The Salem Lamplighter

October, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 10 E-Mail: salem1809@att.net Website: www.salemsbc.org (314) 921-5507

























Use your imagination as you ponder the following questions:
Can you imagine the community around Salem being genuinely thankful for this church?
Can you imagine city leaders valuing this churchs friendship and participation in the community even
asking for it?
Can you imagine the neighbors around Salem talking behind your back about how good it is to have
Salem Baptist Church in the area because of the tangible witness of Gods love that youve offered
them?
Can you imagine a large number of Salem members actively engaged in, and passionate about,
community service, using their gifts and abilities in ways and at levels they never thought possible?
Can you imagine the community actually changing because of the impact of Salem Baptist Churchs?
Can you imagine people in your community who were formerly cynical and hostile toward Christianity,
actually praising God for Salem and the positive contributions you have made in Jesus name?
Can you imagine the spiritual harvest that would naturally follow if all this were true?
These are the visions that must drive the ministries of Salem Baptist Church as we move into the future.

So let me challenge you to look at what you are doing in ministry and at what needs to be done. How can you
personally get more involved in building this church? When you see things that need to be done, ask yourself if you
might be the one to accomplish that task. When you see problems, ask yourself if you might be the solution.

When you talk to people about our church, talk about the positive things God is doing and not the negatives that
Satan keeps pointing out. Do the things that you say and the attitude that you have promote a unified spirit in our
church? Do you look for the positive, encourage others and refuse to listen to gossip and critical comments or do you
contribute to the gossip and criticism? How active are you in evangelism, discipleship, fellowship and service? Are
you seeking ways to serve or are you content to sit back and let others serve you? Are you active in sharing your
faith? Do you see the primary mission of Salem Baptist Church as sharing the gospel with lost people around us or do
you primarily see Salem as your place to worship?

One of the greatest things you can do to strengthen Salem Baptist Church is to sincerely pray. I encourage you to
pray at least 10 minutes a day every day for God to pour His Spirit out on our church; pray at least 5 minutes a day
for me that God will give me the wisdom, strength and skill to lead this historic church; and to pray at least 1 hour a
week (by prayer walking/driving) for the people in our community.

God is actively blessing churches, ministries and individual Christians around the world. Lets get involved and
participate in those things that God is blessing.

Blessings,
Pastor Derald


Missions
Carmen Hook and Carl Barrow

Our MMO is going well. We have $307.00 toward our $600.00 goal. Mark your calendar for November 5,
2014; this evening we will fill our Samaritans Purse shoe boxes. There will be a light meal of soup & sandwiches
followed by decorating and filling 25 boxes. Currently we are collecting candy for the boxes. Individually wrapped
hard candy & lollipops are requested. Please reserve this evening to come and help us with this important mission
project.






















































7 Brittany Orebiyi
11 Dr. Olusola Orebiyi
12 Ralph Haag
15 Kim Schroeder
17 Nanda Barrow

1 David and Kristol Chism
10 Scott and Melody Bosworth
28 Don and Nancy Rogerson

Youth Ministry
Cody Hudspeth

For I know the plans I have for youthis is the LORDs declarationplans for your welfare, not for disaster, to
give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Uncertainty is a cause of fear for many people. We live in a time where information is made available to us in
seconds through the use of the internet and cell phones. But even with the access to information we can never escape
moments of uncertainty. Uncertainty in simple matters as whats for dinner can quickly be solved. Uncertainties
involving our future place in life are ones that require something beyond us to answer.
Jeremiah gives hope, when faced with the uncertainties in the life of the Israelites during their time of exile.
Jeremiah reminds them of Gods promise, a promise of a future and a hope. When we find Gods love and are adopted
into His family through the acceptance of His son Jesus Christ we are guaranteed a future, we are guaranteed hope. We
as believers in Jesus Christ should place our hope and future in the hand of the one who knows the way, that being our
heavenly father. When we accomplish this we will find that the uncertainty will still be there, but we will also have
hope within the uncertain times knowing God is guiding our steps.



19 Richie Emily
24 Dean Sherwin
27 Don Hanks
29 Victor Sutphen
30 KaNisha DeJean

Sunday School
Brian Rogerson

The Clearest Difficulty

Sometimes, studying the Bible can be much more difficult than just reading it. Im not talking about the times
when something doesnt make sense to us on the first reading. Im talking about the times that we read a few verses,
slowly and thoughtfully, and its obvious what the verses mean, andwe dont like it.
The verses about how Christ has paid the price for our sin? Wonderful! The verses about how He has rescued
us from an eternity of separation from God? Hallelujah! The verses about how we have responsibilities and
obligations?
That one is a little bit harder to get an Amen. In Romans, Paul says that believers are not free in the
absolute sense:
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became
obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were
committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness. Romans 6:1718

And Paul went even farther in 1 Corinthians, trying to get the point across that as long as there was one person
he had not yet reached out to with the gospel, his work was not finished:

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all,
so that I may win more. I have become all things to all men, so that
I may by all means save some. 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22b (NASB)

How can we possibly live up to such high standards? Certainly not by closing the Bible when we see such
passages and trying to forget what we read. Instead, try praying and asking God to enable us to live out what we see in
Scriptureand He will:
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good
work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6