YOUTH NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

LIBRARY DESK NEWS

Train Your Brain! Read a Book!

Recommended Reading

First Christmas, The True and Unfamiliar Story

By: Paul Maier

The Lottie Moon Christmas Story By: Catherine B. Allen

No Room at the Inn By: Melody Carlson

The Christmas Box By: Richard Paul Evans

Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas

By: Ace Collins

Season of Love By: Yvonne Lehman

O Little Town By: Don Reid

Library is open

on Sundays 9:30-10 am

BE A READER!

Thanksgiving Day Ministry Thank you so much for your contributions to one of Immanuel’s biggest ministries. Thanks go to all monetary donations: Mike & Mary Pierce, Zip Register's SS class, Tom& Gladys Hall, Jeannine Jones, and Jackie Venable; all turkey cookers: Russ& Donia Reaves, Ralph & Vera Deathreage, Jim & Sherry Spurrier, Cookie Hamilton, Cal & Kathy Stack, Mary Pierce, Zip Register, Evelyn Sewell, Eric & Ann Bauer, and Chris & Debbie Reynolds; other food donations: Elsie Nall (15 bags stuffing mix), Carl & Becky Hairr (6 gallons fresh sweet potatoes); Kathy Johnson (5 dz deviled eggs), Leilani Roughton (6 gallons sweet potatoes), Russ & Donia Reaves (miscellaneous cakes from local bakery), Vivian Riddle (ham), Ruth Primm (dessert), and Kathy Stack (pie). I also want to thank Esther Heilig for her dessert contributions and Bob & Joyce Copley for helping out as well. This has been so easy this year thanks to the great people of this church. I once again want to say thank you. This is awesome! We are truly a giving church and it always shows in your willingness to give and to serve. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Ardmore Park Community Ministry Ardmore Park ministry is going well. We are putting on our coats and heading to the park every Saturday for a very full 2 hours of bible stories, craft, recreation and refreshments. The response has been great! Want to help? Meet us there at 2:00pm. Blessings, Sherry

Dear Church Family,

The recent frigid temperatures and early dusting of snow we have had got me thinking about C. S. Lewis' description of Narnia while it was under the reign of the White Witch in his classic book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. In Narnia in those days, it was "always winter, and never Christmas." If you stop to think about that, one of the things we look most forward to with the onset of cold weather is Christmas. Stores begin displaying Christmas merchandise earlier and earlier ever year. We love the snow because it reminds of us beautiful scenes that we associate with Christmas. But imagine for a moment that it was always winter, and never Christmas. That would be quite bleak. No spring to look forward to, no mid-Winter holiday to celebrate; just lots of cold.

The world in which we live is a cold one, and I do not mean that solely in meteorological terms. Since the fall of humanity into sin, we have lived in a state of spiritual winter -- we are dead in our trespasses and sins, the love for God and man growing cold within us. But in the providence of God we have not been left in a state of perpetual winter with no Christmas. "In the fullness of time," Paul says in Galatians 4:4, "God sent for His Son." We have had Christmas in the midst of our winter, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been lifted from the cold grip of death and despair, our frozen hearts have been thawed by the grace and love of Christ, and in the places of the dead branches of our spiritual nature, we have new life imputed to us by the Holy Spirit who has come to dwell within. And just as the advent of Aslan marked the beginning of the Spring thaw in Narnia and the end of the reign of the White Witch, so the coming of Christ into the world marks the beginning of the redemption of creation and the end of the dominion of Satan.

And so, we have winter upon us. Spiritually speaking, we are born in winter. But then we have Christmas, and because of the gift of God's Son, we are brought into the warmth of His love. May God grant to you and your family in this holiday season a genuine sense of His Christmas presence.

God is with us,

Pastor Russ

The cost of poinsettias this year is $9.00 and the deadline to order is Monday, December 1st. If you need to place an order, please call the Church Office as soon as possible. This is a great way to honor those special people in our lives, both past and present.

The Immanuel Baptist Church Family wishes to extend our deepest sympathies to:

Scott Roughton, at the passing of his Brother in Law, Mike Hayes, November 3, 2008

Esther Heilig, at the passing of her Brother-in-Law, Charles Belch, November 7, 2008

The family of Rose Stanley, who went to be with her Savior, November 19, 2008.

HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER

Preventing the Spread of Germs

◊ Wash your hands often and well. If soap and water are not available, some health officials recommend rubbing your hands with alcohol-based gels

◊ Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough.

◊ Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

◊ Keep doctor-recommended vaccinations—for you and your children—up to date.

◊ Stay home when you are sick and check with a health care provider when needed.

◊ Eat right, get enough sleep and exercise regularly to help strengthen your immune system and fight sicknesses.

Cont’d

Mission Opportunities in December Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions Week of Prayer will be observed from November 30th - December 7th. Information will be in the bulletins on the 30th, and we will have our Ingathering on the 7th. We will collect food for Urban Ministry, and our first collection for the LMCO. Our goal is $10,000, and we will be collecting throughout December and January. Please give generously, for this year the needs are greater than ever. Missions programs for the Lottie Moon International Missions will be held on the regular Missions night on Wednesday, December 3rd and different information on Sunday evening, December 7th at 6 pm. Come and learn where your offerings go and some of the work being done throughout the world. Real live missionary Greg Queen, a former missionary to Senegal (West Africa) will be speaking at the 11am service on Sunday, December 14th. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear what is happening from someone who has been there! Support of children at Peck Elementary School. The school has expressed need for clothing and other tems for the children who attend this school, and we will be helping to meet this need where we can. A list of needed items is available in the vestibule or the church office.

Cont’d

Holding Off Holiday Weight Gain

Here are some tips for keeping weight off during the holidays:

◊ Physical activity. People who are more active are more likely to maintain their weight during the holidays.

◊ Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol can be a major source of hidden calories.

◊ Limit soda and other sweetened beverages. These drinks add extra calories, too.

◊ Schedule holiday food celebrations at normal meal times. Celebrations outside of normal meal times encourage people to pile on extra calories.

◊ Choose foods with fewer calories. Foods with fewer calories for their size make you feel fuller sooner.

◊ Use smaller plates. The bigger your plate and the more food that’s on it, the more you’re likely to eat in the end.

◊ Eat a healthy snack beforehand. You’ll be less likely to eat a lot of fattening food at the party.

◊ Weigh yourself daily. And plan how you’ll get back on track if your weight begins to creep up.

The Children’s Choir will not have a Christmas presentation this year. However, we have scheduled a Praise Service on Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 6:00pm. Please mark your calendars now and make plans to come. Mary Carter and Chris & Debbie Reynolds

CROPWALK Thank you to all our walkers: Pastor Russ, Donia, Solomon, Salem, Rosemary Johnson & friends from Southern Guilford High School, Shea Nall and Mary Catherine, for helping to raise over $700 to fight world hunger.

SAMARITAN’S PURSE Thank you to each one who helped with the shoeboxes. Whether you gave money, filled a box, or prayed, your efforts will not go unnoticed. A special thank you to Elsie Nall, Louise Gammons, Rosemary Johnson and Sarah Colonna for helping to pack the boxes.

Thanks to All!

Kathy Johnson

Immanuel Mission/Vision Statement (Approved June 16, 1999)

The mission of Immanuel Baptist Church is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to all, regardless of circumstance or ethnic group. We do this under the leadership of the Holy Spirit through Bible teaching, missions education, prayer, training of leaders, and extending friendship both within our fellowship and to our neighbors throughout the world. Authority: The Great Commission (Matthew. 28:19-20) and exercising God’s love (I Corinthians 13:13).

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2432 High Point Road Greensboro, NC 27403 Phone 299-1751 Email: ibc@ibcgso.org

MONTH OF DECEMBER 2008

PRAY WITH PETITIONS AND PRAISE

In Southern Baptist Churches, the week of Nov.30--Dec. 7 is set aside to be a Week of Prayer for International Missions. This year the theme is "Go Tell the Story of Jesus". South America will be the part of our world in focus for special mission study and featured in daily prayer guides for each day of that week. We have wonderful opportunities to become informed so we can offer specific prayers of strong Petition for those who are messengers to our world's 1.6 billion people who are yet to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. We can also make petitions for the Lottie Moon special offering of which every dollar goes to support International Missions. Our Immanuel goal for this year is $10,000. This means that each of us as members, should pray about the goal we need to set for ourselves as a special Christmas gift to honor our Lord. This gift really needs to be in first place on our list. Giving others the good news about Jesus in places where He is not known, is of far greater importance than the perishable things we often choose to buy and cherish.

The way we respond to God's gift to us is of first importance. At this time of remembering the arrival of Jesus we can become so distracted with activities and special events that we fail to offer Praise for the greatest gift we have ever, or will ever, receive! Praise God that He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us when Jesus returned to His place with the Father. This is a great gift we do not recognize and allow full access in our lives! This wonderful gift from God can transform our lives and meet our every need….

Therefore, may we PRAY; PETITION; & PRAISE!! Mary Odom Burgess, Missions Prayer Coordinator