EAST HILL BAPTIST CHURCH - NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 1998
Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees. Deuteronomy 8 v 11
DO NOT FORGET THE LORD YOUR GOD
The bible is very clear in teaching that God is concerned about our practical needs. He created the world in such a way that it would provide for the practical needs of human beings. The earth is an appropriate temperature for human life, has an atmosphere rich in life giving oxygen, has an abundance of water for us to drink and sustain all life and produces food to sustain a teeming human and animal population. The earth also provides a rich and complex variety of terrain, raw materials, plant and animal life over which God has given manking dominion, and in which we have developed our creative skills in marvellous ways, producing the technological world that we know today.
This is the time of year when we traditionally give thanks to God for all our material benefits, as in our harvest thanksgiving we thank God for his provision for us. He has blessed us in so richly in material ways here in Britain. But there are dangers that come with material blessing. In the book of Exodus, we are told how God intervened in human history to rescue the people of Israel from a life of cruelty and destitution as slaves in Egypt. His people learned first hand in a very direct way of God's love and care and provision for them, in rescuing them from Egypt, providing for their needs while they roamed in the dessert, and then finally giving them their own home where they had their own fertile land to provide a prosperous life for themselves.
But with their prosperity came a danger. A danger that they would forget the God who had given them all their prosperity. They were warned about it in Deuteronomy 8, they were told not to forget that it is God who is the source of material blessings. They were told to thank and praise him, and obey his laws as a response to his generosity towards them, and not to become proud and self sufficient. Sadly they didn't always remember that warning, and forgot that their prosperity came from God and turned their back on him and his laws. Although we do not live in old testament times, the same principles regarding material prosperity apply to us.
It is still God's who is the source of our material blessings. History shows us that it is often the case that where a society embraces the christian faith, and lives by Christs laws of love, service, truth and justice that it becomes a wealthy society. It could be argued that in Britain, our prosperity to some extent springs from our Christian heritage~ but whether that is true or not, the ultimate source of material prosperity is God's love and generosity.
The important question is, are we thankful to him as a nation, are we thankful to him as individuals? Perhaps more important do we show that thanks by obeying his laws? Those laws are distilled in the two commands: to love God, and to love our neighbour. We love God by worship and patterning our charachter on God's own charachter, we love our neighbour when we are prepared to give of ourselves and and our posessions to those in need. If God has prospered us, may we be willing to do that.
Yours in Christ, Peter.
OCTOBER 1998 - PROGRAMME
All services and meetings will be held on our new church premises unless another venue is indicated in the programme below. Rev Peter Neale will be preaching at all services unless an alternative speaker is indicated in the programme.
Sun 4th 10.30 am Harvest - Cham Kaur Mann
6.30 pm Harvest - Deuteronomy 8 Lord's Supper
Mon 5th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 6th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship speaker - Mr Lane
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Wed 7th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Thur 8th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler
Sat 10th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 11th 10.30 am Good Things to Come - Isaiah 40
6.30 pm History Under Control-Isaiah 41
Mon 12th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 13th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship speaker - Mrs Moore
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Wed 14th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
7.0O pm Deacon's Meeting
Thur 15th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
7.30 pm LBA South-west Regional
Fellowship at Tooting Junction
speaker - Dr Patricia Took
Sat 17th 10.00 am Church Cleaning
Sun 18th 10.30 am God of the Nations - Isaiah 42
Lord's Supper
6.30 pm God's Faithfulness - Isaiah 43
Mon 19th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 20th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship speaker - Miss Thompson
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Wed 21st 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Thur 22nd 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Sat 24th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 25th 10.30 am Israel's Rock - Isaiah 44
6.30 pm King's and Princes - Isaiah 45
Tues 27th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship speaker - Mr Connington
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Sat 31st 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
NOVEMBER
Sun 1st 10.30 am To be announced
6.30 pm Dr Terence Crosby
Lord's Supper
GIVING TO THE CHURCH
Offerings and donations to the church during the month of September totalled £828.59. The total for Anniversary Gifts so far this year is £615.00. Thanks to all who have given. If you still intend to make an Anniversary Gift, please pass it to Mr Troup by 31st of October.
ONE WORLD WEEK
One World Week is held every year in October to remind us all that whether we live in Asia, Africa, Europe or North or South America, we are all part of the one human race, and God's command to love our neighbour extends beyond national barriers to those in need wherever they may be.
As part of One World Week this year, Balham Baptist Church are hosting a roadshow for "Send a Cow", a charity that provides dairy cows for families in East Africa. This is on Wednesday 21st October at 7.30pm.
Please let Peter know if you want to go.
ALPHA
You have probably seen the Alpha Posters that have appeared all over the country in the past few weeks, and something like 9,000 Alpha courses have commenced flow as part of the Alpha Initiative. Alpha is for anyone who wants to know more about christianity, we are holding an Alpha course on Tuesday evenings, we start with a cup of tea or coffee before commencing to watch the video at 8pm, and then this is followed by discussion. Do come along if you are interested, or better still, bring a friend.
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