What is Sunday School? And what makes it essential in the life of a believer?
Sunday school – or any small group based on learning Scripture - provides many things, Personal growth, an overall understanding of redemptive history, and a depth of study in the Word of God.
Any small group or Sunday school experience provides a personal connection with those around you. You share prayer requests and lift up each other in class and in the times between. Scripture application is unique to you, and you often can ask personal questions.
Sunday school also provides – unlike any other church “service” a well-rounded and holistic view of Scripture. Yes, we absolutely aim to teach the whole counsel of Scripture in other areas; however, Sunday school is intentionally set up to cover all of Scripture within a certain time frame and then begin again. Through years of study, we continue to grow in our understanding of God and our place in redemptive history. We learn the stories of those who have gone before us and, through them, are reminded of how God can and will work in our lives.
Finally, Sunday school, and Bible study groups, provide an opportunity to dive into an intentional depth of learning God’s Word. While we open Scripture many times during our week, we need dedicated times to do more than read but study what God’s word says. Taking time to look at the context of Scripture, the whole counsel of Scripture, and understanding how various scriptures together give us a deeper understanding is essential to Christian growth. Sunday school provides an opportunity to look at a text for an extended time and find within it hidden gems that grow our relationships with God.
So how do I get involved with a Sunday school group or Bible Study?
It’s easy! All you have to do is show up! We have four kids & youth classes and four adult Sunday school classes on Sunday mornings at 9:00. We also offer men’s Bible study and women’s Bible study during the week. We would love to have you join us in learning more about God’s word!
What classes can you choose from, and where do they meet?
Nineteen months – 4-year-old kids meet in the corner classroom downstairs between the two large bathrooms. Teachers: Mrs. Annie Tyson and Mrs. Julie Daughtery
Kindergarten – 2nd Grade kids meet upstairs in the classroom directly at the top of the straight staircase. Teachers: Debra Baggett and Kim Russell
3rd – 5th-grade kids meet in the small back classroom in the fellowship hall. Teachers: Roger and Kathy Neely, Dawn Tyson
6th – 12th-grade youth meet in the large back classroom in the fellowship hall. Teachers: Nathan and Lorrie Pipkin; Dawn Tyson
The Fellowship Class meets in the front classroom of the Family Life Center (gym). Teachers: Chip & Jackie Cayton, Peggy McCarter, Janet McKinney, Jonathan & Chandler Whitford
The Adult 1 Sunday School Class meets in the main room in the fellowship hall. Teachers: Benny Cox and Mary Briley
The Adult 2 Sunday School Class meets in the conference room in the office building. Teacher: Teresa Ball
The Adult 3 Sunday School Class meets in the Sanctuary. Teacher: Randy Tyson
Men’s Bible Study meets in the conference room in the church office on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 – studies are during announced periods.
Women’s Bible Study meets in the front classroom of the Family Life Center (gym) on Thursday mornings at 9:45 – studies are during announced periods.
February 2023 Newsletter
February brings thoughts of Love, but at Elm Grove Kids, we have been focusing on Love a lot! We began our “Growing in Love” series last September, and we have learned much about what Love really is. In learning that God is Love, and His Love is displayed through us, we have also seen what Love is not. Many people say they love us, but real Love shows the truth through actions. So, what actions show Love?
1 Corinthians 13:4- 7 says, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
When we genuinely pause and hear these words, they are powerful. What if our Love looked like this? We often hear this scripture read at weddings, and it sounds like a romantic notion that we would like to be reality. However, we rarely believe that the people who love us should actually be these things, or even worse, we seldom stop and ask ourselves if we are these things to the people we say we love.
The importance of Love in scripture and the Christian walk
Why is Love important enough to take so much of our time? We have spent 16 Sundays and 14 Wednesdays talking only about Love because Love is one of the Christian walk's most essential and foundational aspects. What is the greatest commandment? How will the world know we belong to Jesus? What is the one thing that Jesus said would set us apart from the world?
LOVE
If we have not Love, we have nothing.
To love like He loves should be our highest aim and greatest responsibility. We never do it perfectly because we are not perfect people. But through spending time with Him and asking Jesus to enable, lead and guide us, He will teach us how to love better. He has told us what to look for in ourselves. As we examine ourselves, we ask, “How have I loved today? Was I patient, kind, humble, respectful, faithful, forgiving, delightful to be around, polite, modest, honest, hopeful, and enduring? Did I put others before me, or did I demand my way?” As we examine our hearts before God, He will show us when we failed and when we got it right. He is faithful to lead us to become more like Him, should we submit ourselves to His will, as spilled out in scripture.
What is Love?
So, let’s take just a moment to understand better these words we find describing Love in 1 Corinthians.
Patient
As defined by Webster’s dictionary, patience is “the act of bearing pains or trials calmly and without complaint.” Patience grows within us, it does not come naturally, and we must intentionally practice it. As we become patient with those around us, we learn that the person in front of us is more important than the goal, task, or agenda we have. Patience reminds us that we are not at the center of our universe; instead, God has ordained our steps. When we look at someone and see them as a person created in the image of God rather than a hindrance to what we want, we have met God and been changed.
Kind
Kindness is something many of us would say that we have – and I hope we do. But genuine kindness is not a ‘when it’s convenient’ thing. Kindness is the act of being sympathetic, helpful, gentle or having a forbearing nature. (Websters) Forbearance here speaks of patience and mercy. As the song says, “God’s loving kindness is better than life.” When we are kind, we are indeed the right kind and care for people just as God does.
Humble
Humility is an accurate view of oneself and others. Warren Wiersbe, a practical Bible teacher, preacher, and author, says, “Humility is not thinking meanly of ourselves; it is just not thinking of ourselves at all.” Often, we think of humility as putting ourselves down or not admitting the talents God has given us, yet this is not a Biblical view of humility. Humility is honesty, stating who we are and who we are not. Knowing what gifts God has given us and that we are created to serve God and others, and no service we can provide is beneath us to give. Living each day to serve Him in whatever way He gives us the opportunity to is true humility.
Respectful
Respect, essentially, is remembering that each person we meet is made in the image of God and, as such, deserves to be treated accordingly. When we forget that the people we meet at the store or a restaurant are people God loves, we fall into Satan’s trap of treating them as if they are in the way. We must regularly remind ourselves that every person we meet, we have a responsibility to show them the goodness of God. And in doing so, we impart His Love.
Faithful
Faithfulness is being true to your word and doing what you agree or say you will do. Dependable. As Christ’s followers, dependability, faithfulness is something we should be known for. Once again, in thinking of others before ourselves, we follow through in our commitments so as to not put undo toll on another. We show up for people because Jesus is there for us.
Forgiving
Forgiving is at the very center of Christianity. Forgiveness sets us apart from any other religion. Still, more importantly, forgiveness is the only difference between someone saved by grace and someone on the road to an eternity without God. As we give forgiveness when we have been sinned against, we remember the forgiveness given as pardon to us. Forgiveness is the biggest act of Love ever recorded in human history. Perfectly by Christ, a perfect person, a sinless sacrifice, God himself paying the price for our sin. And mirrored imperfectly by us, imperfect people loved by a perfect God. Taking on the punishment of another, and paying the price so that justice is still served, is the mark of a HOLY GOD entirely just and completely loving. May we forgive as we have been forgiven.
Delightful To Be Around
How often do we think, “I can be in a bad mood and still show love.” Or “I’m in a mood; leave me alone.” We might not say it, but that we think it tells us something. I’m not saying we can never have bad days – we are human and will have bad days. The question is, what do we do when we have bad days? Do we ask God to sit with us as we examine our hearts and identify why? Do we need more rest? Time away from more pessimistic people, or even more likely, more time with God? When we notice our bad moods and refuse to do anything to solve them, we are not showing Love to those around us. How can we be more delightful to be around? How can we be more like Jesus? Know when to pull away from people to see God and get your cup filled up.
Polite
To be polite or courteous is to show Love in everyday moments. To truly be a polite person, we must be committed to continually being this way. Jesus was not rude, even in His dealings with those who didn’t like Him. He corrected and instructed but did so with Love. Even as He tossed the tables in the temple, He wasn’t degrading to the people but corrected the actions they were choosing. Being polite shows that in every moment, we consider their thoughts and feelings as we interact with others.
Modest
Modest, meek, and humble all describe the savior we look to as our picture of perfection. Our Holy God came and lived a modest life. To our knowledge, He never owned a home or had much He worried about calling His own. He sets an example that in living modestly, we have abundant life and a surplus to give to others.
Honest
Love is honest. God himself has never lied and cannot lie – or He would cease to be God. Therefore, we know that lying is never the loving thing to do – although sometimes Love requires us to say nothing. When we love someone, we are honest in our dealings with them. As we are honest in our words and actions, this honesty shows others a picture of our God, who is the truth.
Hopeful
Love is hopeful, expecting the promises of God to be kept. Knowing, believing in what is unseen, yet fully assured that God will do what He said He would do. We don’t hope as the world does with some wishful thinking and “maybe” (shrug). We have full assurance that what God has promised, He will deliver. And this hope is grounded in a knowledge and understanding of what He has promised. Knowing His word enables us to understand what we can hope for and cannot. This hope keeps our eyes fixed on the things of God, the eternal, not the momentary earthly things. In relationships with others, our Love (through God) stands steadfast in the hope of eternal salvation. Hope never wavers, and always trusts that God is using everything for good.
Enduring
Love endures forever. How good is it to know that God’s Love never runs out! As we sit with God and know that He provides all our needs, we know that our Love might be enduring only by His grace. Real Love comes from God. It’s not our Love that we give but God’s Love that fills us and we give away. We cannot manufacture it or will it to be stronger, and we must first receive it so that we too can give Love. How do we keep loving when our Love runs out? We go back to the source of Love and receive it again.
Putting Others First
Putting others before ourselves is the heart of what Love is. As we intentionally consider not what do I want but instead ask what others need, we become more like Christ.
Not Demanding My Own Way
In most of our relationships, demanding rarely gets us very far. But demanding never shows Love. I struggled to find a single word that encapsulated this because I didn’t want to lose any of the heart. In yielding to others, we choose not to think of ourselves as the most important person in the room. We recognize that our wants and desires are only one part of the picture, and we, like Christ set aside our rights and entrust to God our needs as a display of humility and trust.
In Conclusion
As you can see, Love is about making us more like God, for God is Love. We cannot love if we do not have God. We cannot live up to any of these things on our own; we need Him and the presence of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into Love and to strengthen us to do the loving thing in each moment. I pray that as you consider what true Love is, you examine your heart and ask God to help you and all of us around you grow in Love daily as we grow closer to Him.
This February, we continue to dive into love with fun, crafts, games, music, and life-application stories during our children’s worship! We enjoy teaching your kids how to have a closer walk with Jesus! We continue to equip you as parents to lead your kids closer to Christ through conversation starter cards found Here!
As Ultimate Wednesday continues, we learn more about Prayer and whom we pray to- God! He is our Creator, Potter, or director of our lives and our Heavenly Father! We continue learning to have real conversations with our very real God!
Our volunteers work very hard to love and serve you and your children. Please keep them in your prayers! Pray that God will bless them and continue to give them health, patience, faithfulness, and love as they serve. We encourage you to pray over our kids as well. They need to know the Love of their Father in Heaven! May they feel His presence and know they never walk through this world alone!
Paul told the Corinthian Church in his second letter (2 Cor 3:18) "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is Spirit - makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image."
It is here Paul reminds us it is God who is working in us and through us in order for us to grow to be like Jesus. But it also means that we must be intentional and do our part in the journey.
It is my hope and goal that our teens (and kids and adults as well) begin to encounter a real and loving God who is with us no matter where we are or will ever go. He wants a relationship with them and us. A relationship that grows daily as we walk closer to our God and look more and more like Jesus, and less like us!
Grove Youth Night will be on February 19th from 4:30 to 6:30. We are excited to open the gym up for: games, snacks, Worship, and Devotion! All middle and high school students are welcome to come hang out with us!
We are still needing more volunteers to help with our teens on both Wednesday afternoons, Wednesday evenings, and during Grove Youth Nights. We would love to have you come love on these young people! Pray about this, and let me know.
~ Pastor Jonathan
Each week we recognize one of the families in our congregation. We ask that you lift them up in prayer and find a way to encourage them. Please take a few moments to send them a message, call, or in some way, let them know that you are thinking of them. If you don’t know who they are, this is an excellent opportunity to get to know some new people! We love all of our community here at Elm Grove and are so glad that you are part of it!
January 1st - Jonathan & Chandler Whitford
January 8th - Marvin Wade
January 15th - Raymond & Gayle Smithson
January 22nd - Phyllis Worthington
January 29th Gavin & Brette Daniels
Elm Grove FWB Church Family,
The Pitt County Pacers Board would like to thank you for allowing us to use your amazing facility for our boys’ basketball teams’ practices and games. Without you opening your doors to us, we would not have been able to have a basketball season. We are so very grateful to you for all you have done to support us.
Sincerely,
Pitt County Pacers Board
Dear Elm Grove Church Family,
Thank you.
Thank you for all you did when my mama, Cindy Venters passed away! You all were wonderful to her and she loved her church family! The meal you served our family was delicious and very appreciated! So Sorry this note has taken so long!
Love,
Jason, Melissa & Cameron McLawhorn & Family
January 2023 Newsletter
I pray that each of you had a blessed Christmas and will have a blessed new year. Going through the season of Advent and Christmas should remind each of us about the importance of being a blessing to others. The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of giving. As we look at the epiphany story we read that the wise men brought gifts and presented them to the newborn King of Israel. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold is the king of metals and is an appropriate gift for one born to be the King of men. This new King was to rule, not by force, but by love. His throne was to be a cross.
They brought a gift of frankincense, which is a gift appropriate for a priest. The Christ was to be the high priest who would open the way to God for sinners. He was to build the bridge by which we could come into the presence of God and by which God in love would enter our lives.
The wise men also brought a gift of myrrh, a spice that was used to anoint the bodies of the dead. Even at the beginning of Christ's life there was an indication of a cross at the end of the way. Jesus Christ was to be the true King, the perfect priest, the supreme Savior.
The wise men are not the ones who started the practice of giving gifts at Christmas. It is appropriate for us to take note of their gifts for the King, but let us not forget the great gifts that Christ gave to us.
The Christ of Christmas was born to be the King of our hearts. For the kingdom of God, He was born and lived a sinless life on earth. For the kingdom of God, He prayed and preached and wrought miracles and taught His disciples. For the kingdom, He suffered the darkness of Gethsemane and endured the awful agony of the cross. For the kingdom, He arose from the dead and lives to make intercession for those who come to God through Him. Jesus Christ is the one whom God has appointed to be our King.
He offers us the gift of forgiveness. Our part is to repent and turn from a life of evil and self-destructiveness and He gives us the gift of eternal life. He also offers us adoption into the family of God (John 1:12). He offers us guidance through the difficulties and perplexities of life (John 8:12). He assures us of fruitfulness and significance if we will abide in him (John 15:5-9). His desire is for us to be with him forever (John 17:24).
He has given us the Holy Spirit to be our guide. The Holy Spirit will be our teacher and helper throughout all of the journey of our earthly life (Luke 11:13; John 14:16-18).
These are precious gifts of God that come to us through His Son. They are perfect, precious, permanent, and personal.
The wise men brought rich gifts and presented them to the Christ child while he was still a baby. They could not possibly know the joys of His salvation as we know them today. If they brought the best that they had, it only makes sense that we should bring even greater gifts to this one whom God has appointed to be our King.
Let us give Jesus Christ the throne of our hearts. Satan wants to be enthroned in our hearts and be the sovereign of our lives. Perhaps Satan's greatest rival for this position is our own selfish selves. We have an ungodly desire to put ourselves above all persons and things. Instead of giving ourselves the throne rights of our lives (which means giving them to Satan), let us give them to Jesus Christ.
Jesus deserves to be King because of who He is. He deserves to be King because of what He has done for us. Jesus deserves to be King in our lives because of what he will do in us and through.us.
Let’s present our ourselves as a gift to God in gratitude for His great mercies to us (Rom. 12:1). Paul taught the believers at Corinth that their bodies were the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). He further declared that their bodies belonged to God because they had been purchased by God in the act of redemption (1 Cor. 6:19-20). In reality, Paul was encouraging them to let God abide within their bodies so that others would be reminded of his gracious presence in them.
We also ought to bring the gift of thanksgiving and give God the praises of our heart. Through the psalmist God declares, "He who brings thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me" (Ps. 50:23 RSV). To remain silent when we can give praises to God for His goodness is to rob God and at the same time to deprive others of the blessings this testimony could bring. To give a joyful testimony about God's goodness before nonbelievers is to encourage them to trust God with their lives. This is the greatest favor that we can give to an individual, and it is the greatest joy that we can bring to the Father God.
Living the Christian life means we are to give unto the Lord. God initiated this spirit by giving His Son to be our Savior. To become our Savior, Jesus became our substitute. He bore our sin by dying on a cross, and God raised him from the dead to show his great love for us.
Because God loved us first, we should love him. Because God gave his best, we should give our best back to him. True worship is bringing the best we have to God, who has already given His best to us. Why does God love a cheerful giver? It is because God is a generous giver. God loves in a special way those who have responded to His love and become the channel through which His love reaches others. Let us become givers of ourselves to God, to our family, and to others.
May the Lord place a smile on your face and love and joy down deep in your heart as we become generous givers to the Lord and others. Be blessed and be a blessing!!!!
Pastor Baggett
This month in Children's Worship, our kids refocus on love. As we learn together what true love is, we learn how to notice God's love in this world, and we learn how to be God's love in this world! Thank you so much for joining us on this journey!
Ultimate Wednesday is back in action! This semester we are focused on how to "Check-in with Jesus." As we focus on prayer and what personal time with God looks like, we hope our kids will learn to develop a real personal relationship with Jesus! Please pray for our kids as they memorize scripture each week and hide God's word in their hearts!
Please also continue to pray for our many Children's Workers who shine the love of Jesus as they serve these kids and their families! Just a reminder for those serving with children in any capacity, there will be a children's worker training on January 29th, during the Cafe'; please get your food and go to the classroom for a brief review of how we keep our kids and workers safe, as well as a few other updates!
We are excited to see God moving in this new year! Grove Youth Night will be on January 15th from 4:30 to 6:30. Open Gym, games, snacks, Worship, and Devotion! Our hope and goal is for our teens to know who Jesus is and grow closer to Him every day!
As we grow and become more like Jesus through the relationship we have with Him, it is our hope that we help nurture you and your walk with God that will last a lifetime of growth and be a stronger disciple of Jesus.
During Ultimate Wednesday, we focus on this relationship, strengthening our prayer lives and learning scripture that empowers us to walk with Jesus daily.
We are still looking for more volunteers to help with our teens on both Wednesday afternoons, Wednesday evenings, and during Grove Youth Nights. We would love to have you come love on these young people!
Dec. 4th - Steve and Rheta Russell
Dec. 11th - Bryan Smithson Family
Dec. 18th - Phyllis Worthington
Dec. 25th - Jesus!
In Memory of Joann & CJ Wade
by Terry & Cheryl Manning
In Memory of Vickie Cox
By Agnes & Marvin Strickland
In Loving Memory of Vickie Cox
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Shirley Smith
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Janet White Tripp
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Willie Pogue
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Johnny Oakley
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Cindy Venters
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Gary G. Baker
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Pattie Moore
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Honor of Stephanie Goetz - ECU Graduation 2022
by the Chappell Family
In Memory of Misty Mills Pellington by Kellie Chappell - Gonzalez
In Memory of Bill Jones, Jr by Kellie Chappell - Gonzalez
In Honor of Eli Tucker Chappell Baby Dedication 12- 11- 2022
by Kellie Chappell - Gonzalez
Pat & BT Chappell, Happy Anniversary Love, Kellie, Tom, & Steve