

Tribe
Your encouragement, love, and prayers for young people at South Main are making a difference! As we recently heard from our High School Graduates, their growing faith and trust in God has a solid foundation and they are ready to go with God’s blessing and grace. We are so proud of them! The Class of 2023 wants to share these words of thanksgiving with you.
Thrum & Scrum
Baggage
The Courage to Encourage
The Fullness of Reality
“But every animal can only tap into a small fraction of reality’s fullness.”
Ed Yong, An Immense World
Landing Instructions
“Any kid can fly, few can land…”
—The Who
Mistrust the Rush
And it was so, when Elijah heard it.…
—I Kings 19:13
Jude and Revelation
Na…na…na…na-na-na-na…na-na-na-na…
— Hey Jude, Paul McCartney
Please Remain Seated
“If I just sit there long enough, something will happen.”
— Anne Lamott
As Midtown Houston continues to experience a transformation, South Main’s relationships with our neighbors are evolving. To help keep up with these changes, we are excited to announce that Jennifer Gribble will serve as South Main’s Community Outreach Director. This brand new role on the Communications Team will focus on the surrounding community as well as guests that visit So
Calories that Count
Legibility
More
“There is no limit to beauty, no saturation point in design, no end to the material.”
—Salvatore Ferragamo
Operación San Andrés' (OSA) ministry efforts in Peru are built on the four pillars of FAMILY, EDUCATION, CHURCH, and SERVICE. Within these pillars, educational enrichment of children and youth remains at the core of OSA’s mission to alleviate the effects of poverty in Peru by transforming families through the love of Christ.
Hubris
Epic
“My Client will wait.”
Antonio Gaudí, Architect, La Sagrada Familia
Approaching Lent
“Never fail to attend in victory that which you would certainly address in defeat.”
—Jeff Van Gundy
It All Accumulates
“Compound interest always works in your best interest!”
—Mr. Honest Money
Furthermore, I propose…
“Furthermore, I propose that Carthage must be destroyed.”
—Cato the Elder (234 BC — 149 BC)
The Roman senator known to history as Cato the Elder, for a long time ended every speech he gave like this:
The Curse of the Close Facsimile
“Because of low royalties, we can’t reveal the artists.”
—Disclaimer (TEJ Records)
Anger
“A destructive passion is harnessed by directing
that same passion into constructive channels.”
—Martin Luther King
Ephemeral
Flowers grow without any literal meaning, they are just beautiful.
—George Balanchine
Single-Tasking
“This is the case. There are no other cases.”
—Frank Galvin, The Verdict
Getting Home
To be happy at home is…the end to which every enterprise and labor tends…
— Dr. Samuel Johnson
If Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, then why are we the ones who get the presents?
As we reach the end of Advent, we encourage you to take a few moments to read and pray your way through Luke 2:1–20, the story of Jesus’s birth. It is our prayer that reading this story, whether for the first or five-hundredth time, will remind you of God’s great love for you.
When I look at the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? – Psalm 8:3-4
“Wonder makes you feel smaller. Not insignificant but smaller, in the sense that you are a piece of a greater whole.” Dr. Anthony T. DeBenedet, MD
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:18
“And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us” – 1 John 3:23
By Kathy Bernal
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” – John 4:18.
Absence
There’s nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us.
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
By Jessie Horton
“But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” – Luke 2:19
This Advent season, I’ve chosen to contemplate the theme of love. People say that there is close to nothing like a mother’s love. Looking to Mary, mother of Jesus, as well as my own mother, I know that this is true.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. – Romans 8:28
By Adam Cogliano
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. – Lamentations 3:22
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. – John 15:11-12
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” – Luke 2:10
By Zane Spoede
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. – 1 Corinthians 13:11-12
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. – Philippians 4:5
By Michael Raimer-Goodman
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. – Isaiah 55:12
Jesus replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” – Luke 19:40
What’s “New”?
“Behold, I make all things new.”
—Revelation 21:5
By Greta Buehrle
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. – Matthew 2:10
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13
By Mary Stedham
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13
By Jana and Kelly Bryant
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. – Hebrews 6:19–20
By Isabella Alas
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. – Romans 8:18
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:30–31
Unreservedly
“Like it more unreservedly.”
—Christopher Nolan
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.
– Acts 2:46
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
– Romans 15:13
. . . [T]he rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
– Luke 1:78b–79
By Rachel and Zach Graves
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
– Matthew 11:28–30
And on earth peace, good will to men. – Luke 2:14
by Gordan Musgrove
Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
– John 14:27
By Robert Jeffries
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
“There’s always someone in the stands…who’s seeing me play for the first time, or someone who may be seeing me for the only time or for the last time.” —Joe DiMaggio Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, and my all-time favorite, Roberto Clemente—I got to see all of them at the Astrodome growing up. Looking back on it, I have to hand it to my dad for taking us—my brother David, a teenager in the Big Brother program named John, and me—to so many Astros games.
By Jonah Dove
"You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."
– Job 42:3
If you have gotten an email from me it’s likely that I ended by saying Peace. For me it’s a pause, a deep breath, a rest note. Peace. Sit by me during worship and you'll know about three minutes into the service that I’m not a singer. In fact, I’m not a musician in any sense of the word. That said, I do think about music—in fact I think about it a lot. I enjoy music but enjoying music doesn’t, in and of itself, require me to think about music.
ADVENT: FULFILLED "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through Him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God." – 2 Corinthians 1:20 Advent is an opportunity to renew our deep sense of wonder in the world.
Looking for the Scintilla
scin-til-la (noun):
a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling.
Banking on Hope
“George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination. Because that's what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”
—Saving Mr. Banks
Saints & Poets
The saints and poets maybe—they do some.
—The Stage Director in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town
School
“We have two lives...the life we learn with and the life we live after that.”
— Iris Lemon in Bernard Malamud’s The Natural
The Fog
“It’s like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights,
but you can make the whole trip that way.”
— E.L. Doctorow
The Line
“This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Mercy
“Mercy.”
—Gertie Warren Funderburk
I Wonder
“I wonder…”
—Ray Ashford, And We Fly Away
The Dishes
“Everyone wants to save the Earth;
nobody wants to help Mom do the dishes.”
—P.J. O’Rourke
Renegade Goodwill
“Of course, none of this is likely, but it’s also not impossible.
It just depends on what you want to consider.”
—David Foster Wallace
Not Yet Spent…
I do not despair of this country…The fiat of the Almighty,
"Let there be Light," has not yet spent its force.
—Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
Remove One
“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror
and remove one accessory.”
—Coco Chanel
It’ll Be That Faint…
…One day the sun will come out—you might not even notice straight away, it'll be that faint. And then you'll catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past…
And you'll realize that this is where your life is.
Love Songs
My name is Nick Cave and I have a few things to tell you.
—Nick Cave, The Secret Life of the Love Song
Observe
“I don’t think many people fully understand the value of observing.”
—Sir Alexander Ferguson, Manager, Manchester United, 1986—2013
I Wish I’d Known That About Him…
“In this passage… I think we find the essence of religion.”
—George McDonald
However Healed
“Notice how the cross and the doors and the clock are all off-center,
yet it still remains in balance.”
—Columbus, 2017
A Widening Grace
Bear with one another…
Colossians 3:13 (a)
Two Lenses
“…the compound of the two produces an undistorted picture.”
— Eric Weinstein
As a rising college freshman, the Peru trip was truly the capstone of my youth group experience. For me, this trip encompassed every aspect of the youth group most important to me: community, faith, and service.
Failures of Kindness
“What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.”
—George Saunders
Carry Each Other
“We get to carry each other…”
—U2, One
“You’re Doing a Good Job.”
“You’re doing a good job.”
—President Harry Truman addressing a tree on Maple Street, Independence, Missouri, 1964
Members of our rising high school senior class and rising college freshmen are spending this week in Collique, Peru serving with Operation San Andres, a Ministry of South Main, as their capstone experience in the Family Ministry.
Today we painted the home of a family from Grace Church in Edinburg, even though some of us have never done anything like that before. You could tell the mom, Ana, was so grateful by the look on her face. Mr. Jorge and Mr. George from Hearts4Kids taught us about the community and influenced us to keep serving.
Our day started bright and early with homemade Texas waffles, then we packed our lunches and loaded up the bus. On the way to our worksite at New Wine Church, we jammed out to some tunes and had a karaoke party. Today we partnered with Mr. Jose and his son, Mr. George, who are with Hearts4Kids.
After a long bus ride yesterday, our group arrived at our hotel, appreciative of the fact we could finally sleep in a bed, rather than bumpy bus seats. The next day we woke up, ate breakfast, and had a devotional led by JT Spoede, where we read Matthew 5. We rode into Shaw, where we saw a town way different than Houston.
Each Sunday this summer promises a remarkable and unrepeatable worship experience at South Main as a series of stellar preachers and teachers lead us from the pulpit.
Pauline scholar, Todd Still, the Dean of Truett Seminary, denominational leader, and close, long-time friend of our church (June 12, 19, July 3, 10);
The Fire
“The object of hope is a future good— difficult but possible to obtain.”
—Thomas Aquinas
It is with a great debt of gratitude that I want to thank each of the members of the Music Minister Search Committee:
This summer The 527 Tribe is traveling to the Rio Grande Valley as part of a three-year cycle of exposure to rural communities unlike our own. These communities are impacted by poverty and systemic injustice. On Sundays we have grown our understanding of community, what gifts God has given us, and in what ways we are called to serve.
Our Youth travel to Shaw, Mississippi to work alongside Delta Hands for Hope, whose mission is to empower and provide educational resources to school-aged children in the Mississippi Delta. Youth will help with the regular summer programming provided for children in the community and travel to Memphis to visit the Civil Rights Museum and Lorraine Motel.
If other eyes grow dull…
With the news of another mass shooting, this time at an elementary school in Uvalde, I awoke today asking, “where are you God, in the face of such evil?” We are all in grief over this tragedy, shocked again at such evil. As I struggled with this anguish my heart was drawn to the psalms of lament.
A message from Nancy McNiel, Personnel Committee Chair and Steve Wells, Pastor:
Dear South Main family,
Eleanor Rigby
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been…
All the lonely people, Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, Where do they all belong?
—Lennon, McCartney & Harrison, Eleanor Rigby
This week we celebrate Bill Pugh's long service to our church. Bill has gracefully ministered to God’s people at South Main as our Director of Facilities for 20 years. Join us as we thank Bill for his dedication to the South Main church family.
Learn more about Bill through this Q&A:
Tell us about your family.
Astonishing
“Oh my goodness!”
—Churchill Downs Track Announcer Larry Collmus
Don’t Look a Gift Universe in the Mouth
“Don’t look a gift universe in the mouth.”
— G.K. Chesterton
Midtown Midweek Summer Break
Our Midtown Midweek summer break will begin May 11. Wednesday night Family Ministry programming, Fellowship supper, and Bible study will resume in the fall.
Music rehearsals will continue into the summer.
Each year until Pentecost Sunday, South Main collects a missions offering which supplements our budgetary missions giving. The Missions Committee distributes these funds to address emergent needs or simply assist our partners with their ongoing budget needs. Use this link give online.
Botherations “I had botherations that led to good things.” — Civil War Historian and Author, Shelby Foote
Stop by and say Hello!
An exciting addition to the Welcome Center is our new Coffee Corner. This area is intended to be a dedicated space for our guests to visit with our Greeter Team, learn about South Main, and take that next step in engaging in the life of South Main.
Trying Enough Cases “If you’re winning all your cases, you’re probably not trying enough cases.” — Weldon Funderburk
The Spring 2022 edition of The Fount publication is now available for you to pick up at church. You may also read online at this link.
There are wonderful articles about journeys of faith from our congregation and staff that you don't want to miss!
Translating Easter
She listens, listens, holding her breath.
—Denise Levertov, Servant-Girl at Emmaus, a Painting by Velazquez
Sweet Aroma of Christ Early on in my journey as a disciple of Christ, God used a stranger—a man I had never met and have never seen again—to profoundly impact my view of my calling as a Christian. I was visiting at the hospital and feeling a little depressed and overwhelmed by the suffering there.
A New Thing
At last, my final trip home. The culmination of six months of dread and anticipation: Two and a half months of planning and preparation as deeply veined and craggy as the terrain outside the window of my cross country journey and a daily choice to anticipate miracles and blessings in the unknown of every step.
Hold on to Love….
By Finley Walton
How Will I Be Different?
When I wake up on Resurrection Sunday morning, how will I be different?
—Rachel Held Evans
Pancakes, Car Lines, and Bag of Donuts
By John Wade
Not My Will, But Thine
When I was growing up, my small rural church of fewer than a hundred congregants held spring and fall revivals often. But, the year when I was in fifth grade was different. I was ten and I had not yet made a public profession of faith—something that concerned my mother greatly.
BAD WEATHER, By Chairein Jackson Storms can be scary; high winds, heavy rain, poor traveling conditions. If a storm is bad, it can conjure different elements at the same time.
Grit, Pluck, & Agency
“We can’t guarantee success…but we can do something better. We can deserve it.”
—John Adams, letter to Abigail Adams during the Revolutionary War
Becoming Children of God
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1: 12, NIV
The Day the Light Came On
I was born into a family of church people. My paternal grandmother was the widow of the pastor of Greater Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, four blocks down the street from my childhood home.
Finding God in the Darkness….
By Eileen Barsch
Heaven & Earth Commingled
To make divine things human and human things divine—such is Bach.
— Pablo Casals
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
As I reflect on the importance of Lent, I think about God’s faithfulness toward me, and remember the ways God has prepared me through each season of my life so far to be who I am today. I try to remember that my goals or needs may be relatively small or short-term in the big picture.
Because I Have Been Given MuchBy Margie Ehlers
Cheese. It is one of my favorite foods and the first thing I ever gave up when I decided that I should give something up for Lent. To be honest, I had not taken the time to reflect, or even pray, about why I was giving up one of my favorite foods.
The Call
Many people are called TO the ministry - I was called AWAY from it. I remember it as if it were yesterday. Megan and I had moved across the country so that she could attend graduate school and I could attend seminary.
Prayer teaches us what to aspire to
“Prayer teaches us what to aspire to.”
— Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
You are Never Alone
According to legend, every Cherokee Indian boy was required to spend a night alone in the forest as part of the rite of passage to manhood. The soon-to-be man was taken into the forest by his father who blindfolded him and left him alone overnight. The boy was not allowed to cry out for help and could not remove the blind until morning.
A Time to Regroup
After graduating from college with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree I was fortunate to land a nice position at a high school as their choir director. I wasn’t much older than my students, but for those first four years I was having success and a great time. Then, after a few years, for reasons I still don’t understand, the tides began to turn.
With Gratitude for my Personal Lampstand
South Main Baptist Church has been a lampstand in my life for almost forty years.
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
By Trey Medley
Finding Joy in the Journey
As many of you know, our daughter, Lily, was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in January of 2021. That entire year was spent painstakingly eradicating the disease and then preparing her body for a bone marrow transplant.
One of my favorite places to be is in the 2 and 3 year old classrooms on the preschool hall at South Main Baptist Church. The little children crawl into my lap and I get to love them just like Jesus did. I know many adults might refer to this age as the “terrible twos" and "temper tantrum threes,” but to me two and three-year-old children are pure JOY.
Out of the Darkness into the Light For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. II Corinthians 4:6 My husband and I both had been blessed with good health through our first 50 years of marriage.
Do you give the horse its strength…
Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
— Job, Chapter 39:19
Stone of Hope
“Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”
WHY LENT? Growing up my church did not participate in Lent. As far as I could tell, first we shopped for Christmas, then we shopped for Easter. I still knew what Lent was because I had friends who gave up Coca-Cola, or ice cream, or, most notably, “listening to The Beatles because that is a huge sacrifice for me...
As we move deeper into the year, our mission work at South Main is roaring along at full speed. You might be asking...how can I help? We have three different mission areas that have urgent needs—one relates to assisting students at an under-resourced elementary school in our neighborhood; another concerns assisting the numerous Afghan refugees who have recently come t
The Holy Act of Noticing
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries…
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh, Book 7, 1857
Due to improving COVID-19 numbers in the Houston region, our COVID-19 Advisory Task Force has voted to move our protocol to “Masks Optional” beginning Sunday, February 27. As our church family moves forward, let’s continue to love one another, whether we choose to wear masks or not.
I have been abundantly blessed to work with the Family Ministry in many ways: handbells, handchimes, choir, & MainKids musical. I have helped with Missions on the Go, MainKids University, Worship Discover Share club, & Sunday School.
With 2022 well underway, our church’s annual mission efforts are getting up to full speed. As is our custom at South Main, we allocate 10% of our yearly budgeted giving to our missions efforts.
If the World Were Perfect…
“If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.” —Yogi Berra
I’ll admit it, I LOVE the 527 Tribe! If you had told me 5 years ago that I would ever enjoy hanging out with pre-teens, I might have laughed out loud to your face in smug disbelief. I remember the age well and why most people are relieved to be past it.
This month we celebrate 40 years of David Johnson leading the Broadcast team. This group of volunteers has enabled our services to be shared online for over 60 years to our community and beyond.
The Dances You’ve Already Had “No matter what, nobody can take away the dances you've already had.” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1927—2014 Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a Colombian writer. He remains best known for his epic 1967 novel...
Turner Fellowship Hall was dedicated on January 30, 2022 in honor of Dr. Bill Turner, Pastor from 1985–2002.
The Stewardship Committee is here to help us all become better disciples of Christ through giving a portion of what He has given us back to the church. We're excited to see what God has planned for us to grow His kingdom in 2022.
We have been blessed by Greg's ministry and work as a member of our Pastoral Team for 10 years! When you see Greg this week be sure to thank him for all that he does for South Main.
The Effect of Your Being
“But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
I am a volunteer in the MainKids area. Every Sunday I witness so many acts of love and kindness for the children at South Main. I wish every parent had the opportunity to observe the wonderful things that are happening for the children in the Family Ministry.
The Law of the Gift
“I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."
— Albert Schweitzer, 1875—1965
How Long the Good in Them Lasts…
“The true measure of all our actions is how long the good in them lasts.”
— Queen Elizabeth II
Shaping Conscience
He played a great part in shaping my conscience.
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Hannah Rollins Did you know that “527” in the The 527 Tribe means, 5th to 7th graders? The Tribe, for short, is the place for our fifth, sixth, and seventh grade youth at South Main. Five years ago, as Mrs. Dolores returned from her sabbatical, where she had dreamed up a new structure of the family ministry, The Tribe was born.
Has it felt like your life has been on pause in some areas for the past 2 years? As we kick off a New Year, we want to encourage you to examine where you can make the choice to Press Play.
If Ruth Could Among Foreign Corn…
If Ruth could among foreign corn begin the line of Judah that led to David—then what is not possible, and what would not be disallowed.
— Mark Helprin
Beginning at 5:00 PM, fellowship supper is served for adults ($9) and for kids ($6).
At 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall Matt Walton will begin a new Bible Study series titled, Reliable Navigation. This series will explore various passages from the Old Testament that highlight God's presence and help in ages past beginning with Numbers 9:1-5.
New Sunday Edition at 9:00 AM Brand new for the new year, an extra dish of Dishin' with Dolores comes to the 9:00 AM Discover/Share hour! Join us for a breakfast dish, coffee, and real talk about Monday through Sunday parenting with lots of laughter. We meet each Sunday morning in The Commons.
The Personnel Committee has approved the following group to search for our next Minister of Music and Worship:
All adult and Family Ministry discipleship opportunities have resumed on Sundays. Join us from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM for worshiping, discovering, and sharing together.
Watch this video from Pastor Steve about how you can Press Play in January at South Main Baptist Church.
Thank you, South Main, we have oversubscribed our 2021 budget! Our hearts and minds are filled with gratitude as we look forward to what God has planned for us in 2022.
With only two days to go, we still have a hill to climb. We started December needing to give over $1.1 million in order to meet our budget. That the need is now under $300,000 means most of the people reading these words have already given generously. Thank you!
Before you read anything else, please know this: South Main is the most generous congregation I know. Year in and year out, you faithfully and sacrificially give so we can do a tremendous amount of Kingdom work with both excellence and beauty. Undergirding everything else in this message, please hear a very grateful "thank you!"
By Nancy Bunte
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5
The rapid spread of the omicron variant across our community is, unfortunately, disrupting many plans this season. As this variant is spreading faster than previous strains, we are grateful that early data seems to indicate breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated people are less severe, particularly for those who have received a booster dose.
$769,196 is needed to meet the 2021 budget. Give here now.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: “Here am I: If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
Austerity Train yourself to think only those thoughts such that in answer to the sudden question ‘What is in your mind now?’ you could reply in all honesty that all within you is simple and benevolent and worthy… —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
This is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:10
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Matthew 2:10
On a dark December evening some thirty years ago, my parents taught me the true meaning of Christmas.
By Tiffany Cate
It only lasts for ten minutes and twenty-seven seconds. It is, quite possibly, the shortest Christmas pageant in the history of all Christmas pageants. Regardless, each September we begin auditioning and rehearsing our sweet, wide eyed four and five year olds for the MainKids Christmas Pageant. “How can something so short take so long to prepare?” one might ask.
We have 17 days remaining in 2021 and we need to give $1,011,130 in order to fully fund our budget. The good news is that is only $59,478 per day. The reality is in those same 17 days at the end of 2020 we gave $847,727.
Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
Three years ago, in October, my husband, Johnny, was out of work for three months because of a work-related injury. We tried very hard to make ends meet on the income of my part-time job and became very aware of doing without all the extras.
Triage It happens on trips, at concerts, and especially at my kids’ events. Something cool is happening right in front of me and rather than just experiencing it purely in the present, I elect instead to capture it for posterity from behind my smartphone.
When you consider the difference between joy and happiness, what comes to mind? I suspect the answer depends on many things.
To the seven-year-old beginning reader, the difference may be that one is a really short word and the other is long and much harder to spell.
By Bob Seale
This morning I awoke earlier than usual and lay in bed attempting to pray. My prayers were frequently invaded by thoughts of the many things I had to do in preparation for Christmas. Reports had to be finished, gifts bought, cards addressed, parties attended.
By Vivian Spoede
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light...
Ephesians 5:8
By Claire Kent, Family Ministry Resident
It seems to happen every year: we pray over, write, and then adopt a budget that will guide our work together for the year. Through the course of the year we give 75% of the budget in 11 months. Then each year we come into December needing to give more than we have ever given before in order to meet the budget. And then, more years than not, we give the whole budget.
By Pattie Chapman
Arise, shine; for your Light has come.
Isaiah 60:1a
Agility There are definitely two camps on this: Some parents like to know the gender of their baby beforehand, some don’t. My wife, Kelly, and I fell into the latter category...
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:4
By Betty McGary
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1: 5
The year 1979 was the worst year of my life. My nineteen-year marriage had ended, my dreams had died. Everything that had been “nailed down” for me had “come loose.” It seemed there were ”ashes for breakfast” every morning.
By Michael Shirl
A Voice is Heard in Ramah...
Matthew 2:18
Several years ago, I remember Dolores sharing how she and Steve loved to read his vintage Arch books to their girls while they were growing up, and wonderful memories flooded my mind. My beloved Mammaw read numerous Bible stories to me from her own collection of Arch books.
Hope – Peace – Joy – Love are the weekly themes of each Advent season. Of the four, hope is the only focus whereby the measure of how much is perhaps inconsequential. No one ever wants a little bit of peace, a drop of joy, or a morsel of love. You can never have too much peace. Whether peace within our hearts or peace for the entire world, the more peace the better.
Reckon
My grandfather and his 13 siblings who survived into adulthood, whom I encountered at our family reunions when I was a kid, each used the term, “I reckon” a great deal. As in:
Q: Will we have the family reunion again next year?
A: I reckon so.
Hail the heaven-born
Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give us second birth.
Touch Down
Watch Dr. Goodman's Video
Don't miss any events leading to Christmas this year!
Senior year. The last two semesters of high school can be one of the most gut-wrenching, anxiety-inducing times in the lives of our students. During this time, students not only have to balance academics with church, work, friends, family, and extracurricular activities, but they also have to make some of the biggest decisions of their lives so far.
Conviction
By Hannah Rollins, Family Ministry for Share and Associate to The 527 Tribe
Carey Cannon, Minister for Music and Worship, has been called to serve at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas.
The Middle When force of circumstance upsets your equanimity, lose no time in recovering your self-control, and do not remain out of tune longer than you can help. Habitual recurrence to the harmony will increase your mastery of it. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
My favorite Family Ministry value is EXCELLENCE. I love excellence because I believe it is holy. God gives us excellence all the time. It’s all around us! God didn’t just make “any old tree,” He made giant sequoias that you can walk through; He didn’t just make “any old hole in the ground with water,” He made crystal clear springs with majestic waterfalls.
Betting on Hope
Hortencia Gutierrez has served the children at South Main lovingly for the past twenty-five years. As we celebrate this anniversary milestone with her, we sat down to learn more about her life outside of South Main, how she came to be here, and her experience in the Family Ministry.
Reticence In the days before cell phones, selfies, and videos taken on our ever-present handheld devices, many of you will recall how we used to memorialize our special occasions with Super 8 cameras. In addition, at least in my family’s case, every once in a while we’d also capture the audio of our special moments.
The South Main COVID-19 Advisory Task Force has reassessed our protocols due to the declining numbers in Houston and beginning this Sunday, October 24, masks will be optional for those who are fully vaccinated.
By Claire Kent, Family Ministry Resident
The Family Ministry Residency program is designed to further equip and empower seminary graduates for congregational ministry.
Growing Wonder I guess it’s embedded pretty deeply in my DNA because it’s happened a few times, including this past week. I was in a parking lot walking toward my car when my heart jumped at something on the asphalt.
The economic impact of the global pandemic has been particularly severe in third-world countries such as Peru. One result has been increased hunger in the community of Collique, served by South Main’s ministry partner, Operación San Andrés (OSA). To address this problem, OSA has partnered with almost 50 soup kitchens that have sprung up all around Collique.
The Thread Do you find yourself wanting to skip over some of the challenging parts of your days, your weeks, your life, to get to the parts that are more enjoyable, easier, and more readily savored? Yeah, I do too.
Counter-Intuitions
Our partner Interfaith Ministries, one of the agencies responsible for settling Afghan refugees as they arrive in Houston, needs some help. Interfaith has Kroger gift cards and specific shopping lists. What they don’t have are people to shop and drop the groceries at refugees' apartments.
Are you new to South Main? Would you like to learn more about this church, our history, and ways to connect with other believers? You are invited to explore what comes next in your faith here at South Main with the Next Step Class. The Next Step Class is a four-week introductory small group led by Matt Walton, Minister for Discipleship, and Discipleship Ministry volunteers.
Fit As our younger son, Charlie, has moved into his final year of high school, I find myself unsettled by the possibility that perhaps I’ve failed to download all the important father/son lessons he might need. Despite this possible failure on my part, Charlie has nevertheless grown up to become a responsible, generous, humble, kind, and honest person.
High school seniors juggle the pressures of both preparing for the future and embracing the present. It is a huge task for teenagers. With this in mind, we started a monthly Senior Night for seniors in our youth group. We gather for fellowship and conversations about topics related to their capstone year, finishing well, and gearing up for what’s to come after high school.
We all want to make a difference in the world, but to whom should we entrust what we have? We place our faith in the teaching that God continues to incarnate Christ in the world through the church when we enable the church to act in our local community and beyond. This October, you’ll receive a commitment/pledge card related to South Main’s 2022 budget.
Examen When I look back at my school days, there were a few triumphs, but also some memorable disasters. Algebra in middle school was vexing. In high school, I was flummoxed by William Faulkner and his virtually impenetrable novels. I made a befuddled exit from a computer science class in college right before the drop deadline, and I certainly stumbled through a number of law school exams.
Begin Again As a teenager, it was my job to care for the yard. I’d roll out our green Lawn Boy mower from the storeroom, pull the starter, and cut the grass. It was a chore, but I came to enjoy the exertion and the feeling of visible accomplishment the task bestowed. One particular Saturday morning, however, problems arose.
Tares
The world seems inordinately messy as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches. In response, here’s a reflection from a few years back. September 11 fell on a Sunday that year.
Our neighbors in Louisiana are recovering from Hurricane Ida. People in Haiti are in desperate need following the recent earthquake and flooding. We anticipate many refugees will arrive in Houston from Afghanistan shortly. If you’ve been moved to help those whose lives have been turned upside down, please give to South Main's Disaster Relief designated fund.
Bravo! In seventh grade at Pin Oak Middle School, my son Hank chose Theatre as an elective. Ok, I thought, he’d get an introduction to the arts, learn a classic or two, and improve at public speaking.
Courtroom dramas have produced some of Hollywood’s most compelling dialogue, but it’s hard to top this memorable scene from Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay for A Few Good Men:
Lieutenant Kaffee: Colonel Jessup, did you order the Code Red?
Judge Randolph: You don't have to answer that question!
As we begin a new Sunday morning schedule, our sermon series and thematic focus this fall will be on the rich and beautiful idea of the Sabbath. With this blessing and gift, God provides us a sanctuary in time each week for us to turn from the bustle and toil of our world to renew our souls in the presence of the Divine.
The Odds There once was a Big Bang. You may have heard of it. It happened about 14 billion years ago. It could have occurred in all sorts of ways. The chemical elements released might have instantly collapsed back on themselves.
Due to the rapid surge of COVID-19 cases in the Houston area, the COVID-19 Advisory Task Force has made the decision to temporarily require masks for all people (over the age of 2), regardless of vaccination status, while indoors at South Main.
The Twisties & the Yips Simone Biles has four gymnastic skills named after her. She’s one of the most decorated Olympians of all time. Any country. Any sport.
When Kiran was in the MainKids group, she prayed with her mom and asked Jesus to come into her heart. As time passed on, Kiran felt the calling for the next step and to follow the Lord in baptism. When Kiran decided to go forward for baptism, the Church shut down due to COVID.
Your Equation Since I was a kid I’ve admired the genius of H.B. Reese. He was a Pennsylvania dairy farmer before becoming a shipping foreman for chocolatier Milton Hershey. Then, on November 15, 1928, Reese created what would become known as the peanut butter cup.
Beginning Sunday, August 1, masks are strongly recommended for all people, regardless of vaccination status, while indoors at SMBC. Masks will continue to be required in most Family Ministry areas, including for adults who work with our children.
Ruby Jefferies is 11 years old and a rising 6th grader. She is an active member of the Tribe and also rings Handbells. Ruby's parents are Alison and Rob Jefferies and her sister, Jenna, is active with our Youth. Ruby is a fourth generation South Mainer and her grandparents are Jane and Brian Jefferies.
The Goalposts Longtime Houston football fans will remember Billy Johnson. He was a kick returner and a receiver who played for the Oilers in the ’70s and early ’80s. Almost completely unknown coming out of college, he was drafted in the last round of the 1974 NFL draft from little Widener College in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Kayli is a small town girl from Port Neches, TX. She was a high school soccer player and loves animals especially her Maltese pup named Bette Davis. Kayli was raiesd in the Church of Christ, she went to Texas A&M University and studied Environmental design before attending UH for her Masters of Architecture.
Over the past several months South Main’s Operación San Andrés (OSA) mission in Peru has made major adjustments to its ministry endeavors in response to the on-going global pandemic. Examples include:
The Very Bad Show It was some time after college that I was recruited to be in a play—a community theatre presentation of some renown. An acquaintance had poured his soul into writing a stage drama and wanted me to play a crucial role in it. It was an especially important part as there were only two characters in the whole show.
Lucy Gray moved to The Village at Southampton in January of 2021 to live near her daughter and son-in-law, Caroline and Larry Heard. Another blessing of the move was to be near four of her nine grandchildren. She was a member at First Baptist Church Pensacola, Florida where she was active in missions programs such as the GA’s and the WMU, Sunday school and the church choir.
The Hurdles Anne Johnson spreads joy through the Gospel ministry of the warm embrace—the hug. Long before I met Anne though, I was friends with her nephew, Scott Sanders. Although we didn’t attend the same schools growing up, we went to the same church and played basketball together.
Michael experienced a strong coming to faith over the last few months of 2020 and wanted to join a religious community with which he could continue his journey and growth in faith. He was looking for a church that had a serious commitment to the Gospel and a range of programs for outreach to the Houston community.
And then there were Youth...
Twenty-five MainKids attended MainKids University on the South Main Baptist Church campus this past week on a quest to discover the unique plan and path that God has for their life. The verse from Jeremiah 29:11 was their guide "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.'"
Tiffany's husband, John Cate, has been a member of South Main since he was in college at Rice University over 10 years ago. They decided as a family to make this their church home together and joined a Sunday School community in January of 2020 before the pandemic hit so they did have a few “normal” months. Tiffany joined as a church member in October of 2020.
Playground Injuries About ten years ago, my wife Kelly and I saw the world premiere of a play at the Alley Theater called Gruesome Playground Injuries. Written by Rajiv Joseph, it was billed as a dark comedy and at least in my eyes, turned out more dark than comedy.
Jack Williams joined in June of 2020 and is married to Margie Williams who was already a South Main member. Pastor Steve officiated their wedding at South Main in April of 2018. Jack and Margie live in Onalaska. Jack is an ordained minister that has spent the past eleven years doing prison/jail ministry, three on death row.
Read sweet words of gratitude from our graduating seniors....
Audrey Scott
Thank you South Main for being a home to me no matter where I have lived. Even from a distance, you have been a source of encouragement and support, and I am so grateful that this community is one that I can remain a part of, long after graduation.
I’ve recently started to bump up against the capacity limits of my smartphone. I try to download an audiobook or a show, and I’m sternly admonished that I have no more space available. Fortunately, I’m informed that I can do something about this.
Biser Ovcharov joined South Main in April of 2020. What attracted him to South Main is our connection with the Cooperatiave Baptist Fellowship, Wilshire Baptist Church, where he was previously a member, and South Main's commitment to social justice and equity.
Evan Lambert
Thank you South Main family for being the hands and feet of God, and allowing me to volunteer alongside you in outreach programs with Buckner International and Operacion San Andres. Thank you South Main for being a sacred space of worship and fellowship together.
Hayden McLaughlin
MONDAY OVER COFFEE: JUNE 14, 2021 Need a Word of Encouragement? Quietly & Humbly Over the course of history, approximately 120 billion people have lived on this planet. And we now know that Earth is only one of a hundred billion planets that exist in just our galaxy alone.
Albert “Perk” Perkins, Jr. is 101 years old and was the first person to join South Main virtually during the pandemic on March 29, 2020. Perk is blessed to be in this church family with his daughter and son in law, Brenda and Thomas Coker, granddaughter Catrice Mays, and great granddaughters, Caroline, Elaina, and Callie Mays.
Anna Bernal
Dear South Main,
Thank you for loving me, guiding me and supporting me through life’s ups and downs. You have shown me the importance of having a church family and provided me with memories and experiences that helped shape who I am today.
Love, Anna Grace
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Pilgrim
With summer here and the pandemic increasingly receding into our shared past, it’s my hope we all have a chance in the near future for a vacation. Everyone needs a break, a respite, a time to get away—to somewhere.
By Brian Jefferies, South Main Member. A heartfelt thank you to Brian for sharing this personal story as we reflect on the sacrifices so many made this Memorial Day weekend
Need a Word of Encouragement? God on Deep Background All the President’s Men is one of my favorite films. It nudged me into journalism in high school where I began to write for the school paper
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ION
South Mainers, As you likely saw, the CDC issued updated guidance yesterday that stated fully vaccinated people can resume both outdoor and indoor activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing. This is great news as it is a sign we are getting COVID-19 further under control! The South Main COVID-19 Advisory Task Fo
The Senior Class of 2021 prepares to be blessed and be a blessing to their entire church family on Sunday, May 23. On that day, each of our fourteen seniors will be presented with a keepsake wooden box hand-crafted by Andy Sikes. These boxes will be filled with notes from their church family affirming them and showering them with love and support.
Dear South Main family,
As promised, we want to share the results of the congregational vaccination survey and our updated safety protocols.
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Goldilocks
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Be Gentle
Congratulations to South Main member Dr.
"Give blood. Give life." These all seemed like trite sayings we have always heard. Until our daughter, Lily Gribble, was diagnosed with leukemia.
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A Shift in Perspective
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Restoration
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Taste
Once Winston Churchill was served a dessert and upon sampling it promptly sent it back. “This pudding,” he complained, “has no theme.”
Healing Angels
by Mark & Jennifer Gribble
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
Count the Miracles
By Sue Olds
LENTEN DEVOTION Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Comfort Food By J Hill I can't really separate the notion of healing from that of nourishment.
LENTEN DEVOTION Saturday, March 27, 2021 Home for Hope and Healing By Sally Reed Gracewood rescues children and their single mothers, ensuring a bright future by providing home, hope, and healing.
LENTEN DEVOTION Thursday, March 25, 2021 An Inconvenient Hurt By Angela Bell When I was in eighth grade, I broke my toe. I’ll spare you the details, but it involved a 25-pound weight and a drop from about three feet.
For the first time in our Church’s history we will celebrate from the front lawn Resurrection Sunday, praising from the depths of our souls Christ who died and rose again. Choir, brass, percussion, and strings will usher in the Procession of Joy as shouts of Alleluia are heard reflecting off the facade of our Sanctuary and onto the streets of our city.
Who Shall Separate Us from the Love of Christ? By Dr. Luis Campos We first visited South Main Baptist Church in 1972, when Ruth and I came to Houston for me to start my Cardiology Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine.
LENTEN DEVOTION Saturday, March 20, 2021 Healing Brings Hope By Dan Masterson It was 2004 and I was not in a good relationship with the Lord.
In Darkness, There is Light Terrifying fear, numbness, and heart-wrenching sadness are a few of the emotions I experienced the day Johnny received his diagnosis of End Stage Renal Disease.
LENTEN DEVOTION Tuesday, March 16, 2021 Prayer for Healing By Kristy Wade-Carroll Psalm 77 4 You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
LENTEN DEVOTION, Saturday, March 13, 2021 Peace that Passes Understanding, By Dr. Larissa Fletcher I read all these “uplifting” posts about how people are finding the “silver linings” in 2020/2021.
They closed the Rodeo. It’s Wednesday night, the Fellowship Hall is full of people and the room is filled with the smell of Ms. Sherrie’s cooking. All the kids line up because they’re heading to handbells and choir. As they leave the room, the Fellowship Hall is noticeably quieter and Greg starts trivia and prayer time.
suffering under loads of imposed inferiority, we strain to understand why us, shackled by burdens of superiority, we refuse to accept that we, too, are other
I’m a planner. And in 2017 I planned to get married and start a journey towards building a family. That is, until my then-girlfriend Nancy received an unusual phone call, “Please come to the doctor’s office for an immediate in-person consultation.”
LENTEN DEVOTION
Saturday, March 6, 2021
LENTEN DEVOTION
Thursday, March 4, 2021
LENTEN DEVOTION
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
When it comes to healing, I think most would agree it’s a good thing to do. We like to associate healing with positive words: Hope. Resilience. Strength. Wellness. People who have been healed from something often use positive words: Restored. Repaired. Renewed.
LENTEN DEVOTION
Thursday, February 25, 2021
LENTEN DEVOTION
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
When I became a minister at South Main, I shadowed Gene Vickrey around for some time. Gene was the pastoral care minister at our church for many years. The first graveside service I attended with Gene was at Forest Park Lawndale, one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the city.
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Deploy
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Tactics for Racing
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The Best Medicine
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Climbing from Disaster
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REFLECTIONS ON ADVENT: SANCTUARY
Advent Wreaths, a Virtual Carol Sing, a Mini-Journey to the Baby, the
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Windfall
$103,234 If you are going to give online today and want to take a deduction for that gift on your 2020 taxes, please give using smbc.org/giving.
$122,618
$362,530 Let’s start here — thank you. Really. Between the time you read this and the close of books on December 31, we need to give $362,530 in order to give what we spent in 2020. That is a little more than $120,000 per day. And, I believe we will do it.
A Sanctuary With Wings
My Spiritual Escape of Sanctuary: Memories
A Recipe for Sanctuary
For years I've loved to loath the New England Patriots. How many times was Tom Brady down by two or more touchdowns with less than two minutes to play only to lead his team to victory?
Without doubt, 2020 has been a year of pivotal change for people and organizations around the world. Earlier this year an OSA Team began a long-awaited project to rebuild and update our website, and we are pleased to announce: it is ready!
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Reflection on Psalm 16
Finding Sanctuary in 2020
By Doug Durand
Take a minute to think back over the past year. Don’t think about what you’ve lost or what was frustratingly different. Think about the ways the church was with you in these strange days. Did you connect on Zoom with your Sunday School? Were you able to be “in” worship from home? Or while you were away from Houston? Were your children or grandchildren blessed by a video of Little Church?
Sanctuary from a Child’s PerspectiveBy Charlie Funderburk
Christmas Quilt
Childbirth in Sanctuary
FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY, ORDER BY SATURDAY AT NOON
ADVENT DEVOTION
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
It was Christmas Eve, 2004. The Sanctuary was filled with the sounds of the season — Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth and carols gladly reminding us of Christmas joy. We were bathed in the warm light of candles.
ADVENT DEVOTION
Saturday, December 5, 2020
ADVENT DEVOTION
Thursday, December 3, 2020
The Family of God for Me in this Place
ADVENT DEVOTION Tuesday, December 1, 2020 Finding Sanctuary Through Music By Kathryn Oliver
What an utterly strange year this has been. The Oxford English Dictionary reported that use of the word “pandemic” increased 57,000% in 2020. That storied publication also added to its lexicon some new words, including “blursday” (the sense that all the days are the same and blur into one another) and “covidiots” (self-explanatory).
Need new ideas for the holidays? Mary Corban and South Main panelists Mark Gribble, Claire Hein-Blanton, J Hill, and Henry Williams virtually shared cooking tips, recipes, and laughter in preparation for Thanksgiving.
Watch the video here.
Here are the recipes discussed:
Need some Words of Encouragement? Weltschmerz & Hoffnung When my ancestors came to America in the 1800s, their impressive and regal-sounding name, ‘Vonderburg,’ was somehow changed to the somewhat unwieldy ‘Funderburk.’ At family reunions as a kid, in the midst of seeing cousins and playing basketball and dominoes, I’d peruse a book on display about our family’s heritage.
In June of 2018, we welcomed Brandyn Adney as the inaugural member of the newly formed Youth Ministry residency program at South Main. The program was set up to provide practical, hands-on work, mentoring, and development opportunities in the first two years. Then in the third year, the focus turns to clarifying a call and transition into full-time ministry for the resident.
Need a Word of Encouragement? Durability The first significant purchase I ever made with my own money was the baseball glove I'm holding right now. I was thirteen. It’s a Rawlings. Basket web. Wing tip. Heart of the Hide. American-made. Brooks Robinson model.
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We held our church's Quarterly Business Meeting via Zoom on Sunday, October 25 and in addition to voting to put in place our slate of committee members and church officers for 2021, we received updates from the Re-opening Task Force and the Finance Committee, as well as from our pastoral team regarding our small groups and the church in general.
Main/Stream brings us a look into the art of quilting, as a panelist of South Main quilters walks us through their inspiration and the work that goes in to quilting.
From deep in the heart of one Texan, Bob Fowler shares his background and thoughts on being a follower of Christ in the marketplace. Read his article in the Baptist Standard here.
I came because the opportunity was offered. Supposedly the crucifixion window caught the last rays of daylight, so 6:00 PM seemed a good time. I found a row all my own and settled in with my journal, in case I needed to write, and my Bible, after all I was coming to church. Two deep breaths. I focused on a thankful list as the appropriate start to 45 minutes of private worship.
The COVID-19 Advisory Task Force is pleased to recommend that South Main moves to Reopening Phase Four on Sunday, October 11, which includes the resumption of in-person worship.
Though our campus has been closed, nothing evidences the continued ongoing nature of the work of our church like our August and September Family Ministry’s effort we called, Curbside Service.
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The COVID-19 Advisory Task Force continues our work, and we are happy to announce that on Sunday, September 20, SMBC will move to Phase 3 of our reopening plan. Phase 3 expands the maximum attendee numbers for gatherings. For adult groups and Tribe/Youth, this means gatherings of 50 or fewer outdoors, and 25 or fewer indoors, with all participants wearing masks and socially distanced.
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What ways have you found to serve others in your community? By Phyllis Waggoner: We moved to NC in January and visited a few churches, but never joined one before the pandemic hit everyone. We live around the corner from our daughter and her family, but they are the only people we know in Charlotte...because of the pandemic, we’ve not met any of our neighbors. I’m not sure our daughter and her husband knew they were going to become our new BFFs, but because of the way things have been the past 6 months, it’s sort of turned out that way.
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COVID-19 Advisory Task Force Update: August 6, 2020 Being together safely as a church is our goal, and while we need to remain agile as conditions continue to develop in our community, we are happy to announce that on August 12, SMBC will move to Phase 2 of our reopening plan.
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Harpooners
The South Main COVID-19 Advisory Task Force continues to discuss plans and protocols for our eventual return to in-person gatherings. Unfortunately, as you know, the COVID-19 situation in the Houston region has continued to deteriorate since the Task Force’s June 27 update.
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By Tim Madison Wearing a mask all these weeks has made me the recipient of not a few suspicious glances, even some unsympathetic laughter. But that's okay. I know why I wear a mask. It is not based on legal obligation or political affiliation. It is because I don't enjoy the luxury of denial. My profession is hospital Chaplaincy and I serve one of the health systems that towers above the Houston horizon.
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Jeremiah 29:7
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Comfort. Wonder. Sunlight. Family.
It’s been remarkable to see how interconnected the world has become as the COVID-19 crisis took hold. A tiny virus has made its way around the world in just a few months on the breath of people. Interdependencies in the world economy have come to light from the collective response to the tiny virus. The usual supply/demand balances have been radically altered worldwide.
By Susan Torn Young
The Covid-19 pandemic has been easy on me. I have a husband, a family, grandchildren I don’t have to home school, I have friends, I have facetime. But most of all, I have real time. Time to reflect, time to catch up on business things and legal things, and time to do projects that I would have never done.
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I’ve been watching my mother for years. I’ve watched her love on her mother, love on our family, and most recently, I have watched her love on our church family. A few Sundays ago, in the church parking lot, I got to watch that love put to action with the Lane family.
Pastor Remus Wright and Co-Pastor Mia Wright, family: I am humbled to be asked to be here today.
The Apostle John, whom Jesus called the “beloved Apostle,” wrote in his first epistle:
Over the past several months, as our family has hunkered down and socially distanced, like every other family, we found ourselves faced with more together time than we’ve ever had.
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Spending time with loved ones is an important family value in our house. For us, that looks like game nights or dinners with friends on the weekends, spending Sundays and Wednesday nights at SMBC, or soaking up beautiful days with the family at our farm in Brenham.
This has been an especially tumultuous week in our country. The murder of George Floyd again exposed the glaring injustices experienced by our neighbors and brothers and sisters in Christ of color throughout our nation’s history. If you and your Sunday School Communities found yourselves hurting, angry, exasperated, or unsure of what to do, you are not alone.
Back in April, South Main received a request from Houston Responds asking area churches to provide masks to underserved and under-resourced communities. The goal was a thousand churches each producing a thousand masks. We knew that time was critical, so we got to work right away.
When the quarantine began, I made a list of everything I wanted to accomplish with my extra time at home. In addition to basic daily duties of cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc., I wanted to address my own list of “honey do” tasks that had gone untouched for months. You know that list, right?
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First, what is faith? The textbook definition of faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing. In our case, our person is God. We can show our faith by trusting in God and not giving up. For example, let’s look at Joseph in the Bible. Joseph had a great life. He was a favorite son and his family was wealthy.
The 23rd Psalm is one of our most familiar scriptures. But there’s a line in that passage which had me confused for a long time. It says, “…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” What does that even mean? How can you NOT fear evil? Evil is mean and hateful and ugly and painful!
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
Kim and I live here in Houston and only about 15 minutes from our daughter, Heidi Slay and her husband, David (first responder – Firefighter), and three children, Brodie, 10, Dillon, 6 (almost 7) and Finley, 5. We also have family on the east coast that we miss very much as well. Who knows when we’ll be getting with them any time in the near future.*
I’ve always been a worrier. My parents worried something bad might happen to me every time I left the house. I worried they might be right. I worried what my peers and others thought about me. Did I say or do the wrong thing? Looking back, I spent a lot of my youth worrying. As an adult, I’ve channeled worrying into a desire to be prepared for any possibility.
Need a Word of Encouragement?
“Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they will see God” – Matthew 5:5 Like a lot of you, since the stay-at-home order was given, we haven’t seen as much of our kids and grandkids.
I have turned my alarm clock off. The sun starts to come in through the bedroom window and I wake up, haphazardly looking at my watch to see if it’s actually time to start the day. For a second I try to remember what day it is.
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
Beauty. Awareness. Momentum.
Mustard Seed
…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain, “move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. – Matthew 17:20
Something that has been a great help to me during this strange season is a “mindful pause.” If I take a moment to notice my present state, I find I am quite often a bit tense and stressed. Of course this makes sense given our current situation. But what I also notice is if I take a deep breath, my shoulders relax. I scan my body internally for other signs of tension.
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
“Don’t forget my birthday tomorrow, miss!” a sweet student shouted as I walked down the hall back to my room. I replied, “No way. See you tomorrow!” Two hours after that short, now bittersweet encounter, the news broke about school closure. Soon after, the decision to close school until April 13 was announced. Now, we are here: school closed for the rest of the year.
“Then, the word of the LORD came to Elijah” – I Kings 17:2
“Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.” – Abba Moses
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
Three days after Jesus was crucified, two disciples are walking the road to Emmaus. Why? I think perhaps they’re walking because it’s the only thing they know to do. I think they’re heading for the familiar – going home. They’re disciples of Jesus. They’ve followed Him, worked with Him, witnessed the miracles He has performed, and learned from Him.
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
By Michael Shirl
"Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land." Matthew 27:45
"I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day." Amos 8:10
My Forgiving Heart
By Angel Parades
I will greet this day with love in my heart. So begins the scroll marked two from Og Mandino's best selling work The Greatest Salesman in the World. It is my favorite scroll of the 10 because it reminds me of what is important. I was originally introduced to this little book 20 years ago when I first dipped my toe in the world of insurance.
Why forgive - what's in it for me?
I was taught as a child to "...pray for them that persecute you" (Matthew 5:44) and to "...forgive seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22) but it did not seem to be a very practical way to live. I had to learn the power of these principles as an adult through painful personal experience.
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
Holy Week Prayer
The fall through spring of 2001-2002 turned out to be a time in my life that tested my faith to the fullest. My 86-year-old mother had been living in a retirement facility, but was having trouble with mobility. We went through the trauma of moving her into an assisted care facility in early September. Shortly thereafter my wife, Lecia, was scheduled for abdominal surgery.
Sticks and Stones...
Acid words rend my face,
my ears deaf with pain,
my blue eyes burned beyond recognition.
I am not.
When I read my Bible, I end up asking a lot of questions: "What does that mean?" "What's the context?" "How does this apply to me?" or even, "That didn't make sense; what’d he just say?" Sometimes things feel ambiguous or just a little too abnormal to be applicable to my life. Even so, there’s at least one thing where there’s no ambiguity.
I forgive you; three little words with such power and yet sometimes they feel hollow. I can’t count the number of times, in the aftermath of a disagreement, hearing these words signals the end of the argument. Yet, I long for an instant healing that we all know isn’t coming. The hurt is still there, and it lingers.
In a sermon to His followers, Jesus instructed, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37, NIV). This makes forgiveness seem transactional somehow. We “buy” forgiveness for ourselves and our sins by forgiving others. It could leave the impression that we must attain some master-level ability to forgive if we wish to receive forgiveness.
Are you a list-maker? I am. I work on lists daily. Long term goals. Short term goals. Daily and weekly to-do’s. Pro/Con lists. Cost/Benefit lists. Lists of calls to return. Things I’m grateful for. Books I want to read. Notes I need to write. It’s quite a list of lists.
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
As I contemplate Lent this year, one thought comes to mind. Perception is everything! How we perceive the world around us, how we perceive others' actions, and especially how we perceive ourselves can make all of the difference.
Unforgivable?
Excerpt from White Nights by Angela Holder writing as Elana Brooks
In the past six months, I’ve said goodbye to three close friends. All of them lived in a different state than me. I hadn’t talked to any of them in the weeks or months before they passed, but at one time in my life, I would have called each of them either my best friend or one of my very closest.
Then I let it all out;
I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God."
Suddenly the pressure was gone—
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.
Psalm 32:5, The Message
I lost my husband to cancer in 2016. I heard words like how “brave” I was and how “proud” people were of me…I felt the exact opposite. I felt like a fraud. The months leading up to his diagnosis were some of the toughest in our marriage. He stopped helping me out around the house and stopped helping with our infant – which made me resentful and angry. We argued daily.
Need Some Words of Encouragement?
Prudence & Patience.
Mercy & Grace.
Fortitude & Love
As we forge ahead into this unusual season, I've been thinking about the power of words to elevate and encourage us.
Perhaps say them aloud. Just the sound of these words have some real "lift" to them:
By Jan Barkley
By David Corban
Forgiveness, whether given or received, is always personal. It also is always a story. Here’s mine.
By Tate Shannon, South Main member
When I think of forgiveness I think of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. I could not imagine what it would have been like to live under the old law if Jesus never came! It would seem that what you did or thought would be a sin and would necessarily require reconciliation and sacrifice. I am very grateful not to have to live like that.
By Diane Dillard
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. –Ephesians 4:31-32
By Caroline Mays
Dear South Mainers—
Grace and Peace to you.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. –Ephesians 4:32
As I considered the theme of forgiveness for South Main’s Lenten devotionals, I immediately connected the concept of forgiveness with First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung. I wondered how Loung and her siblings could ever forgive the Khmer Rouge soldiers who were responsible for the deaths of four Ung family members.
...And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. –Matthew 6:12
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” -- Mark 9:24
It used to seem pretty easy to follow Jesus’ words on forgiveness and judging others:
Most people in the church know that when they have been wronged, the right thing to do is forgive that person. But we could benefit from intentional reflection on this act that is the basis for God's relationship with each of us. What does it mean to forgive? To forgive is to give up the desire to punish.
By Chandler Vaughn
The Lenten Season invites those of us on this particular walk of faith - on this journey of seeking to comprehend the Christ - to contemplate deeply upon the meaning of His sacrifice and the mysteries of the intersection of divinity into human history.
By Doug Durand
“The LORD said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’ So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.” -- Hosea 3:1-2
As children, my brother and I had different jobs we were to do separately and sometimes together. The jobs or chores ranged from simple to more involved as we got older and changed from being focused on Saturday to whenever we were needed to help out.
By Seth Humble
Forgiveness.
What an absolute mess.
What Shall I Give…Up
I grew up Presbyterian and only knew about Lent through my Catholic friends and neighbors. What I remember is they talked about what they were ‘giving up’ for Lent. That usually involved meat, candy, soda pop, or some other simple pleasure.
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
By Jonathan Moore, South Main Member
Beginning a regimen of giving can be a difficult thing. 10% seems like an awful lot of income to lose right off the top, and sometimes it can be hard to see the tangible results of your gifts. At the most recent business meeting, however, two statements led me to begin my own monthly auto-draft donation to South Main Baptist Church.
There are lots of reasons not to turn in a commitment card to the church on PLEDGE SUNDAY, February 16. Let’s look at some of them:
Reason Number 1:
I MAY GIVE A LITTLE FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT I DON’T FILL OUT A COMMITMENT CARD BECAUSE THE NUMBER I WOULD PUT IN WOULD BE SMALL. SUCH A SMALL GIFT DOESN’T REALLY DO ANYTHING, RIGHT?
By Greg Funderburk, Minister for Pastoral Care
All over the world there are good people who don’t give generously to their local places of worship. It’s a common word for people of good will to say that they want their energies and their resources to go to the truly needy, not a big organization which requires a myriad of administration and property costs.
By Greg Funderburk, Minister for Pastoral Care
You probably make dozens of money decisions everyday: Should I save more? Pay off debts? What about these expenses for the kids? How should I invest? Have I paid the bills on time?
By Greg Funderburk, Minister of Pastoral Care
Greek philosophers like Aristotle wrote of the idea of a virtuous life, using the word, Eudaimonia, translated as living well or flourishing. Living a virtuous life, Aristotle argued, led to flourishing in human beings.
Sometimes we need to look back in order to see clearly. We need to remember. When we remember, we perceive our present circumstances with a redeemed clarity. The hymn, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” reminds us that the God who has helped in the past is the hope of all our years to come. The Psalms are replete with songs that urged God’s people to look back and remember.
After his conversion, Paul became a good example of having the more abundant life. One of his experiences portrays this beautifully. While shackled in the dark depths of a Roman dungeon, he prayed, he sang, and he was delivered. As a result, the jailer and his family accepted Jesus Christ. Then he washed Paul and Silas’s wounds and set a meal before them.
One of the great joys of Christmas when working in the SMILE program is seeing the blessed season every year as if it were for the first time through the eyes of some young Japanese women who have never before heard the glorious story.
Romans 5:1-5
The busy, hurried days before Christmas are over. The shopping has been done and the packages wrapped. The Christmas tree has been decorated. Around the house there are symbols of Christmas, ornaments, and decorations. The Christmas baking has been done. Pre-Christmas parties have been attended and given. The choirs have sung inspiring Christmas music.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Christmas of 1991 lives in my memory as a world pulled asunder. We were in the first crushing weeks following the December 1 accidental death of our 17-year-old son, David. With a sharpness that I thought was gone, David’s death had brought back the memory of our daughter, Cathy, who died two days after Christmas many years before.
Luke 2:11
Psalm 46:10
Matthew 2:2b
The verse popped into my thoughts as I read the invitation to write one of the Advent devotionals this year. Since I haven’t been able to forget it, I reflected on it more seriously.
Matthew 18:3-4
As we go through the Christmas season, we need only to look at children and see how excited they become as all the events unfold. That enthusiasm becomes infectious. Before long, entire families, including adults, are excited too! Most of us can remember our childhood being enhanced with the coming of Christmas. The Christmas season brings out the child in all of us.
“Did you talk to Jesus?” When our oldest grandson was just two years old, as he was playing he passed through the room where his mother was making a telephone call, and naturally he wanted to know whom she was calling.
She answered, “I’m calling the church.”
As I was thinking about Christmas and the Advent season, I was trying to find a brief way to express what Christmas means to me. What one word best expresses my feelings about Christmas? Is it Giving? God gave me the greatest gift I will ever receive when He came to earth to live among men. So joyfully we give gifts at Christmas; and I give and give and love every minute of giving.
Luke 2:10
A few years ago, at a family gathering, someone dragged out the old videos of Christmases past. At first there were giggles and grins at how young everyone looked, how much they had changed, and how pretty everything looked in our house...especially the Christmas tree.
It was a week before Christmas in 1979, and I was visiting my friends at M.D. Anderson Hospital. The decorations were all up, and a high school choir was singing carols in the hallway. Even old Santa Claus was ringing his little bell as he went into each room, where a Polaroid picture would be taken of the patient with Santa. It was a “fun” time for even terminally ill cancer patients.
Christmas is a very special time of the year for everyone. There is so much color and music and laughter and festivity. At South Main Baptist Church there are so many enjoyable activities during Christmas sponsored by a host of various groups.
Psalm 100:1-5
Herod feared the coming of the Christ Child, for it posed a threat to his own earthly power. To counter the threat, Herod ordered the massacre of children in Bethlehem.
Until 1975, I thought today’s world was more civilized, but soon learned that satanic forces will use any means to combat the truth of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 2:7-12
Elaine is at Camp Ozark; Mary Neil is packing to go to San Antonio for the Convention; Kenneth is measuring shelves for his most recent dwelling; I am “on call” this weekend; and Martha is bugging me for this devotional - now about two weeks overdue.
I remember as a boy shaking the presents under the tree, trying to guess what was in the packages.
I remember the Christmas I got a new bicycle.
I remember the cold snowy night that I got up my courage and proposed to Alberta.
I remember the interest in reaching the goal for our World Mission offering every Christmas.
2 Corinthians 5:15 Curled up on the big iron double bed watching my mother brush her luxurious dark hair, I was nervously trying to ask the BIG QUESTION as casually as possible. (I guess I was almost six).
Matthew 2:11
Luke 2:15
A few miles may have separated these shepherds from the Event which would change the world! Wisely, they decided to travel those miles, check it out, and look into the face of history for themselves.
John 3:16
The Constitution of the United States of America guarantees to Americans the right to “pursuit of happiness.” The Bible informs the Christian how to attain happiness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave to us the Beatitudes which are the original “Happiness is ___” series. One of the most basic characteristics that God wants His children to seek is good basic motivations.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.
From the Houston Chronicle, October 24, 2019
Ending the stigma of dementia is what drives Amazing Place, a non-profit run by a consortium of churches. And the importance of this goal is only growing, executive director Tracey Brown said. Already, one out of three individuals over the age of 85 has dementia, and there are 5.7 million living with Alzheimer’
I was recently introduced to a new medical term, or maybe, it’d be more appropriate to call it a “quasi-medical” term. I was told about ODTAA Syndrome. “What’s ODTAA Syndrome?” I asked. I’ve never heard of it. The person telling me this shook his head and said, you know, it’s just “One Darn Thing After Another.”
Please continue to pray for our mission partner, Operacion San Andres (OSA), and for those on the mission trip to Collique, Peru this week. OSA is committed to combat the effects of poverty in the community in a holistic (spiritual, emotional, and physical) and sustainable manner by demonstrating the love of Christ in practical ways.
By Jeannie Chambers
SMILE starts in 2 weeks and I am excited to reconnect with friends after a long, hot summer.
By Dolores Rader, Adapted from a prayer by Carrie Harris, 2017
To read the first part of the library transformation, click here.
Desmond Tutu famously said “When you are pulling drowning people out of the river, there comes a time when you must look upstream and see why they are falling in.”
By Lucas Tirado
By Kiran Harper
By Allison Kolter
“She is clothed in dignity and strength and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25
By Stephanie Donson
When I was asked to write about my experience here in Peru, I didn't know what to write. What comes to mind first is my experience working with the kids at OSA and the time I've spent bonding with the other youth.
By Cameron Elliott
When getting ready for the trip to Peru, I was nervous. I knew very little about what I was getting myself into. I was mainly worried about being able to interact with the kids. Then the first day came around and every worry went away. Interacting with the kids was a lot of fun; they all had great attitudes and never let the disadvantages bring them down.
By Chase McKnight
By Gareth Holder
It was my first day with the OSA kids. I don’t remember a lot of specifics from my last trip three years ago but I remember the kids’ enthusiasm. Being around children always puts a smile on my face. This year, their energy is infectious as ever, and it made me realize something I want to share.
By Brad Jernberg, Minister of Administration for Operations
We want to make our church family aware of a change to the library space.
Abigail Rader
“My Church Family,
We journeyed through the Wilderness together during Lent encountering God in various settings. While wilderness can look and feel different for each of us, we corporately submitted our hearts for cleansing, our spirits for repair, and our lives for formation.
By Steve Wells, Pastor
John 20:15
By, Dolores Rader, Minister to Families
Job 14:1-14; Matthew 27:57-66
It is Saturday. The evening before, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body down from the cross and laid it in a tomb cut out of rock. The despair and anguish of those who believed must have created a palpable, near-suffocating heaviness. Hope was lost. All was lost.
By Matt Walton, Minister for Discipleship
Psalm 22; John 18:1-40; 19:1-37
Remember
By Carey Cannon, Minister of Music
Exodus 12:1-14a; Luke 22:14-30
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
By Greg Funderburk, Minister for Pastoral Care
John 13:21-35; Matthew 27:1-10
The despair of Judas is an event in Holy Week that often evades deeper scrutiny. His is a wilderness that often escapes our sympathy. Are there some barren wilderness places from which there is no return?
He Leadeth Me...But do I follow?
By Susan Moore, Minister of Administration for Communications
John 12: 27-38, 42-50
Take Hold
By Brad Jernberg, Minister of Administration for Operations
Mark 14:1-9; Isaiah 42:1-9
Palm Sunday
By Steve Wells, Pastor
Matthew 26:35–27:54; Psalm 118 and Psalm 22
In the last few years, I have experienced a wilderness, which at the time seemed unbearable. The darkness covered any glimmer of hope and the pain seemed to swallow me up. I have experienced the wilderness of addiction followed by the light of recovery, of loneliness followed by loving community, and of loss followed by abundance.
By Alice Ketchand
The wilderness times in my life, whether triggered by outside challenges or not, were marked by a deep sense of inner emptiness or lack, a sense of something of God being deeper and beyond me. This sense has motivated my spiritual seeking throughout my life.
By Trey Westerburg
By Jessica Horton
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." -Isaiah 40:31
Four summers ago I had reached a point in my battle with addiction that I needed to get help. I checked into wilderness therapy, a forty-day treatment program that required complete immersion into wilderness living. This could not have been further from my comfort zone. Growing up, my family never went camping. My outdoor skills and experience were exactly zero.
By Everett DuBroc
"To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark too, blooms and sings." – Wendell Berry
By Jane Benesh
The Wilderness of our Everyday Life
Living in the Weeds
By Krystol Wheeler
By Tate Shannon
By Josie Adney
Hope for Dry Bones
Wilderness. Living in the wilderness. Wandering in the wilderness. For many years I felt I was wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. I lost my career and calling due to deteriorating eyesight. I struggled pursuing other artistic outlets. I gave myself shingles and then descended into depression, all because of a simple genetic disorder.
By Mollie Musgrove
In the Highways, In the Hedges
By Nick Woolley
By Anna Bernal
Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Still the Wilderness?
Occasionally, weep deeply over the life you hoped would be. Grieve the losses. Then wash your face. Trust God. And embrace the life you have. --John Piper
I don't remember the last time I was physically lost. It had to have been at some point driving in Houston before the introduction of GPS on cell phones. I remember having to carry a set of maps in my car to get around in the city. Now, all I need to do is speak where I want to go and the phone plots my path.
My mom's parents lived in a small town called Lazbuddie, about an hour and a half northwest of Lubbock where I attended Texas Tech University. God led me to Texas Tech so that I would have 4 years with my Granna and Papa. The weekend I graduated from college in December of 2012 was the last weekend I spent with my maternal grandmother. She passed away a few weeks later.
By Nathan Moeller
My own road through the wilderness deals not so much with sin and straying from God, but a life torn apart and forged into something new. At the outset of this journey, I stepped into the unknown with a few close friends and family by my side, but God knew I needed more. Much, much more.
Mustard-Seed Faith
Luke 13:18-19: "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches."
Abundance in the Wilderness
Over the past several years I've had the privilege to visit the Middle East, much of it the same wilderness where the children of Israel likely wandered. I can't even imagine what that would have been like. You are in the middle of nowhere. You can look for miles in every direction and see nothing but desert. It is desolate - hot, barren, dry.
By Daniela George
By Louis Gomez
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…” Matthew 4:1.
Finding your way through the wilderness isn't hard if you have a good map and compass (or smartphone). However, orienteering skills are not always perfect metaphors for life. I know my family and SMBC blessed me with a good guide and a firm foundation in setting a plan for my life. I was given every navigational tool necessary.
Known
By Angela Bell
When I was growing up, I didn't know what I wanted to be, but I knew who I was. I got a lot of "You seem to know yourself very well" comments.
It's true. I did. I still do.
John 14:5-6
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life."
By Susan Moore, Minister of Administration for Communications
By Dave McNiel, Operations Committee Chair during the Generations Campaign
It's never one or the other and, for me, that's especially true of the recent renovation of our worship and fellowship space.
Whether it's the unseen things such as:
Although we recognize that the church is, at its core, its people, the improvements that were made possible by the capital campaign provide a place where we can bring our family each week to play, laugh, learn, and serve with our family of God. Because of the work done in the kitchen and the Fellowship Hall, our family can comfortably and reliably have meals with our family of faith, enriching
By Mark Jones
Growing up at South Main in the '60s and '70s, I have vivid memories of being in the sanctuary and worshipping with people of different ethnicities. I never remember a time when there were not people of a variety of cultures actively involved in our church. Our church was open to people from different backgrounds in a time when it was not popular to be so.
Serving on the Building Committee was an honor for me. My business has been in the management and construction side of commercial real estate, and to be able to use these skills to serve the Kingdom of God was a true blessing.
In October, 2019, South Main Baptist Church will celebrate 60 years of having a television/broadcast ministry. South Main was the first church to be on television in Houston, and we were on Channel 2, KPRC until 1995. The broadcast ministry has evolved over the years to our present day, state-of-the-art facility, as a result of our recent capital campaign.
By Daryl Robinson, Former SMBC Organist & Artist-in-Residence
Three steps up, three steps down, three steps up, three steps down. It may not seem like much, but when you do that over and over again during the course of a meal service carrying full, steaming hot pans of food from the kitchen to the serving line, it is an exhausting task.
By Carey Cannon, Minister of Music
There have been instances in worship at South Main when our congregation has offered up applause. Moments such asthe announcement of a newly married couple, the end of a moving testimony, or a musical offering by choir and orchestra have lent themselves to a just and worshipful response of applause. But is it right for us to do so?
By Brad Jernberg, Minister of Administration for Operations
Some of the moments of greatest clarity in ministry for me were in response to a simple and unassuming conversation which collided with my understanding of the inherent value God sees in each of us and the overwhelming desire He has for us to live beautiful lives filled with joy and blessing.
The number one conversation on this list goes like this:
By Vlad and Eunice Davidiuk
By, Matt Walton, Minister for Discipleship
By Randy, Penny, and Joe Taylor
I visited a vintage clothes shop with my son, Hank, a couple of weeks ago. He needed some shoes and a matching belt.
“The Buffalo Exchange” was hopping on Friday night around 8 PM — a diverse array of folks weaving through tightly packed racks and rows of colorful clothes, holding up cool shirts, trying on stylish pants, gauging their fit and look.
By: Charles Grant, Ph.D.
By Josie Adney
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35
Fourth Sunday of Advent
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
By Stephen Fox
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”
Matthew 2:1-2
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, His mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped Him, then opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11 (The Message)
This year I have already received a gift more precious than gold, or frankincense, or myrrh. My health was restored.
By Pat Gray
On coming to the house, they saw the young child with Mary, His mother, and fell down, and worshiped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
By Chase McKnight
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
Luke 2:9-10
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
I Corinthians 13:1
For a child has been born for us, a Son given to us; authority rest upon His shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
By Jeri Kuhleman Heath
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth, I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
By Matt Walton
Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
Proverbs 14:29
By Charlie Funderburk
When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5
It was December 2008, and we were days from welcoming Duncan into the world. One of the final scheduled church events was a Wednesday night carol sing. It was our first Christmas with the new Celebrating Grace Hymnal when a curious youth requested the carol “The Hands That First Held Mary’s Child.” As we sang through these verses, I found myself overcome with emotion and incapable of singing.
Always be joyful.
I Thessalonians 5:16
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22, 25 NIV
By Bill Anderson
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:22-23
By Angie Durand
Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things. Philippians 4:8
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Luke 2:8-9
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
By Phyllis Waggoner
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all men.
Luke 2:14
By Pastor Steve Wells
Advent is the season in which we wait for - and then celebrate God‘s gift of Christ and of salvation. But waiting for Christmas morning is different for us than it was for those who awaited the Messiah in ancient times - they did not know when He would come.
In September, a group from South Main went on a mission trip to Maua, Kenya, the home of our mission partner, Sodzo International. Many of the participants were first-timers with respect to this particular mission site and, as with any new adventure, they went with a certain picture in their heads of what might come.
By Hannah Rollins
By Steve Wells, Pastor
For All the Saints, who from their labors rest, who Thee, by faith, before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blessed, Hallelujah!
By Carey Cannon, Minister of Music/Worship
By Brandyn Adney, Youth Ministry Resident
By Dolores Rader, Minister to Families I invite you to look ahead with me to a Sunday morning on May 20th in the year 2029.
Minister of Administration for Communications is my title at South Main Baptist Church. I, along with my Communications Team, facilitate timely, accurate communication being provided and heard. On a good day, my job supports all other ministries.
Our recent Kenya adventures led us to the villages of Linjoka, Tiira, and Gekka to hear first hand the stories of success with the family strengthening programs that have begun in these rural villages. The value of the family strengthening program is that it is a prevention method to help keep boys from going to the streets.
What a difference a year makes in the lives of the Children of Promise at the Watoto Wa Ahadi Rescue Center.
Before I gave the conductor's score one last glance, I turned around to catch a glimpse of who had shown for that evening’s performance - and I saw something. I saw two couples sitting next to each other, the Mooneys, longtime members of South Main who now live out of town and the Perrys, who have joined South Main in recent years. They shook hands and began chatting it up.
THANK YOU TO ANDREA HOXIE FOR HER GIFT OF THIS SONG TO OUR CONGREGATION. CLICK HERE TO SEE IT SHARED IN WORSHIP SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2018.
ALLELUIA FOR THE ACTS
The Spirit came and fell on men
And then He stayed to dwell in them
The church was born with so much great excitement so many heard and they believed
I never thought my parents would let me go to Mississippi by myself. But they did and I’m glad they let me go! I learned a lot from the work and people I met in Shaw. When I first got on the bus, I wasn’t too excited. I knew it would be a long drive. It turned out to be very fun! When we reached Mississippi, we stopped for dinner in Vicksburg.
In many ministry circles that’s an average stint. At South Main however, it’s only a drop in the bucket as both of my predecessors Thomas Coker and Thad Roberts combined served almost 60 years.
"What I loved most about the trip was working with the people and helping. It's cool to take fun trips, but we were really able to make a difference in Shaw."-Lily Gribble, age 11
Are you looking for some enriching reading for the summer? South Main's Discipleship Committee has polled our ministers and some fellow congregants to collect this terrific list of books for the upcoming vacation season. You’ll find all sorts of picks from the spiritually edifying and deeply educational to the pleasantly amusing and simply entertaining.
I first walked through the doors at South Main 29 years ago this fall. 18 years old, just a few weeks into my freshman year at Rice, I walked up to the third floor of the Loessner building, where the church offices are now - then education space: painted concrete block walls, tile floors - and into Toni Richerson’s Sunday freshman-sophomore Sunday School class.
In April of 2016 thirty-four boys, ages 7-13, who had been orphaned and living on the streets of Kenya moved to the rescue center established by one of South Main Baptist Church’s missions partner Sodzo International. The rescue center is called Watoto wa Ahadi Rescue Center which translates to The Children of Promise Rescue Center.
Nathan Benesh, Kendra Skipworth, Ruben Jarrin, Blake Wilson, Robbie and Ally Matteson, Carla Brown, Catrice Mays, and Alan Wilson are the Family Group Leaders in the Youth Center every Sunday who teach, listen, mentor, and love on our 8th - 12th graders. They are amazing small group leaders, and we are grateful for their faithfulness and openness with our Youth.
Cindy Hippel, Lynda McKnight, Bobbye Kolter, Ryan Lane, and Greg Taylor are the Sunday School teachers for the boys and girls of The 527 Tribe. These leaders are intentional about figuring out exactly what our 5th-7thgraders need intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually during this time in their lives.
Charis Smith, Jim Flynt, Sara Tirado, Julie White, Cleavy McKnight, Becky Humble, Ginger and Jerry Hamilton, Clarence Bell, and Mitch Cutsinger serve each Sunday as our wonderful MainKids Sunday school small group teachers. First through fourth graders have an intense need to engage in the church and the word of God. Our teachers do just that by not only connecting with our children o
By Heather Ballard
By Linda Gardner
I still remember the first time I entered the South Main sanctuary on a Sunday morning about 35 years ago. I was in awe of the beauty and grandeur, and the worship experience touched me. This was followed by warm interactions with ministers and others, and Spencer and I soon felt right at home in this special place.
By Rob Jefferies
By Margie Ehlers
By Kristy Wade-Carroll
Are you waiting for God to do something in your life? Scripture is full of God’s promises. We read and hear them, and sometimes wonder, “How long do I have to wait, God, for you to act?” I encourage you to read the book of Habakkuk this Lenten season. The prophet asks that very question. The answer he gets is not what anyone wants to hear.
By Greg Funderburk …when you least expect it. God finds me more readily than it can be said I find God. Having said that, I feel God’s spirit sometimes ripple through my heart with a fleeting, yet very real sense of presence when I least expect it.
By Cleavy McKnight
By Anne Tulek
Finding God can come at the most unusual of times. I have a lifetime history of undiagnosed Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Any readers who were also my childhood Sunday School teachers are shaking your heads, thinking about how obvious this was to you 40 years ago. It’s OK.
By JD Walther
By Larissa Fletcher
By J Hill
By Bobbye Lott
Throughout the Bible are many instances where God was revealed to individuals. One of my favorites is told in 1 Kings 19. Elijah, a powerful prophet, was afraid and depressed. He went out into the desert alone, wanting to die.
By Katy Rudisill
By Drew Philpot
One thing that always leads me to find God is seeing Christ-like behavior from my non-Christian friends. It can come in many different forms, such as sharing words of wisdom, showing love to someone who is hurting, or forgiving a past transgression. They become the visible representation of God to me.
By Andrea Hoxie
By Michael Raimer Goodman
God, where are you in these children’s lives? I know you are loving, and I know you are powerful – but these children are suffering. Where are you?
By Lauren Engle
By Seth Humble
By Jeanne Ludemann
By Thomas Coker
Three quotes immediately come to mind when I ponder this question:
“Be still and know that I am God”
“Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth you have for me”
“Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus.”
By Jamie Negrete
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
By Kathy Bernal
By Al Moore
By Linda Brupbacher
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3: 5&6
By Sarah Villasenor
I can admit it, I am lazy about looking for God. What’s worse is, he isn’t very hard to find in the first place. I try to use lent as an opportunity to reflect and thank God for his faithfulness to me, despite my shortcomings.
By Jane Jefferies
By Ethan Gwaltney
When "I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing," and I feast in good health, he "stand[s] at the door and knock[s]," and waits for my invitation to enter. (Rev. 3)
When I am poor, weak, and losing hope, and I quake under the weight of my sin, then is his "power made perfect" (2 Cor. 12) and he "restore[s] me to the joy of [his] salvation" (Psalm 51).
By Jeanette Stokes
GOD IS LOVE. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him. 1 John 4:16b
By Kyle Barsch
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all of your heart" Jeremiah 29:13
By Angie Fox
By Steve Rader
By Helen Hoover
By Brandon Wheeler
By Shannon Dove
How Do I Find God is an interesting question. And a sometimes troubling one for me. My whole life I have heard stories of how God revealed Himself to various friends and family members, sometimes in bold fashion, sometimes in quiet, personal ways.
By Byron Keeling
By Mark Gribble
By Claire Hein Blanton
By Charles Williams
By Ann Sullivan
Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12
A few years ago, Father James Martin edited a collection of compelling essays. Martin, day by day, one by one, asked a group of writers, cultural leaders, and other interesting people, both famous and not so famous, to prayerfully consider, then answer this quintessential question: “How Do I Find God?”
For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:9 (NIV)
...He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion... -Philippians 1:6b
Dear South Mainer,
A phone call, an email, a notification—there are lots of reasons we drop one thing and move on to others dozens of times each day. It's sort of a way of life now, but there's real satisfaction in not just starting, but in completing a task.
I am beyond excited to share a little about The King’s Singers performing live in the Sanctuary of South Main Baptist Church on Thursday, January 25 at 7:00 p.m. As of this writing, there are still tickets available, so purchase them here.
Many people know that I am the Marketing Coordinator for South Main. But, whether or not I am on staff at the church, it has always been my ministry passion to tell people about this church.
In the mid-1800’s, a 40-year-old man named Elisha Otis was called upon to convert an abandoned Yonkers, New York sawmill into a factory which made bed frames. The work required laborers to walk up and down multiple staircases many times a day.
What a blessing! On December 1st of this year, we needed more money than we have ever needed - and more money than we have ever given in December - if we were to make the budget. For that matter, on December 17th, we needed more money than we have ever needed in December - and more money than we have ever given in December - to make the budget, just over $891,000.
I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. John 12:46 valeriehoman.png
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, and fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13B
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” — “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” Mark 1:1-3
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will toward men.” Luke 2:13-14
Dear South Main Family,
As our Advent journey continues and 2018 approaches, we each have an opportunity to reflect on the year and find the many ways God has worked in our lives. Despite the remarkably challenging events of 2017 in Houston, Texas, our faith encourages each of us to dwell in gratitude, and to continue to grow.
“But the angel said, ‘do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people’." Luke 2:10 marthadoolittle.png
On a rustic farm outside Maua, Kenya, 35 boys have been freed from a life of addiction and welcomed back into life in faith, family, and with the promise of a bright future.
In Collique, Peru, 3,000 patients this year were treated by a physician or dentist; 120 children received hot and healthy meals five days per week; and a church is growing in the middle of the community.
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord. Luke 1:45 livoniaglaves.png
For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37 lindagardner.png
For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
By Larissa Fletcher
Stewardship from the mind of a 4-year-old...
UPDATE 2 (December 22, 2017): Our new total is down to $396,494. We're getting closer and closer, one bite at a time.
And he said,“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb… For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.
By Dolores Rader, Minister to Families
What parent isn't filled with dread and instantly inflicted with sweaty palms at the very thought of the day when the question inevitably comes..."Why did you lie to me?" Oh, Santa why must parenting be so challenging?
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help pick them up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and Earth. Psalm 121
We all saw a great picture of giving in worship in each of the last two weeks. On Sunday, December 3, we had 160 singers - 75 in the adult choir and 85 in the children, tribe, and youth choirs - all join together to make a beautiful offering to God. Some sang louder, some sang more quietly.
Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who was in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. Micah 5:3
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will direct your paths. -Proverbs 3:5-6 Anne Tulek
By Carey Cannon, Minister of Music
In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it... The true light that gives life to everyone was coming into the world. --John 1:4-5, 9
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” --Matthew 19:14
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” --Matthew 2: 1-2
Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. -Luke 2:14 Amy Graham-Carlson
He [Joseph] took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on Earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
Luke 2:13-14
Advent Devotionals Foreword
The Advent Book is one of my favorite South Main traditions, because it affords us the opportunity to peek into the developing stories of church family members we might not typically meet on Sunday mornings.
Whether it’s catching up on your annual pledge or making an additional gift on this occasion, we hope that you will consider giving to your church today.
What is church? Reflecting on our individual and shared experiences as we prepare to launch our new website—a virtual, but perfectly real, place of authenticity and grace.
Dave Wottle was a string bean of a kid growing up in Ohio in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was so feeble that his doctor suggested he should do something to increase his athleticism in order to stay healthy. So Dave began to run. And he ran, and ran, and ran...
It was Edward Everett Hale, Sr., who said, "I am only one, but still I am one."
We are called to remember and pass along the story of God's saving work in the world. But how?
We have so much to be grateful for.
Faithful living often comes down to whether we are willing to cross over into the Promised Land.
By Jan Barkley — One day, Michael Goodman said off-handedly, “Hey, Jan, we need to figure out how to bake fruit breads with our excess produce. Do you think as a side project you could figure out how to bake some banana bread or something? And by the way, we don’t have an oven and the only heat source is a wood fire.” I love a good challenge.
Today is National Heroes Day in Kenya, and that means the kids did not have to go to school today. Instead, the staff scheduled a soccer tournament with the Laarei Catholic School boys, a private institution similar to Sodzo International.
When I think of Africa, I visualize hot, desert land with wild animals running around, like what one would see at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom exhibit. I was pleasantly surprised on my journey to Maua to discover lush vegetation along the base of Mt. Kenya. Reality was nothing at all like what I visualized Africa to be like.
We’re here in Kenya, halfway around the world in a place that’s full of beauty, contradictions, and surprises. It’s a place that feels both totally foreign and completely familiar.
By Patti Peymann Romeril — What is your vehicle? How do you serve others, share the love of the Lord, and fulfill spiritual needs in your worldly tasks?
By Charis Smith — Lunch making has its own spiritual lessons. This year I’ve learned: “Pieces of bread are not alike.”
It's important to remember that you do what you can do each day, and understand that while you will not solve every problem, you are making a difference.
By Larry Carroll — This is my first trip to Peru with Operación San Andres, so there is a lot that is new to me.
By Brian Chambers — Visiting the Cathedral of Lima
By David McKnight — The power of music is so mysterious and awesome, and today was filled with it.
By Isabella Baar-Hill — As a member of the music and dance team, I teach kids songs and dances to perform at the end of the week. Their joyful willingness to master a foreign language is a gift I will carry home with me.
By Drew Barkley — Day one of Vacation Bible School at Collique
By Anna Rader — Today, we got the opportunity to visit OSA’s new church, Luz de Esperanza, and meet some of their youth as well as participate in their worship service.
The millennial generation grew up in noise. How can we hear those voices that want to still us, calm us, and bring us back into communion with one another and with God?
By Avery Cate — Manna is church. It is community. It’s an accepting place, where I don’t have to fit into any sort of mold or feel like I have my life under control.
By Kyle Barsch — My wife, Kelly, and I had the privilege of participating in Discovery Day this month. To be honest, I wasn’t sure exactly why I should attend.
South Main Baptist Church broke the Guinness World Record for the Longest Chain of Shoes, and the outpouring of generosity was overwhelming.