Ramblings--20090428

CHBC Ramblings

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
By request, Sunday I repeated the presentation of the Sermon on the Mount. While it is obviously difficult for me to be the judge of any sermon I deliver from my own point of view, I was very gratified by the response. I have always been amazed by the reaction of people to this quoting of the Sermon on the Mount. Judging by the response from the several times I have shared this over the years, there is a huge difference in simply reading the sermon and experiencing it verbally. Matthew concludes the sermon by saying something that should have given us a hint about that: “When He had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority and not as one of their teachers of the law.”

It also gives insight to the words of Romans 10: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Yes, we have all been inspired by the written word, but we miss something powerful when we do not experience the spoken word. That is one reason we read Scripture aloud each week, and hopefully even regular sermons are used by God to build faith. Let’s remember that the answer to a weak faith is never to slack off on hearing the word preached; hearing the word is vital for both faith to be established and for faith to grow. How sad it is when people nurture their doubts by removing themselves from the spoken word!
We had 188 in Worship on Sunday, about the same as last week. Let’s make it our intention each week to love our neighbors and invite them to hear the word of God.

This Sunday
Everyone faces tragedies in their lives. Job faced major tragedies in a short amount of time. His friends gathered to sympathize and comfort. While that was their intent, their performance of that was a mixed bag. Do you feel the same sometimes? You want to comfort others in times of need but aren’t sure you know how? This Sunday we will talk about what to do to minister to others in times of need. In a few weeks, we will come back and look at what NOT to do. I hope you will be in the Worship Center for this message that will help your ministry skills.

This Sunday evening, our children’s choir (His Kids), who sang so well for us a couple of weeks ago on Sunday morning, will lead the evening worship. Please come to support these children and their leaders. We will meet in the chapel.

UPCOMING
I will deliver a FAMILY SERIES starting on Mother’s Day (May 10) and ending on Father’s Day (June 21). I hope it will be an encouragement to us in this vital part of life.

A VISION BANQUET is scheduled for Sunday night, May 17, at 5:30. More details will come next week, but please put it on your calendar now. It will be “pot luck,” so prepare your—I mean my—favorite dishes to bring with you, and I think you will enjoy the time. The May edition of the Courier will have more information. Let me just say now that I ask you to be asking God where we need to go in the days ahead to fulfill our purpose.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL will have a different look this year: Sunday through Wednesday EVENING, May 31-June 3. And classes will not only be offered for children but for YOUTH and ADULTS as well!

LAST CALL for MISSION TRIP!
Our Mission Trip to Hurley, New York is July 18-25 and is all construction-oriented this time. Your cost is $250, and that will be match by the church through our Legacy of Faith, Hope, and Love Missions Fund. Call Howard at 404.634.6231 or email him at howard@clairmonthills.org TODAY. THIS IS YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY!

I’m in Miami…
The North American Mission Board, who receives the Annie Armstrong fund that we have recently taken, invited me to spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Miami as part of a learning experience for church planting and church growth in urban areas. Many of you know that I serve right now as team leader for the Urban Atlanta Impact Initiative (UAII), whose mission is to plant churches inside the perimeter (ITP) of Atlanta. In the past 30 years, the population ITP has grown by 150,000 to 850,000, but in the same time both the number of churches and the number of church members has dropped! I am excited to see what God is doing in our church; I also want us to be active in helping to start other churches ITP.
I spent most of today seeing what is happening in a Haitian community in Miami. How inspiring it was to see the commitment of these people to reach their friends and neighbors for Jesus. I hope to share more about how we might be involved in similar things during the Vision Banquet on May 17.

On a Personal Note
This Thursday, Lord willing, my wife and I will be closing on the purchase of a house along with my son-in-law Rick and my daughter Hannah. When I came as pastor, we were offered the possibility of living in a church-owned house or receiving a housing supplement to help us purchase a house. While we originally chose the latter, several circumstances made it seem the best move to revert to the former. Still, in an agreement with the church, it was stated that we could change that agreement by mutual agreement at some point in such a scenario as we were in position to buy a house some day. For the past three years, actually, the Personnel Committee has discussed several ways we might do something like that. However, in the past few months, Rick Rogers (our son-in-law) and Hannah (our oldest) approached us about buying a house together with them. In much shorter time than we had anticipated, a house that seems practically perfect for our families came to our attention on a Sunday afternoon drive. The end result is that we are purchasing it. It came along so quickly that, while we have talked to both the Personnel Committee and Leadership Team about it, we have not had the time to reach a “mutual agreement” about all the details. We sensed that we should pursue it and so for the time being have simply shared with the Leadership Team that we will be moving out of the house after the closing. Soon, the church will have to make a decision about the current house—whether to rent it, sell it, etc. The Leadership Team is studying that with a sub-team and will bring a recommendation at some point. Any other decisions that may be considered will come later. For now, the church simply needs to look at what to do with the house, at least in the short term.

Here’s the good news about the house: not only is it great for our families, but it is also even closer to the church building than our current house! It’s just two miles away, but I will wait until after the closing to share any more about it. Please pray for us as we make this move. Obviously, we love you and this area for us to pursue this, so you will know that I am being truthful when I once again end my ramblings with this remark:

I love being in Atlanta at Clairmont Hills Baptist Church!
May God bless you all!

Fred O. Pitts, Pastor

Clairmont Hills Baptist Church

1995 Clairmont Road

Decatur, GA 30033

404.634.6231 Office

404.634.6062 Fax

www.clairmonthills.org