Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

We have been receiving offerings for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering through December.  Our church goal is $4,500.00 and to date we have raised $4,231.00.  There is still opportunity to give to the offering. 

Please pray and ask the Lord how you can help spread the Gospel throughout all nations. 

Christmas Caroling

Several of our church family spent some time visiting and singing Christmas carols to those in our assisted living facilities and homes. What a blessing to see the joy it brought!

Family Ministries This Week

There will be no Family Ministries Meal this week.  Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come at 6:30 PM, meet in the sanctuary as we celebrate the last service of 2016!

Advice From Seasoned Leaders

Although we may not feel we are "leaders", as Christians serving in the church we are responsible to hold an example of service.  Here are a few tips from seasoned leaders that can encourage anyone who serves:

Make sure Christ is your greatest passion. No matter how long you have walked with the Lord, there is SO much more to know. Pray the excitement never decreases.

Always point to Christ when you have had a successful ministry experience. Keep in mind, you didn’t do it, He did. You just got to be a part of His work!

Always be willing to give up ministry so others can serve. One of your jobs is to raise up leaders. If you never let go of responsibilities, no one else can join you in that ministry.

Teach about Christ’s ministry on earth. Show how His character was all about meeting needs and serving all His Father brought to Him.

When God calls you to leave a ministry, cheer on your successor. Give her all the information she needs to serve well. Holding back important data is sabotage.

Be patient with younger leaders who have not been raised to commit to something for a long period of time. Show them the benefit of not giving up when it gets hard. Walk with them as they learn the importance of follow through from you.

Look forward with expectancy to the best and future of life and ministry. It may be time to let go of something you have poured your heart into for years, but that doesn’t mean the best is not ahead! God leads us through the various seasons of life and ministry, but each stage is as vital as another as we journey through each in obedience.

Celebrate the Choir

Antioch has always been blessed with a choir.  Although attendance may fluctuate, leaders may change, the main purpose we enjoy is to sing praises to the Lord.  Currently, there is a volunteer choir, all are welcome to participate.  If you have ever thought about joining the ministry of choir, now would be a perfect time!

Here are a few blessings a church choir brings:

1. It provides opportunities for many members to serve. Think practically for a minute: A Bible study program requires one to two facilitators per group, but a choir requires many people to serve. Open choir seats are opportunities to serve.
2. It helps produce good congregational singing. A praise team can achieve this goal, too, but it’s easier to worship through song when dozens of people are leading the way.
3. A good choir sings and illustrates joy. It’s not just the singing that makes a difference. It’s also the smiling. It’s the worshiping through raising hands. It’s the singer who closes his eyes and takes us to God through his own personal worship. It’s the large group praising God together.
4. It can highlight diversity in a church. Particularly when the choir leads worship from the front of the worship center, the congregation can often see diversity (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity) in front of them. That diversity among the singers is a picture of heaven (Rev 7:9-10).
5. It helps promote teamwork. That, of course, is the nature of a choir. Everybody has a part, and it’s the parts combined that create the overall sound. It seldom hurts for believers to learn to work together in any capacity.
6. It offers multi-generational fellowship. I’ve been to churches where the choir is the only opportunity for several generations to serve together. There’s something God honoring about an older saint and a teen believer singing next to one another.
7. A choir can be an entry-level service opportunity for members and attenders. Any follower of Christ can sing God’s praises, including a baby believer who isn’t ready yet to serve in other capacities (and, to be frank, a choir helps even the worst voice somehow blend into the praise).

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Please remember our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on Saturday night beginning at 6:00 PM.  

Building Project

Recently, a few of our men gathered together to help with a porch project for one of our widows.  What a blessing it is to have those willing to help out and serve others!

Church Wide Christmas Caroling

Please join us for a time of Church Wide Christmas Caroling! On Wednesday night (December 21), we will leave the church at 5:00 PM and visit our nursing homes and some of our home-bound church family to bring a bit of Christmas cheer.  

Following the caroling, we will return to the church for a dinner of soup and sandwiches.  If you don't attend the caroling, please be encouraged to come for dinner.  Plans are to eat around 6:45 PM.  

Children's Christmas Program

This Sunday, our children will be presenting "Twas the Night Before Christmas".  Be encouraged to come and support our children as they share the true meaning of Christmas. Service begins at 11:00 AM.

Christian Fellowship

Fellowship is sharing in our common life in Christ with one another. 

We engage in fellowship by relating to one another in oneness of heart through various means of serving each other in love.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:1-7)

Fellowship is not:

standing around talking with a cup of coffee in your hand

a one way street wherein one believer gives to or helps another

Fellowship is:

the mutual, reciprocal sharing of our life in Christ

the fulfillment of the one another commands of Scripture

Tim Tebow's John 3:16 Moment

In this short clip, Tim Tebow shares a miracle moment on Harry Connick Jr.’s new daytime talk show.

Here’s the setup.

Tebow is well-known for writing John 3:16 under his eyes during football games. In fact, when he wore the reference during his college championship game over 94 million people googled the verse. Let’s just say the small decision to highlight God’s love under his eyes made a lasting impact.

Fast-forward exactly three years later to the day. Tebow was the quarterback for the Broncos and they were playing the Steelers in their first playoff game. They won and after the game Tebow went into the press room to talk to the media. That’s when a PR representative shared some seriously uncanny stats.

Some might call it a coincidence, but Tebow prefers to attribute it to the work of a big God.

Family Ministries Meal This Week

The menu for Family Ministries Meal this week is:

Fried Chicken
Macaroni & Cheese
Broccoli
Biscuits
Salad
Dessert

Meal begins at 5:30 PM, family ministries begins at 6:30 PM.
*Remember our children are practicing for "Twas the Night Before Christmas" during Family Ministries.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

 Starting in 1888, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® was established to empower the international missions efforts for Southern Baptists. After more than a century, the annual offering continues its steady growth. The National Goal this year is $155 Million. Your giving enables missionaries to be sent to make disciples and multiply churches among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God.

Our church goal is $4,500.00.  There will be an opportunity for you to give throughout the month of December.  For every $1,000.00, a candle will be lit on our display table.  Please be in prayer for this offering and how the Lord would have you to participate.

The Christian '12 Days of Christmas'

On the first day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Salvation full and free.

On the second day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the third day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the fourth day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the fifth day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Joy for my soul, Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the sixth day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Power from on high, Joy for my soul, Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the seventh day of Christmas Jesus gave to me A Body Glorified, Power from on high, Joy for my soul, Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the eighth day of Christmas Jesus gave to me A Robe and a Crown, A Body Glorified, Power from on high, Joy for my soul, Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the ninth day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Mansions above, A Robe and a Crown, A Body Glorified, Power from on high, Joy for my soul, Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the tenth day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Streets of pure gold, Mansions above, A Robe and a Crown, A Body Glorified, Power from on high, Joy for my soul, Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the eleventh day of Christmas Jesus gave to me A thousand songs to sing, Streets of pure gold, Mansions above, A Robe and a Crown, A Body Glorified, Power from on high, Joy for my soul, Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

On the twelfth day of Christmas Jesus gave to me Eternity that's free, A thousand songs to sing, Streets of pure gold, Mansions above, A Robe and a Crown, A Body Glorified, Power from on high, Joy for my soul, Love for all men, Peace in my heart, Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.

May we remember to be thankful to the Lord for all He has given to us!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Our children will be presenting a Christmas Program on December 18 in the morning service.  "Twas the Night Before Christmas" will be filled with music and a story to capture the true meaning of Christmas. Be encouraged to come join us for this special time of Christmas celebration. 

Family Ministries Meal

The menu for this week's Family Ministries Meal is:

Roast Beef
Mushroom Rice
Green Beans
Rolls
Salad
Dessert

Meal begins at 5:30 PM.  Family Ministries begins at 6:30 PM.

Praying For Our Teens

Our church is blessed to have a youth group full of teenagers.  These young men and women are in the process of growing into young adults. If there is a teen in your family, you know this transition can be a bit difficult to navigate.  But our church family can join together to pray for our teens. This is a powerful way to impact the next generation. May we pray and believe that this generation of students will have an amazing impact on our world and will pursue God with a greater zeal and passion than the generations before them. 

Here are 10 things to pray for today’s teenager:

1. Purpose

I believe God has a plan and purpose for every student. I speak this over teenagers and ask God to, no matter what their circumstances are, give them passion and a deep-seated purpose for living.

2. Friendships

I spend time talking about the friendships young people develop more than other topics because I know the truth that you are (and become) who you hang out with. I pray God will give today’s teenager wisdom in choosing their friends and that God will bring people into their lives who will point them to Christ. I also pray that He will use students to encourage and build up each other like never before.

3. Character

Today’s teen is bombarded with every temptation known to man, and the enemy is seeking to destroy their character. I pray that this generation of students may experience an ongoing transformation by having their minds renewed and that they will be examples to the world in their speech, lives, love, faith and purity. I also ask for more great Christ-like role models for our students, particularly among their own peers.

4. Purity

I pray that God would give our students more of a hunger for righteousness than a sexual appetite, and that they would see through the enemy’s lies. I ask God to strengthen them and give them the drive to flee sexual immorality and help them reserve the gift of sex for marriage.

5. Passion

May God grant this generation of teenagers an anointing of power by the Holy Spirit to be the greatest witnesses for Christ Jesus that we’ve ever known. I also pray that their zeal for obedience would supersede any other human desire that they have.

6. Money

The root of all evil is the love of money. I pray that God would give spiritual eyes to today’s teen and help them to view money as a great resource for Kingdom purposes. May God grant them contentment in plenty or when poor because of their richness in Christ Jesus.

7. Submission and Honor

I pray that this generation would submit to Christ and to those in authority over them. May he give them grace to love, respect and honor their parents, teachers, spiritual leaders and governing officials.

8. Spiritual Growth

I pray that God nurtures the soil of the hearts of young people and grants them a greater sensitivity to their spirit so that they may grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. I also pray for more passionate workers for the harvest of youth ministry.

9. Discernment

I pray God would give our teenagers the knowledge of the truth of God and spiritual eyes to see so that the enemy would not be able to deceive them. I pray they may also be able to discern between the teachings of the Living God and false gods or prophets.

10. Hope

May God help today’s teen take every thought captive for Christ. I pray He would also fill every young person with the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and protect their minds and hearts from hopelessness. May God also help them to cling to Christ during discouragement and soak up His strength when offering this same hope to others.

Christmas Giving

Just a reminder that our S.T.A.R.S. have adopted a family with three children to provide for this Christmas.  There is a list on the foyer table of sizes etc.

If you would like to donate items for this family, please have the items at church by Wednesday night.

Ladies Scripture Challenge

Ladies, Let’s get to know our Savior, Lord and King a little more this December. Let’s be intentional about reading his Word to draw us closer to the scenes of his glory. Let’s remember that God is my God. Your God. Our God. He’s personal and intimate and longs for us to draw closer and closer to him. Are you interested in a Names of God Bible reading challenge? Click HERE to print a daily Scripture reading with a different name of God. 

**Our ladies December fellowship which is December 15, will feature a Christmas devotion highlighting the names of God, this challenge will equip us spark a fire of worship for the Lord.