FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK…
“O Come all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant…” I love this song. It’s reverent, encouraging, and uplifting. It should be an example of and to the Church. The faithful are to come to Jesus and connect with other faithful believers in the body of Christ. We, of all people on earth, know the joy of salvation and our ultimate victory in Jesus. Through Christ, we’re more than conquerors. The truly faithful are faithful to Jesus and His Church. We don’t get to define terms with God. Jesus said he’d build His Church, not ours. If we’re not faithful to His Church, that calls into question our faithfulness to Him.
I don’t say this to make you bitter or angry. I defined my relationship with God outside the Church for thirty years, and I was never whole. My definition of faith missed the mark. I told myself that I didn’t leave Jesus; I just didn’t go to Church. The truth is, the Church isn’t for Jesus; it’s for you and me. Today, many well-meaning Christians seek to redefine the Church as “not a place, but a people.” It is both. Jesus sent out his disciples to preach, heal, and make disciples, and then they returned to a place. We must go out and preach the gospel and serve the Lord by serving others. But then, we are to gather in the place – the local body of Christ and testify to His work in and through us, strengthen one another, and grow in faith and grace.
My heart’s desire and prayer is that you take this Season of Hope to renew your vow with the Lord and restore your fellowship with Him and His Church. Come home. Gift forgiveness to your Pastor, to your brother or sister in Christ, to yourself. Come back and be faithful to Christ and His Church, and let’s grow together in grace, love, and faith.
~~Pastor Greg
NOVEMBER SUNDAY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
November 3 151
November 10 128
November 17 130
November 24 117
4. (526). = 131 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:
December: Luke
January: Acts
Evangelistic Outreach Bible Reading Calendars give an Old and New Testament selection to read each day of the year.
OVER 80 BIRTHDAYS
Mary Adkins Taylor, Jan. 8, 85 yrs.
Jerry Zerkle, Jan. 16, 84 yrs.
Viola Adkins, Jan. 19, 94 yrs.
Gene Caldwell, Jan. 19, 102 yrs.
OVER 50 ANNIVERSARIES
Buddy & Betty Beckett, 66 yrs., Jan. 2
CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEWSLETTER FUND
No checks came this last month, but your generous help throughout the year has been wonderful. The church letter fund is on a solid foundation. Thank you for your generous support.
THANK YOU
Thank you for the donation of food. Your donation helps us to help the needy.
Sherry Perry, ECCHO
(This was for the ABWM October collection of canned foods.)
Thank you so much for the Christmas Gift Bag. Through the years, the church family has brought so much joy to my life. Thank you!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all,
Mary Reed
Thank you all so much for your generous donation for our Knight’s Great Hall. We need your support to continue helping our community in the coming months. Tracy Urian, CMHS Counselor
On behalf of the Gideons of the Cabell-Lincoln Camp, I want to express my sincere thanks. It was a joy to be in service with your congregation on Nov. 3. Please let Chester Bragg know we were blessed by the Sunday School lesson he taught. The offering of $1,197 is tangible evidence of the love your congregation has for making the Word of God available to those who might not otherwise have it. This will enable many Bibles and/or New Testaments to be placed. Phillip Skeens
Many may think it’s just a can of popcorn. But it meant so much more. Seeing the excitement on my dad’s face after the nurse told him he had something waiting in his room. He enjoyed sharing and telling everyone where it came from. For me I felt the love of God and my church family. He knew what the rest of my day was going to be like. It was delivered right on time. I want to say Thank You church family from my family.
Brenda Lawson
Thank you for the Christmas Basket.
Love, Lorena Henry (Boo’s ma)
I would like to thank the church for the fruit and goodies. Thank you to those who helped in any way. Thank you, Dennis and Becky, I enjoyed your visit. Merry Christmas to all and good health and happiness in 2025.
Peggy Neal
CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF:
FLOYD DAVID BARTRAM, 82, of Clarksville, Indiana, whose funeral was Nov. 22. He was the brother of Deacon Phil Bartram (Stella).
BERNIE WAYNE BIAS, 83, of Salt Rock, whose funeral was Nov. 23. He was the grandfather of Bethany Beckett (Sean).
DERON MICHAEL CHAPMAN, 52, of Milton, whose graveside service was Nov. 27. He was the father of two of Jeanne Lunsford’s former students.
MICHAEL EDWARD CHAPMAN, 71, of Shepherdsville, KY, whose funeral was Nov. 23. He was a brother of David Chapman (Linda).
MICHAEL ALLEN CLARK, 73, of Barboursville, whose funeral was Dec. 2. He was a former Milton City policeman and Cabell County Deputy, and a friend to several in the church.
JAMES F. GREEN, 77, of Milton, whose funeral was Nov. 25. He was a friend of several in the church.
KIMBERLY FAYE HATHAWAY, 65, of Ona, whose funeral was Dec. 9. She was the sister of Bob Jordan (Mona).
JOHN MORRIS STRAUB, 85, of Ona, who passed away on Dec. 2. He was the father of Dawn Nethercutt, and a friend to several in the church.
DAVID LEE TERRY, 75, of Ona, whose funeral service was Nov. 21. He was the husband of Rodrica “Jane” Yoho Terry.
GARY WAYNE WAUGH, 81, of Proctorville, OH, whose funeral was Nov. 29. He was a brother of Joyce Ryder (Bill).
DALE JEAN (JEANNIE) YOHO WHEELER, 74, of Hurricane, passed away Nov. 15. She is survived by her son Brian, and sisters Theresa Yoho Shy and Jane Yoho Terry.
BAMBY NEWS
Friendsgiving: This event is always enjoyed by the teens! We had 22 teens attend and 4 adults. They truly enjoy the fellowship dinner with other teens and of course a delicious meal. Our menu this year was lasagna, spaghetti, chicken Alfredo, salad and desserts. Jennifer Hansen prepared our delicious meal and we are so grateful for that.
Following the dinner, the teens put up beautiful new Christmas trees in the Beaver building.
~~Mitzi Beckett
MISSION PROJECTS
We gave offerings in November to buy supplies for our Christmas Baskets that go to the elderly, widowed, those who have serious health conditions, are in assisted living, or are financially needy. We gave $1,434 this year, and had some funds left from last year. The 83 bags of fresh fruit, “goodies” and other items were happily received. Thanks to everyone who helped in any way.
In December, we are asking for funds for Lily’s Place, which opened in 2014 as the first Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Center in the USA. They provide care to newborns suffering from prenatal drug exposure. To give, please write “LP” on the memo of your check, or give cash to any financial team member and let them know it is for Lily’s Place.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NEW
In November, Children’s Ministries wanted to thank a few in our church that serve the community. We had a nurse, a policeman and firemen visit. Mitzi Beckett was the nurse. Ona Fire Dept. Chris Carter along with his brother JD and his wife Kayla. And Corporal Ryan Childers as the policeman. They all talked about their job and all mentioned how important God was to them. Thank you soo much the kids will never forget.
Jesus Kids sang their Christmas Play songs at Paramount Assisted Living this past Sunday (12/8). One resident gave the kids special ornaments to have. All the kids have been working really hard on their play, “Christmas County Spelling Bee” which will be Sunday night Dec 15th. They will be spelling some of the names Of Jesus. The full manger scene at the end is such a true blessing.
They are still collecting quarters to reach 150 for the 150th church anniversary! Please pray for our kids.
~~Children’s Ministry Team
**What is red, white and blue at Christmas? A sad candy cane.
**What did Adam say to his wife on the day before Christmas? It’s Christmas, Eve!
**What would you get if you ate all the Christmas ornaments? Tinselitis.
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. Some new scrapbooks have recently been added to the display room, including obituaries from 2015 to 2023 and our Youth from 2014-2018.
NOTE: Unfortunately, the writing of updated history is taking longer than anticipated, and will not be available by our anniversary. We will let you know when we have it done.
The sun-catchers are here! These beautiful blue glass souvenirs of the 150th Anniversary, made by Blenko Glass are ready for you to pick up. If you did not get to order, we have a few extra, and if we get requests for more, we can order again, but must have 50. The sun-catchers are $14 each.
OLD FASHIONED DRESS-UP DAY
On November 17, we had great fun dressing up as our ancestors might have dressed. Lots of long skirts, bonnets, aprons, flannel shirts and bibbed overall were being sported, as well as some very fancy dressers! Even Grandma Walton was there!
Choir leader Duane Adkins wore bibbed overalls with a white shirt and black tie! He explained that he was dressed like Alfred Brumley, a prolific hymn writer from the past. Duane said that he read Mr. Brumley dressed like that for all occasions, even playing baseball! Mr. Brumley lived from 1905 to 1977 and wrote many hymns such as “I’ll Fly Away,” “Victory in Jesus,” and “I’d Rather Be an Old-Time Christian.”
Duane then led us in one or two verses of many old hymns. The first three were written in the year of our founding, 1874: “Take My Life and Let it Be,” “Bringing in the Sheaves,” and “Christ Arose.” We continued to sing many more. We will not name them all, but we enjoyed singing “Rock of Ages” (1762), “Amazing Grace” (1779), “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1868), “It is Well With My Soul” (1873), and ending with “How Great Thou Art” (1885). Gene Caldwell, age 101, said he knew all the songs, and it was the most enjoyable service he could remember! Thank you, Duane and to all who participated in dress-up day. We know it took effort on your part.
GOOD NEWS NUGGET
J Theresa Jeffries was our special guest singer on the evening of Nov. 24. Her beautiful voice sang, “I Want to Say Thank You,” “I Glorify My Heavenly Father,” “One Day I’ll See Him,” and more, some of which she wrote herself.
THE BIRTHDAY OF A KING
In the little village of Bethlehem, there lay a
child one day,
And the sky was bright with a holy light o’er the
place where Jesus lay.
Alleluia! O how the angels sang! Alleluia! How it
rang!
And the sky was bright with a holy light,
‘Twas the birthday of a King.
William Harold Neidlinger
CALENDAR
**Sun., Dec. 15, 7 pm – Children Ministry’s Christmas Program, “The Christmas Country Spelling Bee.”
**Tues., Dec. 17, 7 pm – Sing We Now of Christmas, presented by the Hurricane Civic Chorus, at Forrest Burdette Memorial United Methodist Church in Hurricane. Several members of our church sing in the chorus.
**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, in the sanctuary.
**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!
Sun., Jan. 19, noon – Annual Chili/Soup Cook-Off, Family Center.
Sat., Feb. 8, 6 pm – Annual Critter Dinner, Family Center.
Sat., Feb. 22, 8:30 am – GBA Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Camp Ona.
BOBBY BOWEN UPDATE
Our own Bobby Bowen joined us on Sunday night, Nov. 17. She spent two and a half years in Uganda before Covid forced her return to the United States, about four years ago. She expressed her thanks for our prayers and support. She misses Uganda which is very scenic with Lake Victoria and the Nile River. The culture is diverse, and there are hundreds of thousands of refugees there from the Congo, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
There has been a big change in her work with Global Outreach. Since her return, she has been working via computer with her trusted co-workers, administering a vast feeding program. Some months ago, one of her co-workers expressed concern that people were getting dependent on the food program and possibly abusing it. They suggested cutting back on the feeding program, and concentrate on education for the young people, to try to break the cycle of dependency. So, they have started a school, called Quest Ministries. They have twelve pupils in discipleship classes. Some of them are Muslim. The cost is $100 per term per student, three terms a year. Some students are 12 years old and have never been to school. The students come from True Life Orphanage in Kampala, which houses 95 children. (Kampala is the capital of Uganda.)
One of Bobby’s co-workers, Bob, is teaching there. He grew up in an orphanage after his mother died from being poisoned. He has a wonderful memory of receiving an Operation Christmas Child shoebox as a boy. At the end of the school year, they held a camp and the students were able to fill 150 shoeboxes themselves! They gathered toys, clothes, and school supplies. Wonderful!
They learned of an eighteen yr.-old woman with a 3 yr.-old child whose house was destroyed by flooding. She had no where to go and no relatives to help. Quest Ministries was able to get a 30-year lease on some land and built her a home for less than $3,000 made of home-made cinder blocks. This home has no plumbing or electricity (few homes there do), but it is a good shelter, and has one extra room that she can rent out to have an income. She was hopeless but now has a home!
Quest Ministries wants to build a facility for the school, worship, and gatherings. They can build a very nice structure for $40 to $50 thousand dollars. If you would like to give to Bobby’s ministry, please make you check to the church, and put “Bowen” on the memo line.
ARK ENCOUNTER
Friday evening December 6th 21 Beulah Ann’ers and friends traveled to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown KY to view their Christmas Lights display outside the Ark. The lights were spectacular and well worth the trip! Among the beautiful displays was a laser light show projected onto the outside of the ark depicting key scenes from Jesus’ life from the angel visiting Mary all the way through His transfiguration into heaven that was absolutely amazing.
We spent the night in a local motel then went back to the Ark Saturday morning to actually go inside and view its interesting displays and amazing architecture. It is obvious that a lot of research and planning went into building the Ark. Everything is top quality, and it really shows how Noah, his family and the animals could have actually lived on the Ark. I highly recommend everyone to visit it!
~~Susan McComas
LOVE IN A SHOEBOX
Beulah Anners collected, filled, and shipped 324 boxes of love and happiness through the Love In A Shoebox program this year. We are so grateful to everyone who participated in any way. We dedicated our shoeboxes on Nov. 17.
The Love of Christ follows each box as it makes its way from Beulah Ann to the collection site at Lewis Memorial Baptist Church in Pea Ridge, then from there, to the North Carolina processing center, and finally, into the hands of a little child. We’ve witnessed video evidence of their extraordinary joy at receiving a box with gifts. But more important than material things, they receive literature about Jesus in their own language.
We will never know the impact we’ve had on children in this life, but I believe we’ll know in heaven. What a blessing it will be when we see those who came to know Jesus because of our investment in this wonderful, worthwhile ministry. God bless all who give and receive of the Love In A Shoebox Ministry.
~~Jeanne & Greg
MERRY CHRISTMAS, GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPINESS IN THE NEW YEAR!
BEULAH ANN CHURCH FAMILY
Beulah Ann Missionary Baptist Church 