December 2, 2018
with Pastor Terrell
“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” ~ 1 Corinthians 16:2 ~ GIVING TUESDAY — or — #GIVING TUESDAY That’s what the radio DJ’s on K-Love radio were telling me as I drove into the office here at church two days ago. It was like they expected me to already know Apparently, it is now a thing.
about this. PASTORAL STAFF
It seems to have been around for a couple of years. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving — and after Black Friday — and after Cyber Monday — give to a non-profit charity or organization of your choice. That sounds like a really good idea, provided you have any money to give by that Tuesday.
Terrell Eldreth, Senior Pastor Scott Terry, Worship Pastor OFFICE CONTACT & HOURS
However — preaching to the choir here — most all of you reading this are already givers — or at least you should be. As believers, we are called to give, and to give systematically. According to the Apostle Paul, we don’t have #GIVING TUESDAY one day a year. What we do have is #GIVING SUNDAY. And that comes not one day a year — it comes 52 days a year — and occasionally 53. And for that we are blessed!
Monday — Thursday
Blessed? Yep, blessed. We get to give back to God every week — and that gives us delight. In fact, it should make us so happy to give that it brings us joy and laughter. Look at what Paul said in 2 Corinthians:
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” ~ 1 Corinthians 9:7 ~ Continued on page 2
8:30 A.M. — 2:30 P.M. Phone: 928-772-7218 Email: fsbcpv@firstsouthernpv.org
• Bible Study 9:00 A.M. • Morning Worship Service 10:30 A.M. • Evening Worship Service 6:00 P.M.
THIS WEEK DECEMBER 2—DECEMBER 8
SUNDAY: 9:00 A.M. Sunday School (Babies - Adults) 10:30 A.M. Worship (Kidz 4 Christ; K-4th)
‘tis the Season
CELEBRATING THE GLAD TIDINGS OF CHRISTMAS
Friends with God James 2:23 5:00 P.M. Choir Rehearsal 6:00 P.M. Evening Worship
The Lord’s Supper WHAT IS IT? ACTS 20:7-12 MONDAY: 9:00 A.M. Sisters Quilting 3:00 P.M. Stewardship Meeting 4:30 P.M. Tae Kwon Do 7:00 P.M. Deacons’ Meeting TUESDAY: 10:00 A.M. Men’s Bible Study 3:15 P.M. Good News Club @ Granville Elementary WEDNESDAY: 8:00 A.M. Gideons’ 5:45 P.M. AWANA Club 6:00 P.M. Bible Study/ Prayer THURSDAY: 4:30 P.M. Tae Kwon Do SATURDAY: 2:00 P.M. ESL / Good News Club
So, guess what we do here at First Southern? We go out of our way every Sunday in worship to let you be a #GIVING SUNDAY giver. We want to allow you that time of joy and laughter in your heart. It just that because your giving touches lives. You give to not only meet the operating cost here at First Southern, but also to touch real human needs here and around the world. You can give to disaster relief. You can give to benevolence needs here at home. You can give to local, state, national and international missions. You can give to hunger relief. You can give to building needs and you can give to so much more — and you can even do it online. #GIVING TUESDAY. It’s alright to give to those non-profits as you so desire — just keep in mind that the first and best of your giving belongs to the Lord. Blessings on your week as you determine what you should give this coming #GIVING SUNDAY. I am looking forward to seeing you in worship this Sunday. Pastor Terrell P. S. This Sunday evening, we will celebrate at the Lord’s Table in a Communion Service. I hope you’re with us at 6:00 pm in our Worship Center. with Pastor Scott
If you were going to make a top ten best-known Christmas carols list, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” would most likely be on it. The title of this carol is taken from the second chapter of Luke when the angels appear to the shepherds. Thanks at least in part to Linus Van Pelt’s monologue from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, this is one of the most well-known passages about the birth of Christ. The shepherds are visited first by one angel, who announces to the shepherds that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. That angel is subsequently joined by a lot more angels. As an aside, if the first angel had to tell the terrified shepherds to not be afraid, I can’t even imagine what the sight of the heavenly host would be like. Anyway, picking up the action in verse 13-15 we read: Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” You might have noticed that the Luke says that the heavenly host was “saying” rather than “singing,” but who’s to say what the sound of angels praising sounds like? It’s clearly terrifying, and I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t sound like singing. At any rate, once the large company of angels has gone, the shepherds don’t just stay in the fields watching the sheep; they go to see the baby Jesus. Which brings me to my point. You were probably wondering if I had one, weren’t you? Our choir will be presenting Christmas music the next several Sundays, including our special presentation of “On This Very Night” during the morning worship service on December 16th. In the same way that the message of the angels was more important than whether they were singing or saying, it is the message of our music that matters. It is our hope that when you hear the message of the music you will be moved to go see Jesus, just like the shepherds. Maybe you need to see Him with fresh eyes. Maybe you have a friend that needs to meet Him for the first time. Whatever the case, our desire is that the message of how God loved us so much that He sent His Son so that we would have eternal life will come through loud and clear. Merry Christmas! Pastor Scott Terry