Old Greenbrier Baptist ChurchPO Box 456Alderson, WV 24910

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Bill Bryan(304) 646-8631Ministers of Music:Dell & Nancy WoodCarolyn Holliday Treasurer:Charlotte MeltonCongregational Visitor:Peggy BollenbachOfficial Board, ChairBob LaRueStreet Address:301 North Monroe St.Church Phone: (304) 445-7854

Old GreenbriER

Baptist News2015

Non-ProfitPostage PermitNo. 32

Volume XVII No. VI

Church website: http://oldgreenbrierbaptistchurch.typepad.com/

Forwarding Service Requested

FROM YOUR

PASTOR’S HEART

This month we welcome summer which according to my

thermometer has already arrived. As the seasons come with regularity, so do opportunities for service in God’s kingdom. When opportunities come, we must be ready to respond with willing hearts and feet/hands yielded in service to our Lord. I am thankful for the many, exciting opportunities that God has opened for our ministry together . . .

. . . in China – Deborah and I appreciate your support in allowing us to be away on a teaching mission trip to China at the end of April. Please read our detailed trip report included in this newsletter. We believe that your participation with us in these teaching missions is part of our church’s response to our Lord’s command to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.. . . in Nigeria – While in the airport on the way to China, I received an urgent request from Dr. Larry Ashlock with the Baptist Center for Global Concerns concerning my potential participation with a team headed to Nigeria in June. The team of eight persons consists of teachers, agricultural professionals, and medical personnel. Dr. Emiola Nihinlola, president of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in Ogbomoso, had just made a special request for a preaching course to be added to the team’s list of ministry projects. I was asked to join the team to fulfill his request. After prayer and consultation with our Official Board, it was determined that I should join this team for the week of June 14-20. Be in prayer that God will use me and the other members of this team to accomplish the purposes he has for us. . . . in Our Backyard – Closer to home, our Emma Alderson Christian Academy is moving toward its ministry launch in August. We will have an Open House event on Saturday, June 6 from 10am to 2pm at the church. This event is for anyone, especially parents and children, interested in learning more about our program, touring the facilities, or completing registration paperwork. Be in prayer and support of this important ministry action outreach to families in our area.

The next Men’s Community Prayer Breakfast will be Saturday, August 1st at 8am at Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church. The July breakfast is cancelled due to it falling on July 4th.

Our 2015 Vacation Bible School dates have been set for Sunday, July 19 through Thursday, July 23 from 6:30–8:00pm. On Thursday night July 23 we will have a hot dog picnic at 5pm before the closing program which will be at 7pm. We need workers to help with Bible stories, crafts, recreation, snacks, and other activities.

We want to have a float in this year’s July 4 th parade. We need adult volunteers to help prepare the float, posters, and flyers. We also need adults and children to ride/walk with the float in the parade. Also, we need donations of suckers to distribute during the parade.

1 – H. R. McVey Carroll Willis 2 – Trista Jones 4 – Kimberly Reed 6 – Rick Simms 9 – Karen Lobban 11 – Holli Harris

1 2 3Bible Study~ 6:30pmChoir ~ 7:30pm

4Ruth Thurmond Circle ~ 1pm

5 6Men’s Breakfast OGBC ~ 8am

EACA Open House ~ 10am – 2pm

7Communion SundayS School ~ 9:45amWorship ~ 11am

Main Street Dance at Visitor’s Center ~ 6:30pm

8 9WoodPianoRecital~ 7pm

10Bible Study~ 6:30pmChoir ~ 7:30pm

11 12 13

14S School ~ 9:45amWorship ~ 11am

Official Bd. ~ noon

15 16 17No Bible StudyChoir ~ 7:30pm

18Pack Food Pantry~9am

19Food Pantry~9am

20

21Father’s DayS School ~ 9:45amWorship ~ 11amSummer BeginsMain Street ConcertAt Gazebo ~ 6:30pm

22 23 24Bible Study~ 6:30pmChoir ~ 7:30pm

25 26 27

28S School ~ 9:45amWorship ~ 11am

29 30

Though China is traditionally a Buddhist country, recent history has meant that most people do not have strong religious traditions or feelings. Especially among the younger generation, those in their thirties and younger, there is a vacuum of belief. Most people have some basic idea of what Christianity is but they may not know exactly what Christians believe or that there is a Christian church in their area. God is working mightily in China, which has the fastest growing Christian church in the world. There will soon be more Christians in this region than in any other region of the world. However, there is still much planting and harvesting to be done.

Classes were held in one of B.H. Carroll’s Teaching Churches in this region. The church, which started less than ten years ago with thirty persons, now has an average Sunday attendance of about 500 people in two services. The church currently has only one full-time minister, who is also a student in the Carroll program. The church has a large number of university students and young professionals, members with advanced degrees, families, and believing couples. The church has a strong emphasis on small group study with adult Sunday school classes and home meeting groups. Recently, the church opened a second meeting location.

Another church in the region has three full-time pastors, all of whom are studying in the Carroll program. They also have a preacher and two elders who serve an urban area of several hundred thousand people. Their average weekly attendance is around 1,000. They are also responsible for more than forty churches and meeting points in the area around their city. Their leaders travel frequently to the outlying churches as well as preach and serve in the city. This church was started in the early 1900s; closed during the 1960s; and reopened in the 1980s.

Dr. Bill’s Old Testament I course was held at night, since some of the students had career jobs during the day. The twenty-two students included lay leaders, preachers, and pastors. The students were highly motivated and interested in this Bible course. One of the students served as translator and did a wonderful job. The students eagerly engaged the material. This was their first graduate level Old Testament Bible course. So, they were excited to study the biblical text in-depth. Dr. Bill also offered six hours of non-credit lectures on the Books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. There were about twenty students in attendance each day for these special lectures. There was not enough time in the schedule to offer this study for credit, but the students enthusiastically received these extra lectures and left wanting more. They truly want to study, understand, and proclaim God's word.

Dr. Bill & Deborah are grateful for this opportunity to teach in China. They were blessed by the experience and look forward to continued service “to the ends of the earth” with Old Greenbrier Baptist Church as the Lord opens the way.

1 – H. R. McVey Carroll Willis 2 – Trista Jones 4 – Kimberly Reed 6 – Rick Simms 9 – Karen Lobban 11 – Holli Harris

Emma Alderson Christian Academy News

. . . to the ends of the earthDr. Bill & Deborah recently travelled to western China to teach for B.H. Carroll Theological Institute. Their hosts provided gracious hospitality throughout their stay. Dr. Bryan and one of the hosts quickly realized that they had been in at least two classes together during seminary in the early 1990s. They were excited to reconnect and to work together in ministry almost twenty-five years later.

There is a twelve hour time change from West Virginia to China. During their day-and-a-half adjustment time, the Bryans, accompanied by their hosts, enjoyed local attractions and food. While visiting one of the local temples, it seemed strange to see folks literally bowing before idols. In the west most of our idols (e.g., money, power, fame) are less tangible but equally worshiped. The hotel accommodations were good, and the breakfast buffet, which included both Asian and western items, was very good. While they had never had veggie pizza, salad, and corn-on-the-cob as breakfast items, they also enjoyed many traditional western food items as well.

For those serving in churches in China, opportunities for graduate theological education are extremely limited. They must relocate to another part of China or go abroad to further their theological education. The courses B.H. Carroll provides are the only way for them to continue studying while still serving in their churches. Due to the fast growth of the churches, there is a shortage of trained leaders. Allowing the twenty-two pastors and lay leaders in this program to receive high quality theological study without leaving their churches is an important contribution of the Carroll program.

On Saturday, June 6 from 10am to 2pm EACA will host an Open House at the church. Refreshments will be provided and EACA representatives will be present to answer questions and help with registration. The Academy is accepting applications for both the Pre-K Program (3s & 4s) and the After-school Program (K - 5th grade).

Enrollment forms are available at the back of the sanctuary or by calling the Academy phone at (304) 992-9312. Information about our Academy’s programs and costs is also available on our church website.

http://oldgreenbrierbaptistchurch.typepad.com/site/emma-alderson-christian-academy.html

Our Finance Team monitors our church budget and spending. Thank you for your regular tithes and special offerings. Each month, we want to present an overview of where we are

financially.

General Fund for the Month Ended April 30, 2015Beginning Balance $ 3,992.18

+ Income 9,330.73− Total Expenses 9,615.81

Ending Balance $ 3,707 .10

Budget Needs Actual Need Difference

Giving thru April: $39,217 $45,203 - $ 5,986May 3, 10, 17, 24: $ 7,884 $10,636 - $ 2,752 Total 2015 Giving: $47,101 $55,839 - $ 8,738

Prayer Needs as of May 24

Family of Seth FitzwaterFamily of Tommy RiderSaeed AbdeniGlenna Adams (sis-in-law of Mary Godby)Sherman AyersNathan BradleyDeborah Bryan’s sister and fatherDonna EskinsLinda Fitzwater (Friend of Anne Parker)Frank GodbyClara HardestyJohn HedrickBetty HighlanderDickie & Ora HonakerLorene HouseJim JohnsonRonald KnappBob & Judy LacyBob LaRueRebecca LaRue & baby (Bob &Gayle LaRue’s daughter-in-law) Joyce LehmannLevi LevisayTheresa MasseyCindy ParkerLaurie PatriaccaLee PattersonAlice Penfield’s great-great nieceLevi Pugliani (Bob & Gayle LaRue’s grandson)Marsha RayRebecca Rexroad (Jewell Smith’s grand-daughter)Brittany ShaferMargie SimmonsTammy SkaggsLucy SmithsonMark UtterbackSammy Walker (friend of C. McCallister)Claudine Hinkle WaltonAmanda Bowden WheelerTrip Zobrist (friend of Theresa Massey)

ALL TROOPS In Our Armed ForcesRandy Fleshman (home)Katie Hunter (home)Jess Phillips (home)Brent Taylor (home)Ernie Tincher (Afghanistan)

Church Family Shut-inMary Lou Bowden Ernestine LightFrances Canterbury Juanita RookstoolHarriett Dancy Dorothy Taylor Louise Utterback

Government Officials Heads of State

Students: Jonathan Bradley, Bethany Burdette, Hannah Griffin, Rhys Rogers, Kari Still, Stephanie Willis, Keith Wiseman, Brennan Wood

Note: Please notify church office 304 445-7854 to delete or add to prayer list.

One Great Hour of SharingIt’s that time of year again when we are given the marvelous opportunity to share in the abundance of needs of our sisters and brothers by contributing to One Great Hour of Sharing. By the grace of God, all of us have the power to give, and the gifts we give make the world more the way God intended it to be—a place where everyone has what they need. Together, we can achieve a fair balance on this planet we all share, giving right back to God what God has so richly bestowed upon us.

The Apostle Paul modeled this ecumenical offering in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, making an appeal to the early Christian communities to respond to those in Jerusalem who had just experienced a devastating famine. Thus, Paul’s ecumenical, church-wide offering was not only practical in leveraging funds so they could make the most impact, together, but it was also one of the first visible expressions of the early Church’s unity in Christ. This offering, or ministry, was a way for Paul to model the unity of all believers and to provide a pragmatic mechanism for demonstrating their care and concern for one another—even if they did not know each other personally. Just as we do though One Great Hour of Sharing.

The One Great Hour of Sharing offering reaches those near and far, sometimes changing the life of someone in distress in your own congregation or community, and at other times impacting the lives of those we may never meet but who are in desperate need of our compassion and generosity. God provides the gifts and resources so that we can give back. It’s not the size of the gift that matters; it’s that we give of what we have. We’re simply giving back to God what is already God’s—and everyone has a gift to bring!

As the Church in the world, through One Great Hour of Sharing, we have the opportunity to act in one accord as the body of Christ, to ensure that all of God’s children have what they need. This is the offering that Paul was promoting, and this is still our ministry, all these centuries later. Together, we

will achieve a fair balance, bringing about a world the way God intended it to be.

Our church goal for our One Great Hour of Sharing offering is $1,000. As you make your offering this year, give so that there is “Nothing left over to the one with the most; nothing lacking to the one with the least” (2 Cor 8:15 [The Message]).