May’s Note
Greetings and grace to you in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I praise the Lord for you dear ERBC family! Your love is conspicuous, as it should be (John 13:35). Life can change abruptly without warning, but praise be unto the Lord, Who changes not! God is good, all the time; you can trust Him. “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:9)
The month of May brings many things along with flowers, especially in the life of ERBC. Our Ministry Fair is in full bloom, ready to be reviewed and ministries signed up for participation. The Family Ministry begins to blossom with its first two ministry events. On May 4 is Family Kickoff, a time of fellowship and games. Please contact Nathan or Hannah Dunnavant if you plan to attend. Mother’s Day Craft Night is May 9 – fathers bring your children for pizza and making a craft for mom. The Women’s Ministry will be continuing the Ladies Refresh meetings and will be honoring the PCES faculty on May 7. Please contact Jennifer Kobeck for details. Sr. Adult Breakfast is May 9 @ 8am at Momma D’s. The Forget Me Not ministry will have an event on May 13 details to be announced. High School Seniors will be honored by the Youth Ministry with a breakfast and special recognition on May 19.
Winning The Lost To The Savior discipleship study began on April 28 and will continue through July 14 @ 5:30pm each Sunday. This is a bible study written by Francis W. Dixon, addressing the urgent issue of soul winning. The Words of Life Ministries graciously gave us permission to print and use this study. Please pray and participate in this study as we seek together to win the lost to the Savior. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Prov. 11:30)
Except The Lord Build The Home begins on May 5 during the morning worship service. This is a nine-sermon series on the family, which will address all the major areas of home life. From the Word of God, we will hear God’s instructions and plan for a home to God’s glory. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it…” (Ps. 127:1).
By His grace
Toney
Pastor’s Note for June
Greetings and grace to you in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is actually June! I don’t remember blinking during the first five months of 2023. Another school year has ended, and a new church year is beginning. Sunday, June 4, is advancement day for all children, youth and recent high school graduates in Sunday School. Newly promoted 6th graders move up to Youth classes and recent graduates now move into the Coed 1 class. Youth Girls Class (room #302) is led by Staci Ebert & Candace Long, and Youth Guys class (room #300) is led by John Crutcher & Daniel Long. Coed 1 (Young Singles) meets in room #204 and is led by Rodney Ferguson. God is good, all the time!
This year during the summer months we will continue with our current Sunday evening Discipleship schedule. There will be some announced special nights and fellowships. Vacations are always popular during the summer. Well deserved times of realization with family. But we never take a vacation from the Lord! Summer presents great opportunities for ministry and outreach. Be alert to these opportunities and invite friends and family to join you at ERBC.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3) As John is inspired by the Lord to write encouragingly to the Church in his first epistle, we read these two verses which reveal two truths the appearing of the Lord Christ produces in the believer’s life. These two truths are Personal Expectation and Personal Purification. It is verse two which speaks to the appearing of Christ and in verse three we read, “every man that hath this hope.” Hope is a translated from the Greek, elpis, which is used in the Christian sense to mean confident expectation. Being a child of God brings this hope, confident expectation, that one day He will appear, and we will be like Him. This Personal Expectation of a future event produces a present effect: Personal Purification, turning from self and sin unto the Savior in all things. “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” (Matt. 24:46)
By His grace,
Toney
Pastor’s Note for May
Greetings and grace to you in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. WOW! Thank you for the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration for serving the Lord and you as pastor at Elkton Road Baptist Church. We love you and honor you as God’s people and our church family. Yes, the day was very much a surprise. Bro. Rodney had instructed me not to prepare to preach so I knew something was up, but had no idea what had been planned. All glory and honor unto the Lord!
The Lord is working in many ways presently. We have witnessed several professions of faith and it is notable that He is stirring and working in and through His people. May we continue to be sensitive and obedient to all the Lord would have us to do, personally and corporately as a church. Could it be the Lord is answering the prayers of “Our Heart Cry Prayer Services” on Wednesday night? Let us not stop asking until God stops giving! The dire need of the hour is genuine revival! O Lord be pleased to send it and let it start in us. May we be absolutely surrendered unto the Lord Jesus, so that He might fill us with the Holy Spirit, setting our lives a flame for His glory.
“Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philp. 1:2-6)
These verses are my heart’s expression and desire for you. May the Lord be pleased to grant you His all-sufficient grace for every need in your life and may His peace that passeth all understanding keep and guide your heart and mind in Christ Jesus against all cares, fears and troubles. I praise the Lord for you and pray for you daily for your good works, fellowship in the gospel, and as a co-laborer together with Christ. Praying your confidence abounds more and more in your trust, dependency, and rest in the Lord Jesus Christ to do and fulfill all He has promised.
By His grace,
Toney
Pastor’s Note for April
Greetings and grace to you in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Writing this newsletter on Tuesday, March 28, a week after meniscus repair surgery and thinking how the Lord has blessed. It might be several more weeks before the knee is 100%, but the blessings of the Lord never fall below 100%! Blessed with salvation by God’s grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Pam as a partner in the grace of life, wonderful daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and the ERBC family! It is a blessing to serve you as pastor. I thank and praise the Lord for you! God is good, all the time!
As we approach Easter, my prayer is that the power of the resurrection of Christ will be realized afresh in each of our lives. We might enjoy other things associated with the secular holiday, but may we meditate and on engage the Sacred One that laid His life down and picked it up again that we could be saved. Let us never forget nor be silent concerning Christ and what He did at Calvary, both at the cross and the empty tomb! Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! Join us Easter Sunday for Sunrise Service @ 6:30am, Sunday School @ 9:30 and Worship @ 10:30am.
God’s inspired Words through Paul has always provoked my heart as to how to pray for you and others. Join me during the month of April in allowing the following Scripture to shape our prayers for one another.
“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:15-23)
By His grace,
Toney
Pastor’s Note for March
Greetings and grace to you in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Writing this newsletter on Tuesday, March 28, a week after meniscus repair surgery and thinking how the Lord has blessed. It might be several more weeks before the knee is 100%, but the blessings of the Lord never fall below 100%! Blessed with salvation by God’s grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Pam as a partner in the grace of life, wonderful daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and the ERBC family! It is a blessing to serve you as pastor. I thank and praise the Lord for you! God is good, all the time!
As we approach Easter, my prayer is that the power of the resurrection of Christ will be realized afresh in each of our lives. We might enjoy other things associated with the secular holiday, but may we meditate and on engage the Sacred One that laid His life down and picked it up again that we could be saved. Let us never forget nor be silent concerning Christ and what He did at Calvary, both at the cross and the empty tomb! Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! Join us Easter Sunday for Sunrise Service @ 6:30am, Sunday School @ 9:30 and Worship @ 10:30am.
God’s inspired Words through Paul has always provoked my heart as to how to pray for you and others. Join me during the month of April in allowing the following Scripture to shape our prayers for one another.
“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:15-23)
By His grace, Toney