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October 1, 2023
Welcome home! Today is the first time we have worshipped in our sanctuary in our sacred space since March 22, 2020. That would be 40 Sundays in 2020, 52 Sundays in 2021, 52 Sundays in 2022 and 38 Sundays in 2023 for a total of 183. We are back home in our sacred space praising and rejoicing. Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow. Thanks for your patience and perseverance over the past three and a half years. At our church meeting today at 1:00 pm on zoom we will share with you what we need to do as we face what it takes for us to move forward with our relevance and viable ministries as a congregation of believers in Christ.
October, the tenth month of the year takes us into the last quarter of the year. We have 92 days left in 2023 including today.
October is special in the life of Second Baptist because of the variety of significant occurrences that we observe:
Sunday, October 1st is Homecoming and Worldwide Communion Sunday.
The first Sunday in October is observed as Homecoming Sunday. We invite members who may have been away during the summer months back to their home congregation. We also use this occasion to reduce the deficit we are experiencing due to the summer slump in attendance and contributions. You are requested to give an extra offering in addition to your regular contribution in the envelope labeled Homecoming.
We also observe Worldwide Communion Sunday. We join with Christians around the world to observed what our Lord Jesus asked us to do as a way of remembering the sacrifice that was made for our salvation. This year we will observe this occasion at the 8:00 am in person service at 2412 Griffith Avenue in Griffith Hall.
Sunday, October 1st, 2023 at 1:00 PM, a Special Church Meeting has been called to receive reflections from Pastor and a projected budget for September – December as well as an assessment of our financials from January to August.
Sunday, October 8th is my 36th Pastoral Anniversary. We began our faith journey together the first of October in 1987. We have managed to maintain our relationship through the variety of challenges, changes, circumstances and conditions with which we have been confronted. Thank you for the past thirty-six years which have been immeasurably rewarding for my family and me. Let us continue as we have to navigate our way through the continued experiences that require our faithful response expressing our love of the Lord through our commitment to our congregation of believers in Christ.
October is observed as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. October 15th is Breast Cancer Awareness Sunday, Worship in Pink, Venus Butler is preaching as a breast cancer survivor. The Breast Cancer Support Ministry plans to have a Breast Cancer Awareness Health Forum via Zoom, on Monday, October 23rd at 7:00 pm; in addition, Sunday, October 29th is the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk.
Sunday, October 22nd is the 49th Anniversary of the Recruiters’ League and their members will be leading us in worship on the broadcast on KJLH and the in person service at 8:00 am at 2412 Griffith Avenue.
Sunday, October 29 is Mission Emphasis Sunday. Our Mission Ministry members will be leading us in worship on the broadcast on KHLH and the in person service at 2412 Griffith at 8:00 am. Be sure to give a special contribution for Missions and Benevolences.
Finally, the Budget and Finance Ministry is preparing the budget for 2024. They are expecting to receive budget requests from all ministries of the church. Be sure to get your information into the church office by Sunday, October 29 so the budget for the coming year 2024 can be prepared and presented in a timely manner for the coming year.
The privilege and pleasure is all mine that we have been paired together to make this journey of faith "to serve this present age our calling to fulfill." “We are on our way to inherit the promise of God. Come with us and we will do thee good, for the Lord has made wonderful promises to us. Stay on this road with us. We are on our way and we know God will see us through. If you will come, you will share in all the good things that the Lord will do for us. For the best is yet to come.”
-Pastor
Dr. William S. Epps, Senior Pastor
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