Messages

Message From Franklin Graham

We Cannot Remain Silent!

The Equality Act is a dangerous threat to our nation.

I am writing to you about a very dangerous piece of legislation — the Equality Act. The administration is wanting to pass this act soon. I cannot say this more emphatically — for people, for businesses, and for ministries of faith, the Equality Act is a threat to life as we know it in our nation today. It’s a real game-changer.

The House has already passed this legislation one time previously, so it will likely pass in the House again before moving on to the Senate. We need you to contact your congress member and U.S. senators and ask them to vote NO. I also encourage you to let the White House know about your strong opposition to this bill. The progressive Left is zealous about this issue and will pull out all the stops to try to make it the law of the land.

    • The Equality Act designates schools, churches, and healthcare organizations as “public accommodations.” With this, schools, churches, and hospitals could be forced to accept the government’s beliefs and mandates about sexual orientation and gender identity. That would be highly intrusive and incredibly far-reaching. It will threaten everyday speech where people can be fined or lose their jobs for using the wrong name or pronouns.
    • The Equality Act will use the force of law across all 50 states to strip Christian and other religious ministries of their right to hire people of shared faith to pursue a shared mission. Can you imagine a Christian organization being forced to hire people hostile to its deeply held beliefs who have no passion for its beliefs, teachings, and mission? That doesn’t work.

These are just a few examples. Friends, this is a pivotal time for our nation. The impact of this legislation is immense. We must not remain silent and accept what we know is wrong.

People of faith need to PRAY. Churches need to recognize the significance of this and pray corporately, asking for God’s intervention and mercy to extend the religious freedoms we have been blessed with for so long.

We also must get to work now, in these fleeting days before the Equality Act comes up for a vote again. As individuals, churches, and organizations, we need to let our representatives in the U.S. House and Senate know how important this is to us, and that we are asking them to vote an emphatic NO to the Equality Act.

Link to contact our representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Sincerely,

Franklin Graham

Pastor’s Message

Spring officially begins March 20th. To me, it seems like it’s been a long winter. Maybe I think that every year, but I do know I’m looking forward to warmer weather and being able to get outside and work around in the yard, to do more grilling, go watch the grandkids play ball, etc. I’m also looking forward to when the time changes on March 14th, so we’ll have more daylight at the end of the day.

Remember the advice a parent or grandparent gave you when you were younger, “Don’t wish your life away.” In looking forward to some future time, we forget that every day – regardless of the weather or our circumstances – is a gift from God to be used for His glory. I like living in an area where we experience all four seasons in a very beautiful way. I’m reminded of that verse in Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
 
Just as nothing ever remains the same in nature, so it is with our lives. In Ecclesiastes 3, God’s Word reminds us, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven …” Everything must change. Nothing stays the same. Some changes – like the changing of the seasons, are expected, beautiful, and welcome. Other changes that come into our lives often come unexpectedly, unwanted, and often leave us wondering what to do.
 
The answer for changing times is to put your faith in God, who does not change. Again, in Ecclesiastes 3, we’re reminded in verse 11 of that chapter that God makes “everything beautiful in His time.” So, take heart if you are going through a difficult season in life. As that great hymn reminds us, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”
 
Have a great week and let your light shine for Jesus this week.
 
Pastor Rick

Bro. James’ Corner

If you made any New Year resolutions, many of them you may have already broken … but most of the time you can resolve to do better with a second try. Oftentimes when I was a teenager, I didn’t do much better the second time around. A man in the neighborhood offered me the job of painting his living room. As a 14-yearold boy, I saw the dollars, even though he was going to pay me very little. He had everything all set up with the paint on the step ladder. I was ready. Somehow along the way I knocked the paint off the ladder. I remember hearing that man speak in tongues!!! His cheap paint job cost him some new carpet. I didn’t know I would get a second try at painting, but a friend and I were offered the job of painting the neighborhood church. Before we started, we thought it would be fun to paint our initials plus our girlfriends’ initials. We then painted the church. The man who hired us was not happy with our work. The initials showed through. It all would need a second coat. He was not pleased. I didn’t learn a lesson from my first job ……. I did the second job just as bad. We often fail on our resolutions. People won’t put up with our failures ……… but the good thing is God helps us overcome our broken life of mistakes and helps us to keep on working. He gives us more than two chances. I am glad!

Bro. James Meade

Message From Andy (Youth Minister)

“ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
– Romans 8:18
 
Our speaker for Virtual Resurrection 2021, Mark Oestreicher, made a really good point about “living in exile.”
 
We see many examples of living in exile in the Old and New Testaments. The Israelites were exiled in the wilderness for forty years before entering the Promised Land. Paul was exiled when he was sent to prison and when he was shipwrecked.
 
In all of these situations involving exile, God was preparing to do BIG things! In a sense, we have all been in exile in some way this past year. We have been exiled from going to church, to school, from going into work, from vacations, even from going out to eat or to a movie. Just like with Paul or the Israelites preparing to enter the Promised Land, God is using this time of exile to prepare us for something BIG.
 
This should give us hope for the BIG things God is preparing to do! Right now, we see hope in the vaccinations to fight COVID-19, in the virus cases and deaths decreasing in our area, and the opening up of schools and more church activities.
 
We may not know what BIG things God has planned when we come out of this time of exile, but we’d better be ready!
 
Andy

Note from Kevin (Music Minister)

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we have had our “regular” church services. It’s been almost a year since I’ve held a choir practice. And believe me, it’s not been easy missing out on that time with each other. There’s a song that Heritage has been rehearsing recently and I feel like it is continually stuck in my head, not a bad thing though. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” has almost became my “theme” for the past year. We do not know why we all had to deal with so many tough circumstances in the past year, and we may never know. But, I do know that through it all, God has been faithful. There have been times where we, I personally, have thought there’s no way that we can continue on, but the great songwriter, Thomas Chisholm, reminded us all in the lyrics in “Great is Thy Faithfulness” that He gives us “strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow.”

We have had strength for today, and now I am having hope for tomorrow. I have recently decided that the choir will resume its regular Wednesday night choir rehearsals beginning on March 3rd. I know that some still may not feel comfortable, and that is completely understandable. If you have any questions about reentering the choir or joining the choir for the first time, please feel free to contact me personally, or be at our first meeting on March 3rd, where I will discuss several protocols and goals as we continue to move forward with our Music Ministry.
 
Blessings in Song,

K

Message from Steve (SS Director)

How’s your knowledge of Scripture: 1) Extensive, 2) Above Average, 3) Average, 4) Below Average, 5) Minimal? Can you name the four gospels? How many of Jesus’ disciples can you name? According to the data from the Barna Research Group, 60% of Americans can’t name five of the ten commandments. Why do we believe what we believe about the Lord? It’s because of Scripture. However, if we don’t know it, how can we be sure of what we believe? Let me give a couple of examples. “The Lord helps those who help themselves”, is a statement we sometimes here, and according to 82% of Americans, it is a Bible verse. How many of us can correctly discern that it is not? A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in one’s life if taking care of one’s family. Would you be able to refute that? So many false doctrines gain traction in churches because the members because can’t discern what is true and what is a lie.
 
In a recent Lifeway Research study, the following was revealed about Bible reading habits among those who attend church: 1) 19% – every day, 2) 26% – a few times a week, 3) 14% – once a week, 4) 22% – at least once a month, 5) 18% – rarely or never. Which category to do fit in? Are you surprised by # 5?
 
The point I’m trying to make is that biblical illiteracy is a big problem in churches across America. How can we really know the Lord if we are not avid students of His Word? A great way to get more familiar with the Word is by getting involved in a Sunday School class. You’ll get into God’s Word and you’ll learn more about who He is, what He desires, and what pleases Him. You’ll discover the timeless nature of this most unique of all books, and how the teachings contained in it apply to our daily lives. You’ll come to understand the importance of being in God’s Word on a daily basis, and be able to better discern truth from falsehood.
 
Not sure what class might be the best for you? Let’s get together and we’ll find one that is right for you!
 
Blessings in Christ!
Steve Byrd
LGBC Sunday School Director