Newspaper Page Text
The Monroe County Reporter • May 2, 2018
MiiimmiimmmmiiiiMmiiiiiimiiiimiiimimmmiimmmmiiimi
PASTOR S CORNER by Father Theophan Buck
What message are
we really sending?
T he Canadian Professor Marshall
McLuhan coined the phrase that
“The medium is the message.”
In other words, the medium, i.e.
the images, words, and symbols used to
convey an advertisement, actually convey
more about the underlying beliefs than
what the ad is trying to “sell.” This may
seem obvious, but I think it may
be so obvious that sometimes we
forget it.
Let me go through a few simple
church ad examples that I have
seen in the Middle Georgia re
gion. I recently drove by a church
with a large wooden cross at
tached to the front of the church
building with a “no trespass
ing” sign literally nailed to the
foot of the cross. This particular
advertisement was probably not
conscious, however, it was hard to
miss. What does a cross with a no tres
passing sign convey? I don’t think I will
trespass there.
Around Easter time, many of the church
es in my area wanted me to know that on
the Saturday before Easter I was invited
to an “eggtravaganza.” I’m not against egg
hunts, we have them too. What did these
signs convey? Easter egg hunts are very
important, apparently even more impor
tant than the Resurrection of Christ. I have
actually been invited to more egg hunts
than I have Sunday worship services.
I often do office work at a coffee shop.
A church group came to this coffee shop
on Holy Friday and offered to pay for
people’s drinks as they waited in line. This,
of course, is very generous, so most people
wanted to know why a church group
would do such a thing. A customer asked
why and was told: “We are paying for your
drink because Christ paid your sins on
the Cross.” The church group was paying
our coffee debts! Apparently, our Lord’s
sacrifice that paid the debt of sin is either
as important or as trivial as “tall hazelnut
latte.”
One last example. I was told that on
Great and Holy Friday that one church de
cided to drop 20,000 candy-stuffed Easter
eggs from a helicopter. Let’s break down
this symbolic action. The context: It’s Holy
Friday, the day that Christians remember
Christ being suspended from the cross,
being mocked and dying for our sins. In
traditional Christian circles, Holy Friday is
a day of strict fasting and solemn services
contemplating Jesus’ final bitter hours and
what they mean for our lives. The medi
um: A helicopter (how extreme),
20,000 eggs dropped (how
extreme), what a mega egg hunt!
Perhaps the biggest egg hunt ever
recorded two days before Easter!
What does it symbolically mean
when a Christian church drops
candy from the sky on a day typi
cally dedicated to contemplating
the bitter sufferings of Christ?
I will let you contemplate that
answer.
I am aware that all of this may
sound judgmental, but I assure
you that our parish has consciously or un
consciously put out messages that do not
convey fully what we think they should.
We try not to, but it is not always easy to
see what people might get from an ad. A
colleague of mine called me once to let
me know that I should not have the words
“Bible and BBQ” as the title of one of our
events because I was degrading the Bible.
So, I am sure I am guilty of these same
sins. May God forgive us all.
Here is the bottom line. Christianity is a
profound, serious, deep, transformational,
and intellectually stimulating faith. Salva
tion is only found in Jesus Christ. True
victory over sin, death and the devil is only
found in Christ. If we want to be taken
seriously, and if we want people to encoun
ter the living God, to encounter Christ,
our medium should convey the proper
message.
Father Theophan Buck is the rector of
St. Innocent Orthodox Christian Church,
7301 Rivoli Road, Bolingbroke. The Pastors
Corner is sponsored by the Monroe County
Ministerial Association, which meets on the
second Thursday of each month at 8 a.m. at
The Pickled Okra, 33 W. Johnston St. on the
Square.
FR. THEOPHAN
BUCK
CHURCH
CALENDAR
Email church calendar news to Diane Glidewell at news@mymcr.net by Monday
at 10 a.m. Church information is published free of charge as space permits.
May 9, 10, 11
Oak Grove Holiness has
Women's Convention
Oak Grove Holiness Church,
1786 Zellner Road, For
syth will host the Women's
Convention for three nights.
May 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m.
nightly. The theme is “Edifying
the Power Within" Ephesians
3:20, 21. All are invited. For
more information, call Annette
Lucear at 478-394-1085.
May 12
Wrights Grove has
Mother’s Day Prayer
Breakfast
Thinking of something specia
to do for your mother or
mother figure for Mother's
Day? Wrights Grove Prayer
Ministry, 3056 Old Atlanta
Highway, Forsyth will host a
Mother's Day Prayer Break
fast on Saturday, May 12 at
10 a.m. Theme: “The Power
of a Praying Mother." Pastor
Cathy Dargan of the Buffalo
Circuit of Sparta will be the
messenger. Donations: $8.
Contact Minister Jenise Watts.
New Providence Baptist
has Car & Truck Show
for Missions
The New Providence Baptist
Church Car & Truck Show
for Missions will be at the
Monroe County Recreation
Department on Saturday,
May 12 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
It is $25 to register vehicles
online or on the day of the
event.
May 20
Midway Baptist
celebrates 137th
Anniversary
Midway Baptist Church,
Highway 41, Smarr, invites
everyone to join in celebrat
ing the church's 137th An
niversary on Sunday, May 20
at 11 a.m. Pastor Katrin Talton
from Coleman Clarke A.M.E.
Church of Forsyth will bring
the message.
Sardis Missionary Baptist
celebrates 171 years
Sardis Missionary Baptist
Church, 100 Sardis Church
Road, Barnesville will
celebrate its 171st Church An
niversary on Sunday, May 20
at 2:30 p.m. The theme will
be “Give Me That Ole Time
Religion.' Guests will be Rev.
Rufus Whatley and the Union
Hill Baptist Church of Forsyth.
Everyone is asked to dress in
blue jeans and white shirts/
blouses. All are welcome.
770-358-0015
Williams Chapel A.M.E.
has Family & Friends
Day
The Williams Chapel A.M.E.
church family invites everyone
to join worship at its Annual
Family & Friends Day on Sun
day, May 20 at 2 p.m. with
speaker Rev. Terrell Brown
Jr., Youth Minister of Cov
enant Life Cathedral Church,
Macon. Dinner will be served
after the service.
May 21, 25, 27
Oak Grove Holiness
celebrates church an
niversary
Oak Grove Holiness Church,
1786 Zellner Road, Forsyth
will celebrate the church's
anniversary Monday-Friday,
May 21 -25 with services at
7:30 p.m. nightly, climaxing
with a service at 12 noon on
Sunday, May 27. The theme
is “Holding fast to our Faith"
Hebrews 10:23. Speakers will
be: Bishop Joe Ridley of Gray
on Monday, Bishop JoAnn
White of Atlanta on Tuesday,
Pastor Lonnie Fletcher of
Forsyth on Wednesday, Pastor
Tommy Williams of Griffin on
Thursday, Elder Willie Burns
of Decatur on Friday and
Pastor Demostray Head of
Jackson on Sunday. The Oak
Grove Holiness Church and
Pastor/Overseer Bishop B.F.
McKibben invite everyone to
attend. For more information,
call Annette Lucear at 478-
394-1085.
May 27
Wrights Grove has Wom
en’s Day Celebration
On Sunday, May 27 at 2
p.m. the Women's Ministry of
Wright's Grove Church will
host a Women's Day Cel
ebration. Theme- “Women of
Many Hats/’ so grab your
favorite hat or not and come
celebrate. Minister Leisa
Atwater of the Tessie Hal
Baptist Church, Forsyth will
be the minister. Contact Sister
Louise Stephens.
June 4-8
St. James Baptist to hold
Vacation Bible School
St. James Baptist Church,
110 James St., Forsyth will
host Vacation Bible Schoo
on Monday-Friday, June 4-8
from 6-8 p.m. nightly. For
more information, contact
Sister Angela Banks.
June 10
St. Luke A.M.E. hosts
50th Heroine’s Day Cel
ebration
Everyone is invited to the
50th Heroine's Day Celebra
tion sponsored by Heroines
of Jericho, Lily Court # 17 of
Forsyth on Sunday, June 10
at 3 p.m. at St. Luke A.M.E.
Church, 143 James St., Forsyth.
The guest speaker will be
Heroine Patricia Wills, Past
Most Ancient Matron who
now serves as Treasurer of
Diamond Court *770 of
Lithonia. The theme is “Rahab
Living in the New Era."
June 18-20
St. James Baptist holds
Annual Revival
St. James Baptist Church, 110
James St., Forsyth will have
its Annual Church Revival on
Monday-Wednesday, June
18-20 beginning at 7:30 p.m.
nightly. Rev. Eddie Collier of
Towaliga County Line Baptist
Church will be the guest mes
senger.
Rock Springs gives New Providence a bus
The Rev. Brian Moore,
pastor of New Providence
Baptist Church in Smarr,
was puzzled recently.
The Rev. Benny Tate, who
pastors the mega-church
Rock Springs based in
Milner, called him Mon
day, April 28 and invited
him to take a tour of their
campus. So Moore went
up Tuesday, April 29 and
Tate showed him around.
After seeing the facilities
and the grounds, Tate took
Moore to the parking lot
where Rock Springs parks
its buses.
“What do you think
about it?” Tate asked
Moore as they surveyed
one particular 34-seat bus.
“It’s nice,” said Moore.
“I hope you like it,” said
Tate, “because it’s yours.”
Moore stood there
speechless for several mo
ments. Finally, he looked at
Tate and whispered, “Glory
be to God.”
“And that’s why we’re do
ing it,” replied Tate.
Later, Moore remem
bered that the two had
breakfast the week before
and Tate had asked Moore
what his church’s needs
were. That’s when Moore
mentioned they were look
ing for a bus. The rest is
history.
Tate told his congregation
on Sunday that their gener
osity had allowed them to
bless another church, even
of a different denomina
tion, that is building the
kingdom of God. Tate told
the Reporter this week that
Rock Springs has actually
given its buses away to 6-8
churches over the years,
but this is the first in Mon
roe County. He said they
don’t care what denomina
tion it is whether Presbyte
rian or Pentecostal.
“My heart is for God’s
kingdom,” said Tate, “and
God’s kingdom is a lot big
ger than Rock Springs.”
Tate said he’s never even
been to New Providence
and has only gotten to
know Moore lately as
they’ve worked on the Billy
Graham event held at the
Fine Arts Center this past
Saturday.
“I’ve never seen his
church and it’s not like he’s
a close friend,” said Tate,
“it’s simply we are blessed
to be a blessing.”
At 400-500 worshippers
on Sunday mornings, New
Providence is currently
the county’s largest church
body, but it has had no bus,
only an older model van
whose air conditioning
is unreliable. The church,
which aims to avoid debt,
has been shopping for a
bus for youth and group
trips, but had not found
one yet.
Moore said not only is
Rock Springs giving them a
bus, but it’s a good one. The
bus only has about 80,000
miles, and has a Chevy
Duramax diesel engine
www.rockspringsonlme.com
Rev. Benny Tate of Rock Springs Church, left, surprised Rev. Brian Moore of New Provi
dence Baptist Church with a bus that is much nicer than what New Providence had hoped
to acquire for its senior, youth and mission ministries. Tate said that his heart is for Gods
kingdom, which is a lot bigger than Rock Springs.
that Moore’s mechanic
told him will go forever.
Moore, who was already
bus shopping, estimated
the value between $20,000
and $30,000.
Moore said they’re get
ting New Providence letter
ing put on the bus and will
soon put it into service for
youth and seniors and mis
sion trips.
Moore said the gift is a
terrific testimony about
how the Good News about
Jesus Christ can inspire be-
lievers to help one another.
“A lot of people talk about
the competition between
churches,” said Moore. “But
it’s good to know there are
other churches thinking
about the kingdom and
helping one another.”
CHURCH
PAGE
MADE
BY
THESE
S P 0 N
POSSIBLE
S0RS:
Lee’s Haircutting
Lee Smith
994-1666
Mon - Fri 10 to 7
...Unless Playing Golf
Freeman Funeral home
A name that can be trusted for funeral and burial arrangements
26 Brentwood Place • Forsyth
994-6483 • 994-6576
“Servicing Each Family With Equal Respect”
Ready to Meet
Your Pet Needs
r ANIMAL ^
MEDICAL
CLINIC
• Boarding • Bathing
• Medical Management
• Wellness & Preventive
• After Hrs. & Emereencv
Dr. Brandon Pinson
60 S. Jackson St. • Forsyth.GA * 478-994-4986
Voted 2014 Best Veterinarian by readers of the Reporter