FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK…
You can get along without the church and church people. But you will not experience the fullness of faith if you forsake fellowship and experience with one another. JOHN 15:12 – This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. The world needs the genuine and unconditional love of God and God’s people. Even born-again believers need the love of others. Often, we get caught up in the belief that the Church exists to serve us. The Church exists to serve Christ and others. Galatians 5:13 – For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Have you experienced “Church Hurt?” You’re not alone. If I’m the cause of your hurt at Beulah Ann, please come to me, and let’s apply Christ’s remedy. We’re builders, not destroyers. Romans 14:19 – Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Building up others strengthens the community of faith to boldly witness to the goodness of God in Jesus Christ. We must care for each other to grow in faith and grace. 1 Corinthians 12:25 – That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
We must relearn what it means to be kind to one another. Yes, even Christians have grown indifferent. Ephesians 4:32 – And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Thanksgiving and Christmas should be joyful seasons filled with love, hope, and laughter. They are, but not for all. Loneliness and loss feed grief and depression. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. This Season of life consider others and bear fruit for Christ.
~~Pastor Greg
OCTOBER SUNDAY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
October 6 129
October 13 121
October 20 121
October 27 132
4 (503) – 126 average
Your attendance is very much welcome at any time. Love to see everybody back!
FIND US ON MEDIA, OR CONTACT US
Web site: www.beulahann1874.org (Check the church calendar, find the latest bulletin, newsletter, service times, and more.
Facebook: Beulah Ann Baptist Church (Services live streamed.)
You Tube: Beulah Ann Missionary Baptist Church (available a few minutes after the close of service.)
Radio: WEMM FM, 107.9, Mondays at 7:45 am – a 15-minute program, “Child-like Faith.”
E-mail: BeulahAnnMBC@gmail.com. Also,
prayer requests can be sent to babcprayer@aol.com and will be shared with a large group of prayer warriors.
Telephone: 304-743-5854.
BIBLE READING PROGRAMS
WVBC ABWM 5-year Bible Reading Plan:
November: Psalms 73-150
December: Luke
Evangelistic Outreach Bible Reading Calendars give an Old and New Testament selection to read each day of the year.
OVER 80 BIRTHDAYS
Ronald Welder, 11/18, 80 yrs.
Gerald Payton, 12/8, 88 yrs.
Elmer “Sonny” Waugh, 12/16, 81 yrs.
OVER 50 ANNIVERSARIES
Tommy & Juanita Nance, 11/19, 63 yrs.
Ray & Peggy Scarberry, 11/27, 66 yrs.
Mike & Pam Hughes, 11/29, 50 yrs.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEWSLETTER FUND
Anonymous thru church treasury $140.00
Mr. & Mrs. Anonymous $500.00
Willing Workers SS Class $20.00
Thank you for your generous support.
MISSION PROJECTS
In September and October, we raised funds to pay for the shipping of our Love in a Shoebox project for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child. The cost is $10 per box. We hope to have a large number of boxes. We have collected $2,199 to date. Individuals and SS Classes frequently cover the cost of their boxes, but the children’s classes in particular need support in this effort.
It is now time to think about Christmas! November’s Mission Project is Christmas Baskets. Funds are needed to buy supplies for our baskets that go to the elderly, widowed, those who have serious health conditions, are in assisted living, or are financially needy. To give, please make your check to the church with Christmas Baskets on the memo line. To give cash, please place in the offering plate with a note attached, or hand it to any of our financial staff, indicating how you want it designated. Thanks.
In October, the ABWM Community Outreach Project was canned foods for ECCHO, to help them prepare for the upcoming holidays. Thank you for such a generous response. The cans have been delivered to ECCHO and will be a great help.
THANK YOU
Thank you all so much for your generous donation to our Knights Great Hall. We are able to help so many families in our community.
Tracy Urian, CMHS Counselor
Beulah Ann is such a blessing to us! Your fruitful support of us in this ministry encourages our hearts! Russ and Jan Perry
Unfolding Word
CONGRATULATIONS to Deacon Philip Bartram on being inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Phil was a high-school wrestling coach in Beckley for many years.
According to a serving chart for mashed potatoes, I’m a family.
He who hesitates is not only lost, but miles from the next exit.
CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF:
DALLIE EUGENE MCCOMAS, 49, of Culloden, whose funeral was Oct. 21. He was the father of Chloe McComas and Tyler Caldwell.
CLARENCE E. PAYTON, SR., 76, of Huntington, passed away Nov. 12. He was a brother of Darrell Payton (Linda).
EDWARD OLLIE WATSON, SR., 92, of Ona, whose funeral was Oct. 22. He is survived by his wife Chris, and children David Watson (Andrea), Jessie Lynn Morrison, Edward Ollie Watson, Jr. (Jennie), Amanda Dailey (Steve), and Frances Williamson, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a faithful member of our church until health issues prevented.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NEWS
We had our Children’s awards on Sunday night Oct 27th. Kids have attended church faithfully, memorized their Bible verse for the month and brought their Bibles. Then on Wednesday night the 30th we had the Circle of Treats. The kids came dressed up in many different outfits and from 7 to 8 the kids enjoy different centers. Then after church our wonderful adult church came down to the gym, bringing candy and then they sit in a big circle. The kids come into gym in a line and walk inside the circle. The adults treat the kids with candy and toys.
November is our Thankful month. On Sunday November 10th we began saying “Thank You” to some of our church members who serve the community. For Nurses our own Mitzi Beckett spoke to our kids about what nurses do. The Jesus kids also said Thank You to our Veterans in singing some patriotic songs at the dinner for Veterans. In the afternoon they went to Paramount Senior Living and sang there. They were dressed in patriotic outfits. The next couple of Sundays we will say Thank You to firemen and policeman. It’s Christmas play time again. Kids are practicing for the “Christmas County Spelling Bee.” The children are currently working on collecting 150 quarters for the 150th church anniversary in December. They will donate this to the City Mission for the children’s Christmas. Please pray for our kids. ~~Children’s Ministry Team
BAMBY NEWS
The teens recently volunteered at Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington. We packed boxes for seniors throughout the area and this time hit a record number of boxes for our group – 400 boxes! Four hundred boxes provide 1,200 meals. This time we also had several of our newest members participate and they loved it.
On Oct 30th, we packed up and went to Cabell Huntington Hospital to “Reverse Trick or Treat.” In case you are not familiar with this, our teens dressed up and distributed coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, pop-its, bags of candy and snacks to the children who are patients on pediatrics and PICU. We were also able to leave numerous coloring books, activity books, etc. for them for use as needed. Again, we welcomed some of our new members on this activity.
We have also been busy packing shoeboxes, with over 50 complete and ready to ship.
ALL teens are invited to FRIENDSGIVING on Sunday the 24th of November at 5 pm in the Beaver Building. This is a great time to get to know each other and enjoy a delicious meal.
~~ Mitzi Beckett
SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
On December 26, 2024, Beulah Ann will be 150 years old! The Anniversary Committee planned many events, which started in June when we turned 149 1/2!
Our final event will be on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 11:00 which will be our Sesquicentennial Celebration! Historical quilts will be on display, and we will open the Time Capsule that was created in 1999 at our 125th Anniversary. We will have a dinner with a very special cake! Our new Sesquicentennial quilt will be on display also. We are hoping to have many guests that day, and encourage everyone to attend, especially those of you who have moved away, or haven’t been attending for a while. Come “home” and worship with us on this special day!
The Adult Fellowship Sunday School Class has graciously allowed us to use their classroom for our historical displays. You may visit any time the church is open, or during office hours, Tues.-Fri., 9 am-1 pm. Our new church directory will be ready by our anniversary also, and an update to the church history that was written by Mildred Caldwell up through 1999 will also be completed. Some new scrapbooks have recently been added to the display room, including obituaries from 2015 to 2023 and our Youth from 2014-2018.
CALENDAR
**Sun., Nov. 17 – Shoebox Dedication.
**Sun., Nov. 17, 11 am – Old Fashioned Dress-up Day and Thanksgiving service.
**Tues., Nov. 19 & 26, 10 am – Sew Blest, Family Center, & 6 pm – In Stitches, Family Center.
**Sun., Nov. 24, 5 pm – Friendsgiving dinner in the Beaver Building for all youth.
**Wed., Nov. 27, 7 pm – Horn–of–Plenty Service.
**Sun., Dec. 1, 6 pm – ABWM Meeting, Family Center. Ladies, please remember to bring towels and bath lotions for CCCSO, &
ABMM Meeting, Caldwell Classroom.
**Mon., Dec. 2, 7 pm – Board of Deacons Meeting, Family Center.
**Tues., Dec. 3, 10, 17, 10 am – Sew Blest, Family Center & 6 pm – In Stitches, Family Center.
**Fri., Dec. 6 – Sat., Dec. 7 – Ark Encounter Christmas Lights Trip.
**Fri., Dec. 6 – Christmas Basket Assembly, Beaver Building.
**Sun., Dec. 8 – Newsletter Deadline.
**Fri., Dec. 13, 9 am – Newsletter Work Party, Family Center.
**Fri., Dec. 13, 2 pm – Caldwell Class Christmas Dinner at Patty Morrison’s home. Willie Rose’s class is invited also.
**Sun., Dec. 15, 7 pm – Children Ministry’s Christmas Program.
**Sat., Dec. 21, 6 pm – Faithful Servants’ Christmas Party, Family Center.
**Sat., Dec. 21, 6 pm – Willing Workers’ Christmas Dinner, Fratelli’s Restaurant in Barboursville.
**Sun., Dec. 22, 7 pm – Children Ministry’s Christmas Party.
**Wed., Dec. 25, 7 pm – Fireside Christmas Service.
**Sun., Dec. 29, 11:00 – Sesquicentennial Celebration! Opening of the 1999 Time Capsule, followed by dinner with a special cake, and the display of our new quilt!
GOOD NEWS NUGGETS
J On October 19, the Widows group met for luncheon at the Lighthouse Baptist church In Milton. Two guest speakers spoke about breast cancer and their testimony of faith. An inspiration to us all! ~~Barbara Traficant
J Chris Hunt from Proctorville brought our special music on Oct. 20 and did a wonderful job singing “All My Hope is in Jesus,” and
“Sometimes in Takes a Mountain,” and other wonderful songs. Thanks, Chris.
J Twenty choir members visited Lighthouse Baptist Church on Tues. evening, Oct. 22 for their revival with Pastor Jason Salmons. Using Proverbs 18:24, he preached about friendship. It was delightful to hear him again and worship with the great people at Lighthouse, where Tim Messinger is pastor.
J One of our newer attendees, Eric Kissel, sang for us Sunday morning, Oct. 27. We have been hearing his voice singing in the congregation, and we finally got to hear him solo. What a powerful voice God has blessed him with. He sang good old hymns, acapella!
J That same Sunday evening, Juanita Phillips of Charleston sang many songs for us, including several she wrote herself. Good job!
J The Ladies Bible Study recently concluded another five-week series, based on Max Lucado’s book, You Were Made for this Moment, the story of Esther. Leader Connie Chapman is inspirational, and the studies are very well attended. And as always, great snacks are enjoyed! A showing of the movie, “Esther” will be scheduled soon.
VETERANS HONORED
What a superb Veterans Day we had on Nov. 10. Adult Ministries had the Family Center all decked out in red, white, and blue, with a special head table for our Veterans, with flags from each branch of service. Jesus Kids brought a delightful program, dressed in their patriotic outfits, singing songs such as “This Land is Our Land,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Great job! Then they presented gift bags to the Veterans. The teens served the Veterans table while the rest of us lined up for delicious spaghetti, chicken alfredo, salad, and oh so many desserts.
LET’S HAVE A REVIVAL
We were in revival when our October issue of this letter was published. We ended our report last month with Wednesday night’s service.
On Thursday, Sunrise Baptist Church Choir brought our special music, and Pastor Mark Finley’s wife Debbie sang a beautiful solo, “Love the People God Gives You.” Evangelist, Jeff Fetty, Pastor of Main Street Baptist Church in Point Pleasant, brought a wonderful message from Matt. 5:13-16 entitled “Being a Godly Influence.”
On Friday, the last night of the revival, Gary Sargent and his guitarist brought the special music, sweetly singing songs such as “Family Bible,” “Fishin’ with Daddy,” and “Consider the Lillies.” Jeff asked “What Are You Devoted To?” using Acts 2:42-47. Talking about Pentecost, he noted that this was the beginning of the church.
All the music was good and the sermons very powerful. We will remember this revival for years to come.
DISASTER RELIEF CONTINUES
Last month, as we reported earlier, we sent a big load of baby supplies, including quilts made by our quilters. Mike Meadows reports on our November trip:
Our Disaster Relief team has helped those involved in the flooding in North Carolina caused by the recent hurricanes. Several church members and different churches have brought items to our church to be delivered to these areas. On Wednesday, November 6th Mike Meadows and Jimmy Floyd took a truck loaded with some of these items. They were in contact with Anchor Ridge Ministries in North Wilkesboro, NC. This ministry has a warehouse that takes in items then they themselves deliver to the flooded areas. At this time, they have plenty of clothes. But they were so thankful for all the other items. Please remember them in your prayers.
GIDEONS HARD AT WORK
Phillip Skeens was our special Gideon speaker on Nov. 11. Our local Gideons had supplied and replaced Bibles in all the local motels just the past week, and our own Roger Kingery participated in this effort. They also visited the Western Regional Jail the previous Tuesday. Twenty-six men attended the chapel meeting, and eleven of them came to Christ! He also reported that there are Gideon camps in many of the middle-eastern countries. These Christians risk their lives to share the gospel. We gave an offering $997, which will supply many Bibles or New Testaments.
GUEST FROM ISRAEL
Our missionary to Israel, Simcha Davidov, visited on Sunday evening, Nov. 10. (Bella could not join him in visiting America this year due to the war situation in Israel and needing to be with family.) Simcha talked about the eight promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 and how they came true and are still coming true today. Speaking of the war, he said that in the last year, things have changed dramatically, and he believes we are at the end of time. He and Bella and friends gather in the prayer tent on the top of their building several times each week and pray for the salvation of Israel, especially lost loved ones, children, orphans of war, widows of war, and those who are needy in spirit. He played his guitar and sang Psalm 117 in both English and Hebrew. There are 10 million people in Israel, 7 million of them are Jewish. There are now more Jews in Israel than in the United States. Immigration numbers are high. Only about 30,000 are Christians, many of the immigrating from the former Soviet Union. It is very difficult for Jews to accept Christ, but they keep witnessing. After taking questions, Simcha blew the shofar (ram’s horn) and sang the blessing found in Numbers 6:23-27.
The HUNTINGTON CITY MISSION is expecting to serve Thanksgiving Dinner to many people on Nov. 28. Forty turkeys have been donated by Foodfair, and all the traditional side dishes and desserts will be served. By the end of this year, they anticipate they will have served 300,000 meals and provided 62,000 night’s lodging. Homelessness is at an all-time high in the nation. The greatest cause is eviction, and the second is substance use disorder. Many spend their nights in alleys or abandoned buildings. “But for this moment on Thanksgiving, all is well. We are all part of something greater than ourselves, connected in this place and time, experiencing true fellowship. See, God created us for this kind of community.” You may give to the mission through the church by writing “HCM” on the memo line of your check.
WVBC ANNUAL CONVENTION
Since Beulah Ann is part of the Guyandotte Association we are also affiliated with the WV American Baptist Convention. This allows us to pool our mission dollars with other churches for more impact. Other benefits include being able to enjoy Camp Cowen and Parchment Valley and for our Pastor to participate in the Minister and Missionary’s Retirement Fund.
Tom and I were privileged to attend the WVBC Annual Meeting Oct. 17th and 18th at Calvary Baptist Church in Oak Hill. It was two days filled with singing, preaching, reports and praise. We attended the Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) dinner Thursday night and learned that BCM is growing and thriving on 9 college campuses in WV. Students from BCM at WV Tech in Beckley and Concord sang and spoke. We also attended the WV Baptist Historical Society Luncheon on Friday. Several churches were honored for having 100 or 125 year anniversaries. Beulah Ann was one of two churches recognized for 150 years. Gary Higginbotham gave an incredible portrayal of John Alderson, Jr., one of the founders of the Greenbrier Association in the 1800s, and the struggles the founders faced.
During the meetings we learned that Cowen and Parchment Valley are back to pre-covid numbers. Parchment Valley recorded 102 salvations this year. Cowen had 1,710 campers, 97 salvations, 150 rededications, and 17 calls to ministry. The Sunny Day Activity Center at Cowen is nearly completed and within $85,000 of its financial goal. Several new pastors were recognized and a special prayer for them was held.
Tom and I attended an interesting workshop on “Table Church.” A local church will sponsor a weekly meal for anyone who wants to attend. At the meal a “Jesus story” will be told. This is either a story told by Jesus, or a story about Jesus. Placemats have discussion questions on them and everyone is encouraged to participate in the discussions. Table Church attracts those who otherwise may never feel comfortable going into a church sanctuary. Most Table Churches aren’t even held at a church, but rather a civic or private building. Table Church is considered a separate church from the sponsoring church, with its own pastor and leadership. Several churches in WV are sponsoring a Table Church with a church in Spencer having the best success. After just 6 months they have had several salvations and will be having their first baptism soon.
~~Susan McComas
Note from editor: As you may know the 911 Addressing project changed our church address from 3750 Howell’s Mill Rd. to 3301 Howell’s Mill Rd. Until recently, Google Maps put the church squarely in Patty Morrison’s front yard on Rimmer Lane. We are happy to report this has been corrected!
Beulah Ann Missionary Baptist Church 