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Pastor’s Welcome
Pastor’s Welcome
Welcome to our church’s website. I hope you are finding it helpful in conveying a sense of who we are as a congregation.
The Greenville ARP Church is a well-established and multi-generational church with traditional worship and a strong conviction in the power of God’s Word. As a congregation of the ARP Synod , we are grateful for our Scottish Presbyterian heritage and the fruitful labors of our missionaries in places like Mexico and Pakistan (there are currently over 70,000 Christians in ARP churches in Pakistan). Our own congregation was established in Greenville in 1914, and currently has over 400 members who come from every walk of life in the Upstate area.
As a visitor, you’ll see our commitment to God’s Word in our fourteen Sunday School classes and in our expository preaching on Sunday mornings. You’ll also see our wonderful mix of ages, with little ones coming out of the woodworks to gather at the front of the sanctuary for the children’s message, and a vibrant group of senior citizens ( Keenagers ) who teach, pray, serve and participate in almost every vital facet of our church’s life. As the pastor, ministering to this wide range of ages is one of the most delightful aspects of my service.
Planning for Your Visit
We would love to have you be among the many visitors we have each Sunday. Our worship service begins at 10:55 AM. But I must say that the best way to get a feel for our church is to come at 9:30. From the front parking lot, enter through the double- doors at the top of the steps, and you’ll see the Fellowship Hall straight ahead where anywhere from forty to sixty people are enjoying coffee and donuts before Sunday School.
Between 9:45 and 9:55, people begin making their way to Sunday School. It’s generally quite easy to ask someone in the Fellowship Hall which class you should go to, and they’ll be glad to point the way. But if you want to survey our classes before you arrive, you can read about them on this page: Sunday School Classes
Nursery
Our outstanding nursery opens at 9:30. It looks out over our enclosed playground area between the main building and the Christian Education building. The easiest way to access the nursery is to drive around the right side of the sanctuary, and park close to the breezeway. You can enter either of the two doors on your left, which open into the main hallway with the nursery on the right. Our nursery workers will be glad to give you a beeper that you can take with you for the remainder of the morning. Our nursery staff and Sunday School teachers are also experienced with special needs children.
If you have any further questions about our church, feel free to contact us . Our Administrative Assistant, Cheryl Chastain, will be glad to answer your questions, or direct you to the appropriate staff member.
Blessings, in Christ,
Matt
March 10th, 2010
New Church Calendar"> New Church Calendar
March 10th, 2010
Newsletter (03/10/10)
March 10th, 2010
Worship Bulletin (03/07/10)
March 7th, 2010
Wednesday Night Menu and Activities
Menu for Wednesday, March 10, 2010
— Baked Ham
— Cheese Souffle
— Mixed Vegetables
— Tossed Salad
— Biscuits/Butter/Jelly
— Pizza
— Ice Cream
The Bereans and the Sr. Saints will set up and serve.
Wednesday Night Schedule
As a reminder, our children and youth programs will begin at 6:30 p.m., following dinner.
5:30 pm Joy Singers/Children’s Choir Room
6:00 pm Dinner & Program/Fellowship Hall
6:30 pm Children’s Program
6:30 pm Youth Bible Study
7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal/Choir Room
ADULTS:
Join us for our Bible Study and Prayer Time!
March 10, 17 and 24:
- Dr. Ron Marks, Professor at North Greenville University, will speak on Creationism in the Fellowship Hall.
- Rev. Griffin will speak on Women of the Bible in the Parlor.
YOUTH:
The Youth will study “The Grand Story—God’s Redemption Story…A Look at the Creation, the Fall, the Redemption and the Restoration of Man.” They will also have a time of singing, games, and prayer, so join us for this fun night!
(All youth meet downstairs in the Youth Room.)
March 6th, 2010
Pastor’s Partners’ Card Due on March 10
PASTOR’S PARTNERS’ ASSIGNMENT CARDS are due on Wednesday, March 10, with new assignments to be picked up on Sunday, March 14.
March 1st, 2010
NEW MEN’S MINISTRIES BLOG!
Check out the NEW MEN’S MINISTRIES BLOG HERE!
Please contact Nat Stewart about Mens’ Ministry activities.
March 1st, 2010
Keenager Meet March 16
ATTENTION KEENAGERS!
Tuesday, March 16
Covered Dish Lunch
11:30 a.m.
Fellowship Hall
Dr. David Vickery will present the program.
March 1st, 2010
9 Week Parenting Series Continues
9 Week Parenting Series
All Parents, Grandparents, and everyone else are invited to attend.
Continues Sunday @ 5:45.
in the Fellowship Hall
Each week will include a light meal, lesson, group discussion and prayer time.
*A Nursery will be provided.*
March 1st, 2010
Sunday School at Greenville ARP
JOIN US THIS SUNDAY FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL!
Sunday School Classes for Adults
Sunday School Classes for Youth
Sunday School Classes for Children
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And don’t forget to join us at 9:15 am for Fellowship Time in the Fellowship Hall where we have coffee, donuts and orange juice together!
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Audio recordings of sermons are now available online!
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March 1st, 2010
WOMEN’S MINISTRIES
WOMEN’S MINISTRIES
CLEAN-UP DAY!
Mark your calendar now!
Women’s Ministries Clean-up Day
Saturday, March 20, 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Call Cheryl in the office to sign up!
CIRCLE MEETING TIMES IN APRIL!
Monday, April 12
10:00 AM Jean Lesslie Circle (Cir. 2), Ann Devlin, Chair / Meets in members’ homes
6:00 PM New Circle (a light supper will be served) / Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, April 13
9:15 AM Mary Beckham Circle (Cir. 4), Paula Williams, Chair / Parlor (nursery provided)
6:00 PM Mary Woods Circle (Cir. 6), Anne Horton, Chair / Fellowship Hall
6:30 PM Circle of Grace (Cir.1), Sarah Nickles, Chair / Meets in members’ homes
All Greenville ARP Ladies are invited to the
WOMEN’S MINISTRIES
LADIES BIBLE STUDY
Disciplines of a Godly Woman
by Barbara Hughes
9:30 a.m.
Bible Study Dates:
2010
January 7 and 21
February 4 and 18
March 4 and 18
April 8 and 22
May 13 and 27
A nursery will be provided.
Please contact Eileen Avera if you have any questions.
March 1st, 2010
SIGN UP NOW FOR 2010 FLOWER DATES
THE 2010 FLOWER CALENDAR, located by the glass window in the office, is now available for signups. Available Dates:
April 4 (Easter Sunday), 11, and 18
May 23
June 6
March 1st, 2010
Staff Prayer Time
Each Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m., the staff meets with Matt to pray for the needs of the church. Please call or email your concerns to Cheryl by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons
March 1st, 2010
Listen to This Week’s Sermon on iTunes
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March 1st, 2010
CHURCH FELLOWSHIP RETREAT
CHURCH FELLOWSHIP RETREAT
APRIL 30 - MAY 2
BONCLARKEN
March 1st, 2010
2010 SUMMER MISSION TRIPS
SIGN UP NOW FOR OUR 2010 SUMMER MISSION TRIPS. The Appalachia Mission Trip is July 3-10 and the Wales Mission Trip is July 15-26. Contact the church office for an application. Completed applications are due on ASAP!
March 1st, 2010
Subscribe Now to the ARP Magazine!
To subscribe or renew your
subscription to the
“the only publication that connects our whole denomination,”
please visit their website at:
or pick up a form at the
Also, see the bulletin board outside Matt’s office!
March 1st, 2010
An Important Pastoral Care Message
We have two funds at our church to help people during a time of financial need:
1. The Mercy Mission Fund (formerly Operation Help) was set up many years ago at the suggestion of Mr. And Mrs. Barron Kennedy to help members of our congregation who have a short term financial need. At that time the fund was primarily funded by the Mary Galloway Sunday School Class. The fund became church-wide. This fund has helped many people with regular living expenses. The fund is supported through the benevolence of our members.
2. The Emergency Relief was set up a short time later to give assistance to people outside our church who are having financial difficulty. The relief given to them is of a short time nature. Those who receive funds are interviewed by church staff to determine eligibility. This fund is also supported by our membership.
Please consider making a donation to these funds. Your donations may be turned in to the church office or put in the offering plate on Sunday designated for the fund you would like to support.
Please don’t put this off.
If you have any questions contact the church office.
March 1st, 2010
RECOMMENDED READING ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
ARTICLE:
Don’t Waste Your Cancer by John Piper
RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
Any age:
C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
A look at heaven and hell and human depravity. A fictional story.
High School:
Sinclair B. Ferguson, By Grace Alone
All about the grace of God.
Middle School:
George Knight, Know Your Bible
All 66 books explained and applied.
PRAYERS:
“This Year I Pledge…”
(A Stewardship Prayer)
‘Gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom, through whom, and to whom are all things, I am seeking your wisdom and guidance in determining how much to pledge to Your Church this year.
Wondrous beacons of revealed truth capture my attention: I see at the beginning of Your Word that You created all things, and You created me, and therefore all things belong to You, and I belong to You… entirely. As Your Psalmist has marveled, so I marvel and remember: “It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His…” (100:3). So Lord, I begin by confessing that I am not my own, and all that I have belongs to You.
I see from Your Law in the old covenant that You commanded the tithe, a tenth given from the top. I see that the tithe was not ultimately about funding ministries (though it did), but about showing personal obedience to You. When your people did not tithe, they suffered cursing, and when You called them back to blessing, you did so by instructing them: “Bring all the tithes… and test Me now in this… if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it… ” (Mal. 3:10). I have thought too much like the world – calculating costs and benefits, causeand- effect, investments and returns, and done so as though Your hand does not ultimately govern all these things. Give me the faith this year to follow Your Word by “putting You to the test”, to see if I might receive this blessing from heaven that You promise. I believe You are faithful to Your promises.
I see the rebuilding of Your Temple in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, and how the people at that time were so much like the people in my time. They were obsessed with their own houses. They spent so much on their own houses that they neglected to finish the work of rebuilding Your house, and so You began to chasten them, explaining Your reasons thus: “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit” (Haggai 1:9-10). Lord, I confess that my house is more than I need, and it is filled to the brim with the latest things for every kind of convenience and amusement. I have given priority to my house over Your house. Forgive me, and fill me with a desire to see the glory of Your house over the luxury of my own.
Passing through Your Word, I come to a new hall, the hall of the new covenant. This hall is wider, and taller, and more beautiful than the first. Your Word calls it a “better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22), and I see Your people in this hall giving even more than they gave in the former one:
There is the poor widow who gave “out of her poverty all that she had”, and there is Jesus commending her to the wealthy onlookers who gave only out of their abundance (Mark 12:41- 44). Clearly this woman knew she belonged to You, and that all she had belonged to You!
And there is Your church in Macedonia, a whole church acting like this poor widow. In a time of economic distress, “their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality,” as they gave “according to their ability, and yes, beyond their ability” (2 Cor. 8:2-3).
Not less, but more, is the message of the New Testament – more grace, and more generosity springing from that grace! These people are clearly spellbound by Christ, and they live and act as though they truly belong to Him, who not only created them, but has now also redeemed them – “For if we live,” they said, “we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:7-8; John 1:3).
I see all of these things as I think about my giving, and I realize that it’s not just about putting a number on a pledge card. It’s about whether I truly believe that I – and all that is ‘mine’ – belong in fact to You. It’s about whether I believe there is real divine blessing that follows on the heels of simple obedience. It’s about whether my passion for the kingdom of God and the wellbeing of Your Church is greater than my passion for my own creature comforts and amusements. It’s about whether I know Your grace as well as the poor widow and the Macedonian church did. It’s about whether I say with everything I do, “I am the Lord’s.”
Help me to give this year with all of these things as my spiritual reference points, and with Your honor and glory as my ultimate aim. In Jesus name, Amen.’
“Shortcomings”
A Prayer from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, ed. Arthur Bennett, pp. 154-155. The biblical imagery in the prayer comes from Exodus 13:20-22, Exodus 16-17, and Joshua 3.
O LIVING GOD,
I bless thee
That I see the worst of my heart as well as the best of it,
That I can sorrow for those sins that carry me from thee,
That it is thy deep and dear mercy to threaten punishment
so that I may return, pray, live.
My sin is to look on my faults and be discouraged,
Or to look on my good and be puffed up.
I fall short of thy glory every day by spending hours unprofitably,
By thinking that the things I do are good,
when they are not done to thy end,
nor spring from the rules of thy Word.
My sin is to fear what never will be;
I forget to submit to thy will, and fail to be quiet.
But Scripture teaches me that thy active will
reveals a steadfast purpose on my behalf,
and this quietens my soul,
and makes me love thee.
Keep me always in the understanding
that saints mourn more for sin than other men,
for when they see how great is thy wrath against sin,
and how Christ’s death alone pacifies thy wrath,
that makes them mourn the more.
Help me to see that although I am in the wilderness
it is not all briars and barrenness.
I have bread from heaven, streams from the rock,
light by day, fire by night,
thy dwelling place and thy mercy seat.
I am sometimes discouraged by the way,
but though winding and trying it is safe and short;
Death dismays me, but my great high priest
stands in its waters,
and will open me a passage,
and beyond is a better country.
While I live let my life be exemplary,
When I die may my end be peace.
March 1st, 2010
Audio Sermons Now Available Online
Audio recordings of sermons are now available online. ( Audio Sermons Online )
There are two ways to listen to the sermons:
iTunes ( here ) - This is the best way to listen weekly since it is subscription based, meaning that once you “Subscribe” to the Greenville ARP sermons podcast, your computer will automatically download new “episodes” (sermons) as soon as they are available. A podcast is a free publication of audio or video that is available to the public for free using Apple’s program, iTunes, which is available for free to both Windows and Macintosh users. Go to the website, www.greenvillearp.com , and click on the “Ministries” tab. There you will see a link to download the program from Apple’s website. Follow the on-screen instructions for installation which should only take a few minutes through a high-speed internet connection. Once you have downloaded and installed iTunes, click on the “iTunes Store” and do a search for “Greenville ARP.” (Works just like a web search like Google or AOL except it is just for iTunes.) Click the “Subscribe” button, and you’re all set! Even though there is music and video for sale on iTunes, no purchase of any kind is required to listen to this podcast. Another great thing about using iTunes is that you can sync it with any type of iPod, and take the files with you or play them in your car.
Listen via the Web ( here ) - This is fine if you just want to listen to one sermon all the way through. The audio file will either be downloaded to your computer or will begin downloading (buffering) in a separate window. With most browsers, you can play the file directly within this window. I recommend using Mozilla Firefox. While there is a “scroll bar” to fast forward through the file, it is a little more difficult to control than it is with iTunes. Unless you actually download and save the mp3 file to your computer, you will not be keeping the file…you will have to go back and download it again next time you want to listen to any portion of it. This method is good for someone who is not interested in using iTunes or for listening to the file on a public access or library computer.
CDs and DVDs of sermons will continue to be available from the church office by request. This is simply an alternate method that some people may prefer. Please contact the church office to make your request.
March 1st, 2010