August Lamplighter 2012

7/31/2019 August Lamplighter 2012

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A u g u s t 2 0 1 2Vol. 5 Issue 8

This Months HighlightsBethesda s Night Out p. 1

Note from the Pastor p. 1

Note from Landon p. 2

Announcements p. 3

Financials P. 3

Calendar p. 4

A Note from Debbe p. 5

Extended Session p. 5

Birthdays p. 6

Anniversaries p. 6

Our Church Sta

Gary BurdenSenior Pastor

919-631-6789

Landon OrrMinister to Students

919-229-9379

Debbe LangdonMusic Director/Pianist

919-410-0271

Chasty Comeau

Admin. AssistantFinances

Pat BaucomAdmin. Assistant - Publicaons

BETHESDA NIGHT OUTWednesday Evenings in August

Now August 22

6:30 PM

MOST WEDNESDAYSJoin deacon-led teams walking designated neighborhoods.

Join teams at designated local parks.

Or, join the team at church praying for outreach groups.

MUSIC MINISTRYAugust 8th

Clayton Senior Center

SUMMER FEST BUSINESS MEETINGAugust 15th

Special Notes: No childcare available through August 22nd.

THINK OUTREACH!

Guest Arcle

The Fragrance of Your ChurchBy Billy R. Johnson

Every building, room, house, car and person has a unique smell. When you enter

someone's home, you can pick up the scent immediately. You can tell if they have

inside pets, what they cooked lately, if they smoke, and if they use air fresheners!

You can go into a printshop and the smell of ink/developer is very strong. Even res-

taurants have disncve odors that should be inving. I have really never been in

any Krispy Kreme store that smelled bad!

Just as every room has a scent, so does every church. A churchs scent tells you

much about who they are, how they worship and how they minister. A church that

does the same as they have for years may smell a bit old and dusty. Without fresh

ministries and new people the scent lingers in the air like a fog.

Other churches may carry the scent of sweat and hard work. These churches focus

on acvity and doing, as though works are most important. The people of these

churches think that wearing themselves out for the gospel is the only way to go. The

people seem worn out and red with lile excitement and joy in their service.

Continued on page 2
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Page 2T h e L a m p l i g h t e r

So, how does your church smell? Before you break out the

cleaning supplies, go into your closet of prayer and invite the

Holy Spirit to refresh your church. Ask God to guide your

church to be a pleasing fragrance to Him and inving to others.

People will know the scent of your church the moment they

enter the doors.

Billy R. Johnson is the senior pastor of the Lighthouse CommunityChurch in Harpersville, Ala.

What a great week I had with the

youth at camp. I always look forward

to that week, because, like I have said

in the past, it is this week that I see the

fruit of my ministry. I can teach and

disciple all year long and feel like the

teens dont hear a single word, but

when we arrive at camp things begin to click in a big way.

It is a rewarding experience, and Im thankful that I amable to experience it.

Our annual Youth Sunday will serve as an ocial report for

camp and everything that happened there, but I thought I

would share one thing that I thought was quite inter-

esng, and worth encouraging the rest of the church with.

Oen, I think, it is assumed that Youth Camps are lled

with more u than substance, leaving the students with

warm fuzzies that quickly fade when they come home.

Camp pastors tell more jokes than preach, Bible study is

lled with all sorts of games, and the students have hours

of free me spent walking around and hanging out. I as-sure you, that with the Centrifuge camp we have been

going to, this isnt the case. Every moment of the day is

planned in a way that develops the spiritual maturity of

the students. Yes, they have a recreaon me, but any

game that is played is intenonally played so that truth is

exemplied in a way that is tangible.

The other thing I really appreciated this week was that the

camp pastor preached to the students like they were

adults. His messages were exegecal, Gospel-centered,

deep, and rich and the students responded to them. I

think that just goes to show us something very valuable.

Teens can handle all sorts of stu, and they can handle

being pushed towards spiritual maturity. As a church, let

us encourage our kids to think deeply about God. Let us

empower them to be acve and let us trust that our

younger brothers and sisters in Christ are just as much

lled with the Spirit as we are, just as capable of fullling

Gods plan as someone mulple mes their age.

Then there are churches that carry that "new car

smell, where every program is slick but nothing

scks. The scent is pleasing, but there is no depth that

challenges and develops people. They sll have the

new smell, having never been tried or used.

Probably the most dangerous scent of a church is that

of bleach, where the church tries to hide all the messes

and smell clean on the surface while death hovers be-

low. I am reminded that true ministry can get very

messy at mes when the holy comes face to face with

the unholy.

What should a church smell like? In the Old Testament

we read of oerings commanded by God that were an

aroma pleasing to the Lord. In the New Testament,

Paul speaks of a fragrant oering in Philippians 4:18, I

have received everything in full, and I have an abun-

dance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaph-

rodituswhat you provideda fragrant oering, an ac-

ceptable sacrice, pleasingto God. Our worship has a

scent that should be inving to God and others.

Perhaps the most moving passage concerning worship

is in John 12:3. Mary took expensive perfume, poured it

on the feet of Jesus and wiped it o with her hair in an

act of worship. The house was lled with the fragrance

of the perfume. It was unmistakable to those present,

even the disciples had quesons concerning the

scent. The smell captured the aenon of Christ, and

I am sure He was pleased. Church should carry the

scent of worship! It is to be as a sweet-smelling savor

to the nostrils of God. The church is to have an upward

odor that captures the aenon of the King of Kings!

This scent is one that is inving to all who enter. The

odor reminds us that we are in the presence of Al-

mighty God! It pulls us in close and ght to the very

feet of Jesus. The fragrance of worship should ll the

enre place of worship. The fragrance of the church

should draw people to worship and not focus on our

works. And when we leave, we should smell like we

have been in God's presence worshipping.

True worship will clean the church. True worship sepa-

rates true believers from game-players. Worship sani-

zes us. True worship puries the church. True worship

has a scent unmatched by any other. There is absolute-

ly no substute for the scent of authenc worship. The

freshness of the work of the Holy Spirit is a pleasing

smell to those who desire to please God.

Continued on second column


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Page 3The Lamplighter

Selected Sessions from The AmericanHeritage Series and The Truth Project Se-

ries. Powerful, and timely for Our times!

Video study Dug Down Deep by Joshua

Harris. The study focuses on building

your life on truths that last.

The Movie Courageous (PG-13)

Monday, August 6 through Friday,

August 10, 2012, 6:00 - 8:00 PM

**There will be no camp on Wednesday Night

Completed Kindergarten - Completed 5th Grade

$40 - In addition to quality instruction, each

camper will receive a camp T-shirt, water bottle, and a

soccer ball.

August 3 - Youth Summer Cookout

August 12 - Youth Sport/Game Night

August 17-18 End of Summer Youth Lock-

We need volunteers for: cookingthe chicken, helping CarolynDurham in the kitchen, serving inthe Fellowship Hall, delivering meals that havebeen ordered, and clean-up, etc. The cost isagain $7.00/plate. Please see sign up sheets

on the foyer table.

Date S.S.AM

Worship

Budget

Oering

His Vision

Our Mission

June 24 125 178 4,302.50 845.00

July 1 122 139 7,513.40 2,068.00

July 8 95 132 4,128.50 610.00

July 15 128 182 5,924.21 325.00

July 22 96 170 4,677.42 585.00

Total 566 801 26,546.03 4,433.00

Avg. 113 160 5,309.21 887.00

Average Aendance & Oerings for July 2011

Avg. 102 157 5,003.28 1,065.00

Facts & Figures for July 2012

Church-wide

Back to School

Gathering
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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

Bethesda

Night Out

2

3

4

5

Breakfast

Fellowship

Weekly

Sunday Service

6

Soccer Camp

7

Deacons Mtg.

7:00 PM

Soccer Camp

8

Bethesda

Night Out

Music Ministry at

Clayton Senior

Center

9

Soccer Camp

10

Soccer Camp

11

12

Weekly

Sunday Service

13 14 15

SummerFest

Quarterly

Business Mtg.

with dinner

16 17 18

AWANA

LEADERS MTG.

8:30 am-2:30 pm

19

Weekly

Sunday Service

Church-wide

viewing of

Courageous

(PG-13)

20 21 22

Bethesda

Night Out

23 24 25

26

Weekly

Sunday Service

Church-wide

Back-to-School

Gathering

27 28 29

Begin

AWANA

And

Weekly Wed.

Schedule

30 31

The Lamplighter Page 4

6:30pm...........................................................Awana, Youth Bible Study

6:45 pm ..................................................... Adult Prayer and Bible Study

Choir Rehearsal

9:15 am .................................................................... Bible Study Fellowship

10:30 am ........................................................ Morning Worship Celebraon

6:00 pm ......................................... LifeLine...Get Connected (Small Groups)

Student LifeLine

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

Weekly Wednesday Schedule


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T h e L a m p l i g h t e r Page 5

AUGUST EXTENDED SESSION

AND KIDS CHURCH

Wednesday, August 1

Bethesda Night Out

No Childcare

Sunday, August 5 - AM

Babies: Kathleen McLamb

& Cherilyn Murphy

2s: Heather Henry &

Tori Smith

3s/4s: Wendy Beasley &

Diane Duncan

K-3rd Kids Church

Frances Burden &

Angel Duncan

Sunday, August 5 - PM

Sharon Johnson &

Sharon Levin

Wednesday, August 8

Bethesda Night Out

No Childcare

Sunday, August 12- AM

Babies: Brigie Creech &

April Lengel

2s: Brandi & Tobi Sauer

3s/4s: Kristol Flanigan &

Kristen Duncan

K-3rd Kids Church

Nicole & Michael Ritchie

Sunday, August 12 PM

Jane & Johnnie Gatlin

Wednesday, August 15

SummerFest


Babies: Sondra Gatewood &

Jane Gatlin

2s: Diana Lee &

Sis Godwin

3s/4 s: Leigh Smith &

Jennifer Harrison

K-3rd Kids Church

Terry Gatewood &

David Duncan

Sunday, August 19-

PMLarkin Creech &

Nicole Langdon

Wednesday, August 22

Bethesda Night Out

No Childcare


Babies: Faye Wells &

Shalee Sams

2s: Laura & Shane Bens

3s/4s: Julie Brueggen &

Sara Orr

K-3rd Kids Church

Wendy & Chris Gatewood

Sunday, August 26 - PM

Bob & Brenda Jones

Wednesday, August 29Kay Peele & Sarah Jay

Everyone needs compassion, a love

that's never failing,

Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,

the kindness of a savior, T

he hope of naons.

Savior, He can move the mountains,

My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.

Forever, author of salvaon, He rose and conquered the

grave, Jesus conquered the grave.

You probably recognize these words to Mighty to

Save, a song by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan,

based on a scripture passage from Zephaniah 3:17:

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to

save. He will take great delight in you, he will qui-

et you with his love, he will rejoice over you with

singing. A fairly short book in the Old Testament,Zephaniah paints a picture of doom to shake the

people of Judah out of their complacency and di-

rect them back to obedience to God. Zephaniah

prophesies to a country whose aecons are divid-

ed between their service to God and their arac-

on to worldly idols. Sound familiar? Perhaps

similar to our country, or your neighbors, or even

to (gasp) ourselves?? But hang on. even though

gloomy predicons of a worldwide catastrophe ll

most of the book, Zephaniah also sings a song of

joy as he envisions a me of repentance and resto-

raon for Gods people. Our God is indeed mighty

to save. Yes, its hard to imagine; the same pow-

erful God of creaon and resurrecon oers his

mercy and saving grace to each and every one of

us. Will you sing with me:

So take me as you find me, all my fears and failures,

Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow everything I believe in,

Now I surrender.

Savior, He can move the mountains,My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.

Forever, author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave,

Jesus conquered the grave

Shine your light and let the whole world see.

We're singing for the glory of the risen King!

God bless.

Debbe Langdon


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4967 Highway 70 West Business

Clayton, NC 27520

Phone: 919-553-7678

Address Service Guaranteed

August Birthdays

L. D. Batten* 1st

Emma Henry 3rd

Adam Hudson 3rd

Robert Orchard* 7th

Julie Brueggen 8thConnor McNeece* 9th

Nell Alford 11th

Jean Graham 12th

David Levin 12th

Markham Gatewood 13th

Carl Watkins* 20th

Jim Rainey 21st

Sara Orr 24th

Blacie Sams* 24thDoris Peele 26th

Junior Henry 29th

Ester Joy Murphy* 29th

Frances Burden 30th

Mark Cook 30th

Cherith Murphy 30th

*Non Member

Were on the web!

www.bethesdaclayton.com

Lehman & Sis Godwin 22nd

Sherald & Diana Lee 24th

The Lamplighter Page 6

LETSGO TO ISRAELNow is the me to Sign Up!

Only 23 seats available.

Leaving from RDU on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Returning to RDU on Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Esmated cost per person: $3,000.00

(Cost does not over lunches, ps, incidentals, purchases, addional

insurance, etc.)

First Deposit: $100/person due by September 1

Second Deposit: $150/person due by November 1

(All deposits fully refundable unl February 8, 2013)

See pastor for details and to sign up. Dont delay!

40/40 PRAYER VIGIL

We as a church are registered with many other churches in

our Southern Bapst Convenon and beyond to commit to

pray for our naon. We desperately need spiritual revival in

our churches and renewal in our naon.

Although we will encourage each member to choose the 40 day opon, you may

choose the 40 hour opon. You can pray once each day between September 26

and November 4 or for 40 hours, between 4:00 pm, November 2 and 8:00 am, No-

vember 4.

The important thing is that we pray! Prayer guides will be made available in Sep-

tember.

Know, Love, Serve!

You can tell by now that creave wring is not my gi, so I

am always amazed by others who are great with words. To-

day the lyrics to When I Survey the Wondrous Cross have been on my mind. It is

hundreds of years old, but it reminds me sll of how reecng on Gods amazing

love should inspire a lifestyle devoted to Him.

This is at the very heart of Awana, training kids to know and love God. But it

doesnt stop there. When we know and love God we are insnctually going to

want to serve Him. Have you taken me to meditate on the details of the cross

lately? Where has it led you to serve? There is always a place to get plugged-in

here at Bethesda, but this me of year is especially full of opportunies. You are

welcome to join the Awana family as co-commander, secretary, game-director,

leader, or listener. Please see me for more informaon about specic role re-

sponsibilies. ([email protected] )

AWANA Basic Training AWANA Meengs

August 18 from 9am-3pm at Bethesda Wednesdays at 6:30 PM

Veterans and new-comers expected to aend. Beginning, August 29th

Start inving friends now!
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

August Lamplighter 2012

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