BBC Connections - Spring 2020

BBC CONNECTIONS

Hope

from the

Spring 2020

Darkness

Benson Baptist Church Newsletter (March - May 2020)

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In This Issue

Articles

Pastor’s Paragraphs ……………………………………….…… 4 A Few Notes from Todd ………………………………….…… 5 The View from Debbie’s Desk ………………………….…..… 6 Notes from the Chaplain …………………………………….… 8 Stories from the Heart …………………………………….…. 9 Thank You! ………………………………………………..…… 10

Birthdays

……………………………………………………….… 12

Upcoming Events Photos

…………………………………………..… 14

……………………………………………………….….… 16

We Need Your Help!

……………………………………… Back

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Sundays

Weekly @BBC

8:45am - Contemporary Worship Service Fellowship Hall 9:45am - Unify Breakfast Fellowship Hall 10:00am - Sunday School Various Locations 11:00am - Traditional Worship Service Sanctuary/Live Stream 5:30pm - Youth Group Fellowship Hall/Youth Room

Mondays

7:00pm - Young Adult Community Bible Studies @Homes in the Community

Wednesdays

5:30pm - Prayer Time Parlor 6:00pm - Dinner Fellowship Hall 6:45pm - Adult Discussion/Youth Group/Children’s Music & Lesson 7:30pm - Choir Practice Music Suite

Tuesdays @7pm - Sexual Abuse Support Group Thursdays/Saturdays - Narcotics Anonymous

’ r o t s a P

s h p a r g a r a sP

Hope from the darkness…

As Christians we like to focus a lot on the light of Christ, and why wouldn’t we? Light is a whole lot better than darkness. We don’t like the dark because, often, it is where our fears and anxieties come to the surface. We’d rather spend our days enjoying the warmth of the light that comes with good days and just avoid the darker ones all together.

In her book Learning to Walk in the Dark, Barbara Brown Taylor says “I have learned things in the dark that I could never have learned in the light, things that have saved my life over and over again, so that there is really only one logical conclusion. I need darkness as much as I need light.” I believe that this is true for us as people of faith, even if we don’t like facing the darkness of life. It is often in the midst of that darkness that we are reminded that are lives on earth are not eternal and that things will not always be warm and bright in life or faith.

This journey into darkness is one that Jesus understood well. As we enter the season of Lent that begins with Ash Wednesday and concludes with Easter, we do so walking step-by-step with Jesus. As he journeys toward the cross, so too, do we.

Over the next few weeks, I encourage you to seek the voice of Christ in the midst of the darkness and know that you follow a Rabbi who knows what that journey is like. Know that, just like the Lenten journey, the hope of Christ is always in our midst as we journey this path of life together.

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A Few

Notes from Todd God’s Plans

The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) When tragedy strikes, it’s easy for many people – even people of faith – to question the validity of that scripture. We hear it often, “If God is in control of everything, and if he’s a loving God, why does he allow something like this to happen?”

If you are someone who deals with clinical depression, despair may be your daily mindset. I’m not a psychologist, but I have observed a lot of folks who suffer from depression. Medication can help, and so can unwavering love and support by family and friends. Sometimes there are simply no words we can say to comfort someone who is depressed, but we can always offer our presence. I often think of the ministry that our own Cari Willis does with death row prison inmates. Hers is a ministry of presence and of listening more than one of teaching and preaching.

Isn’t that how God’s Holy Spirit works? God knows every thought, every hurt, every struggle, every bad thing we’ve done, and every bad thing someone else has done to us. So why does God not just fix everything and make it right? Why did Jesus have to die such a horrible death? Why are we stuck here in this world where we are surrounded by so much trouble and strife?

God has big plans for us. Maybe we won’t understand those plans this side of Heaven. God has a viewpoint that’s different from ours, and what we consider tragedy may have a different meaning to him. But we can still have hope – hope in God’s great love, hope in Jesus’ resurrection, hope that morning comes after night overtakes us.

In His Service,

Todd

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Hope from despair. There have been so many times in my life that I have felt despair and couldn’t see past the despair to what hope lays beyond.

But then the hope does happen just when I need it.

So you know me. I’ve been praying and praying about what I should write for this newsletter. The one time that really keeps coming to mind is about Gideon. As you know Gideon has some issues. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, a sensory super power (that’s what we call it) affecting all 5 senses. Also, he shakes. He’s on Parkinson’s medicine but doesn’t have that diagnosis. His specialist can’t figure out why he shakes. But the medicine helps.

About 3 years ago the doctor decided to try him on a new medicine, Abilify. It’s used to treat certain mental/mood disorders (such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome, and irritability associated with autistic disorder). Asperger’s is on the Autism spectrum. Gideon used to have total melt downs and would scream for hours at a time. (I’m so glad that he has stopped that.) The doctor thought she would try Abilify to see if it would help him. What she didn’t realize is that the males in my immediate family will have a bad reaction to medicine or it will work the complete opposite of what it’s supposed to do. (Like Don, they gave him Valium before an MRI and it made him hyper. He didn’t have an MRI that day!)

We gave Gideon his medicine on Saturday morning and about 2 or so hours later he started screaming. His whole body was stiff as a board. He was having one giant spasm. Don was holding Gideon trying to comfort him. I was getting ready to call 911. He was still rigid and stiff as a board and crying uncontrollably. I could hear Don praying. I took a video of Gideon and then I started praying. The Lord

7 spoke to me right away. “Don’t call 911, call the doctor.” I’m thinking, “Lord the doctor is not going to be at the office right now.” But I hurriedly called her office.

Of course she wasn’t there but on her voicemail she had her cell number in case of an emergency. I called her cell and she answered right away. I told her what was going on and then I sent her the video. She told us to get some liquid Benadryl and give it to him immediately. Thank the Lord we had some in the cupboard.

We gave it to him and within minutes he started to relax and calm down. His whole body went limp and he was completely drenched in sweat but the worst was over.

Despair – yes, we definitely felt despair and so helpless but the Lord saw us through it. He gave us the help and the hope that we needed. I now have the doctor’s cell number programmed into my phone, we keep liquid Benadryl at all times in our house and we only start new medicine on Saturdays.

I found out a few days later that Gideon’s specialist was at her daughter’s wedding when she answered our call. How many doctors’ nowadays would do that? I don’t know, but we did find out from this experience that she is a keeper and that God is where we need to go when we’re in despair to find hope.

Debbie Champagne

NOTES

FROM

CHAPLAIN

THE 14 years ago when I started on the hospice wards of the Federal prison in Butner, I met a man who was more interested in tying and retying his shoes than to speak a single word to me. I still would stop in his cell to let him know that I was praying for him, that God loved him, and I loved him. He rarely looked up from his wheelchair to look at me. Instead he stayed completely hunched over and stayed focused on his shoes.

As the weeks and months went by I came to know that he was suffering from stage 4 brain cancer. He was in the wheelchair because he would have seizures every once in a while and the only way they could keep him safe from falling was for him to be confined to the wheelchair. As the weeks and months went by little bit by little bit he would look at me. At some point he spoke to me. It wasn’t much that he shared at first, but eventually he let me know he just couldn’t believe for himself that there was a good God. He wanted to believe, but it was just too difficult for him given the state he was in. I asked him, “If you could pray, what would be your one prayer?” “I would pray for a compassionate release so I can die with family around me.” “Well I will pray that it happens.” It was later that day that I heard his name over the loud speaker. I ran over to his cell with big eyes and a huge grin. “Do you think it is good news from your social worker?” With tears running down his face he said, “You really do mean it that you will hope and pray for me?” “Yes, of course!” And sure enough, he would hear the news that he wanted to hear – he was going home in just a few days.

Later that day I would write this in my journal: “These moments—where I can see God moving in these men’s lives—are what keep me coming back. I will hope for them when they are out of hope. I will cry for them when they are out of tears. I will show up for them when they feel they are all alone. I will pray for them when they feel that no one cares. Why? Because this is what God does for me, and it is the least I can do for them.”

By the simple acts of showing up and praying for this man, there was hope in his darkness. Praise be to God!

Rev. Cari Willis

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Stories from My HEArt “I love you just the way you are. You don’t need to change a thing. Just look at us. We have been through a lot together in these past 5 or 6 years. We have been though good times and bad times. And through it all we are there for each other. I know I am not supposed to ask God, “Why?” I did ask God, “What did I ever do that meant I had to go through this with my wife?” God said, “You did not do anything wrong. Everything happens for a reason.” I had my Bible with me and God said, “Open your Bible up to Romans 8:28.”

The Scripture reads: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” God said, “Hang in there. You will have good days and bad days as you go through this with your wife.”

We have so much love for each other and it shows when she smiles as her smile is like a beam of light. If she is having a bad day it has an effect on me. But, if she is having a good day that will put a smile on my face. I tell her, “Look at you. You are my rock, my partner, and my soul mate. You are also the mother to our son.

We have come a long way together and we still have a long way to go.

As I look back on all of the places we went together one place stands out: the Petty Museum. We saw Richard Petty and Jessica Lynch on April 23rd, 2004 in Randlman NC. As I saw God looking down on us, God said, “Just look at us.”

Larry Martin

Thank you!

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Two BIG thank yous to the congregation of Benson Baptist Church: 1. Thank you so much for your donations of cash, toiletries and stuffed animals to the Beans and Rice ministry through Mission Emanuel. You made a difference in 50 families’ lives!

2. Thanks you so much for your donations of items for the Blessing Boxes here in town (One located on church grounds and the other one at Eye Works on Main Street.) Please note that collection of items continues through the end of February.

Thanks again!

Amy Whittington

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Welcome to Our New Staff!

Marvin Rawls

Kate Crowe

Music Ministry

Nursery

Intern

Coordinator

Welcome to Our New Members!

Lawrence Powers

Ray Adams

Genevieve

Heather Powers

Amy Adams

Sorrell

uPCOMING BIRTHDAYS!!

March Amy Hardison (1)

Gayle Newman (29)

Blake Johnson (20)

Henry Charles Hoekstra (2)

Jessica Lambert (30)

Brenda Oglesby (22)

Isaac Zapp (2)

Austin Pope (30)

Amanda Spears (22)

D. Johnson

Gail Adams (31)

Logan King (27)

Don Johnson (31)

Laurie Stephenson (28)

(3)

Mary Peyton Johnson (3) Lindsay Tart Royal (3) Brittany Miller (5) Elizabeth Hernandez (7) Brigette Hoekstra (7) Susan Bowman (8) Lynn Williams (11) Bobbie Hall (14) Tyler Hood (14) Mike Denning (16) Carol Horat (16) Maricela Padilla (19) Dellon Pope (20) Luke Zapp (20) Billy Byrd Jr. (21) Jack Whittington (22) Johnny Whittington (22) Millie Johnson (23) Corey Hood (28) Hannah Lancaster (28) Tony Barnes (29)

Will Whittington (29)

April

Bella Zapp (30)

Ken McGee (2)

May

Emolyn Zapp (2) Ron Barefoot (4) Mary Michael Britt (4) Amber Hernandez (6) Alan Johnson (6) Janie Medlin (6) Michael Hoyle (7) Shane Johnson (11) Dillon Underwood (11) Ryan Jackson (12) Neil Byrd (16) Doug Oglesby (18) Jason Hall (18) Thomas McQuade (18) Robert McQuade (19) Emery Miller Jr. (19)

Lily Johnson (1) Steven Pate (1) Chase Hall (4) Abigail Johnson (4) Debbie Champagne (5) Reese Taylor Honeycutt (6) Lawrence Powers (6) Nora Bowman (7) LJ Martin (7) Gary Warren (7) Ashley Spears (8) Graham Naig (10) Miriam Rose (10) June Dunn (11) Watson Lucas (13) Haley Zapp (13) Elaine Massengill (14)

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13 Marie Fox (15) George Hernandez (17) Michael Adams (21) Dennis Jernigan (21) Daniel Brewington (22)

Randy Stephenson (23) Eddie Guin (27) Jason Lay (27) Worth Bowman (28) Cheryl Johnson (28)

Carly Goodwin (22)

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

July 12-16, 2020

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March 15

Faith and the Stages of Grief

Lenten Season Sermon Series Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NC Annual Gathering

Friday, March 20 in Raleigh This will be a great day of worship, Workshops and more! We’re taking a van! Let Lawrence know if you’d like to go!

Sunday April 12

r e t s Ea Have you not yet been baptized? Are you interested in being baptized at the service?

Contact Lawrence!

9:00am - Breakfast for all

10:00am - Sunday School

11:00am - One Service & Baptism

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Youth 0 2 5 1 e n

Ju

C a m p @

Fort Caswell

Join Us Online!

Sundays @11am Bensonbaptist.org/

Benson Baptist Church Staff

live-stream

Rev. Lawrence Powers, Senior Pastor lawrence@bensonbaptist.org Todd Johnson, Minister of Music todd@bensonbaptist.org Debbie Champagne, Secretary

MAY 3

debbie@bensonbaptist.org Kate Crowe, Nursery Coordinator Marvin Rawls, Music Ministry Intern Rannie & Sonja Lee, Custodians facebook.com/bensonbaptistchurchnc

@bensonbaptist

MAY 31

&

Photos Fun

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Of

Pastoral Installation

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Rev. Lawrence Powers

Sweater Weather Wednesdays

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Open House at the Parsonage

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Child Dedication Sunday

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Super Bowl chili Cook-off

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Women’s Sunday

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Senior Adult Luncheon

Back Pack Buddies

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We are currently packing bags for Benson Elementary kids every week! As you can imagine, this means we’re in constant need for the supplies that fill the bags! What we need: soup with pop tops, individual fruit, cans of vegetables with pop tops, nabs, chips, Vienna sausages, juice pouches/boxes. You can also donate money for resources to be purchased – just stop by the church office during the week.

Second Sunday Stock-Up for Our Food Pantry Second Sunday Stock-Ups take place every Second Sunday! Please bring your nonperishable food or cleaning supplies and put them on the floor around the stage (contemporary service) or altar (traditional service). Suggestions: spaghetti sauce, noodles, fruit, ramen, peanut butter, crackers, canned pasta, laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, soap.

Youth Camp @Caswell Chaperones The youth are headed to Camp at Oak Island June 15-20 and we need your help! If you’re a retired adult, someone with vacation leave, or just someone with time on your hands, we need chaperones for our trip! Contact Debbie if you’re interested debbie@bensonbaptist.org