Posturing Our Hearts for Thanksgiving
When my kids were small one of my daughters noticed the pattern of the end of year store decorations. She was upset because right after the Halloween decorations, the stores were filled with Christmas decorations. What upset her was that there seemed to be no place in the culture for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was one of her favorite holidays. Even from a young age, she had a thankful heart. She was right. Gratitude is critical to our emotional and spiritual wellbeing. We cannot count on the commercial world to guide our hearts and souls. The scriptures prompt us to cultivate a thankful spirit. You can easily find more than 50 verses on the topic.
Here are a few of my favorites: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1) “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” (Psalm 7:17) “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)
Like Yoga to the body, these verses can stretch us and increase our flexibility toward God’s purpose. Someone has said you are as young as you are flexible. Occasionally, we need to work out some knots in our body and in our spirit. Ebenezer Scrooge developed a heart of stone. A thankful heart beats with the heart of God; it is responsive to the needs of others. From a heart filled with joy, we give back to God and help others. This year I have noticed stores carrying Christmas goods in late September. Giving is good. Let’s make sure that Thanks precedes it.
Blessings will follow!
Pastor Tom
November Events
October 30 - Stewardship Pledge Cards given out
November 4-5 - Christmas Bazaar, from 9:30-3:00, lunch served both days November 6 - Daylight Savings Ends
November 11 - Mens’ Fellowship at Jimmie's Ladder 11
November 13 - Stewardship Pledge Cards due, Board Meetings November 20 - Thanksgiving Dinner & Annual Meeting, after church
American Baptist Women’s Ministry Nine of our women met on October 10 and heard from Officer T. Johnson about scams to avoid. He encouraged us to always use secure sites, check bank statements often, and for now avoid post office outside drop boxes.
We are checking with Southdale School about getting Christmas gifts for children there instead of Angel Tree Ministry. We are finalizing our gifts to Dayton Christian Center and have a few needs still listed on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. We are collecting white socks (Women and Men’s) for the Montgomery County Jail during December. There will be a box in the giving center for your donations. Also, remember to save all Christmas stamps you receive as we will donate these to a group in Florida that uses proceeds to purchase Spanish Sunday School materials. Following our meeting, we dined at Holly’s in West Carrollton. Six of us then went to visit Elenor Evans and Janet Mayo at the Wellington.
Keep these dates open:
● November 4 – 5 will be our Christmas Bazaar from 9:30-3 each day. We welcome your help on those days and any items for us to sell. Please bring your items October 30-November 1.
● December 10 is the Church Women United Christmas Celebration recognizing Priests, Pastors, and Spouses. It will be at 2:00 p.m. at Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church, 4417 Bigger Rd., Kettering. If you need a ride, contact Jerri Wood.
● December 15 at noon for our Christmas Luncheon at MCL. Bring 5 small gifts for five DLABC shut-ins. Pat Trent is the coordinator.
Thank you to all who donated to CROP WALK. We collected $265 for this ministry. One fourth will remain in our area for Dayton FoodBank.
Continue to remember missionaries in your prayers. Bill and Ann Clemmer are still in South Sudan but recently are helping those in Goma. This is a town on the Congo Rwanda border with 15,000 UN Peacekeepers. People arrive there homeless and broken. Last spring one of the active volcanoes in Goma erupted and 50,000 were urgently evacuated and resettled in a camp outside of town. Ann writes reminding us of Psalms 9:18 “But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
On October 9 we were blessed to hear from Eric and Yuree Lembke, global servants to Thailand. Along with little Harper they plan to visit this area in January and as soon as they reach 100% of their mission goal will be able to go there full time. Yuree lived in a refugee camp for 17 years in Thailand and she and her husband Eric are called to return to that area to minister. If you would like to help the Lembke family or any of our missionaries you can donate online at International Ministries. You can sign up to receive their ministry updates at IM.
Library News – Off the Shelf
We have many books for you to enjoy during the Christmas holidays. We have Christmas poetry, short stories,” Ideal” magazines, Children books and much more.
Books I recommend are that will be on our Library bookshelves in the Lobby area are:
● Joanne Huist Smith – The 13th Gift; The True Story of a Christmas Miracle. She and her family were given gifts to help them survive the first Christmas after the loss of her husband.
● Jan Karon’s Mitford Snowman and Edith’s Gift (which includes her famous cake recipe.
● Debbie Macomber – Where Angels Go
● Donna Van Liere – Christmas Shoes and Christmas Hope
● Richard Paul Evans – Timepiece
● Henry Van Dyke – Story of the Other Wise Man
● Max Lucado – Christmas Candle
Our DLABC Library is always open so visit, browse, find something you would enjoy!
DLABC MEN’S FELLOWSHIP The fellowship meeting will be Friday, November 11, 2022 at Jimmie’s Ladder II Restaurant. Jimmie’s Ladder II is located at 936 Brown Street, Dayton, OH. If you would like to bring a friend, please do so. If you plan on attending or have any questions, call or text Brad at 1-937-603-2141.
Board of Christian Education We are looking for a teacher for adult Sunday school. If you are interested please reach out to Susan, Megan, Kelly, or Connie. In October, Shroyer Road Baptist Church was invited to our annual Halloween Party and pumpkin carving. This event is always fun for adults and kids. We hope to continue to foster a relationship between our churches.
Caring & Missions
We donated $75.00 to the Dayton Christian Center. We also sent new missionary Kit Ripley $75.00. In October, we collected 35 cans and 15 other packaged goods for the Moraine Church of God. At the end of October, we took a collection for the World Mission.
Thanks to all who came to our campfire cookout. We had a good showing.
Diaconate Worship Board Advent and Christmas We are looking forward to celebrating Advent and Christmas this year!
The first Sunday of Advent is November 27. Our Advent Devotional “Our Greatest Gift - A Wonderful Life in Christ,” by Michael Hoy will be available in the Narthex. It is based on the classic Frank Capra Film “It’s a Wonderful Life” and reminds us that life is precious. The daily reflections pair God’s Word with powerful scenes from the life and times of the film’s central character, George Bailey.
Each week we will have a special reading as we light the Advent Candle. If you are interested in lighting a candle and doing the reading, please contact Linda Emmons. On November 27, we will have Chaplin Melvin Williams in the pulpit. Many of you enjoyed his preaching the last time he was with us. Following worship and lunch, we will be decorating the church for Christmas. It is always a festive and fun time as we prepare the church and our hearts for Christmas.
We will be taking orders for Poinsettias to decorate the Sanctuary during the first couple weeks of Advent. Look for order forms in the bulletin, or contact Joyce Kelley.
On December 11, after worship and lunch, we will be showing the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Please plan on joining us for a fun, relaxing afternoon.
This year, since Christmas Eve falls on Saturday and Christmas Day is Sunday, the Worship and Advisory Boards have decided to only have one service. We are planning a lovely, family-friendly, candlelight Christmas Eve service starting at 7 pm. There will not be a Sunday service on Christmas Day. You can all stay in your pajamas and enjoy the joys of Christmas morning at home with your family.
On or around January 7, we will take down the decorations and put them away. We would appreciate your help. More information on time and date will be provided after Christmas.
We hope you find this year’s Advent Season meaningful and find joy, hope, peace, and love as we prepare for Christ’s coming.
From the Moderator
Nomination Committee The Nomination Committee is enthusiastically seeking any church members interested to volunteer for the different boards, officers, and standing subcommittees. If you are interested, please contact the nomination committee (Connie Sinks chair, Edmund Sasak, Betty Asher, or Tim Haugan) or the chairs of the boards.
Boards and Officers Trustees: Brian Thompson, acting chair
Christian Education: Lori Frueauf, chair
Caring and Worship: Amy Thompson, chair
Worship: Linda Emmons, chair Clerk: Tim Haugan, acting
Standing Committees Ushers: Brian Thompson (chair), Hyacinth Palmer, Edmund Sasak, Susan Sinks, Jerri Wood
Stewardship/Finance: Lori Frueauf, Amy Thompson, Joyce Kelley, Tm Haugan Long Range Planning: Kelly Medina (chair), Tim Haugan, Linda Emmons, Amy Thompson Nomination: Connie Sinks (chair), Edmund Sasak, Betty Asher, Tim Haugan Pastoral Relations: Brad Jordan (chair), Susan Sinks, others