Weekly Reminders

According to Merriam-Webster, the English word “context" comes from the Latin word "contexere," which means "to weave or join together." Context speaks to how a word or phrase of a document relates to the rest of the document. Without the context, we could easily be confused. For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:32b, the Apostle Paul writes, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” This seems depressing, right? But the context is that Paul is saying that without Christ’s resurrection, we are without hope. The full quote from Paul is, “If the dead do not rise, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” The context gives us a clearer understanding of Paul’s message. The same is true of 1 Corinthians 14:34, where Paul writes, “Women should remain silent in the churches.” Join us Sunday as we look at the context of these words, and as we think about the role of women in ministry.

Blessings,  Pastor John

Welcome, Jeff Eskew, our guest organist.
Jeff Eskew began playing the organ at the age of 12. He attended The Schwob School of Music in Columbus, Ga, and obtained a BM in Organ Performance. After graduating, he became an Associate Instructor at Indiana University while working on his Master’s Degree. He moved to Elberton in 2019 with his wife and four children and is a locomotive engineer for CSX. Jeff will be playing the organ this Sunday in the Traditional Service!

Many Thanks!
Thank you, church, for your participation in Rise Against Hunger! It was a great day, and what a blessing to know we are helping to feed so many families. Dale, our coordinator, was impressed with how many men showed up to unload the truck and how many participated with joyful hearts. We did 10,100 meals in 1 hr and 20 min! Thank you, mission team, for helping with sign-ups, ordering, and getting pizza, for our staff who set up tables and everything else they do on a daily basis! My heart is full with gratitude!
-PJo Phelps, Missions Chair

(To see the pictures from this event, please click here.)

Thank you to all who have packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. The deadline for completed boxes is this Sunday, November 16. Our donations are added to the 10 million or more shoeboxes that Samaritans Purse delivers to over 100 nations! So we are a small part in giving children around the world a more joyful Christmas!

Christmas Cantata Rehearsal
The next rehearsal for the Cantata is this Wednesday, November 19, at 7 p.m. in the FMC Choir Room.

Help us decorate the church!
On Monday, November 24, we invite you to join us as we decorate the church for Christmas! We will meet at 2 p.m. in the Overflow Room, then break out into the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, Chapel, and Crossroads Connection Center. This is a fun and festive time for all!

On November 30, we will have a combined service at 10 a.m. in the Crossroads Connection Center, followed by a Playground Dedication at the new playground, and Fellowship Soup Lunch in the Fellowship Hall. A sign-up sheet will be passed around this Sunday for those planning to attend the lunch. Our guest speaker for that Sunday will be Rev. Andy Postell, the North Georgia Global Methodist Church Conference Superintendent.

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In 1959 Bill Gaither graduated from Anderson College, Indiana, with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Music. He went to work as an English teacher, pursuing music on the side. In 1963 he was asked to play the piano for a revival meeting in the area that featured the preaching of Dr. Dale Oldham. The meeting went well and afterwards Dr. Oldham asked Bill to write a song that included the words, “He touched me.” Gaither, who would later say that “songs are like whispered answers to questions of the heart”, took the words from Oldham as the theme of his first hit song, “He Touched Me.” This song would later be recorded by the Imperials, Elvis Presley, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and, more recently, Steven Curtis Chapman. Bill Gaither might have been writing about the woman that Jesus made whole in Luke 13:10-17.

We are looking at the Luke passage this week and the spiritual wholeness that Jesus wants to bring to us all.

Blessings,
Pastor John