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November 2004

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We Have a Choice

On Tuesday November 2nd you and I have the duty, the right, and the privilege to get out and vote for the next President of the United States. And, if you do not get out and vote then you have no right to complain about the outcome of the elections or what happens in the next four years.

So, examine what each candidate believes and then vote for the one you think will serve our country best.

When I think about the elections from a Biblical perspective, this election should be all about character. About the character of the person, what they stand for, what they believe, the integrity with which they live their lives and will lead the nation.

Webster defines character, in relation to a person, as “moral excellence, - a person marked by notable traits.”

There are several Biblical traits that you and I can use to examine the candidates:

1. Our President should be truthful and consistent. Truthfulness comes from a Godly character. Satan is the father of lies and inconsistency. Jesus, in John 8:44 tells us, speaking of Satan that “When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

2. Look at the candidates’ past performance, their historical record. How have they done? Does their record back up what they are saying? Moses, speaking to the Children of Israel, prior to their entry into the promised-land, told them in Deut. 8:2 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee,” Which of these candidates exhibits a humble spirit that has been developed by their past experiences? Which candidate has stood the tests they have faced and been steadfast and determined?

3. Which candidate is able to endure, able to run the race and to cross the finish line? Paul tells us in Romans 5:4, that it is endurance, patience, perseverance, that produces character. Who has a record of persevering against the enemy we call terrorism?

4. Another area to consider is who do these candidates associate with? Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15:33, “evil communications corrupt good manners.” Who do these men associate with? We might want to look at the person they most closely associate with, their wives. Which wife do you think would have the best influence on the President? Which would you like to have represent the United States as the first lady? This is a serious consideration. If you want a historic example, read about the impact Jezebel had on Ahab and on an entire nation.

5. Then there is the question of stability. Which candidate is the most stable? Which candidate is able to take a stand and see it through? James 1:8 tells us that “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” We need a president that is STABLE in all of his ways. Not one who shifts with various political or popular pressures.

6. Most important of all, which man do you think will seek God’s direction and guidance to lead him in making the difficult decisions that he must make in order to lead this nation through these very troubled times? It is God who brought our nation into existence and it is God who has blessed us and kept us strong. Which candidate do you think really trusts in God? continued on page 2

If our country is going to remain greaat, if we are going to remain the land of the free, if progress is going to be made in keeping terrorism off of uour shores and if terrorism is going to be eliminated as a threat to society around the world, then it is critical wha we elect this November.

If our country is going to remain great, if we are going to remain the land of the free, if progress is going to be made in keeping terrorism off of our shores and if terrorism is going to be eliminated as a threat to society around the world, then it is critical who we elect this November.

This coming election is all about character. About determining which of the candidates if the person of highest integrity and character. The person who can best lead this country is truthful, consistent, has a proven track record, associates with the best people, is stable , and is God fearing.

Which candidate do you think best fits that description? Get out and Vote!

Rev. Brian Pennington
First Methodist Protestant Church
Newton, Mississippi

Youth Page

First I’d like to commend Dianne Reid for her faithfulness and dedication to our denominational work, especially missions. In last month’s Missionary Record in the Methodist Protestant Faith, what Dianne wrote started me thinking. She had questions and answers concerning the Woman’s Missionary Society work. This could be done for th Junior Missionary Society as well as the Boy’s Club of the Methodist Protestant Church.

We have a big responsibility as leaders in these organizations. Many of our churches have only 1 or 2 boys or girls. That seems to hinder many from promoting these two mission groups. But as I mentioned many years ago, don’t we believe that 1 person is as important as 100? Are we failing our young people when we say, “I only have 1 or 2 so I can’t have a mission group? WRONG!!! Think again! For several years I only had 1 girl in JMS. Emily Little. Then Melinda Chatham joined us. Later Justin Hunt and Andy Bryant showed an interest in our meetings so we formed the Junior Missionary Boy’s Club Society. It works for us here at Sharp Memorial.

But sometimes I feel I’m failing to get “my kids” to really understand what we’re doing. I want them to know why we’re a mission group and what they can accomplish by being part of our group. It’s hard for me to keep their attention sometimes and when I feel discouraged I really wonder, ‘why am I doing this?’ The answer always comes to me. I LOVE MY KIDS!! I’m not going to let the devil have them and I really do want them to help our Methodist Protestant Church to grow and accomplish for our Lord.

We have a JMS handbook and a Boy’s Club manual that gives us materials to use. But they only give us a ‘start’. Sharon and Bro John Luckie also have materials and ideas we can glean from. We certainly need to be led by the Lord Himself to help us with our own group of young people. We have a big responsibility.

I’d like to tell you of our JMBCS’s latest project here at Sharp Memorial and encourage you to consider adopting this project too. We’ve raised money to purchase The Ten Commandment Monument to be placed in front of our church. We want to make a statement to our community that we believe America was founded on a faith in God Almighty and He expects us to know and obey His commands in our country today.

May God give us encouragement, a loving spirit and a willing heart as we work with our young people. If any of the young people read this and want to share their work or ideas with us please contact me, Darla Hunt 12198 Hwy 494 Collinsville MS. 339325. Phone: 601 626 8270. Also let Sharon Luckie know if you need any help. Sharon Luckie 2807 Pleasant Hill Rd. Ashland AL 35045. Phone 205 755 1766

Darla Hunt

Southeast District Laymen and
Pastors meet

The southeast District Laymen’s Fellowship and pastors held their regular semi-annual meeting Sunday, September 12th, at Antioch Church in Magee. Most of our District Churches were represented.

The host Church gave all a warm welcome, and held a song service, devotion, and program.

Brother Dan Sellers, District Lay Leader, presided of the business meeting for the men. Various items of importance to our conference and missions were discussed. We adopted a project for the next 6 months. This project will be to raise funds to help boost the Myanmar mission program. This will be accomplished by making a current donation of money, and each Church having special offerings on Fifth Sundays for the next Six Months. We ask everyone to pray for this project. Anyone interested in this field can contact our General Conference President, Bro. Andy Jenkins at 601 853 1063.

The Southeast district has had regular meeting since 1964, and consists of following churches; Antioch, Clear Creek, Hickory Grove, Laurel, and Neely Churches. We have always been blessed with a lot of Pastorial support

Our next scheduled meeting will be Saturday, March 12, 2205 at Clear Creek Church, at 3:00 P.M. A cookout is planned for this meeting.

Tom McDuffie
Southeast District
Lay Secretary

Southeast District Woman’s Missionary Society

The Southeast District Woman’s Missionary Society held their semi-annual meeting Sunday September 12th at the Antioch Church in Magee. Churches in attendance were Antioch, Clear Creek, Hickory Grove, Laurel and Neely.

The host church gave a wonderful program with specials sung by Sam Taylor and a demonstration by Joy Schaup on how God wants us to change. Growth and change are a part of God’s plan for us. When we change God will be with us to lead and direct us.

Susan Herrington gave a devotion from Ephesians. Every person matters to God. Be carerful how we live our lives because we may be the only Bible some may ever read.

The meeting opened with a devotion by President Margaret Hoagan.

We as Christians are like instruments, some are soft and melodious, some are strong like an trumpet sounding a warning.

We chose our special project to honor the 100th birthday of Mrs. Bertie Flynt Bankston. She has been a very dedicated member of our society for many years. She will receive a plaque and gift as our appreciation for her many years of service to our Lord and Saviour.

After the meeting a time of refreshments and fellowship was held.

Our next meeting will be held Saturday March 12, 2005 at Clear Creek Church, at 3:00 p.m. with a cookout and singing planned.

Angel Hosey
Southeast District Reporter

Papaw Bateman

Barefoot boy,
Eyes of brown,
Ain’t got no shoes,
But I’m goin to town,

drday, I cry with a huge hole in my heart, scrambled memories tossing and turning between the tears,
Tears of envy, tears of joy and very deep tears of sorrow and pain,
I envy the man, who has entered heavens gates as the angels rejoiced upon his arrival,
And the words “My child, well done,” were spoken from the king himself,
And as he entered those gates and gazed upon the answers to all his earthly questions,
His eyes, both seeing clearly now, the streets of gold beneath those barefoot feet,
And as he looks up in amazement, there stands his mama waiting for him,
And he runs to her breast and she cradles him there, along with all the others with outstretched arms that have gone before,

Tomorrow, in a silent place, I will still cry tears of sorrow yet again,
For I know that the hole in my heart will still be very deep,
And as I cry I’ll be reminded that God holds every tear I’ve ever cried,
And I’ll think back to the times that papaw said he didn’t want to preach and cry anymore,
For he was ashamed of his tears,
So God granted his wish and took his tears away,
And then papaw wanted them back because it just wasn’t him without them,
And I’ll not be so ashamed when I cry, for it just wouldn’t be me without them either,

Next week, I’ll chase my children around and point a finger to fuss,
And remember the fist raised in playful jest as thought he was really gonna sock me a good one,
And at the last moment, reach out and pull me close and say,
“ Do you know how much I love you?”
I don’t know exactly what a “knot head” is, but I’m proud to say that I am one,
I count it a privilege to be told that I was loved and cherished by a man I loved and respected so highly,
As a child, you go through life wandering around from place to place,
Not really understanding your impact on someone else’s life or theirs on yours,
And as you mature, you sometimes come to a sense of reality of what you may have taken for granted all of those years,
You begin to cling to every word, every memento, every memory for when the day comes that you have to say goodbye,
But in those times,
You not only learn about the person, but a little more about yourself,
Papaw ate most of his meals without drinking anything until he was finished,
Neither do I,
He always moves his toes as though writing something in the air of thought passing through his mind,
So do I,
He loves cheesecake the best, purple hull peas sweet tea, homemade biscuits, Judy’s crawfish etouffee and a good cup of coffee,
So do I,
And when he laughs and jokes, he gets a little twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face and you know troubles a comin,
I’ve been told, so do I,
He loved the art of poetry, the description of words that spoke right from the writer’s soul,
I not only enjoy them as well, but I write them,
Long walks in the woods to enjoy nature, get closer to God, shouting out frustration, and thanking God for the beauty of nature, trying not to forget in this busy world the simple things in life,
So do I,
I never used to notice the little things before until the end of his life on earth,
Papaw had a distinct way of clearing this throat,
One that some may call irritating or never notice,
One that I will never forget,

He had large hands that labored endlessly in gardens of life and in his world of ministry, A long stride full of confidence and grace,
Shoulders that held the burdens of many congregations upon them,
And yet, he still stood strong,

Who would have known that such a great man felt fear until his stories he began to tell,
Wayne riding his little blue motorcycle up the pine tree in the front yard,
Or casting the fishing pole but the hook never left the boat, or papaw,
Driving too fast down the gravel road with Bobby Daniel and grazing that tree,
Or watching his granddaughters become young women and wishing he could somehow keep them protected and small forever,
Watching his beloved wife Gerry, gasping for breath and he could do nothing to save her,
And the fight that he fought to hold on so hard to stay a little longer with his new love, Doris, for fear of leaving her all alone,
He shared with me not long ago that the things God was reavealing to him in his life scared him
I remember asking myself then; “How much closer to God could papaw get?”
And understood that there is no retirement on earth when it comes to serving God.

I loved to hear him sing in church,
He thought he couldn’t sing that well, but “Oh how I love Jesus” will never sound so sweet again,
And “America the Beautiful” will just not be without my beloved grandfather,
Some call him the Cornerstone, father, daddy mentor, grandfather, papaw, friend, counselor, pastor & to the children, papaw Bacon,
I call him one of the greatest men I have ever known,
There are no words to describe his greatness,
There are not enough tears to show our sorrow,
Not enough numbers to count our blessings,
Or enough laughter to recall the joy he brought to our lives,

I can see him running down the streets of gold, barefooted, almost flying with his hands raised high and his voice shouting very loudly,
“Glory Hallelujah!!!!”
Feeling for once and not being ashamed the tears of joy cascading from his soul,

I heard a saying once;
“God cannot use a man greatly, until he has hurt him deeply.”

After the loss of an eye and almost the life of a child and wife,
He surrendered to God’s plan,
Will it take a catastrophe in your life to become the person that my grandfather chose to be,
For God took a barefooted little country boy that struggled in school,
hated anything to do with learnin, and was a simple mechanic by trade and turned him into one of the best pastors, husband, father, & man known to the world today,
If your life has been touched by my grandfather even a portion of what mine has, then you know that his desire is for all of us is to give in to the calling on our lives,
And listen to the Lord,
For Jesus is coming very very soon,
And Bobby Bateman’s life was to make sure that all who know him know exactly what that meant and that they would do whatever it took to prepare themselves for that day,

I’ve said my goodbye’s to the body which lies here today,
I’ve kissed the shell of the man, whose spirit now rejoiceth in heaven,
And if I had one more chance to say anything at all, it would be this;
“Thank you Papaw. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Tiffany Lynn

The Second Coming of Christ

I. The signs preceding the second coming of our Lord.

• Wars and rumors of war.
• Famine, pestilence and earthquakes.
• The beginning of sorrows.

• The gospel preached all over the world, then the end will come.
• Daniel’s prophecy.
• Great tribulation.

• Like in the days of Noah.
The gathering of the Elect.

• One taken and one left.
• Be found working and be found Holy upon His return.

In Matthew chapter 24 verse 3 all the way through to the end we will be looking for the information we need to examine the atmosphere leading up to Christ’s return.

24:3 And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

This tells me that this chapter is speaking of the last days leading up to Christ’s second coming.

Then, Jesus tells us in verse 6, 7 and 8:

24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

When I preached on this subject a while back, I showed the statistics on the number and severity of the quakes of today in comparison to quakes of one hundred years ago.

24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Christ warns us of False Prophets. Clearly this is a sign of His second coming. We all know of a few of them ourselves these days. On radio and television, we have all seen the money preachers that give the rest of us a bad reputation with the unchurched population out there.

24:14 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy Place, (“whoso readeth, let him understand:)

At this time the Bible tells us, Jerusalem will be surrounded by the Gentiles (which will more than likely be a U.N. peace keeping force). When peace is finally declared in the Holy Land “then shall sudden destruction come.” We are very near this point now for the U.N. to step in and try to keep the peace and the Middle East trouble down because of the world’s oil interest in the region. Something is about to take place there.

Now, all of these verses lead up to this one thing. I don’t believe that the church is going to be raptured out before tribulation. I can’t see it, I’ve studied it and tried to understand the belief but all the evidence continually points back to the church going through tribulation.

24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

The elect in the Bible are people that are set aside sanctified Holy people that live for God, they are still (after tribulation started) on the earth.

24:24 For there shall arise false Christ, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Be careful of false prophets. The other day I saw a documentary on television about Christ. Those people were saying that Christ survived the crucifixion and He & Mary Magdalene were in an affair or married. You won’t find that anywhere in scripture. It is a lie straight from hell. Beware of these false prophets and defend yourself against them by knowing your Bible.

24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

This tells us that when He does return it won’t be in the desert or at Wal Mart or hidden. He will return in the sky for all the world to see.

24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

This is the rapture. This is the return of Christ. There are not two or three returns, there is only one. He will return descending down out of the clouds the same way His diciples saw Him ascending up into the clouds when He went away after His death, burial & resurrection, to sit at the right hand of the Father and to prepare a place for us.

24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The rapture in I Corinthians 15:52 is at the last (or the seventh) trump (or trumpet sound) - In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The Bible tells us that we do not know the day or the hour of His return but we can tell that it is getting close by the signs we see.

24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark.

24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Think on this; if there is a prerapture (before tribulation), then everybody’s going to know that is seven years Christ is coming. Yet, the Bible says that no man knows.

Just like in the time of Noah they watched him build the ark but they didn’t know of when or even that the flood would be the end of them until Noah entered into the ark. Then God closed up the ark and the flood took them all away.

Then the people started feeling rain. Sometime I can imagine, that first raindrop falling from many, many miles from the sky through the clouds. I cannot help but believe, that first raindrop was God’s tear, cause mankind had let Him down again. Mankind let Him down in the garden, we let Him down before the flood, and we let him down all the way through history. And we are definitely letting Him down again. But His love is greater than us.

24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

This is the rapture.

But if you look back at verse 29, we read, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened.” Then in verse 30, we read, “Then the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven.”

The rapture “will” take place, yes. For there will be two working on a job somewhere and the Christian is going to be raptured out but the sinner’s going to be left behind to the judgment.

It is so simple to me. I just don’t see how they don’t get it. The Christians are going to go through some if not most of the tribulation. But regardless of “when” you believe the rapture is, as long as you wait on the Lord no matter how long he tarries. Never get discouraged and think that He has abandoned us because He is not a man that He may lie. He said, He will return and He will, when The Father tells Him to come and get us.

24:44 Therefore be ye ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

He will come for us at an hour (time) we do not expect.

24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

He’s left us in charge as teachers and preachers and prayer warriors and missionaries and neighbors. He is talking about everyone of us, not just preachers.

Then he says, “Blessed is the servant when He returns will find him faithful and working for the kingdom.

Christ returning in the clouds and we don’t know the day or the hour, so we had better be working, waiting and watching.

Christ wants us to live a Holy life unto His return. Don’t be counted among the hypocrites that receive destruction but be faithful and working for the kingdom.

Christ returning in the clouds and we don’t know the day or the hour, so we had better be working, waiting and watching.

Christ wants us to live a holy life unto His return. Don’t be counted among the hypocrites that receive destruction but be a faithful servant unto his return. The decision is truly yours, from this day forward.

Be careful and know that your choice will determine your eternity, forever.

Will you come to him?

Will you come and give your life to Him?

Pastor Glen Mayeux

Northwest WMS

The Northwest Women’s Missionary Society met at Castle’s Chapel Church on September 11th. We had three churches out of five, in our district, represented. We were pleased to have representatives from the new church in Pearl, also, present. They hope to get started in forming the foundation, for the church, in the very near future. Let us support them with our prayers and encouragement.

Our Northwest district selected as our project for the upcoming year, support of the new church in Pearl. Our monies will be used at their discrepancy.

Again, we would like to encourage the support of others in the building of this new church.

The more churches we have, the greater opportunity we have of reaching souls for the kingdom.

Kosciusko WMS
Dorothy Peavy

Lettsworth Methodist Protestant Church

I am eternally grateful for the Lettsworth Church. I’ve never used that expression before and if I’m wrong to use it, please give me grace, it just fits so well when I think of how coming here has blessed my soul.

I was welcomed not just by very nice people, but by people of God who took me in and offered me a place in the body of Christ, my family. It was something deeper than friendship; it was a “knowing” that they were concerned for my soul. From the moment I came in, one person after the other nourished me and helped me take my place. If you haven’t found your place in the body of Christ, I encourage you to seek it out, because I found a treasure when I found it. I’m sorry I don’t have the words to describe the wonderful experience except to say I was, at last fitly joined together with the rest of the body. I was in my place. That’s only the first of three parts of my testimony:

Then, there was the worship. O’ how they worship!! As they sing and the band plays, tears run down my face; I feel as though they are taking me by my hand and helping me step up into the presence of God. How could you not love someone who does that for you?

I think each one of them for the hours they spend learning the beautiful songs and for the times they sacrifice; I’ve thought maybe they would like to be in the line for prayer but while we’re being prayed for they’re playing the music that soothes my soul. I’ll pray for them now. Heavenly father, thank you for each member of the band. Thank you for giving them wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you, amen.

Last and best of all: Holy Spirit help me write this, sir, that I not glorify man, but I glorify God.

Our pastor preaches to us the uncompromised, pure, undefiled, holy word of God. How awesome is that?

For the first time in my life I knew what it felt like for my spirit to be fed. The words seem inadequate when I try to explain it but I was “clean” on the inside, washed by the water of the Word, cleansed, strengthened, filled with the only thing that can satisfy my hunger; the Word of God, alive and quick and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword.

I watched Mel Gibson’s, “The Passion of the Christ” last night, for the second time. The first time I saw the movie it tore me apart, it hurt so much I thought I would die from the pain of seeing what my Lord suffered for me. The second time I watched it, I was strengthened!! This is my Lord, who rose again, the King whom I serve. It is He who walks with me and teaches me and protects me.

He is everything I want to be, brave and courageous, faithful and committed; I am not any of those things so I just abide in Him where all those things exist and I am strong in the Lord and the power of His might!

I saw something this time in “The Passion of Christ” that I didn't’ see the first time: each lash of the whip, each time they scourged Him the way they tortured Jesus and tormented Him represents to me what sin does to us spiritually, Just as much as Jesus hurt, we hurt our souls when we sin. We were created in His image, in the image of God and love. Every time we break that law of love, it torments our souls and stains us on the inside with an ugly scar.

The pastor preached to us how we are free not to sin!!

I knew that was the pure Word of God but no one had ever preached it to me before.

I remember how clean I felt in my soul just hearing the truth.

I was free as a little bird!! Free “Not to sin” Hallelujah!!

Peace be unto you, from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Linda Begley Harmon