December at CBC
GENEROSITY
I am always thrilled by the generosity shown by Calvary Baptist Church. Just in the last month, we sent over $1000 to the hurricane-stricken Noah’s Ark Children’s Home in Martha Brae, Jamaica. Our church put together 45 boxes for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child. Our annual “grain offering” for the Homeless Education Program of the Kingsport City Schools yielded 69 boxes of cereal, 11 boxes of oatmeal and 13 boxes of Pop-Tarts for Michele Wilder to include in food baskets for the kids who eat breakfast and lunch at school to help them and their families during the Christmas break. Many in our church members continue to support George Kasibante and the orphanage he runs in Kampala, Uganda, and we got the wonderful news this month that they will be moving into their new home in the next few weeks!
As December rolls around, our attention turns to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, our Southern Baptist annual offering for International Missions. The money raised through the LMCO ends up supporting missionaries and missions endeavors on numerous foreign fields all around the world. At Christmas time, we celebrate the coming of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world. What better way to celebrate than by telling those who don’t know Him about His wonderful salvation made available to all through His atoning death?
CELEBRATING THE SEASON AT CBC
This Thursday night, December 4, I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my fellow senior adults at our Senior Adult Christmas Banquet, sponsored every year by our deacon body. This is always a wonderful time as we kick-off our Christmas season.
Speaking of wonderful times and feasting, wasn’t our Annual Church-Wide Thanksgiving Meal something special? The food was great, and the sharing was such a blessing! God has truly blessed us with so much to be thankful for, as individuals and as a church body!
On Sunday night, December 7, at 5 P.M. we will begin the celebration of Jesus’ birth with the lighting of the church Christmas tree and candles. Join us in the singing of Christmas carols followed by hot cocoa, apple cider, and cookies.
On Sunday morning, December 14, at 10:30 A.M., we will celebrate Christmas in song through our Christmas Concert. A number of our choir and our musicians will be presenting the Christmas story in song.
On Wednesday, December 24 at 5:00 P.M., we will have our annual Christmas Eve service.
And of course, this past Sunday, we began a sermon series for the Advent season called “A Thrill of Hope.” Last Sunday, we talked about Renewed Hope. In future messages on December 7, 21, 28 and January 4, we will talk about Responsive Hope, Revealed Hope, Radiating Hope, Rejected Hope, the Root of Hope and Rejoicing in Hope. We will return to our treatment of the book of Acts on January 11.
SCHEDULE CHANGES
There will be a special called business conference on Wednesday, December 10, to discuss, amend (if necessary) and vote on the church budget for the new year. The deacons for next year will also be voted on at that meeting.
The church office will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. There will be no Wednesday night activities on New Year’s Eve.
It’s an exciting time to be at CBC! Be here at every opportunity, and you will leave blessed!
Numbers 6:24-26,
Bro. Donnie