and Bible apps on my iPad, but for me, I can’t get my mom’s rule out of my head, so I bring the real thing—marked up and all.
6. Sunday school matters.
Remarkably few churches have Sunday school programs anymore, and I’m often surprised at the number of church members who think a weekly sermon is enough.
Mom felt that we needed to go deeper, and Sunday school was that place.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Family Meal on Wednesday
This Wednesday is Family Meal, where we all bring a covered food dish, put it all together and enjoy a meal and some great fellowship! Be encouraged to come out at 5:30 PM with food and the family for a mid week spiritual pick up!
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