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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
 
MONTHLY
First Sunday of Every Month -Friends Day - No Evening Service
Our morning service the first
Sunday of every month will be extended and dedicated to
getting to know our guests and members better. To achieve this
goal, members are asked to invite someone to have lunch with them either
in their homes or a restaurant. By doing so, the service is
extended beyond its regularly scheduled time; therefore, no evening
service will be held the first Sunday of each month only.
23rd - Spanish Men's Fellowship 24th - Spanish Service Night 24th - Youth Kitchen Fundraiser 27th - Youth Service Night
1st - Daughter's of Zion 1st H2H Prayer/Fredrick & Beverly Smith 2nd - Men's Bible Study & Discipleship Training 3rd - Baby Shower/Sara Rose 3rd - Children's Church 3rd - Youth Coffee Shop 5-6th - Singles Retreat 7th - Friends Day Salvation Sunday 10th - Youth Service Night 12-13th - Apostolic Men's Conference 14th - Old Time Religion Sunday 15th - H2H Prayer/Kevin & Catrina Miller 16th - Men's Bible Study & Discipleship Training 17th - Children's Church 17th - Youth Coffee Shop 21st - Youth Kitchen Fundraiser 24th - Youth Service Night 25-26th - Men's Get Away/Orlando FL 28th - Youth Kitchen Fundraiser
FAN THE FLAMES
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a
sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven
tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit game them utterance." Acts 2:1-4.
MOTHER'S DAY 2008
A Mother's Love By Helen Steiner Rice Thank God for our Beloved Mothers!  LADIES “WOMAN WHERE ART THOU?” PRAYER BREAKFAST Our Ladies Auxiliary sponsored a wonderful Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, May 10, 2008. With a vision of what the event should be, one of our leaders began sharing it with others and soon our gymnasium was beautifully decorated to resemble some of the beauty that may have been present in the Garden of Eden. As we entered through "the gates" we were encouraged to leave all of our worries and cares outside "the garden" and come in to worship the Lord. Several of our ladies shared their personal testimonies - from those who are most often very quiet to others who are always ready and willing to share. Two of our young ladies on the praise team presented a lovely offering to our Lord Jesus Christ through dance and signing. There was scripture reading and several amazing personal testimonies. It was awesome to hear some of the miracles that our Lord has bestowed upon the families of our speakers. The "garden" became our sanctuary as the event concluded with a call to remember all the Lord had done in our lives and not leave until we had given Him honor and praise for everything. What an absolutely wonderful way to begin our Mother's Day weekend...a delicious breakfast, fellowship with our Sisters in Christ, scriptures from God's word, unimaginable testimonies and a time for rededication to our Lord Jesus Christ!
FATHER'S DAY 2008
 CONVALESCENT CARE MINISTRY The Convalescent Care Ministry of The Church of Columbus has two passions: Jesus and the Elderly. We desire first and foremost to serve in the example of Christ. We are dedicated to ministering to the elderly to promote spiritual, emotional and physical healing. Our focus and prayer is to awaken and remind them of God’s Love, His Salvation; their worth in this world and that they be healed in all phases of their lives. Many years ago a story was told of an elderly, frail man sitting on the sidelines of life, watching others laughing, living and enjoying their lives. His heart cried out, “Please, bring me back into your lives and let me live too – don’t leave me on the sidelines by myself.” Our elderly have served others; they have worked hard and in the twilight of their lives, they deserve our love, care and concern. They need to know they are loved by others and, most of all by Christ Jesus. We are their eyes, ears, hands and feet to aid in time of need. Over the past few years through community donations and sacrifices of love, we have provided several local facilities with Christmas gifts of handmade lap robes; Christmas stockings; stuffed animals; toiletry items and in 2007 a Special House Blessing Gift - A Mezuzah. In October 2007 we hosted the Second Annual Christmas for The Elderly Charity Concert on the grounds of Fountain City Care & Rehab, 5131 Warm Springs Road in Columbus, GA. Through donations received, God provided the way for us to give over 450 Christmas gifts to seven local nursing homes. If you contributed to the success of this event--thank you for loving and for giving. For our next Christmas for The Elderly Concert date and time, please see our Calendar of Events. If you are interested in donating items for Nursing Home residents, please contact Barbara Sims at bsims@thechurchofcolumbus.org or call The Church at 706-571-0919.
2007 CHRISTMAS GALA
On
December 7, 2007, over 130 were in attendance as The Church of Columbus'
family and friends joined together to enjoy our annual Christmas Gala in
celebration of the Christmas Season. We enjoyed great food catered
by Columbus State University Catering Services, fellowship, music,
games, door prizes and a special story telling hour, during which The
Church of Columbus' First Lady, Sis. Sarah Sheppard, read to the
children. Special appreciation to Pastor Sheppard for bringing us
the Christmas message which CAPTIVATED the spirit of Christmas.
The support of all who made this event such a special occasion and
success is much appreciated.
OPERATION HOLLY T he Church of Columbus Children and Youth presented a drama on December 16, 2007. Food and gift donations were abundant as the drama opened and they began discussing how they would use them to let their light shine for Jesus as they distributed the items to others. The “local” news media heard about what they were doing and sent a news crew to interview the lead character. The mayor, being quite impressed with his own importance and anxious for all the media coverage he could receive, visited them and then made a hasty retreat when the media was no longer there.As is often true with human nature, the lead character became quite prideful about what she had begun and the notoriety she had received and it “went to her head.” During a period while the group was not present, some children from a nearby shelter found the items and began to take what they wanted and ate some of the food items. Hiding so as not to be seen when the group returned and found that items were missing, they observed the others talking about what they were doing was for – to let their light shine for Jesus by giving to others. They also learned that some of the items were going to be given to them anyway. Humbled by what had happened, Holly began to realize that what she had done was answer God’s call by starting the project and that she should not receive any of the credit for what the Lord had done through her. She and the other cast members began to talk with the children from the shelter, sharing the message of God with them. All soon realized that they could and should be friends and care for one other. God has blessed our Church with children and youth who are unashamed to share the message of hope that is found only in Jesus with others. God has given our children beautiful voices to praise Him and they did just that during this delightful and insightful presentation. The group finished with all singing the “Go Light Your World Medley.” The food and toy donations, (donated from The Church), were distributed throughout our community.
SPANISH SERVICE WEEKEND UNDER CONSTRUCTION
DEDICATION OF CHILDREN TO THE LORD When parents present their children before the Lord for dedication, they consecrate themselves as parents to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They vow to instruct them in the teachings of Jesus Christ and in the practice of prayer and to guide them in the development of a Christ like character. They also commit themselves to scriptural discipline of their children; that is to spare not the rod but to do so not out of anger but always with love. To the best of their ability they vow to shape the home life of their children, both by words and example, so that the children will at the timely spiritual age seek personal salvation. The vow is taken before God, the ministry and The Church congregation to dedicate children to the Lord Jesus and themselves to the task of rearing them for God. Parents must address themselves faithfully to this sacred obligation, with wisdom, patience, devotion and the Holy Ghost. Having made these vows, they are endowed with the blessing of Jesus our Lord and Savior upon themselves and their children. God’s word is replete with scripture evidencing that children are to be dedicated to the Lord. Genesis 18:19 says: “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.” In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, we find these words about how we are to instruct our children concerning God: “And those words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; And thou shalt teach them diligently unto they children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Then, in Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Matthew 19:13-15 says: “Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.” In 1 Samuel 1:20 & 24-28 & 3:19, we find the story of Hannah and her son Samuel. Hannah had “… asked him of the Lord.” and therefore, named him Samuel. When he was still very young, the scriptures say she took him to the house of the Lord of Shiloh – Eli and, dedicated him to the Lord. She said, “… For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord, And, he worshipped the Lord there. And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” Then, in Luke 2: 21-2, we find passages where Jesus was presented to the Lord. The scriptures say, in part: “…his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb…. they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;” Respect in any relationship is important and especially in marriage. In the Greek sanctified means venerate (respected) and Holy means blameless. 1 Corinthians 7:14 says: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean, but now are they holy.” Here we find that the husband and wife are to be respected by each other and their children are blameless or holy in God’s eyes. Therefore, with these truths in mind, we present our children to the ministry for their dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ.
MISSIONS SUNDAY 2008
 E ach year we are blessed with a visit from one of our missionaries. This year Rev. J. R. Black and his wife, Janet were our special guests. Rev. Black was our guest speaker. He said that many people go to the Bahamas to vacation but he and his family went there to work for the Lord.They minister to the people from the Spanish Caribbean and what is referred to as the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Carousal) near Venezuela. One of his goals in each service is to promote love and worship of God and to create an atmosphere conducive to welcoming the spirit of the Lord into the midst of the people. He said there are five languages spoken in Carousal and they need at least three interpreters in each service. During the morning service, Rev. Black focused our attention on trusting the Lord with all of our living – holding nothing back from Him, believing and knowing that He will provide everything we need to live. This is the special Sunday each year when we make our pledges for missions for the year. Rev. Black concluded by challenging each of us to consider what we were going to pledge and then pledge more as an affirmation that we trust God for everything; believing and knowing that He will provide the way for us to meet the pledge. In the evening service, he spoke of the importance of laying aside all things that are not pleasing to God; living clean, holy lives. He reminded us that, although the person sitting on the seat beside us may not know some of the things we have done, that God knows everything and loves us anyway and that without Him we are doomed. He stressed that the Kingdom of God cannot be moved or changed and that God is the author and finisher of our fate; He overcame the grave and gave us the Holy Ghost to guide us while still on this earth. We are constantly being changed into His likeness when we yield to His will for our lives. He reminded us that God never changes; He is the same yesterday, today and always; that we must trust the Lord at all times for we know who meets our needs. 2008 Easter Sunday Morning Worship
Followed By
Balloon Launch
The day dawned beautiful with clear, blue skies and a chill in the air as we gathered to celebrate and worship our risen Lord on this Easter Sunday, March 23rd, 2008. This was an historic event. It had been 95 years since Easter had arrived so early in the year and it would be another 152 years before it happened again. It was quite a realization to think that, assuming the longevity of people today, there was not one person present who would be alive when Easter comes again so early in the year. There were 668 who joined us to celebrate our risen Lord. The choir ushered us into the presence of the Lord via their beautiful voices and instruments. There was a drama skit depicting several parables from God's Word - the Holy Bible - and our Pastor delivered his Easter message. Afterwards, we adjourned to receive a helium filled balloon and then gathered in the parking lot for our annual balloon launch. As the gentle breeze carried our balloons up, up and away, we rejoiced in the knowledge that because Jesus took on the sins of the world, we can look forward to all of our tomorrows with the peace that comes from knowing we can be with Him for all eternity. Later in the afternoon, there was a picnic provided for all who wished to attend, an Easter egg hunt for the children, other events and a wonderful time to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Preparing for the Launch Fellowshipping while awaiting the Launch
Getting Ready Up-up and Away | ||
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Godly
Mother is one the greatest and most precious gifts we receive from our
Heavenly Father God . She makes each day a glowing one with her
unconditional love. A mother almost always has the strongest, quietest
and the most caring influence on her own husband and each member of the
family. She delicately balances so many roles and responsibilities so
beautifully, yet she does it all meticulously and with a smile. May
this Mother’s Day and all your days be Bright, Beautiful and Blessed. 
