Go to Gethsemane Church pictures for a slideshow from our sister church in Cuba.

Here is a link to the press release for Mothers of Israel.  

Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah,

 Rachel, Leah, Tamar, Dinah and other women of Genesis

A Bible Course by

John Snodgrass

Wednesdays in August

At 5:30 PM

Dinner Provided

$7 suggested donation

 
To be held at Providence Baptist Church, 1201 Oakland Street, Hendersonville, NC 28792.  All Welcome!!

Seven months ago, we started what Julie termed our “Sunday night worship at The Storehouse”.  That organization graciously offered their property and we began to serve meals to anyone and everyone from 4:30-6:30 PM every Sunday.  The Fresh Market got us going with their dated bread and desserts; later on they began giving us their refrigerated deli and fruit products, as well as occasional produce.  We also were offered ice every Sunday from the Burger King directly behind the church.  Church members and other volunteers have prepared soup and other hot dishes to complement the meal.

As of this week (31 consecutive Sundays), we have served approximately 140 different individuals and over 500 meals overall.  And just as important, we have developed new friendships as we join each other around the table and share stories.  I no longer can drive down Seventh Avenue without recognizing someone I know.  I did for ten years and never really noticed anyone walking down the street.  Now my car window goes down and I am calling out to someone by name; without exception I receive a big wave of the hand as I go by.

There are many stories to tell about many of those people, and you will be able to read some of those stories in the coming weeks.  The latest is a good one to start with, although it is not about any of the personal relationships we have established.  We had discussed for a couple of weeks the idea of having a cookout Sunday July 3  to celebrate Independence Day with our dinner guests.  On the Sunday before (June 26), when Erick at The Fresh Market rolled out the carts with the food for the day, there in one of the carts were 12 packages of Hebrew National Hot Dogs.  That was  the first time we had received that item in the seven months we had been picking up food there.  Yes, we decided at that moment we would definitely have a cookout the next week.  This past Sunday, between 40 and 50 people joined us in The Storehouse parking lot for grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, watermelon and strawberry shortcake.  That was in addition to the many salads and sandwiches we had received from The Fresh Market.

I encourage and challenge you to assist us just one Sunday afternoon.  But I warn you; you must be very careful.  You too may not be able to drive on the streets of Hendersonville with out seeing someone you recognize, and have that uncontrollable urge to call out to your new friends!

Julie Merritt Lee, Pastor of Providence Baptist Church, Hendersonville, NC is featured in the April issue of  Baptists Today , along with five other Baptist women in NC.  The article discusses the changing roles of  pastors in NC for women.  Some of the obstacles that are encountered and overcome, different insights and points of view make this article a must read!

Providence Baptist Church was recently recognized for supporting women in pastoral roles by the Baptist Women In Ministry.  Gail Coulter was the founding pastor and Julie Merritt Lee followed almost two years ago.  Both have been an inspiration to the members of the church and of the community.

Julie Merritt Lee, was quoted in the article as saying, "I'm not the key player--the one giving birth--but it excites me to have a part in helping and guiding the church through gestation and labor, where the Holy Spirit continues to move, bump up next to us, turn things over occasionally until we are birthed anew into the likeness of Christ."

Women can be strong leaders.  Providence is certainly proof of that.

Providence will host a religious liberty forum on March 27 at 3:00 PM.  Brent Walker will be the presenter, and there will be a Q&A time. 

Brent is the Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty , an education and advocacy organization in Washington DC.  It is the only religious agency devoted solely to religious liberty and the institutional separation of church and state.

The Sunday of Love.  Emmanuel, God will be with us through his child.  Let's explore how this came about.  Here's this teenage girl found pregnant.  Joseph acts not out of legality but of love and chooses to divorce her quietly not to give her over to public disgrace, even though the knows  he's not the baby's daddy.  And then lo and behold an angel comes to him in a dream and the problem seems to be solved--The Holy Spirit impregnated Mary.  And this child will be one who saves his people, he fulfills the prophecy of old--Emmanuel, God will be with us through his child.

So Joseph wakes up as the text says he did as the angel commanded him, taking Mary as his wife.  But he obeyed.

Not just a story about Mary and Joseph, this passage is a birth announcement.  And the ultimate player is God.  This is a story about God, and ultimately it's a Love story.

The Holy Spirit does something TO Mary.  And what is Mary's part?  Mary embodied Jesus' name, Emmanuel, before any of us did:  God with me, God within me.

We hallow Mary for her ability to embody Jesus, but aren't we given the same chance?  Doesn't this child to be named  Emmanuel, God with Us include every one of us?  Aren't we Easter people who believe that the Messiah has already come?

God, as Love, comes to Mary, comes to Joseph--in a dream.  Bidden or unbidden, God comes as love.

So how do we receive this Emmanuel, this Love come down at Christmas?  It brings us back full circle to where we began this series--worship.  That's all we are called to do.  That's why Christina Rossetti's poem, "Love Came Down at Christmas" moves from talking about the love that came down and was born to the second stanza which calls us to "Worship we the Godhead, love incarnate, love divine; worship we our Jesus--what shall be our sacred sign?"

Mary worships God and is able to receive the Holy Spirit coming inside her.  Joseph worships God and is able to receive the dream with faith and treat Mary with honor and dignity.  They worship God and it affects how they treat one another.

May this season, this day, if you don't hear or see anything else, may you see Emmanuel, God with you, as Love, and may we impart it after it's "deep, deep down in our heart."

When Jesus loved, he loved in ways never imagined.  Though rich, he became poor to love the poor, the forgotten, the overlooked and the sick.  By spending less at Christmas we have the opportunity to join him in giving resources to those who need help the most.  When Advent Conspiracy first began four churches challenged this simple concept to its congregations.  The result raised more than a half million dollars to aid those in need. 

One less gift.  One unbelievable present in the name of Christ.  For more information be sure to visit www.adventconspiracy.org.

Pastor Julie shared these thoughts this past Sunday.  Think about it.  God's greatest gift wasn't a monetary gift.  It was a relational gift--an embodied gift.  He didn't send an angel or some emissary on his behalf.  He sent his son.

So here it is, clear as day, in this season of gift-giving, we hear of the greatest gift ever given.  We've all rehearsed it since we were children:  it was the gift of God's own Son.  This is so John 3:16.  We've all said this so much that we're not gripped by it anymore.

Relational.  Embodied.  Jesus took upon our burdens and sorrows.

Most of us don't have an understanding of owning nothing, or sharing property, things held in common, or common purse.  We love to own things.  We even own our own ideas, own our own inventions, our own music (copyrights), we own our children, we even believe we own our very life.  We don't see these as gifts at all.

The problem is we want to give gifts that don't cost us anything--believe it or not, a calendar, sweater or a gift certificate doesn't cost us as much as our time, a thoughtful gift like a well-crafted poem, a picture, a note.  We've tried to make Christmas as cheap as we can.

What do we need to empty ourselves of?  In order to be filled with Spirit.  May the Spirit of Christ sound through us and teach us a whole new way of giving this Advent season.

A couple of questions to ponder:
1.  Read John 1: 1-14 with fresh eyes and ears.  How does this passage bring us back to the miracle of Christmas?

2.  What are some relational gifts that could be given?  How can you give the gift of God's presence to others?

Share your answers in  the comment section.

What is meant by giving more? Time.  Time is the real gift Christmas offers us , and no matter how hard we look, it can't be found in a store.  Time to write mom that letter. Time to take the kids sledding.  Time to bake really good cookies and sing really bad Christmas carols.  Time to make love visible through relational giving.

Find the time to give this Advent season.  Give more by spending less.