The Salem Lamplighter

March, 2014 Vol. I No. 3 E-Mail: salem1809@att.net Website: www.salemsbc.org (314) 921-5507

SOMETHING GOOD Recently, a member of Salem was speaking to me about how blessed she and her spouse has been by being a part of our church family. This member stated that, as a couple, they would like to invite more people to attend Salem and share in the blessings. But they were not sure as to how to go about doing that. I shared a few brief ideas with her which I would like to share with you. 1. Pray: Ask God for opportunities to talk to people and ask Him to give you the words to say when the opportunity presents itself. Then, expect your prayer to be answered! God wants us to bring others to Him, and we most likely pass over many opportunities to share our faith because we are not expectantly seeking such openings. 2. Prepare: Be ready to say something good about the Lord and something good about our church. We live in a culture in which people spend much of their time complaining. As believers we should be different. We should be thankful and positive. Think of the good things God has done in your life and amongst our church family, and search for opportunities to talk about Him. 3. Participate: Get involved in church functions and invite friends, family, and neighbors to join you. You may even want to get involved in the New Movers outreach ministry. With spring time around the corner, we will be able to ramp up efforts in welcoming people to the community, and inviting them to church. Talk to Cody to get involved in the New Movers ministry. These are but a few simple ideas. But if we all take them to heart, and expectantly trust God to bless, I believe we will witness Him doing a good work through us in our community. I fully agree with Pauls prayer in Philemon 6, and I pray this prayer for all members of Salem today. I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for the glory of Christ. Let us all participate in effectively sharing our faith by saying something good about our Glorious Savior, and our church family. The Kings servant Pastor Chuck Missions Carmen Hook and Carl Barrow The Samaritans Purse item for March is small stuffed animals. We will soon be celebrating our Annie Armstrong North American Missions project as Easter is April 20th, 2014. The theme is Firmly Planted..Rooted in the Gospel. Week of Prayer for North American Missions is March 30thApril 6th, 2014. At our February 16th, 2014, Business Meeting the Church set a goal of $800. Please keep in mind that on April 8th, 2014, our church will be helping to host the luncheon for foreign students at Washington University. We will need at least fifteen 9 x 12 inch cakes in disposable pans that morning. Also, we will need volunteers to help serve that day both men & women. A sign up sheet for both cakes and servers will be on the bulletin board in a few weeks. Youth Cody Hudspeth Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. - Hebrews 11:1 Recently I have been involved in two conversations discussing the proof of God. The questions being can you prove with facts and logic that God exists. I know many would say of course. However, what about those who do not hold to faith or the Bible as a credible source? When I am explaining the awesomeness of God to someone there are elements within my explanation that cannot be proven with facts and logic, not those that are tested in a lab or trial experiment. Faith is a key part of our beliefs, we believe in God because we have faith in Him. Hebrews 11:1 is a fantastic verse regarding this very issue, it represents how there are elements that cannot be seen or fully explained when it comes to belief in God. However, by faith we find the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. Regarding the conversation I held I came to the conclusion and explained that if youre looking for me to convince you that there is a God based 100% on facts and tangible, testable elements then I will fail you. I believe in God because of the faith I have developed through the times in

(Youth Continued From Page One) my life that I have seen God come through for me during difficult times and when He has blessed me when I didnt deserve it. Does that require faith? Of course it does and that is exactly how God intended for it to be. Without faith you cannot truly believe in the one true God, that is why I am saved by faith through grace. We do have an exciting opportunity to learn about a different approach to the origin of the world. If you have ever spent time in a public school science class then you have heard about Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution. However, we will be exploring a different approach to the origin of man that being the theory of Biblical creation, specifically a view of Young Earth creationism. We will do this by traveling to the Creation Museum located in Northern Kentucky this March. Even if you do not hold to a view of Young Earth Creationism this is still a great opportunity to broaden your horizons and learn different perspectives of the origin of man. Upcoming events: Creation Museum Trip March 28th-30th Sunday School Dr. Olusola Orebiyi When you want to improve the taste of the food you are about to eat, a little amount of salt from the salt-shaker is invaluable. However as long as the salt remains in the salt-shaker, it is of no use or value. JESUS CHRIST taught us in Matthew 5:13a that You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? Salt is a very powerful preserving and taste enriching agent, but when it is mixed with sand or other impurities, it loses its flavor, and becomes worthless. Dear fellow Christians, what do you have in your salt-shaker? How much of the Word of GOD do you know? How comfortable are you, in allowing only the Word of GOD to be your guide? How willing are you to share the Word of GOD with others in the dying world around you? As you regularly attend the Sunday Bible Study Fellowship at 9:30 AM, you will be enabled to confidently answer the above questions in the affirmative; and as the Apostle Paul, you would declare For I am not ashamed of the gospel of CHRIST, for it is the power of GOD to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek- Romans 1:16. Remember to invite others to join us in the Sunday Bible Study Fellowship. The Sunday School Teachers and Co-Workers will hold their Quarterly Meeting in the Maxwell Fellowship Hall, on Saturday, March 8th, 2014, from 9-11 AM and the Monthly 3rd Sunday Prayer Meeting will be on March 16th, 2014, at 9 AM in the Pastor`s Office. Childrens Ministry Diane Pine This month in Sunday School the children are studying the life of Christ and how much He loves us. Did you ever stop to think that without Easter we probably would not celebrate Christmas? Jesus came to earth to die for our sins. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. Whoever-thats you and me! Take time to thank God this week. We will have our annual Easter egg hunt on April 13th. Please help us by donating small individually wrapped candy to fill the eggs. There will be a basket in the foyer for candy or see Diane Pine for donations. Ladies are invited to Dianes home Thursday, April 10th at 6:30 PM to help fill eggs. Please sign up on the bulletin board or see Diane if you plan to attend. Thank you. 7 Moletta Meritt Oluyinka Orebiyi 15 Stella Southmayd 16 Connie Light 23 Charles McCormick 25 Kristi McCormick 26 Alex Payne 27 Cody Hudspeth 30 Russ Stuart 22 Don and Rhonda Hanks

North American Mission Board Week of Prayer March 30th April 6th Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Salems 2014 Goal: $800.00

205 Years of Salem Baptist Church! Loving, Growing, Helping