Center Springs and Antioch Methodist Churches | |
Sunday Service Times:
Antioch: Worship 9:00 am Sunday School 10:00 am
Center Springs: Sunday School: 9:45 am Worship: 10:45 am
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Note from the Pastor:
Back in the 1990s, S. Truett Cathy stayed at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel during one of his trips. As he thanked one of the hotel employees for assisting him, the employee responded with a smile and the words, "My Pleasure". Those words struck a chord with Truett Cathy who decided that he wanted that short two-word phrase to be implemented into his company. He decided that all of his employees would respond to any display of gratitude with that simple phrase of "My Pleasure". Interestingly, those two words, spoken by an employee at a hotel and implemented into company's vernacular wasn't just a designated verbal response, it became the slogan for the standard on which an entire corporation's philosophy was built. As a friend of mine once said, "You can always figure out if someone works for a Chick-fil-A just by thanking him or her", because Chick-fil-A employees cannot stop themselves from responding to a thank you with "My Pleasure". There is more to the philosophy, though. Also, part of the standard is a concept known as second mile service and servant leadership. Truett Cathy wanted his customers to interact with his employees as much as possible while they were in the restaurant, which is why food is brought out to your table and also why you will never find a self-serve drink station. What if we let a few two-word phrases permeate our lives like Truett Cathy did? What if the phrases "Love God", "Love People", and "Yes Lord" became the standard for how we lived our lives? Second-mile behaviors would be less about counting steps and more about the privilege of serving others. We would complain less about the ministry endeavors that others are doing in the church and ask more about how we can contribute to them. We would focus less on waiting for Revelation 21 and more on fulfilling Matthew 25. Imagine what would happen if those two-word phrases became less of something we say and more of something we do.
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School Activities
School is back in session, and so are fall sports. One way to help grow our congregations is to support local schools and student activities. Here are the upcoming sporting events for the schools in our area.
10/14
Brewer and Priceville Volleyball in Area Tournament at West Morgan HS
10/16
Priceville Football hosting Ardmore
10/17
Brewer Cross Country at John Hunt Park in Huntsville
10/19
Cotaco Basketball at Parkside
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School Supplies
School has started back, and the students will be needing supplies throughout the year. Here is a current list of school supplies for Cotaco School.
Fiskars Scissors with metal blades and blunted end
Headphones/Earbuds
#2 Pencils
Two-inch Pink Erasers
24 count Crayola Crayons
Elmer's Glue Sticks
Expo Markers (Regular and Fine Tip)
Crayola Bold Washable Classic Markers
Boxes of Kleenex
Hand Sanitizer
Disinfectant Wipes
Disinfectant Spray
Wet Ones Wipes
Band-Aids
Sandwich-sized Ziploc Bags
Quart-sized Ziploc Bags
Gallon-sized Ziploc Bags
Bags of Peppermints
White Cardstock
Multi-colored Cardstock
Baby Wipes
Paper Towels
Hand Soap
Plastic Pencil Box
Fine-tip Sharpies
Ticonderoga Fat Pencils
3" White 3-ring binders with pockets
Spray Deodorant
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Primary Composition Notebooks
1.5" Binders (Not zippered)
Pencil Pouches
TI-30XIIS Scientific Calculators
Plastic 3-prong Folders
1" White 3-ring Binders
Copy Paper (White, Yellow, Blue, Green, or multi-colored)
Wide-ruled Composition Notebooks
Colored Pencils
Yellow Highlighters
Plastic 2-pocket Folders (Yellow, Green, and Blue)
Backpacks
Nap Mats and Blankets
Outdoor Chalk
Snacks (Gummies)
Here are links to items requested by the Special Education Department
Emotional Learning Games
Behavioral Reward Items
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Pizza, Prayer, and Pondering
Pizza, Prayer, and Pondering will be moved to third Sunday for the month of November to accommodate a baptism scheduled for the second Sunday. We are having some really good and very deep theological discussions. Please join us for our next gathering on Sunday, November 15 at 5:30pm with an appetite for food and a better understanding of the Bible. Here's what you need to do prior to that Sunday:
- Study your Bible and write down questions that come to your mind as you study.
- Invite friends, acquaintances, or complete strangers to join you.
- RSVP, so Pastor Chris will know how much food to order.
- Show up, eat, ask your questions, and come ready to fellowship and learn.
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Martha Watkins Funeral
Funeral Service for Martha Reeves Watkins, 83, of Decatur, AL will be on
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Ron Manley officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing.
Burial will follow the service at Center Springs Cemetery.
Visitation will be prior to the service from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Martha was born on March 23, 1943 in Morgan County to Belton Reeves and Gladys Darnell Pike. She passed away at her home, surrounded by her family, on October 9, 2026. She loved to write poetry and enjoyed collecting Christmas items, as well as other things. She taught Sunday school for over 30 years at Forest Hill and Valhermoso Springs Baptist Church. She will be terribly missed by all her know her.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Franklin Watkins; her brother, Earl Dean Reeves; and brothers-in-law, Jep Tallent and Ray Welchell.
Survivors include:
Son- Franklin Dewayne Watkins
Sisters- Faye Tallent and Linda Welchell
Cousins- Peggy Scott Taylor (Cecil), Bobby Scott (Melinda), and Polly Cocker.
Pallbearers will be friends and family
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Sheriff Puckett's Pals:
Quite often sheriff's deputies are called to situations that involve small children. We are collecting stuffed animals to donate to the sheriff's department, so these deputies have something to help break the ice between them and the children they try to comfort and protect.
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Ladies' Luncheon
The Ladies' Birthday Luncheon for November will be on Monday, November 2 at 11:30 with location to be announced soon.
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Wednesday Bible Study:
Both Bible Study groups are back on the same chapter and meeting at the regular times this week. Both groups will be studying chapter 16.
Bible Study times each week are as follows:
Wednesdays 10:30 am at Antioch Methodist Church
Wednesdays 6:00 pm at Center Springs Church
Youth Bible Study:
Wednesdays 6:00 pm at Center Springs with music, activities, and a study on the twelve disciples.
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Fall Festival
The annual Fall Festival will be on Saturday, October 31 from 5pm to 8pm at Center Springs. We will have hot dogs, s'mores, fire pits, games, candy, and lots of good fellowship. I might even set up the screen in the family life center and show some college football. If you would like to donate candy, please leave it in the kitchen of your respective church.
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Free Yard Sale
The annual Free Yard Sale hosted by Center Springs Church will be Saturday, October 17 starting at 8 am. If you have any items you would like to donate, please put them in the unused Sunday School room at Center Springs Church. Please do not put any items in the family life center or the nursery as those two areas will be utilized over the next several weeks.
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GroupMe Communication
GroupMe has become an excellent way for us to communicate with each other and share prayer requests, praise reports, and other important information. If you have a smart phone, you can download the app to use. If you don't have a smart phone, you can go to groupme.com and create an account. If you have any questions about accessing this form of communication, feel free to talk with Pastor Chris.
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Share the News
If you know someone who is not getting the newsletter but might like to, there are a few things you can do: forward the newsletter to them, give Pastor Chris an email address to send it to, or give Pastor Chris a mailing address for snail mail newsletter.
Also, if you need something put in the newsletter, please let Pastor Chris know by Monday before 3 pm of that week.
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Missed Communion Sunday?
If you missed communion or know someone who missed communion on first Sunday, Pastor Chris would love to provide in-home communion. Please call, text, or email to set up a time for him to come by and share communion.
Contact Information:
Cell Phone: (256) 537-5825
Email: crnabors@hotmail.com
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Center Springs Online Giving
Miss church at Center Springs and need a way to give your tithes and offerings? Center Springs has an online giving option where you can give your tithes and offerings and even designate where you would like for your money to go. Click on the green link below to access the online giving portal.
Online Giving Link
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