CHURCH NEWS FOR JULY – AUGUST NEWSLETTER

CHURCH NEWS FOR JULY – AUGUST NEWSLETTER

Bethel: "It is always a joy to partner together with our sister churches to affect the Kingdom work of our Lord. On July 6 Bethel gathered with Zion*s Cause, Bethlehem, Lakeview, and Gilbertsville First at the Mike Miller Park for the Fourth of July service. We were led by Bro. Stuart Terry accompanied by Bro. Dennis Monroe in some patriotic songs. Then each pastor recognized the Veterans of each church, followed by the combined choirs* Patriotic presentation, led by Bro. Frank Sullivan. This was followed by everyone enjoying ice cream, cake, watermelon, and good fellowship among the churches. Our WMU ladies had a good meeting on July 7, and as always they do a good job of praying for, learning of, and leading us in our mission endeavors. They led us this month in our collection of the items for the Care Kits and Clothing Drive for our Association Hispanic Ministry. We are proud to announce that Bro. Stuart Terry has been called and has accepted becoming our Minister of Education as well as Music. We believe this will be such a blessing to the ministry of BBC. Our youth have been busy this past month. They had a clean-up day of a room in the activities building that is now their meeting place. They call it the *Upper Room.* They now have a name, the *God Squad.* On July 15 they enjoyed a *Movie Night* at the BCM in Murray. They are now planning ministry projects, trips, and fundraisers for the months ahead. We are very proud of our youth! We had to cancel our July Sunday School meeting, but we are continuing to pray to strengthen our Sunday School to be what it is capable of being. Our Brotherhood Breakfast was held on July 13. We had a wonderful breakfast prepared by 4 of our men who are faithful each month. Bro. Stuart Terry was our speaker and did a good job. On July 17 our *Young at Heart* had a good time on their outing to the Catfish Kitchen. They had a wonderful time of fellowship together! We are continuing to move ahead with getting the plans to build new education space in the near future. Let*s continue to pray and labor together as we join God in His work through the Blood River Baptist Association."

*SS. Avg. 92*

Bethlehem: "As always, God has come through with his promise to never let us down. Our mission team that went to Hazel Green in July was so excited when they returned home. I*m not sure they have come down off cloud nine yet. The Lord blessed all of them in so many ways - as he always does when we do His works. Our precious children are back to school now, be in prayer for them and watch for those school buses. We had a back to school bash on Sat. 8/9 for our children with lots of food, fun and games * all had a great time. On July 27th, we had a joint Sunday night service with Gilbertsville- Brother Tim sang and delivered the message to us (if only he could sing, ha.). After the service, we had a finger food*s meal with home-made ice cream. It was sooooo good. We always have a great time when we get together with Gilbertsville. God Bless everyone * hope you are having a blessed and great summer."

Dexter: "July was another wonderful month of growth and unity for Dexter. Our Sunday school classes are growing by leaps and bounds, as are the morning and Sunday night services. On the last Sunday of July, we broke a record for attendance in both the Sunday school hour and the worship service. Our Lord is truly awesome! We have established a Children*s Church for the morning services, and it, too, is growing in number each Sunday. God Bless the children! We are participating in the call for help by Bro. Tim to assist Bro. Tom Baker, who is in Poland. We have a milk jug in our foyer, and it is being filled by the generosity of our loving members. May God bless this mission. Our youth, under the guidance of Susan Adams, are planning a fun trip to Venture River in August, which is always a great day of recreation and Christian fellowship before returning to school. This has truly been a blessed and peaceful summer for Dexter, and we give honor, glory and praise to our Lord for blessing us so abundantly."

*S.S. Avg. Attn: 44

Elva: "We had a great month of July. Our VBS was really special this year. The children enjoyed the theme and we had lots of good help. We celebrated Homecoming last week with the Liberty Boys and Bro. Joel Frizzell as our guests. We had a good attendance and great fellowship. Our last trip to Ronald McDonald House was such a blessing, we have another trip planned for November. Our fall revival will be Oct. 12-15 with Bro. Tim Cole as our evangelist."

Grace: "Greetings from Grace Baptist Church! We kicked off the month with our *Homecoming Celebration* on Sunday, July 6th, with a great sermon, lots of good food and a concert by Mitchel Jon. Continued with our pastor and several laymen traveling to East Kentucky along with workers from other churches on a mission trip where the Lord blessed their endeavors. A report was given to the church on Sunday evening upon their return. We are continuing to collect *Beans and Franks* for the Backpack program through the Murray Need Line, which we will continue to do through the school year. A churchwide cookout, along with children*s basketball was held on July 26th with 30 or so taking part. The Senior Adults enjoyed a meal at Willow Pond on July 12th. Looking ahead we are planning a *Worship In the Park* on Sunday September 14th, at the Courthouse Pavilion (new city park). There will be a cookout, fellowship and music by the Dills. Brother Dean Cook will be the guest speaker. If you would like to be a part of *Operation Deployment inspiration the following websites *www.military prayers.com* and *www.surprisedbyprayer.com* are websites with a mission: to provide short prayers, devotions and Scripture passages suitable for our military men and women in combat zones to use as prayers of protection, strength, courage, guidance and wisdom when going about daily missions. They can be used privately or shared aloud with a group."

*S.S. Avg. Attn: 130, 7 additions by Baptism, 2 by Letter.

New Bethel: "Hello again from New Bethel. July 1, our Young at Heart Seniors traveled to Dumplin's in Murray for their monthly outing & had a great time. July 6, we observed the Lord's Supper, an ordinance of our Lord Jesus to those who believe in Him, in the evening service. July 12, we had our VBS kick-off & then VBS July 13-17, with commencement on July 18. Everyone involved with VBS had a great time, with total attendance of 451 (kids, teachers & helpers) & 31 being visitors. Offerings collected during VBS totaled close to $450, which will be used in Dec. by our AWANA kids to buy Christmas presents for one or more needy families. July 13, one of our young fellows, Braden Black, was baptized after earlier professing Christ Jesus as his Lord & Savior. That's what it's all about-people getting saved! July 27, our evening service was held at Mike Miller Park, with food & fellowship afterwards. It was a little warm, but everyone had a good time. Our Wet & Wild Bible Days summer activities for the kids has been a great success, with a lot of wet kids & adults also & a bible lesson to boot. Our AWANA program will be starting back up on Aug. 17. Pastor Mark Mohler continues to bless us with God's Word. It's a real blessing to have him, Shawna, Garrett & Emma here at New Bethel."

*S. S. Avg. Attn: 99, 1 addition by baptism

Pleasant Valley: "Things are up and running, back to school has a way of doing that this time of year. We need to pray for our teachers, school staff and bus drivers, and watch for the children and buses. We had a Fish Fry at Miller Park the last of July, the day started out really hot, but God blessed with a short, strong shower and cooler temperatures. The thermometer dropped about 15 degrees in less than an hour's time. Approximately 80 people enjoyed great food, fellowship and a beautiful evening. The first part of August, 45 people went to Venture River, a fun time was had by all that made the trip. Some came back a little sunburned! Summer Co-ed Softball just wrapped up, we may not have been the top team, but we had a blast. Thank you fans for your support! Matter of fact we had so much fun, we're going to play the Fall season of Co-ed Softball. Team stats were handed out Sunday, pretty impressive you all!! At the time of this writing, we're planning a "Ladies Night". The ladies will be treated to a catered meal (a night away from the kitchen). Our exercise class will be meeting again soon, as well as, the sign language group. Please come worship with us anytime."

*S.S. Avg. Attn: 68

Sharpe: "July was a month filled with blessings and fellowship at Sharpe! Bro. Kevin took our *LLL Club* (Seniors Group) to the amazing Creation Museum and Newport Aquarium in Hebron, KY. They also went on visitation as well as attended their monthly breakfast at Lacey*s and Ham and Bean Dinner in Calvert. Bro. Chris and several adults took our youth to church camp in Elizabethtown, and two of our teenagers were saved! Praise the Lord! During Wednesday night Bible study, the youth group wrote out their testimonies and shared them with friends. Another precious soul was saved as a result! Hallelujah! Bro. Tim took our *Kids for Christ* to Maggie*s Jungle Golf for their monthly fellowship. This month the KFC kids gave $188 to missions! Way to go! The Sharpe/Possum Trot Fire Department paid a visit to our kids during Bro. Tim*s sermon on being eternal firefighters. The kids had a wonderful time while learning about the eternal significance of sharing Jesus with others. Also this month, our congregation was blessed as Bro. Chris brought a series of sermons on the victory we have in Christ*s resurrection. July welcomed 6 new members (4 by baptism and 2 by letter) to our family at Sharpe. God is good, all day, everyday!"

*S.S. Avg.: 148*

Sinking Spring: "After much prayer for our Revival it ended July 30th. We were SO BLESSED to of had Bro. Monte Hodges from Briensburg Baptist. The Spirit was very strong!! Our Church also took part in the Back to School Blast this month. We donated school items for Children in need. What a great mission project. We are excited about the upcoming month. We are praying for our Budget and Nominating Committees as they meet to decide the business of the Church for the next year. Remember what 1 Cor. 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.' Till next month pray for each other & remember God is in control."

Spring Creek: "Spring Creek had a wonderful revival with Bro. Dean Cook as evangelist, July 27-30. Thanks to all who supplied special music. Four were baptized on Sunday, August 3rd. We join with Grace Baptist Church in the loss of a precious friend. Nell Underhill attended Spring Creek for many years before moving her membership into town. She was a blessing to all of us. During that time she had perfect Sunday School attendance. When she could not get to Spring Creek because of the weather, she would go to Grace. When she moved her membership, it was our loss and their gain. Nell loved her Lord, and did not mind telling you about it. She will be missed and her family has our prayers. May God bless you. "

Symsonia: "We will be celebrating Homecoming August 3rd. Our Youth Leader, Bro. Paul Wilkerson will be our speaker and The Smith Brothers will be singing followed by a meal in the Fellowship Hall. Our Sunshine Friends are busy again collecting school supplies for area Resource Centers and for Operation: Christmas Child."

*S.S. Avg. Attn: 98**

Union Ridge: "The Lord has truly blessed us at Union Ridge this summer, beginning with a great VBS the first week of June. We had a good attendance of children and lots of willing, dedicated teachers & workers. We had 5 young people come to know the Lord as Saviour during the week. The church sent two of our young ladies, Adrienne Henson & Nicole Boren on the Gap Mission Trip to Eastern KY, with a group from New Zion. Our church invited the team to visit with us on a Sunday evening & share the work they did & the blessings they received through this effort. We welcomed 10 additions to our church during June & July, 8 for baptism & 2 by letter. We are looking forward to our annual Memorial Day/Homecoming Service on Sept. 7 with Bro. John Sheppard as guest speaker at the 11 a.m. service. A potluck dinner will be served at the noon hour, with special music in the afternoon. This is a joint service with Union Ridge Methodist Church, our neighbors across the road, as our guests. This event is for maintenance and upkeep of the Union Ridge Cemetery. We are very thankful for our dedicated pastor, Bro. George and his wife, Joan, as they serve the Lord her with us."

Vanzora: "Vanzora started to feel more like Hawaii during July as decorating began for our Outrigger Island Vacation Bible School. We had a great VBS with a total enrollment of 146 and average attendance of 111. The greatest blessing of the week came when Tatum Willis accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The buildings and classrooms have returned to normal, but we hope the spirit and lessons of VBS will continue to grow in the lives of the children and adults for years to come. Activities for the youth and children continued in early August with the 10th being Kids Sunday. The kids helped with the services * greeting, leading singing, announcements, choir * and after church they had a great time with super soaking water games. I think a few adults got soaked too. We pray for all the children in our communities as they return to school for another year. Our next activity will be a trip to the Corn Maze in Metropolis on August 23rd."

Walnut Street: "Happy Birthday America. Hope everyone had a safe and wonderful 4th. We had two ladies from our church to retire from Alcan. Good luck to Brenda Lovett and Linda Spears. I'm sure they will have plenty of things to keep them busy. Mrs Angela Bowlin has started a Praise and Worship team. It is for ages 5 and up to young adults who like to sing. They are meeting on Wednesday nights before church. A special thanks goes out to Angela for starting this up. On the 13th we held a baptism for our newest member, Steven Klepfer. This young man is a blessing to our church. A special prayer goes out to the family of Andrew Johnson. He was killed in an golf cart accident. He would have been a sixth grader at Benton Middle School. He was a truly special person. He touched a lot of lives and left behind numerous friends that will miss him dearly. We also need to remember Gunner Gillespie and his family. He is still in need of our prayers. Seems our prayer list gets longer and longer, but we have to remember things happen for a reason and God is in control and he knows our every need. There are several things coming up in August and since school will be starting back we will be starting the Feed The Kids night. We will begin doing this in September, the second Wednesday of every month. Can't wait for that to start again. The kids have been asking when it is starting back up. Please remember all the military people and pray that God brings them all home safe. Our church is still sending over care packages. God bless everyone."

West Fork: "There is a time to laugh & a time to cry! Our crying time came as we said goodbye to Mrs. Cozy Garland, a very faithful member to her church & the WMS. Our laughter came as we witnessed two young ladies of the church exchange their wedding vows, Brittany Lamb to Mac Bucy & Amanda Greer to Chad Young. Now we pray for Christian homes for them. The WMS are putting the finishing touches on our Operation Christmas Shoe Boxes. We provided canned drinks, snack cakes & care kits for the hispanic workers in our area. On July 13, Jimmy Greer was commissioned by the church before he left for Hazel Green. On the 20, a Back to School Fair was held in the FLC & many children of the community were helped with school supplies. A good group of younger kids & older youth went to the 'Crossings' this year. Five of the youth were saved & some rededication was made. July 26, the Senior Adults went to Lambert's for food & fellowship. Welcome to our fellowship, Celia & Carston Murphy by baptism July 27. We praise & thank God for His love.

*S.S. Avg. Attn: 78, 2 additions by baptism

CHURCH BUDGET GIFTS:

July 2008

Altona.......................... $923.20

Bethel............................ 399.00

Bethlehem...................... 279.30

Blood River................... 225.00

Briensburg..................... 843.48

Cherry Corner............... 530.47

Coldwater........................ 50.00

Dexter............................. 50.00

East Marshall................... 30.00

Elva................................. 73.16

Flint............................... 168.03

Gilbertsville First.............. 70.33

Grace............................ 291.20

Hamlet........................... 594.61

Hazel............................. 150.00

Kirksey.......................... 378.00

Lakeview....................... 238.00

Ledbette............................ 0.00

Locust Grove................... 81.30

Memorial....................... 542.70

New Bethel.................... 750.00

New Harmony............... 772.04

New Mt. Carmel............ 200.00

New Providence................ 0.00

New Zion...................... 490.00

Northside....................... 988.67

Oak Grove.................... 469.54

Olive.............................. 322.59

Owens Chapel............... 300.00

Pleasant Hope................ 200.00

Pleasant Valley............... 125.00

Salem................................ 0.00

Scotts Grove.................. 261.53

Sharpe........................ 1,560.21

Sinking Spring................ 260.00

Spring Creek................. 250.00

Sugar Creek.................. 200.00

Symsonia........................... 0.00

Union Ridge................... 251.45

Vanzora......................... 264.00

Walnut Street................. 638.95

West Fork......................... 0.00

TOTAL.................. $14,221.76

Over Monthly Budget by $2,449.28

Year to Date: -$509.30

JULY NEWSLETTER

JULY NEWSLETTER

Bethel: "It is always a joy to partner together with our sister churches to affect Kingdom work. Our pastor completed a series of messages on the family last month. We believe the family is so important to what God is doing at Bethel Baptist Church. We had 9 men of our Brotherhood to assemble together to build a shed for one of our members last month. Bro. Calvin Wilkins served as our Project Director. He says ‘thanks’ to all who helped with this project. Our WMU ladies continue to meet on the first Monday of each month. They do such a good job of praying for missions and leading BBC in mission projects. On June 7, we had our Spring Fish Fry and it was well attended. Thanks to all who helped to make it a success. On June 12 our ‘Young at Heart’ had a good number to go to the Olive Garden to eat. We had a wonderful time of fellowship together! We recognized our Fathers in attendance on Father’s Day. We are grateful for Godly fathers! Our Monthly Sunday School Worker’s Meeting on June 18 was well attended. We are continuing to pray to strengthen our Sunday School to be what it is capable of being. We are now meeting with our youth and planning some things each month and trying to encourage them to faithful to their Lord in their service to Him. On June 29, our Fifth Sunday service was moved to the Activities Building where Bro. Stuart, our Minister of Music, our musicians, and our choir blessed our hearts with some patriotic songs followed by an ice cream/cake fellowship. There were a good number who attended this event. We thank Bro. Stuart, our musicians, and our choir for their work to be a blessing! We are continuing to move ahead with getting the plans to build new education space in the near future. Let’s continue to pray and labor together as we join God in His work through the Blood River Baptist Association."

SS. Avg. 87 Baptism 1, Letter 2, Statement 1

Bethlehem: "How wonderful the last two months have been. May was the month to celebrate our Mothers, and we did so with a Mother- Daughter banquet, which was just beautiful. Then in June came our Dad’s turn, we had a Father-Son banquet for them also. Sons and Dads were asked to tell of a special past event with each other and it was just awesome. Many of our parents have passed away and it was a day of remembrance for us. Relay for Life really had its problems this year with the weather and all, but everyone still knew what they were there for and made the best of a bad situation. I know a lot of prayers were sent up that night. Another success story for VBS. We were a little short on kids this year but we all had a wonderful time. Children never cease to amaze me as to how much they can learn is such a short time. You think they are not listening, but just ask them a question and the answer pops right out. Please do not forget to pray for our teams that have gone on the mission trip to Hazel Green in Eastern KY. I’m sure their trip will be successful and the Lord will bless them in every way. Pray that soles will be saved & everyone will be safe. Last, but definitely not least, we want to let Brother Jack know how much we love and appreciate him. This month (July), eleven years ago, the good Lord smiled on us and sent him to Bethlehem to be our pastor. We are so thankful for Brother Jack and his family. Happy Anniversary and God Bless!!"

Dexter: "Greetings from Dexter Baptist Church! June was a busy month for us, as we celebrated Father’s Day with special recognition to our dads, grandfathers and great-grandfathers by presenting them with a token of our deep and loving appreciation. Rolling in right behind Father*s Day was the week of Vacation Bible School, which was a fantastic success! Our attendance averaged 92 per night and the children collected $165.82 that was sent to St. Jude’s Children*s Hospital. Praise God for all His blessings, and our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who helped make Dexter’s VBS such a great success. We celebrated Youth Sunday by honoring the members of the Christian Youth Group who had completed their course studies by presenting them with a certificate and everyone enjoyed the potluck that was held following the morning service. A church singing was held that evening, which is always a wonderful way to praise and honor our Lord! We look forward to the summer months and all the blessings that our Father has planned for DBC."

Grace: "God is good all the time and he is so good to us here at Grace Baptist. We had an awesome Vacation Bible School June 16-20th. Average attendance was 96 with a Missions Offering of $704.05. We received $527.58 for the LifeHouse Crisis Pregnancy Center through the ‘Baby Bottle Campaign’. The Children*s Department enjoyed an outing at Nashville Shores on Saturday, June 28th. We are continuing to collect ‘Beans & Franks’ for the Backpack Program through Needline. This program will provide backpacks filled with meals that the children can prepare themselves on the weekends. A church-wide Move Night featuring Fly Wheel was held on June 7th with popcorn, drinks and finger foods. Fathers in the church were recognized on Father’s Day, June 15th. The Oldest Father, the Youngest Father and the Father with the most children were recognized and presented with a gift. A fun-filled afternoon was enjoyed on May 18th at a Mother-Daughter Tea sponsored by the Baptist Women Organization. A Bible Study entitled ‘Discerning the Voice of God’ has been enjoyed by ladies in the church. Also the monthly Bible Study at!:00 P.M. on Monday is continuing. Be in prayer for the entire volunteer groups who will be going to Eastern Kentucky on a Mission Trip in July. A Mission’s Fair is scheduled for Saturday, August 9th. “

S.S. Average Attn. 124, 5 additions by letter, 9 by baptism.

Locust Grove: "Locust Grove kicked the month of June into high gear with our youth going to World Changers in Owensboro, KY. A group of 13 went to serve and came back and reported to the church some great things. Many of our students had the opportunity to go door to door evangelizing and have started a new missions/service ministry L.U.V (Locust Grove Youth Vision). Our church lost a good brother and deacon of 40 plus years June 7, 2008 as Mr. John Lassiter went to be with our LORD. He will be greatly missed by us all. We had a great Father's Day Sunday morning attendance of around 80 plus as the pastor preached a message "Becoming An Iron Man." The month ended with a combined 5th Sunday night singing at Cherry Corner. Thanks to Bro. Tom Mathis and Sandy Forest for the invite. The ice cream, cookies, and fellowship was great! Walk on with our LORD Brothers and Sisters!"

New Bethel: "June was another great month here & hopefully for all God's people everywhere. Since AWANA has dismissed for the summer, Sun. evening services for the kids has been a couple of Wet & Wild Bible Days (kids love to get wet & to get adults wet is even better), a craft night & a movie night, with more of these types of fun things planned for the rest of the summer (with a Bible lesson also involved). June 3, our Young at Heart Seniors went to Pizza Inn in Paducah for their monthly outing & had some food pizza & great fellowship. June 8, we had an ice cream social after the evening service with everybody bringing their favorite flavor homemade ice cream desserts with lots of fun & fellowship & there was also a pounding for the pastor & his family on this day. June 9-13, was Centri-Kid Camp in Jackson, TN with fun & memories galore. June 13-14, several of our ladies attended a Women of Faith Conference in St. Louis & had a wonderful time. June 15, on Father's Day we recognized all our fathers by canceling the evening service so that everyone could spend some time with their dads, & gave praise & glory to our Heavenly Father for all the wonderful blessings He fill our lives with. He's our Heavenly Father, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Master & Savior."

S. S. Avg. Attn: 91

New Zion: "We began the month of June with our 'Cactus Canyon' VBS. This year's VBS was a great success and to make it more memorable, we had one child who came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and was saved. The following week, we sent a team of 17 along with 2 from Union Ridge & 1 from Briensburg to GAP in McDowell, KY. God provided every step of the way & we know that our church was in the center of His will for this missionary journey. The trip was life-changing for all who went & the report to the church the following Sunday was very edifying & praiseworthy. The month continued with our 116th Homecoming celebration on the 22. The church was packed to hear the McManus' sing & former pastor Mike Littrell bring the message. As usual, the food & fellowship were great. Looking toward July, we are excited to have 16 youths & leaders going to church camp & we know that the Lord will work mightily in their hearts & minds. It's hard to believe the summer break is already winding down. We know that as school begins, things will only get busier. May the Lord priortize our lives through His sanctifying power."

S.S. Avg. Attn: 110, 1 addition by baptism

Oak Grove: "Our God is a AWESOME GOD! What a wondered month it has been. We are truely blessed each day. Oak Grove has been growing. Since our newsletter last month we have had 20 people join our church...and six of them were saved!! We've had 103 in sunday school the past two weeks. The church is packed on Sunday Mornings. It's truely amazing to watch God at work. 9 of our youth and 3 adults just got back from a mission trip to Nancy, KY. They put on a VBS for a church. They had 26 kids attend. One teenage girl accepted Jesus as her Saviour!! Our pastor Bro. Dean and Jimmy Stephenson will be going on the Mission Trip to Hazel Green. Be in prayer from them on their trip and that they may touch lives. Our VBS will be July 7th through the 11th from 6:00-8:30. We are looking forward to touch kids lives and tell them about Jesus. God Bless!"

S.S. Avg.: 99 13 additions by letter, 7 by baptism

Pleasant Valley: "WOW!! what a month! VBS just blew us away this year. Our largest VBS in church history, we had a high attendance of 108 on Friday night with an average attendance of 101.5 (we're still looking for that half a kid, Ha Ha!) The VBS offering of $362.96 will be donated to mission work. Now to the really awesome part of VBS....3 saved!! During the Sunday Night Commencement Kristen Ellenberger joined on promise of Baptism. A little later Douglas Runkle and his brother, D. J., asked to talk with Bro. Holland and both were saved. They also joined, the next Sunday, on promise of Baptism. Hallelujah!! The Sunday School Traveling Contacts plaque went to the Adult Men's class for the month of June. Way to go, Keep up the Good work. Sunday, July 6th Judge Jack Telle spoke about his Faith and his work. He was very interesting and informative. Thank you Judge Telle for worshipping with us, we appreciate all you do. We're pleased to share that our pastor, Bro. Duane Holland, was recognized at the July Board meeting for his service and received a plaque. This past Sunday we welcomed 2 new members, Billy and Sharon Price, we look forward to worshipping together. In the way of upcoming events, we are planning a Fish Fry at Miller Park and the youth will be going to Venture River very soon. Our doors are always open, come worship with us and watch God at work as we continue to grow. We'll be looking for you."

S.S. Avg.: 68 3 by baptism, 2 by letter

Sharpe: "June was a busy month at Sharpe! Our members of the Montana mission team returned home on June 5th. The construction projects were successful, and VBS was held for the kids on the reservation. Many attended and heard God’s message through lessons, music, puppets and crafts. The mission team was truly blessed and hopes to return to Ft. Belknap! Bro. Tim took our ‘Kids For Christ’ kids to the Nashville Zoo to see God’s creations. They passed out sack lunches there as well. Our VBS was great! The kids loved visiting ‘Outrigger Island’. Most importantly, two precious souls were saved. Praise the Lord! Bro. Chris challenged the kids to bring $500 total offering and during commencement, Bro. Tim challenged the parents to match the children’s offering, and those challenges were surpassed! The offering totaled over $1,400 and was given to Sunrise Children’s Home. The result of the challenge was Bro. Chris and Bro. Tim kissing a mule! Also this month, our youth started a new study on Wednesday nights entitled, ‘Learning How to Share My Faith’. We are looking forward to what God is going to do through our young people. God is good, all day, everyday!"

Sinking Spring: "As June came to a close we had another great month in the Lord. We celebrated Fathers Day by having a all men choir plus handing out handkerchiefs. Our Ladies had their Secret Pal reveal supper. They sure have a great time surprising each other with gifts. We rounded out the month with our Fifth Sunday night singing. We are blessed with alot of talented people in our Church. We are so excited about July. We will be having our Revival July 27th-30th. Bro. Monte Hodges will be bringing the message. We have been in prayer for Bro. Monte and hope all of you will also pray for him as he comes to speak. Times will be 11am and 6pm Sunday and 7pm. Monday-Wednesday. Hope to see you all there. Till next month, God Bless each of you."

Spring Creek: "Spring Creek is looking forward to Revival July 27-30 with Bro Dean Cook of Oak Grove Baptist Church, Sunday at 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM Monday through Wednesday is 7:00 nightly. Special music each night. Everyone welcome. Our Homecoming will be on September 21st. All are welcome."

Symsonia: "Our Vacation Bible School got off to a great start! Sunday night was our VBS Kickoff with games for the kids and lots of food for everyone. We enrolled 80 children and had 2 professions of faith. Our Youth recently returned from X-Fuge Camp. They’re already looking forward to next year’s camp. We want to welcome our newest members of Symsonia Baptist: Loren Shelton, Emily Cornwell, and Taylor Thompson."

S.S. Avg.: 100 3 additions by baptism

Vanzora: "One of the charter members of Vanzora Baptist Church went home to be with the Lord in June. Bro. Robert Lee Burd passed away on June 23rd. Also during June, we had a special guest speaker from the Sunrise Childrens Home, Cory Samsil, share about this great ministry on Sunday evening June 15th. We were very blessed to have two men of our church bring the messages on Sunday June 22nd for Baptist Mens Day. We are so grateful to Bro Jimmy Duncan and Bro Philip Jarvis for all that they do here at Vanzora. We will be in prayer this month for two mission groups; one from the Blood River Assoc and their trip to Hazelgreen KY and one of our members, Loretta Thompson, will be traveling with a group to Logan Ohio. We are looking forward to our upcoming Vacation Bible School. Our kick-off will be a Luau on Saturday July 19th @ 6:00pm, with Outrigger Island VBS Monday July 21st to Friday July 25th from 6:00 to 8:30 each evening. Everyone is invited to join us and we will have classes for nursery to youth."

Walnut Street: "What a month June turned out to be here at Walnut Street Baptist Church. We kicked the month off by having Vacation Bible School from June 1st thru June 4th. What a great time was had by everyone. There was lots of singing, learning and fellowship. Blessings were had by everyone. One night Harry Green brought over one of the city's fire trucks for everyone to see. The kids got to sit inside and to also climb around on it. Even some "big" kids got to climb on it to. A special thanks goes to Harry for this adventure. We want to thank all the cooks, helpers, teachers and everyone that had a part in making this years VBS a success. Can't wait till next year. Then on June the 7th we had 20 people to go to Monticello KY for Ky Changers. They got to work on several projects. They returned on June the 14th. Then on the 15th they shared their experiences with the church. We always look forward to this day. Not sure who gets the most blessing out of this trip, our group that goes or the ones that they get to witness to. Its a blessing to everyone. The group are already talking about next year. June the 15th was also Father’s Day so we took a moment to say a special thanks to all the dads, for everything that they do for us. Our church also held two weddings in June. We want to send special prayers out to each couple that God blesses their marriage and that they have a long and happy one. We have several people that are on our prayer list that are sick or have lost loved ones this past month. We pray for each and everyone. God knows our struggles and may he bless each one. Just remember that God is in control and we have to keep our faith and our eyes on him. A special pray goes out to Heather Caraway, Bro Joel and Kathy. We all love you. On June 22nd there was a Birthday Celebration held for May Helen Gregory in our activity building. She was 90 yrs young."

S.S. Avg.: 79

JUNES NEWSLETTER

JUNES NEWSLETTER

Dexter: "The month of May brought many blessings to Dexter; namely, Bro. Deweys health has been restored and he is back in the pulpit. We are so grateful for Gods loving care and watchful eye. We are also happy to announce that the congregation has voted Bro. Dewey in as our full-time pastor! We consider this as a double blessing from our Lord. Dexter is also experiencing a remarkable growth in Sunday services, including Sunday night, and our Christian Youth Group continues to flourish under the guidance of Dickey Dumas. We celebrated Mothers Day by presenting each mother attending the morning service with a small token of appreciation. We are working hard on organizing VBS, which will be held June 16-19, and are anticipating a wonderful week working with the youth of our church and community. Our thanks go to Susan Adams for all the hard work she is doing to make sure this is the best VBS in the history of Dexter Baptist Church. The congregation is also participating in the Life House Baby Bottle Campaign, and will be collecting money for this worthwhile ministry until Fathers Day. The Lord has surely blessed us and we are so grateful to Him that provides all."

S.S. Avg. Attn: 44

Elva: "During May, we honored our graduates and our mothers. Our Senior Soldiers went to Audubon State Park in Henderson. Our youth are planning a Hillbilly Cookout for next weekend. Bro. Eugene Powell has supplied several Sundays for Bro. Mike and we have been blessed by his inspired sermons. We are also busy getting ready for VBS the last week in July."

Grace: "Happy summer from Grace Baptist Church. Again, May was a busy, but a good month at Grace. We honored our mothers on Mothers Day, the oldest, the youngest and the one with the most children. Also on Mothers Day there was a Baby Dedication, dedicating five babies to the Lord and to his service. Our graduates were recognized and honored on May 18th with a dinner immediately after the morning service. We enjoyed a concert on Sunday evening May 25th by Mitchel Jon. We are participating in Baby Bottles for LifeHouse. Baby bottles are distributed on Mothers Day to be filled with change and pray for the baby who has their name on the bottle. They will be returned on Fathers Day. This supports LifeHouse Crisis Pregnancy Center. Sixty-Eight (68) bottles of dishwashing liquid was collected for the Eastern Kentucky Missions Campaign in July. The WMU is continuing to collect Beans & Franks for the Backpack Program to help Need Line provide food for children for the weekend when school resumed. Looking forward to VBS, June 16th through the 20th. Also the Childrens Department is planning a Missions Fair on August 9th."

S.S. Average Attn. 123, 2 additions by letter, 3 by baptism.

Locust Grove: "We thank our Lord Jesus for our godly mothers! We began the month with a special National Day Of Prayer service. Our senior adult Sunday was denim Sunday and we had a great crowd sporting their jeans etc... On Mother's Day we honored our youngest and oldest mothers, and the pastor preached a message "Not The Mama" about Jezebel. We want to welcome Erica Hagan, Regina O'Neil, and Corey and Heather Sanderson to our church fellowship. The pastor began a new series entitled Lost: Discovering Meaning In Life based on the ABC show Lost. We concluded the month with our annual youth yard sale fundraiser. Our youth will be going to World Changers next month. We hope that the Lord Jesus is shining through all our churches in the Association! God Bless!"

4 additions by letter

New Bethel: "Hello again from New Bethel. May 4, in the evening service, AWANA awards were presented to all the deserving youngsters who participated in this great program, & this concludes AWANA until school starts back in the fall. May 6, our Young At Heart Seniors went to Taylor's in Calvert City for their monthly outing & had some great food & fellowship. May 11 was Mother's Day & what a wonderful blessing God has given us in our mothers & grandmothers-theirs are truly the hands that rock the world. We thank all you mothers & grand- mothers for everything you do for us & we love you all! May 18, in the evening service, we honored our graduates & all those moving up to a higher level of education & also those receiving New Bethel Scholarships - afterwards there was a church wide finger food time of fellowship with family & friends also invited, & it was just a great time & congratulations to all who moved up. May 20, several of our ladies attended a Ladies Conference in Princeton & had a wonderful time, & some of these same ladies will be attending a Women of Faith Conference in St. Louis May 13-14. Our God is an awesome God & everything we do should lift up & glorify His Holy Name."

S. S. Avg. Attn: 102

New Zion: "The month of May was extremely busy due to remodeling of our classrooms in the basement. As this project draws to a close, we are excited about the improvement this will make in our educational mission. During May, we also ended the school year with a recognition of Tiffany Gold, who graduated High School. Our youth group went on a fishing trip May 17 and we are excited about our group and the growth we are seeing. Our 'Cactus Canyon' VBS Round-up was held May 31 and we are excited about this year's VBS on June 1-5. We are also praying & preparing to send a mission team from our church to G.A.P. in McDowell, KY to do VBS on June 8-14 & minister in the community. Just a couple of more notes to pass along: Ernestine Staples will be celebrating her 90th birthday on July 4 & our annual Homecoming celebration will be June 22 this year."

S.S. Avg. Attn: 91

Sinking Spring: "Another month has come and gone and what a great time we had serving our LORD! On Mothers Day we had the women wear aprons that had a special meaning to them and sing in the Choir. Sounded like songbirds singing Hymns that morning. They also shared memories of why that was their favorite aprons. Lots of good memories. Our Church honored our high school graduates this month, presenting them with a Bible. We also had a Memorial Day cookout with hamburgers, hotdogs and all the sides. We had a great time of fellowship in the Lord's house. We want to continue to be in Prayer for all those that are still sick and have lost loved ones. No burden will be too great. God will always take care of HIS CHILDREN! Till next month, God Bless."

Spring Creek: "We lost a dear Brother in Christ in May, when Mr J. I. Patton went home to be with his Lord. A tape was played at his funeral of him singing a song he had written. We thank Bro. Tim Cole for sharing some precious moments with us at the funeral. We have been busy with two of our youth graduating from Calloway County High School Congratulations to Kelsey and Tom Watson, for jobs well done. The men of the church had a clean up day on May 17th and a tree was planted in memory of Hub McClure. We are preparing for a wonderful week-end Vacation Bible School on June 28-29. On Saturday (28th ) from 9 am to 2 pm and during the Sunday School hour on the 29th, and ending with a ceremony and fellowship on Sunday night. All are invited."

Vanzora: "Another dear church member went home to be with the Lord in May. Bro. Leonard Gamble, a deacon at Vanzora, passed away on May 2nd. Also during May, our youth enjoyed trips with the older youth going to Lamberts and bowling while the younger youth went to Glow Golf and Pizza Inn. We were glad to host the monthly Blood River Baptist Association meeting on May 8th and honored all of our mothers on Mother's Day May 11th. Our annual Homecoming services were held on Sunday June 1st with Bro George Culp Jr bringing the message and special music with The Farmers. We had great attendance and a wonderful day of fellowship. Our Relay for Life team raised over $2000 for the American Cancer Society this year. The storms cut the Relay night short, but thankfully no one was hurt. Sunday June 15th we honored all of our fathers for Father's Day. We are looking forward to Baptist Men's Day on Sunday June 22nd, with Bro Jimmy Duncan and Bro Philip Jarvis bringing the messages. Plans are also underway for our Outrigger Island Vacation Bible School July 21st to 25th from 6:00 to 8:30 each night."

Walnut Street: "May was a very busy month for our church. Homecoming was held Sunday May 4th. Our church was orgainzed in March 1961 then was moved to our present location in Sept 1972. There have been many changes over the years and many lives have been touched along the way. Bro Barry Smith brought our message for Homecoming. Then the Lonnie Smith family blessed us with singing. Afterwards there was a meal held for everyone. Everyone went out of their way to make this a great homecoming. Our church is truly blessed. On Sunday mornings in April our directory committee was on hand to make appointments for pictures to be taken for our new church directory. Then the pictures were taken on May 15th, 16th and 17th. Thanks goes out to everyone that helped to make this a success. Thanks also goes out to Bunk for his homemade pimento cheese and for Prather for his pies. There were no leftovers!! The committee will be getting back together to finish up, then the directories will be coming out soon. The Old But Serious fed the kids once again. This will be the last one until school starts back up in September. Thanks goes out to the group for making this a success. Graduation was held this month and there were several graduates from our church. We wish each & everyone a very bright & blessed future. Our church will be having several weddings this month. May God bless each one as they move into a new life together. On Sunday May 11th we took a moment to remember our Mothers. Then on Sunday night May 11th we were blessed with having Bro Tim Cole speak to us on the things that are going on with The Blood River Association. They have several trips planned in the next couple of months. We pray for each one to be a success. June is looking to be a very busy month at our church. Please continue to pray for the ones that are sick or have lost loved ones."

S.S. Avg. Attn: 100

LATE NEWS:

LATE NEWS:

Union Ridge: "What a truly awesome God we have! We have been abundantly blessed here at Union Ridge in the month of June. Our recent VBS adventure to 'Outrigger Island' was nothing short of successful. We had 92 total enrolled throughout the week, with our average attendance in the 70's each evening. But the best thing hands down that happened at VBS was that we had 5 kids trust Christ! That makes all of the effort so much sweeter to see that kind of fruit for the labor. That week we also collected toys, lots of Dawn Dishwashing soap, along with bibles and money, and Nicole Boren & Adrienne Henson took that with them when they attended the recent GAP Mission trip to McDowell, KY. They had a great week and they, along with the team from New Zion that also attended the trip, will share a slide show with us soon about their trip. The months of May and June have also been busy with Mother's Day, honoring our graduating seniors, and most recently Father's Day. We thank God for our godly mother's and father's, and ask His richest blessings on our graduates. God has been so good to us, as always, and we are seeing our numbers increase week after week, and have added several the the past 2 weeks to our church family by both baptism and by letter, with several more being baptised in the coming week."

S. S. Attendance 48

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APRIL NEWSLETTER

APRIL NEWSLETTER

Bethel: "Nehemiah said, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). That being so, we do not want to lose the joy of serving our Lord! It is a joy to partner together with our sister churches to affect Kingdom work. Our Brotherhood is continuing to collect toys and dish washing liquid for Gods Appalachian Partnership in McDowell, Kentucky. It is going really good! We are also collecting canned goods and toiletries for our Marshall County Needline. On March 4 we had 9 to attend the Closing the Back Door conference at Rosebower Baptist. It was very informative and inspirational. Our third Monthly Sunday School Workers Meeting on March 12 was well attended. We are continuing to pray to strengthen our Sunday School to be what it is capable of being. Our Young at Heart had a good number to go to Ryans in Murray to eat. They always have a wonderful time together! Bethel hosted 4 of the Upward Basketball games in connection with Zions Cause on March 8. We believe God is using Upward to get the church into the community and the community in the church! It went great! On March 16 in our evening worship, Zions Cause Baptist and Bethel Baptist choirs joined together to present our Easter Musical. It was well attended and the choirs brought glory down from heaven and sent glory up to our Savior. On March 29, we had about 7 who attended the Teaching for Results Conference at Hazel Baptist. It was worth the trip. Thanks to Bro. Brent and the Hazel Church for sponsoring this event. We have now ended our Baby Bottle Campaign for the Haven of Hope, collecting $481.06. Thanks to all who helped! We are continuing to move ahead with getting the plans to build new education space in the near future. Lets continue to pray and labor together as we join God in His work through the Blood River Baptist Association."

S.S. Avg. Attn: 92

Bethlehem: "Our clocks Spring up and Fall back, so we sprung up, but what happened to spring? Well, anyway, Happy Spring everyone! Like everyone else, our church has had a lot of sickness. But God willing, we look forward to seeing all our church family and friends back in church real soon. Our Womens Bible Study Group meet monthly on the 15th: In Feb, we had a special night for Valentines with our husbands and in March, we had a brunch at the church. Both were followed by our Bible Study -- we are always blessed at these meetings. Our Easter Egg Hunt was an exciting time for all the children (as well as for the Moms, Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas Go Figure). Lots of eggs, candy and fun. On April 5th, seven of our youth participated in the Youth Golf Tournament at Maggies Jungle Jaunt and all of them won trophies - way to go kids!! Our new Young Adult Sunday School class took a little trip to Lamberts Restaurant a couple of weekends ago. I hear they had a spectacular time. (I say, hear because I was too old to go-being a senior and all -- but at least Brother Young brought me back a roll-thanks Bro. Young!) Brother Joe Pat Young is our new teacher for the Young Adult Class and they all say he is doing a wonderful wonderful job. He was approached to take the class, never being a teacher before but he did not say No. How many us would have (or have) done that? When asked to do something for the Lord, dont say no - say Yes Lord. May God Bless you all. P.S. Dont forget to keep clothes, canned goods, liquid detergent and toys coming in for the mission trips in June & July."

Dexter: "We had the honor of witnessing the baptism of another member of our Christian Youth Group on March 16. How wonderful it is to see our young people respond to Jesus call! Vacation Bible School is right around the corner, and we are looking forward to another wonderful week of study and fun projects with our youth. We are now working on a community-wide fish fry and will be sending our youth out into the Dexter community with flyers, inviting everyone to join us on April 19 at 4:00 p.m. Our goal is to reach out to as many folks as possible to share with them good food, introduce them to our wondrous Saviour and welcome them to DBC. Our annual Easter Egg Hunt was a hit with the children and the cook-out following the hunt was such fun! The beautiful Easter weekend was memorable and we closed it out with the observance of the Lords Supper during the evening service. We want to ask for your prayers for Bro. Dewey, as he has been ill for several weeks. He and Jerlyine have become a vital part of our family and we miss them very much."

S.S. Avg. Attn: 39, 1 addition by baptism

Elva: "Our auction to benefit Relay for Life and Ronald McDonald House at St. Jude's, is April 26, at 10 a.m. We have many items donated by local businesses and this is always a fun event. Everyone is welcome. Our Senior Soldiers had a good attendance and good food (Bro. Mike's favorite, hamburgers). Bro. David Little was the guest speaker, telling about his call to the ministry and the progress his church is making. Our WMU surpassed their goal for the Annie Armstrong offering. This was the first time the goal had been met. Thanks Elva for becoming even more mission-minded. We continue to collect items for the Associational mission trip to Eastern KY."

Grace: "Greetings from Grace Baptist Church. Lots of things have been happening here at Grace. We collected $1,258.01 for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for Home Missions. Our goal was $1,000.00. We hosted a luncheon for students at the Baptist Campus Ministry Building at Murray State. Fed a lot of hungry students. Participated in the RA Racer Car Competition at West Fork Baptist Church. The Childrens Department held an Easter Egg Hunt and Kite Flying at Murray-Calloway County Park. Called Micah Suggs as new Youth Director to replace Brian Stewart who did a great job with our youth. Several men from the church will be going to Eastern Kentucky as part of the Association Mission Project to work at the Hazel Green Academy. The Women of Grace are collecting dish washing liquid in conjunction with the mission trip."

S.S. Avg. Attn: 124, 9 additions by baptism, 5 by letter

Locust Grove: "Let it snow? Let it snow? Let it snow? That is what the Lord Jesus gave us during the month of March, but it did not slow down the life of Jesus flowing through the body at Locust Grove! We provided chili and sub sandwiches along with Poplar Spring Baptist church to the students at the Baptist Campus Ministry the 12th. We had many in our body get involved in providing chili and cookies for that ministry opportunity. Thanks to those who came to the BCM luncheon to help and meet students. The youth attended Winter Jam in Nashville and heard great Christian music and Evangelist Tony Nolan. The Saturday before Easter we had a Resurrection Egg Hunt for families and children with around 45 or 50 participating. On Easter Sunday morning we began with a sunrise service and breakfast and then had a whopping 115 in worship for the eleven o'clock hour. The choir sang a few songs celebrating Christs life and work and the pastor concluded his series The Reality of the Resurrection. The month ended with a Sunday school training at Hazel Baptist and we had 9 participate, and our fifth Sunday night singing! Jesus LIVES!!

New Bethel: "Here at New Bethel, on Mar. 11, our Young at Heart Seniors had their first outing of the year at Sirloin Stockade in Murray & had a great time of food & fellowship. Mar. 16, the morning service was our Easter Cantata, Amazing Grace my chains are gone, & it was beautifully done by Bro. David Bivins & our choir. All that practice sure paid off! Our annual community Easter Egg Hunt was on Mar. 22 here at New Bethel & all the kids & adults alike had a lot of fun. Mar. 23 was Easter Sunday & also Sunday School High Attendance Day here with a friendly competition between classes for a traveling plaque going to the class with the highest percentage increase from last year & we had great attendance in all our classes. Mar. 30-Apr. 2 was our Spring Revival, with Mark Whitt, Director of Baptist Campus Ministry at Murray State University, as guest speaker & he did just a great job of humbly bringing God's message to all who attended."

S. S. Avg. Attn: 103

Pleasant Valley: "Our annual Easter Egg Hunt was fun for all with about 40 present. That same day our young men participated in the R. A. Racer event hosted by West Fork Baptist. Cody Hina took 3rd place in his division and Gene Kissiar won Best of Show in the Adult Division. March 23rd we celebrated a milestone in our Church history, 84 present in Sunday School, our highest attendance ever. It was also the day of the first ringing of our new Church Bell. Ken Holland rang the bell 36 times in honor of the 36 years of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. April 6, we welcomed 2 new members, Tonya Warmath and Zack Gordon, both joined on promise of Baptism and fulfilled that promise April 13. A great big THANK YOU goes out to New Bethel Baptist and New Zion Baptist for their generous gift of Hymnals. We're truly enjoying having plenty of song books. Upcoming events to remember: Our Homecoming is May 4, Bro. Eugene Powell will be bringing the message, with dinner and special music to follow. Relay For Life- June 13-14, we challenge other churches to get involved and form a team. VBS will be here before we turn around twice, plans are under way, all children invited for a great time."

S.S. Avg. Attn: 64

Sinking Spring: "What a busy month we had at Sinking Spring Baptist this month! To celebrate St. Patricks Day we had everyone wear green and bring a green dessert for our potluck. Our potluck was followed with a Chinese auction, and the gifts had to be green. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. We celebrated Palm Sunday with everyone placing a Palm leaf at the alter and afterwards we had alter prayer. Our Lord was betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver, so in recognition of this, members of the congregation were asked to collect thirty pieces of silver in which we gave back to our Lord. We then took the money and gave it to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Our Easter egg hunt was a huge success. Children from all ages had a chance to hunt eggs and then come in for cupcakes and pictures. Thanks to those who helped to make this so much fun for our young children. The month ended with our Fifth Sunday Night singing in which many of our members participatedparticipated. We still want to mention those in our congregation whom are still battling sickness, we will continue praying for you. We invite you to come and worship with us here at Sinking Spring Baptist. Striving to be a "Going Church for a Coming Lord."

Symsonia: "Thanks to everyone who participated in Adopt a Youth. Our Youth conducted the services on Youth Sunday and performed a skit. We had a great turnout for our Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter Cantata was great. Our Sunshine Friends hosted an Ice Cream Sundae Party for The Smile Train in March. Over $1200 was collected for Smile Train, an organization to help children born with cleft palate. They will continue to collect money the entire month of April. We have a Revival coming up April 13th through April 16th. We will be having a different speaker each night. April 13th services are at 11:00 am and 6:00 pm and Monday through Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm. Everyone is invited! We welcome 2 new members to our church family:Isaiah Butler and Keith Varnado."

S. S. Avg. Attn: 116, 1 addition by baptism, 1 by letter

Vanzora: "Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season. . . March has been a season of weeping and a season of joy for Vanzora. We grieve with the families of two dear church members who have gone on to be with the Lord. Hilda Belle Gamble passed away on March 10th, and Bro. Van Pitt, one of our charter members, passed away on Easter Sunday March 23rd. Please continue to keep both of these families in your prayers. This has also been a time of great rejoicing as we welcome six new members to our church family: Timothy Vasseur and Gage Cunningham by baptism, Tex & Darlene Cunningham by letter, Tana Cunningham by statement and Tim McGrew by baptism. We are looking forward to our upcoming Spring Revival with Bro. Tim Cole Sunday April 20th at 11am & 5:30pm and Monday April 21st to Wednesday April 23rd at 6:30pm. Everyone is invited to join us for these Revival services."

Walnut Street: March turned out to be a very busy month at our church. On the 12th, The Old But Serious group fed the kids. As usual, there was a lot of kids of all ages to eat. It is truly a blessing to be able to minister to these kids with food and about all that Jesus has done for us. The Old But Serious group always does a fantastic job. They are always there early to help and do whatever needs to be done. Then on the 13th, three of our Adult Changers, Richard & Dora Stallons and Sondra Collins went to Cedarmore Baptist Camp in Bagdad, KY to work on a building. When they got back, they shared their experience with the church. This is also a great mission that the church is a part of. We have several from our church that will be going again this year to work. We all look forward to when they get back to share stories with us. Then on the 19th, boxes were made up with all the items that had been donated from our church to be sent over to our military men and women. We need to keep everyone in our prayers that God will bring them all back safe and sound. On the 21st there was an Appreciation Banquet held at the church for all workers. The meal was excellent and the fellowship was wonderful. All the workers were very appreciative of the church having this for them. Thanks to the church and also to the workers that have a part in making our church a wonderful church. There was an Easter egg hunt for the children on the 22nd. It was for kids up to 12 yrs old. A fun time was had by all. Thanks to all the adults that came out and helped that day. Then we celebrated Easter on Sunday 23rd. We don't want to ever forget the true meaning of Easter and what Jesus did for us. On Sunday the 30th Bro Joel and Kathy held an open house at their new house. They wanted to share their new home with everyone. We are very proud for them and the open house was very nice. Lots of food!! Lots of fellowship!!"

S. S. Avg. Attn: 75

CHURCH BUDGET GIFTS:

March 2008

Altona.............. $1,010.28

Bethel.................... 186.00

Bethlehem............. 559.65

Blood River........... 209.00

Briensburg............. 752.75

Cherry Corner....... 109.47

Coldwater............... 50.00

Dexter..................... 50.00

East Marshall........... 30.00

Elva......................... 83.17

Flint...........