September 20th, 2023
by Dr. Jonathan Richerson
by Dr. Jonathan Richerson
Announcements:
Wednesday at West Haven – Ice Cream Social – Our annual ice cream social will be held tonight at 6PM. Everyone will meet at the Pavilion this evening. Enjoy homemade ice cream and treats, as we celebrate the coming fall season. This is a great time to get to know the other people who you worship with each week. Invite someone to come with you tonight and encourage them to return with you on Sunday.
September Deacons Meeting will be held this Sunday at 8AM.
This Sunday At West Haven – Fourth Sunday Closeout! It’s hard to believe that September is almost over, as we are looking at our last Sunday in September this weekend. No better way to go out than to being with a baptism! We have been blessed with several young people making professions of faith. Join us again this week as we see the Lord moving in our church family! The WHBC Café opens at 8:30 AM if you would like to stop by before going to your Sunday School class. We have a program for everyone that begins at 8:45AM. Check in at the Welcome Center for more information about our small groups that would be just right for you! Worship at 10AM will begin with a baptism and transition into worship in song. Join together as we praise the Lord for another week! Our Children are invited to join with us, before joining their small group class for Children’s Church. Here, they will participate in a specially designed, age graded, worship time! Adults continue in worship, followed by the Bible message for the week. Invite someone to come with you and be sure to stop by the Welcome Center for more information on all that is going on.
New WEBSITE, APP and Giving Portal – We hope you are enjoying the new website and app. We have already seen a positive return in being able to communicate more effectively through video and messaging. If you have not done so already, please sign up for an account through the app. This will give you access to more features, including messaging and Bible study tools. We are in the process of switching over to the Subsplash giving portal. If you are a reoccurring giver through EasyTithe we need you to cancel future automatic giving and setup a new reoccurring gift through the new program. If you give onetime gifts, you will see no change and can continue giving as usual. For more information please check in at the Welcome Center. Thank you for your help in making this transition.
Stand Firm Men’s Bible Study - Meeting in the main building at 11AM, WHBC Café for a time for Bible study, fellowship and fun at midday! Bring your lunch and a Bible!
The King is Coming! See Moses’ tent/tabernacle. Event is free but it is best to sign up for a particular time slot for a guided tour Saturday, September 30, at the Wilson County Expo Center. Volunteers are needed. Information at Welcome Center.
Giving Opportunities: You can mail your check to the church at 5860 Lebanon Road, Lebanon, TN 37087 or visit our website www.westhavenbaptist.com and click on the blue “Give Online” tab. We also have Text to Tithe! Text to Tithe phone # is 615-551-5737! Let us know if you have any questions!
New Testaments for distribution through the Friends of Gideons are available: 5 for $10 or $175 will purchase a case of 100.
Outreach and contact system. Please be sure to add West Haven Baptist Church to your cell phone address book. Our number appears in your caller ID as 615-547-7729. If you have not received a message from us and would like to be added please let us know!
Church announcements – If you or your group would like to make an announcement for the church bulletin or newsletter please email us at whbc@westhavenbaptist.com
Please show your support of Kare 4 Kids ministry by making a donation to help feed kids in Africa. $5 will feed one child for a month. Please see www.churchmissionsnetwork.org for more information. Empty soda cans can be dropped at the Yellow House to show support of Miracle Power, ministry to Africa. If you have large metal items you may deliver these directly to the collection bin at Immanuel Baptist!
Volunteers This Week (September 24)
Door Greeters– Mark Thorne & Scott Jasper
Bulletins – Randell Pence
Welcome Center – Hettie Lee Richerson
Café – Jackie Cross
Children’s Workers – Sara Mofield, Mary Webb Nolan
Children’s Church – Phyllis Hobbs, Nicole Mitchell
Video Camera – Brendan Dedman
* If you would like to take a turn serving in one of these positions please sign up at the Welcome Center.
Birthdays:
September 20-26, 2023
Mike Bolles – 20
Paul Hughey – 21
Regina Cobb – 22
Billy Maynard – 24
Kaleb Jasper – 24
Christopher Roach - 24
*If we missed your birthday, please ask for a directory information form this Sunday or reply to this email.
Midweek Challenge
We have all been disappointed in life. We had a dream for our lives, and it didn’t play out the way we had hoped. Unmet or unfulfilled expectations lead to disappointment and depression. They cause us to doubt our own abilities, but what about God’s? As a Believer, sometimes we wrongly assume it’s God who has failed us, instead of just our expectations. This thought progression can lead to something very sad: disappointment with God!
Our expectations for life are often formed during adolescence and young adulthood. These are the years when we decide what we think we want to do with our life. What is my career path, do I get married, have children? What if I can’t financially support them? All of us think toward this direction and when we see others meeting their goals, where we might fall short, it is in these unmet moments that disappointment creeps in.
Disappointment stems from our own expectations for life. God’s plan and will for our lives is for our good and for His glory. If we desire only what He desires for us, we will experience much more peace! If we trust Him with all our heart, not leaning on our own wisdom and understanding, He will establish our lives in a way that will lead to our ultimate spiritual good. Only when we move out of the driver’s seat of life and give Him full control will we see our expectations met! It is in these moments that we realize our heart’s desire has become what He wants for our life.
Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18- “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”
This is easier said than done, especially when you are experiencing major disappointment for the first time. We can lose hope and our joy. James reminds us: "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4
What is it that God is trying to teach you in your disappointment? Don’t miss it by giving up. Trust Him and you will see the end of whatever might be getting you down at the moment.
“Trust the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil” Proverbs 3:5-8
Serving the Savior,
Bro. Jonathan
Wednesday at West Haven – Ice Cream Social – Our annual ice cream social will be held tonight at 6PM. Everyone will meet at the Pavilion this evening. Enjoy homemade ice cream and treats, as we celebrate the coming fall season. This is a great time to get to know the other people who you worship with each week. Invite someone to come with you tonight and encourage them to return with you on Sunday.
September Deacons Meeting will be held this Sunday at 8AM.
This Sunday At West Haven – Fourth Sunday Closeout! It’s hard to believe that September is almost over, as we are looking at our last Sunday in September this weekend. No better way to go out than to being with a baptism! We have been blessed with several young people making professions of faith. Join us again this week as we see the Lord moving in our church family! The WHBC Café opens at 8:30 AM if you would like to stop by before going to your Sunday School class. We have a program for everyone that begins at 8:45AM. Check in at the Welcome Center for more information about our small groups that would be just right for you! Worship at 10AM will begin with a baptism and transition into worship in song. Join together as we praise the Lord for another week! Our Children are invited to join with us, before joining their small group class for Children’s Church. Here, they will participate in a specially designed, age graded, worship time! Adults continue in worship, followed by the Bible message for the week. Invite someone to come with you and be sure to stop by the Welcome Center for more information on all that is going on.
New WEBSITE, APP and Giving Portal – We hope you are enjoying the new website and app. We have already seen a positive return in being able to communicate more effectively through video and messaging. If you have not done so already, please sign up for an account through the app. This will give you access to more features, including messaging and Bible study tools. We are in the process of switching over to the Subsplash giving portal. If you are a reoccurring giver through EasyTithe we need you to cancel future automatic giving and setup a new reoccurring gift through the new program. If you give onetime gifts, you will see no change and can continue giving as usual. For more information please check in at the Welcome Center. Thank you for your help in making this transition.
Stand Firm Men’s Bible Study - Meeting in the main building at 11AM, WHBC Café for a time for Bible study, fellowship and fun at midday! Bring your lunch and a Bible!
The King is Coming! See Moses’ tent/tabernacle. Event is free but it is best to sign up for a particular time slot for a guided tour Saturday, September 30, at the Wilson County Expo Center. Volunteers are needed. Information at Welcome Center.
Giving Opportunities: You can mail your check to the church at 5860 Lebanon Road, Lebanon, TN 37087 or visit our website www.westhavenbaptist.com and click on the blue “Give Online” tab. We also have Text to Tithe! Text to Tithe phone # is 615-551-5737! Let us know if you have any questions!
New Testaments for distribution through the Friends of Gideons are available: 5 for $10 or $175 will purchase a case of 100.
Outreach and contact system. Please be sure to add West Haven Baptist Church to your cell phone address book. Our number appears in your caller ID as 615-547-7729. If you have not received a message from us and would like to be added please let us know!
Church announcements – If you or your group would like to make an announcement for the church bulletin or newsletter please email us at whbc@westhavenbaptist.com
Please show your support of Kare 4 Kids ministry by making a donation to help feed kids in Africa. $5 will feed one child for a month. Please see www.churchmissionsnetwork.org for more information. Empty soda cans can be dropped at the Yellow House to show support of Miracle Power, ministry to Africa. If you have large metal items you may deliver these directly to the collection bin at Immanuel Baptist!
Volunteers This Week (September 24)
Door Greeters– Mark Thorne & Scott Jasper
Bulletins – Randell Pence
Welcome Center – Hettie Lee Richerson
Café – Jackie Cross
Children’s Workers – Sara Mofield, Mary Webb Nolan
Children’s Church – Phyllis Hobbs, Nicole Mitchell
Video Camera – Brendan Dedman
* If you would like to take a turn serving in one of these positions please sign up at the Welcome Center.
Birthdays:
September 20-26, 2023
Mike Bolles – 20
Paul Hughey – 21
Regina Cobb – 22
Billy Maynard – 24
Kaleb Jasper – 24
Christopher Roach - 24
*If we missed your birthday, please ask for a directory information form this Sunday or reply to this email.
Midweek Challenge
We have all been disappointed in life. We had a dream for our lives, and it didn’t play out the way we had hoped. Unmet or unfulfilled expectations lead to disappointment and depression. They cause us to doubt our own abilities, but what about God’s? As a Believer, sometimes we wrongly assume it’s God who has failed us, instead of just our expectations. This thought progression can lead to something very sad: disappointment with God!
Our expectations for life are often formed during adolescence and young adulthood. These are the years when we decide what we think we want to do with our life. What is my career path, do I get married, have children? What if I can’t financially support them? All of us think toward this direction and when we see others meeting their goals, where we might fall short, it is in these unmet moments that disappointment creeps in.
Disappointment stems from our own expectations for life. God’s plan and will for our lives is for our good and for His glory. If we desire only what He desires for us, we will experience much more peace! If we trust Him with all our heart, not leaning on our own wisdom and understanding, He will establish our lives in a way that will lead to our ultimate spiritual good. Only when we move out of the driver’s seat of life and give Him full control will we see our expectations met! It is in these moments that we realize our heart’s desire has become what He wants for our life.
Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18- “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”
This is easier said than done, especially when you are experiencing major disappointment for the first time. We can lose hope and our joy. James reminds us: "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4
What is it that God is trying to teach you in your disappointment? Don’t miss it by giving up. Trust Him and you will see the end of whatever might be getting you down at the moment.
“Trust the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil” Proverbs 3:5-8
Serving the Savior,
Bro. Jonathan
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