WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

Congratulations to the following couple on their wedding

anniversaries:

Billy & Wendy Perdue - March 9th

MARCH ACTIVITIES March 4th - Penny Crusade 2018 begins March 5th - After School Kids Bible Study @ 2:45 p.m.

March 5th - eTeen Bible Study begins @ 6:30 p.m. March 8th - Men’s Fellowship @ 6:30 p.m. March 10th - Time Changes (set your clocks ahead be-

fore bed) March 11th - Missions Committee Meeting after church March 12th - After School Kids Bible Study @ 2:45 p.m. March 12th - eTeen Bible Study @ 6:30 p.m. March 12th - Fundraiser @ Max’s Pizza (see bulletin) March 14th - St. Patrick’s Day Supper for Penny Crusade

@ 5:45 p.m. March 15th - LifeLine Banquet (see bulletin) March 18th - Worship Service at Woodbury @ 4:00 p.m. March 19th - After School Kids Bible Study @ 2:45 p.m. March 19th - eTeen Bible Study @ 6:30 p.m. March 20th - 1st Day of Spring March 20th - Deacon/Deaconess Meeting @ 6:30 p.m. March 25th - Palm Sunday March 28th - No Mid-Week Services March 30th - Good Friday Service @ 7:00 p.m. March 31st - Easter Egg Hunt

It comes in many different sizes, shapes and styles. From the opulent to almost crude. The cross. Made of golds and silvers. From gems and stones and different kinds of woods. It’s worn as necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and even on belts. You see the cross dotting the countryside. You see it tattooed on peoples bodies. You see the cross on top of church

steeples, in stain glass, in paintings and photos. You see it on car bumpers and hung on the wall in peoples homes. You see the cross almost everywhere.

Make no mistake, the cross is always a means of execution. You read about it in history. But most importantly, you read about it on the pages of the holy scriptures. The cross, the means of execution of our Savior and Lord, Jesus, the Christ. Some mock and ridicule our faith and the message of that cross. But listen to what the Apostle Paul says about the cross and its message:

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV) For the message of the cross is fool-ishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:23-25 (NIV) 23 but we preach Christ cruci-fied: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weak-ness of God is stronger than man's strength.

Remember when you see the cross or adorn it, it is the ultimate expression of Christ’s love for you. His life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and soon return, secures your future.

—Pastor Steve

Rev. Steve Spearing, Pastor 88 Blakes Chapel Road, Hampstead, NC 28443

Church Phone: (910) 270-2576 Pastor’s Cell Phone: (910) 319-1495

www.blakeschapel.org Pastor's Email: steve.spearing@gmail.com

Office Email: blakeschapel@gmail.com Email Prayer Requests to: shareinprayer@gmail.com

All donations will directly benefit Hill of

Witness Homeless Ministry and

Hampstead eTeen ministry.

Please give ideas, suggestions or articles for the next newsletter to Shannon Sessions. The next newsletter will be available April 1, 2018. In order for us to

have a “Getting to Know You” article in the newsletter, we have to have someone willing to participate! If you would like to be highlighted or have an idea on who should be high-lighted, please see Dot Coleman or Shannon Sessions.

Advent Christian Missions Emphasis

Volume 8 No. 3 March 2018

Youth and parents of youth fellowship members, please note we are planning on attending the above event.

Below, you will read how Penny Cru-sade began.

Chester Randall, an elderly gentleman of Seabrook, New Hampshire, followed a whim to collect pennies. He found

simple pleasure in seeing them multiply, though dormant in their containers. On Sunday mornings, when the church bell rang from the belfry of the Advent Christian Church, he was on his way to worship.

One Sunday in March 1955, the pastor introduced a guest speaker, Rev. Clarence Kirby, Executive Secretary of the American Advent Mission Society. He expounded on Mark 16:15, “ ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.’ This was the heart-cry of Jesus to remind the church He died for all.” There was no appeal for money.

That evening Mr. Randall attended the service carrying some-thing in a white cotton flour sack. He went directly to the mis-sion executive and he said, “Brother Kirby, I have been sav-ing pennies for a long time. Today, I decided what to do with them. I give them to you for missions. I don’t know how many there are for I couldn’t begin to count them,” and placed the bag in the outstretched hands before him. The bag was so unexpectedly heavy Mr. Kirby almost dropped it. Surprised and stirred with emotion by the joy of the giver, he was almost at a loss for words. What an unusual gift — 4,175 pennies in a white flour cloth bag! This was a historic in-terchange.

This gave Rev. Kirby the inspiration for a “Children’s Penny Crusade for Christ,” held in a number of Sunday schools in March, April and May of 1956. That small challenge soon developed into the annual missions education and fund drive among all our churches, now simply called “Penny Crusade” — a response to the “heart-cry of Jesus,” “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” Matthew 28:19-20 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey eve-rything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Bread of Life

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” — John 6:35

Hunger is an everyday reality for millions in Malawi. Imag-ine only having a third of the food you need to feed your family. Imagine fearing that in a few weeks’ time, you won’t be able to feed your children at all. This is the reality right now for millions of people in Malawi as they suffer the ef-fects of the worst drought Southern Africa has seen for 35 years. As a result, an alarming 6.5 million people are in need of food assistance.

Among those most affected are Advent Christians, who make up the more than 50 churches that comprise the conference in southern Malawi. More than half of the country lives below the poverty line and about 80 percent of Malawians depend on small-scale farming to feed their families. The farmers work very hard to accommodate the dry climate and can see a good harvest even with little rainfall. However, when no rain falls, there is no harvest at all.

Over the last four years, Advent Christian General Confer-ence has sent nearly $10,000 to help with this food crisis. Al-so, the churches of Nova Scotia and Quebec have sent more than $17,000. Through the leadership of the Malawi confer-ence, hundreds of families, especially children, have received life sustaining food. In a brief thank you note sent before his death, Conference President Samuel Sosono wrote,

“I would like to thank the World Outreach office for the do-nation of funds for Bread of Life. “This has really assisted our child feeding project. We were not able to continue with this child feeding project due to hunger crisis but we are proud to say ‘God is good.’ He really cares for his people! “The bread of life project has a very big impact as it has been assisting us in feeding many orphans and vulnerable children within our community for so long. “We pray that this project should be on monthly basis so that it can match the demand. “Once again thanks to those who are sacrificing their re-sources to us here. God bless them abundantly!”

The food distributions also allow for those involved to hear of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life. In coming to receive bread that is necessary to sustain physical life, Malawians are also able to hear the gospel and receive the bread that leads to eternal life.

www.acgc.us * www.pennycrusade.com

PENNY CRUSADE

Each year the Advent Christian denomina-tion raises money for world missions in a campaign called “Penny Crusade.” Our church, as a whole, participates in many friendly competitions and games. In the end, a lot of money is raised which will help with

the job all Christians have been given – to spread the Word of God to all corners of the earth.

This year our competitions are based on the cartoon characters Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. We began picking teams last Sunday. If you haven’t picked your team, look for the Acme Rocket Powered Roller Skates box and draw an envelope from the box. You will find a button in the envelope which determines the team you are on.

Paper (checks & cash) and pennies in your team’s collection jar will be a credit for your team. You “sabotage” the opposing team by putting silver money (Acme anvils) in their collection jar. Below are some of the other ways we will be raising funds for Penny Crusade: March 24th - BBQ sale by Hilltop April 21st - BBQ sale by Hilltop May 19th - Vendor Fair on ball field Raffles Fellowship Meals Noisy Sunday (children to collect change during Morning

Worship) on May 27th More details on the above will be provided as soon as possi-ble. Any new fundraisers will be advertised in future bulle-tins or newsletters.

THE CHASE IS ON!!