Lamplighter

Vol. 6 Issue 11 November 2013

The

Our Church Staff

Gary Burden
Senior Pastor 919-631-6789

MY HOPE AMERICA with Billy Graham

This program will be in full swing during the month of November. This effort to restore American is Billy Grahams gift to America on his 95th birthday. See the scheduled times listed on page 5 of this publication to view the 30 minute programs produced for this event.
Additional information about My Hope America is on page 6 of this publication.

Landon Orr
Assoc. Pastor of Discipleship & Evangelism 919-229-9379

Chastity Comeau
Admin. AssistantFinances

Pat Baucom
Admin. Assistant - Publications

Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Kick-Off Day - Nov. 3rd Packing party with Children - Nov. 10th Box delivery time - November 324 GIVE THANKS --- Do What?
ThanksgivingGiving Thanks. Just what does it mean to Give Thanks? In its most generic sense of course it means to express gratitudegratitude for someone or for something someone has done or will do. But since Gods Word is really big on telling us to give thanks, whats that all about? Surely we thank God for our food and all the necessities of life. We certainly thank Him for salvation through His Son. We thank Him for family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. But are there other deepermeanings perhaps behind this attitude of gratitude expression? Maybe the essence of thanksgiving is in that last part of the word: giving. We are to give thanks with our words, for sure. And perhaps maybe some folks need to begin here. Im afraid our entitlement culture has produced a society that comes up short in the thankfulness department because they think they deserve everything anyway, so why give thanks? But along with being more intentional with our

This Months Highlights

October Highlights Note from the Pastor Note from Landon Upcoming Events October Calendar Financials Extended Session Birthdays Anniversaries Upcoming Event p. 1 p. 1 p. 2 p. 3 p. 4 p. 5 p. 5 p. 6 p. 6 p. 6

words, what about our actions? Giving implies action, deeds, movement. Words are great, but actions are the real proof of love, care, and genuine thanks.
Continued on page 2

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So how can we give thanksthanks to God and to others? We give thanks to the Lord through our lives and our lifestyle choices. When we calmly, faithfully obey Him no matter the circumstancesgood or badwe are shouting thanks to Him. When we intentionally give Him to others through our verbal witness, our financial offerings, our ministry, we are expressing thanks. The Old Testament speaks of thank offerings the people were to give. As New Testament people of His marvelous grace, how can we do less. When we give our regular tithes and offerings in church for our church ministry we are giving thanks. When we give generously to Operation Christmas Child and to our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, we are giving thanks. As we aggressively give to retire our building debt, we are shouting thanks to our great God. And we express thanks to others through our deeds of compassion. So, whether in time, talent or treasure, in all the ways we give, we are truly living out the exhortation to give thanks. And in response, our Lord reminds usIt is more blessed to give than to receive. Blessing attaches to those who learn the valuable lesson that giving is far better than getting.

Last month I revealed to the church my philosophy of youth ministry. This philosophy has two parts to it: equipping parents and incorporating youth into the local body of Christ. In my last article, I briefly explained the first part and in this article I hope to briefly articulate the second part. My role as youth minister is to incorporate the youth into the local body of Christ. Recently, I had a conversation with a couple of youth before and after a business meeting. Before, they asked me if we could go and do something else (my answer was no) and after they complained about how bored they were and informed me that we should have gone and done something else (and my answer was still no). The interaction gave me a flashback to my youth when, following the lead of some older students, the youth group revolted and snuck off to have our own Bible Study. I remember our reasoning for the revolt. The meeting had nothing to do with us. We perceived business meetings as adult only events in which youth were only used to make sure that there were enough members present for a vote. We were childish bodies, and that was it. Unfortunately, society has pushed the expectation for adult behavior back into the mid 20s. Teenagers are big kids who are expected to make silly mistakes, and college students are even bigger kids who are expected to make even bigger and dumber mistakes. The concept of sowing wild oats has become an expectation, if not an entitlement, of middle, high, and college students. The church does a disservice to their teens if they do not combat this mentality. You might say, we just need to have adult expectations for our teenagers. I agree. But what we must understand is that adult expectations alone will not work. We also need to treat the teenagers like adults. That means making an effort to encourage teens to use their spiritual gifts and to incorporate them into the body of Christ. A teenager should never be turned away from participation in any adult ministry. Granted, they might be a little unwise and immature, but the last time I checked, even the most wise of us have moments of immaturity. A teen might need a little more guidance, but this guidance is discipleship in its most simple form. This discipleship is what produces young adults with robust faith, a desire to serve, and an eagerness to see Christ glorified.

Gary Burden

CHURCH WORK DAY

The Building and Grounds Committee has scheduled a volunteer workday for Saturday, Nov. 2, beginning at 8:00 AM. Two major projects: installing playground equipment and finishing the interior work in the youth/old education building.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS SATURDAY, NOV. 2nd

.be sure to set your clocks back an hour on Saturday. November 2nd so you will be at church on time on Sunday, November 3rd.

Landon Orr

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The first Wednesday in November will be T&T Parents' Night. The nights dedicated to parents at Awana are at the very heart of our ministry. While each volunteer is playing a critical role as they follow God's prompting to serve in this ministry, we all know that the true responsibility for spiritual training lies with the parents of our clubbers. Parents' Night is an opportunity for the church to reach the family, minister to their needs, and encourage them. Seeing the participation we had at Sparks Parents' Night a few weeks ago was such a blessing. The Agape classroom was packed! Please pray for all of our Awana parents, that they will come to know the Lord as Savior and grow in their relationship with Christ as they work through the Awana books with their children. Pray for all our volunteers, that we would be perceptive of needs, both physical and spiritual, and would be able to minister accordingly. We would love to have your help reaching out to the families as they come out on Wednesday nights.

Opereration Christmas Child 2013 300 Shoe Boxes

It is officially time to start packing those shoe boxes. Our goal is 300 shoe boxes this year. We collected 252 shoe boxes last year. Please see list below for items that can be put in the shoe boxes. The Agape and Lighthouse class will be supplying shoe boxes again this year. We will be handing out shoe boxes on November 3rd, following morning worship. Shoe Box packing Party: November 10, 2013. The Lighthouse class with help from the Agape class will be sponsoring a shoe box packing party for the children (ages 2-12) of the church. All items will be supplied to pack a shoe box, parents will be asked to pay the $7.00 donation for each shoe box packed. Please see sign-up sheet in vestibule. Come join us for lunch and lots of fun. Processing Center: Are you interested in volunteering at the processing center in Charlotte, NC. There are three spots available, Please e-mail me at rtakey@aol.com if you are interested in going. We will be volunteering on December 2nd and 3rd. This is our fifth year of volunteering and it has always been a wonderful blessing to all who have attended. We would love for you to join us.

Wednesday, October 30 - 6:00 PM

Everyone is invited to come and celebrate a great Harvest Festival with us at Bethesda. This event will be held in the parking lot of the church. There will be costumes of all kinds, candy, inflatables, free popcorn, door prizes, and a hayride. We will also be selling hotdogs with homemade chili and drinks. Invite your friends and neighbors to join you and enjoy this evening of fun and treats. FallFest and Quarterly Business Meeting 2014 Budget Presentation November 20, 2013 6:30 PM
Please bring a festive fall covered dish for fellowship time. Also, to help replenish the food at the Clayton Area Ministries, please bring some non-perishable food items.

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Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday
1

Friday
2

Saturday
Volunteer Church Workday

3 Breakfast Fellowship Weekly Sunday Service and Kick-off for OCC 10 Weekly Sunday Service OCC Packing Party for Children After Worship 17

6 AWANA and Weekly Wed. Schedule

Ladies Night OutBowling

Deacons Mtg. 7:00 PM

My Hope America with Billy Graham VIDEO on NBC at 7:30 PM

Youth Cook-out 6:00 PM

MY HOPE AMERICA with Billy Graham

11 12 13 AWANA and Weekly Wed. Schedule 14 15

16 Senior Trip to see Rudy Theaters Christmas Program

23

18

19

20

21

22

Weekly Sunday Service

FallFest and Quarterly Business Mtg.

24 Weekly Sunday Service

25

26

27 No Activities

28

29

30

Thanksgiving

Sunday Schedule
9:15 am .................................................................... Bible Study Fellowship 10:30 am ......................................................... Morning Worship Celebration 6:00 pm ......................................... LifeLine...Get Connected (Small Groups)

Wednesday Night Schedule

6:30 pm 7:00 pm Awana, Youth Bible Study Adult Prayer and Bible Study Choir Rehearsal

Student LifeLine SPK CHOIR (Shout Praises Kids) - Grades 1-5

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SUNDAY EVENING SMALL GROUP STUDIES 6:00 PM David: A Man After Gods Heart by Pastor James - Mercy Triumphs for Ladies Children & Youth Activities

NOVEMBER EXTENDED SESSION AND KIDS CHURCH

Sunday, Nov. 3 - AM Babies: Kathleen McLamb & Cherilyn Murphy 2s: Heather Henry & Tori Smith 3s/4s: Julie Brueggen & Lewis Chong K-3rd Kids Church Frances Burden & Robin Hotakey Sunday, Nov. 3 - PM Sharon Johnson & Sharon Levin Wednesday, Nov. 6 Brittany Arant & Ginger Starling Sunday, Nov. 10 - AM Babies: Brigitte & Larkin Creech 2s: Tori & Brandi Sauer 3s/4s: Mandy & Brianna Windham K-3rd Kids Church Ginger Starling & Angel Duncan Sunday, Nov. 10 PM Jane & Johnnie Gatlin Wednesday, Nov. 13 Sunday, Nov. 17 - AM Babies: Sondra Gatewood & Jane Gatlin 2s: Brittany & Andrew Arant 3s/4 s: Wendy & Chris Gatewood K-3rd Kids Church Terry Gatewood & David Duncan Sunday, Nov. 17 - PM Nicole & Seth Langdon Wednesday, Nov. 20 Brittany Arant & Ginger Starling Sunday, Nov. 24 - AM Babies: Faye Wells & Jan Culpepper 2s: Wendy Beasley & Sara Orr 3s/4s: Kristol & Nick Flanigan K-3rd Kids Church Leigh & Will Smith Sunday, Nov. 24 - PM Sarah Jay & Sondra Gatewood Wednesday, Nov. 27 Brittany Arant & Ginger Starling

MY HOPE AMERICA with Billy Graham

This November, dont miss the powerful new message from Billy Graham. See your local and national listings below: NBC NRBN UPI TBN DAYSTAR NRBN NRBN INSP DAYSTAR Nov. 8 Nov. 7 Nov. 7 Nov. 7 Nov. 7 Nov. 8 Nov. 9 Nov. 10 Nov. 12 7:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 6:30 PM 7:30 PM 4:00 PM 7:30 PM 4:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:30 PM

THEWALKTV Nov. 7

THEWALKTV Nov. 8 THEWALKTV Nov. 9 THEWALKTV Nov. 10

Facts & Figures for October 2013

Date S.S. AM Worship 133 129 142 144 548 137 Budget Offering 6,569.26 5,005.50 4,083.25 6,688.00 22,346.01 5,586.50 His Vision Our Mission 4,140.00 925.00 250.00 745.00 6,060.00 1,515.00

Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Total Avg.

93 91 96 81 361 90

Brittany Arant & Ginger Starling

Preschool Regis. Desk Diane Duncan

Average Attendance & Offerings for October 2012 Avg. 104 144 5,660.53 993.00

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MY HOPE AMERICA
4967 Highway 70 West Business Clayton, NC 27520eak Phone: 919-553-7678 Address Service Guaranteed

W I T H B I L LY G R A H A M
WWW.MYHOPEWITHBILLYGRAHAM.ORG The Picture Is Bleak, but

Were on the web!

www.bethesdaclayton.com

There Is Hope!
Our neighborsour nation are hurting and Jesus Christ is the only hope. Will you join us in praying for revival across our nation? Pray that believers will reach out to those around them and God will use My Hope America with Billy Graham to draw many people across our nation to Himself.

November Birthdays
Dorothy Ellis Noah McLamb Diane Whitman Naomi Murphy Elvis Farr Faye Avery Sherman Holt Grace Carroll Jonathan Levin Robin Hotakey Carolyn Durham Linda Wilson Wendy Gatewood David Keefe Garry Lane Susan Clevenger Tracy Hudson Terry Gatewood 2nd 2nd 1nd 4th 7th 10th 13th 15th 16th 20th 21st 21st 22nd 23rd 23rd 26th 26th 28th

O u t o f 1 0 0 av e r a g e A m e r i c a n s
7 8 7 14 60 3 struggle with depression. are struggling with the loss of a job. abuse or are addicted to drugs or alcohol. feel crippled or trapped by fear & anxiety. dont profess to be born again. are grieving the death of a loved one. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal heir land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Anniversaries
Scott & Suzanne Yates Andrew & Brittany Arant Glenn & Suzanne Clevenger Carl & Jean Wilkins 1st 13th 26th 30th