Sermon Preview

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

This coming Lord’s Day we will begin looking at one of the most exciting episodes from the early life of king David. It is found in 1 Samuel 17.

David’s encounter with Goliath has been called, “one of the world’s classic narratives,” and “one of the most fascinating and encouraging events recorded in Scripture.” Generations of believers, and their children, have read this story of David’s victory over the Philistine giant and drawn strength and hope. And even outside of the Church and Christianity, this is a well-known and moving account. It presents an enormously disadvantaged ‘underdog’ winning a stunning victory over a vastly superior opponent, beating almost impossible odds in the process!

I suspect that most of us assume that we know what this episode is really about, and how we should interpret and apply it. After all, it seems so obvious. This is about you and me, and the many ‘giants’ we confront in life. And it is an encouragement to be like David. When we encounter giant-sized adversities and problems, we need only to load our ‘slingshot of faith’ with five smooth stones, and drop the opponent dead in his tracks! As did David, we also face our giants. And if we have enough faith, then we can prevail over anything!

But . . . what if this really isn’t the correct way to view this episode at all? What if looking at the story of David’s victory over Goliath in this manner misses the point entirely . . . by a mile, actually?

This is why we need to slow down, cast off our assumptions, and look at this episode in a totally different light, one that is more faithful to the flow of the larger story of redemption. And this is exactly what we are going to do this Lord’s Day. We are going to get re-acquainted with one of the most beloved and encouraging events in the whole Bible! And what we shall discover along our way will be more wonderful than we could have ever assumed or imagined!

I love you all so much!

Mike

Upcoming Events:

April 29, 4 PM – Alleluia Choir concert at Church Fellowship Hall
April 29, 4:30 PM – Youth Group
May 1, 9:00 AM – Women’s Book Study
May 1, 9:00 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast
May 1, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Study
May 3, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch
May 10, 6 AM – Men’s Morning Study
May 16, 6 PM – Diaconate Meeting
May 20, 5 PM – Children’s Ministry End of Year Extravaganza
May 22, 10 AM – PCA MNA Training

Order of Worship:

You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here

The songs for this week are:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Hymn 53, vs 1,3-5)
Come Ye Souls By Sin Afflicted
Sweet Comfort
How Deep

Announcements:

Youth Group: Youth Group meets again on April 29 at the church at 4:30 PM for all students in grades 6-12. Invite friends and neighbors!

Women’s Bible Studies: The Women’s weekly studies are ongoing. Check the calendar for days and times.

Men’s Bible Study: The Men’s Morning Bible Study is also ongoing, meeting every other Thursday. Check the calendar for the next occurrence.

Women’s Monthly Lunch: The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is May 3 at 11:30 AM.

Women’s Book Club: Life is busy for mothers and we need each other for support and encouragement. We are meeting Tuesday mornings from 9 to 10:30 at the church. Childcare provided. Book is Treasuring Christ when your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman. Contact Amy Schnorrenberg for details.

Alleluia Choir: The choirs end of year program, entitled “Praise Is. . .”, will be performed on Sunday, April 29th, 4:00 pm in the church Fellowship Room. The congregation is invited to attend.

Children’s Ministry Update: We are still in need of some folks to sign up as VBS group leaders! Dates are July 16-19. Leadership meeting is this Sunday, April 22nd at 3:30 pm at the church (back Sunday school classroom). See our needs HERE. We are going to have BLAST together as we head to Space!

Also, Children’s Ministry End of the Year cookout on Sunday, May 20th from 5 to 8 pm at the church house. Everyone join us for food, yard games, and the sno-cone truck! RSVP by clicking HERE and bringing a side dish. Members and guests welcome!

Senior Fellows: The Senior Fellows will have breakfast and a devotional at the church house on May 1 at 9 AM.

PCA MNA Disaster Response Training: Mission to North America (MNA) is charged by the General Assembly with coordinating the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) disaster response in the US and Canada. This vital mission is accomplished through disaster preparedness awareness & training in advance of disaster events and by providing support in response to disaster events. Preparedness training is conducted regularly through local and PCA-wide events. MNA Disaster Response provides support to PCA churches in disaster affected communities through a network of staff and volunteer damage assessment teams, first response teams, site managers, and key leaders. MNA recruits and mobilizes volunteers, receives and distributes supplies and equipment, brings awareness of specific needs, channels recovery funds, focuses prayer and provides spiritual encouragement to our PCA family and their communities.

Christ Pres will host a disaster response training session from 10 am until noon on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 in the Fellowship Hall. Mike Kennamer, who serves as the Disaster Response Specialist for the Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia (TAG) Region, will share about PCA MNA Disaster Response:

– Who they are
– What they do
– Why they do it; and
– How you can become involved

Your are invited to attend. Please see Jack Cooper or Joe Sims for more details.

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Jeffery Daniels, Debbie Hill, Allison Randall, Perry Calvert, Suzanne Nimon, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the Elliott family, expecting in September.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).

Sermon Preview

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

This coming Lord’s Day we will once again open the Word of the Lord to 1 Samuel 16 as we continue our study of the life of David, the great king of Israel. And our focus will be upon how he became the second king of Israel following the disastrous reign of Saul.

We remember that Saul was not a faithful king since he failed to do the first and most critical thing that every king should do—to listen to and obey the Word of the Lord. And now, in the storyline that we are following, Saul is fading from the scene as the Lord has removed his kingdom from him, and this man named “David”—the man who was ‘after God’s own heart’—appears on the stage of the Biblical drama for the very first time.

And you will also remember that David is one of the most important Bible characters of all, for he uniquely foreshadows the ministry and the reign of a Greater King, the greatest King of all! There would ultimately be One who would descend from David’s royal line as the Savior of the world and the Sovereign Ruler of the entire universe, our Lord Jesus Christ!

But the story of how and why the Lord chose David, the little shepherd boy from Bethlehem, is very interesting and informative. You can read the details in 1 Samuel 16:1-13. Of particular interest is the Lord’s word to the prophet Samuel in verse 7: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

I look forward to opening the Word of the Lord with you on Sunday!

I love you all, always!

Mike

Upcoming Events:

April 22, 3:30 PM – Alleluia Choir at Church House
April 22, 3:30 PM – VBS Leadership Meeting at Church
April 24, 9:00 AM – Women’s Book Study
April 24, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Study
April 26, 6 AM – Men’s Morning Study
April 26, 6:30 PM – Women’s Quarterly Potluck at home of Sarah Burgess
April 29, 4 PM – Alleluia Choir concert at Church Fellowship Hall
April 29, 4:30 PM – Youth Group
May 1, 9:00 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast
May 3, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch
May 16, 6 PM – Diaconate Meeting

Order of Worship:

You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here

The songs for this week are:

O Worship the King
We Will Feast in the House of Zion
Why So Heavy
Lord Most High

Announcements:

Youth Group: Youth Group meets again on April 29 at the church at 4:30 PM for all students in grades 6-12. Invite friends and neighbors!

Women’s Bible Studies: The Women’s weekly studies are ongoing. Check the calendar for days and times.

Men’s Bible Study: The Men’s Morning Bible Study is also ongoing, meeting every other Thursday. Check the calendar for the next occurrence.

Women’s Monthly Lunch: The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is May 3 at 11:30 AM.

Visitor Luncheon: There will be a luncheon for all guests, and any members of CPC wishing to join us, immediately following worship on Sunday, April 22, at the home of Rich and Christina Bagdazian: 2614 Legacy Preserve Drive, Brownsboro. Please sign up in the Narthex today.

Women’s Book Club: Life is busy for mothers and we need each other for support and encouragement. To meet that need, a new spring book study will begin on April 3. We will meet on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 10:30 at the church for six weeks. Childcare provided. We will read Treasuring Christ when your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman.

LINK

Our meeting will be informal and conversational with time for prayer. Please let me know if you can join us and how many children you’ll be bringing!
In Christ,
Amy Schnorrenberg

Women’s Quarterly Potluck: The next Women’s Quarterly Potluck will be at the home of Sarah Burgess on April 26 at 6:30 PM. The address is 3009 Twelvestones Rd in Owens Cross Roads. Please make plans to attend, and RSVP at the following link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d4eaea628a3fd0-christ

Alleluia Choir: The final rehearsal for the end of year program will be Sunday at 3:30 PM. The program, entitled “Praise Is. . .”, will be performed on Sunday, April 29th, 4:00 pm in the church Fellowship Room. The congregation is invited to attend.

Children’s Ministry Update: We are still in need of some folks to sign up as VBS group leaders! Dates are July 16-19. Leadership meeting is this Sunday, April 22nd at 3:30 pm at the church (back Sunday school classroom). See our needs HERE. We are going to have BLAST together as we head to Space!

Senior Fellows: The Senior Fellows will have breakfast and a devotional at the church house on May 1 at 9 AM.

PCA MNA Disaster Response Training: Mission to North America (MNA) is charged by the General Assembly with coordinating the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) disaster response in the US and Canada. This vital mission is accomplished through disaster preparedness awareness & training in advance of disaster events and by providing support in response to disaster events. Preparedness training is conducted regularly through local and PCA-wide events. MNA Disaster Response provides support to PCA churches in disaster affected communities through a network of staff and volunteer damage assessment teams, first response teams, site managers, and key leaders. MNA recruits and mobilizes volunteers, receives and distributes supplies and equipment, brings awareness of specific needs, channels recovery funds, focuses prayer and provides spiritual encouragement to our PCA family and their communities.

Christ Pres will host a disaster response training session from 10 am until noon on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 in the Fellowship Hall. Mike Kennamer, who serves as the Disaster Response Specialist for the Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia (TAG) Region, will share about PCA MNA Disaster Response:

– Who they are
– What they do
– Why they do it; and
– How you can become involved

Your are invited to attend. Please see Jack Cooper or Joe Sims for more details.

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Jeffery Daniels, Debbie Hill, Allison Randall, Perry Calvert, Suzanne Nimon, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the Elliott family, expecting in September.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).

Sermon Preview

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This coming Lord’s Day our journey through some of the great events in the history of redemption continues as we will begin to investigate the man named David. And when we hear that name, David, there are a host of things that flood into our minds, especially for those who have come to know something of the Bible and of the Old Testament.

Of course, David, the great king of Israel, is one of the central figures not only in the Old Covenant Scriptures, but in all of the Word of God as well. So for the next several weeks, we are going to trace some of the major episodes in his amazing life. And this Sunday we will be examining the very beginnings of his story as he became the second king in the history of Israel.

There are two specific things we want to accomplish as our initial look at David commences. First, we are simply going to get familiar with the Biblical record of how he came to be the king of Israel in the first place. But then, we are going to use the bulk of our time on Sunday morning considering why this man called David is so important for the story of the Old Testament, and, even more significantly, for the story of salvation that has its consummation in the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me encourage you to read 1 Samuel 16:1-13 in preparation for worship, and thank you in advance for your faithful prayers as we come before our Lord in adoration and praise.

I love you all so much,

Mike

Upcoming Events:

April 15, 3:30 PM – Alleluia Choir at Church House
April 15, 4:30 PM – Youth Group
April 17, 8:00 AM – Senior Fellows Fishing at Madison County Lake
April 17, 9:00 AM – Women’s Book Study
April 17, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Study
April 18, 9:30 AM – Women’s Morning Study
April 18, 6 PM – Diaconate Meeting
April 21, 11:00 AM – Providence Presbytery Spring Youth Event at Westminster Pres
April 26, 6 AM – Men’s Morning Study
April 26, 6:30 PM – Women’s Quarterly Potluck at home of Sarah Burgess
May 1, 9:00 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast
May 3, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch

Order of Worship:

You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here

The songs for this week are:

The Church’s One Foundation – Hymn 347 v.1-2,5-6
Give Reviving
To Thee I Come
Wonderful Merciful Savior

Announcements:

Youth Group: Youth Group meets again on April 15 at the church at 4:30 PM for all students in grades 6-12. Invite friends and neighbors!

Women’s Bible Studies: The Women’s weekly studies are ongoing. The Tuesday evening study is at 6 PM, while the Wednesday morning study is at 9:30 AM.

Men’s Bible Study: The Men’s Morning Bible Study is also back in action, meeting every other Thursday. Check the calendar for the next occurrence.

Women’s Monthly Lunch: The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is May 3 at 11:30 AM.

Visitor Luncheon: There will be a luncheon for all guests, and any members of CPC wishing to join us, immediately following worship on Sunday, April 22, at the home of Rich and Christina Bagdazian: 2614 Legacy Preserve Drive, Brownsboro. Please sign up in the Narthex today.

Women’s Book Club: Life is busy for mothers and we need each other for support and encouragement. To meet that need, a new spring book study will begin on April 3. We will meet on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 10:30 at the church for six weeks. Childcare provided. We will read Treasuring Christ when your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman.

LINK

Our meeting will be informal and conversational with time for prayer. Please let me know if you can join us and how many children you’ll be bringing!
In Christ,
Amy Schnorrenberg

Women’s Quarterly Potluck: The next Women’s Quarterly Potluck will be at the home of Sarah Burgess on April 26 at 6:30 PM. The address is 3009 Twelvestones Rd in Owens Cross Roads. Please make plans to attend.

Alleluia Choir: Alleluia Choir for Grades 2-6 continues to meet afternoons in April at 3:30 pm. The choir will offer an end-of-year program entitled “Praise Is. . .” on Sunday, April 29th, 4:00 pm in the church Fellowship Room. The congregation is invited to attend.

Children’s Ministry Update: VBS Leadership meeting will be Sunday, April 22nd at 3:30 at the church house while the kids are in choir. Thank you for supporting our children in the many ways that you do!

Senior Fellows: On Tuesday, April 17 at 8:00 AM the Senior Fellows will go fishing at Madison County Lake. Carpools leave the church at 7 AM. Directions from Hampton Cove: Take Eastern Bypass to US 72, turn West (left) on US 72, turn right on Brock Road, go straight onto Brownsboro Road, turn right onto Hurricane Road, turn right onto County Lake Road. Madison County Lake will be on the right (travel time about 30 minutes). Additionally, they will have breakfast and a devotional at the church house on May 1 at 9 AM.

Providence Presbytery Spring Youth Event: Westminster Pres is hosting a Presbytery Youth Event at their church on April 21st from 11-4. For more details, visit the Facebook group here

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Debbie Hill, Allison Randall, Perry Calvert, Suzanne Nimon, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the the Stafford and Dean families, expecting in April, and the Elliott family, expecting in September.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).

Sermon Preview

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This coming Lord’s Day we are returning to the story that we have been tracking for a good while now—the account of the rise and fall of King Saul, Israel’s first king. And we are well on our way to an investigation of another of Israel’s kings, King David. But before we get to David’s amazing story, we need to wrap up things with Saul. And there is something most important for us to get a hold on before we go any further.

One of the great, and perhaps surprising, things that we have been discovering along the way is that the Old Testament has much to teach us about being faithful disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that is one of the reasons that we have been taking our time tracing some of the great events in the history of salvation as God’s wonderful plan of redemption beautifully unfolds on the pages of the ‘Older Testament.’  And seeing that the Old Covenant Scriptures eventually point us to our Savior, we should expect that we will also encounter some inspired examples that demonstrate to us what a faithful life of service to our Lord entails and demands. Just as we find the beauty and blessings of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ foreshadowed in the Old Testament, we also discover a foreshadowing of the life of a faithful disciple as well.

This week we will be looking very carefully at 1 Samuel 15:24-35, and our subject will be confession—confession of sin. What we will discover from the life of Saul is an important lesson for all Christian disciples—how not to confess our sins. It will help if you go back and read the entire fifteenth chapter once again, and when you do you will readily observe how Saul provides us with a negative example, but an example nonetheless. I look forward to exploring this passage with you as we come before our Lord and Savior in worship and in adoration this Sunday!

Before I go, let me remind our men and young men that our final session of the Men’s Spring Bible Study will be this Sunday afternoon from 2:30 to 4:00 PM at the Church. We will bring our study of Psalms to a close with a focus upon Psalm 46, 73, and 150.

I love you all so very much!

Mike

Upcoming Events:

April 3, 9:00 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast
April 7, 10:00 AM – Mother/Daughter Tea Party
April 8, 2:30 PM – Men’s Spring Bible Study
April 8, 3:30 PM – Alleluia Choir at Church House
April 8, 4:30 PM – Youth Group
April 10, 9:00 AM – Women’s Book Study
April 10, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Study
April 11, 9:30 AM – Women’s Morning Study
April 12, 6 AM – Men’s Morning Study
April 18, 6 PM – Diaconate Meeting
April 21, 11:00 AM – Providence Presbytery Spring Youth Event at Westminster Pres
April 26, 6:30 PM – Women’s Quarterly Potluck at home of Sarah Burgess
May 3, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch

Order of Worship:

You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here

The songs for this week are:

Sovereign
Jesus, What A Friend For Sinners – Hymn 498, vs 1-2,5
Abide With Me
Holy, Holy, Holy – Hymn 100, all 4 verses

Announcements:

Youth Group: Youth Group meets again on April 8 at the church at 4:30 PM for all students in grades 6-12. Invite friends and neighbors!

Women’s Bible Studies: The Women’s weekly studies are ongoing. The Tuesday evening study is at 6 PM, while the Wednesday morning study is at 9:30 AM.

Men’s Bible Study: The Men’s Morning Bible Study is also back in action, meeting every other Thursday. Check the calendar for the next occurrence.

Men’s Spring Bible Study: The Men’s Spring Bible Study of the Psalms wraps up April 8 at 2:30 PM. All men are encouraged to attend. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mark Cooper at cooperma777@gmail.com or 256-698-6556

Women’s Monthly Lunch: The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is April 5 at 11:30 AM.

Visitor Luncheon: There will be a luncheon for all guests, and any members of CPC wishing to join us, immediately following worship on Sunday, April 22, at the home of Rich and Christina Bagdazian: 2614 Legacy Preserve Drive, Brownsboro. Please sign up in the Narthex today.

Women’s Book Club: Life is busy for mothers and we need each other for support and encouragement. To meet that need, a new spring book study will begin on April 3. We will meet on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 10:30 at the church for six weeks. Childcare provided.  We will read Treasuring Christ when your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman.

Women’s Quarterly Potluck: The next Women’s Quarterly Potluck will be at the home of Sarah Burgess on April 26 at 6:30 PM. The address is 3009 Twelvestones Rd in Owens Cross Roads. Please make plans to attend.

Meals: Both the Hill’s and Stafford’s will need a few more meals in the next couple of weeks, so I added some dates to each of the meal schedules below. Thank you so much for such a wonderful response to loving on these families in such a tangible way!  If you would like to provide a meal click on the links below to see the open dates. If you have any questions let me know!

Thank you!
Erica McNeese
256-468-6951
Fhornist1@gmail.com

Hills:
https://www.TakeThemAMeal.com/CLQI3862
Staffords:
www.TakeThemAMeal.com/CNFJ5292

Alleluia Choir: Alleluia Choir for Grades 2-6 continues to meet on Sunday afternoons in April at 3:30 pm. The choir will offer an end-of-year program entitled “Praise Is. . .” on Sunday, April 29th, 4:00 pm in the church Fellowship Room. The congregation is invited to attend.

Children’s Ministry Update: We have so many good things coming up in the Children’s Ministry, and it’s an exciting time to be a covenant child at Christ Pres 🙂

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Debbie Hill, Allison Randall, Perry Calvert, Suzanne Nimon, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the the Stafford and Dean families, expecting in April, and the Elliott family, expecting in September.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).