Thank You, South Main!
Posted January 4, 2022 by SMBC in Discipleship
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.
End-of-Year Need: $280,201.78
Posted December 30, 2021 by Steve Wells in Discipleship, Pastor
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! And we can still give the budget if we all give. If you have not given and are unable to do so, please know the church has resources…
End-of-Year Need: $335,192
Posted December 28, 2021 by Steve Wells in Discipleship, Pastor
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!"
Salt and Light
Posted December 24, 2021 by Nancy Bunte in Advent
When I think of the phrase, "Light and Life to All He Brings," instantly the parable of salt and light in Matthew 5 comes to mind. I share this with my friends whenever their self-esteem takes a hit, their season in life seems stagnant or unpleasant, or their lows outnumber highs. Why? Because as the "salt of the world," we are called to be preservers and enhancers of God's goodness. As the "…
The Light of the World
Posted December 23, 2021 by Sam Swart in Advent
Back when I was a Scout, of sorts—a Webelo to be exact—I went on a father-son campout to Camp Strake. It was an entirely new experience for me as we were not a camping family. Besides all of the awesomeness of woodland trails, adolescent male mayhem, and campfires, something that was particularly striking to me was just how dark it was out there in the woods at night. Once the campfire was out…
COVID-19 Advisory Task Force Update: December 22, 2021
Posted December 22, 2021 by SMBC in Worship, Music, Family Ministry, Discipleship, Missions
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.
End-of-Year Need: $769,196
Posted December 21, 2021 by Steve Wells in Discipleship, Pastor
Last Sunday was a microcosm of the things going right at South Main. The Sanctuary was at its Christmas best with the four Advent banners adorning the choir loft. Granted, they are a little more difficult to see when obscured by a choir of seventy voices. The music was glorious; the fruit of weeks of rehearsal and decades of training musicians? some of this training having begun while they are…
Instructions Matter
Posted December 21, 2021 by Ken Kolter in Advent
I had a candle that wouldn't burn once. Dad and I made it one night with the YMCA Indian Guides. There were five of us young boys and our five fathers. We cut string for the wick, melted paraffin in a pan, then dipped the wicks, and carefully filled the small milk containers we brought home from school with the melted paraffin after securing the wicks to the bottom of the carton. However, the…
Monday over Coffee: Austerity
Posted December 20, 2021 by SMBC in Monday Over Coffee
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
Love
Posted December 19, 2021 by Matt Walton in Advent
I was 15 and had reached the zenith of my Little League career. I was in the final months of the eldest Little League division, on my final All-Star team. And we were good. We were the first team from College Station with a chance to advance to regionals in a long time, and I was the starting pitcher. My mom was there in the stands, ready to yell, "Beautiful!" after every pitch. My sisters…
One Christmas Under the Stars
Posted December 17, 2021 by David Corban in Advent
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.
My father ran a little country store in middle Tennessee, where sharecropping and hard labor were the ways of life for many farmers. Over the year, storekeepers like my father would extend credit to…
Being a Gifter
Posted December 16, 2021 by Tiffany Cate in Advent
I love gifts! I love giving gifts and I even love receiving gifts. This was not always the case, though. A dear friend of mine used to "bless" me at random with presents when I least expected them. This blew me away especially when it was something that she'd heard me mention just once in passing. I loved how cherished she made me feel, and so I began my journey in gift giving. This quickly…
Family Ministry Happenings: The Christmas Pageant
Posted December 14, 2021 by SMBC in Family Ministry
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. Please allow me to…
End-of-Year Need: $1,011,130
Posted December 14, 2021 by Steve Wells in Discipleship, Pastor
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.
Believing in the Stillness
Posted December 14, 2021 by Melinda Villaseñor in Advent
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. As the Christmas season arrived, we realized this would be a Christmas without gifts. This was very depressing, but we will always remember this as the…
Joy
Posted December 12, 2021 by Dolores Rader in Advent
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. To a teen of the eighties, one is the centerpiece of a little song Bobby McFerrin wrote. You might want to sing it note for note…
Being Present
Posted December 10, 2021 by Bob Seale in Advent
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. One hour later, all these things continue to buzz through my head and my prayers were still unfinished. How ridiculous—Christmas…
Child of Light
Posted December 9, 2021 by Vivian Spoede in Advent
We hear a lot about "luck" in our day-to-day lives. How lucky was it that my teacher decided not to pick up this homework I didn't have time to finish, or that we had food in Health class today because I didn't have breakfast? We often use it without a second thought. My father, however, challenged me to reject the idea of "luck" and to see the happy little occurrences that brighten my day as…
Family Ministry Happenings
Posted December 7, 2021 by Claire Kent in Family Ministry
There are five core values that shape and inform all that takes place within the Family Ministry at South Main Baptist Church. One of those held values is safety as we are committed to ensuring both parents and children feel safe upon entering the doors. We promise to do everything in our power to ensure your children are cared for within a safe and nurturing environment so they can…
