Tates Creek Christian Church Current for November 2015

Tates Creek
Current
November 2015

Tates Creek Christian Church 3150 Tates Creek Road
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Contact
Tates Creek Christian
3150 Tates Creek Road
Lexington, KY 40502
(859) 266-1621
office@tatescreek.org
Visit Online
www.tatescreek.org
facebook.com/tatescreekcc
Worship
Sunday
Traditional - 8:30 am
Blended - 9:50 am
The Vine - 11:10 am
Sunday School -
8:30, 9:50, 11:10 am
Evening - 6:30 pm
Wednesday
Oasis Classes - 6:30 pm
Staff
Tommy Simpson
Kim Beckwith
Don Seevers
Mike Allen
Brad Haggard
Matt Lee
Lesley Tipton
David Eversole
Billy Bishop
Conor Doyle
Office Staff
Kim Jones
Jenni Gregg
Rhoda Rolfes
Vicki Wesley
Contents
Feature Article
10-11 “Keeping Pace with Culture or
Keeping God’s Commands?”
In Every Issue
3-9 Minister Articles
12 Prayer Ministry
12 Guided Prayer Topics
13 Elder/Deacon Serving Schedule
14 Intern Article
16-19 Devotional thoughts each week
22 September Statistics
23 New Members
24 Calendar
Ministry News
15 Missions Moment
Events
20-21 November Events
Mission
Tates Creek Christian Church exists
to win people to Christ (evangelism),
build up believers in faith, knowledge, and
service (encouragement), to help those in need
(benevolence), and to stand up for Christian
values in the community (witness).

When the month of November arrives, our thoughts begin
to migrate toward the Thanksgiving Holiday. I appreciate
each of the holidays. Thanksgiving ranks right at the top of
my favorites because it is very simple and because it provides
a great opportunity for our family to be together.
When I was growing up, our family always worked on the farm on
Thanksgiving Day. We were out of school for the holiday, and Dad & Mom
were excited there were more hands to accomplish more work. And
since we were working on the farm, the Thanksgiving Holiday was pretty
much just like any other day of the year, except we were out of school. As
I reflect back on those days during my childhood, I realize that working
together as a family so much of the time really helped us to become a
very close family. Those close family ties strengthen us as we experience
difficult times and bless us as we celebrate good times. Even though our
family is larger now, meaning more schedules
to coordinate, those strong and close family ties
bring us together. I am very grateful for a close
and loving family.
I am also very thankful for a very close church
family here at Tates Creek. As we worship together
each Lord’s day, meet in our Sunday school classes
and small groups, serve alongside each other, walk through difficult times,
and celebrate joyous occasions, we cultivate and build strong Christian
relationships in our Tates Creek Church family. Zella and I are very thankful
for each of you ~ your prayers, your encouragement, your support, and
your love. We are very blessed to serve with each of you!
I am most thankful for our Lord Jesus Christ! Paul writes in
II Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Jesus is
an indescribable gift! Through Him we receive the precious gift of the
forgiveness of all our sins! Through Him we receive the great gift of the
Holy Spirit! Through Him we receive the anticipated promise of eternal
life in the presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ! Through Him we
experience the fellowship of the church! Through Him we experience
immeasurable grace, unfailing love, peace, joy, and hope. Through Jesus
we receive purpose for life! Through Jesus we receive opportunities to
serve one another and to serve people who have not yet come to Jesus!
Our Heavenly Father is very good to each of us!

To our Lord be the glory! ~ Tommy
tommy@tatescreek.org
Tidbits from Tommy
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Lexington, KY 40502 www.tatescreek.org

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Senior Adults
Fifteen years ago, I journeyed to Russia with Debbie’s sister as
she went there to adopt a child. While there, we had a facilitator
who made all the arrangements to see that the adoption
process was accomplished in the 3 weeks we were there. We
also had a driver who took us to the orphanage daily as well as
on sightseeing outings while we were waiting for the process to unfold. I will
tell you, I have never been as frightened in a vehicle as I was that 3 weeks.
The driver loved to speed, and I mean speed. He was stopped multiple times
over the 3 week period by the police for speeding, but each time he pulled
out his wallet and flashed some sort of identification. It obviously carried
some weight, because each time he would just drive off without a warning
and un-ticketed. He obviously had a get out of jail free card of some type
that he used over and over to go as fast as he liked, whenever he wanted. I
thought about that as I considered the subject of sin and grace. In Romans
chapter 6, the Apostle Paul asks and answers an important question. The
question: “Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase?”
Paul is concerned with those who know the answer to sin is
grace, and that Christ’s willing death made grace available
and sufficient for any and all sin. In a sort of convoluted
way of thinking, some might reason that since God’s desire
is to give grace to us, we should sin more so that God could
do what He so desires to do. Grace, therefore, becomes a get out of jail free
card we can use to behave the way we want without getting ticketed, for God
really loves to give us grace. But Paul stops that way of thinking in its tracks
when he answers the question. He says very emphatically “By no means!
We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?” Paul says that when we first
accepted grace we did so acknowledging we needed it. We knew we were
wrong and had broken God’s law and we appreciated it. To take advantage
of that grace, to use it as a get out of jail free card over and over again when
we willfully sin is like that driver whose behavior never changed when
confronted by his lawbreaking. He obviously thought he was above the law.
Brothers and sisters, we have something far greater than a get out of jail free
card. We have grace, grace sufficient for all our sin. But God’s willingness
to give it liberally is only promised to those whose desire is to need it
sparingly. Unlike that driver who drove the way he wanted, Paul says our
desire is to drive the way God wants us to, and when we fail at that, grace is
there to cover our sin. God is not in the business of giving get out of jail free
cards to willful law breakers, but praise His name He is in the grace
business. With this in mind we should all ask ourselves,“How’s my
driving?” ~ Bro. Kim
kimbeckwith@tatescreek.org

Her Name was Grace
I have been privileged to enjoy special friendships throughout
my 40 plus years of ministry. These friends are the ones who are
always there to encourage me when needed and to also help me
see where I need to improve. Quite often, they have also been
generous in helping me financially or by supporting needs in the youth and
worship ministry. (Yes, I was a youth minister for 4 years!) And, most of these
friends were not members of the local church I was serving at the time.
One such friend was Grace Eynon. Grace married into a family involved in
ministry. Her father-in-law had been a preacher and later a Bible college
professor. Her sister-in-law had served as an editor at Standard Publishing
Company and later as a Bible college professor. So, she
was married to a“preacher’s kid”. Grace and her husband
struggled to have children and decided to adopt. About the
time they were ready to adopt, she found herself expecting
their first child. Two other children soon followed. They
were grateful that they were finally able to have children of
their own. Life was good for awhile.
Grace was a registered nurse specializing in pediatric care until their
youngest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at age 13 and died within
2 months. She could no longer work with young, sick children, so she moved
to serving as an operating room nurse. As those who have lost a child
understand, life changes radically after the death of that child. She began
walking 6 miles per day to help with the sorrow, but she continued to invest
her life in the lives of her other two children and of the youth at their church,
directing youth choirs, singing in the choir, and always encouraging when
quite often she needed encouragement.
When I moved to Orlando, Grace and her husband provided housing for me
until I could find a place of my own. She helped me paint the entire house I
was going to rent. I have to be brief here, but her name was perfect for her as
she constantly demonstrated grace to those who needed it in her family and
church. I had never known anyone named Grace before and thought it was a
beautiful name. Unfortunately, Grace succumbed to“early onset”Alzheimer’s
disease and left this life much to early, but not before demonstrating the
grace of our Lord in so many lives.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in
accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom
and understanding”. (Ephesians 1:7-8)
~ Don
don@tatescreek.org
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Don’s Dynamics

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There are so many great songs written about the grace of
God. The songs“Amazing Grace”,“Your Grace is Enough”,
and“Your Grace Finds Me”are just a few from a long list of
songs written about God’s great grace for us. Why are so
many songs written on this topic? Because the grace God
has shown us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus provides
forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life! What greater thing is
there to sing about?
Sin is a big problem. So big that
it affects, well, 100% of people.
Romans 3:23 says “For all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of
God”. This sin problem affects you
and me both. Thankfully God has
given us what we need and not
what we deserve because of our
sin. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. What our sin has earned us is death.
Death is what we deserve, it’s what we have earned. But instead God gives
us what we NEED. That is, forgiveness through Jesus and eternal life with
God. Because of this, many define God’s grace as“God’s unmerited favor”.
I think this is a great definition. God, thankfully, gives us what we need
and not what we deserve.
Sometimes we have trouble showing the same grace to others that
God has shown to us. Sometimes we are even unwilling to accept grace
ourselves. We would rather live in our guilt and shame than let God
or anyone else show us grace. Maybe the reason we have a hard time
accepting grace is because we are unwilling to show grace to others. Let
an understanding of God’s grace sink into your heart in the next several
days and weeks. The book of Romans has some great insight on Sin and
Grace. That would be a great text to read. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
you in showing His grace to the people around you. What an Amazing
Grace to share!
In His Service, ~ Mike
mike@tatescreek.org
College Ministry

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Student Ministry
It’s Personal
The most difficult truth to accept about sin is that sin isn’t
some alien force that works against our true selves, but it is
part of who we are. It may seem comforting to think that“sin”
separates us from God, but sin has no substance of its own.
Rather, each one of us has chosen to offend God and hide away rather than
face the consequences.
The story of the Fall in Genesis 3 is sometimes too familiar to us and we
skip over important details. We typically think that something mysterious
and metaphysical happened the moment that Adam and Eve ate from the
Tree, but it’s actually something mundane that changed in their relationship
to God. In verse 8 the couple hears God from afar as
He was enjoying an evening stroll through the
garden. Rather than an abstract notion of“sin”
causing the separation between humanity and
God, it was Adam and Eve who hid themselves
and separated themselves from God!
In teaching calls this is an important point to
make for teenagers, because their first response,
when they have disobeyed their parents, is to try to hide the offense. It’s
nothing that the parent has done or anything inherent in the disobedience.
The children themselves choose to hide parts of their lives away from the
very people who are protecting them and providing.
It isn’t“sin”that separates us from God. We separate ourselves from
our Creator because we want it that way. I don’t think we can ever
comprehend the depth of our offense until we acknowledge that truth.
But if the offense is personal, then the solution is personal as well!
There are two words used to talk of forgiveness in the New Testament.
1 John 1:9 gives one of those words, and the idea is a“release”of offense.
God will not hold a grudge against us if we confess our sins to Him. The
other idea is found in Colossians 2:13. In this verse, God graciously grants
us pardon, merely because we are united with his Son. It is purely God’s
prerogative, and He takes it personally.
God forgives our sin because He wants to!
Let’s lift Him up together! ~ Brad
brad@tatescreek.org

When I was around 11 years old my brothers and I went on
a winter survival camping trip with the Boys Scouts. This trip
became a learning experience for me in many ways beyond
camping. It was my first big trip away from home. It was a winter
survival camp, so we had to learn how to get our lodging ready,
build a fire, and cook for ourselves. It was also a big weekend for me to learn
about responsibility with an old pocket knife my father allowed me to borrow
from his grandfather’s collection. I was nervous and excited about the trip, but
I walked around like big stuff with my great-grandfather’s knife. After all, it was
this same man from which I received my middle name of Raymond.
When we arrived at the camp, I put the knife in my pocket and my friends and
I went to play around. We spent most of the day having fun, while the rest of
the troop worked hard on their tents. Soon, the sky grew dark and it was time
to head to our beds; that’s when my fun day turned into a bad day. My friends
and I hadn’t done anything to set up our tent so we found two
trees close to each other (on the side of a hill), tied our rope to
the trees, and tossed a tarp over the rope. The final step was
to cut twigs for stakes to hold our tarp in place. I reached into
my pocket for my knife and the knife was gone. Immediately,
I knew I had done wrong. I didn’t fear my dad’s punishment. I
feared his disappointment with something precious he had trusted me with. I
knew that our relationship would change through this disappointment and he
probably would never trust me again. The rest of the weekend my focus was
on going home. Instead of telling stories about surviving, I had to tell my dad
about how I had let him down. How I had sinned against him.
Immediately upon arriving home I went straight to my room. I wrote a note
of apology. I gathered up everything that was important to me like baseball
cards, special toys, etc. and placed them into a shoebox. I crept quietly to my
parents room and placed the box outside their door. Then, I went back to my
room, climbed into my bed and, while waiting for my father, fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up to my shoebox with nothing missing but my
note. On top of the box was a note from my dad. It said,“Matt, thank you for
my note. Don’t worry about the pocket knife. I don’t need a knife to remind
me of Grandpa Raymond. All I have to do is look at you. I love you. Dad”
That weekend I learned a lot of things about camping; however, this wasn’t
the biggest lesson. The most important lesson was the one I learned about the
distance caused by sin, and the closeness brought by the love and grace of a
father.
~ Matt
matt@tatescreek.org
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Childrens Ministry

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Preschool Ministry
Critterland News
When dealing with the preschoolers, we usually don’t
go into dramatic detail when it comes to the more serious
things in the Bible. For example: Potiphar’s wife wanted to
“kiss”Joseph. Sixth Commandment—Don’t hurt people. It’s
all in how you word things, and making sure to get the point across for
their young minds without missing the point. Teaching a child about sin,
and the grace we are given when we do sin, seems easy enough, right?
Kind of. First, you have to tell a child that everyone does bad things.
Yikes! I’ve just told a 3 year old that even their parents do things that
aren’t good?! Yep. We also then get to explain how that’s possible….
because Jesus died for us he took away our sin.
Then, you tell them that no matter what, God is going to forgive them,
because he loves them. “Great, so I can keep doing things that may not
be very good (like obeying mom and dad) because God will forgive me!”
Well, no. To really teach a child about grace, you have to explain that all
of us do things that make God (and parents!) sad. But when we are truly
sorry for the things that we have done, and we ask for those things to be
forgiven, it will happen. This is all because of the sacrifice Jesus gave for
all of us, and because He loves us!

~ Lesley
lesley@tatescreek.org

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Two months ago my wife and I were visiting my son Rusty
and his family in Port Charlotte, Florida. One day Rusty was
test-driving a foreign-made car and was frustrated because
he couldn’t figure out how to change the speedometer
reading from kilometers to miles.
That evening he suggested we take his kids and all go out
for ice cream. “We’ll need to take two cars,”he insisted, so you and mom
just follow us.” I followed him down a divided highway at what seemed to
be a safe speed and was surprised when a policeman whizzed up behind
us with his lights flashing. I couldn’t imagine he was after me because it
didn’t feel like I was speeding. And besides, I was going the exact same
speed as the guy in front of me. However, the policeman pulled both
Rusty and me over to the side of the road. The officer came up to my
window and said,“Sir, you were going 58 miles an hour in a 45 mph zone.
But wait right here, I’m going to deal with the car in front of you and I’ll be
right back.”
When he went to my son’s car,“Rusty quivered,
“Officer, I know this is going to sound like a
line, but this is the first day I’ve driven this car
and I can’t figure out how to change it from
kilometers to miles so I had no idea how fast I
was going. The guy behind me is my dad…and
he doesn’t know what he’s doing either!”
Fortunately the policeman was full of grace and let Rusty off with a
warning. Somehow he sensed he was telling the truth. He was even
smiling a little when he came back to me and declared,“Your son
explained his situation with the speedometer and I understand you’re
from out of town so I’m going to let you both go. But try to keep it to 45,
please.”
One of the problems Christians have in today’s world is that we just go
along with the moral pace of those around us. By comparison we feel
safe. After all,“Everyone is doing it,”so it must be okay. Bob Vernon,
former Assistant Police Chief of Los Angeles said today’s church
has a ten degree philosophy of morality. He says we’re satisfied
to stay just ten degrees above the world and imagine we’re living
holy lives when in reality we’re flagrantly violating God’s
Keeping Pace with Culture or
Keeping God’s Commands?

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Keeping Pace with Culture . . . continued
moral law and spiraling down into a moral abyss right behind the world.
When a Youth Minister was confronted because a number of
pornographic websites were discovered in his computer history, he
rationalized,“It’s just soft-core porn. It’s not the vulgar stuff that so many
are into these days.” In his mind he was innocent because he was ten
degrees above the world around him. The Bible says, “When they measure
themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves they are
not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12).
The challenge for today’s Christian is to allow God’s Word to remain
the standard for holiness and not just passively“go with the flow.” The
Bible reminds us repeatedly that,“The Word of the Lord endures forever.”
God’s commandments don’t change even when the culture around us is
speeding toward destruction.
The Apostle Paul urged the Christians residing in Rome, “Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing
and perfect will”. (Romans 12:2)
That doesn’t mean that we have to dress like puritans or be odd for God.
But it does mean we’re willing to be distinctive from the world. Instead of
seeing how close we can come to emulating our culture, we see how close
we can come to imitating the character of God.
Jesus said His followers should be the light of the world and Paul said we
should try to make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. Can you
imagine what a positive influence Christians would be if our speech was
pure, our dress was modest, our work habits were ethical, our marriages
were loving, our children were respectful, our attitudes were joyful and our
decisions were unselfish almost all the time?
Philippians 2:15 urges us to, “…become blameless and pure, children of
God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine
like stars in the universe.”
Light always eliminates darkness; it doesn’t blend in with it.
~ Bob Russell
Written on March 22, 2015, reprinted with permission
www.bobrussell.org

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Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He
is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No
shadow is made by His turning.
James 1:17 NLV
The landscape of the world has changed
dramatically in all facets of life. Would someone
living in the 1800s recognize this world today?
Where would that disoriented person seek familiarity
and comfort? In prayer. Charles Brooks authored
A Family Prayer Book in 1833. He wrote,“…family
prayer is the very breath of the soul. They will
celebrate God’s perfections with reverence and
joy, acknowledge his mercies with gratitude and
love, confess their sins with humility and penitence,
offer their supplications with piety and fervor, and
intercede for their brethren with sympathy and
affection.”
In 1885, Andrew Murray wrote With Christ in the
School of Prayer: Thoughts on Our Training for the
Ministry of Intercession. “Christ is our life: in heaven
He ever lives to pray; His life in us is an ever-praying
life, if we will but trust Him for it. Christ teaches
us to pray not only by example, by instruction, by
command, by promises, but by showing us Himself,
the ever-living Intercessor, as our Life.”
Whether it is this century or three centuries ago…
Christians should rejoice that God and prayer do not
change.
~ Carolyn Adams
PrayerDaily Guided
Prayer Topics
November
1 Leaders & Budget
2 Kim Jones
3 Sanctity of Life and
unborn children
4 Families at Thanksgiving
5 Racists
6 Psalm 139:13-16
7 Jonathan & Jubi Williams
8 Search committee for
Discipleship Minister
9 Jenni Gregg
10 Sanctity of Marriage
11 Traveling safety over
Thanksgiving
12 Those with unwanted
pregnancies
13 1 John 3:4
14 Travis & Emily Weeks
15 Operation Christmas
Child shoeboxes
16 Rhoda Rolfes
17 God’s Pantry
18 New Marriages
19 Unbelievers
20 Ephesians 2:1-10
21 Adrian & Jennifer Fehl
22 We Care Store
23 Vicki Wesley
24 Doctors without Borders
group
25 Devotion to family
members
26 Praising Jesus
27 Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7:14
28 Steve & Doretha Limiero
29 Victory for Life
30 Billy Bishop
The mission of this ministry is to pray, motivate, and train others to
pray, and to provide prayer opportunities so that we might know our
Lord more intimately and serve Him more fervently.
If you would like to share your prayer testimony to encourage
others, please contact Peggy Crawford at psnow2020@aol.com.

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Communion Serving Schedule
November 1
Elders: Larry Bugg, R.W. Ellington
Deacons: Lucas Moore, Stuart Kearns
Ashland Terrace: Greg Kasten
Home Comm: Steven Clem, Terry Morrison,
David Martin
Sat Comm Prep: Jack/Linda White
Prep after 1st Srv: Rick/LeeAnn Layne
Clean-up after 1st Srv: Carolyn Nipper
Prep after 2nd Srv: Rick/LeeAnn Layne
Clean-up after 2nd Srv: Brad Byington
Prayer Room: Mary Robey, Kevin Hickey
Ushers: D.Ison, B.Johnson, B.Burke, C.Wilson
November 8
Elders: Kent Mason, Larry Bugg
Deacons: Bill Johnson, Jonathan Clifton
Ashland Terrace: Henry Evans
Home Comm: Ed Hall, Harold Butler

Sat Comm Prep: Jim Everman
Prep after 1st Srv: Chris/Debbie Dennison
Clean-up after 1st Srv: Chris/Sarah Hines
Prep after 2nd Srv: David/Joanne Shuman
Clean-up after 2nd Srv: Chris/Sarah Hines
Prayer Room: Nathan Young, Mona Vannatter
Ushers: S.Stack, D.Moore, L.Miller, D.Feltner
November 15
Elders: Nick Wallen, Kent Mason
Deacons: David Straub, Steve Mullins
Ashland Terrace: Bill Burke
Home Comm: David Straub, Bill Johnson,
Bill Burke
Sat Comm Prep: Tom/Waynetta Myers
Prep after 1st Srv: Russell Brown
Clean-up after 1st Srv: Mary Robey
Prep after 2nd Srv: John Combs
Clean-up after 2nd Srv: Robert McCray
Prayer Room: Jerry/Jo Brooking, Gina Runyon
Ushers:B.Johnson, D.Pettry, D.Smith, S.Kearns
November 22
Elders: Stan Stack, Nick Wallen
Deacons: Bill Poor, Cory Wilson
Ashland Terrace: Greg Wheeler
Home Comm: Cory Wilson, Steve Mullins,
Jonathan Clifton
Sat Comm Prep: Kathy Hicks
Prep after 1st Srv: Marvis/Pam White
Clean-up 1st Srv: Shannon/Jenni Gregg
Prep after 2nd Srv: Marvis/Pam White
Clean-up 2nd Srv: Randall Young
Prayer Room: Beth Kessler, Laura Mullins
Ushers:J.White, D.Martin, B.Burke, J.Martin
November 29
Elders: Danny Branham, Stan Stack
Deacons: Harold Butler, Charles Byers
Ashland Terrace: Chris Lee
Home Comm: Stuart Kearns, Keith Wertz,
Greg Kasten
Sat Comm Prep: Brian/Sontina Hogston
Prep after 1st Srv: Craig/Jenny Fowler
Clean-up 1st Srv: Ray/Christi Albensi
Prep after 2nd Srv: Craig/Jenny Fowler
Clean-up 2nd Srv: John Combs
Prayer Room: Caroline Lewis, Kevin Hickey
Ushers: D.Moore, B.Poor, D.Smith, S.Kearns
Bluegrass Christian
Men’s Fellowship
November 9, 2015
Centerpointe Christian Church
Meal ~ 5:45 pm,
Program ~ 6:45 pm
Van will leave TCCC at 5:00 pm

Grace then Works
For some reason, our culture has confused grace with
works and works with grace. According to scripture, they
are separate; however, one must follow the other. In other
words, grace, found in the blood of Jesus, is what saves us from our sin
and eternal punishment in Hell. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace
you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” But, if grace is
followed with no evidence of a changed heart and a changed life, how
then, was the accepted grace genuine? Notice what James 2:24 says,
“You see that a man is justified by works and not by
faith alone.”
Yes, grace is what saves you and me. It is not
about what we have done nor is it about our
religious performance, but it is what Jesus has
done through the finished work of the cross!
However, to validate or confirm that grace,
there must be works that follow. A person who
accepted the grace offered to them by Jesus
CAN’T NOT have works. If a person accepts Jesus,
is baptized but then carries on with their prior
life before baptism, what good is the grace? Please don’t miss this! If
a person has a relationship with Jesus, they should go to church, tithe,
read their Bibles, pray, etc. Notice, however, that these things are not
what saves us. Going to church every Sunday or having good, godly
parents isn’t what saves us. It is the blood of Jesus that saves us!
The grace of our Lord is offered to anyone and everyone. So, come to
Jesus. Accept his grace and “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Acts 2:38
~ Conor Doyle
conor@tatescreek.org
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Conor Doyle - Preaching Intern

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A note from our missionary, Judy Fish
Our two-hour drive began on pavement which turned into
a bumpy dirt road with deep ruts carved out by downpours
in the rainy season here in Malawi. The dirt road turned into
a footpath signaling the edge of the village of Kutobah, our destination
where I would provide Community Health Evangelism (CHE) training at the
Namikango Mission, a Bible school.
With hundreds of churches now planted in Malawi and Mozambique
by Namikango students who“went forth,”the mission continues to grow.
Today, they operate a maternity clinic and a primary school. Believing
the church to be God’s chosen vessel to bring restoration to a fallen
world, Namikango desires to begin an outreach ministry within those
communities where churches are planted. CHE is the strategy they have
chosen to do such! It was my joy to take the Namikango Mission staff and
missionaries through an intensive 3 weeks of CHE training to equip them
for holistic development.
The final week in Malawi was spent in talking with staff members and
missionaries, visiting the maternity clinic, and discussing potential ways
to improve medical care. We also considered medicinal and income-
generating artemisia, eucalyptus, coffee, and macadamia nut trees to be
planted on the mission grounds. We discussed possible microenterprise
endeavors for participants of future Village Savings and Loans groups …
offering hope in the midst of poverty.
And all of this took place because of faithful prayer warriors and financial
supporters. YOU! I look forward to seeing how God will use this time of
“pouring into”our Malawian brothers and sisters. Join me in lifting this past
month of ministry before His throne … that He would nurture, grow, and
multiply.
For His Glory!
~ Judy Fish
Missions Moment

16
Devotional Thought Week 1
TRUTH ABOUT RACISM ~ Revelation 7:9-17
Anyone who reads and believes the Bible knows that racism
can never be a part of our Christian lives. In the account of
creation we read: “So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
(Genesis 1:27 ESV) If you examine the world and search every
people group-- from Iran to New Zealand, from South Africa
to Ireland, anywhere and everywhere, looking into the eyes of every
person-- you will see the personhood of God.
Throughout scripture we see how God views people, and this is especially
evident in the New Testament by the way Jesus loves. A great example of
this love is seen with Jesus and his interaction with the woman at the well.
By all accounts he should not have talked with her and she should not have
approached him. First, he is a man, and she is a woman. In their culture it
would not have been appropriate for them to speak to each other. He is a
Jew, and she a Samaritan, and The Jews and Samaritans have hated each
other for centuries. He is the Son of God, and she is a woman who has been
married many times and now lives with a man who isn’t her husband. Despite
all this, Jesus, in a shocking way, approaches her and offers her something she
doesn’t even know she needs: true love, forgiveness, and grace.
1 John 3:11 says, “For this is the message that you have heard from the
beginning, that we should love one another.” This is one thing I love about
scripture: it is clear and it is honest. It doesn’t say to love those of our
own culture, our own social status, or our own political beliefs. It says to
love without prejudice and with equality! A little later John writes these
instructions, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and
in truth” (1 John 3:18). Jesus again sets the great example of this love by
putting it into action on the Cross. This is the greatest example of love
ever known. John 3:16 says, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten son.”
The love of God for ALL peoples comes to fruition in Revelation 7:10, “After
this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every
nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the
throne, and to the Lamb!” God loves every person, and with the evidence of
Scripture, we are to do the same!
~ Nick Wallen
Elder

17
Devotional Thought Week 2
TRUTH ABOUT ABORTION ~ Psalm 139:13-16
Recently, we learned that we are going to be
grandparents for the first time. As I look at the ultrasound
pictures of our granddaughter and hear her heartbeat, I
can’t help but be reminded of the miracle of life that God
has created. Every life is precious to our Creator. Scripture
reminds us that each life has been created by His design
(Psalm 139:13-16) and for His divine purpose (Ephesians 2:10). As
excited as we are to see our granddaughter grow and fulfill God’s plan
for her life, sadly, there are many children that will never have that
opportunity. All too often, life ends before it has the opportunity to
begin, as convenience trumps promise and truth is traded for a lie.
Abortion is one of the greatest lies in all of history. We were told
that thanks to abortion, every child would be a wanted child, yet child
abuse runs rampant. We have been told that
life doesn’t begin until the child is born, yet
you can hear the heartbeat at eight weeks and
the baby is almost fully formed at 11 weeks.
There is no doubt that this is a human life,
created by God and should be cherished and
protected by law and society.
Abortion is a sin and has tremendous consequences. No one escapes
unscathed. In addition to the guilt experienced by the woman after
realizing the horror of what she did, abortion carries the same eternal
consequences as any other sin, separation from God. However, just
like every other sin, the sin of abortion can be covered by the blood of
Jesus Christ and can restore the relationship that sin has broken. As
the Church and as followers of Christ, we must stand firm against this
terrible atrocity, but we must also extend grace and love to those who
are“victims”of abortion.
~ Danny Branham
Elder

TRUTH ABOUT SIN ~ 1 John 3:4
“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.”
1 John 3:4 (NIV) To live a life of sin is to live in rebellion against God.
Everybody sins. Webster defines sin as“an offense against religious or
moral law”and“a transgression against the law of God”.
Man’s sin began in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve
disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of
good and evil in the center of the Garden (Genesis 3). Because sin
entered the world through Adam, death also entered the world, and
the consequence of judgment is condemnation for all men (Romans
5:12-18).
There are many types of sin, but all involve the rejection of God’s
authority, and missing the mark which is set by God for us to follow.
Paul tells us that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
Romans 3:23. And “there is no one righteous, not even one”. Romans
3:10. “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point
is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10.
It is in man’s nature to sin, because we are prone
to gratify our desires in sinful ways (Galatians
5:17). God gave man His law, the Mosaic Code,
but man couldn’t live up to its requirements.
However, we have no excuse for any of our sins:
“God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear. But when you are
tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you
can stand up to it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23. Without God’s
grace, all would be condemned!
~ Ken Sharp, Ken Baker, David Martin, Terry Morrison
Elder Elder Deacon Deacon
18
Devotional thought Week 3

TRUTH ABOUT GRACE ~ Ephesians 2:1-10
The Holy Scripture tells us we are all sinners. Satan is
always out there tempting each person. It is so easy for
anyone to follow the ways of the world and not what our
Lord desires.
Tommy Simpson and Conor Doyle are leading a study
group on Wednesday evenings entitled“A Man and His
Traps.” The theme of the study centers on our idols. We all have idols
of one form or another. Idols consist sometimes of going overboard for
worldly activities and events not connected
to our Lord. Idols separate us from our Lord.
When anything comes between you and God
it is a sin. I know that I am guilty of this when
it comes to sports. I am a big follower of the
University of Kentucky basketball and football
teams. Also, I keep up as much as possible
with the Cincinnati Reds in baseball. I have questioned myself often
with the thought,“Am I placing the sport activities first in my life and
putting my relationship with the Lord as second or third?” What I am
really saying is, my first duty in life is to follow the Lord in everything I
do. Following sports shall come second or third.
Even though we all are sinners, there is good news! In Ephesians
2:4-10, it states “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in
mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions
- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ
and seated us with Him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that
in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of this grace,
expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we
are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us to do.”
It is by grace I have been saved and by grace I am forgiven when I put
things before our Lord. With that, pray each day that you love Him and
will follow Him throughout eternity.
~ R.W. Ellington
Elder
19
Devotional thought Week 4

20
November Events
Angel Tree
The Angel Tree will be available in the Main Foyer Sunday,
November 22. The names of the children on the tree come
from Russell Cave Church of Christ and the area that
Russell Cave Church of Christ serves. If you would like
to sponsor a child, select an angel and PLEASE SIGN UP
on the sheet provided, giving your name and phone
number. All gifts will need to be wrapped, labeled, and
returned to the tree by December 13. If you need
assistance with shopping we have people available
to do that for you, just let us know when you are
choosing your child. Contact Mary Furnish
at 219-9111 or Jenni Gregg at 273-2932
if you have any questions.
Room in the Inn
It is time for our ministry with the homeless in Lexington to
begin again. We will be providing a meal and a place to sleep
every other Thursday evening beginning December 17.
Please look for volunteer sign-up sheets in the foyer in the
coming weeks. We need help with: Set Up Crew, Bus Drivers,
Overnight Hosts, and Dinner Hosts (for classes or groups).
Please contact Chris Lee for more information at
859-885-9012.
Operation Christmas Child! Share a message of love!
A homeless girl (age 13) living on the streets in Ecuador shared in joyful
tears about the letter she received in her shoebox gift and how much it meant
to her. It was her favorite item and it said “God loves you...
he created you and you are beautiful.” As you pack your box,
consider sharing God’s love and yours by including a special
note! For more information on how to pack a shoebox gift,
pick up information in the Main Foyer or visit the Operation
Christmas Child website. Help us reach our church goal of
200 boxes (gospel opportunities). All TCCC shoeboxes should be returned
to the Worship Center by Dedication Sunday, November 8.

21
November Events
New TCCC Logo
Well, did you notice? We have a new look! The Tates Creek Christian Church
logo has been updated and the leadership has chosen to unveil it as a part
of the 70th Anniversary celebration. To incorporate this new logo, we have
freshened all our publications as well. We hope you will like these re-designs
and find them enjoyable and readable.
We wanted to let you know a little of the‘inside story’of the new logo. The
basis of the new logo is the group of four colors. These are the four colors of
the throne room of heaven as recorded by John in the book of Revelation. We
wanted to arrange this group of colors so that the cross of Jesus would be in
the center, which is shown in the white area. The water at the base of the logo
was another request as we designed this logo. It reminds us of the living water
– Jesus, and the waters of baptism, in addition to a subtle play on the word
‘creek’in our name. Finally, you will notice that the overall design of the logo
is the shape of a shield, which brings to mind the entire armor of God from
Ephesians 6:13-17, but especially the shield of faith which allows us to stand in
the face of the enemy’s attacks.
These thoughts are our prayer for Tates Creek Christian Church as
we go forward into the next years and strive to be the church God is
calling us to be.
Anniversary Sunday, November 1
This year Tates Creek Christian Church is celebrating 70 years as a
congregation. We are having an anniversary dinner on November 1st at
5:30 pm in the Multi Ministry Center. Meat and drinks will be provided,
please bring a couple side dishes or dessert to share. Following the dinner
we will be having the ordination ceremony for the new Elders and
Deacons. Please join us as we celebrate the past and look
forward to an exciting future!
Women’s
Christmas Tea
December 5, 2015
12 - 2 pm in MMC
Tickets for the Women’s
Christmas Tea will be on
sale in the foyer on Sunday,
November 15 and 22.
Prayer Walk for our Nation
Sunday, November 8
In order to show our love and concern
for our country, TCCC has scheduled
a Prayer Walk on Sunday afternoon
November 8. We plan to leave the church
building at 2:30 pm and walk to the
Courthouse Plaza downtown.

Sunday School
Average Attendance
September 2015
Youth
Infants 6
Walkers 7
2 - 5 Year Old 13
Elementary 40
Middle & High School 49
Adult
Christians in Action 21
Crusaders 48
Early Bird 5
Faith 15
Fellowship of Believers 10
FOCUS 20
Generations of Faith 23
Good News 29
Grace & Truth 78
Grass Roots 16
Heaven Bound 12
In The Word 22
Open Bible 57
Reach 11
Seekers 10
Servants for Christ 24
Upper Room 11
Willing Workers 30
Young Adult Class 6
Ashland Terrace 6
Miscellaneous 5
Officers 2
Total 567
September Worship
Attendance & Giving
Total General Fund
6th 730 $36,656.
13th 659 $24,670.
20th 734 $26,567.
27th 720 $22,375.
Indebtedness
Mortgage Balance, Sept. 30 $813,064.
Monthly Payment (Oct. 1) $42,888.
Principal $10,645.
Interest $2,243.
Add’l Principal $30,000.
To give online anytime or setup
a recurring online gift, visit our
website at www.tatescreek.org
and click on“Donate”. You may
also simply scan the QR code.
% of Dollars Given Online
20%
General Fund Report
2015 Budgeted Need per week $31,440.
2015 Average per week $29,069.
Sept. Total Income $105,673.
Sept. Total Expenses $117,097.
Moved to Savings $10,129.
Net Shortfall ($21,554.)
22
Funds Totals for Sept.
Deacons’Fund $2,048.
“What If...” $35,525.
Victory for Life $814.

23
New Members
Jacob Gravitt
Baptized October 4
Holly Chaney
Transfer October 4
James & Lee Ann
Conner
Transfer October 4
Howard & Ruth Ann
Crum
Transfer October 11
David Cottrell
Transfer October 4
Rachel Weaver
Transfer October 4
&
Mike Weaver
Baptized September 30
Joseph Brumfield
Baptized September 29
Picture not available

TatesCreekCurrent
TatesCreekChristianChurch Office:(859)266-1621
3150TatesCreekRoadWeb:www.tatescreek.org
Lexington,KY40502 Email:office@tatescreek.org
Calendar ~ November 2015
1 Anniversary Sunday Potluck meal
5:30 pm, MMC
1 Monthly Ministry meetings
2 Elders’Meeting, 6 pm, 200D
5 Mary Circle, 10:30 am, Fh
5 Deborah Circle, 6:30 pm
6-8 High School Retreat, 5 pm
7 & 21 Card Ministry, 8:30 am, 102
8 Prayer Walk, 2:30 pm
9 BCMF, 5:45 pm, Centerpointe CC
9 Faith Circle, 6:30 pm, 104
9 J.O.Y. Circle, 6:30 pm, 107
10 Tabitha Circle, 7 pm, Fh
13-14 SuperStart, 4 & 5th grade
14 Generations of Faith Social
6 pm, FH
19 BWAC, 10:30 am, FH
19 Women’s Ministry, 7 pm, 302
26-27 Thanksgiving, office closed
Weekly Activities
Sunday:
We Care Store open for members,
9:30 - 9:50 am & 10:50 - 11:10 am
Rejoicing Ringers rehearsal, 4:30 pm
Evening Worship, 6:30 pm, WC
Adult Small Groups, various times
and locations
Monday:
Orchestra rehearsal, 6 pm, WC
Tuesday:
We Care Store, 1:30 & 4 pm
Pit Crew, 3 pm, Uptown
Victory for Life, 6 pm, FH
Wednesday:
Adult Bible Study, 10:30 am, 200AB
Worship Team, 5:45 pm, WC
Oasis Classes, 6:30 pm
Worship Choir, 6:30 pm, WC
Thursday:
We Care Store, 1:30 pm
Volume3No.11
CR-ChoirRoom/FH-FellowshipHall/Fh-FriendshipHall/MMC-MultiMinistryCenter/UP-Uptown/WC-WorshipCenter

Tates Creek Christian Church Current for November 2015

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