Bethlehem Baptist Church (Gum Springs) Alexandria, Virginia celebrated its 150th Church Anniversary on October 27th. The anniversary theme was “Affirming a Sure Foundation as We Reaffirm and Transform Our Faith”. In a 1933 publication, the Afro-American weekly compared the resilient beginnings of this historical institution to that of her founding pastor whose “unquenchable ambition as a slave youth followed his star from the depths of the slave marts making an intrepid dash for his freedom thus giving birth to Bethlehem Baptist Church”. Since then Bethlehem Baptist has grown to become a community centered, mission-focused inspirational church. With the God-sent leadership that it has had (since its founding in 1863), Bethlehem was destined to grow into one of God’s wondrous life transforming works. Reverend Samuel K. Taylor was the first to serve as pastor (1863-1912) during the Civil War period when it was against the law for African Americans to congregate for worship without permission. A founding member (Jane White) suggested the named Bethlehem because Bethlehem was the birthplace of Jesus. Reverend William A. Triplett served as the second pastor from 1913-1949. Pastor Triplett was responsible for organizing several essential ministries in the church. He helped Bethlehem establish a denominational presence in Northern Virginia. Pastor Triplett also was responsible for the building of first parsonage- using his own hands. Reverend Harvard M. Chapman was next to receive Bethlehem's pastoral mantle and served from 1949-1974. Additional ministries were added and the church was renovated to include a church steeple and Sunday school annex. The year 1975 signaled the ministry service of a new pastor, Reverend James A. Kearse. Reverend Kearse served from 1975-1983. Under his leadership, new ministries were added as well as a 7:45 a.m. Sunday morning service and the church enjoyed exceptional numerical growth. Reverend Kearse later resign his pastoral post to assist his older brother, the Reverend Logan Kearse, in ministry
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in Baltimore, MD. Reverend James A. Kearse would later return to Bethlehem to serve as Interim Pastor from 1996-1999. The Reverend Anthony S. Parrish, an associate of Bethlehem would step forward to serve as interim pastor from 1983-1985. In 1985, Reverend William S. Wilson was installed as Bethlehem’s fifth pastor and the church continued her growth as a spiritually vibrant congregation with an expanding membership. The resignation of Reverend Wilson in 1985 launched the pastoral ministry of a familiar and respected ministry servant - administrator. Reverend Anthony S. Parrish (former interim pastor) was installed as the sixth pastor of Bethlehem in 1987. Under his skillful leadership, Bethlehem became stewardship focused which enabled her to enlarge the church's facility. During Reverend Parrish's pastoral watch a new edifice was erected in 1993 and the congregation march into its massive ministry facility. In 1996 Reverend Anthony S. Parrish resigned and the church extended the Interim Pastor assignment to her beloved Reverend James A. Kearse. In 1999, the Lord sent a Shepherd, Teacher, and Pastor to Bethlehem in the person of Reverend Dr. Darrell K. White. Reverend White was installed as Bethlehem’s seventh pastor in October of 1999. The divinely meaningful number seven would become significant for Bethlehem because it would also mark the shredding (burning) of the church's mortgage which it obtained earlier. More ministries were birthed under Pastor White’s leadership during which time the church's ministry plan was restructured to operate under the Five-fold ministry umbrella of: Missions, Worship, Evangelism, Stewardship, and Christian Education.
Bethlehem’s reach has extended beyond the local community and commonwealth to the global mission fields via God touched lives, God given resources and godly inspired technological tools. The development of the church’s website has enhanced membership participation in church-wide events, ministries, services, and acts of kindness beyond the sanctuary. The church currently provides food and clothing to over 50 families each month. Under Pastor White's pastoral care, a partnership for equipping leaders has been rekindled with Virginia Union University (Evans-Smith Leadership Institute). The Virginia Union Evans-Smith Leadership- Institute, with Pastor White as site coordinator, has graduated over 40 students and now serves various churches throughout the DMV (District; Maryland; Virginia) metro area. Pictures provided by Tony Robinson Continued page 25
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New Life Deliverance Worship Center www.newlifedeliveranceworshipcenter.com A Christian View is excited to share with you the wonderful time that we experienced with New Life Deliverance Worship Center, located on Whitney Road in Spartanburg, SC. We had a joyous time sharing in their dedication and grand opening of their new 30,000 square foot Sanctuary. The awesome spirit of kingdom building and chain breaking was very evident in the praise and worship that was displayed by members and friends of the church. New Life Deliverance not only celebrated their new Sanctuary but is also celebrating three years of ministry. Rich or poor, old or young, black or white, New Life Deliverance believes that God desires a relationship with you and wants you to be blessed above measure. Senior pastor and teacher, Dr. Bunty Desor and Associate pastor Andre Tate proudly enlightened us how the ministry, under the promptings of the Holy Spirit, has grown by leaps and bounds. They discussed the challenges that were thrown at them such as the cost of the building, the heating and air conditioning needing to be re-established, to the tools being stolen. But through it all, the mighty hand of God did not allow failure. Members and friends, people they didn’t even know but knew the good work they wanted to do for the Lord, came out and assisted. God was ever faithful and continued to give the ministry unprecedented amounts of favor and consistently sent resources and volunteers to build into the Kingdom of God. Pastor Desor is not ashamed to give witness to Gods awesome power. Seven years to the day from when he was released from prison for selling drugs before he came to Christ, the ministry was able to celebrate its first service in the new sanctuary. New Life Deliverance Worship Center is a rapidly growing non-denominational outreach church. No matter what you have done or where you have been New Life Deliverance believes that being a Kingdom-minded, multi-cultural, and multi-generational church, they have been called by God to reach out to their city. It is their conviction to do this by first reaching up (with worship), next by reaching in (with discipleship) and lastly by reaching out (with evangelism). New Lift Deliverance believes that their mission is twofold: the first is to know the LORD Jesus. They are a body of Believers that are truly in love with our Lord. The second part of their mission is to make Jesus known- they take the great commission of Christ very seriously and stay vigilant when it comes to the good news of God. Continued on page 27
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“Reclaiming Our Families Through Patience, Perseverance, and Prayer.” Central Baptist Church is a progressive and innovative church family with a theme of “Reclaiming Our Families Through Patience, Perseverance, and Prayer.” We have a myriad of talents and gifts within our church body. We believe in the holistic approach to ministry, and we have over forty ministries to help the total person. Our church family is friendly and faithful…and truly the Favor of God is upon us. We are excited about the vision that God has placed upon the ministry of this church. God never gives a vision without making provisions! God answered our prayers, and on January 1, 1997, the Reverend Ricky Ray Ezell, Sr., became the eighth pastor of the Central Baptist Church. Under the leadership of Reverend Ezell, over forty new ministries have been formed to serve and minister to the members and community. These ministries include our Senior Citizens Ministry, Evangelism Ministry, Summer Enrichment Program, Youth Bible Study, Men’s Bible Study, Academic Honors, Computer Lab, Endowment Fund, Couples Ministry, Catering Ministry, Recreation Ministry, Compassion & Grief Ministry, Health & Wellness Ministry, Veterans Ministry, Media Ministry, and Respite Ministry. Membership flourished, and for the first time in Central’s history, two Sunday worship services are held to accommodate members and the community.
Our services are broadcast via streaming video each Sunday spreading the Gospel on a local and national level. The exponential growth of Central Baptist Church in the last 15 years is truly proof that Central lives on the Word of God and its church theme…“Reclaiming our Families through Patience, Perseverance and Prayer.” Reverend Ricky Ray Ezell, Sr., is a native of Fort Valley, Georgia. He is the son of the late John and Luchers Robinson Ezell. He is married to the former Bernice Gadson of Barnwell, SC. They are the proud parents of three boys, Ricky Jr., Brandon, and Dorian. He received his Masters Degree from the University of South Carolina in Criminology with a concentration in Court Administration. The University of South Carolina honored him with a Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the college. He also received his Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Pastoral Leadership from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina. He is presently a student in the Doctor of Ministry Program at Gordon-Cornwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. His emphasis of study is Christian Leadership. Rev. Ezell is a Senior Vice-President with Primerica Financial Services and a Registered Principal with Met Life Investors.
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During the month of October Central Baptist Church recognizes and honors their senior citizens. There are approximately one hundred senior citizens, age 65 and over. Central has special events and programs for them so that they will continue to feel special and know that they are not forgotten. Some of the activities include: a Seniors Citizens Prom; a Bahamas cruise; a shopping trip to Atlanta; Movie nights; a trip to the Holy Land in Florida; an annual trip to the South Carolina State Fair and more, they believe in treating their seniors special. Pastor Ezell and the Central Baptist family are looking down the road in planning economic development projects in the community, there are plans in the making for a banquet and conference center, an educational facility partnering with the school system in providing GED programs and education for the less fortunate in the area. Pastor Ezell served for 4 years as the moderator of the Gethsemane Association in Columbia South Carolina. He is presently serving on the board of directors at Morris College. He said “ I am very thankful for our church family, God has blessed us with a very progressive church family, that’s willing and receptive to receive change. I’m thankful for leaders who are willing to support leadership and I’m very thankful to the community as a whole; they have been very embracing to Central.” We do a Christmas event every year where we adopt over 50 families and provide all the recourses for those families. It has cost in the past up to $70,000, and its all through donations. This year we will have Christmas at Central where we will have our Christmas choir to perform. We will have all of the special recipients seated at 50 special tables, every table will have a family name, and each family will have filled out a special request form. The first lady of Central is the former Bernice Gadson from Barnwell SC. She came from a family of preachers, her grandfather was a preacher, his father was a preacher, her father was a preacher and she has two brothers that are pastors. “When she married me, I wasn't a preacher but when she married me she fell in that line again”. History of the church Visionaries John Boles and John Chapman saw a need to bring God’s people together in worship. In 1932, Deacons Boles and Chapman organized the Central Baptist Church. Reverend Nixon served as the church’s first pastor holding services in a rented house in what was then called “Science Alley.” The house was later converted into an open building for worship. Reverend Hooks succeeded Nixon, but it wasn’t until 1935, under the leadership of Reverend L. M. Hampton, that the first edifice of Central Baptist Church was built. The exponential growth of Central Baptist Church in the last 15 years is truly proof that Central lives on the Word of God and its church theme…“Reclaiming our Families through Patience, Perseverance and Prayer.” We have a myriad of talents and gifts within our church body. We believe in the holistic approach to ministry, and we have over forty ministries to help the total person. Our church family is friendly and faithful…and truly the Favor of God is upon us. We are excited about the vision that God has placed upon the ministry of this church. God never gives a vision without making provisions!
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When The Unsaved Die God says to us all with no exception, "I love you. Come to me." You can choose to respond to that, or you can reply with, "No, way!" Those who rejected God's love will spend eternity regretting that decision.
the dead that were in them and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them and each person was judged according to what he had done." Those from Hades are going to be judged based on their works, but without the saving work of Jesus Christ — the only work that matters, they will be found wanting. God's the perfect litmus test, and so no matter how good our works have been, they just cannot add up to God's In sharing the Gospel with the world, I would be remiss standard of perfection. Everyone who tells you that you if I didn't share what happens to those people who die can work your way to Heaven is lying to you, because the Bible says otherwise in Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus' work without having accepted Jesus as their Savior and on the cross is the only work that matters, and our recontinue their path to judgment. What's going to happen sponse in faith. to them? Those people who have died never having accepting Jesus' salvation have a different destination 3) Hell from Heaven entirely. They are going to die in their When they are all found guilty, their next and final rebellion, and they have no hope whatsoever. As Jesus destination is a place called Hell. Revelation 20:14-15 in John 3:36 warned, "God's wrath remains on him." explains that awful sentence of condemnation, "Then The following is what's going to happen to them after death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire." they die. The Lake of Fire is called the Second Death. If anyone's 1) Hades name was not found written in the books of Life, they After an unsaved person dies; they go to a place called will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Hades. The Bible also calls it Sheol or Torments. You Misconceptions About Hell can read all about it in Luke 16. Hades is a holding place A lot of people have some really false ideas about what for the dead, a prison. It at one time had two compartments, a place called Paradise and a place called Hell is like. One misconception about Hell for instance Torments. The Old Testament Saints used to go to the is that Satan is down there stoking the fires and that he's Paradise part as they couldn't go to Heaven yet because already there waiting to punish and torment people with pitchforks. No, Satan doesn't rule Hell. There are no Jesus' blood hadn't yet been shed to cover their sins. By demons waiting to torment us in Hell. faith they were there as Hebrews explains, but Jesus' Actually, believe or not, there is not a single person in blood finally allowed their freedom and Paradise was Hell right now. Hell is the punishment created for Satan taken up to Heaven with Jesus after His crucifixion. and his demons. Matthew 25:41 says Hell was created What we have in Hades now is just what is left — for them when they rebelled against God. When we reTorments — a place of torment. belled in sin, that same punishment fell upon us. Hell 2) Judgment was never meant for us, but when we sinned, we fell At the end of Jesus' Millennial Kingdom, there will be under the same judgment as Satan and his followers. the Great White Throne Judgment. That's a special name basically for the Resurrection of the Unjust. We can Hell Described read about this final judgment in Revelation 20:11-13: What is Hell actually like? "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it and earth and sky fled from his presence and Is Hell a place where we party down? Is it a place where it is just a little too warm, but where we hang out with there was no place for them. And I saw the dead great and small standing before the throne and the books were our old friends? No, Matthew 25:46 tells us it is a place of punishment for rebellion. Punishment is not good, opened. And another book was opened which is the and so Hell is not a good place. book of life, the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up
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Hell is where the wrath of God is finally fulfilled. In John 3:36, we read about the wrath of God. The wrath of God is whenever God judges the earth in its entirety. We saw it with the Flood. We will see it poured out at the Tribulation. God will judge all who have rejected Him at the Second Death. These are demonstrations of God's wrath. Hell is called the Second Death in Revelation 21:8. It is also called Eternal Destruction in 2 Thessalonians 1:9. Look at the word "eternal." Eternal means just that — forever destroyed. With Hell, there is just no escape. Luke 16 says there is no way out of it. It's not like there can be some fancy Star Trek episode escape where they hitch a few wires and the doors open and they always escape. No, it's not like that in Hell. There is absolutely no way to escape from Hell. What is Hell physically like? Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:15 describe it as a Lake of Fire. Some people speculate that maybe it is located in the underworld of our planet, as we see lava flows from a volcano like a lake. It is described as a place of flames. It's a place of burning. With all that fire, one would think it would be a very bright place, but Matthew 8:12 tells us it is a place of utter darkness. There is no light. No one will get to see in Hell. And, the stench of it! Revelation 19:20; 20:10; 21:8 tell us that Hell stinks. It has a bad smell to it. The people who are sentenced there will be conscious. They will not be knocked out. They won't be driven so mad that they won't think about the horrible reality crushing them. They will have to exist with a conscious existence as Deuteronomy 18:11 demonstrates, and what they are consciously aware of is that they chose to separate themselves from the Father, as Luke 16 relays. God says to us all with no exception, "I love you. Come to me." You can choose to respond to that, or you can reply with, "No, way!" Those who rejected God's love will spend eternity regretting that decision. Luke 16 says in Hell you thirst. In Hell there is nothing to quench one's awful, mind-burning thirst. Revelation 9:2 tells us that Hell is bottomless. There is no ground to put your feet on. It is a place of continual falling and falling and never landing. Because of all the agony and destruction that you feel in Hell, it says in Matthew 8:12 that there is gnashing of teeth. There will be nothing from you but weeping and crying with no comfort and no water to supply your tears. Hell is truly a place of torment, as Revelation 14 describes. It's an awful place of torment where you are alone with yourself possibly forever. You wanted God to leave you alone and so you didn't accept Jesus' salvation, and well, you got what you wanted. Living With an Eternal Perspective Our forever destination is why we need to think about
something bigger than just our life here on earth. Where the road ends is why we need to have an eternal perspective, because our life on this earth is really very short, isn't it? It's just like a breath. And so, it makes sense that we need to look at the bigger picture in life. You need to know where you are going when you die. Death will catch up to us usually when we are unaware. Death is inevitable, unless you are raptured, so live with an eternal perspective. If you live with an eternal perspective, then everything else in life will make sense. Life will have purpose. Your Eternal Decision An amazing, wonderful, awesome future lays ahead of us with Jesus Christ! So, what on earth are you doing that's just so important that you won't grab hold of that future? What sins are you committing that are so temporarily enjoyable that you wish to stay here, when you've got so much better ahead of you in Heaven? Think of the future that you have. Don’t write Hell off as not a real place. Turn to Jesus right now and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and be your Savior.
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Did you know about the
Georgia Guidestones? Not the Ten Commandments, but what do you think?
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts. 6.Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court. 7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials. 8. Balance personal rights with social duties. 9. Prize truth beauty love seeking harmony with the infinite. 10. Be not a cancer on the earth Leave room for nature, leave room for nature.
The Georgia Guidestones is a granite monument in Elbert County, Georgia, USA. A message clearly conveying a set of ten guidelines is inscribed on the structure in eight modern languages, and a shorter message is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient languages' scripts: Babylonian, Classical Greek, Sanskrit and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The structure is sometimes referred to as an "American Stonehenge."The monument is 19 feet 3 inches tall, made from six granite slabs At the center of each tablet edge is a small circle, each weighing 237,746 pounds in all. One slab stands in the containing a letter representing the appropriate compass center, with four arranged direction (N, S, E, W). At the around it. A capstone lies on top center of the tablet is top of the five slabs, which written: The Georgia Guideare astronomically aligned. stones Center cluster erected An additional stone tablet, March 22, 1980. Immediwhich is set in the ground a ately below this is the outline short distance to the west of of a square, inside which is the structure, provides some written: Let these be guidenotes on the history and purstones to an Age of Reason. pose of the Guidestones. Around the edges of the square are written the names of four ancient languages, one per edge. Starting from the top and proceeding clockwise, they are:Babylonian (in cuneiform script), Classical Greek, Sanskrit and Ancient Egyptian (in hieroglyphics).
In June 1979, an unknown person or persons under the pseudonym R. C. Christian hired Elberton Granite Finishing Company to build the structure.
Inscriptions: A message consisting of a set of ten guidelines or principles is engraved on the Georgia Guidestones in eight different languages, one language on each face of the four large upright stones (see photograph of the face with the English version right). Moving clockwise around the structure from due north, these languages are: English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese and Russian.
What do you think about the stones and their message? They can in no way replace the Ten Commandments. One could even say it was an attempt to make a reference to a new world order that some extremist have been referring to for many years.
The inscriptions read as follows: 1.Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature. 2. Guide reproduction wisely improving fitness and diversity. 3.Unite humanity with a living new language. 4.Rule passion faith tradition and all things with tempered reason.
Read Exodus 20 for guides that were written in stone a long time ago. And these guides are called the Ten Commandments. The original guide in stones.
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Bethlehem continued Pastor White presently serves as the President of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia and as Vice Moderator of the Northern Virginia Baptist Association. Pastor White’s sermon at the 7:45 am anniversary service was “A Prescription for a Leftover Faith” (Micah 6:1-8). The guest preacher at the 10:45 a.m. service was his first cousin, Reverend Dr. Arthur R. White, pastor of Christ Community Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA where he has served for 32 years. His sermon and scriptural text was based on Bethlehem’s theme and it's scriptural undergirding found in First Corinthians 3. Dr. Arthur R. White is also the former President of the Pennsylvania Baptist State Convention. Dr. Darrell K. White believes that his unique gifts and preparation differs him from the previous six pastors and their seasons of service. He believes that his gifts from the Lord comes to life in the area of Christian Education and ministry outreach and that this was the needed area for Bethlehem's next level of spiritual growth. He gives overwhelming praise to his predecessors and realizes that he is able to see farther down and around the vineyard of Bethlehem because he is standing on their shoulders. Pastor White believes that each of us show up in our season of ministry to use gifts that the Lord has equipped us with so that the person coming after can take up what we lay down and begin where we leave off and move the mission plan to another level of fulfillment. In his case, it was thirty years ago when he acknowledged the God's call and nearly fifteen years in the assignment as God's watchman in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is truly blessed to have such an inspirational ministry and share such a remarkable partnership with the Lord. God's richest favor and faithfulness over the next 150 years. Well done Bethlehem and Pastor White!
When I See Jesus Amen (by: Douglas Miller)
I’ve learned how to live holy. I’ve learned how to live right. I’ve learned how to suffer, for if I Suffer, I’ll gain eternal, eternal life. But when I see Jesus, amen, When I see Jesus, amen. All my troubles will all be over, When I see Jesus amen. When I see Jesus amen, when I see The man who died for me, the one Who set me free, amen. All my troubles will be over, When I see Jesus, amen. A Christian View Magazine 25
Question: "Is it wrong for a Christian husband and wife to attend separate churches?" Answer: A husband and a wife attending separate churches is a situation that is more common than one might think. It’s also common for the children of such a couple to be divided between the two churches, thereby creating a rift in the family that is never healthy. In order to determine whether or not it is “wrong” for a husband and wife to attend separate churches, we must first look at marriage as a relationship instituted by God. Genesis 2:24 tells us God created man and woman to become “one flesh” when they marry, not two separate beings who go their own separate ways. There is a unity in marriage which is unique and holy. Moreover, marriage is the picture of Christ and His church (believers) as described in Ephesians 5:31-32. The marriage covenant between a man and a woman is symbolic of the covenant between Christ and those for whom He died. His is an everlasting covenant and one that is holy and sacred, just as marriage is to be holy, sacred and unbroken. This unity of two people into one reaches its most sacred in the spiritual realm, where the two are to be of one mind regarding the basic doctrines of Christianity – God, Christ, sin, salvation, heaven/hell, etc. This unity of understanding through the ministry of the Holy Spirit unites a husband and wife in a bond unlike any other on earth. While it’s possible for a husband and wife to have differing tastes as far as music, preaching or worship styles, children’s programs, etc., none of these things are significant enough to break up the family into two parts so they can attend different churches based on tastes. It is clear that if both churches are Bible-based and Christhonoring, there is no reason why one spouse can’t bend a little and put his/her personal preferences aside. An even better alternative is for the couple to join together
to seek a church where the Word of God is preached as the only guide for faith and practice, where the entire family can learn the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and where the family can fellowship with like-minded believers. In this, the husband, as the spiritual head of the family, should take the lead and make the final decision, lovingly taking his wife’s input into consideration. Sadly, the two-church family most often crops up in marriages where one spouse was raised Baptist and the other was raised in a AME. Please read the following article: Should Christians of different denominations date or marry? If a marriage has already taken place, the couple should strive for spiritual unity. Two people entrenched in their different doctrinal positions often find it very difficult to compromise and reconcile, but with God, all things are possible. A couple in such a situation may be forced to attend different churches, especially if one or both spouses consider the other spouse's beliefs to be unbiblical. In such a situation, both spouses should commit to praying that truth be revealed and spiritual unity be achieved. These doctrinal conflicts must be resolved in a family before true unity can be achieved. A couple attending different churches must be willing to hold everything they are taught up to the light of Scripture and be ready to discard anything that is contradicted by the Bible. They must “test all things and hold fast to that which is true” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
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Continued from page 18
New Live Deliverance Worship Center
As pastor Desor was reflecting on the awesomeness of Gods Power and the greatness of His mercy, he wanted all visitors to know that New Life Deliverance is not your ordinary church. He emphasized that this worship center is about growing the Kingdom of God; all are welcomed to pray there and that at New Life Deliverance, people WILL be delivered and the spirit of infirmity will be cast out. He further reminded the congregation that delivered folks are dangerous folks- the devil doesn’t like that because Satan knows that he cannot stop Gods’ work. At New Life De-
liverance, they are a very active group of spirit filled believers committed to the preaching of the gospel and making disciples. All monies collected through tithes and offerings go toward paying bills and continuing the outreach of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior through its auxiliary ministries. Pastor Desor wanted to thank everyone for their abundant prayers, faith, belief, and giving to New Life Deliverance. They will continue to drink from the fountain of truth and spirit and New Life Deliverance will be known as a ministry of world changers.
A Christian
History of Sunday school Look at where most of the key leaders and department heads in growing churches started – the Sunday school! Ask most preachers where they first developed their abilities to teach – the Sunday school! The old saying, “use them or lose them” is true in every aspect. Working Christians are happy Christians, fulfilled in their labor for God.
It was an Englishman by the name of
Robert Raikes
who first conceived of the idea
to teach underprivileged boys by establishing schools on Sunday since the children had to work during the week. His intention was to teach them reading, writing and arithmetic. Bible teaching was not a thought when he first got the idea. Raikes opened his first school in the kitchen of a home in Gloucester, England, in July of 1780. He hired a Mrs. Meredith to do the teaching. It was a Baptist deacon named William Fox who introduced the idea of including the Bible in the Sunday schools of England. Raikes agreed. Thus, the first schools combined both secular and spiritual educations and did so quite effectively. This was the birth of the Sunday School. When Robert Raikes died in 1811, there were an estimated 400,000 people attending Sunday schools in Great Britain. There were also several hundred Sunday schools in the United States. All emphasized Biblical instruction over reading and writing. However, most taught secular subjects as a means of drawing children and young people to the Word of God. In fact, by 1820, Sunday school organizers began lobbying for extension of a system of free daily schools so that they would be free to teach religion alone on Sundays. Most denominations adopted the Sunday school. The movement continued to grow between 1827 and 1860 as the value of the Sunday school was discovered.
D. L. Moody
was one of the outstanding Sunday school workers of the late 1800s. In less than one year Moody and his assistants organized schools in all 102 counties of Illinois. During the 20th century, Sunday school growth increased dramatically. It became a standard ministry of almost every Christian denomination. Now including all ages, the movement prospered and became the major means whereby generations of Christians became solidly grounded in the Scriptures. The first 60 years of the 20th century have been called the "Golden Age of American Sunday Schools." The 1960s were a tremendous period of change. Most Protestant denominations began to see a decline in their Sunday school attendances. However, the Baptists were able to go forward with continued growth by changing the methodologies used to both promote and conduct the schools.
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Jack Hyles
, a Baptist pastor in Indiana, introduced the idea of churches purchasing used
school buses to go out and pick up children so as to be brought in for Sunday school. The church he pastored has seen attendances in excess of 100,000. It is interesting to note that just a century before, D. L. Moody had used volunteer church members and their wagons to do the same thing. Other pastors and churches saw the success that Hyles was experiencing with buses and determined to do the same, thanks in part, to Pastor Schools that he sponsored each year. As a result, Baptist Sunday schools ignored the decline in the movement and saw their church attendance sky rocket through the 60s and 70s. Although, the bus ministry has subsided over the last three decades, the Baptists have continued to see good success with their schools. They have been very creative in introducing various teaching methods, which have increased the drawing power. From large classes taught by a master teacher to small group classes led by a facilitator, they have learned to adapt to the needs of those who attend their schools, whether they be young children who are greeted by Muppets on Sundays or well educated adults who are provided with the opportunity to dig deep into the Word of God. Even though the movement has waned after 200 years of use, the Baptists see no end in sight. Their Sunday schools continue to be generally strong and well attended. For all they know, the movement should continue to be an effective means for teaching their members the Bible for another 200 years, if not more.
Did You Know
that In 1855, people of color began attending Sunday school at the
Lexington Presbyterian Church in Virginia. Stonewall Jackson himself was the first superintendent of the school. That’s right , Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson played a role in the implementation and promotion of religion before during and ultimately, after the civil war. As a devote evangelical Christian, he was very religious and held the position of a deacon in the Presbyterian church. What's not spoken of much in his biography is his charitable efforts on behalf of local African Americans, including the rarely discussed establishment of the first black Sunday school in Lexington, Virginia. As devout Christians, the Jackson family fervently believed that all people were welcomed at the Lord’s Table regardless of their race or social stature. As a result, he and his wife were instrumental in the organization, in 1855 of exclusive Sunday School classes for blacks at the Presbyterian Church. Eventually the Sunday School grew beyond the allotted facilities and ultimately blossomed into new churches for African-Americans. In this regard, we can see how the evangelical white Christian slave owner had a positive influence on the spiritual education of those held in captivity. As a result, many ex-slaves became preachers themselves and were later responsible for some of the largest religious revivals that followed the south’s surrender.
Katy Ferguson In 1793, when she was little more than a child herself, Katy started a Sunday school. She took forty-eight children into her home once a week to give them lessons in scripture and in the practical skills of life. She also did her best to find them homes. Soon, the pastor of her own church, Dr. John M. Mason, heard about her work and offered her space in his basement. He also provided assistants who could provide the basic education that she, still unable to read and write, could not. Under Ferguson's supervision, the Murray Street Sabbath School continued for forty years. It was New York's first Sunday School. Katy Ferguson died of cholera in New York in 1854. In 1920, the city of New York opened a home for unwed mothers and named it the Katy Ferguson Home.
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The window apparently overlooked a park with a lake where there were ducks and swans, children throwing them bread and sailing model boats, and young lovers walking hand in hand beneath the trees. And there were flowers and stretches of grass and games of softball, people taking their ease in the sunshine, and right at the back, behind the fringe of the tress, a fine view of the city skyline.
The Reflection There were once two men, both seriously ill, in the same small room of a great hospital. Quite a small room, just large enough for the pair of them - two beds, two bedside lockers, a door opening on the hall, and one window looking out on the world. One of the men, as part of his treatment, was allowed to sit up in bed for an hour in the afternoon, (something that had to do with draining the fluid from his lungs) and his bed was next to the window. But the other man had to spend all his time flat on his back - and both of them had to be kept quiet and still. Which was the reason they were in the small room by themselves, and they were grateful for peace and privacy - none of the bustle and clatter and prying eyes of the general ward for them. Of course, one of the disadvantages of their condition was that they weren't allowed much to do: no reading, no radio, certainly no television - they just had to keep quiet and still, just the two of them.
The man on his back would listen to all of this, enjoying every minute how a child nearly fell into the lake, how beautiful the girls were in their summer dresses, and then an exciting ball game, or a boy playing with his puppy. It got to the place that he could almost see what was happening outside. Then one fine afternoon, when there was some sort of parade, the thought struck him: Why should the man next to the window have all the pleasure of seeing what was going on? Why shouldn't he get the chance? He felt ashamed and tried not to think like that, but the more he tried, the worse he wanted to change. He'd do anything! In a few days he had turned sour. He should be by the window. And he brooded and couldn't sleep, and grew even more seriously ill - which none of the doctors understood. One night, as he stared at the ceiling, the other man (the man next to the window) suddenly woke up coughing and choking, the fluid congesting in his lungs, his hands groping for the button that would bring the night nurse running. But the man continued to stare at the ceiling.
In the morning, the day nurse came in with water for their baths and found the other man dead. They They used to talk for hours and hours - about their took away his body, quietly, no fuss. As soon as it wives, their children, their homes their former jobs, seemed decent, the man asked if he could be their hobbies, their childhood, what they did during moved to the bed next to the window. And they the war, where they had been on vacations - all that moved him, tucked him in, and made him quite sort of thing. Every afternoon, when the man in the comfortable, and left him alone to be quiet and bed next to the window was propped up for his still. hour, he would pass the time by describing what he could see outside. And the other man began to live The minute they'd gone, he propped himself up on for those hours. one elbow, painfully and laboriously, and looked out the window. It faced a blank wall. Taken from "Growing Deep - Exploring the Roots of Our Faith", by Charles R. Swindoll.
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furnace, but were not burned. Now I see Close to, round about, furious that they were not really in the fire, just close to, about, or nearby, just keeping warm. But the or nearby! One Sunday, the Minister was round hardest of all the stories for me to believe has al-
giving a sermon on baptism and in the coarse of his sermon he was illustrating the fact that baptism should take place by sprinkling and not by immersion. He pointed out some instances in the Bible. He said that when John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the River Jordan, it didn't mean in - it meant close to, round about, or nearby.
ways been the story of Daniel getting thrown into the lions’ den. But now I see that he wasn't really in the lions' den, but close to, round about, or nearby, like at the zoo.
And again when it says in the Bible that Phillip baptized the eunuch in the river, it didn't mean in - it meant close to, round about, or nearby. After the service, a man came up to the minister and told him it was a great sermon, one of the best he had ever heard, and that it had cleared up a great many mysteries he had encountered in the Bible. "For instance," he said, "the story about Jonah getting swallowed by the whale has always bothered me. Now I know that Jonah wasn't really in the whale, but close to, round about, or nearby, swimming in the water. Then there is the story about the three young Hebrew boys who were thrown into a the
The revealing of these mysteries have been a real comfort to me because I am a wicked man. Now I am gratified to know that I won't be in Hell, but close to, round about, or nearby. And next Sunday, I won't have to be in church, just close to, round about, or nearby. thanks. You have really put my mind at ease.
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A Night Of The
Arts
Host Christian Comedian Corie Johnson, spoken word artist Virtuous, Mime Ministry performers True Mime, Gospel Rapper Z Chris Zimmerman, Grace Cathedral Praise Dance Team, Jeffrey Lampkin & Company, and special guest Joshua Rogers the 2012 Sunday’s Best Winner, were all the featured artists presented at “A Night Of The Arts” by House Of Judah Worship Center, located in Columbia SC. Jemal Cobb is the pastor of House of Judah Worship Center located at 1634 Van Heise St. in Columbia and this was an event that the Lord had place in his heart to do. Night of the arts is part of the church’s second year anniversary. Pastor Cobb has his ministry set up in compartments such as: helps, outreach, developmental, and then arts. Arts refers to praise dancers, mime ministry, choirs etc. Joshua Rogers was brought in to headline the event, and other local artist to participate, and fill in the night. The night started out slow but the Keenan High School Auditorium quickly filled as guest began to arrive. Pastor Cobb said “Joshua Rogers anointing appeals to the young folks and his anointing appeals to the older generation as well”. He went on to say “this type of concert kind of mirrors our image, because we kind of cater to the young folks. And you know that the word has no age”. There was no award or recognition given at this event. It was just a night of praise. Pastor Cobb would like for the readers of ACVM to know that House of Judah Worship Center offers biblical solutions to practical problems and that they’re here for everybody-they are a relationship church. Tory Weldon is the director of True Mime Ministry out of Summerville SC and he attends Mt. Pisgah AME Ridgeville SC. He wants to say to the young people to stay prayed up and not leave the way they came. All of the performers were awesome, Joshua Rogers did not disappoint with those high notes and anointed songs. Congratulations to Pastor Cobb for an very nice event. And for his first time it was outstanding. We hope to attend next year.
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