October 2013 VOLUME 17, NO 10

At Emmanuel Baptist Church our

purpose is to worship God in spirit and in truth and to win our

community and our world to Jesus Christ.

SCHEDULE OF WEEKLY

SERVICES, DISCIPLESHIP CLASSES &

SPECIAL EVENTS

Sunday Morning Session 1 9:15 am……………………....Sunday School 9:00 am……………………...……...Worship Session 2 10:30 am…………………………..….Worship 10:30 am……………………..Sunday School

Sunday Evening 4:45 pm…………...Youth & Children’s Choir 5:00 pm…………...……...Teachers’ Meeting Discipleship Training 6:00 pm…………………….Evening Worship

Monday 6:15 pm………..……Church-Wide Visitation

Wednesday 6:30-7:40pm……..…….Pastor’s Bible Study Children’s Ignite Youth at The Warehouse Small Group Bible Studies 7:50pm………..….Worship Choir Rehearsal

Contact Us

Mike Stone, Senior Pastor mike@ebchurch.net

Rhon Carter, Worship Pastor rhon@ebchurch.net

Lynn Harris, Education Pastor lynn@ebchurch.net

Scotty Hayes, Youth Pastor scotty@ebchurch.net

Matt Rodgers, Children’s Pastor matt@ebchurch.net

Joey Taylor, Mission Pastor joey@hccbrantley.com

Tommy Lloyd, Administrator tommy@ebchurch.net

217 WEST CARTER AVE. P.O. BOX 407

BLACKSHEAR, GA 31516 (912) 449-4481

www.ebchurch.net

P.O. DRAWER 407 - BLACKSHEAR, GA 31516

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Nonprofit Organ. U.S. Postage

PAID Blackshear, GA Permit No. 47

P.O. DRAWER 407 - BLACKSHEAR, GA 31516

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Nonprofit Organ. U.S. Postage

PAID Blackshear, GA Permit No. 47

MESSENGER

All Youth 6th

- 12th

Grades

Join us every Wednesday evening at the Warehouse from 6:00pm - 6:30pm for a time of hanging out. Stay for worship and Bible

Study from 6:30pm - 7:30pm.

Sunday

Session 1 Meets

At 9:15 am

Session 2 Meets

At 10:30 am

Youth Life Groups Students 6

th - 12

th grades

GWU 6th - 12th Grades

Meet from 4:45 - 5:45 pm

In the choir room

Wednesday

Wednesday evenings at 6:15pm for kids 3 yrs - 5th grade

Wednesday Evenings

October 2nd

Silly Sock &

Hilarious Hair Night

October 23rd

Pumpkin Palooza Night

Clubbers get to be funny wearing their silly socks

and hair.

Awana Participants:

You are

invited to bring a

decorated pumpkin from home to

be displayed and judged for creativity.

Pumpkin Palooza Night Wednesday, October 23rd

Awana participants: You are invited to bring a decorated pumpkin from home to be displayed and judged for

creativity.

Thursday, October 31st

Heritage Bank Parking Lot 5:30pm - 8:00pm

More information read Bro. Matt Rodgers article!

EBC CHOIR

Piedmont/Okefenokee Baptist Association CHOIRFEST 2013 October 6

th, 6:30 Sweat Memorial Baptist Church, Waycross

Each year, we have about 13 church choirs sing at our annual ChoirFest. Everyone is invited to come and support the EBC choir. It’s always great to sing for familiar faces.

I want to thank each choir member for the time and commitment you gave in order to make the music for our Revival services this past month, one of the most glorious musical times in my life. You did an outstanding job, but mostly because I know you were lifting up the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ and glorifying Him alone… Thank you!!!!!!!

GWU Student Choir

Student Choir is quickly preparing for our 2nd

annual DESSERT THEATER on December 13th, 14

th,

and 15th. This is a FREE ticketed event, but we give out tickets in order to have enough desserts

prepared and because we meet in the WAREHOUSE, seating is limited for each performance. Tickets will be available in November. Our Student Choir is one of the best in the Southeast and I am really looking forward to them sharing this musical with our church family.

Some new songs that will be making their way into our congregational singing are:

“Song of Moses” by Aaron Keyes “Blessed Assurance, My King is Coming” by Matthew West

Take a moment and download these great songs. It will help you be ready to join with everyone else as we Sing to the King….

The Choir Loft

Rhon Carter Worship Pastor

God has been good to us here at Emmanuel. I consider myself to be the most blessed Student minister I know. Simply working with awesome students and families like we have here at Emmanuel is one of the Highlights of my life. This month marks 6 years in the student ministry and I have noticed some trends with teenagers in these past 6 crazy years. One trend is that when the weather changes so do families schedules and in some cases even there priorities shift. For reasons good and bad the change in the seasons bring new activities and school related tests and study times for students. I believe the shift that happens in students’ lives around Spring and Fall could partially be why I see year after year their relationships with God begin to struggle and why we even see a drop in the weekly participation of

church activities. During the last few Wednesday nights God has led me to remind students that we must abide in Christ. John 15 explains so well to us that we are branches that we are worth absolutely nothing with out being connected to The Vine! Students must make it a priority to abide in Christ. This is a daily thing that is a decision to draw near to God. Ultimately it is not a seasonal issue that keeps people from having an intimate relationship with God but it is a heart issue. Until young people’s hearts are surrendered to God daily their walk will always suffer. One major thing I have learned in my time working with teenagers is that they are weak, insecure, and volatile meaning that you never know what they may do next. One minute God is doing some amazing things in there lives and the next they may make terrible decisions. That is where parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers and just other church body members come into play! God has placed us together in family with teens or in a church family with teens to make a difference in their life and to help guide their literally “immature” state to a place where they can make responsible decisions that would honor God. My challenge is, find a teenager and make some effort to steer them towards the things of God!

Scotty Hayes

Youth Minister

BULLFROGS & BUTTERFLIES: New Life Journey New Believers Class designed specifically for children 1st-5th Grade

Sunday, October 20th Session 1 Sunday, October 27th Session 2

Bullfrogs & Butterflies is a new believers class for kids taught in two part sessions. It is designed to help children understand the meaning and ramifications of their salvation decision. Parents are asked to sign up their child and participate in the class with him or her for both sessions. The class is designed for children who have made a public profession of faith, who can read, write some answers, and do some directed thinking. The class will be taught by Bro. Matt and will meet in room 102 (former SCA Kindergarten room) during the Sunday School hour. If you are interested in having your child participate in this class, please visit the Welcome Center and sign-up for BULLFROGS & BUTTERFLIES: New Life Journey

Trunk or Treat Thursday October 31

5:30-8:00pm Blackshear’s Heritage Bank Parking Lot

Trunk or Treat is for any Emmanuelite wanting to be involved in the fun and interactive distribution of candy to community kids.

Participants are asked to sign up, pop open, decorate up, and man the trunks of their automobiles. All participants will be encouraged to be in place at the Heritage Bank parking lot between 4:30 and 5:30pm. The church will help provide candy for the event. Visit the Welcome Center today and sign-up for the event. We encourage trunks to be decorated but they don’t have to be and we ask that if you decorate a trunk keep it tasteful without guts, gore, and goblins.

Matt Rodgers Children’s Pastor

Women’s Ministry News

Excitement is in the air! God is doing a fresh work in the heart of his people at Emmanuel. It has been such an encouragement as I talk with women at Emmanuel to hear how God is working in their lives! As I shared at our event in September, you are a daughter of the Most High God. He has a divine plan for your life! Don't listen to the lies of the enemy but rather listen to God's truth!

Mark your calendars for our next women's ministry event, "Emmanuel's Jewels," Tuesday evening, October 15, at 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall. We will be honoring our pastors wives at this event. You must purchase a ticket to attend this event. Tickets are $8 per person and can be purchased at the Special Ministry Desk. Tickets will be sold Sunday, September 29th through Sunday, October 13th. No tickets will be sold after the 13th and you will NOT be able to

purchase a ticket at the door. The Women's Ministry Team appreciates your cooperation in purchasing tickets by the deadline.

Attention ladies that are going to Living Proof Live with Beth Moore in November, the balance due on that trip is $90. You may pay the balance in full or you can pay half now and pay the remaining balance by November 3rd. You can make payments at the special ministry desk beginning October 6th.

Sherri Robson Women Ministry

Director

CANDY DONATIONS ARE NEEDED FOR THIS EVENT. PLEASE PICK UP A BAG OR TWO AS YOU ARE OUT SHOPPING THEN BRING THEM TO CHURCH AND DROP

THEM OFF IN THE CANDY DROP BOXES LOCATED THROUGHOUT OUR CAMPUS.

Sunday Morning Session 1 9:15 am……………...…Sunday School 9:00 am…… ………....………..Worship Session 2 10:30 am…………………....….Worship 10:30 am……………....Sunday School

Sunday Evening 4:45 pm….…..GWU & Children’s Choir 5:00 pm……….…....Teachers’ Meeting Discipleship Training 6:00 pm…….…...…...Evening Worship

Monday 5:45 pm………..Church-Wide Visitation

Wednesday 6:15-7:45………………...........AWANA, Youth at The Warehouse 6:30-7:30pm.……..Pastor’s Bible Study Worship Choir Rehearsal A 7:50-9:00pm…………….Worship Choir Rehearsal B

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Lynne Dasher

2

Margie Funderburk

Katie Huff

Pamela Strickland

Jace Williams

3

Emmitt Hall

Rose Kicklighter

4

Ronnie Carter

Jerry Dickerson

Nate Gay

5

AnnaKay Boatright

Kathy Cook

6

James McGhow

7 Kevis Bennett

Thomas Dubberly

Manny Harris

Buddy Riddle

Kathy Smith

8

Patty Guy

9

Cynthia Greene

Julie Guess-Hancock

10 Tony Arnold

Susan Higginson

Blaine Paul

Mark Smith

Britton Thrift

11

Tatum Ricketson

12

Marion Thrift

13 Noble Chadwick

John Fleshman

Nicole Glaze

Tim Jarrell

Greyson Strickland

14 Tommy Day

Elizabeth Higginson

David Royster

Kara Royster

Michelle Taylor

Karly Tippins

15 16

Pam Spell

Gabrielle Stevenson

17

Jaylen Peacock

Jacob Snipes

18

Toby Crews

Kelli Moore

Michaelyn Tapley

19

Macie Herrin

Jim Hunter

20 Joyce Dixon

Tim Dixon

Jamie Lingenfelter

Amy Rediger

Donna Wallace

21

Cindy Kicklighter

22

Brantley Crosby

Martha O’Quinn

Eve Purcell

23

Mike Walker

24

Megan Brantley

Laura Wyly

25 26

Bobbi Davis

Jadison Hayes

David Herrin

Sandra Wade

27 28

Stetson Bennett

Terry Carter

29

Henry Peagler

Sis Young

30

Paul Hayes

Beth Peacock

Garrett Stevenson

31

October 2013

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 Choir Fest

6:30pm at

Sweat Memorial

Baptist Church

Waycross

4 5

6 7 8

Saints of Joy

11:00am

9 10 11 12

13

Parent/Baby

Dedication

Evening Service

14 15

Women’s Ministry

Monthly Event

6:30pm

Fellowship Hall

16 17 18 19

20

Children’s New

Believers Class

Bullfrogs &

Butterflies Session 1

21 22

Saints of Joy

Game Day

10:00am

23 24 25 26

27

Children’s New

Believers Class

Bullfrogs &

Butterflies Session 2

28 29 30 31

Trunk or Treat

5:00pm-7:00pm

October 2013

YOUTH-

FALL RETREAT OCOEE, TN

Women of Faith, Atlanta

Kim Buchanan Nursery Director

The Nursery Welcomes

What fun we have in preschool

here at Emmanuel. Recently

during God’s Kidz, we had special

visitors.

David and Goliath

showed up and

David showed out!

The Bible story of

David and Goliath

was acted out for the children and they

loved it. Come visit us to see what all the

fun is about. We have

a great time in God’s

word!! Hope to see

you Sunday!

Wendy Peacock Preschool Director

Preschool News

Where does that river go? I have a particular liking for rivers. Most of you know I am somewhat of an outdoorsman, and rivers play pretty

big into my outdoor life.

Here in South Georgia, our rivers have a swamp system associated with them, and those swamps and creeks

provide plenty of outdoor opportunities for me. It is easy to get in a river swamp system and enjoy deer hunting;

our deer thrive in that environment. There is duck hunting, God has blessed us with an abundance of wing dancing

woodies (wood ducks) that are o so hard to hit but so much fun to call and miss. Of course you have the fishing

with everything from the large-mouth bass to jack fish (chain pickerel), right on to the locally named “stump-

knockers.” It would be almost sinful for me to omit the sly Eastern turkeys that inhabit these waterway areas, my

goodness I love to get after them in a swamp.

One of the things I like about rivers though are some of the spiritual lessons they speak to us about life as we live it here on earth.

These are not lessons that are original with me, rather they are lessons that someone else has taught me and I have lived long enough

to learn the truth of them.

One of these lessons involves the general direction of my saved life. I learned this one as I read behind one of my favorite Bible

expositors and Bible commentary writers, John Phillips. Uncle John (my personal nick-name for him) pointed out in one of his

commentaries that a Christians life will inevitably resemble one of our rivers because of sin in our life, that is, there will be crooks

and bends in it. We are called to live the “straight” life, but often look back and see that our life is marred by twist, crooks, and bends

in it. Too many Christians let that defeat them in that they start to believe Satan’s lies that they are not saved. I mean, after all, a

Christian wouldn’t do things like that. The Bible teaches us something different than that though, no less than Paul himself said in

Romans 7 that he was a wretched man because he did what he didn’t want to and didn’t do what he wanted to. The Bible teaches us

that salvation won’t keep you from sinning, but it will keep you from sinning and enjoying it.

So what does the river teach us? It is this; the proof of our salvation is not in whether there are crooks and bends in our life, it is in

what the general flow of our life is toward. Here in North America almost all of our rivers have a southward flow direction, the

mouth of them is south of where they originated. There will be some crooks that may take it east, west, or even north sometimes, but

it always keeps coming back to a certain direction with its flow. That is what salvation does with us and to us in this life also. We

have some bends that take us in a different direction than toward God, but our general flow, the way we are designed, keeps bringing

us back toward God.

Of course this does not condone sin. In fact that is another lesson from the river “The thing that makes men and rivers crooked is

following the path of least resistance” (not original with me). But it does speak to the fact that if we belong to God, we are pilgrims

here and are on a journey; and that journey is toward a place; and the direction we are going in will not, indeed cannot, be changed.

That means the question we each need to ponder is this; which way is the river of your life heading?

Lynn Harris Education Pastor

Parent/Baby Dedication

Sunday Evening October 13th

Register at the nursery check in desk, or by calling the church office (449-4481)

during regular office hours.

Dear Emmanuel Baptist Church,

Thank you so much for the many prayers, cards,

encouraging works, visits to the hospital and home.

The food everyone so lovingly prepared for our family ,

we will forever be grateful. We have been blessed by

the out flowing of God’s love through you during

Zane’s sickness and Home-going Celebration. May

God bless you always,

Linda Howard & Zyna and Family

We have had two exciting months at our Saints of Joy meetings. In August, we had our

annual SOJ Talent Contest. First place winners were Mert (Mandy Snider) and Gert (Debbie

Turner) who performed a hilarious comedy routine. Second place winner was Mrs. Margie

Funderburk performing a skit about the “Out House.” Third place was Donna Hersey as she led the group in

a new hymn. Our group devotional leader Edna Dukes blessed the group in a study about giving your best to

God. It was a great day! At our September meeting we were blessed to hear Ted and Barbara Clark present a

program about the Gideon Card Program. Free cards are available for use in sending to a friend or loved

one. The card is personalized and the insert completed with how many Bibles are sent in their honor and then

the donation envelope is mailed with your gift to The Gideon’s International. Barbara reminded us that it is a

living tributes to honor others and to help the Gideon’s provide Bibles across the world. There is a card

display at the desk in the front lobby of our church. The devotion was given by Edna Dukes and was focused

on Psalm 23 verse 3b, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” It was a timely

reminder that God leads us for His Glory and that He is always by our side in times of prosperity and

trouble. Special prayer time was held for the Zane Howard family, the Rowland Smith family, Iris Wyly,

Gary Allen, Mandy Snider, the Wade McDuffie family and the EBC Revival. Our Saints of Joy group meets

the second Tuesday of each month. Many of our Senior Saints are not taking advantage of this special time

together. We all know, aging is not lost youth but a new stage of different opportunities.

Mark your calendar for October 8th at 11:00am and take advantage of our SOJ fellowship. Thought for the

month: The Bible will tell you what is wrong before you have done it! “Your Word I have hidden in my

heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

Eve Purcell Sr. Adult Director

Pierce County Nursing Home Craft Time: The second Tuesday of each month, a group of EBC

members led by Eve Purcell’s Sunday School Class visit the PCNH for an hour visiting and making crafts

with residences. The residences that attend (average 12-14 each month) really enjoy the time. There is no

preparation required except for a willing heart and a friendly smile. The next scheduled date is October 8 at

2 pm. If you can assist with this activity, please see Eve Purcell or Mandy Snider. The blessing will be yours.

Callie Grace Auldridge Born: August 27, 2013

Parents: R.J. & Samantha Auldridge