NBCB Weekly Newsletter 10-11-2024

Hello NBC Berkeley,

Recently, I have added hymn singing to my morning time with the Lord.  After reading Scripture and some prayer I have been singing some hymns from the 1975 Baptist Church Hymnal.  It’s been a real blessing to sing the songs of God’s people.  I am reminded of Ephesians 5:18-20 which reminds us And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the marks of being filled with the Spirit is wanting to praise God.  This week I came across a wonderful hymn exalting our Triune God.  George W. Frazer lived from 1830-1896 and penned the hymn God Our Father We Adore Thee.  Read and meditate on the words of the this theologically rich hymn.

1 God, our Father, we adore Thee!
We, Thy children, bless Thy name!
Chosen in the Christ before Thee,
we are “holy, without blame.”
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
Abba’s praises we proclaim!
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
Abba’s praises we proclaim!

2 Son Eternal, we adore Thee!
Lamb upon the throne on high!
Lamb of God, we bow before Thee,
Thou hast brought Thy people nigh!
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
Son of God, who came to die!
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
Son of God, who came to die!

3 Holy Spirit, we adore Thee!
Paraclete and heavenly guest!
Sent from God and from the Savior,
Thou hast led us into rest.
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
by Thy grace forever blest.
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
by Thy grace forever blest.

4 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Three in One! we give Thee praise!
For the riches we inherit,
heart and voice to Thee we raise!
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
Thee we bless through endless days!
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
Thee we bless through endless days!

This has been a great week for Northwood Baptist Berkeley!  This past Sunday we had a large crowd and were able to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  On Sunday night we had another large crowd as we hosted the quarterly Northwood Family of Churches prayer meeting.  We spent about an hour and half with our sister churches Northwood Greenridge and Northwood Wando Woods pleading to our great God to bless ourselves, our church families, our nation, and the victims of Western North Carolina.  It was an amazing night.  Please make it a priority to join us for our quarterly family of church prayer meetings.  Yesterday, October 10th, Northwood Baptist Berkeley was formally welcomed into the Charleston Baptist Association at CBA’s 273^rd Annual Meeting.  Linda and I were called up and prayed over as we were welcomed into our new Baptist Association.  It’s amazing what God is doing in Charleston!!  Also, at the CBA meeting I was able to join Pastor Tommy and Pastor Buck as we got to report what God has been doing through the Northwood Family of Churches.  People are so excited to hear.  A challenge was issued for other micro church networks to develop around Charleston.  We can always treasure the fact that Gethsemane Baptist became the first congregation in the Lowcountry to take this step of faith to join a family of church network of a larger, healthier church when we became Northwood Berkeley.

Many of you have heard from our Nominating Committee members Dennis Doerr, Francis Forbes, and Linda Glasgow.  We hope you will prayerfully consider serving the Lord in a formal role in the coming year.  Much thanks are extended to our Nominating Committee. 

Don’t forget that on October 26 we will celebrate Covenant Sunday.  Northwood Baptist Berkeley practices church covenant membership. We remind ourselves each year about our responsibilities before the Lord and each other as church members.  On Covenant Sunday, we will read the church covenant and have an opportunity to sign the church covenant. If you are unable to make it that day because of travel or health, you will have ample opportunity to sign the church covenant before or after Covenant Sunday. To remain a member of Northwood Baptist Berkeley you must have the church covenant signed by our Annual Meeting in January.  

Don’t forget we have the Fall Festival on Saturday, November 2^nd from 3-5 p.m.  Invite your friends and neighbors to this fun event where we seek to bless the community.