New Pilgrim Journey He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff...Mark 6:8
In this Issue:
Summer 2015
For the Love of God
For the Love of God
Prayer: When God Seems Far Away
Pastor’s Anniversary
What Are You Facing?
Recent Graduates
Word Puzzle
Memorial Day Outing
Young Adult Choir Anniversary
Prayer in Action
After the tragedy in Charleston, it is easy for us to say this is the act of one crazed man, but looking deeper we see it is an act of evil. It just reminded us that evil roams this world and sets its sights on the Church of Jesus Christ. In the face of such evil, we first want to grieve and then we ask how. As Christians, we also ask if he had no fear of God. There is no understanding evil because it is ultimately irrational. “Someone once told me that to worship is to engage in spiritual warfare. We worship not to gloss over the tragedy, not to acquiesce in our pursuit of justice, not to set aside anger and anguish, but the contrary. We worship to raise our cry for justice, to proclaim our holy anger, to lament the loss of our brothers and sisters. We worship to say with fervent hearts that there is no hate in this world that is stronger then the love of God. We worship with the belief that God’s love will have us see true justice. For in his love is a place for our anger. In his love there is space for our tears. In his love there is space for our doubt and fears. In his love black lives matter. Our tears and anguish, our fatigue and frustration will be our offering, holy and acceptable onto God. “
Advisory Council
July 11
Quarterly Meeting
July 18
Homecoming
August 9
Let us pray for the strength to forgive. Let us pray for the families and our Lord to give them strength. Let’s pray for our country and us to accept our neighbors who are different that we may love them as our Lord does. Jesus is still the source of our faith. Another church around the world in China was demolished that night and a suicide bomber attacked a church in Pakistan. The Church is under attack across the world. We pray for our faith to grow. For the love of God, let us turn to Jesus when the journey is too much .
Revival
August 10-13
Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength...
Church Events
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:27
When God Seems Far Away Have you wondered if God hears you? Have you struggled with prayer? Does prayer seem like an exercise in eloquent speech that you just don't possess? Prayer is simply communicating with God, listening, and talking to him. Believers can pray from the heart, freely, spontaneously, and in their own words. Even if prayer is a difficult area for you, do it anyway. If we never spoke to our family or never listened to anything they said to us, our relationships would quickly deteriorate. It is the same way with God. Prayer—communicating with God—helps us grow closer and more intimately connected with Him. When You're Overwhelmed, Whisper His Name. Remember the first time you heard your name in school? Someone knew you. It kept you company in the daily grind. Whisper His name and listen for His echoes return in the quiet. God names the stars and He whispers your name. For prayer to be effective, you must know the God you pray to and acknowledge the truth of who He is through worship. "He heals the broken hearted. He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them" (Psalm 147:3-5). God knows you. When You Don't Have Words to Pray, Rest Knowing Jesus is Praying for You. Your silence will not drive Jesus away. Nothing can separate you from His love. Not even your unrest and pain. He'll never get tired of you. Sometimes, the greatest prayer we can experience is God's complete understanding and compassion. “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27).
When You are too Stressed, Take Care of Yourself. We are a people who don’t know how to express our souls to God. We say we depend on God and yet we are looking for a solution outside of Him. God says we can only comfort others with the comfort we first receive ourselves. “Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God…” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Take time to listen. When You're too Exhausted, Stop and Rest. "Arise and eat. For the journey is too great for you” (1 Kings 19:7) Elijah had done everything he knew to do even defeating the prophets of Baal. Yet, his problems did not go away. Stress broke Elijah's spirit. In despair, Elijah woke up to find fresh bread baking on hot stones and water left just for him. Not only that, God sent an angel-to touch him twice. God knew Elijah needed physical rejuvenation first in order to hear His gentle voice, whispering in a gentle breeze. Acknowledge who God is, and willfully submit to His plan. In Psalm 46:10, He says: “Be still, and know that I am God…”
Happy Seventh Anniversary, Pastor and Mrs. Greer!
New Pilgrim recently celebrated seven years of Pastor Greer ‘s leadership. “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15). A pastor shows his love of God through his sermons and teaching. Pastor Greer has worked hard to increase our knowledge of scripture and along with our duties as Christians. He has visited the sick, reaching out to all members and involving more members in the work of the Church in his seven years. Pastor and Mrs. Greer have demonstrated this in their ministry by their faith in Christ.
What Are You Facing? By Keva Winston “…because a door has opened wide for me to do effective work, although many people are opposing me.” 1 Corinthians 16:9 Many doors will open up to you throughout life. How you should open them—if you choose to do so—is where the challenge begins. What is life without challenge? In the scripture above, Paul is speaking on priorities and adversaries. Adversity is the thing that makes whatever we are striving for exceptionally harder to achieve. Hypothetically, we go through lots of adversity in life. These are “doors” and “storms” in our lives and we have to prioritize which battle to fight and when to fight it so the outcome will be in our favor. A wise man by the name of Haruki Murakami once stated that “once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person you were when you went in. That is what the storm is all about.” As we continue on our individual journeys, we have to be cautious of how what we do affects the lives of everyone around us—whether we are faced with adversity….or opportunity. But the biggest consideration is ensuring that our reactions to these will uplift God’s kingdom. So look at your situation today. Are you facing a door or a storm?
Recent Graduates: DeVante Edwards, Kenndra Johnson, Christopher (C.J.) Henry, and Deja Sullivan.
EARTH UPON THEREIN SHOULD SPAKE LITTLE MOUTH AGAIN
Memorial Day Outing at Dea. Willie and Sis. Ruth Stephens
Prayer in Action "A mammoth 747 jetliner, while flying over the Pacific, sustained a gigantic tear on its side, ejecting nine passengers to their deaths, and threatening the lives of all. When the pilot, Captain David Cronin, was interviewed, having brought the craft back safely to Honolulu, he was asked, "What did you do when the place ripped open? How did you cope?" Captain Cronin replied, "I prayed, then went to work."
NPBC Young Adults’ Choir Anniversary
NPBC Media Ministry: Jessica Owens, Matthew Owens, Keva Winston, Jo-Ann Lewis, Yvonne Owens and Dea. Larry Westfield.