Sweet Saturday Was Very Sweet Today

Four times a year the ladies at Parma Heights Baptist Church have a get-together called "Sweet Saturdays" for fun, food and fellowship.  It's from 8:30 - 11:00 on Saturday mornings.  I always look forward to these because it's a relaxing time of entertainment and chit chat.  Previous themes were on balance, de-stressing.  Today's them was on planning gatherings with the holidays approaching.

There were four mini-workshops that we went to in small groups which were dinner card making, connections, chocolate creations and ornament making.  Then we heard about doing table decorations, had some music and of course enjoyed all the food.

My first workshop was making some placecards. We just glued on a picture of a turkey or some little leaves cut from construction paper and a colorful strip across the bottom and wrote our names with a marker on the front.  On the placecard, we could write a short Bible verse on the inside and a conversation starter question on the back.  Here is a list of some of the suggestions:

What new thing would you like to learn to do?  why?

What was the kindest thing that someone ever did for you?

What is the best Thanksgiving you have ever enjoyed?

What is your favorite story, and why?

Tell us what you think is special about older people?

Tell us what you love about babies.

What is your favorite room in the house, and why?

Next we moved to an easy mixer game.  Each of us was given a lunch bag with a number on the front and an object inside that was stapled shut with a ribbon through it.  We each put on a bag and then tried guessing what the objects were inside just by feeling through the bag.  I only guessed 4 right out of 12.  It did get everyone talking to everyone though which was the real point of it.

The chocolate room was a big hit!  There was melted chocolate in several small crockpots and we got to dip in pretzels, cookies, chunks of cake and even spoons and then add sprinkles if desired.  There was also some popcorn that we could dribble some chocolate on!  What great treat ideas!  This, of course, was my favorite activity!

My last workshop was the ornament.  I shaped my ornament as a football with the year on it.  You use 1 cup applesauce to 1 cup cinnamon and they smell very good!  You roll it out and then for about 5-7 days depending on how thick you make it, just flip it over once a day until it dries out.  Then put a string through it.  The suggestion was to make these to have handy to give out to visitors who come to your house during the holiday season.

We had a great time and one lady shared ideas for decorating the table and one family shared about things they did to make holidays special.  Another lady challenged us to create a gathering to show God's love to others.  It was a very enjoyable morning!

Are you having a gathering for the holidays or any time soon?  Do you have any other suggestions to share for making it special?

Food Pantry At Parma Heights Baptist Church

One of the things I love about Parma Heights Baptist Church is that they meet needs.  In this recession, many in our church are unemployed and struggling financially.  In order to help, the church congregation is bringing in food, paper products, soap, baby supplies and personal hygiene items to go into a pantry that can be available to those in need in our own congregation.  There is also an ongoing benevolent fund on hand to assist those in need.

So, yesterday I decided to go buy a few things to donate.  I went to Marc's right after my radiation treatment because it was close by.  I get a bunch of stuff, get up to the checkout and oops, forgot to switch my cards and cell phone to my jeans when I changed clothes after work! 

I apologized and left the stuff there.  When I got home, I saw the cat had knocked over a lamp but fortunately, it didn't break (Manny wrote about this:  That Lamp Was In My Way.  Then I got my cards and cell phone, and went to a different Marc's with success.  I'll take my bag to church this weekend.

A Surprise Visitor Came To Church Today

Our normal routine on Sundays is for me to leave the house around 7:30 a.m. to set up for my Sunday School class and then my husband comes a bit later and we attend the 8:15 a.m. service together.  Then I teach Sunday School and my husband goes home, walks the dog and then to the gym.  Orders pizza and brings it home for lunch.

Today though, I was surprised when Sunday School was over and I opened my door to see my dog walk in!  I couldn't believe my husband walked her all the way up to church from our house, a 45 minute walk, and then actually brought her into the church!  I quickly hoped she wouldn't have an accident inside the building and hurried them out through the kitchen to cut over to where my coat was hung. 

She didn't seem winded and all and her tail was wagging the whole time.  Many people squealed with pleasure when they saw her and she got lots of pets.  She is very friendly and was a big hit, but I was embarrassed that he brought her inside.  My husband said it was cool and a nice day so he just thought he'd try bringing her up to church.  She enjoyed chasing some squirrels on the front lawn of the church too he said.  

We all rode home in my car, but on the way I decided to do something spontaneous too for a change and we went to the park to enjoy the beautiful colored leaves and some extra outdoor time with Abby which she just loved.  We ordered the pizza from the park (cell phones are so convenient!) and then introduced Abby to the owner our favorite pizza place, Casamel's, where we usually go every Sunday.  

What have you done that was spontaneous lately?  Does your spouse ever surprise you be doing something completely out of the ordinary? 

Meet Bill & Jeff: Two Christians Who Were Homosexuals

Meet Bill and Jeff--Two Christians Who Left the Homosexual Lifestyle and had the courage to share their story with our congregation during our Sunday morning services (Part 2)

This a Part 2 of the “Tough Question--How Should Christians Respond To Homosexuals?”  This was the sermon Pastor Dan preached on August 30, 2009 at Parma Heights Baptist Church.  After his sermon, he then interviewed two Christian gentlemen who left the homosexual lifestyle they were in.  This post picks up with their stories which I found both fascinating and mind boggling.  Both these men sought help from The Way Out non-profit ministry to gain freedom from homosexuality and found it.

Bill’s Story:
Bill had a background of emotional, physical and sexual abuse.  He was an Eagle Scout.  By the age of 10 he had been abused by eight different men.  Growing up, he began to notice boys but thought it was just a phase--it wasn’t but it didn’t feel right to him.  In college he became actively involved in the “Lifestyle Choice” group.  He went to church and heard Romans 7 preached talking about the inner struggle the apostle Paul had and identified with that.  

Jeff’s Story:
He grew up in a loving Christian home.  At age 9 he was molested by an older boy.  He was saved at the age of 10 but had feelings towards other boys.  He felt God rejected him and that he was an abomination to God.  He went about seeking to earn God’s love by going to a Bible college to become a Pastor.  He thought certainly God would love him then.  In college, he got a homosexual roommate and so he continued in that lifestyle and did not become a Pastor.  Then he figured if he got married and just had a “normal” home, that would do it.  He got married and lived a double life for 15 years.  He went to a men’s conference and got counseling.  

Here are the questions Pastor Dan asked them and their answers:

1.  As a Christian who has/is struggled with same-sex attraction, what message does the church need to hear?

Jeff:  Show love and kindness to homosexuals.

Bill:  Don’t say homosexuality is a choice because it just proves you really don’t understand.  Show patience, compassion, love and try to understand that it is an urge that we don’t control but that we don’t have to give into and act on it.

2.  How can the church (Christians) minister to those struggling with homosexuality?

Jeff:  The myth is that we’re born this way and can’t change.  

Bill:  Realize that acting out is a sin but thinking and desiring men is a temptation, not a sin.  Help by realizing a change in desire is necessary.  I turned from desiring to act out on my urges to desiring to develop a relationship with Jesus.  The opposite of homosexuality is not being straight, but being holy.

3.  How do I respond to a homosexual family member who is living with a partner?  Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, family get-togethers… I don’t want to condone or accept their lifestyle, but Christ calls us to reach out in love and compassion.  How do we do that?  What does that look like?

Jeff:  Let Jesus shine through you and realize that everyone is entitled to God’s grace.

So, be nice, people!  I must admit I find it creepy if I see two guys or two women kissing, but condemning them or labeling them and name calling is certainly not acceptable.  I admit I don’t understand homosexuality but do know that God loves them too!

Tough Questions: A Christian Response To Homosexuals

I know this is a "hot" topic but it was one of the questions from our congregation that Pastor Dan preached on August 30 at Parma Heights Baptist Church.  Homosexuality is widespread these days.  Many families have people who are homosexual or know someone who is so this is a very relevant topic.  By posting this I am not trying to be controversial but sincerely want to let homosexuals know there is a way out and that all Christians do NOT hate you.

Basically, homosexuals think Christians hate them.  Some may but they are wrong!  We should love like Jesus.  Jesus does not hate homosexuals!

On August 30, 2009, Pastor Dan preached on this topic at Parma Heights Baptist Church, looking at the world’s perspective and then comparing it to God’s perspective.  Then we heard from two men who left the homosexual lifestyle to find out how Christians can minister to homosexuals. 

This is such a long post that I’m going to do it in two parts.  I’ll post the stories of Bill and Jeff separately, the two former homosexuals that shared with our congregation how best to respond to homosexuals.  I found this to be very interesting and helpful in understanding homosexuality a little better than I did before.

The World’s Perspective--Prevalent Attitudes:
Who am I to judge, to each his own.
Homosexuality is an alternative lifestyle. 
Every couple ought to have the right to marry. The trend is legalizing same sex marriage.

Pastor Dan quoted Ex-gay activist, Michael Johnston who said:

The world was telling me that if this is the way I felt, then that was who I am, so go ahead, live that lifestyle.  But what I needed to hear from the church was what God’s Word says.  That homosexuality is a sin.  Did I like hearing it from church?  No way.  Did it make me feel comfortable?  No.  What it did was convict me of my sin and bring me to repentance.  Homosexuals need to hear the truth about their sin because it’s only in hearing the truth that the truth will set you free.

God’s Perspective--What Does The Scripture Say?

Leviticus 18:22:  Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman.  That is detestable.

Romans 1:24-27:
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised.  Amen.  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 

I Corinthians 6:18-20:
Flee from sexual immortality.  All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.

Genesis 2:  God’s plan for our sexual fulfillment has always been 1 man and 1 woman in 1 marriage for a lifetime.  That will never change.

Churches have usually dealt with the issue with one of three approaches--none of which is like Jesus’ approach:

1)  Condemnation:  Through picketing, labels, protests, rallies, no wonder homosexuals ask, “Why do Christians hate us?”

2)  Embrace:  Some denominations say it’s okay, they are tolerant and even ordained gay ministers.  Tolerance though is the virtue of people who don’t stand for anything.

3)  Ignore it:  Some choose what they think is the middle ground by just ignoring it and not addressing the issue at all.

Jesus’ approach in dealing with people’s sin was always with love and compassion so that is the example the church should follow too.  Personally, I try to do this.

Examples of Jesus:
The Samaritan woman who was married five times and had a live-in boyfriend, Jesus confronted her but did not condemn her.  (John :1-24)

The woman caught in act of adultery was not condemned, but forgiven and told to go and sin no more.  (John 8:1-11)

According to Romans 2:4, it’s God’s kindness and patience that leads to repentance.

HELP IS AVAILABLE!  Check out these resources if you need help leaving this lifestyle of sin or if you know of someone who may need some help:
 
Exodus International--North America
P.O. box 540119
Orlando, FL  32854
888-264-0877
www.exodus.to

The Way Out:  Seeking Freedom from Homosexuality
Betty Kalbes, Director
330-921-1120
Bkalbes2004@yahoo.com
www.TheWayOutMinistries.com

When Homosexuality Hits Home:  what to Do When a Loved One Says They’re Gay by Joe Dallas

You Don’t Have To Be Gay:  Hope and Freedom for Males Struggling With Homosexuality Or For Those Who Know of Someone Who Is  by Jeff Konrad

Loving Homosexuals as JESUS Would:  A Fresh Christian Approach by Chad W. Thompson

I haven't read any of the above books but have included links to them on Amazon so you can read the customer reviews about them and make your own decision as to if you think the book would be helpful to you or not.

Tough Question: Why Do Innocent People Suffer

If there is a God who is both sovereign and loving, then why do innocent people experience suffering? 

Pastor Dan preached on this August 23 at Parma Heights Baptist Church and started out by saying he wasn’t sure he could even answer this one.  I agree with him here—it didn’t seem to me like he really had a good answer for this one.  Following are some questions that he received from our congregation related to this topic:

I’ve been beaten, raped and abused.  How can a loving God watch and do nothing?

Why do some babies die?

Why do we lose loved ones in the prime of their life?

He said some people argue that:

If God has sovereign power and allows suffering, then He must not be loving.  On the other hand, if He is loving, and allows suffering, He must not have the power to stop human suffering.  Either way, He is not he kind of God I will worship.

Pastor Dan said this is the oldest question about God so let’s begin our quest for truth with the oldest book of the Bible:  the book of Job.

There are three words to answer this question that Pastor Dan used which are “trophy,” “tool” and “trust.” 

TROPHY

He showed us pictures of his children he has on his desk and said he is proud of them and they are like his trophies.  He said God specializes in fashioning trophies of His grace out of the lives of His children. 

Job 1:8—Have you considered my servant Job?  There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.

This is how God described Job to Satan.  God was proud of Job but Satan challenged God that if he wasn’t so wealthy and didn’t have such a great family, he would curse God.  Satan said God had a hedge around Job so God gave Satan permission to make Job suffer.  Job lost everything in one day, including his children.  He still praised the name of the Lord anyhow!  (“The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”)

TOOL

Then Satan was given permission to take away Job’s good health but not his life. 

Job 2:7--. . . So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job.

Job had boils all over his body.  His wife asked him why he just doesn’t curse God and die, but Job remained faithful.  In the end, God blessed Job with even more than He had before.

God wants us to be like Jesus, to have the same mind as Christ, to become Christ like.  Suffering and pain is one of the tools He uses.   

TRUST DURING STORMS OF LIFE

Then Pastor Dan switched to the New Testament and compared our pain and suffering to a “storm.”  In Mark 4:37—A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

To illustrate a “storm of life” when he asked God to “make this stop” he used the time when his mom was weak, in pain and dying and just wanted God to make it stop.

God allows storms of life for us to see what we truly fear and to recalibrate our fear to the One who is worthy to fear, Jesus Christ.  Because we can trust God with our destination, we can certainly trust Him with the journey to get us there. 

He used another illustration of a grandmother babysitting her 3-month-old grandson.  A tornado came and hit their house, destroying it.  When the rescue crew came to look for survivors they heard some crying.  When they threw off the boards, they found the grandmother laying face down dead but underneath her was her grandson in her arms who was still alive.

Jesus was controlling the storm the whole time.  Jesus took the “storm” of God’s wrath for all mankind when he died on the cross for us.  That grandmother is a picture of what Jesus did for us.  He took the storm.

My thoughts:

I didn’t think this sermon really answered the beginning questions very well.  Anyone have a better answer?  Sometimes God uses bad things so that he will be glorified like when he let Lazarus die and then raised him from the dead.  I agree that sometimes God uses pain and suffering to teach us things and to mold us to develop more Christlike character or to even perhaps bring us to a place where we put our trust in Him because we see no other way out.  Or what about this—perhaps so we can have something more to look forward to in heaven where there will be no pain or suffering.  The good news is that life on earth is short compared to eternity!  God always has a bigger picture than what we see so I often remind myself of Romans 8:18, 28-29 when going through difficult times which says: 

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

No matter what the reason God has for permitting suffering and pain in our lives, it’s certainly in our best interest to worship Him as our maker and accept Jesus as our Savior to give us a hope.  God is sovereign and doesn’t have to explain Himself to anyone!  In reading through Job, I don’t see God ever explaining to Job that he gave Satan permission to make him suffer.   (See God’s answer to Job in Job 38-42.) 

Instead of asking God “Why God?” We need to ask “What do you want me to do today, Lord?”  That, I think, is a much better question!

Tough Questions: God’s Sovereignty vs. Man’s Free Will?

The most frequently asked question Pastor Dan received from the Parma Heights Baptist Church congregation was “I understand that it’s God’s grace that saves us, but what role, if any, does free will play in our salvation?”

Pastor Dan preached on this August 16 and said this was a divisive issue that has caused new denominations to start.  This is a tough question but he said he’d give it his best shot.  He pointed out what Scripture says about both God’s sovereignty and man’s free will and drew some conclusions as follows:

God’s Sovereignty

The term “sovereign Lord” is used 289 times in the Bible and so we must conclude that God is sovereign (no, he didn’t read all the verses to us but unfolded the printout of them which went half way up the aisle).  “Sovereign” means He does what he pleases with the powers of heaven and the people of the earth.  He did read the following verses:  

God is sovereign over the heavens:

But our God is in the heavens:  he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.  (Psalm 115:3)

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most high, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:  and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing:  and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?  (Daniel 4:34, 35)

God is sovereign over the nations

For the kingdom is the LORD’s:  and he is the governor among the nations.  (Psalm 22:28)

And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.  (Daniel 2:21) [this one I added]

Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords.  (I Timothy 6:15)

God is sovereign over the lives of individuals

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?  Or thy work, He hath no hands? (Isaiah 45:9)

But now, O Lord, thou art our father, we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.  (Isaiah 64:8)

O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? Saith the Lord, Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.  (Jeremiah 18:6)

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?  (Romans 9:21)

God’s sovereignty raises two questions:

            Does man have free will?

            Why then is there pain and suffering.  (This is next week’s question)

Man’s Free Will

“Whosoever” means open to everyone.  Notice this word is used in each of the following scriptures:

Mark 8:34:  . . . whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Jesus is speaking)

Acts 2:21:  And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:13: Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

I John 5:1:  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

The bible clearly teaches man has a free will to come to Christ for salvation.

The Bible clearly teaches mankind is commanded by God to exercise his free will to make moral choices.

Most people gravitate toward one concept (sovereignty or free will) to the exclusion of the other, but the Bible teaches both.

Pastor Dan quoted from A. W. Tozar’s The Sovereignty of God throughout his sermon.  One of the quotes was this:

God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil.  When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it.  Man’s will is free because God is sovereign.  A God less sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures.  He would be afraid to do so.

Final conclusion:

Our choice may be our own, but the consequences of those choices have already been determined by the sovereign will of God.

To illustrate how God’s sovereign will and man’s free will can co-exist, he used an ocean liner bound to a predetermined destination representing God’s sovereignty.  The passengers on board have freedom of choice to eat, sleep, move around, participate in different activities but they were still moving toward the final destination. 

Man has the freedom to make moral choices and is free to choose to submit to God and be redeemed or choose not to submit to God and face eternal damnation in hell.

[All verses are from  the King James Version]

Further reading on this topic: 

The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Tozer

www.Biblelife.org/election

Tough Question Series: Is There Eternal Security or Can One

 

Pastor Dan and Pastor Zerby preached together on the question of eternal security at Parma Heights Baptist Church on August 9.  This is something Calvinists and Arminians have been debating for centuries so Pastor Dan said we probably won’t get an answer in 30 minutes.  However, scripture was presented and not what each “camp” believes.  Can one lose his salvation or is it "once saved, always saved"?  I’ll share the scriptures with a brief summary of what was said about them and let you decide for yourself where you stand on this issue as we were challenged to do. 

 

God the father’s Part In Our Salvation:

 

God has chosen us to be holy (Ephesians 1:4).

God predestined us to be adopted as sons (Ephesians 1:5).

 

Our salvation was planned in advance by God!

 

God the Son’s Part in Our Salvation:

 

Jesus Christ died so we can have our sins forgiven and be free from the power of sin to serve God.  Jesus has redeemed the believer (Ephesians 1:7).  Sin is anything that displeases God who is perfect and Holy.  Sin is making anything more important than God, including doing things our own way instead of God’s way.  Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 

 

Jesus forgives the believer’s sin.

 

God the Holy Spirit’s Part In Our Salvation:

 

The Holy Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8). Before we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is at work convicting us of sin to show us our need for a Savior.

 

The Holy Spirit indwells us when we trust in Jesus as our personal Savior (John 14:16-17).

 What chance is there for a person with the Holy Spirit living in him to go to hell?  None.

 

The Holy Spirit seals us (Ephesians 1:13). 

 Sealing wood with varnish preserves it. A notary seal on something makes it legal—the Holy Spirit’s seal shows we belong to God.

 

The Holy Spirit is the deposit guaranteeing salvation (Ephesians 1:14). 

Like an engagement ring represents a promise to be wed, the Holy Spirit indwelling us is a promise that we will be with God forever.

 

What about Hebrews 6:4-6, a passage that seems to indicate a believer can lose his/her salvation?

 

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

 

God certainly disciplines those He loves and sometimes when someone who hardens their heart and refuses to repent after knowing the truth, God may call that person home before he dishonors God any further.  Pastor Terry gave an illustration of a disobedient child making a public scene, disgracing his parents.  Certainly, the parents may take him/her home, but they don’t disown them.

 

Hebrews 13:5 says:  I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. 

John 10:27-28 refers to Christ’s follower as sheep and Jesus says: 

My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life:  and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

 

What about the person who is saved and lives for the Lord a while, but then just turns his back and returns to his sinful ways?

 

We are not the judge.  (Romans 14:4, 10)

 

Not everyone who claims to be a Christian really is:  In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says:

 

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in they name?  and in thy name have cast out devils?  And in they name done many wonderful works?  And then I will profess unto them, I NEVER knew you, depart from me ye who work iniquity. [emphasis added]

 

It could be that person was never really a true believer but just made an empty profession of faith as described in the above passage.   

 

God will discipline His disobedient children.  This doesn’t mean they are kicked out of the family.  (Hebrews 12:4-11)

 

The proof of one’s salvation is in his obedience to the will of Christ.

 I Corinthians 5:15 says:  And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

 

 

My Conclusion:

Personally, I believe once saved, always saved.  I am glad my salvation is not based on what I do or don’t do or how I feel but on my faith in what Christ has done for me!  This is what makes Christianity different from other religions:  God is the initiator in the relationship—“We love Him because He first loved us!”  (I John 4:19)   

 

What do you believe concerning this?

 

Read Other Tough Questions In This Series:

What Does God Really Think O fWomen?

Will God Forgive Abortion?

Why Get Baptized?

Movie: Fireproof and Dinner

Parma Heights Baptist Church is having Date Night on Friday, August 21.  A good dinner will be served to couples at 6:30 p.m. at the church followed by a movie for just a $10 donation per couple!  I am really looking forward to this.  The food is always good and it will be nice seeing this movie with my husband.  The movie, starring Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea, will be Fireproof which is about a Firefighter whose marriage is falling apart that he works to save.    

Why Get Baptized?

Pastor Dan addressed this issue in his "Tough Question" series where he answers questions from his congregation. 

I John 1:7:  If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.

 For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Not of works lest any man should boast.   (Ephesians 2:8-9)

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hat raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

1)    Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize believers in Matthew 28:19 & 20.

2)    Throughout the New Testament, believing and being baptized is the pattern of new believers.

3)    Baptism is your public testimony that you are a follower of Jesus (Matthew 10:32).

Romans 6:3-11 (3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  (4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  (6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.  (8) Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:  (9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.  (10) For in that he died, he died unto sin once:  but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God, (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Galatians 2:20:  I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.  Yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

 

I Corinthians 5:17:  Therefore, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

Our Vacation Bible School

Both Gerard and I are helping in the Parma Heights Baptist Church Vacation Bible School.  It is so much fun seeing all the children come eager to learn and participate.  Our theme this year is SonRock Kids Camp.   Each day focuses on a specfic aspect of Jesus:  Jesus accepts us, protects us, saves us, forgives us and then we live for Jesus.

Before it starts, the children in grades 1-6 color outside until it's time to go in.  Here is Gerard with some of the children in his group.

Our Pastor and his wife are teaching through a skit each day in the second and third grade group (the tents).  I just peeked in at it today to see a little bit of them in action.  They are so good!  They do not normally dress like this but they are both good sports and help make things fun for the children.  Every morning there is a camp skit for all the grades and the lessons are usually taught in skit form to make it more interesting and fun.

I am helping in the Moose herd group (grades 4th-6th).  We had somthing like 112 kids in just his group the first day which was more than the highest we had last year.  Since we are the moose group, some of the children who attended Beulah Beach taught a moose song they learned there.  Here is part of the group singing it.

Every year ay offering we collect goes to the Chain of Love orphanage in Brazil. This year our goal is $2400!  That is a lot of money but we have a lot of kids and a lot of staff so each year we usually reach our goal the last day.  For a day-by-day report in pictures of all our groups, check out our church blog at http://www.phbaptist.blogspot.com.  We have around 700 kids attending this year!

Our Softball Co-Ed Team Went Farther Than Expected!

At 3:00 today we had the 9th inning scheduled to play of the game that was suspended at 4-4 because of darkness last week.  It was tough getting enough of our players there today.  Gerard and I had his nephew's graduation party right before so we literally ate and ran.  Fortunately, it was only about 20 minutes away.  We left a little later than planned and then hit about every red light along the way.  Traffic was heavy around the shopping center on the way there so we arrived about 10 minutes late.  It made us feel important that they held up the game until we got there.  

We started with a runner on second and proceeded to score 4 runs--as many as we scored in all 8 innings last week!  Even though the other team loaded the bases, we got them out without letting them score a run and won!  Even I finally got a real hit!

Immediately following, we played Broadview Heights Friends Church next (the church that has the two dogs cheering for them).  This time we did not do so well and lost something like 15-2.  They just out hit us.  We hit the ball but it wasn't falling in. I missed the homerun that Cory scored because I was chasing after the foul ball that went over the fence and ALMOST hit our car.

I think Gerard and I are the oldest players on the team but we still enjoyed it and hope to play again next year.  The best news is no one on either team got hurt today! 

We wish the Broadview Heights Friends team well--I love their mascots!

Our Co-Ed Softball Team Hangs On--We're Still In It!

We started our softball tournament last night.  It’s a double elimination and it was another wild time.  First off, our game time was postponed because  there was a make-up game to finish first which ran into extra innings.  This held everything up because who won that game affected who would play who first in the tournament.  We were scheduled to play games but couldn’t get started until 6:40 p.m.

Even then, we settled for playing on a different field which wasn’t  in as good condition, used flat little bases and had only one umpire.  Our other option was to wait another hour to play because there was another game scheduled to start ahead of ours.  

Our team has a knack for getting hurt.  One of our players got hit in the chest with a ball when just warming up!  In the first game against Broadview Heights Friends Church, I got knocked over at first base while trying to catch a low throw because I was blocking the base--which was smaller than the usual bases.  I fell on my back and got a black and blue mark on my butt because I had my thick card holder in my back pocket hurt when I landed.  Shortly after this happened, a second base for the runners was added to first base to make it wider which helped.  

The other team had two dogs there cheering for them which I’m sure helped them to win 8-4.  They also had a very good woman second baseman which seemed to get anything in her vicinity. We had some outstanding hits (not mine which were always at someone) but still lost.  Broadview Heights Friends Church went on to lose their second game by just one run against the best team in the league (the ones with the black shirts).  Too bad, I was hoping they'd win.

The second game we started off well and had  a couple double plays even., including a big play by two of our women (Lisa & Sharon) involving tagging out a runner coming to third and then throwing out a runner at home.  Our defense was pretty solid.  Our outfielders did great for the most part.  Big hits came from Corey (two homeruns!), Chuck, Paul and David.  It was a close game all the way and we had bases loaded, two outs and chuck up.  A golden opportunity to break the tie but unfortunately, although Chuck hit the ball far, it was a high fly right to their outfielder who caught it with no trouble.  

There were a couple questionable calls--one at second base which our runner was called out that looked safe, a hit by Paul that was way down the third base line but called foul.  The funniest call; however, was when the umpire was giving Gerard a walk and Gerard told him he only had 3 balls.  The next pitch was a ball, so he did get a walk.  Another strange call was when one of the other team’s players was called out just for taking too long to get to the plate.  I was afraid it was going to happen to us too one of our players went over at the playground not realizing she was our leadoff hitter that inning.

The game went into extra innings and was finally suspended at 4-4 because of darkness.  Now we’ll have to come back just to finish out this game to see who wins and will go on in the tournament.  Maybe next year, we should start playing earlier in the day!

Did I mention it was fun?  It was in spite of the bug bites, bruise and waiting!  Even though I was hot, tired and ready to go home after losing the first game, I'm glad I didn't.

Co-Ed Team Split Double-Header

Saturday we played our last regular season games winning the first on 12-10 against North Olmsted Friends Church 1.  I jumped off to a big lead, but then the other team started catching up.  It was nice weather, a fun game and I got on base twice with walks and actually got a hit to center field!  I did get thrown out at the plate though when I tried to score on a throw to first even though I slid and got all dirty. In the field, we got two double plays! 

I was a bit tired though because I only got 5 or 6 hours of sleep Friday night.  Just a little slow.  The low lights for me was getting picked off second base on a short fly to left center.  I just went a little way off because it looked like the fielder may catch the ball and when he did, I couldn't get back in time even though I dove for the base.  I was surprised I was out on that one.

Between games someone brought some frozen popsicles that were very refreshing. It was also the first game where we actually had some adult spectators come to cheer us on.

The second game we lost 11-1 using the mercy rule against North Olmsted Friends Church 2.  It was not fun.  I even got a bruised ankle because I missed a low throw to first.  Several throws went over my head and it seemed like no one could catch the stupid ball.  We looked like the Bad News Bears again.  The highlight for us was scoring the one run. 

Their girl catcher got me out by catching my foul tip.  What a stupid way to make an out!  I felt sorry for her though when later on she got hit by a foul tip right in her face.  We stopped the game while one of our players went for her first aid kit.  We really should bring some ice packs to these games.  It seems like someone gets hurt every game.

Poor Gerard had a bad day too--the one time he got on base he forgot to tag up at second after the catch before running to third so he was out. 

We are off this week and have our double elimination tournament on July 11 at 2 p.m.  I think we will be knocked out pretty early which is fine with me.  The winners will have to play the following week and we have a graduation party to go to for Gerard's nephew.  

Fun Week of Sports Camp at PHBC

I am on vacation this week so I could help with Sports Camp and Parma Heights Baptist Church.  There are four sports all going on at the same time in morning and afternoon sessions which include Basketball, Cheerleading, Flag Football and Soccer,  I am having a lot of fun being active all day instead of sitting at a desk.  I love being outside and playing with the kids.

The first day I was very thrilled to show a 2nd grade girl how to throw a football properly and watch her learn and catch on really fast.  It's fun to see how excited the children are about coming to learn and play.  We have two breaks, one for snacks and one for 20 minutes of devotions between two half hours of skills and drills followed by a scrimmage game.  I learned more about football and liked working on skills or playing a mini game with the children who were on the sidelines waiting to play in the scrimmage. 

The first day our afternoon session was very rough because we had much fewer children and had all grades on both teams.  The younger ones had no clue at all what they were supposed to do and were very discouraged, but came back the next day and had a great time because we made four teams instead of just two so they were able to play their own grade level.  I was very happy that one of them even brought a friend with him on Tuesday.  The afternoon was more challenging even though we had fewer children because it was so hot and many of our coaches already worked all morning so were a little tired out to say the least.

Best of all, some lives will be changed because many have trusted in Jesus as their Savior as a result of hearing the gospel at this camp.  It was an encouragement to me to see some of the boys who I had in my 5th grade Sunday School class last year and the year before help as assistant coaches and even lead some of the devotions.

The video above just shows activities from the flag football group but to see the others, go to the church's official blog at http://phbaptist.blogspot.com/.

To close out camp, we will have special evening picnic for the whole family of our campers with a fun awards celebration tomorrow evening.

Co-Ed Softball Team Wins in Extra Inning

We played Columbia Road Baptist Church and won 5-4 in 8 innings on a technicality over a close play at the plate.  Once again, our catcher, Elly, was plowed over, causing her to drop the ball.  BUT, according to ASA softball rules, to prevent injury this is not permitted so the runner was called out which was their third out so we won.  Ironically, afterward Elly was demonstrating what happened because some of the other team members were questioning the call and that's when she fell and heard her knee pop.  Not good.  The umpire advised that the runner must either slide or stop.  Barreling into the fielder is not allowed.

We were originally scheduled to play at 3:00 but because of all the rain, the field wasn't ready in time so we played at 7:30.  (Had it been at 3:00, Elly wouldn't have played).  It was the first game that both Gerard and I got on base so we were very pleased.  I was also happy with my fielding at first base where I only made one error and kept the runner from advancing on a wild throw by getting to the ball quickly, and made an unassisted put out.  We had a 4-0 lead until the 6th inning.  Then the wheels started falling off and it ws 4-2 and then they tied to make it go into extra innings.  

The highlight for me was that I scored twice!  It's much more fun when I get on base, even if it was on a fielder's choice.  The second time was because I had made the last out in the 7th inning so to save time, I got to be the runner on second to start the extra inning.  Gerard hit a little infield hit that I ran home on as soon as the fielder threw to first, scoring the winning run!  It was sweet for us that it was Gerard that hit me in.  

Working on my running and doing some cardio on the Elliptical at the gym through the week paid off!

What a game!  Next week is our last week of regular play with a double header against North Olmsted Friends teams 1 & 2 at 5:30 and 6:45.   

Where's Some Free Fun For Kids (and a break for parents)?

Sports Camp is coming soon to Parma Heights Baptist Church at 8971 W. Ridgewood Dr., Parma Heights, Ohio, June 22-25.  Our church has run a free sports camp two summers now and this will be our third.  The past two years I was a water carrier and registrar but this year I get to actually coach flag football!  Other years we had basketball, soccer and cheerleading which we'll have again this year in addition to flag football.  I chose that because I knew the kids would know more and be better at both basketball and soccer than I am but not as many play flag football so I figured I could study up and practice the skills to get good enough to teach kids in grades 1-4 at least. 

If you're in the area, visit our website for sports camp at www.focussportscamp.com or call the church office at 440-886-6100 to register for either the morning session from 9:30-noon or the afternoon session from 1:30-4:00 p.m. 

Playing Co-Ed Softball

UPDATED 6/5/09:

We won our first game tonight--2-0! (We lost the first game of the double header by I think 20-0 but the other team had a cute little doggie mascot and we didn't.)  Yea!  Now our record is 1-4.  Gerard and I haven't gotten a hit yet.  He's played in 4 and I've played in 3.  Who do you think will get the first hit between us?

I haven't played in years but really like to play so I joined the co-ed church league team.  This is the first year we've had a team for women (16 & up).  We play our games in North Olmsted and last week was our first game.  There was a girls fast-pitch tournament going on that got started late so we had to wait about an hour and a half before we could play.  That part wasn't fun.  It was pretty cool and we were all getting cold just standing around. 

Once the game started though, it was fun.  Gerard watched but afterwards decided he'd like to play on it too.  None of us were all that good so he feels like he could do as well.  I played first base, my favorite position and impressed people when I ran in foul territory and caught the ball against the fence.  We got clobbered though 12-1.  I only batted twice, first time I walked and second time I grounded out to short.  I felt like I ran like a truck down the line.  I will have to work at running faster to beat out those infield hits. 

This week, we have a double-header.  I look forward to practicing tomorrow.

Drawing With Teaching

I learned something from the 5th grade boys in my Sunday School class this week.  Sometimes as I teach I do little drawings on the whiteboard which serves two purposes:  (1) it gets their attention, and (2) it helps them remember points of the lesson. 

 

Our lesson was on the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).  I was drawing faces to show the owners' reaction to each servant after he came back from his journey and the first two were pleased--easy to draw those.  The last one was anger and displeasure.  I found out the the eyebrows make all the difference.  I had the mouth okay but the eyebrows I had backwards.  The boys were quick to tell me that it wasn't right and then Evan proceeded to show me how to do it.  They like it when they can teach me things too!  There is so much I still need to learn!!

The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel

I am looking forward to a 6-session study presented by Parma Heights Baptist Church, Parma Heights, Ohio, on "The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel, a former atheist and legal editor of the Chicago Tribune.  The six sessions include:

Looking for Evidence

Eyewitness Evidence

Corroborative Evidence

Fingerprint Evidence

Evidence for the Resurrection

Reaching your Verdict

Two options for times are available:

Sundays, April 19-May 24 at 9:30 or 11:00 a.m. in Conference room or

Wednesdays, April 22-May 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Parlor

I'm not sure if I'll go on Sundays or Wednesdays, but will definitely go to this.  This is open to anyone.

Resurrection Buns Very Good

Today in Sunday School the 5th and 6th graders made resurrection buns.  They were easy and fun to make and the kids liked it.  After washing their hands, each one got two chunks of the frozen ready-made dough (Pillsbury brand Grands Biscuits) and did the following:

flatten out to 5" diameter circle

brush some melted butter on it,

sprnkle some cinnamon,

wrap a marshmallow up in it and close completely.

brush on some melted butter for the outside;

sprinkle some cinnamon on the outside;

Place on cookie sheet face down to help prevent them from opening.

Bake for 10-12 minutes (don't know at what temperature because the other teacher took charge of this and I didn't think to notice).

When done, the marshmallow disappeared just like Jesus body disappeared from the tomb when he rose from the dead.

My Boys Taught Me Something

When using the white board Sunday, I accidentally used the Sharpie marker on it instead of the dry erase marker.  All you have to do to get it off is color over it with a dry erase marker and then erase it and Presto! It's gone!!  Thanks, guys!

Puppet Ministry Is Fun and Effective in Reaching Kids

Puppets Come To Life With Helping Hands

One unique activity Gerard and I are involved in at church is the puppet team. We use scripts that are on tape and Jim runs the sound and does the lighting. Different scenes are painted on sheets for background and the stage is made of a wood frame with sections on hinges for easy storage with material stapled to it.

We use a double stage with a front and back row. Puppeteers in the front kneel on old sofa cushions for foam rubber to protect their knees and the puppeteers in the back row can stand. This enable elderly people to still be able to do it.

The youngest member of our team is 5th grade. We have several 6th graders and then it jumps to an 18 yr. old, then people in their 30s, 50s, and 70s. A very wide range makes this a unique group. Pam, the children's minister at Parma Heights Baptist Church is our director who has been doing it for years and years. She is a visual thinker, well organized and easy to work with. She is very patient and always has a picnic for the puppet team at her house in the fall and a party at her house in January.

Here are the basic rules of our puppet team:
1) Always wear gloves when working the puppet.
2) Never let kids see a "dead" puppet (one that is laying around).
3) Do not let anyone know what puppet you have so that if someone goofs up, no one knows who it is and so that the audience will watch the whole production and not focus on one certain puppet.
4) Everyone helps set up and tear down.
5) Attendance at practices is mandatory (unless sickness or death).



Last Sunday we performed a Christmas presentation for the children in grades 1-6 during the 11:00 service. At the end an invitation was given to trust Jesus as their personal Savior and be forgiven. About 10-12 children prayed for forgiveness and accepted Jesus as their personal Savior! God has used this particular ministry to speak to children's hearts. Even some parents hang around to watch and are usually impressed by what an elaborate production it is.

Drama Workshop at Parma Heights Baptist Church

Our church drama team has begun to have some Saturday morning workshops.  The one we had this month was so much fun, that it made me consider taking a college drama class. 

It started with a good breakfast.  We had about 18 people attend including some girls of parents who participate in drama.  Our church uses drama to make announcements of special events, to do some short sketches to introduce the Pastor's message and sometimes special Christmas and Easter presentations.

Annie and Georgine led some improv exercises that were a blast.  I never knew actors actually did warm up exercises.  These were helpful because they included general relaxing techniques to help you focus as follows: 

Lie down with your eyes closed and just listen to the sounds in the room. Tense up, and untense.

Another was to roll your neck slowly from side-to-side. 

A third was to bend over reaching for the floor and swing your arms like a monkey.  Slowly, one vertebrae at a time, straighten up.  Imagine 18 people doing this at once--it was pretty funny! 

They also shared some vocal warm up exercises which included just talking gibberish as fast as you can while making funny faces.  My favorite one though was to start making a very low sound and gradually getting higher and higher and then gradually coming down lower and lower again. 

The improv exercises were taken from on of the college books Annie had called Improvisation For the Theater by Viola Spolin.  We did three exercises from this that were all very fun:

1)  Circle Story--We all sat in a circle and one by one would add a word to make sentences which made a story.  I forget what it was now, but it was just ridiculous.  The point though was to just stay in the moment and improvise.  There was no planning ahead, no scoring, no competition and no winners or losers. 

2) Mirroring--The point of this exercise is to connect with another person which helps to focus on the other actors that you are acting with.  We each faced a partner and looked into each other's eyes the whole time.  One partner would do a motion and the other would try to do the same thing opposite them at the same time as best we could to create a "mirror" image.  After a little bit, we switched roles and the other partner led.  Then, the real fun came when we could add sound as well as movement.  It was a lot of fun.

3) Human machine--The purpose of this was teamwork.  I liked this very much.  One person starts by standing in the middle of the circle and making a motion and noise.  Then another stands next to them adding a new motion and noise.  And then another, and another, and another until everyone is doing some sort of motion and noise all at the same time!  I was across from a young girl who was beeping.  I stood opposite her and jumped and said "bop" after she beeped.  When everyone was involved, then we were told to gradually get louder as a group.  Then as a group, gradually get quieter. To end, they called out one at a time. 

These things may sound stupid but they were really fun to do as a group. I am working on a video clip to share to demonstrate some of these things and will hopefully get it posted on my http://www.zemeks.blogspot.com blog soon.

What a Cool Room!

Saturday at church we had a little party called Super Charge for 5th and 6th graders.  I was disappointed that only nine kids came, but we all had a fun time.  We made turkeys, the kids enjoyed hunting for paper turkeys hidden around the church halls, but the highlight was the devotional time because we had that in the new room that was made just for them.  It has a jungle theme with black light.

The boys were the lucky ones to get to stay in there for their discussion time.  When they were using the crayons that glowed in the dark, they had a great time coloring their tennis shoes.  They loved the room.  The carpet was blue around the edges with a sandy color in the middle for an island and the walls were all painted as a jungle mural. 

Fun Fall Festival At Parma Heights Baptist Church

Saturday Gerard and I helped out at the Fall Festival our church does the end of October every year. It' a very fun time because there are so many families who come to it from the community as well as the church families.

One of the reasons we switched to this church was because they actually do things up right and there is a good attitude of unity among the members as far as a common desire to reach out to the community. It's so much fun to be a part of this and work together with so many others who volunteer most of their Saturday to help. I was also happy to see some of the boys I had in Sunday School as fifth graders and are now 7th graders helping run the games.

There were 20 games set up for the children to play, a movie was shown and popcorn made for them to munch as they watched, face painting, a health fair with all sorts of community organizations represented and free donuts, cider and candy . . . lots of candy! Of course, my favorite booth was the cats and dogs who were brought in by PAWS. They were there for adoption and also the PAWS workers had a bake sale as well.

It was really fun to see some of the kids come in costumes. My favorite was the elephant and lady bug and Gerard's favorite was the Buckeye and Browns cheerleaders (by the way, Browns won today against the Jaguars--yippee!). He also thought the most original was a kid dressed up to be Mark Phelps with a bunch of medals around his neck. My nephew had a great Ninja Turtle costume.

Another cool thing was to see this game wheel that my dad had made for me years ago still being used. For more details about this, go to My Funny Dad, Harry blog.

There were 500 children who came and most, if not all, had parents with them so it was quite a crowd.

New Sunday School Class of Fifth Grade Boys

Well, today started my Sunday School class with a new group of 5th grade boys.  A couple of them are younger brothers of ones I've had before.  Seven came which was the number I was hoping for.  I managed to get everything in that I wanted to do and the boys seemed involved and interested.  I was happy with how things went and think we'll have a good year. 

Our lesson was on success in God's eyes and our unit is based on Proverbs 3:3-7 which is a great scripture passage that I memorized two years ago.  We repeat the same lessons every two years.  Here is the passage:

Let love and faithfulness never leave you.  Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.  Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil. (NIV)

These verses are such a good reminder to pray about everything and rely on the Lord for direction.   Just yesterday when we went to the Yankee Peddler Festival, I prayed for safety and a nice day with my husband and being able to get there and back without getting lost or having any problems.  It was raining lightly on the way so I turned my headlights on, but forgot to turn them off!  I was so excited we got there in just about 50 minutes without getting lost since last year it took us two hours and we never did find it!  I'm so glad the car started anyway after we were there for four hours.  I thank God for looking out for me.

Use Puppets to Teach

This is a video  is one my Sunday School class made this morning using puppets to review the lesson.  They liked doing it and I think they did a good job on it considering it was only their first time and we only had about 10 minutes to do it.  I added the titles in later.  The lesson was on Acts 4:32-5:11.  We only had four there today.  Wish more came because I think they would have enjoyed it.  What do you think?

Parma Hts. Baptist Church

Our Mission:  To help people find and follow Jesus Christ.

8971 West Ridgewood Drive

Parma Heights, OH  44130

phone:  440-886-6100

www.phbaptist.org and

www.phbaptist.blogspot.com

Sunday Services:

8:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m.

Adult Bible Fellowship small groups:  9:30 a.m./11:00 a.m.

Sunday School, 9:30 a.m. (all ages):

Including special needs children's "Treasure Cove"

Wednesday Family Night

(7:00 pm-8:30 pm):

• Pioneer Girls
• Boys Brigade
• Youth Group
• Adult Bible Studies
• Choir Practice

YOUTH MINISTRY

Grades 7-12:

Wednesdays in the Youth Center:  7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Join us 6-7 p.m. for open gym and game room time.

SUNDAY:  Sr. High 9:30 a.m.