Children's Ministry Project

Our Children's Ministry is participating in a project to prepare 43 "Bags of Blessings", a bag of simple food for children who have limited food supply especially during the weekends where school meals are not provided. To kick off this project, our children went shopping (and learned how to shop with the sales flyer to get the best price) to fill a few bags. They had a great time looking for and working to fill a need.

Funny for the Day

Top 10 reasons God made Eve

1. God was worried that Adam would frequently become lost in the garden because he would not ask for directions.
2. 
   
3. God knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate and hand him the remote.
4. 
   
5. God knew Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf when his wore out and would therefore need Eve to buy one for him.
6. 
   
7. God knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor, dentist or haircut appointment for himself.
8. 
   
9. God knew Adam would never remember which night to put the garbage on the curb.
10. 
    
11. God knew if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.
12. 
    
13. As the Keeper of the Garden, since he didn’t have metal sheds or greenhouses, Adam would never remember where he left his tools.
14. 
    
15. Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.
16. 
    
17. As the Bible says, “It is not good for man to be alone!”
18. 
    
19. When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched His head and said, “I can do much better than that!”

Small Group Bible Study

We are excited to begin a small group Bible study in March!  This is a brand new ministry and is open to church family who are interested.  

 As a church, we are always looking for a way to encourage intimacy within the congregation.  Small groups offer a place to connect with other believers in fellowship; to grow in our understanding of the Bible, as Jesus' own small group of disciples did; to meet the needs of others in your group in ministry; to become equipped for evangelism; and to worship God through practicing godly behavior. 

Small Group Bible Study - It Will Transform Your Life!

A small group Bible study offers a place to connect with other believers, making you part of a family. And when you're in a family you learn to love others, for better or worse. You can't learn how to love on your own. 

In your small group, you can also share your needs.  But small group members exist to care for one another and to join in lifting one another's burdens before the Lord.

Small Group Bible Study - Praying Together And Sharing Victories

Week after week, as group members share answers to prayer, you'll be built up in your own personal ability to trust God to meet your needs. And as any small group veteran will tell you, the greatest blessing comes in ministering to the needs of another small group member. 

Watch for more details coming soon and be in prayer for our small group ministry. 

Funny for the Day

The Highest Power

Carolyn Heap, another Sunday School teacher, said to her children, 'We have been learning about how powerful the kings and queens were in Biblical times.  But there is a higher power.  Who can tell me what it is?'

George blurted out, 'I know, Aces.'

Something Missing - Missing Something?

Going over our church finances I found a receipt from a local paint store signed by someone named Christian. I wasn't aware of anyone buying paint, so I called the store to point out its mistake

'I'm sorry,' I told the manager, 'but there are no Christians here at St Mary's Church.'

Valentine's Is Over, But Love Never Ends

By now, all the mushy love feelings, balloons, flowers and candy are diminishing. But true love isn't just a feeling, it is a commitment lived out in our day to day lives.  Here are 23 things that bring out "What Is Love"

1. LOVE IS... being willing to have your life complicated by the needs and struggles of others without impatience or anger.
2. LOVE IS... actively fighting the temptation to be critical and judgmental toward another while looking for ways to encourage and praise.
3. LOVE IS... making a daily commitment to resist the needless moments of conflict that come from pointing out and responding to minor offenses.
4. LOVE IS... being lovingly honest and humbly approachable in times of misunderstanding.
5. LOVE IS... being more committed to unity and understanding than you are to winning, accusing, or being right.
6. LOVE IS... a making a daily commitment to admit your sin, weakness, and failure and to resist the temptation to offer an excuse or shift the blame.
7. LOVE IS... being willing, when confronted by another, to examine your heart rather than rising to your defense or shifting the focus.
8. LOVE IS... making a daily commitment to grow in love so that the love you offer to another is increasingly selfless, mature, and patient.
9. LOVE IS... being unwilling to do what is wrong when you have been wronged, but looking for concrete and specific ways to overcome evil with good.
10. LOVE IS... being a good student of another, looking for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs so that in some way you can remove the burden, support them as they carry it, or encourage them along the way.
11. LOVE IS... being willing to invest the time necessary to discuss, examine, and understand the relational problems you face, staying on task until the problem is removed or you have agreed upon a strategy of response.
12. LOVE IS... being willing to always ask for forgiveness and always being committed to grant forgiveness when it is requested.
13. LOVE IS... recognizing the high value of trust in a relationship and being faithful to your promises and true to your word.
14. LOVE IS... speaking kindly and gently, even in moments of disagreement, refusing to attack the other person’s character or assault their intelligence.
15. LOVE IS... being unwilling to flatter, lie, manipulate, or deceive in any way in order to co-opt the other person into giving you what you want or doing something your way.
16. LOVE IS... being unwilling to ask another person to be the source of your identity, meaning, and purpose, or inner sense of well-being, while refusing to be the source of theirs.
17. LOVE IS... the willingness to have less free time, less sleep, and a busier schedule in order to be faithful to what God has called you to be and to do as a spouse, parent, neighbor, etc.
18. LOVE IS... a commitment to say no to selfish instincts and to do everything that is within your ability to promote real unity, functional understanding, and active love in your relationships.
19. LOVE IS... staying faithful to your commitment to treat another with appreciation, respect, and grace, even in moments when the other person doesn’t seem deserving or is unwilling to reciprocate.
20. LOVE IS... the willingness to make regular and costly sacrifices for the sake of a relationship without asking for anything in return or using your sacrifices to place the other person in your debt.
21. LOVE IS... being unwilling to make any personal decision or choice that would harm a relationship, hurt the other person, or weaken the bond of trust between you.
22. LOVE IS... refusing to be self-focused or demanding, but instead looking for specific ways to serve, support, and encourage, even when you are busy or tired.
23. LOVE IS... daily admitting to yourself, the other person, and God that you are unable to be driven by a cruciform love without God’s protecting, providing, forgiving, rescuing, and delivering grace.

Children's Ministry Day Project

Every February, our children participate in Children's Ministry Day - an opportunity for children to be engaged in a hands-on project that ministers to others.

The project this year will be to assist a local ministry "Bags of Blessings" where bags of food are given out each week to children who may have a food shortage in their homes over weekends when school meals are not provided. 

We would like to provided 43 'bags' which will include peanut butter, jelly, bread and snacks.  Our children will go to the store this Saturday at 9:30 AM and purchase a few items to begin the project. On Sunday morning, our children will share about the ministry and offer the church family an opportunity to participate and donate some needed items to fulfill the bags. 

Stay tuned for more information and be encouraged to support our children with your prayers and donations for this ministry. 

Young Adult Fellowship

Antioch loves our young families! We understand that they are the future of our church and seek many ways to involve them in not simply church attendance, but connecting together as a church body. A recent time of fellowship was held to promote that time to gather, enjoy a meal, fellowship and fun! This was very well attended and an enjoyable time!

 

  

 

  

Thank You!!

 

 

What a joy and blessing it was to present a check for over $530.00 to our local Pregnancy Care Center!  This is the amount collected through the baby bottle boomerang held in January.  There was much laughter, gratitude and 3 different cameras capturing the moment! 

The center asked to express their deepest appreciation for all of the support they receive from Antioch.

Family Ministries Meal

The menu for this week's Family Ministries will be Beef Stew and Rice, English Peas, Salad, Cornbread and Dessert.  In an attempt to be kid friendly in our meals, we will be purchasing some pizzas for children who don't like beef stew!

 

Be encouraged to come join us at 5:30 PM for the meal, followed by ministries for the entire family at 6:30 PM.

10 Verses About God's Love

February is the month of love!  It provides an opportunity to show our love for others through actions and words.

God is the creator of love and it is because He first loved us that we love others.  

It’s good to take a moment and be reminded of just how deeply we are loved.

Here’s 10 Verses About God’s Love For You

 1.) God IS Love!

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:7,8

2.)  NO ONE has a greater love for you than Jesus!

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13

3.)  Nothing can ever separate you from God’s love.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39

4.) God is with you.  He quiets our restless hearts with His love.

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

5.)  God loves you so much he gave his only Son, so you could have eternal life!  

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

6.)  God’s calls you his child.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
1 John 3:1.

7.) God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast – constant – steady love and faithfulness.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Psalm 86:15

8.) He is your loving father. His discipline – shows his love for you. 

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
 and chastises every son whom he receives.Hebrews 12:6

9.)  God demonstrated his love for you, through the death of Christ.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Romans 5:8

10.)  God’s love for you endures FOREVER!  It is steadfast, constant and it never ends!

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:26

Pregnancy Care Center

 

 

Sunday morning the director of our local Pregnancy Care Center came to share about the ministry there. 

Those baby bottles we fill with change provide, pregnancy tests, parenting classes for mothers and fathers, resources - supplies and clothing for mom and baby (earned as they participate in the classes), counselling for post abortion clients and the ability to provide an ultrasound.  After viewing the ultrasound image of a real live baby, with a beating heart, 80% of mothers, choose life.

 

The local Pregnancy Care Center has 3 locations that are open 5 days a week. Last year they saw a total of 1,477 clients, gave 249 pregnancy tests of which 185 of those were positive. That provided the opportunity to walk with and nurture families through this.  Because of that love and the Christian atmosphere and counselling, 8 clients received Christ.

 

Please be encouraged to pray for and support our local center.  Tours are always available as well as opportunities to volunteer.

Home going Service

The arrangements have been set for Bro. Felton R.'s home going service.   Services will be Friday, February 12.  Visitation will be from 12:00 - 2;00 PM with the funeral beginning at 2:00 PM.

A lunch will be served for the family at 11:00 AM. This is one of Antioch's gracious acts of service for the family, one where many come together to donate and serve food.  It is a blessing to the family and demonstrates love and care during a grievous time.  If you would like to take part in helping, this will be a large family to show our love to and we are looking for much support and food to provide for them.  

Of course, your continued prayers are sought for peace and comfort for the family. 

Family Ministries Meal

This week's menu for Family Ministries will be Baked Chicken, Dressing, Cranberry Sauce, Vegetables, Salad and Dessert.  Meal begins at 5:30 PM, classes for all ages and Project 3:16 training will begin at 6:30 PM. 

Homegoing

Bro. Felton went home to heaven this afternoon.  We know he is rejoicing in the presence of the Lord and free from sickness and pain.  Please be in prayer for his family during this time.  Arrangements will be shared as they become available.

Update on Bro. Felton

Our hearts are anxious today for new about Bro. Felton.  He is in the CCU and the family was called in last night. He is comfortable today and the family is asking prayers for strength during this time.

Bro. Felton is such an integral part of Antioch.  A long time member, always involved, always smiling and ready to share a joke or conversation. In times of trouble, times of joy, he and his family were there.  Words cannot express how much he means to our church. 

Our prayer today is for renewed strength and healing, never giving up on what God can do. But above all, Bro. Felton would ask us to pray for God's will to be done and for His love to surround the family. 

Project 3:16

Our church is participating in Project 3:16.  An opportunity to encourage Christians to share their faith as simply as sharing John 3:16 during March of 2016 - or 3/16!

Every Wednesday night at 6;30 PM, in the sanctuary there will be a time of training on how to effectively share your faith.  Be encouraged to come and join this outreach ministry!

For more information and resources, visit Project 3:16

Urgent Prayer Request

We have been in prayer for Felton R. for several weeks.  He has spent much time in the hospital with cardiac problems. He has undergone valve replacement surgery, had a pacemaker put it, was able to come home then caught a nasty stomach bug.

 

He was taken last night to the ER with shortness of breath, and swelling.  He has been transferred today to NFRMC in CCU with severe infection which septic, he is retaining fluid and having heart issues.  Please keep him and the family in your prayers.  We will update as information is available.

Prayers Needed

Please remember Janet W. and her family as her step-father has passed away.  We do rejoice that he is no longer in pain, we understand the feeling of grief and loss the family is experiencing. 

Funeral service will be at Antioch Saturday (tomorrow February 6) at 2:00 PM.  The church will be feeding the family at 12:30 PM, donations of food are welcome.

Please continue to keep this family lifted up in your prayers. 

Family Ministries

This week's menu for Family Ministries is Pork Loin, Baked Beans, Scalloped Potatoes, Cole Slaw and Dessert.  Meal will be ready at 5:30 PM, ministries for the entire family will follow at 6:30 PM.

Spreading Love

We have several church family and friends we lift up in prayer.  Each one is important and our Heavenly Father knows them by name.

 

One of our sweet children has been undergoing some major health issues.  Heather L. is a girl with a smile that will light up the room.  Her joy and loving personality are such a blessing to our church.  We are surely missing her as she has been in the hospital for over a week, having undergone surgery and is now recovering. 

 

Her Sunday School class wanted to share their love and let her know how much they are missing her.   They want her to "Get Well Soon" and be able to come and again be a part of the class!

 

May we as a church family follow this sweet example of loving, praying and being a blessing to one another!