Wednesday Wisdom from the Proverbs

"Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
But such as keep the law contend with them.
Prov. 28:4

Whatever other applications we might draw from this proverb, one certain application is the truth of this proverb in the area of evangelism. Christians who fail to use the law to bring conviction of sin which leads to Godly sorrow and to repentance, end up only giving false assurance to religious people who profess to be saved, but in reality have never been born again.

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Welcome to our Family!

This article is an effort to help everyone get to know a little better two of the newest members of our church, Charles and Carol O’Rourke. The following is the questions in which I asked them and their response.

1) How long have you lived in Williamston, NC? 2 ½ years

2) How and when did you and your spouse meet? Oct 12th, 1962 at Woolworths store (Newport News, Va) lunch counter.

3) How long have you been married? 45 yrs. (April 10th ,2010). We were high school sweethearts.

4) What do/did you do in your career(s)? Carol: childcare, retail sales & Real Estate Charles: IT (Information Technology/Info Processing/Data Processing/Unit Record) & Real Estate

5) Do you have any children? Grandchildren? Yes, we have 2 sons: Chuck (34) & Ryan (31), and 3 grandchildren: Jacob (11), Brandon (3), Alyssa (9)

6) Where have you lived besides Williamston? Newport News/Hampton, Chesapeake, Fairfax County (Va), Shallotte (NC), Va. Beach.

7) When and how did you come to know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? Carol: I was baptized at age 10; Charles: And I was baptized at age 9. For both of us, our coming to know the Lord has definitely been a journey that continues.

8) What brought you to West End Baptist Church? Our son bought house in neighborhood in June 2002), and then shortly later moved away. We came down to live July 2007. The church was within walking distance, and we also met some people while walking in the neighborhood. We decided to join Jan 24th, 2010.

9) How long had you been visiting before you joined? We visited off and on for over two years. During that time we attended First Baptist of Norfolk and other churches in the Williamston area.

10) What activities do you enjoy doing as a family? We enjoy visits by sons & grandchildren, eating out, seeing new places & things, meeting people, learning about this area, vacations, etc.

11) What are some of your individual hobbies? Carol: watching football & basketball; Charles: following events/issues that affect current/future generations, and staying up with the Internet’s potential as a tool, which I believe is one of the most powerful/disruptive technologies in my lifetime.

12) Do you like to read; do you have any favorite books or authors? Carol: Nicholas Sparks & Richard Evans. Charles: several mgt./leadership, Marilyn vos Savant’s Q&A articles. Both: Dr. Bob Reccord (our former pastor First Baptist of Norfolk (Va) & former Pres. of the North American Mission Board.

13) Do you like sports, what is your favorite team? Carol: football Florida State & Jacksonville (Pro). Charles: basketball… NCAA March Madness (esp. Duke & Louisville per coaches)

14) Do you have any pets? Yes, one cat “Jake” (Jackie).

15) Do you have a favorite Scripture verse or book of the Bible? Yes, 1 Cor.13:4-8, 13. (NIV): Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails....And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13

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Fun Over Easter Weekend

Here are just a few pictures from the Children's Easter Egg Hunt this past Saturday.

And here are a couple of videos from the Easter Egg Hunt.

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You're Invited...

Hi Everyone. We have a big weekend planned here at West End Baptist Church.

First there will be the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 3rd beginning at 10am for the all the kids.

Second, will be our Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30am with breakfast to follow on Sunday, April 4th.

And then finally later on that same day, we will have our regular worship service at 11am. But there will be nothing regular about it. This year's service will be different and special.

So, come join us as we worship King Jesus!

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Reminder: Church-wide Family Picnic

Just a brief reminder to everyone about the Church-wide Family Picnic this Sunday immediately following the worship service. We will be meeting at the Godwin-Coppage Park here in Williamston. Bring lunch for your family (& maybe a little extra to share), along with your blankets, lawnchairs, and some fun outdoor games or equipment (football, frisbee, kite, horseshoes, etc).

Because of this great time of fun and hanging out, we will not be having our regular Sunday evening service.

Just in case, if it rains... the Picnic of course will be post-poned to a later date.
See ya there!!

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Encouragement from the Scriptures

"When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers." - (Gal.6:10 NCV)

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Where is the Devotion to Prayer Today that is Supposed to Characterize the Church?

Last night, I thought it was going to be a discouraging night b/c when I showed up for our Men's Small Group Bible Study and Fellowship, only one other man showed up, out of a possible 9. Not exactly encouraging. But it ended up being a very blessed night of encouragment and prayer, b/c we (the two of us) decided to join the Intercessory Prayer Group that meets every Thursday night at 7:00 pm. And it was indeed a sweet time of fellowship and prayer.

However, as happy and thrilled as I am that a small group of believers sense the urgency and need to pray and intercede for our church and community, as a Christian and a Pastor, I am also grieved at the great numbers of believers in our church, who evidently have no such desire or sense no such need.

We average anywhere from 95-110 worshipers on any given Sunday. But sadly, last night there were only seven people in the Intercessory Prayer meeting (including myself and the other man). Seven out of One hundred. Where is the devotion to prayer today that is supposed to characterize the church?

When the church was born in Acts 2 and 3,000 souls were saved in one day, the Word of God says, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized;.... And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."

But not only do we see the example of the church, but there is also the Scriptural admonition to the church concerning prayer found in Col. 4:2 where the Apostle Paul writes, "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart."
(New Living Translation).

What does it mean to be devoted to something? To sacrifice for... to make it a priority... to discipline yourself to perform? Yes, all those and more. And we, as God's people, are devoted to so many things. We're devoted to our spouses... We're devoted to our children... we're devoted to our jobs and careers... and those things are good things that we should be devoted to. But sadly, we're also devoted to things like sports, hobbies, television, the internet, etc... many things that have no eternal value, when we should be more devoted to the Spiritual Disciplines of the Faith so that we might grow as Christians and so that God's Kingdom might be advanced around the globe.

I have heard many years ago that if Satan can defeat us (the church) then he will make us busy. I think he has succeeded on many levels at doing precisely that. May God help us return to a pure and fervent life of faith and devotion, not only as a church, but also as individuals... for His glory, for our well-being, and for the sake of the elect around the world!!

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