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104th Issue * Version 5
Evangelical Orthodox Communion Bishop Wm. La Rue Dillard, PhD 925 So. Shamrock Monrovia, CA 91016
Nadine O. Harris, MBA, Founder/Chief Editor Ferrari Y. Green, Production & Design Precious Flemings, Writing Editor Sherry Joiner, Operations & Distribution
Contributing Consultants: Peggy LaBon / Eric Johnson Jessie Anderson / Vera Reeves / James Ella Harvey Betty Thomas / Anita J. McCulloch/ Felicia Dickson
Photographers: Robert Anderson Robert Hamilton Rasheedah Ruffin
Children’s Church Staff: Jaylyn A. Harris
Second’s Gazette is published
and distributed monthly, every First Sunday, to provide parishioners with information about our church, the community, and the world. T h e
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We welcome your comments. Contact us at Secondsnewsletter@gmail.com
Second Baptist Church Schedule of Worship Services Sunday Morning Services 10:45 AM Sunday Church School, Baptism and New Member’s Orientation Classes from 9:45 AM—10:30 AM ————————————————— Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper Celebration is served every First Sunday after the 10:45 AM Worship Service and at 4:45 PM in the Sanctuary ————————————————Mid-Week Bible Study and Prayer Services Bible Study, Prayer, Praise, and Testimonies at 10:45AM & 6:45 PM On Wednesdays Except Holidays
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Mission Statement econd’s Gazette serves as a monthly newsletter to inform the congregants of valuable information happening on the campus of Second Baptist Church and in the community, as well as spotlight individuals and events that edify our parish church, but most importantly; glorifies the name of Jesus Christ.
A prayer for Thanksgiving
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lmighty God, our Creator, Redeemer and Eternal Companion, we come to you overwhelmed by the goodness you bestow on us without limits.
On this special day, we recall how you blessed our forefathers who came to this wonderful land seeking freedom to worship without restraint or hindrance. We are immeasurably grateful for our heritage. We pray that our faith may be as fervent as the faith of those who left everything for a land strange to them and where they were strangers to the natives. Therefore, we gather as grateful benefactors of your pilgrim servants who paid a costly price to glorify you and serve you faithfully. For them, we give you our deepest gratitude mindful of that first Thanksgiving meal shared by newcomers and natives. We gather around our tables as family and friends. We come to you in love and great appreciation for your constant grace and gifts bestowed upon us. The abundant and beautiful food before us is the most lovely and present evidence. Ever-giving and ever-loving God, we humbly thank you for all your benefits. We wish only one thing more. May we have the honor of your presence? Be our Guest that we may know that we have had fellowship with you and with one another. In the name of your greatest gift to us, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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The Failure of Success Without God! Sons and Daughters of My Flock, Grace to You!
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y love Epistle comes from Psalm. “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end” (Psalm 73:17). Listen to God from this Psalm! “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end” (Psalm 73:17).
The Psalmist Asaph had almost lost his footing of his faith. He looked around and saw the prosperity of those who did not believe in God. His question wasn’t “Why do bad things happen to good people?” but, “How can God allow good things to happen to bad people?” We have all shared this question. We observe people who make no pretense of trusting in God. Some of them get ahead, live successful lives and acquire an abundance of things. On the other hand, we see that some who trust in God face struggles and difficulties. We are forced to question our assumption that faith in God is a ticket to an easy ride through life. Believing in God is not an assurance of material prosperity. Nor should we think that temporal success is a sign that we are a “darling of the Lord.” When the Psalmist Asaph heard from God, he began to see things in the perspective of eternity. He moved from comparisons to compassion. It was in the sanctuary in God’s presence that he realized the real issue. He understood the end for those who do not know God for eternity. This startling realization brings the psalmist to put new trust in the Lord and to accept the commission to declare the good works of the Lord. This psalm helps us to take no one for granted. People who have everything except God have nothing when the end comes. Instead of envying them, our calling is to pray for opportunities to share true success-to know Christ and live with the assurance of eternal life. I ask for all of us to make three resolves, (no more comparisons to unbelievers who have an abundance of material things; greater compassion for the plight of their eternal lives; and unqualified love and prayer for a chance to share the true abundant life in Christ). Amen! Until He Comes, I Am Serving Christ Joyfully, Bishop Dr. Wm. LaRue Dillard Parish Under-Shepherd
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In all things, give
thanks. I Thessalonians 5:18
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he Diakonos Ministry of Second Baptist Church is available to parishioners to help Bishop Dillard with members concerns and needs. Feel free to contact your representative below. The Diakonos are assigned alphabetically by last name. We are available to “Pray with You”, “Consult with You”, and “Assist You” in any way we can to help you in your Christian walk.
A—Robert and Jessie Anderson B—Dennis and JoAnne Craig Betty Brown, Rodney Bough C—A. G. Harrison, Shirley Robinson Larry and Deborah Hayes D—James and James Ella Harvey Venda Hawkins
H— Thelma Jones, George and Tamara Lewis I-J—Ellis and Thelma Johnson Eva McLaurin, Walter McDonald K-L-N-O-T—Lonnie and Josephine Stokes, Terrence Williams M—Chuck and Martha Williams Melva Hill
E-F—Ron and LaVonne Husband Adrienne Hurst
P-Q—Carrie Walker, Nadine Harris
G—Minnie Manning, Valeria Burwell
R-S—Larry Willis, Oscar Woodard
Ellen Clark, Eric Johnson
UVWXYZ—Robert Hamilton, Ron Demps, Michael Dickson
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The Bishop’s Epistle The Failure of Success without God!
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Features
Every Month 2 4 5 8,9, 17 EXTRAS 6,7 10, 11 12, 13 14, 15 16, 17 18, 19 20, 21 22, 23
Editor’s Comments Diakonos Praying with You Contents Blast from the Past/Footprints /Birthdays Church Outing Tower of Faith Cancer Awareness/Supporters / Movie Pic Community News Health and Feature Article Birthdays / Announcements/Home Going MOM Thanksgiving Drive/Mission Corner NEWS / Church Outing New Revelation Children’s church
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Raise your praise
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et praise — not merely thanksgiving, but praise — always form an ingredient of thy prayers. We thank God for what he is to us, for the benefits which he confers and the blessings with which he visits us. But we praise him for what he is in himself, for his glorious excellences and perfections, independently of their bearing on the welfare of the creature. … When thou sing praise, all creation (in a manner) sings in thee and with thee.
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e have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole of the American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the heavens.
—Abraham Lincoln, 1863 proclamations of a National Day of Fasting and a National Day of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving!
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“Past-to-Present”
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hanksgiving is an embraced Holiday tradition that has been celebrated for many years. In 1777, the First Continental Congress delivered a decree to the thirteen colonies to give thanks for the victory they had won over the British at Saratoga. African Americans took part in this celebration also, rejoicing for the rain that had delivered a harvest of plenty. Today, the tradition continues. But what are we celebrating? What are we rejoicing about? Are we thankful for the rain, the sunshine, the winds, the dust that blows, the air that we breathe? If the answer is “Yes!” then we are on the right side, and this is the Lord’s side. As Paul stated in Philippians 4:4, “No matter whatever state that I am in, I have learned to be content.” So say I. Amen! Dr. Precious References: Blackthen.com
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ive thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One; give thanks for He has given Jesus Christ, His Son! (I love that song).
John 6:35 states, And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” Welcome November! This is the time of year that we give of ourselves, sacrificially! We will be in the kitchen cooking large meals for family gatherings. Now is the time we decide who will host the big Thanksgiving Dinner, and what each one will prepare. I can hardly wait! Most of us are so blessed to have different family members and lots of friends beckoning our presence to attend their gathering. There will be pre-Thanksgiving, post-Thanksgiving, plus many give-a-way bags to go. But as long as we have the “bread of life,” Jesus Christ in the mist of our family and friend’s gatherings, the season, with all of its meaning, will be forever fulfilling. I hope that this will be the actual Harvest/Fall Season and not 80 degrees on Thanksgiving Day! With so much talk about what’s happening in the atmosphere, and global warming, I am watching the sky and looking for the Lord to fulfill His promise. But for now, I’m grateful that the Lord is giving me another opportunity to tell someone else that He is real! Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Peggy LaBon
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Second’s Gazette Welcomes donations of any size. Please make checks payable to
Second Baptist Church
SUPPORTERS Second Baptist Church Diakona Nadine O. Harris Lady Betty G. Dillard Eleanor Harrison Mother Deloris K. Bridges Ferrari Green Diakona Melva Hill Barbara Jean Grant Shirley Towler – Hayes Elder Robert Craig Cameron & J.P. Dixon Dr. John & Apryl Harris Diakona Larry & Debra Hayes Christine Mathis Marva E. Hogan Ophelia M. Harris Barbara M. Harris Mildred Cross Diakona Carrie Walker Geneva Douglas Phylicia Stroud Diakona James Ella Harvey Laura Bullock
There is room for you too, Donate!
Precious’ Movie Pick of the Month
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hen tragedy strikes three families of different backgrounds, they destiny forces them to travel converging paths only to discover God’s love, grace, and mercy. This is a wonderful movie full of surprises, but most of all full of God’s love, grace, and mercy. Our Bishop, Dr. Wm. LaRue Dillard, gives it “Four-Thumbs-Up.” So say I! It opened in movies on September 28, 2017 and is directed by Kavan Otto, written by Ty Manns and has a host of wonderful actors that include Kim Fields and Richard T. Jones. This is a movie that that you can testify too. Amen!
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Gospel singer Isaac Carree was born April 29, 1973 and grew up in North Carolina, where he began singing solos in church (his mother was a pastor at New Beginnings Community Outreach Church in Greensboro, North Carolina). Possessing a fine tenor voice, Carree later sang in John P. Kee's V.I.P. Choir before leaving to form the gospel quartet Men of Standard with Michael Bacon, Bryan Pierce, and Lowell Pye (the group later became a trio with the departure of Bacon). The group signed to the Malaco Records subsidiary Muscle Shoals and released four critically acclaimed albums on the imprint between 1996 and 2004 before releasing a fifth album on Columbia Records in 2006. During a Men of Standard hiatus, Carree recorded and released a solo album, Uncommon Me, late in the summer of 2011.
In Africa, newly baptized believers were given a drink of milk and honey, symbols of their being children of Christ and citizens in heaven, a land of milk and honey. http://www.christianitytoday.com/histo ry/issues/issue-37/worship-in-early-
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fter unexpected tragedy shook her family, for the first time Katie began to wonder, Is God really good? Does He really love us? Daring to Hope is an invitation to cling to the God of the impossible—the God who whispers His love to us in the quiet, in the mundane, when our prayers are not answered the way we want or the miracle doesn’t come. It’s about a mother discovering the extraordinary strength it takes to be ordinary. It’s about choosing faith no matter the circumstance and about encountering God’s goodness in the least expected places. Though your heartaches and dreams may take a different shape, you will find your own questions echoed in these pages. You’ll be reminded of the gifts of joy in the midst of sorrow. And you’ll hear God’s whisper: Hold on to hope. I will meet you here.
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Thur. November 2, 2017 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM PDT
FIND OUT IF Gateway Seminary 3210 E Guasti Rd., Ontario, California 91761
YOU
QUALIFY
RACISM, GOSPEL & THE CHURCH The Intersect Conference examines intersection points between culture and the Gospel, addresses the unique needs of urban centers and labors for societal transformation through the Gospel. Keynote speaker: Dr. Kevin Smith is the executive director of the Maryland-Delaware Baptist Convention and preaching professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
RENAISSANCE YEARS
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—Richard Singer
ick Singer has written a new book with the unvarnished story of Mon-
rovia’s recent past – Renaissance Years: A History of Modern Monrovia. His talents as a journalist and his deep knowledge of Monrovia -- from his time as the Chamber of Commerce Executive and the City’s public information officer -- are all on full display. As the back cover states: The Monrovia of the 1960s and ‘70s was a failing city, a town economically, socially and morally out of touch with a changing America. Just three decades later, it was being honored as an All-America City. This is the story of that amazing transformation, a tale of social renewal, economic regeneration and civic rebirth. The re-launching of this once troubled and divided community into a new and better era. They called it the Monrovia Renaissance. The sometimes dramatic, occasionally comedic often ironic and cautionary stories of a town in the throes of change. Copies are available in the Second Baptist Bookstore, The price of the 400page book is $30. You may contact Larry Spicer with questions.
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Living Happy and Healthy During the Season!!! ‘‘Tis the Season!”. . . Holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and celebration. But for some people, they are anything but.
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epression may occur at any time of the year, but the stress and anxiety during the months of November and December may cause even those who are usually content to experience loneliness and a lack of fulfillment.
There are several reasons why you may develop depression during the Holidays. Here are several ways to stave off the holiday blues that may descend at this time: Begin a New Tradition Don't Give In to Holiday Pressures - feel free to leave an event if you aren't comfortable, or are not will to tell others, “I am not up for this right now.” Volunteer - Helping others can also be very helpful for you, too. Get Back to Nature - go for a walk If you are feeling sad for long periods of time, tell your doctor! He or she can refer you to a mental health specialist. If your feelings of sadness during the holidays are accompanied by suicidal thoughts, one of the following should be done immediately: Call 911. Go immediately to a hospital emergency room. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). You can improve your mood by practicing self-care during the Holidays. Eat a healthy diet, and maintain a regular sleep pattern and exercise program. Keep your expectations modest. Don’t get hung up on what the holidays are supposed to be like, or how you are supposed to feel. Do something different; lean on your support system; don’t assume the worst and forget the unimportant stuff. Don't let the holidays become something you dread. Instead, take steps to prevent the stress and depression that can descend during the holidays. Learn to recognize your holiday triggers so you can combat them before they lead to a meltdown. With a little planning and some positive thinking, you can find peace and joy during the holidays. Live Life Healthy,
Jessie Anderson, RN BS https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/holidays#1 https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/25-ways-find-joy-balance-during-holidays#1 http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20550695,00.html#coping-with-depression-1
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H How Far To Christmas?
ow far is it to Christmas Day? The journey’s just as long as taking time to listen to a joyful angel song. It’s just as far as one can go in doing a loving deed that helps someone feel better or that meets their special need. For Christmas is a journey that the heart makes every year. It starts right with your family and those you hold so dear. It travels on to strangers ’round the world to everyone with the message that God loves us and that’s why He’s sent his Son! —Peggy Ferrell
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Remembering Diakona Arlethia Craig
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he life book of Arlethia Craig was opened August 1, 1929 in St. Paul, NC. The fifth child of Andrew and Eugenia Robinson’s 14 children, Arlethia was educated in the Bladen County School District in North Carolina.
On December 1, 1956 in Monterey, CA she married a young military man named Robert Craig. They had dated for three months but had a courtship that has lasted more than 61 years. She is the love of his life and he the love of hers. To this union four wonderful children were born, Verna, Dennis, Pamela and Charmetria. This quiet spoken woman knew how to care for her husband, how to raise God-fearing children, and how to live the life she read about in her Bible. In 1953 while in the state of Virginia, she accepted Christ as her personal savior. She joined Second Baptist Church in 1967 under then Pastor George Godfrey Bailey. For the last 43 years, her service and commitment to this fellowship has been under the leadership of her soul watcher, Bishop Wm. LaRue Dillard. He appointed her to SBC’s deaconship. She served as one of its Trinity leaders and held a Clergy Wives position. He also selected Diakona Craig to lead Second Baptist’s Food Pantry Outreach, serving as Head Cook and Food Services Coordinator. Diakona Arlethia Craig transitioned to her heavenly home early Saturday morning on September 23, 2017 after a sustained illness. Diakona Craig believed and accepted Christ, therefore, she will continue to live in the hereafter. We will experience and recall the results of her amazing contributions to her husband, children, grandchildren, church family and the community-at-large. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Robert; their four children: Verna of Atlanta, GA, Dennis (JoAnne) of Fontana, CA, Pamela of Los Angeles and Charmetria Johnson (Jonathan) also of Atlanta; three grandchildren - Cattryna, Dennis II and Aaron; five siblings: Maleta Baer Craig, Susie Jones, Magalene Ward (Warren) all of New Jersey, Ethel Watts of Washington, DC, and Richard Robinson (Virginia) of Rialto, CA; a goddaughter, Fahren James of Pasadena, CA and her best friends, Sister Gladys Brown and Mother Thelma Adams. Too numerous to name are her nephews, nieces, other relatives and friends, especially her Duarte family from “The Hole” on Pamela Road. Our lives have been made better by the food she prepared and fed us, the caring hands she used to help us and the heart she opened to love us!
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THE MISSION CORNER
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Christmas Play
CAST “A New Star” When: 12-9-17 1p.m.
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Second’s Gazette