CHBC Ramblings
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
This past Sunday
This past Sunday, I concluded a seven-part series entitled, Foundation for Families. If you missed one or more of the messages, go online to our website (www.clairmonthills.org) to listen, or you can call the church office (404.634.6231) to request free CD’s.
We welcomed two new members on Sunday! Grace Tolentino, daughter of Tim and Melissa and sister of Hope, made her profession of faith in Jesus following Vacation Bible School. She talked to her mom, who prayed with her about the decision. They then came up to discuss her decision with me. I am excited that we will baptize Grace on July 12.
Mike Sigmon, husband of our member Sandy, also joined on Sunday. He has been a pastor for many years and has recently come to the end of a pastorate. He is no stranger to us and wants to join us while he prayerfully considers his future ministry opportunities.
Welcome, Grace and Mike. We are glad to have you both in our fellowship.
Coming Up: Celebrating the U.S.A.!
This Sunday, July 5, will be a time for thanking God for the freedoms we enjoy in our country and praying for all of the challenges we face as a nation. It can be a difficult balance at times to be Christians in our country. We highly value our religious liberty (with the separation of church and state), but we don’t want to give up our right to have appropriate influence in helping to shape our society in a democratic-based republic. How do we deal with some of the most difficult questions that seem to lie right in the middle of these sometimes competing values? This Sunday, I will raise more questions than I will answer in a message entitled, Issues and Ideas, but I hope it will help you think more about both the privileges and responsibilities of following Christ in the United States.
The Men’s Quartet will sing a patriotic song for us, and we will all sing some of our favorite hymns of God and country. I know that many use this time of year for travel, so please be here if you are in town.
Sabbatical Time in July
Don’t forget—during the month of July, we will have our regular Sunday morning activities of study, fellowship, and worship, but we will take a sabbatical on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. In other words, there will be no activities during those evenings. And most monthly meetings “take off” for the month of July. (Of course, the office will be open as usual.) Since tomorrow (Wednesday) is July 1, remember that we will NOT meet this Wedesday night.
Finances
Even in the midst of a difficult year, we are about parallel to where we were last year at this time, so I thank you for your faithfulness. At this juncture, we have spent more than we have received, as is often the case. (Since December is historically our best month, we normally begin the year, as we did this year, with a surplus, so we are not spending more than we have!) With summer here, though, I want to encourage you to continue your faithfulness in your tithes and offerings and to “catch up” when you return from your travels. As a church, we need to “catch up” our giving with our spending and get ahead as we move into the second half of the year. Our Finance Committee will be bringing us some updates of where we are and where we need to be in August.
Blood Drive
Our Deacon Body is sponsoring a Red Cross Blood Drive for next Thursday, July 9, and I have signed up along with many of you. We still need about a dozen, though, to meet our goal. If you haven’t yet signed up, will you consider it? And since this is designed to be a community project, could you encourage a friend or neighbor to sign up as well? We have spots available from 2:30-7:30 p.m., so sign up Sunday or call the church office at 404.634.6231. Hey, you will not only be helping many in need, but you’ll also get a free t-shirt!
God bless,
Fred O. Pitts, Pastor
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Ramblings--20090424
CHBC Ramblings
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Foundations for Families concludes this Sunday
This will be the last of seven messages in our Foundation for Families series. It has been a challenge for me to teach and to seek to put into practice these principles in my own life, and I hope that it has been helpful for you. If we don’t rebuild the foundations for our families, who knows what the next generation will hold? Here are some questions for you: What one thing will you adopt into your family life because of the messages from God? What attitude have you changed because of being reminded of God’s plan for your life and your family?
This Past Sunday
I enjoyed this past Father’s Day—both the service and the time with my own family. It was special to hear Bobby McGuire share some of the stories of his father as a testimony in our worship. What a blessing to have a great example as he did in his father! And I hope all of us fathers were reminded of the great need to pass on a wealth of wisdom to our children. Know someone who needs to hear that message? It can be downloaded in the next few days from our website (www.clairmonthills.org), or a CD can be requested without charge from the church office.
Sabbatical Time in July
Don’t forget—during the month of July, we will have our regular Sunday morning activities of study, fellowship, and worship, but we will take a sabbatical on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. In other words, there will be no activities during those evenings. And most monthly meetings “take off” for the month of July. (Of course, the office will be open as usual.) Tonight (June 24) will be the last Wednesday night for our fellowship meal and weekly activities until August.
A Personal Note
My family and I went to Thomaston, my hometown, last Saturday for my dad’s 80th birthday. It was great to see him, my family, and many old friends. I am grateful that my dad taught me many of the lessons we talked about from Proverbs on Sunday morning. For instance, he really excelled in teaching me about wise financial and business dealings, and he truly taught me the value of hard work. Of the latter, he would say that I have never done any of it myself (and he may be right), but at least I did learn the value of it!
God bless you,
Fred O. Pitts, Pastor
Clairmont Hills Baptist Church
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Foundations for Families concludes this Sunday
This will be the last of seven messages in our Foundation for Families series. It has been a challenge for me to teach and to seek to put into practice these principles in my own life, and I hope that it has been helpful for you. If we don’t rebuild the foundations for our families, who knows what the next generation will hold? Here are some questions for you: What one thing will you adopt into your family life because of the messages from God? What attitude have you changed because of being reminded of God’s plan for your life and your family?
This Past Sunday
I enjoyed this past Father’s Day—both the service and the time with my own family. It was special to hear Bobby McGuire share some of the stories of his father as a testimony in our worship. What a blessing to have a great example as he did in his father! And I hope all of us fathers were reminded of the great need to pass on a wealth of wisdom to our children. Know someone who needs to hear that message? It can be downloaded in the next few days from our website (www.clairmonthills.org), or a CD can be requested without charge from the church office.
Sabbatical Time in July
Don’t forget—during the month of July, we will have our regular Sunday morning activities of study, fellowship, and worship, but we will take a sabbatical on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. In other words, there will be no activities during those evenings. And most monthly meetings “take off” for the month of July. (Of course, the office will be open as usual.) Tonight (June 24) will be the last Wednesday night for our fellowship meal and weekly activities until August.
A Personal Note
My family and I went to Thomaston, my hometown, last Saturday for my dad’s 80th birthday. It was great to see him, my family, and many old friends. I am grateful that my dad taught me many of the lessons we talked about from Proverbs on Sunday morning. For instance, he really excelled in teaching me about wise financial and business dealings, and he truly taught me the value of hard work. Of the latter, he would say that I have never done any of it myself (and he may be right), but at least I did learn the value of it!
God bless you,
Fred O. Pitts, Pastor
Clairmont Hills Baptist Church
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Ramblings--20090617
CHBC Ramblings
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Foundations for Families continues
This past Sunday I preached a message entitled Training a Child Through Godly Discipline as part of the current series, Foundations for Family. We emphasized the truth that corrective discipline is only one aspect of the discipline we need for life. While we did focus for a part of the message on corrective discipline, we spoke of the teaching and training aspects as well. If you would like to hear the message, go www.clairmonthills.org and look for “Webcasts” or call the church office for a free CD of the service.
This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, and I will preach to myself (and other fathers) a challenging message entitled A Godly Father. After that, there will be one final message in the series, Training a Child in the Way He Should Go.
Sabbatical Time in July
During the month of July, we will have our regular Sunday morning activities of study, fellowship, and worship, but we will take a sabbatical on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. In other words, there will be no activities during those evenings or during the week. (Of course, the office will be open as usual.) Why do we take this break? Several reasons. First, everyone needs a sabbatical from the “busy”-ness of life, and July is a time when a lot of our folks are traveling. Second, this year we are doing some repairs and resealing of our parking lot in July, and it is best to do this work in a down time. Third, many of us will be gone on our mission trip in July, and I will also take my annual study break during the month. Finally, a result will be some modest savings in our utility bill versus what it would have been, and this will be helpful in a year when the economy is struggling.
Please Be Here...
Take your place each and every week. And invite someone to worship with us this week. Everyone needs to be part of a community of faith, hope, and love, and that is what God is building here at Clairmont Hills.
The past few weeks I have closed with the question:
Aren’t you glad you are here?
If your answer is “YES!” (as is mine), there is another natural question: Won’t OTHERS be glad when they are here? And yet they may never find out unless you bring them.
God bless you,
Fred O. Pitts, Pastor
Clairmont Hills Baptist Church
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Foundations for Families continues
This past Sunday I preached a message entitled Training a Child Through Godly Discipline as part of the current series, Foundations for Family. We emphasized the truth that corrective discipline is only one aspect of the discipline we need for life. While we did focus for a part of the message on corrective discipline, we spoke of the teaching and training aspects as well. If you would like to hear the message, go www.clairmonthills.org and look for “Webcasts” or call the church office for a free CD of the service.
This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, and I will preach to myself (and other fathers) a challenging message entitled A Godly Father. After that, there will be one final message in the series, Training a Child in the Way He Should Go.
Sabbatical Time in July
During the month of July, we will have our regular Sunday morning activities of study, fellowship, and worship, but we will take a sabbatical on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. In other words, there will be no activities during those evenings or during the week. (Of course, the office will be open as usual.) Why do we take this break? Several reasons. First, everyone needs a sabbatical from the “busy”-ness of life, and July is a time when a lot of our folks are traveling. Second, this year we are doing some repairs and resealing of our parking lot in July, and it is best to do this work in a down time. Third, many of us will be gone on our mission trip in July, and I will also take my annual study break during the month. Finally, a result will be some modest savings in our utility bill versus what it would have been, and this will be helpful in a year when the economy is struggling.
Please Be Here...
Take your place each and every week. And invite someone to worship with us this week. Everyone needs to be part of a community of faith, hope, and love, and that is what God is building here at Clairmont Hills.
The past few weeks I have closed with the question:
Aren’t you glad you are here?
If your answer is “YES!” (as is mine), there is another natural question: Won’t OTHERS be glad when they are here? And yet they may never find out unless you bring them.
God bless you,
Fred O. Pitts, Pastor
Clairmont Hills Baptist Church
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Ramblings--20090609
CHBC Ramblings
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Vacation Bible School FOLLOW UP
Our final enrollment in our evening VBS was 139 with an average attendance of 106, including the adults in our classes. We are excited to have met so many new families and their children. As a follow up with children, my daughter Lydia Pitts will start this Wednesday a class from 6:15-8:00 p.m. for those who have completed grades 1-6. The time together will include music, crafts, Bible stories, recreation, and library time. The Bible study will be on the Names of God. Help get the word out!
Foundations for Families continues
This past Sunday I shared the third and last message on marriage in this series based on Genesis 2.24. The first was Marriage: A Leaving, sharing the principle that marriage is to be the primary relationship of life for those who marry. The second was titled Marriage: A Cleaving, and we emphasized that marriage is to be a permant relationship for the husband and wife. Finally, we saw the result God intends from putting these into practice in Marriage: One Flesh – The Sanctity of Sex. In this message, we celebrated the overall unity that God designed for marriage and the gift of sex that symbolizes that total unity.
It’s always interesting to hear the feedback on any message; it is particularly so when you talk about a topic like sex! Many people expressed thanks that I had spoken about this important area of life and approached it from the positive side, emphasizing that it is a gift from God to be experienced in marriage. Others were thankful to hear a clear word from God on the subject since our world gives us so many wrong messages. A young couple passing through from South Carolina said their first anniversary was just a few days ahead and the message acted as a timely reminder for them of the importance of God’s design for marriage unity. A couple of my favorite responses, though, were the following: “Fred, do you realize how old most of us are in this church?” and “I hope you taped that message. You could sell that sermon!” To the latter, I responded that I didn’t think anyone would pay for it but that we do offer free CD’s to anyone who asks, and all of the messages are available free online at www.clairmonthills.org.
This coming Sunday I will continue the Foundations for Family series with a message called Training a Child Through Godly Discipline.
New Members!
This past week we also welcomed Jack and Vivian Conner into our fellowship. Jack and Vivian recently moved from Macon, Georgia, and they have been actively involved in Lawrence Drive Baptist Church there for several years. Besided that, they are Cindy’s parents (and my in-laws)! We are so happy to have them living nearby and so glad that they have joined our church. Thank you for welcoming of them, even as you welcome everyone who comes to our church.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Vacation Bible School FOLLOW UP
Our final enrollment in our evening VBS was 139 with an average attendance of 106, including the adults in our classes. We are excited to have met so many new families and their children. As a follow up with children, my daughter Lydia Pitts will start this Wednesday a class from 6:15-8:00 p.m. for those who have completed grades 1-6. The time together will include music, crafts, Bible stories, recreation, and library time. The Bible study will be on the Names of God. Help get the word out!
Foundations for Families continues
This past Sunday I shared the third and last message on marriage in this series based on Genesis 2.24. The first was Marriage: A Leaving, sharing the principle that marriage is to be the primary relationship of life for those who marry. The second was titled Marriage: A Cleaving, and we emphasized that marriage is to be a permant relationship for the husband and wife. Finally, we saw the result God intends from putting these into practice in Marriage: One Flesh – The Sanctity of Sex. In this message, we celebrated the overall unity that God designed for marriage and the gift of sex that symbolizes that total unity.
It’s always interesting to hear the feedback on any message; it is particularly so when you talk about a topic like sex! Many people expressed thanks that I had spoken about this important area of life and approached it from the positive side, emphasizing that it is a gift from God to be experienced in marriage. Others were thankful to hear a clear word from God on the subject since our world gives us so many wrong messages. A young couple passing through from South Carolina said their first anniversary was just a few days ahead and the message acted as a timely reminder for them of the importance of God’s design for marriage unity. A couple of my favorite responses, though, were the following: “Fred, do you realize how old most of us are in this church?” and “I hope you taped that message. You could sell that sermon!” To the latter, I responded that I didn’t think anyone would pay for it but that we do offer free CD’s to anyone who asks, and all of the messages are available free online at www.clairmonthills.org.
This coming Sunday I will continue the Foundations for Family series with a message called Training a Child Through Godly Discipline.
New Members!
This past week we also welcomed Jack and Vivian Conner into our fellowship. Jack and Vivian recently moved from Macon, Georgia, and they have been actively involved in Lawrence Drive Baptist Church there for several years. Besided that, they are Cindy’s parents (and my in-laws)! We are so happy to have them living nearby and so glad that they have joined our church. Thank you for welcoming of them, even as you welcome everyone who comes to our church.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Ramblings--20090602
CHBC Ramblings
Wednesday, June 2, 2009
Vacation Bible School
As I write this, we are at the half way point of our VBS “Boomerang Express,” and this year we are experimenting with an evening school. Besides having more workers available in the evening, we can also provide classes for adults. We already have 120 enrolled in the first two days with an average attendance of about 100 – and our adult attendance has been between 25 and 30 the two nights in the two classes we are offering for them. The children are enjoying the Australian theme and the study of the life of Peter. Pray for us during these last two nights, as VBS wraps up on Wednesday night. (By the way, Wednesday night meal for “regulars” will start as usual at 5:30. VBS attendees will eat at six. All classes will start at 6:30 on Wednesday this week.) Many thanks to Sue Rother for her leadership and for the dozens she has enlisted to help in VBS.
This Sunday: Foundations for Families continues
I will continue my series on the family with the third and last message on marriage based on Genesis 2.24. The first was Marriage: A Leaving, sharing the principle that marriage is to be the primary relationship of life for those who choose to marry. Last week, the message was titled Marriage: A Cleaving, and we emphasized that marriage is to be a permant relationship for the husband and wife. This coming Sunday, we will note the result of living out these two principles in Marriage: One Flesh – The Sanctity of Sex. In this message, we will celebrate the overall unity that God designed for marriage and the gift of sex that symbolizes that total unity. Too often we see nothing but the world’s view of sex; as the church, we must also share God’s truth about this powerful gift. While the misuse of the sexual relationship causes all kinds of hurt and problems, we will instead concentrate in this message on the blessing it is intended by God to be for those who are married.
While this will be the last marriage message, we will still have three more messages in our family series – two relating to parenting, and a message especially for dads on Father’s Day, June 21.
The Urban Atlanta Impact Initiative (UAII)...
is a partnership that includes the two local Baptist associations (we are part of the Atlanta Metro Baptist Association), the Georgia Baptist Convention, and the North American Mission Board. The mission of UAII is to start healthy, reproducing congregations inside the perimeter of Atlanta. (For more information on the need for this, go to uaii.info.) Currently, I serve as the team leader for the group. It was through this initiative that I traveled to Singapore last fall to observe church starting in multihousing contexts such as condominiums and apartments. For the past two years, our Ministry and Missions Team, under the leadership of Gene Ray, has been considering how our church might be involved in local church planting efforts. I am excited to be part of what God is doing, not only at Clairmont Hills, but throughout the area inside the perimeter. Let’s all pray that God would send a great awakening that will touch our city and beyond.
Aren’t you glad you are here?
God bless you,
Fred O. Pitts
Wednesday, June 2, 2009
Vacation Bible School
As I write this, we are at the half way point of our VBS “Boomerang Express,” and this year we are experimenting with an evening school. Besides having more workers available in the evening, we can also provide classes for adults. We already have 120 enrolled in the first two days with an average attendance of about 100 – and our adult attendance has been between 25 and 30 the two nights in the two classes we are offering for them. The children are enjoying the Australian theme and the study of the life of Peter. Pray for us during these last two nights, as VBS wraps up on Wednesday night. (By the way, Wednesday night meal for “regulars” will start as usual at 5:30. VBS attendees will eat at six. All classes will start at 6:30 on Wednesday this week.) Many thanks to Sue Rother for her leadership and for the dozens she has enlisted to help in VBS.
This Sunday: Foundations for Families continues
I will continue my series on the family with the third and last message on marriage based on Genesis 2.24. The first was Marriage: A Leaving, sharing the principle that marriage is to be the primary relationship of life for those who choose to marry. Last week, the message was titled Marriage: A Cleaving, and we emphasized that marriage is to be a permant relationship for the husband and wife. This coming Sunday, we will note the result of living out these two principles in Marriage: One Flesh – The Sanctity of Sex. In this message, we will celebrate the overall unity that God designed for marriage and the gift of sex that symbolizes that total unity. Too often we see nothing but the world’s view of sex; as the church, we must also share God’s truth about this powerful gift. While the misuse of the sexual relationship causes all kinds of hurt and problems, we will instead concentrate in this message on the blessing it is intended by God to be for those who are married.
While this will be the last marriage message, we will still have three more messages in our family series – two relating to parenting, and a message especially for dads on Father’s Day, June 21.
The Urban Atlanta Impact Initiative (UAII)...
is a partnership that includes the two local Baptist associations (we are part of the Atlanta Metro Baptist Association), the Georgia Baptist Convention, and the North American Mission Board. The mission of UAII is to start healthy, reproducing congregations inside the perimeter of Atlanta. (For more information on the need for this, go to uaii.info.) Currently, I serve as the team leader for the group. It was through this initiative that I traveled to Singapore last fall to observe church starting in multihousing contexts such as condominiums and apartments. For the past two years, our Ministry and Missions Team, under the leadership of Gene Ray, has been considering how our church might be involved in local church planting efforts. I am excited to be part of what God is doing, not only at Clairmont Hills, but throughout the area inside the perimeter. Let’s all pray that God would send a great awakening that will touch our city and beyond.
Aren’t you glad you are here?
God bless you,
Fred O. Pitts
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