JANUARY 10,2018
BERTIE LEDGER-ADVANCE
Faith
The fabric of Bertie County since 1832
Special Events
Church announcements are published each week in the
Bertie Ledger-Advance. The deadline to submit news items
for this iisting is 10 a.m. each Monday. Submissions may
be emailed to twhite@ncweeklies.com.
Jan.12
Memorial Service
WINDSOR - A memoriai service for Heien Dumas wili be
held ate p.m. Friday, Jan. 12.
The memoriai service and mass will be conducted by
Holy Spirit Catholic Church at Windsor United Methodist
Church. The church is iocated at 408 South Queen St.
The Pastor, Fr. Aaron Wessman, and congregation invite
the pubiic to attend.
Jan.13
Evening Prayer
ROXOBEL- Evening Prayer will be observed at 5 p.m. Sat
urday, Jan. 13 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.
Light refreshments wili be served foilowing the service.
The church is located at 206 West Church St. in Roxo-
bei.
The Rev. Canon Sonny Browne and congregation invite
the pubiic to attend.
Jan. 14
Deacon Ordination Service
WINDSOR - A Deacon Ordination Service is planned for 3
p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14 at Cedar Landing Missionary Baptist
Church.
The deacons to be ordained are Roy Hamiiton and Emer
son Watford.
The guest speaker wiii be the Rev. Dr. John Taylor Sr.
of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Gates. Music
wili be provided by the Zion Bethiehem Missionary Baptist
Church Choir.
The church is located at 146 Cedar Landing Rd. in Wind
sor.
The Pastor, the Rev. Shelton R. Barnes, and congregation
invite the pubiic to attend.
Jan. 21
Gospel Concert
WILLIAMSTON - Second Edition will be in gospei concert
at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21 at West End Baptist Church.
TFIere wili be no admission charge, but an offering wiil
be taken.
The church is located at 1505 West Main St. in Wiiiiam-
ston.
The congregation invites the pubiic to attend.
Ongoing
Women’s Ministry
WINDSDR - The Women’s Ministry meets from 6-8 p.m.
on the second Friday of each month at Cedar Landing Mis
sionary Baptist Church.
The meetings include fun activities, free food, door prizes
and iots of iove.
The congregation invites the public to attend.
Battleground for Success
WINTON - Pastor Keith Urquhart will host a Facebook!
broadcast from 7-7:30 p.m. each Wednesday.
The educational presentation “Battleground for Success”
will be for school-aged students, parents and business-
minded peopie.
Help needed
WILLIAMSTON - New Fellowship Church and Project Feed
The 5000 is asking for help with donations of pet food for
older adults who have pets as their only family member
For information on how to donate bagged or canned dog/i
cat food, call 252-792-7191.
BANKRUPTCY
STOP Foreclosure
STOP Lawsuits
STOP Car Repossession
STOP Tax Levies and Garnishments
Call Allen C. Brown Attorney
#252-752-0753
A Debt Relief Agency helping people eliminate debt through bankruptcy y
Lost
Roanoke Electric Cooperative
Yogt louchctofK Eiwmr’ (Wtnct }
FULL NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA,
its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or
administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on
race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender
expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental
status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs,
or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or
activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs).
Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication
for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign
Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information
may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.
ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write
a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information
requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866)
632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
She was driving to the Outer
Banks from Bertie County, to
the Aquarium in Manteo, with
six children and one other adult.
An hour later, 1 got a call for di
rections. She realized she had
missed a turn when the Virginia
state line appeared.
He wandered through the
woods. Where is the truck?
Where is the path? Somehow, he
missed the markers that led back
to the truck. Something caught
her attention. She walked away
from her parents. It was crowd
ed. It was noisy. It was busy.
Disney World is all this and more.
The parents panicked. The child,
was oblivious to the dangers.
Most of us have a story of being
lost. Some, because of missed
turns. Others, from not paying
attention. Panic sets in. Frustra
tion. Aggravation. Perhaps, an
ger. A determined effort begins
to find the way back. On the oth
er hand, there are those, like the
child, who are lost but don’t even
realize it. This is the most dan
gerous. Lost at sea. Lost in the
woods. Lost on the road. Lost in
a crowd.
Fortunately, being lost at
tracts attention from friends,
family, and authorities. Intense
searches are made to find the
lost. When found, there is much
joy. Celebration.
Congratulations.
The news reports
the recovery.
Peace and rest
are restored.\We
recently celebrat
ed the coming of
Christ to earth as
a babe. His pur
pose for coming?
“For the Son of
Man (Jesus) has
come to seek and
save that which
was lost,” (Luke 19:10). The lost
are those who haven’t followed
Him.
Those who are not obeying
Him. Those who do what is right
in their own eyes rather than His.
The lost are those who choose
to listen to men’s ideas rather
than God’s. Jesus illustrates His
search for the lost in three para
bles recorded in Luke 15. He tells
of a lost coin, a lost sheep, and
REV. R.O.
DENTON
Be
Still
a lost son. In each, there was a
frantic search. (The lost son sto
ry implies the Father looked out
each day, waiting for his son to
return.) When the lost was found,
there wcis a party. Rejoicing.
This illustrates the searching Je
sus for those who are lost.
Jesus, on another occasion,
spoke of two roads: a wide road
with many people on it, and a
narrow road with few. The wide
road leads to destruction (lost
people). The narrow road leads
to eternal life (found people).
What road are you traveling?
Do you know where you are go
ing? As we begin a new year, each
of us has another opportunity to
choose the right path. You deter
mine your own destiny. Follow
Christ and know where you are
and where you are going (heav
en), or follow your own path that
will lead to destruction.
It’s your choice. Lost or found.
Don’t choose to be lost.
The Rev. R.O. “Buddy” Denton
Jr. is Pastor of Askewville As
sembly of God Church. He can be
reached via email at rodenton®
coastalnet.com.
Losing your wall to the will of God...
The life and ministry (and
death) of Thomas Becket serves
as one of the Christendom’s
greatest of role models. While
his earlier years were not so ex
emplary of the Christian life, at a
crucial point a deep, self-exami
nation brought about a most sig
nificant conversion comparable
to that of the Apostle Paul on the
road to Damascus.
Born into a family of wealth and
privilege, Becket began his adult
life as a banker to Theobald of
Bee (Archbishop of Canterbury).
It was the archbishop who recom
mended him to Henry II, and, so
wonderfully did he perform his
duties, when Theobald passed
away, the King appointed Becket
the new Archbishop of Canter
bury. No one ever doubted that
the king’s intention was to have
in that high and respected office
a lackey who would kowtow to
Henry’s every wish. Surprising
ly, the appointment resulted in
Becket taking his ministry grave
ly and viewing the teachings
of Christ to be more important
than Henry’s licentious behavior.
He openly preached against the
king, rebuffing the requests for
favoritism.
In the play. Murder In the Cathe
dral,” Becket orates on Christmas
Day of 1170 the words of Christ,
“My peace I leave with you, my
peace I give unto you.” The next
day would be the celebration of
Christianity’s first martyr, St. Ste
phen. He preaches, “Saints are
not made by accident. Worldly
Pastor Johnny
A. Phillips
This is
the day
ambition has no
place in heaven.
The true martyr
is he who has be
come the instru
ment of God, who
has lost his will
in the will of God,
not lost but found
it, for he has found
freedom in his sub
mission to God.”
In a state of rage
Henry frustrat-
ingly blurts out,
“What sluggards, what cowards
have I brought into my court,
who care nothing for their alle
giance to their lord? Who will rid
me of this meddlesome priest?”
Hearing this rant, four knights
accept it as the king’s open de
sire to do away with Thomas
Becket and they find him, at the
Cathedral’s altar no less and
there assassinate him on Dec.
29,1170. When issues of conflict
between authority and personal
faith arise, the Bible can become
rather uncertain. On one hand
Paul wrote, “Let everyone be
subject to the governing authori
ties, for there is no authority ex
cept that which God has estab
lished.... whoever rebels against
the authority is rebelling against
what God has instituted...”
But Luke penned these words:
“Peter and John answered,
‘Whether it is right in the sight of
God to listen to you rather than
God, you must be the judge, for
we cannot but speak of what we
have seen and heard.’”
I do not have the scholarship
nor the wisdom to fathom a clear
solution to this dilemma; howev
er, there are two lessons easily
gleamed from Becket’s stance of
faith:One, his willingness to dis
agree lovingly even with those
he loved. As Albus Dumbledore
in the Harry Potter series says,
“There are all kinds of courage.
It takes a great deal of bravery
to stand up to our enemies, but
a great deal more to stand up
to our friends.” Secondly, from
time to time in my ministry I
have witnessed people to simply
determine to change their less-
than-desirable behavior into role
models of spirituality.
An overly dedicated busi
nessman who had not attended
church in years became a lay
leader; an individual who had
been a pew warmer for genera
tions simply dropped into his
pastor’s office one day and asked
to perform some volunteer job;
a father of five who had squan
dered the family’s livelihood on
alcohol for years loaded them
up in his pickup truck and drove
to the parsonage to tell the old
country preacher. When Becket
became the archbishop, a sense
of responsibility was awakened
in him — a sense of spiritual self-
determination that the modern
world rarely acknowledges.
Johnny A. Phillips is a retired
minister residing in Morganton
and may be contacted at phillips_
sue@bellsouth. net
mJService
IliRECTORY
Jusl^^ 0
per
week
Excavation
BOYD
COPELAND
I CONTRACTING & LAND DEVELOPMENT
1 Lot Clearing, Demolition, Dig & Clean Out Ditches,
Bulldozer ■ Excavating Senrice
Days, 794-5259 - Nights, 794-4352 • Windsor, NC27983
Medical
VIDANT'
B«rtls Hospital
1403 South King Street | Windsor
252-794-6600
VidantHealth.com
Billed at $120 for 12 weeks
Call 252-794-3185 or email
jmobley@ncweeklies.com to have
your business listed in this directory
^^Tleating & AiT^
BERTJfrElEVRIC
HEWiyncTiNc
Family owned and operated for over 20 years
Trusted professionals for honest and reliable heating,
air conditioning, and electrical solutions since 1984.
FREE ESTIMATES • EMERGENCY SERVICE • PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
252-482-1702
wvnv.bertieelectric.net
Pine & Hardwood
Ciioiim FIm i HMiood
Buyers of Standing Pine & Hardwood
Sawtimber & Puipwood
PO Box 607 • 231 US 13 Bypass
Windsor, NC 27983
www.caTolinapinehaTdwood.com
Phone; 252-794-2780 • Mobile; 252-209-5582