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Showing posts from September, 2013

The Beauty of Change

The temperature outside has begun to cool and God is painting His beautiful tapestry of fall colors. Now that I live in the upstate again, I look forward to driving with Donna through the mountains and foothills to see the beautiful colors of fall.  The many shades of brown, yellow and orange take the place of leaves that were once green and full of life.  Yes, the leaves are beautiful but they are dying until they finally fall off of the tree only to return next spring.  The apostle Paul said,  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 [HCSB] When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, our old life dies. The flawed person we once were is buried in our sins and we become not a renovated Christian but a regenerated (Born Again) follower of Christ.  We no longer have to live in our old sin and habits because Christ sets us free from them.  To see Jesus change people

Weekly Youth Update: 9/23-9/29

This past week we had a great time of fellowship at our weekly study and trip to Fuddruckers. This week, we will be continuing our weekly Bible study series, Christian Basics, as we study Jesus in His humanity and divinity. The doors for the Family Life Center open at 6:00 and we begin our study at 6:30. We wrap up just before 7:30. We are excited for what God is doing in our church and we hope to see you and your friends this Wednesday for fellowship! Sunday, October 6, is the Saluda Baptist Association Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting for the adults begins at 4:30 PM at Concord Baptist Church and the business/worship begins at 6:35 PM. The association is hosting a separate youth rally that evening for the youth at 5:30 PM at North Anderson Baptist Church. They will have dinner provided. We will leave Homeland Park at 5:00 to arrive early. The event ends at 7:30 and we will do our best to be back to Homeland Park by 7:45. If you will be attending the youth rally, let me know

HONOR Pastor Appreciation Event

HONOR PASTOR APPRECIATION EVENT-It’s Free! for Pastors and Ministry Leaders Time :Start at Noon, Finish by 1:15pm. October 7, 2013, Monday Place : Homeland Park Baptist Church (3010 Abbeville Highway, Anderson, SC 29624) Food provided by: Chick-Fil-A Register online at: www.honorevent.com WITH SPECIAL GUESTS Dr. Kneeland Brown, from Focus on the Family's Leadership Institute Dr. Kneeland C. Brown serves as Executive Director of the Focus Leadership Institute at Focus on the Family. In this role, he develops and oversees the Institute program, which equips university students to make a difference in family, church and culture. As a father, scholar and professor, it has long been Brown’s passion to see the rising generation of Christians combine scholarship and faith into positive action. His vision for the Institute program is that students will gain the necessary skills and experience to influence the culture, restore the family, revive the chur

Weekly Youth Update: 9/16-9/22

The past few weeks have been exciting with our Bible studies and socials. The fun will continue this Wednesday with our Bible Study series, Christian Basics. Last week we looked at the Trinity and this week, we will be studying the attributes of God. The Family Life Center opens at 6:00 Wednesday evening for hanging out and basketball and Bible study begins at 6:30. We finish up just before 7:30. Please join us for this great time of fellowship and study and invite family and friends! Sunday evening after the worship service the youth and their families will be going to Fuddruckers for a group dinner! We should arrive back to the church between 8:30-8:45. Please bring money for your meal. The following menu is available if you need an idea of the costs: http://www.myfuddruckers.com/worlds-greatest-hamburgers.php . Sunday, October 6, is the Saluda Baptist Association Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting for the adults begins at 4:30 PM at Concord Baptist Church and the business

Weekly Youth Update: 9/9-9/15

We will be continuing our new Bible Study series, Christian Basics, this Wednesday night from 6:30-7:30. Our discussion this week will center on God as we seek to understand more about Him and His work in the world. The Family Life Center will open at 6:00 for anyone who wants to come and hang out. Feel free to invite friends and family as we fellowship and seek to grow in our walk with the Lord. Sunday evening, September 22, the youth will be going out to eat together at Fuddruckers after the 6:00 evening service. Parents and families, we would love for you to join and fellowship with us if you are able. If not, we should arrive back to the church between 8:30-8:45. All youth and families need to bring money to cover their meals. Finally, we are excited to announce our fall retreat! We are partnering with some other Baptist churches of the Saluda Baptist Association to go to Camp Longridge for a weekend retreat from November 15-17. Here is more information about the ret

Our Genuine Series Launches Sunday

Each Sunday, churches around the globe are filled with God’s children worshiping Him in prayer, song and Bible Study.  Missionaries are serving in fields near and far to spread the gospel of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection for the sake of saving those who are lost.  With such an evangelistic force being unleashed in our world, why does it seem like we are losing ground?  Why does our church attendance not translate into a changed world?  The problem lies in the fact that we are not genuine!  Let’s be honest, everyone has a degree of hypocrisy.  How do we know this?  Romans 3:23 states, “for all have sinned and FALL short of the glory of God”. At the core of our being we are jacked up, messed up and flawed.  Only through the grace of God have we been forgiven. Too many times we take that grace for granted.  The end result is a body of believers who live no differently than those who are not Christ followers.  In today’s culture Jesus is not the only way to salvation, simply

Weekly Youth Update: 9/2-9/8

Wednesday night we will begin our study, Christian Basics, as we study the key beliefs of Christianity. Our first study will focus on understanding the Bible. We will discuss what the Bible is, the purpose of the Bible, and its relevance to our lives. We will start the study at 6:30 and end just before 7:30. Before the study, we will open the Family Life Center at 6:00 for anyone who wants to come and hangout. This Saturday afternoon, we will be hosting a viewing party of the South Carolina-Georgia game at our apartment from 4:00 to 7:30. Kickoff is at 4:30 and we will have food and snacks as we watch the game. We will also have board games for those not as interested in the football game. Finally, on Sunday, September 22, we will be going out to eat as a youth group after the 6:00 evening service.  More information will be posted about this next week. If you have any questions or need my address for the viewing party, email me at jason@homelandparkbc.org . We ar

Photos from our Fall Out of Summer Spectacular

Our church gathered together to offer an outreach to our community. There were fun events for the kids, free food and school supplies for those who needed them. This was a great way to share the love of God to our community. Our folks really got behind it and walked away with an even bigger blessing. For More Photos Follow The Link Below to our Google+ Church Page Fall Out of Summer Photo Gallery

Pastor's Post for September "Five Truths In Serving"

I have been amazed at the ways I have seen God work in recent days. I would like to off er a heart felt THANK YOU for the countless people who had a part in making our Fall Out of Summer Spectacular such a big success. Those type of events let our community know we are here to lift up Christ, share the gospel and build our community. Many attended from the community and we have some great leads to follow up on. Also, as we finalize plans for our committees for next year, I am praying that everyone will seek God's direction in where He wants them to serve. Here are some great reminders for anyone who is seeking to serve God from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 1) RESPECT AND ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO WORK HARD AMONG AND OVER YOU The challenge is to love and RESPECT people for WHO THEY ARE and not just what they do. God has placed great, and sometimes not so great, people around and over me. Whether I always agree or not, there still must be that RESPECT factor, pledge for prayer/support, a