Monday, April 28, 2008

Deacons Ordained



Saturday night during the revival Deacons Mike Folker (right) and Wayne Chance (left) were ordained.











Bishop Sam Clements, Bishop L. V. Jones, Bishop Bill Noe and Bishop K. Martin took part in the Ordination of these two great men of God.

Youth Night

Our first Youth Night at Pelham was a great success. God favored us with His presence. Hamilton Youth Pastor, Tommy Kirby, was our guest speaker and his wife Tracy was a blessing with her anointed singing. State Youth Pastor, Tim Beck was with us and encouraged the youth to allow the "power" of God to be in their lives. There were 4 saved, to God be the glory!

The youth group singing. Kay Jones Directing. The youth selected the name "3 D L," (3 Days Later)


Josh Jones and Brad Chance


Gary Chance playing drums.


State Youth Pastor, Tim Beck encouraging the Pelham Youth!


Hamilton Youth Pastor, Tommy Kirby and wife Tracy, blessing our youth night with anointed singing and preaching of the Word!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Revival at Pelham


The revival at Pelham with Bishop Sam Clements as guest speaker concluded today with one joining the Church. Bishop Clements preached wonderful messages and the altar filled with seekers each service. Calera and Dry Vally churches joined us in this revival. This picture is of Josh Jones, son of Kay and Gary Jones, joining the church Sunday April 27, 2008.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

COGOP-Implements-Proxy-System-for Generay Assembly

This is how it will work:

All Representatives that carry a local church proxy, properly certified, meeting the deadlines, etc., will be registered on Monday of the Assembly by an Independent agency ... a company hired to manage the proxy process. They are not affiliated with COGOP and have no stake in the outcome, as they are merely professionals hired to manage the logistics and assure the integrity of the process.

The proxy-carrying representative will be issued a voting card that is bar coded. Lose it? Lose the vote.

There will be x number of seats on the floor of the Sommet Center during the business sessions designated for those carrying the proxies, and ONLY them.

When the time comes for expressing the proxy on an issue, there will be about 15 strategically placed electronic stations at which the proxy holders will be able to usethe bar-coded credential to register "yes/no" "for/against" or whatever the two options might be ... "A/B."

The independent agency will tally the results (pretty much immediately) and report them to the person presiding.

Monday, April 21, 2008

New Members & Celebration


Pastor K. Martin giving covenant to four new members at Pelham Church on April 20, 2008. New members are Tom & Melinda Bratton and C. T. & Annette Daniels. We at Pelham thank the Lord for our new members. Others will join next Sunday.
We had a wonderful service as everyone was so excited about our new members.












After our service about twenty-two of our congregation went to lunch together to "celebrate" and give God praise for our new members.









Another picture of some of the "Celebration" group at Golden Corral in Pelham.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Revival at Pelham

April 25-27 the Pelham Church will be in REVIVAL with Bishop Sam Clements as our speaker. Service time for Friday and Saturday is 7:00 PM. Sunday Morning Worship will be at 10:45 AM. Sunday night the revival will continue with Brother Tommy Kirby and his wife Tracy. Sunday night will be a special YOUTH NIGHT EVENT! Sister Kay Jones will be directing the service.

THE BATTLE OVER BITTERNESS

From "Pastor's Weekly Briefing" by H. B. London

On April 16 Sen. Obama, in a San Francisco speech, made a statement related to voters in small communities who "cling to religion and guns because they are bitter" — evidently over their economic conditions.

For a few days the story had some legs, but now apparently the news media has gone on to other things. Yet, as I think about his words, the mention of bitterness keeps coming back to me. Bitterness has consequences.

You and I have all been told we can either "be bitter or be better." The Apostle Paul wrote, "Get rid of all bitterness" (Eph. 4:31). In other words, it seems bitterness can be and often is hazardous to your health and spiritual well-being.

I remember a time early in my ministry when I was being pursued by a church board to pastor their church. I was excited — not to mention humbled — by the opportunity. But a church executive got word to the board that I had been very ill, and the illness had affected me emotionally. Needless to say, I was no longer a candidate for that position. When I found out who had been disloyal to me, I allowed the seed of bitterness to take root in my heart. I basically crossed the man off my list and made a vow to myself that I would not associate, communicate or fellowship with that man again. It almost became an obsession with me. All of this was unknown to the man in question.

I carried that bitterness for a long time until I finally had to confess and ask for his forgiveness. My point: Even though the man's words were inaccurate, I had no right to allow bitterness to take over my life. Do you?

I come in contact with a lot of our colleagues, and even their spouses, who are controlled by bitterness. Most of the time, that feeling of bitterness stems from being mistreated, disrespected or betrayed. If I let myself, I can easily be convinced that they have a right to their opinion — but reality tells me not only should they not entertain those feelings, but, if they continue to do so, bitterness will define their ministry.

Paul tells us to "bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Col. 3:13).

I know I am writing to someone who is paralyzed by bitterness. I beg you to face your feelings, and do what you need to do. The load that is lifted is so liberating. One other thought: Deal with it as soon as possible — Satan has a way of causing us to procrastinate! Well, enough preaching to the choir.

Be blessed, and be a blessing. —HBL

Stress Awareness Month

From "Pastor's Weekly Briefing" by H. B. London

The Health Resource Network, a non-profit health education organization, has designated April as Stress Awareness Month for the 16th consecutive year. Health care professionals, health promotion experts and caregivers across the country will join forces to raise public awareness about the cause and cures for our modern stress epidemic.

For this reason Community Chaplains of America, which provides care for individuals during difficult and stressful situations, have offered 10 simple suggestions on how to provide care and essentially reduce stress, according to christianpost.com.

Provide a listening ear. Often, those who are going through stressful times simply need someone to talk to. Make an extra phone call or meet a friend for coffee and offer the opportunity for them to talk.

Send an encouraging note. Words are powerful. In the age of emails and text messages, handwritten notes show that you took time and effort to show you care.

Say "thank you." Offer your gratitude for people. Thank a coworker for his or her hard work or a waiter for serving you dinner. Everyone wants to feel appreciated.

Laugh with someone. A good hearty laugh can relax you both and mentally lighten your load. Tell a joke or rent a funny movie with a friend.

Perform a random act of kindness. Surprise someone with the unexpected. It can be as simple as paying for a friend's coffee or offering to watch the kids so a mom or dad can have that extra time to relax.

Help someone organize. When the places and things around us are in order, we feel a little more put together. Take time to help a friend clean out a closet or scrub the bathtub.

Take a walk. Exercise releases endorphins and makes us feel better all around. Walk around the mall with a coworker on your lunch break or meet a friend at a park after work and enjoy the fresh air.

Share a smile. This contagious act can easily brighten someone's day. Smile to a passing stranger; it may make a big difference in his or her day.

Get away. Get away from the everyday circumstances that may be causing stress. Plan a weekend getaway or a day trip with a friend.

Pray. Say a quick prayer for your friend and put his or her stress in the hands of the Ultimate Provider and Healer.

Friday, April 18, 2008

PRAISE The LORD

Just a word of PRAISE to our mighty God for His answering prayer. A few days ago the Doctor's thought I might have cancer. After CT and PET scans, today I was told that I had nothing to worry about. Thank God for answering prayer. Thanks to everyone that prayed for me.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Fireproof

Dear Family Advocate Readers:
Fireproof is an action-packed love story about a firefighter whose marriage is falling apart. Seven years into their marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that Catherine wishes she had never married. After agreeing to get a divorce, Caleb is challenged by his father to work through a book titled The Love Dare. This book takes him on a 40-day journey toward understanding what unconditional love really is. After coming to Christ halfway through the book, Caleb begins a rescue mission to save his dying marriage and win back the heart of his wife. Fireproof realistically shows some of the battles and struggles that married couples experience every day. But it also holds up the truth of God's Word in dealing with those. Like Facing the Giants, this movie will have fans laughing, crying, and leaving inspired and challenged!

The movie Fireproof will be released nationwide in theaters this fall. The actual release date will be announced later this year. If it does not violate your conscience to go to films, it is possible for a local church, or group of churches, to sponsor a special screening in your community. For more information on the movie you can go to www.FireprooftheMovie.com. If you could feel comfortable regarding this kind of endeavor, we hope that you and everyone in your circle of influence will help get the word out and see this film on opening weekend, the three key days when the success of a movie and its ultimate impact is greatly determined.

Larry and Susan Duncan

Family Ministries

Grocery Shower - April 6, 2008


View 1 of the wonderful Grocery Shower given to us from the Pelham church on the first Sunday of April













View 2 of the wonderful Grocery Shower given to us from the Pelham church on the first Sunday of April














View 3 of the wonderful Grocery Shower given to us from the Pelham church on the first Sunday of April.

Thanks to everyone that gave to us in this 1st Sunday Grocery Shower. God bless each of you!