1 The Galilean

The GALILEAN December 2018

Mis-Read & Women Who Lead

One person asked me, and I assured her that the Galilean was

continuing. Weeks later, another person expressed the same concern. I

assured her also, that it (I) was not ending.

So, please accept my apology if anyone else got that message from the

previous issue. I was merely saddened by the fact that we could not

“celebrate” or commemorate our 20th year in print ministry. Rest assured,

the Lord got me into this; He and only He can get me out.

Now that that’s out of the way….Last month I was allowed to witness, like

a whirlwind, the Lord working in the lives of three amazing women of His.

The first was Pastor Tracie. Once again, the Lord has blessed her with a

flock to lead. She was installed as Pastor of St. Mark Baptist Church. The

service was quite a celebration! That was on a Sunday.

The following Saturday, another friend, Rev. Carolyn was installed as

Pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church. This is her first time as a pastor.

The next day; Sunday morning I was blessed to be the worship leader at

God’s House of Faith; a newly planted church. This service was the

installation of the Pastor and the ordination of his wife, my friend,

Evangelist Yolanda. Weeks, earlier, the Lord allowed me to be at their

very first worship service. A wonderful group of God’s people!

When I am allowed to bear witness to, and be apart of Godly milestones

if the lives of my family and friends I feel I have a responsibility to take

part ownership in the success of their ministries. I must pray for them;

offer encouragement. When they succeed my chest sticks out, proudly.

When things go the other way—I offer up intercession. It’s been that way

with (most) every person whose initial sermon I’ve witnessed. It’s

amazing to see how individual preaching styles have matured.

Now, it would be a dirty shame to end this piece celebrating milestones of

Godly women and not wish a Happy 3rd Pastoral

G r e e t

Tryphena

a n d

Tryphosa,

those women who

worked hard in the

Lord. Greet my

f r i e n d P e r s i s ,

another woman

who has worked

very hard in the

Lord. Greet Rufus,

chosen in the Lord ,

and his mother,

who has been a

mother to me,

too.. .Greet one

another with a holy

kiss.

Romans 16:12-13, 16

(NIV)

God’s Word

Cont’d. on Page 3

Mis-Read & Women Who Lead

2 The Galilean

Sick, Shut-in and

Prayer Requests and

Prayer

Please call these names out during your personal prayer time; and in your intercessions ask

the Father to bless these individuals and ministries in His own way and in His own time.

--

P re a ch i n g S ch e d u l e

8:00 a.m. December 2 - Elder Susan Lewis 9 - Reverend Bernadine Bradshaw 16 - Reverend Dr. Sarah Slaughter 23 - Elder Brenda Smith 30 - Elder Brenda Smith

11:00 a.m. Sunday Morning Elder Ruben Lewis, Jr. Away Preaching Engagements

Dec 7 7:30 p.m. - Pastor Lewis @ New Life Church of God, Gum Springs

Sis. Letia Harris Sis. Marie Harris Rev. Edna Holt Sis Janas Howard Kingdom Living Temple Sis. Stacy Jackson Dea. Duke Johnson Pastor Lewis & Family Sis. Rhoda Lewis & Family Bro. Walter Martin Bro. Lamont Minor Deas. Frances Parrish Sis. Harriett Parrish Dea. Roger Parrish Sis. Audrey Perkins Sis. Adeline Quarles Sis. Lucille Randolph Rev. Tanya Richardson Bro. Ted Richardson Bro. Alfonza Scott Bro. Travis Shelton Rev. Otis Spellman Rev. Beulah Spellman Sis. Charmeka Stewart Sis. Doretta Trice Sis. Shelia Waddy Bro. Thomas Waddy Dea. Chester Walker & Family Sis. Iesha White Bro. Ronnie Whitbeck Sis. Lorraine Winston Walton/Shipman Family

Equipping God’s people for Service

Bro. John Agee Bro. Nathaniel Agee Sis. Yolanda Allen Sis. Ada Anderson The Arnette/Cavanaugh Family Dea. David Ayers, Sr. The Banks/Callahan Family Sis. Ethel Barksdale Bro. Atilol Bland Dea. James W. Bland Sis. Lolita Bland Sis. Martha Bland Bro. Russell Bradshaw, III Bro. Larry Brown Bro. Michael Brown Bro. Sherman Brown Bro. William Brown Sis. Mamie Bruce Bro. Andre Callahan Sis. Felicia Christmas Bro. Shaun Daniel Bro. Joey Davis & Family Sis. Marcine Dillard Bro. John/Sis. Susie Divers Bro. Charlie English Dea. Ashland Fortune & LC Sheriff’s Dept. Bro. James Fox Dea. Roger Gaines Bro. Jamar Galdden & Family Bro. Robert Grooms Bro. Alfonso Hardy Bro. Franklin Hardy

On the cover: 5 Women of God celebrating God’s overwhelming

presence in their lives of service.

Trustees of the Month --

Gilbert Scott @ 540-967-1309

Please contact for entry into the

church after hours or for other church

related concerns during December.

3 The Galilean

Equipping God’s people for Service

December Birthdays & Anniversaries

7 Paul Bishop, Sr.

8 Janas Howard

10 Mary Fortune

12 Sharon Ferguson

13 Mariah Gaines

Larry Quarles

14 Dale ♥ Henry Bradshaw

George Ferguson

Cain McKnight

Qwenton Spellman

Thomas Waddy, Jr.

19 George ♥ Sharon Ferguson

Deja Jackson

20 Lori Ragland

24 Dorothy Bishop

Raynard Richardson, Sr.

25 Irene Morris

27 Nicole Barney

28 Louis ♥ Brenda Smith

29 De’Ja Jackson

30 James Graham

Janice Ragland

31 Leona Johnson

We Love You and Will Miss You

Rev. Peggy Brice went Home to be with her Lord. She is no longer in discomfort, for she is where those of us who love the Lord long to be. We have said good-bye to her earthly vessel, but, her spirit will forever be with us. The memories we have of her will make us smile, even when tears fill our eyes.

We will miss her sweet smile. We will miss her gentle words of encouragement and correction. Her preached Word was as powerful from her wheelchair as it was when she stood on her own, and we were blessed by it.

To the Brice and Morris Family, we pray for you the peace and comfort that can only come from God; individually and as

Cont’d. from Page 1

Anniversary to Pastor Tanya of Third Liberty Baptist

Church. May you be blessed with many more!

One more woman is to be celebrated. I almost cheered as

Communion began this last time. There she stood; a

Deaconess among the male ranks—ready to serve. In the

over 20 years I’ve been at Galilee no Deaconess has ever

served Communion. Yay, Deaconess Vivian!

To those of us who are not preaching women or in an

“official” position; we too are to be celebrated! If we live our

lives as God commands. If we live our lives so that others

see us as blessings. If we live our lives and are able to

sleep peacefully each night, then our lives are celebrations

each day.

As Christmas and the New Year approach us, I pray

that we all continue to find ourselves celebrating in the best

possible place...wherever that may be! Love and peace,

and joy and good health, and all God’s best are my

wishes for us all; now and in the New Year!

In Jesus Name… L L B

4 The Galilean

Equipping God’s people for Service Equipping God’s people for Service

MUSINGS OF A SENIOR CITIZEN

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25 ESV

Intentional Forgiveness

Soon the transition from one year to the next will occur. It is a good time to reflect on the past and to look forward to new opportunities in the new year. It might be said that it is a good time to clean house. A time to get rid of anything that is a hindrance to our spiritual growth. What kinds of things am I harboring in my personal life? For me the challenge is forgiving people who have wronged me. I need a complete personal cleansing. I need to examine myself and make an intentional decision to forgive anyone who has hurt me. The Bible teaches us that God blesses us by dispensing his forgiveness. Because we are sinners – we need God’s forgiveness every single day. And because Jesus forgave us – we are called to forgive others. The burden of guilt is gone forever. God forgave David; however, there was still a consequence for his sins. These consequences followed David and his family for the rest of his life. These consequences may be softened, but other times they may be harsh to teach us to hate sin. What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it mean condoning or excusing offenses. Because Jesus forgave us – we are called to forgive others. While it’s humanly impossible to forget the wrongs done to us, we can choose to leave them in the past. This is a mature way of thinking. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-15) When we don’t forgive others, our walk with the Lord is hindered. God knows what is best for us and so he commands us to forgive others just as he has forgiven us. Forgiveness is good for the soul. It is the beginning of bringing healing to your heart. It does not make the offense okay -but it makes you okay. So as I seek to be okay on the new year and beyond I will release my negative feelings toward others. I will extend to others the courtesy of being more understanding of their actions and reactions. I will try to look beyond the obvious and peel away the layers to allow myself to look beyond and extend forgiveness just as God forgives me over and over.

Rejoicing in the Season of New Birth, M.C.B.S.

Columbia, Virginia

5 The Galilean

December 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

2

3

Bible Study 7:00pm

4

Bible Study 12:30pm

5

Prayer Service 7:00pm

6

Servant Leadership Bible Study 7:00pm

7

Bible Study 9:00am 7:00pm

8

-10:00am Senior Choir

9 10

Bible Study 7:00pm

11

Bible Study 12:30pm

12

Prayer Service 7:00pm

13

Servant Leadership Bible Study 7:00pm

14

Bible Study 9:00am 7:00pm

15

-10:00am Men’s Chorus

16

17

Bible Study 7:00pm

18

Bible Study 12:30pm

19

Prayer Service 7:00pm

20

Servant Leadership Bible Study 7:00pm

21

Bible Study 9:00am 7:00pm

22 -10:00am YPU

23

Christmas Program

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

1 2

3 4 5

-10:00am Gospel Chorus

O t h e r I m p o r t a n t D a t e s

December 23 11:00am Christmas Program during worship

Please join

us for

Sunday School

most Sundays

at 9:30 a.m.

Equipping God’s people for Service

Weather Alert 8:00 a.m. Worship services will be on hiatus during the months of January and February.

The Men of Promise will resume in March.

Please check with your respective Bible Study teacher(s) for weather related cancelations.

Pastor Lewis’ New Office Hours

_________________________________________

Monday 4:00 - 7:00 pm Tuesday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm Thursday 4:00 - 7:00 pm

Please call for an appointment

outside of these times

6 The Galilean

The Gal i lean Galilee Baptist Church Louisa Elder Ruben Lewis, Jr., Pastor 3598 Three Notch Road · Kents Store, VA 23084 434-589-8817 (phone) / 434-589-3760 (fax) gbc1@embarqmail.com / www.GBCLonline.org Lolita L. Bland, MA, M. Div., Editor (firstpeter510@mail2Jesus.com)

Equipping God’s people for Service

The Galilean

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS (Adult)

Unit 1: God is Worthy of Our Love

Dec 2 “Love and Obey God” Lesson focus: Teach all generations to love and obey God. Deuteronomy 6:1-3 (Keeping God’s Commands), 4-5 (Being Totally Devoted to God), 6-9 (Teaching God’s Commands)

Dec 9 “Love and Serve God” Lesson focus: Choose no other gods besides the Lord. Joshua 24:1-3a (Bringing Abraham to Canaan), 13-15 (Abandoning Idols), 21-24 (Serving the Lord)

Dec 16 “Love and Worship God” Lesson focus: Praise the Lord who loves and redeems us.

Psalm 103:1-5 (Encountering God’s Blessings), 6-17a (Experiencing God’s Forgiveness and Compassion), 21-22 (Expressing Praise to God)

Dec 23 “Love God for the Gift of Jesus” Lesson focus: Jesus is God’s promised gift. Luke 1:26-31 (The Gift of God Promised), 2:22, 25-29 (The Gift of God Promised), 30-35 (The Gift of God Praised)

Dec 30 “Love God and Serve Others” Lesson focus: We serve God by serving those in need.. Matthew 25:31-33 (Dividing the Sheep From the Goats), 34-40 (Commending the Sheep), 41-46 (Condemning the Goats)

Lessons from ECHOES: Comprehensive Bible Study - Our Love for God: Studies in Old and New Testament Scriptures; Volume 31, Number 1; 2018. Cook Communications Ministries (David C. Cook)

If you know your Bible, Sunday School needs you. If you don't know your Bible, then you need Sunday School.