Newspaper Page Text
June 22, 2011
PAGE 11A
Reporter
Vacation Bible Schools
June 20-22
New Pine Grove
Baptist goes to the
beach
New Pine Grove Baptist
Church will have Vacation
Bible School “Beach Blast”
for ages 4-12 on June 20-22
nightly from 6:30-9 p.m.
Since the theme is Beach
Blast you may get wet,
please send a complete
change of clothes for your
child.
New Pine Grove Baptist
Church is located at 2455
Hwy 42 South.
St. Paul Missionary
Baptist to have a
family affair
St. Paul Missionary
Baptist Church invites
everyone to join them for a
family affair Vacation Bible
School on June 20-22
nightly at 6-8 p.m. Family
affair VBS is for adults,
teens and children.
St. Paul Missionary
Baptist Church is located
at 591 Elbert Jackson Rd.
June 20-24
First Baptist takes
a Big Apple
Adventure
First Baptist will go to
the Big City, Bigger Fun on
June 20-24 from 9 a.m to 12
p.m. Join us as we grab a
cab and get ready for fun
around every corner in the
Big Apple Adventure, where
faith and life connect. As
kids explore the big city,
they’ll learn how to step out
in faith and connect with
Jesus and share the message
of Christ with their world.
First Baptist Church is
located at 95 West Morse St.
Forsyth Presbyterian
explores the
Rainforest
Forsyth Presbyterian
Church will hold their
Vacation Bible School June
20-24. A snack supper will
be held at 6 p.m. followed by
green tree games, canopy
crafts, sky high storytelling,
swing vine science, rainfor
est rhythm and more. You'll
have fun and learn more
about Jesus.
For more information call
994-2942 or 994-3177.
Forsyth Presbyterian
Church is located at 63
North Jackson Street.
June 22-24
Antioch First
Missionary Baptist
to have VBS
Antioch First Missionary
Baptist Church invites all to
attend their VBS on June
22-24 nightly at 6-8 p.m.
Antioch First Missionary
Baptist is located at 1096
Old Cabiness Road.
June 24-25
Dayspring to have a
“Summer Camping
Adventure”
Dayspring Presbyterian
Church invites children
ages 4 through 6th grade to
a "Summer Camping
Adventure" on Friday, June
24 and Saturday, June 25. -
Students will learn how the
truths found in God's Word
serve as a guide for any sit
uation in their lives. Come
experience fun, games,
Bible study and exciting
adventures.
For more information, call
the church office at 994-
4503. Dayspring is located
at 1045 Hwy. 41 South &
Thornton Rd.
June 26-29
Russellville Baptist
visits Hometown
Nazareth
Russellville Baptist
Church invites you to strap
on your sandals and get
ready to see what life was
like in Nazareth when
Jesus was a kid on June
26-29 nightly from 6-9 p.m.
for ages Pre-K to 7th grade.
We will meet Jesus' mom,
Mary, and hear what it was
like to raise God's very own
Son. A light dinner served
each night.
For more information,
contact Jered Day at 770-
883-9421. The church is
located on Russellville Rd.
June 27-30
Mt. Zion Baptist
to hold VBS in
Nazareth
Travel back to Bible times
at Hometown Nazareth:
Where Jesus was a Kid on
June 27-30 from 6:30-8:30
p.m. nightly. Come be a
part of history as we see,
hear and touch what it was
like to live in Jesus’ home
town and where we will
stand up for our faith
among people who doubt
that the carpenter's son is
really God's Son. Mt Zion
Baptist Church is located
at 7015 Rivoli Road.
July 10-15
New Providence
Baptist goes to the
Big City for Big Fun
Join us as we grab a cab
and get ready for fun
around every corner in the
Big Apple Adventure,
where faith and life con
nect. New Providence
Baptist Church will take a
"Big Apple Adventure" to
explore the big city, they’ll
learn how to step out in
faith and connect with
Jesus and share the mes
sage of Christ with their
world on July 10-15 nightly
from 6:15 -8:45 p.m. for
ages 2 year olds through
the completion of 6th
grade.
July 18-22
Bethany Baptist
decodes Egyptian
files
Bethany Baptist Church
invites you to Vacation
Bible School on July 18-22
with an Egyptian Kick-off
and Registration Party on
Sunday, July 17. The
theme will be The Egypt
File, Decoding the Mystery
of Life. VBS is for ages 3
years old through children
going into the 6th grade.
For more information, call
478-974-0002. Bethany
Baptist Church is located
at 365 Pea Ridge Rd.,
Bolingbroke.
Mt. Zion observes Youth Day
Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Smarr observed Youth Day on May 29.
Youth participating in the worship served were Alana Holland, Adair
Woodward,Katie Rowland, Emily McCallister, Amanda Norris, Laura Darden,
Joshua Ezelle, Briana Walls, Katie Holland, Landon Norris, Kendall Gauldin,
EffieEvans, Haley Holland, Hannah Swearingen, Kinsey DeGroat, Kayleigh
Ryles,Saranne Ezelle, Tiffany Dean, Aleah Hayman, Dylan Steed, Charles Dean
and Ryan Steed. Alana Holland was speaker for the service.
Pastor Column
How do you see the Father?
BY FATHER THEOPHAN BUCK
I f you were to visit an Eastern Or
thodox Church, you might notice as
you listened to the chanting and
singing the interesting theological
language used when describing
God the Father. Words like ineffable, in
conceivable, invisible and in
comprehensible. These terms
tell us that God the Father is
truly beyond human words,
that we cannot truly conceive
of God in our created minds
and try as we may, we will
never fully understand God no
matter how many theology
courses we take.
This language is used to
protect against idolatry
and to preserve the
absolute transcendence of
God. There are, of course,
many false images of God
the Father to fight
against. However, on the
other side of this procla
mation of who God is not, in the
Scriptures we have affirmations of
who God the Father is. For instance,
we hear that Jesus is the “express
image” of the Father (Heb 1:3).
When Philip asked our Lord to show
him the Father in John 14, Jesus
replied “He who has seen Me has
seen the Father.”
If the above ideas are a little
abstract, Jesus gives us a clearer
image of God the Father in the para
ble of the prodigal son in Luke 15,
which could equally be called the
parable of the loving Father. Jesus
tells a story of a son who took his
inheritance from his father early and
then went to a far country, and lived
a sinful and immoral life, wasting
his entire inheritance. This apostate
son then found him
self in a desperate sit
uation, starving and
desiring to eat pig
feed, completely
debased with no one
to turn to.
The parable goes on
to relate that the son
then came to himself.
A small spark in his
soul told him that his
life would be much
better as a hired ser
vant in his father’s
house. Interestingly,
this son had an image
of his father and
believed as many of us
would have, that there was no way
his father would ever receive him
back as a son.
The next verse is a revealing posi
tive image of God the Father. The
Gospel goes on to say that when the
son was returning that the father
ran out to meet him, threw his arms
around him, gave him his best robe
and ring and then threw a party
offering a fatted calf in celebration of
his son’s return.
We can notice that in the parable
there is no mention of chastisement,
punishment or retribution. The
father did not tell the son to clean
himself up before he was willing to
throw his arms around him. The
father whom Jesus portrays simply
runs and embraces the son halfway
and loves on him.
As we come upon Father’s Day this
year, it is good to know that we
earthly fathers have presented in
the Scriptures, a true image of the
Heavenly Father. Not the typical
vengeful, wrathful God we hear
about. Not the God who requires
you to be clean before He will
embrace you. Rather the Father
who the apostle Paul describes when
he tell us that nothing can “separate
us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8).
This is an image as fathers we
should take to heart and emulate.
This image of the loving Father, the
Father that Jesus is the “express
image” of, is the true standard for all
earthly fathers. May God bless us
fathers to live up to our high calling
so that our children will be encour
aged by our examples to turn in
prayer to the one God, Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit.
Father Theophan Buck
Rector St. Innocent Orthodox
Church
7301 Rivoli Road
478-538-8161
st-innocent. org
Father Theophan Buck
New Providence father-son camping
New Providence Baptist Church held a father-son camping
trip Friday night at Pine
Mountain. Attendees includ
ed, from left, front, Steve
Bertram, Evan Bertram, Park
Davis, Michael Head, Jacob
Moore, Silas Moore, Will
Nichols and Jonathan Head.
Back row are Rev. Brian
Moore, Tyler Bertram, Will
Davis, Jeremy Roberts,
Nathan Jackson, Billy
Nichols and Greg Head. De
spite a 3-hour storm, all sur
vived the overnight trip and
7-mile hike. (Photo/Mark
Winget)
YOUR
Carolyn Martel
478-960-2259
Jenny Cook
478-501-2486
50 N. Jackson Street • Forsyth, GA
478-994-2358 • www.mymcr.net