From the Pastor:

The Lord is kind! God continues to show Himself mighty in our lives. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous response to the appeal to consistency in your giving. God has and will continue to bless our obedience as well as your generosity.

My prayer is that you would make yourselves available to be a part of what God is doing by joining us for Church-At-Study on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm. We will be back from our Summer Break as we continue our Series, "Discovering Your Purpose: Where Do We Go From Here?" on Tuesday, August 8th.

Please know that if you have any ideas or submissions, you can send them to us at info@sweethomembcgary.org.

In Anticipation of Greater,

Rev. Marlon C. Mack, Sr., Senior Pastor

Sweet Home Community News - August 2023

Upcoming Events

*Brotherhood District Congress @ Van Buren MBC

Date: Tuesday, August 1st - Friday, August 4th, 2023

Time: 6pm Nightly

*Sweet Home Church Fellowship

Date: Saturday, August 5th, 2023

Time: 10am

*Sweet Home Corporate Prayer

Date: Sunday, August 6th, 2023

Time: 10:30am (in-person)

*Annual Women's Day - Guest Speaker: Pastor Carla Hudson, New Salem Baptist Church of Hammond, IN

Date: Sunday, August 20th, 2023

Time: 11am

*Fellowship at Mt. Horeb MBC

Date: Sunday, August 27th, 2023

Time: 10:45am

*Men's Ministry meets every 2nd and 4th Sunday @ 9:30am.

*S.A.S.S.Y. meets every 3rd Sunday @ 10am.

*Happy Birthday to all of our August birthday members!

Member Spotlight:

Deacon-In-Training John Jamerson

The Member Spotlight for the month of August is Deacon-In-Training John Jamerson!

Bro. Jamerson has deep roots in Sweet Home, and currently active in our Men's Ministry, God's Mighty Men, our Male Chorus, and he is a Deacon in Training!

His favorite scripture is Matthew 6:9-13. "It's the first prayer that I learned", he said, reflecting on his early life as a Christian. He joined Sweet Home in 1999, and publicly expressed his salvation through baptism here as well. Bro. Jamerson also received his education here in Gary, IN, having graduated from Horace Mann High School.

Bro. Jamerson will be celebrating his 31st Wedding Anniversary this September! He has two daughters (one deceased), four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren! What a blessing the children are!

When asked what keeps him going and strengthens him when storms come in his life, Bro. Jamerson humbly responded, "I find that putting things in God's hands comforts me and keeps me grounded, because through God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

With that being said, these are his closing words to our newsletter readers: "Stay strong, keep the faith, help those that need help, and always put God first!!" Yes, we will do just that, Bro. Jamerson! Thank you for being a part of our Sweet Home family!

Ministry Spotlight

This month's Ministry Spotlight is on SASSY (Saved and Sanctified Sisters Yielding), the Women's Ministry of Sweet Home. It is the goal of this ministry to provide a Christian sisterhood for the women of our church, encouraging each other to embrace their individuality in exercising their God-given gifts and abilities as a collective group for the good of the Body of Christ.

"That Thing You Do"

We have all heard some form of the phrase, “God knows all and sees all”, many times in church, but do we truly acknowledge what that looks like in our daily lives? Do we take the time to think about the fact that God really does know us inside and out? His omnipresence and omnipotence aren’t meant to be a threat; reminding you that you’re being watched. It should actually be a comforting reminder that we have Someone there at all times that truly understands us, and can guide us through anything. God sees us beyond the superficial presentation that we give the world. Those thoughts that bother you when you’re alone... God knows them. The things you struggle with internally, but hide outwardly... God sees them. That thing you do that makes you think you’re disqualified from being loved by God is something he knew about long before you were even created. The same way we couldn’t earn God’s love, there’s nothing we can do to lose it. Romans 5:8 says “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Thankfully for us, God didn’t say that He would only love us if we were without sin. He gave His love freely before we were even brought into this world. God loves each and every one of us, even when we don’t properly show our love towards Him in return. That thing you do that’s not pleasing to God, it doesn’t cause that love to waiver. Know that He cares, even when it feels like He shouldn’t still care for you. He forgives, even when something seems unforgivable, and He can put the pieces back together even when it seems like there’s nothing left to use.

Sis. Alicia Allen