From the Pastor:

God continues to show Himself strong and mighty in our lives! 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 continuing our Series, "Discovering Your Purpose", as our next set of lessons are entitled, "Where Do We Go From Here?".

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 - July 2023

We celebrate and honor our Pastor, Rev. Marlon C. Mack, Sr. for 15 years of service and labor to God by way of the Sweet Home MBC family!

May the Lord continue to bless every endeavor, vision, and effort that he will perform to build His Kingdom... In His Will, For His Purpose, TO HIS GLORY!

Upcoming Events

*Sweet Home Corporate Prayer

Date: Sunday, July 2nd, 2023

Time: 10:30am (in-person)

*Pastor's 15th Anniversary

Guests: Pastor Nicholas Nettles of Greater Morning Star, Newport, AR (11am)

Pastor DeWan Bynum of Christian Valley MB Church, Gary, IN (3pm)

Date: Sunday, July 2nd, 2023

*"How Beautiful Are the Feet" - Heels Edition

Date: Sunday, July 9th, 2023

Time: 11am

*GMBSCI Annual Session - Eastern Star Church, Indianapolis, IN

Date: Monday, July 10th - Thursday, July 13th, 2023

*Men's Day

Guests: Pastor Rodney Golson of 20th Century MB Church, Gary, IN (11am)

Pastor Brian A. Clayborn of Ebenezer MB Church, Benton Harbor, MI (3pm)

Date: Wednesday, July 16th, 2023

*Dinner will be served prior to the 3pm service*

*Fellowship with Sweet Pilgrim of Faith MB Church, Gary, IN

Date: Sunday, July 23rd, 2023

Time: 11am

*Brotherhood District Annual Picnic at Hidden Lake

Date: Saturday, July 29th, 2023

*Vision Sunday

Guest: Pastor Webster Campbell of Greater Galilee Institutional MB Church, Indianapolis, IN

Date: Sunday, July 30th, 2023

Time: 11am

*Dinner will be served after service*

*Four-Church Fellowship @ Israel CME Church

Date: Sunday, July 30th, 2023

Time: 4pm

*Brotherhood District 70th Anniversary Banquet

Date: Monday, July 31st, 2023

Time: 6pm - 10pm

*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 July birthday members!

Member Spotlight:

Sis. Vera Reed

The Member Spotlight for the month of July is Sis. Vera Reed!

Sis. Vera is one of the best Hospitality Ministry members this side of Heaven! She is also an active member of our S.A.S.S.Y. Women's Ministry, as well as our Christian Education department. Sis. Vera brightens our Sundays with her smile and loving personality. We all love when she bakes her famous cakes! You can often find her connecting with one of the youth of our church; whether they are sharing jokes, talking sports, or she is imparting some Godly wisdom.

Sis. Vera is a committed student of the Bible, joining in the discussions during Church-At-Study with her scriptures and notes for reference.

Not only is Sweet Home her church family, but she also worships with her daughter, Delmar (Shae) Kendall, and Sister-in-Love, Samantha Johnson. Sis. Vera is a resident of Gary, IN, and has been for many years.

In the midst of many health challenges, Sis. Vera has never doubted God. She will be the first to tell you that there is no question about God's healing power and His faithfulness is her life. Her strength and perseverance come from her relationship with her Heavenly Father, coupled with a strong prayer life.

We are especially blessed to honor Sis. Vera Reed this month because it is also her birthday month, when she usually travels to visit family and friends!

May her presence in the life of Sweet Home continue to bless us for many more years to come!

Ministry Spotlight

This month's Ministry Spotlight is on the Men's Ministry, God's Mighty Men (GMM).

These brothers have pledged to not only serve the congregation of Sweet Home, but to be a support system and accountability partners to each other. We praise God for the commitments of the Rev.'s Johnny Henderson and Reginald Paige, Min. Terrell Martin, Deacon Greg McCloud, Deacons in Training John Jamerson and John Moore, Brothers Auther Thompson, Robert Hemphill, Richard Mack, Joshua Henderson, Javonte Higgins, Kevin Holland, L.C. Mangum, Rodney Pugh, and Rodney Allen, Jr. GMM meets each 2nd and 4th Sunday at 9:30am. All men are invited to attend.

"Pray... THEN"

God blessed us with the ability to communicate our needs, thoughts, and desires to Him through prayer. But prayer isn’t just an emergency hotline you use when you need help or when things are going wrong. It is to be used as a constant source of communication with God. We can pray just to thank God, or to gain clarity on what our next steps should be, even for the smallest decisions. Be ready to listen when you pray. If you pray with your mind already made up about what you’re going to do, you won’t even hear what God is telling you. While there is nothing wrong with an elaborate prayer full of eloquent expressions, not every prayer needs to be fancy or sophisticated. In Matthew 6:7-8, we are reminded that our prayers don’t need to be drawn out and dramatic to be heard by God, and they shouldn’t be seen or heard by others for the sole purpose of LOOKING righteous. God reminds us that he knows our needs before we even voice them. With that in mind, pray and LISTEN. Pray and WAIT. Pray and expect an answer from God; not your family, the “universe”, or random coincidences. Pray to God, then follow God’s direction.

Sis. Alicia Allen