Pastor Charles’ Reflections

This morning’s scripture and devotion spoke volumes to me in light of the times in which we live. In case you missed it or even if you didn’t miss it, it deserves another consideration. The Word from God was Psalm 92. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord , and to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High; To declare Thy loving kindness in the morning, And Thy faithfulness by night, With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp; With resounding music upon the lyre. For Thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by what Thou hast done, I will sing for joy at the works of Thy hands. How great are Thy works, O Lord! Thy thoughts are very deep. A senseless man has no knowledge; nor does a stupid man understand this; That when the wicked sprouted up like grass, And all who did iniquity flourished, It was only that they might be destroyed forever. But thou O Lord, art on high forever. The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, They will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” And then the devotional thought: In its most basic form, praise reflects an attitude of gratitude which expresses itself in WORDS and ACTIONS. Words without SUPPORTING deeds rings hollow, and deeds without accompanying words are often ambiguous. True praise can’t be manufactured. Both praise and love emanate from the heart, the natural responses of the redeemed toward their Redeemer. The psalmist was in love with God, a feeling readily evident in nearly everything he says. His passion for his Creator bubbles to the surface like water gushing forth from an underground spring. Praise shouldn’t be reserved for Sunday morning worship services; rather it should be woven into the very fabric of our lives. What does your praise say about your love for Jesus? Is it a part of your everyday experience? Do you regularly talk to other people about how much Jesus has done for you? If not, why not? What will you say today that can only be described as praise to God? Praise Him regularly; it is a good thing to do. Father, I praise You. Help me show my gratitude today in every area of my life. Selah! See you Sunday as we come to praise, our Redeemer and coming Lord. In His Grip, Pastor Charles

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A “Five Finger Prayer” is neat. It is beautiful and has been used by Linda Tanner many times in her Sunday school and other classes. Eleanor Self, one of our prayer warriors at NewKirk sent it to me in February. I share it with you and you and you, for it is worth making it a part of our lives. 1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loves ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a ‘sweet duty.’ 2. The next finger is the point finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors and ministers of the gospel. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right directions. Keep them in your prayers. 3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance. 4. The next finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as many piano teachers will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain (Check our prayer list and pray over it daily.) They need our prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them. 5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Word of God says, the Bible, ‘The least shall be the greatest among you.’ Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. “Don’t tell God how big your storm is, Tell the storm how big your God is!”

Opportunities for Service in the name of our Lord Jesus:
Saturday, March 6th—Church Wide Clean Up Day at 9:00 A.M.
Sunday, March 7th— Election of Deacons. One for one year and two for three year term.
Friday, March 26th—B.B.Q Pork Day for our Youth’s Mission Trip.
Saturday, April 17th—Fund Raiser Tournament for our Youth Mission Trip-Tee time 1:00 at Pinetuck.

Inclement Weather Policy: Pastor Charles will lead our worship service on Sunday during inclement weather beginning at 11:00. For some reason, his sermons are shorter on those days. We will not have Sunday School. If you feel you can come to church without falling or having an accident, please do so and if not, please stay at home. We do not wish for anyone to get hurt by falling or having an accident. If you stay home, spend some time praying for the service and those who attend.

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering For Home Missions— March 7-28. Our goal is $1,200.00 and we will have a Mission March every Sunday in March.

Church Wide Clean Up Day March 6th beginning at 9:00. Folks, our building really needs some cleaning from the kitchen to the storage building and in between. Please make an effort to be here on Saturday, March 6th to help. In the event, you cannot come on the 6th, please set aside a day and come and clean your Sunday school class room or start cleaning anywhere there is a need.

Youth Council will meet on Sunday, March 7th at 4:15. This committee consists of Denny Saverance, Jackie and Gaylyn Massey, and Junior McWaters.

Men Of Missions Work day on March 20th beginning at 9:00. We need to finish the windows at Mrs Eleanor Self’s home.

We extend our prayers and concern to Roxie Trotter and the extended family upon the death of her 93 year old aunt Ada Mae Felder. She went to be with her Lord on Sunday. The celebration of her life was held Wednesday morning in St.George, S.C.

We rejoice and welcome Jason, Christie Adams and Britney Inglefield who become part of NewKirk’s family by transfer of their letter this past Sunday. Christie and Britney will be baptized soon. As I said Sunday, thank you Travis Jackson for inviting your friends. This is what church growth is all about, friends bringing friends.

Bryan Bogue will distribute the tickets for the BBQ to be held on March 26. The price of this year’s delicious BBQ will be $8.00. Please sell you tickets and lets have a good fund raising experience.

2010 Season of North American Missions, March 7-14—Theme: “Live with Urgency: Share God’s Transforming Power” God’s Word says in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also the Greek.” As we approach this week of prayer we are encouraging you to pray for North American Missions and our 5,600 missionaries who are serving in the United States, Canada and their territories. We fondly refer to this mission emphasis and offering as the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. The national goal is $70,000 million and our goal is $1,200.00. Luke 12:48 says: “...From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” Philippians 4:19 reads: “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Lord, all that I have comes from You. Thank you for the blessings You pour out on me. As I learn to manage what You give me, I pray that I do it responsibly and in a way that honors and glorifies You. I also pray that I grow into the one You can trust to give when You call me to do so. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Give as God has blessed you and that is all we can ask of you.

Deacon election this coming Sunday, March 7, 2010. As has been noted several times, we have five candidates to be voted on Sunday. They are Michelle Goodman, Bill Gordon, Bucky King, Denny Saverance, and Travis Jackson. We will select three deacons to serve on our Deacon Council. The total number of votes one receives will be determine whether she/he will serve a three year term or the one year term. The two top vote receivers will serve a three year term. The third highest vote receiver will serve a one year term. We ask you to prayerfully consider each candidate and ask God to lead you to the ones who will be the future “SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF OUR CHURCH,” along with our pastor. Selah!

The letter you received announcing a church conference on March 14th, as you know, did not have the drawing for a Family Life Building. This was due to the fact that the copier was producing horrible copies and we made a decision not to send a copy out. We have included a drawing in this week’s newsletter. Look over it, pray about the recommendation and come to the discussion and vote on March 14th following our morning worship. Thank you for your understanding.

Newkirk Annual Easter Egg Hunt March 27th 11-1 - We have only three weeks until our church wide Easter Egg Hunt. The committee is busy planning wonderful activities for the day. We need your help. We are requesting donations of plastic eggs and candy/prizes to stuff in the eggs. Acteens have volunteered to stuff the eggs March 24th. We will also be having a prize/bake goods walk which we will need items for that day. If you would rather make a monetary donation please see one of the members of the Children's Committee. I encourage you to invite friends and their families who do not have a church home. We look forward to a day of Christian fun and fellowship. Hope to see you there.
Newkirk Children's Committee
Melissa Jackson
Renee King
Roxie Totter
Linda Tanner

Easter Lilies this year are $12.00 and an order slip will be in this coming Sunday’s bulletin. We encourage you to give one or more in honor or memory of a loved one. They adorn and make our place of worship more beautiful during this time of the year.

OTHER MINISTERS FOR SUNDAY, March 7, 2010
Children's Church: Tara & Hayley Potter
Infants’ Nursery— Lee Ann & Kelley Seay
Usher/Greeter Teams– Keith Trotter Arlyn Dail, Mark Tucker, Jack Tucker
TELLER: March 8—Peggy Goodson

CHURCH CALENDAR
March 6—9:00—Church-Wide Clean Up
March 7—9:00—Breakfast, 9:45-S.S., 10:45-Worship/Mission March, Elect Deacons, 4:14-Youth Council, 5:00-Youth
March 8—7:00-Building & Grounds
March 9—7:00-GROW “R”
March 10—6:45-RAs, GAs, Acteens, Mission Friends, & Adult Bible Study, 7:30-Adult Choir Practice