Church news
Weekly church calendar
I
A Christmas drama, "Anything
can Happen on Christmas," by Al
berta Hawse will be presented on
Sunday evening, December IS at 7
p.m. The church is located at 715
W.Gnibb Street.
Hertford Pentecostal Church
Sunday School will be at 10 a.m.
Worship services will be at 11
a.m. Bible Study is held on Tues
day evenings at 7:30 p.m. Rev.
Gene Boyce is pastor. All are wel
come to join us in these services.
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noDDSviiio nipiiii tnurcn
Hobbsville Baptist Church,
Hobbsville will have Special Sun
day Worship Service Sunday, De
cember 18 at 11 a.m. The Youth
Choir and the Adult Choir will pro
vide special music.
Our attendance goal in Sunday
School is 130 and 140 at our
Worship Service. The offering
goal is $1,200.00.
Our Christmas program will be
Sunday, December 18 at 5 p.m.
Following the Christmas Pro
gram, we will be having our Ch
ristmas meal. Rev. Dave Pyatte
invites all to attend.
Come and grow with us in
Christ. For more information call
297-2962.
U ? ... a_a ? IImMajI Hallin til ?!
now nope unnou Meinooist
The New Hope United Method
ist Church Choir, under the direc
tion of Francis Jones, will present
their Christmas Cantata entitled
"Little Child, Mighty King" on
Sunday, December 18th, at 9:30
a.m.
The public is invited.
The Youth of the New Hope
United Methodist Church will pre
sent their Christmas Program en
tilled, "Case of the Missing
Christinas ", on Sunday, Decern
ber 18th, at 7:00 P.M.
B.gley Swamp Woaloyan
The Baaley Swamp Wesleyan
Church will present a Christmas
program, involving the children
and youth of the church, on Sun
day, December 18at7:00p.m. Im
mediately following the service, a
"Love Feast" will be held in the
church fellowship hall.
The public is cordially invited to
attend.
First Baptist Church
The First Baptist Church School
will be at 9:45 a.m. Morning
worship will be at 11:00 a.m. Pas
tor London will be preaching from
the subject "His Name Shall Be
Called the Everlasting Father"
Isa. 9:6. The Senior Choir will sing
under the direction of Sister Bar
bara Shannon. After the worship,
the Pastor will visit all sick and
shut ins and serve Holy Commu
nion for the last of 1988.
J.H. London Crusader
The J. H. London Crusader Gos
pel Singers invite the other choir
members to join them in Christ
mas Community singing from
door to door and street to street of
Hertford Thursday night, Decem
ber 21, 1988, beginning at the First
Baptist Church Steps at 6:90 p.m.
Come walk with us and share the
good news that Christ is Born.
Rev. J. H. London is the pastor of
First Baptist Church ana Rev. J.
W. Law is the pastor of Milton
Grove Baptist Church.
Porqulmana FeMowrahlp
The Perquimans County
Fellowship Union will be held at
the First Baptist Church, Sunday
night, December It, 1988 at 7:00
p.m. Rev. James Lightfoot and
New Haven Baptist Church are in
charge. Rev. J. H. London is the
president. This is the last
Fellowship meeting of 1968.
Snug Harbor Community
Church
Snug Harbor Community
Church holds a Worship Service
Sunday at 9 a.m. followed by Sun
day School for all ages at 10:15
a.m.
On Sunday evenings at 7 p.m.,
there is an Adult Bible Study;
Youth Group Meeting (t-12 yrs.)
and a Teen Group Meeting.
Bible Study is also held on
Wednesday eveningB at 7 p.m.
We are an Interdenominational
Church. Rev. Stanley Nixon is the
pastor. All are welcome to join in
our activities and fellowship.
Bethel Baptist Church Sunday
school will be at 10 a.m. Church
service will be at 11 a.m. Rev.
Gordon Shaw is the pastor.
The public is invited to attend.
Bothal Baptist Church
The Bethel Baptist Church will
observe a candlight service Sun
day evening, Dec. 18 at 7 :30 p.m.
The joint choirs will present a
Cantata - Love, Light and Life:
the Gift of Christmas.
Hertford Baptist Church
The adult choir of Hertford Bap
tist Church will present John Pe
terson's "King of Kings" at 11
p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18. Taking part
In the service also will be the
men's chorus, youth choir and the
children's choirs.
Mysterious mistletoe brightens Christmas
There are two holidays I think of
as bright.
Fourth of July, or course, is
bright with music, laughter, and
fireworks. But Christmas is truly
bright, with its twinkling lights,
family gaiety, gifts wrapped in
shinly papers, glistening greenery.
That's why I love mistletoe. It
twinkles and shines. It's a little
magical, too.
Hidden unnoticed during the
warm season by leaves of host
trees, mistletoe plants suddenly ap
pear, forming a festive silhouete
against the stern gray skies of win
ter. Or perhaps, because it is Ch
ristmas time, we start looking for
it This intriguing parasite once
again reminds us that holiday deco
rating is at hand.
As with many Christmas legends,
the use of mistletoe in revelry be
gan with our free-swinging, party
loving predecessors, the Romans.
Starting with the festival of Saturn
on December 17, rowdy revelers
hung the mistletoe up-and let their
morals hangout.
Abandoning sin for sacrifice,
mistletoe became important to the
secret rites of Druids in pre-Chris
tian Britian. It was believed to re
store fertility, give magical power,
and protect its bearer from physi
cal harm. Pretty heavy responsibi
lities for one plant, I'd say.
But back to the Romans-they
knew how to lighten things up.
When they finally conquered Brit
ain, they met the enemy under sa
cred mistletoe sprigs, laid down
their arms, kissed, and made up.
From then on, mistletoe's reputa
tion has been one of benefit and gai
ety. Scandinavians still hang
mistletoe above front doors to ward
off evil spirits.
Christmas "kissing balls," made
of gay ribbons and mistletoe, hung
from high-moralled ceiling and
doorways of Victorian parlors.
Their presence tended to loosen
many a stiff upper-lip.
Now, American lips are more re
laxed to start with. They toed to
loosen and linger on other Ameri
can lips with Tar less trepidation,
whatever the season. However,
mistletoe still counts heavily in hol
iday decorations. Well-wishers are
prompted to look around and see if
they've missed a kiss.
Mistletoe (Phoradendron aeroti
num) is a partial parasite, calling
82 different trees home. Among
these are oak, apple, persimmon
and nut tree. It is capable of its own
photosynthesis, but relies on its
host for water and minerals.
Watery-white berries are borne
by the female plant surrounded by
yellow-gredn leatherish leaves.
Each berry has one seed inside
which is surrounded by a viscous,
sticky substance. When a bird feeds
on the white berry, the seed sticks
to his beak against the tree trunk. It
sticks to the baric and eventually
germinates. Within seven to nine
rrs, the (riant has sunk its vascu
system deep into the tree and
can attain a diameter of two to
three feet.
As for its reputation as poisonous
plant materiai-its true-so be care
ful of ingesting the leaves or stems,
it is beyond me why anyone
even bother to take a bite.
The berries are not as poisonous,
unless ingested in very large num
bers.
The actual toxin is a lectin called
Phorotoxin. Symptoms of poisoning
include abdominal cramping, eme
As with many
Christmas legends,
the use of mistletoe in
revelry began with our
free-swinging, party
loving predecessors,
the Romans.
sis (vomiting), and diarrhea, re
sulting in a stoppage of protein
synthesis in the intestinal wall. Ex
cessive handling will cause derma
titis.
It is obvious that these symptoms
are the same as those, ah, other
poisons we over-indulge in during
holidays liquid and solids alike. So
my advice is don't eat mistletoe.
Stick to cranberry relish.
Lastly, don't use foolish methods
for gathering mistletoe. You
wouldn't actually climb that high
tree and crawl out on a limb to
pluck a plant, would you? And you
are definitely not going to shoot it
off with a rule, setting off a rain of
ricocheting bullets that will surely
raise your neighbor's ire, are you?
Why not just purchase a few bun
ches, place than at strategic kiss
ing areas, and enjoy the holidays ?
without a possible body cast, or an
arrest warrant for assaulting an
oak with a deadly weapon.
HAS MOVED TO:
Rt? 1, Box 334
Coloraln, NC 27924
PHONE (919)356-2217
JOE'S PLACE
NOW OPEN
OYSTER BAR
full Service with Haw A Steamed Oysters
And Shrimp
Grubb St Extd., Hertford N,C.
8 m
THUtSMY
5-9 p.m.
FRL ft SAT.
5-10 p.m.
426-5570
Sunday school lesson
GOD'S PROMISE FULFILLED
(LukeChapttri)
"She brought forth her first bora
soa, and wrapped him in twaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for
them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)
In last week's lesson we studied
about Gabriel's announcement to
Mary that she would become the
mother of God's Soo. The text given
for today's study records the birth
of the baby Jesus. The intervening
verses tell of Mary's three month
visit to her cousin Elisabeth who
was to give birth to a son who would
be called John, the Baptist or,
John, the Baptiser. John's spiritual
assignment was to annouce the
coming of Christ Jesus and to call
the people to repentance. To the
Hebrew people names carried
great significance. The Lord's
given name was Jesus; His title
was Christ He was the Messiah,
the One for Whom His kinsmen had
waited so long.
EVENTS BEFORE THE BIRTH
OF JESUS.
(Luke2:l-S)
Luke had already informed us
that Herod was the ruler over J ti
des, appointed by the Roman gov
ernment. Now he gives us further
information to provide the histori
cal setting for the birth of Jesus.
Julius Caesar, called Caesar Au
gustus, was the Roman emperior.
The title Augustus, added to his
name, indicated pre-eminence, and
no doubt led to later emperiors de
claring themselves to be diety. It
was from the Caesar that the order
came to King Herod that the people
were to be taxed. The usual Roman
practice was to count people where
they lived. The Jews, however,
accustomed to eoroll their
people by tribe* and families, and
the enrollment usually occurred at
the place where the family records
were kept. This practice probably
accounted for the fact that Jesus
was born in Bethlehem.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS
(Luke 2:6-7)
"And she brought forth her first
born Son, and wrapped Him in
swaddling clothes, and laid Him in
a manger. (Verse 7)
We have no way of determining
the exact date of Jesus' birth, but
we celebrate it on December 25th.
Scholars usually date the birth of
Jesus between six and four B.C.;
the exact date is really not impor
tant. Hiat He was born of a virgin,
that He died an atoning death on
the cross, and that he arose from
the tomb is all important. TTiese
are the pillars on which Christian
ity rests. The birth of Jesus is given
in one brief sentence.
to the fact that He was*bouriUnan
animal shelter. Luke tells us that
He was born there because there
was no room in the inn. But, some
one may say, "This was God's Son,
King of God's Kingdom, shouldn't
He have been afforded a royal birth
in princely surroundings and with
pomp and majesty?" Jesus was
born as He lived and died. He did
not come as a princely leader of a
great army. He came as the
prophet Isaiah said that He would;
the suffering servant. He would
change the lives of people, by chan
ging them within. Those who see
Jesus only as a good person and a
moral teacher will miss it all.
ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE
SHEPHERDS.
(Luke 2:8-16) ?'
<TJ
"And there were in the same:.;
country shepherds abiding in the
field..." (Verse8) Js
It is significant that the first
receive the news of the Saviro's
birth were the shepherds. It was
night when heaven came down t n
earth. Picture the scene which toor
place in the shepherd's fields out ..
side Bethlehem that night. First,. ;
there was the light from the glory of
God with appeared and lit up thi \
whole countryside Hie messenger-*
angel announced the birth of God's
Son. Suddenly the heavens were fuK
of angels. The shepherds looking I
heavenward saw a multitude of art '
gels stretching heavenward as far'
as the eye could see. Their voice* '
blended into an angelic choir prais
ing God, and saying, "Glory to God . ,
in the highest, and on earth peace'., .
food will toward men."
Dear
friends,
Educator Donald W. Steel,
Ph.D. writes: "In our experi
ence with our own dhildren,
nieces and nephews when
their grandmother diet*, we
found that they benefitted
greatly from participation in
the funeral. The children
learned that:
A funeral is a healthy
way to say goodbye.
A funeral s a way that
people give support to one
another in their grief
A funeral is a way of ex
pressing tribute to the de
ceased.
Respectfully,
509 Dobbs Street
Hertford, N.C.
426-7311
"WHAT'S IN A NAME"
Samuel R. Swfnney
Bag ley Swamp Wesleyan Church
What's in a name? In the Bible, names had meaning
and spoke about the person's character. Isaiah gives
us some of the names of jesus. I wonder why He was
given these particualr names?
Maybe Isaiah looked down the corrodors of time
and was able to see Jesus in action and thus attrib- ,
uted these names to Him. Isaiah may have seen Jesus j
as a twelve year old boy talking with the doctors in ;
the Temple. He would have observed the great wis
dom of such a young person and exclaimed "WON- '
DERFUL."
Maybe Isaiah saw Jesus as He proclaimed the Beau- '
titudes for right living, or heard Him face the accus- j
sors of the woman taken in adultery (they all left in ^
shame) and exclaimed "He is a great COUNSELOR."
Just maybe Isaiah watched as Jesus raised the wid
ow's only son bock to life, or as He stood at the
grave of His clearest friend and called "Lazarus come forth." When those who
were dead returned to life again, Isaiah said "Only God can do such works He rj ;
must be THE MIGHTY GOD."
I wonder if Isaiah saw Jesus as He gathered the children around Him and said . J
"we must come as little children," or if he saw the compassion of Jesus as He |
wept over Jerusalem and their waywardness, or heard Jesus say, "I and the ;
Father are one," or "If you've seen Me you've seen the Father." ,aybe Isaiah
heard the discourse from John 14, and decided "He must be THE EVERLASTING : \
FATHER."
Just maybe he saw Jesus cast out the demons from the Demoniac, or calm the
troubled sea and still the winds; when he said "He is the PRINCE OF PEACE."
Of all the names given Him, the one I like best was spoken by the angel, "Ye
shall call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins."
What's in a name? When it's the name of Jesus, it's everything.