This Month's Theme: Kindness April
Secondary Title
April
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Let's Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness
April Daily Bible Readings for Sunday School
April 7, 2024 – Emmanuel is Born
M – Isaiah 42-44
T- Isaiah 45-48
W- Isaiah 49-53
Th- Isaiah 54-58
F- Isaiah 59-63
Sa- Isaiah 64-66
Su- Jeremiah 1-3
April 14, 2024 – Hosanna!
M- Jeremian 4-6
T-Jeremiah 7-9
W-Jeremiah 10-13
Th-Jeremiah 14-17
F-Jeremiah 18-22
S-Jeremiah 23-25
Su-Jeremiah 26-29
April 21, 2024 – The Lord’s Supper
M-Jeremiah 30-31
T-Jeremiah 32-34
W-Jeremiah 35-37
Th-Jeremiah 38-41
F-Jeremiah 42-45
Sa-Jeremiah 46-48
Su-Jeremiah 49-50
April 28, 2024 – The Living Word
M-Jeremiah 51-52
T-Lamentations 1-3:36
W-Lamentations 3:37-5
Th-Ezekiel 1-4
F-Ezekiel 5-8
Sa-Ezekiel 9-12
Su-Ezekiel 13-15
The 87th Church Anniversary celebration will be Sunday April 28th. Invite your family and friends to celebrate with us, 87 years under
God’s leadership. There will be a candlelight ceremony remembering our beloved members who have gone on to be with the Lord. Dinner will be served after worship service.
Reaching Out for Kids will host its annual 8-week Summer Junior Golf
Program for kids ages 3-17 beginning Saturday June 1, 2024 at Avon
Fields Golf Course. This is a free program and registration is open
now. Check website—reachingoutforkids.org.
The Ushers will observe their Annual Day, Sunday April 14, 2024
April Birthdays
Annie K. Roper—April 18
Bobbie Laws—April 20
Christine Murray—April 24
Geraldine Jones—April 26
Charles Williams—April 28
Anthony Johnson—April 30
There's Hope!
Our church has gone through a lot of unfortunate things. Death, cancer diagnosis and other challenges while trying to stay faithful to what God has called us to do. I understand that it is hard, but there are so many blessings that the Lord has blessed us with that sometimes is overlooked in the storms. Above all of that, remember we are
strangers passing through this harsh and tough dark sinful word for a little while.
In this passage, Paul is going to remind the church of Corinth in 2 Corinthians to not lose eternal perspective while enduring everything
they are going through. Let us listen to Paul encouraging the people of Corinth and us today! 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18:
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
Paul had every reason to lose heart. He was beaten, mocked, shipwrecked, and brought to the point of death all for the cross of Christ. He could have endured any one of those moments and lost his eternal perspective. Paul points to the truth that although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. We are more like Christ now than we were twelve hours ago. You are more like Christ now than when you first started reading and studying the scripture. Understanding sanctification is important for believers to
rightly interpret what happens in our life from the perspective that it is transforming us to look more like Christ. Everything we face is for
divine purpose, we are growing in grace.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison – 2 Corinthians 4:17
Paul calls what he is going through “light momentary affliction.” Now to understand this more, we have to think of time as a rope. If eternity was compared to a one-hundred-foot rope, our lives would take up the
space of less than a hundredth of an inch of that rope. We would not be able to see it on the rope, and the point is that eternity is a long time compared to our life on earth.
That logic would then tell us that we do not need to be so concerned as to what happens in this life compared to what happens in eternity. This may lead us to ask, “How does that apply to me in my context today?” Everything in your life must be put in the perspective of eternity. The current trials you are facing in your life today are “light momentary affliction” compared to eternity. The affliction you face today Paul would say is “preparing for you an eternal weight of glory beyond all
comparison.”
Be encouraged in this truth that what you face today is minuscule compared to eternity. This is not to say that the problems you face are
small. But you can learn to look at them with the perspective of eternity. Besides, it won’t always be like this!
As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that
are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Paul had hope. He knew that every day he was being made more like Christ. He knew every situation he was in was to be viewed in light of eternity. He looked to what he could not see, and he did not look at
what he could see. Christians today look in faith to that which they cannot see. We have not seen God, but we look to him in faith
knowing He is real and that He desires a relationship with us. We did not see creation, but we believe by faith in what His Word says that God made everything. There is hope for us as believers today who have submitted to the Lordship of Jesus that we are being prepared for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
Pastor Donald E. Garrett, Jr.
Dates to Keep 2024
Church Business Meetings for year—2024
January 22
March 18
June 17
October 21
December 2
Church Dates for 2024
January 20—Senior Breakfast
Young Matron’s Annual Day—January 21
February African Attire Month Virtual
February African American Read-In
February 10— Senior Breakfast 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
February 11—Sunday School Family Day Christian Spiritual Wear
February 17—Youth Bible Study 2:00 PM Fun, Fellowship and Study
February 18— African Attire Day
February 24—18th Annual Mayor’s Career Expo (Duke Energy Center Time:10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
February 25—Heart Disease—Women wear Red.
March 10—Missionary Annual Day
Thursday, March 21st at 7pm—Christ Memorial Revival
April 21—Church Anniversary
May 26—Joint Worship Service on Lawn
June--Graduates Reception
June 23—Youth and Young Adult Day
July—School Supply Give Away
July 13—Christmas in July
August—Community Wide Give Away
September 15—Pastor’s Anniversary
September 22—Promotion Sunday
November 9—Veterans Breakfast
November 10—Gospel Choir Annual Day
November 23—Thanksgiving Luncheon
December 8—Inspirational Choir Annual Day
December 14—Senior Breakfast
December 25—Joint Christmas service
December 31—New Years Eve service—4-7pm
