This past Sunday, Emmanuel Baptist Church celebrated our 83rd anniversary! This is the first year that our Homecoming represented a "normal" Sunday service format and the responses have really been good. I've learned that while "showcasing" people from the past is fun, our people are proud of their church and want their returning friends to see what is taking place now. So, outside of some extra music with the One Focus Trio, everything else was pretty normal. I laugh in saying that, because people always respond, "We never have a 'normal' Sunday at EBC."
Heather did a great job leading - as always. Lisa knocked it out of the park with her solo. (For me personally, we could have given the invitation as soon as she finished.) Reports were given celebrating God's blessings in Emmanuel Christian School, Judgement House, Trunk-or-Treat, the progress on our Children's Theater, Ropes Course, etc. God is doing some awesome things at EBC! It was good for our own folks and our guests to hear what's happening and the lives being impacted because of EBC's efforts and God's blessings.
I continued the sermon series moving into James 4:1-10. In a brief summary, James tells God's children to 1) stop fighting among ourselves and grow up! Selfishness, bitterness, failure to forgive, and desires to retaliate are all marks of spiritual immaturity. Christ-followers are to love, forgive, reconcile, restore, and live in unity. James also instructs us to 2) stop warring within ourselves by selling out to our Savior, instead of our sin. He tells us to 3) stop warring against God and calls those who choose other gods spiritual adulterers! James closes by 4) giving instructions on making peace with God (vss 7-10).
We closed our our Homecoming with a potluck feast like you would not believe. We had 14 serving lines setup in our gym and people ate and spent time catching up with old friends.
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