Bible Challenge 12/01 - 12/07

Greetings All!

This week we finish up the book of I Corinthians, read all of II Corinthians, as well as Galatians, Ephesians and half of Philippians.

Here is a bit of background information to help you as you read:

Galatians -The book of Galatians is thought to be Paul's earliest letter, corresponding with the events of Acts 11:30. Here he addresses a group of churches in a Roman province known as Galatia, now in modern-day Turkey. This letter mainly addresses the question of whether the Mosaic law is binding on Gentiles.

Ephesians - Here Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus (now Selcuk, Turkey) while he is imprisoned in Rome (about 62AD) to address the unity of the church between its many Jewish and Gentile believers. Ephesus was the second largest city in the Roman empire in Paul's day and home to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world (temple of Artemis). Paul started the church in Ephesus as recorded in Acts 18 and eventually he would send his young protege Timothy to serve as their pastor.One of my favorite passages is Paul's admonition in Ephesians 6 to put on the full armor of God.

Philippians - Philippians has a different tone than many of Paul's letters - it is written about 62AD to the church in Philippi (now Filippoi, Greece) which was one of the first church's that Paul ever started. From the tone of his letter, Philippi is often called Paul's "sweetheart" church.

Here is the schedule:

1, Sunday: I Corinthians 16 - II Corinthians 3

2, Monday: II Corinthians 4-7

3, Tuesday: II Corinthians 8-11

4, Wednesday: II Corinthians 12 - Galatians 2

5, Thursday: Galatians 3-6

6, Friday: Ephesians 1-4

7, Saturday: Ephesians 5 - Philippians 2

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly, the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This Sunday, December 1st, we will celebrate Hanging of the Greens during worship. Come and watch as we take an empty and bare sanctuary, and with your help, transform it into a beautiful Advent wonderland. We will place greenery, wreaths, Christmas trees, chrismons, and all sorts of other decorations. We will read Scripture, sing hymns, and offer prayers as we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ Child. I hope you will make plans to attend. Invite a friend and we hope to see you all there.






2. New Bible Study - Beginning December 5th, I will offer an Advent study entitled, Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam. This study, by Rev. James Moore, will help us answer the question: Which will you choose this year, Bethlehem or bedlam. Rev. Moore feels that we do not have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of confusion. God breaks into the confusion and is made known in Jesus Christ.

I hope you will makes plans to attend as we walk through ways to see Christ in the midst of this season, as together we choose Bethlehem in the midst of bedlam. The class will be offered twice a day at 11 A.M. and 7 P.M., on December 5th, 12th, and 19th, in the Fellowship Hall. For more information and to register, please click here. I hope to see you there. Below is a trailer for the new study.








3. Christmas Cantata - This year our choir is combining with the choir of Belleview UMC to put on a joint Christmas Cantata. There will be several performances to give you an opportunity to be a part of this special event. First, at 2 P.M. on Saturday, December 7th they will perform at Belleview UMC. Then at 2 P.M. on Sunday, December 8th they will perform here at Druid Hills UMC. There will be a love offering taken at our service with all the proceeds going to our Advent Conspiracy Challenge. Invite a friend and I hope you will make plans to attend.






4. Church Wedding - We are having a wedding! On Saturday, December 7th, at 3 P.M., Felix Martinez and Deborah Burch are getting married and you are invited. They want to extend an invitation to the entire church family to come and be a part of this special occasion. I hope you will be able to come and show your love and support to these two and they join their lives together in the sight of God.

5. Blue Christmas - This time of year is intended to be full of hope and joy. It is intended to be a time to celebrate and experience the love of Christ and family. However; for those that have lost someone to death, it can be a time of great sorrow and grief. On Sunday, December 15th, at 12:15pm, we are going to gather for a Blue Christmas service in our Sanctuary. This service is one of remembrance and hope where we will acknowledge our grief, but also the hope that comes from God’s constant presence. I pray you will join us for this time of worship and that you will benefit from the bond it will provide.





Advent Conspiracy Update - WE ARE OVER HALF WAY THERE!! The first half of our challenge has been met and we have a little over seven weeks left to raise the rest. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in helping to truly change the life of another. If you would like more information about this challenge and the charities that will be supported with the proceeds, please visit our website by clicking here.

Fundraising Thermometer by:
Provided by Easy Fundraising Ideas

See you Sunday!

Midweek Moment

Happy Thanksgiving!

In our country, tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. It is a day we have set aside to spend with family and friends, to eat too much food, watch a little football (if you are like me), and offer thanks for those blessings in our lives.

All of us have those traditions we participate in that give us space to name that for which we are thankful. I have heard of those practices where before a family can eat their Thanksgiving Dinner they go around the table and each person says what they are thankful for in their lives. I have heard of other traditions where you exchange notes or letters with people that you thankful are in your life. In fact, we here at Druid Hills instituted a new tradition two years ago into our church wide Thanksgiving Dinner where we watch a picture show filled with the images of what we are thankful for in our lives. For those that have not seen this year’s video yet, I have included it below.



This year, I hope you will take the time to express your thanks with other people. Reach out to someone and let them know how much they mean to you. So, now I will reach out to you.

I am thankful for you. I am thankful for how you walk alongside me in ministry. I am thankful for how you look for ways to reach out to this neighborhood and show them the love and grace of Jesus Christ. And this year, I am grateful for the wonderful surprise birthday party you gave to me. I had no idea it was being planned and was so surprised and moved by this celebration. (And I had a lot of fun too!) I am humbled to be able to live life with you all and be a part of this family at Druid Hills. The kindness and warmth you extend to me and my family is true evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit among us. So for that, and so much more, I am thankful for you!

To each of you, I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may you feel the blessings of God upon you each and every day!

My love to you all,

Bible Challenge 11/24 - 11/30

Greetings All!

This week we finish up the book of Romans, read all of I Corinthians and most of II Corinthians.

In the book of Romans we find that Paul's outlining of God's grace through Jesus can be followed as such: 1) God's wrath revealed against the unrighteous (1:18-3:20); 2) God credits righteousness to all (3:21-5:21); 3) The gift of God's righteousness results in righteous living (6:1-8:39); 4) God's righteousness in the case of Israel (9:1-11:36); 5) God's righteousness reflected in the righteous lives of believers (12:1-15:13); and 6) God's righteousness shared by Paul as minister to the Gentiles (15:14-33).

Then we move into I and II Corinthians, both of which were written in Ephesus (16:8), a city on the west coast of today's Turkey, about 180 miles by sea from Corinth. According to Acts, Paul founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18:17), then spent approximately three years in Ephesus. The letter was written during this time in Ephesus, which is usually dated as being in the range of 53-57 AD.

Corinth was the meeting point of many nationalities because the main current of the trade between Asia and western Europe passed through its harbors. Paul's first visit lasted nearly two years and his converts were mainly Greeks. In his first epistle, he mainly concentrates on addressing some divisions in the church, some problems with immorality and teaching about marriage, Christian liberty, worship and resurrection. In between I and II Corinthians, Paul visited Corinth another time (a painful visit) and wrote at least one other letter that is now lost. It would seem that the situation in Corinth was still complicated and Paul felt attacked. He defends himself with some of his important teachings - forgiving others, God's new agreement that comes from the Spirit of the living God, the importance of being a person of Christ and giving generously to God's people in Jerusalem and finally ends with his own experience of how God changed his life.

Here is the schedule:

24, Sunday: Romans 4-7

25, Monday: Romans 8-11

26, Tuesday: Romans 12-15

27, Wednesday: Romans 16 - I Corinthians 3

28, Thursday: I Corinthians 4-7

29, Friday: I Corinthians 8-11

30, Saturday: I Corinthians 12-15

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly, the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This Sunday, November 24th, we will celebrate Christ the King Sunday. Come and worship with us as we travel through the entire Christian calendar as we celebrate Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and Christ the King. We will read Scripture, sing hymns, and offer prayers as we worship our Risen Savior. I hope you will make plans to attend. Invite a friend and we hope to see you all there.






2. New Bible Study - Beginning December 5th, I will offer an Advent study entitled, Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam. This study, by Rev. James Moore, will help us answer the question: Which will you choose this year, Bethlehem or bedlam. Rev. Moore feels that we do not have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of confusion. God breaks into the confusion and is made known in Jesus Christ.

I hope you will makes plans to attend as we walk through ways to see Christ in the midst of this season, as together we choose Bethlehem in the midst of bedlam. The class will be offered twice a day at 11 A.M. and 7 P.M., on December 5th, 12th, and 19th, in the Fellowship Hall. For more information and to register, please click here. I hope to see you there. Below is a trailer for the new study.







3. Annual Thanksgiving Dinner - Do not forget that tonight is our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner. We are going to have a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with one another as well as watch the video you all contributed too as we celebrate our thankfulness. I hope to see you all there!








4. Upcoming Events - There are a couple of upcoming events in the life of this congregation that I want you all to be aware of so you can be a part of them.

• Blue Christmas - This time of year is intended to be full of hope and joy. It is intended to be a time to celebrate and experience the love of Christ and family. However; for those that have lost someone to death, it can be a time of great sorrow and grief. On Sunday, December 15th, at 12:15pm, we are going to gather for a Blue Christmas service in our Sanctuary. This service is one of remembrance and hope where we will acknowledge our grief, but also the hope that comes from God’s constant presence. I pray you will join us for this time of worship and that you will benefit from the bond it will provide. 

• Hanging of the Greens - We will also once again participate in the Hanging of the Greens service. You can sign up to help by filling out the insert in your bulletin. This is a wonderful time to see our Sanctuary go from bare to completely decorated in the span of one service. We will decorate together, sing together, and share the significance of each of our decorations. I hope you will sign up to help and be a part of this wonderful time.

5. News to Share - New Zion Missionary Baptist Church will host a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, November 28th, from 11 A.M. - 2:30 P.M. This congregation feels no one should be without a thanksgiving mean and have offered to host one for their neighborhood. If you know of anyone that might be alone or will not be able to celebrate Thanksgiving, please let them know about this dinner. For more information, please contact the church office at 629-5688, or email by clicking here.








Advent Conspiracy Update - WE ARE OVER HALF WAY THERE!! The first half of our challenge has been met and we have a little over seven weeks left to raise the rest. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in helping to truly change the life of another. If you would like more information about this challenge and the charities that will be supported with the proceeds, please visit our website by clicking here.

Fundraising Thermometer by:
Provided by Easy Fundraising Ideas

See you Sunday!

Midweek Moment

I spent Tuesday afternoon and evening and Wednesday morning in Leesburg this week at the Life Enrichment Center, participating an event hosted by Bishop Carter.

This time was especially poignant for me. The conference has reinstated a fellowship gathering for pastors which has been suspended for many years. In the first few years it was called School of Ministry; now it is simply called Clergy Gathering. This year clergy from all across the conference gathered together in five different worship experiences to share our stories and hear the ways that God is moving through our lives. In one session called Heroes, we listened to one of our younger clergy interview one of our retired pastors, who shared his story and advice for sustaining ministry over the long haul. At the close of that session, we wrote with sharpies on pieces of glass, the names of people in our own lives who had served as heroes in our faith. These were collected in baskets and prayed over as an offering. In the final worship experience, the communion table was decorated with those pieces of glass and the names of the all the heroes shining out at us.

That experience got me to think about two points of connection with this month in November. The first is the religious holiday of All Saints Day that we celebrated on the first Sunday in November; reading the names aloud of all the folks at Druid Hills who had died since the same time last year. And then the second is the national holiday of Thanksgiving that is quickly approaching us next week.

When we gather around the table of Thanksgiving next week and reflect on all of the things that we are thankful for, some of those things should be the personal heroes of the faith who have lived their lives as examples for us - those who are responsible for us coming to believe in Jesus and living out that faith. Who are the faith heroes in your life? Who should you lift up before God in gratitude and thanksgiving?

And then let's take that one step further. Some of the names we wrote on the glass pieces during worship have gone on to glory, but others are still alive. How much would it mean for us to contact those faith heroes who are still around and let them know (by phone, note or email) how they have touched our lives? Our gratitude for people's influence in our lives should not just be expressed at a eulogy in a memorial service. It will mean that much more for people to hear those words of gratitude now while they are still alive.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

State of the Church AddressJeremiah 29:11-14 and Jeremiah 31:31-34

This past week we engaged in a State of the Church address. I wanted each of you to have a clear understanding of where we are, where we want to go, and what we need to do to get there. I hope you found this time beneficial and integral to our continued vitality and your felt the hope of Christ in our midst.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11