Author: janicevance

by Justin Morton

Last Sunday was an enjoyable day for our Walter Hill family. We had the privilege of coming together to worship without any fear of harm from outside forces. This is a blessing we should never take for granted, because many of our brothers and sisters around the world are not as fortunate. Following our period of worship, we were blessed to sit in classes and engage in the study of God’s Word together. Our Bible classes provide a great opportunity for Biblical study each week, and we are thankful for all of our teachers who take time to study and prepare lessons. We continued our afternoon together by sharing a fellowship meal. The food was great as always, but the time of fellowship we were able to share was such a blessing. Finally, we capped off our day by once again joining in worship to our heavenly Father, being led by several of our young men. Each and every one of the guys who participated did a terrific job. If you were not here last Sunday, you sure missed a special day. As I reflected on our day, it felt very much like the way the early church might have spent their time together as we read about in Acts.

A couple of weeks ago, we ran a flier on the front page of our bulletin with details about our upcoming Fall Festival on Sunday, October, 27^th. While many of the activities are similar to last year’s event, there is one notable change for this year. We are using our Fall Festival as an opportunity to restock our food pantry. Instead of the kid’s classes carving pumpkins, each class has designed a box that will be placed in the main lobby and also in the back of the auditorium to collect items for the Pantry Food Drive. Be sure to check all the boxes out.

Please bring peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, canned corn and canned green beans and place them in the box or boxes that you like the best! This will be fun for the kids and also help us be prepared to serve our community when needs arise. Our benevolence ministry is an important work that allows us to make connections with many who may not have a church home or relationship with the Lord.

Lastly, today was supposed to begin Round Two of our family returning to Atlanta for Miranda’s treatments. Unfortunately, Miranda had a minor setback so the plan is now for us to head back next Sunday afternoon. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel back and forth every weekend, and please pray for Miranda’s complete healing. We believe in the power of prayer and that God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20-21)! We love our Walter Hill family very much and cannot thank you enough for your love and support.

             We often take for granted the opportunity we have to worship with our church family.  Recently Emily and I worshipped with a sister congregation while on vacation and then worshipped with our teens at Reaching Rutherford.  Both worship services were uplifting and moving.  However, it was so great to be back at Walter Hill.  There’s something so special about approaching God’s throne in worship with your local church family.  May we never allow the regularity of our gatherings to undermine how special it is to gather as God’s family to worship our Heavenly Father, remember our Savior’s sacrifice and to encourage one another in the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). 

This week we are especially blessed with more time as a church family as we have our Bible classes immediately following our morning worship, followed by a fellowship meal, and an additional opportunity to worship together.  This additional worship service will be led by some of our young men.  We have so many young men it’s impossible to include them all.  Walter Hill is so blessed by our youth.  Like we can take worship for granted, we can take our youth for granted.  Yet, I assure you we have brothers and sisters around the world who would love to see young men lead in worship.  So, please stick around and worship with us during our afternoon service.  I know you will be encouraged.  The young men who will be speaking will all deliver messages related to the purpose of baptism.  How great that our young men will be delivering messages on a subject that so many in the religious world misunderstand.  While our world may seem like it’s falling apart, it is great to know God is doing great things through our youth.  Our prayer is that He will continue to work through them for years to come.

Below is the order of worship for our afternoon service:

Welcome:  Chris Elrod

Song:  Will Cooper

Prayer:  Henry Nance

Scripture Reading:  Jacolby Rainey – John 3:1-5

Song:  Will Cooper

Speaker 1:  Josh Miller – Mark 16:15-16

Song:  Will Cooper

Song:  Levi Tothforgony

Speaker 2:  Carson McNabb – Matthew 28:18-20

Song:  Levi Tothforgony

Scripture Reading:  Martin Nance – Acts 2:36-47

Song:  Danek Smith

Speaker 3:  Bennett Morris – Acts 22:16

Prayer:  Grant DeMario

Speaker 4:  Blake Lancaster – 1 Peter 3:21

Song:  Josh Miller

Speaker 5:  Will Cooper – Matthew 28:18-20

Song:  Josh Miller

Speaker 6:  Brayden Graves (invitation)

Song:  Josh Miller

Closing Song:  Eli Mitchell

Closing Prayer:  Braden McNabb

Communion in Room 105:  Jackson Pagel & Grant DeMario

by Justin Morton

             Sometimes simply saying “thank you” seems so insignificant.  Since learning of Miranda’s diagnosis, so many of you have reached out, sent cards, given gifts and taken Miranda’s name before the throne of our Almighty Father in heaven.  Our family has been so overwhelmed by the love and support shown to us during this time.

             To say the last few months have been a challenge is certainly an understatement.  While we have ministered to others who have gone through similar health situations, it is just different when it hits this close to home.  Although Miranda’s journey to healing is not complete, and we still have a battle in the coming months and years, we know we have your love, support and prayers to help us as we continue to navigate the journey ahead.  So from the bottom of our hearts, the Morton family would like to say, THANK YOU!  We truly love the good people of Walter Hill.

When Jesus was meeting with His apostles before He would suffer on Calvary’s cross, He made a statement that our family has seen lived out by our brethren.  Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Jesus commanded His apostles to “love one another.”  This command is not optional in the life of a follower of Jesus.  It is not something we get to decide if we will do or not.  Loving others is a command we are expected to live out.  In fact, loving one another is considered one of the two greatest commands given (Matthew 22:37-40).  Let that sink in.  Of all the commands the Jewish people were concerned with, it really boiled down to only two.  Just love God and love others.  If a person does both of these well, he or she will be living right.

Tina Turner used to sing, “What’s love got to do with it?”  Well, in the case of Christians, it has everything to do with it.  You see, it is by our love that others will know we are disciples of Jesus.  Your love for our family is a living testimony, and it is making an impact on those in the clinic in Atlanta.  Your support and encouragement has allowed Miranda to take a beautiful blanket and a stack of cards into her treatments EVERY DAY.  The nurses, doctors and other patients cannot get over the care she has received from our church family.  They talk about it every day.  Loving others is proof our hearts belong to Jesus, and your actions show your hearts belong to Jesus!  We consider it a great honor to be counted among such wonderful people whose hearts belong to Jesus.

             Once again, we are approaching the end of summer.  Cooler weather is just around the corner, but we also know how tricky Tennessee weather is, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a few more really hot days!  We are certain, however, that God is in control!  Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”(ESV)

With the Fall season comes lots of activities and opportunities to fellowship.  Today, in particular, we want to be mindful of a good number of our folks traveling for the Fall Camping Trip and our Ladies that are attending the Transform Ladies’ Conference in East Tennessee and pray for a safe return for everyone.

Our Primetimers are planning a trip to Granville on September 21^st, our Fall Fellowship is on October 27^th, and our Annual Gospel Singing is scheduled for November 8^th.  Please keep an eye on the bulletin and News and Notes to stay on top of all our activities and opportunities to get involved in the Lord’s work.

Our theme this year has been “Equip” and we have had lessons and classes on equipping the saints for service in God’s kingdom.  We would encourage you to find an area of service or an activity that gets you more involved in the work here at Walter Hill.  Also, look for opportunities to spread the gospel all around you!  Jesus says in Matthew 9:37-38 “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (ESV)  As we look forward to the change in seasons, let’s remember that our mission is to make disciples.  We are all commanded to be laborers in the Lord’s harvest and bring the Gospel of Christ to those that are lost.  

As we enter the harvest season, let’s commit ourselves to be a laborer in the fields and spread the Word!

by Justin Morton

This coming Monday is Labor Day. Did you know Oregon was the first state to pass a law recognizing Labor Day? This took place on February 21, 1887. It would be another 7 years, in June of 1894, before President Grover Cleveland would sign a law making the first Monday in September a legal holiday.[1]

I have always found this holiday interesting, especially given it’s name. For example, it’s called “Labor Day” and yet, many of us are given the day off from our day to day “labor.” It would seem the name of this holiday is misleading or simply just incorrect. But did you know, that Labor Day came about because workers “felt they were spending too many hours and days on the job?”[2]

Isn’t that interesting?  A Law was signed because workers were spending too much time working. And while we have a national holiday to remind us to take a break, many of us still struggle when it comes to taking time to rest. We go and go and push ourselves, sometimes past the point of exhaustion, because staying busy has become a badge of honor in our society.

From the beginning of the Bible, we see the importance of rest on display. God demonstrated such importance at the end of creation, after God saw that everything He had made was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Moses records, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Gen. 2:1-3).

When Moses was given the Law, we see the importance of rest demonstrated once again. The 4^th commandment of the 10 given was, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates” (Exo. 20:8-10).

And then there is Jesus. Throughout His ministry we see Him demonstrating the importance of rest. It was not uncommon for Him to slow down, take time to be alone and rest (Mark 6:30-32). If Jesus, the divine Son of God needed to stop and rest, what makes us think we are any different?

Maybe you are running on empty and feel worn out and exhausted. If so, consider the teachings of scripture and the example of Jesus. It may be time to give yourself a break.

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[1] https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history

[2] https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2023-09-01/have-we-forgotten-the-true-meaning-of-labor-day