"I N F O R M E R"
ROCK HILL
BAPTIST CHURCH
REVEREND VERA STONE, INTERIM PASTOR
REVEREND JOSEPH ROBERTSON, PASTOR EMERITUS
Volume XXIII Issue XI
www.RHBC29130.org
NOVEMBER, 2016
Inspirational Scripture: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and
into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
~Psalm 100:4
Hello, Dear Friend:
I saw you yesterday and I wanted to fellowship with you,
but you had no time for Me. I watched you as you talked
with your friends, and I hoped that you would talk with
Me, but you didn’t. I missed walking and talking with
you.
Last night when you got ready for bed I expected you to
call My name in prayer but you forgot. I saw you
sleeping, and I hoped you would wake up so we could
visit, but you slept too soundly. So I sat by your bed and
watched over you, protecting you all through the night.
I had some gifts to give you this morning, but you got off
in a hurry. I noticed you were tired, but you wouldn’t let
Me strengthen you. You had a big problem and I longed
to solve it, but you ignored Me. I saw you fight with
temptation. My heart ached to give you victory, but you
passed Me by and stumbled.
But I won’t give up on you. I keep coming to you,
waiting for you, for I love you. Just now cast your cares,
all your cares, on Me, won’t you? And slip your hand in
Mine so we may walk and talk with each other from now
on.
Sincerely,
Jesus
“You won't be at peace until you learn to move and let go
and let God.” ~Gerell Lawhorne
"SUCCESS all depends on the second letter "U" from
God.” ~Gerard Lawhorne
BIRTHDAYS:
2…Frances Brown
4…Arthur Crim
4…Jackie Wood
4…Gerard Lawhorne
6…Yvonne Nelson
6…Stacey Nelson
9…Willie M. Brown
10…Quinterius Stith
10…Aubrey Gude
13…Johnny Glenn
14…Reverend Joseph Robertson
16…Melvin Butler
16…Mavis Butler
18…Johnnie M. Grant
18…Evelyn Hudson
29…Esther Brown
***********************************************
CONGRATULATIONS:
Gerell Lawhorne made the A/B Honor Roll for the 1st
Nine Weeks, has Perfect Attendance, and is a member of
the Griffin Bow Tie Club and the IT Department with
Fairfield County School District. Gerell is also a member
of the Fairfield Central High School Gospel Choir, and
resides as the pianist for the gospel choir.
Gerard Lawhorne made the A/B Honor Roll and has
Perfect Attendance for the 1st Nine Weeks. He is a
member of the Griffin Bow Tie Club and the Varsity Boys
Basketball Team. Gerard applied for the CEO position in
his Virtual Enterprise Class and was selected as the CEO.
Gerard received a perfect score of 100 from his
interviewers. He was recently ranked number 76 in the
South Carolina Top 80 by the Phenom Hoop Report and
hopes to move up in the next selection.
November 8…Voting Day. It’s just as much a crime to
starve a ballot box as it is to stuff it. If we don’t cast a
ballot on this day, our children may be blasted by a bullet
tomorrow. It’s not essential that we vote a straight party
ticket, but it’s essential that we vote for parties who are
straight. He’s the best candidate who values character
above currency, excellence above expediency, self-control
above self-indulgence.






1645-one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of
England.
1795-one vote in Congress decreed that American
laws would be written in English not German.
1845-one vote in the Senate brought Texas into the
Union.
1869-one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from
impeachment.
1876-one vote gave Rutherford Hayes the presidency.
1923-one vote gave Hitler leadership in the Nazi
Party.
November 24, 2016...Thanksgiving Day, legal holiday in
the United States, first celebrated in early colonial times in
New England. The actual origin, however, is probably the
harvest festivals that are traditional in many parts of the
world. After the first harvest was completed by the
Plymouth colonists in 1621, Governor William Bradford
proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer, shared by all
the colonists and neighboring Native Americans. In 1863
President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of
thanksgiving, and since then each president has issued a
Thanksgiving Day proclamation, generally designating the
fourth Thursday of November as a holiday.
*******************************************
THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
(Taken from Our Daily Bread)
 Keeping the faith means trusting God to faithfully
keep you.
 Communion is the Lord’s reminder to us of His love
and provision.
 In Christ, there are no outsiders.
 The prison of sin cannot withstand the power of
Christ’s forgiveness.
 We find joy when we learn to live in Jesus’s love.
 Prayer helps us see things as God sees them.
 We hold to the cross of Christ and are held by it.
 Jesus is the sole source of Living water.
 Our strongest allegiance is to Christ, who gives us
unity with each other.
 God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the
wise.



Anger almost always vanishes in the face of grace.
God’s wisdom overshadows our self-centeredness.
A heart that is open to Christ will be open to those He
loves.
 Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for us motivates us to
sacrifice ourselves for others.
 Only God is worthy of our adoration and devotion.
 Encourage someone today to keep living for God.
 Prayer is an intimate conversation with our God.
 God wants to hear your heart.
 All of creation reflects the beauty of God.
 Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves
and knows the One who is leading.
 God is greater than anything that happens to us.
 Giving isn’t just for the wealthy; it’s for all of us.
 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 For a new start, ask God for a new heart.
 Contentment enables you to grow where God has
planted you.
 God pours His love into our hearts to flow out to
others’ lives.
 God’s faithfulness extends to all generations.
 Let’s thank God for His countless blessings.
 Our troubles can fill our prayers with love and
empathy for others.
 The Lord speaks to His children, but we need to
discern His voice.
 The promise of heaven is our eternal hope.
***********************************************
“What if I don’t feel forgiven by God?” Most of us
struggle with feelings of guilt and shame. Long after we
have confessed our sins to God, we are apt to feel
unforgiven. We might fear that we have been rejected by
God.
When feelings of guilt hound us--and they will-we need to remind ourselves that our forgiveness does not
depend on how we feel.
Forgiven people can feel like they are hanging by
a thread over the fires of hell. Forgiven people can be
oppressed by the accuser of our souls (Satan), who stirs up
old emotions the way we stir up the embers of a dying
fire. Suddenly we are inflamed in the emotions of anxiety
and despair. But those emotions are not telling us the
truth about the forgiveness of God.
Forgiveness is something God does. It is not
rooted in our own emotions. It doesn’t depend on whether
we forgive ourselves. Forgiveness is what God does in
the books of heaven when He marks “canceled” over our
debt of sin. We are forgiven when He declares us legally
acquitted, regardless of how we might be feeling at the
moment.
Because it is so important to realize that the
forgiveness of God is something He does, let’s look at
eight pictures of God’s forgiveness as seen in the Old
Testament:
1. God bags up our sins to throw them away. “My
offenses will be sealed up in a bag” (Job 14:17).
2. God blows away the sin barrier. “I have swept away
your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning
mist” (Isa. 44:22).
scholars about His knowledge of Scripture (Luke 2:4251). The third time Christ stood in the temple and read
from the Book of Isaiah the very prophecy concerning His
coming. Then He said, “Today this Scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
Prayer – Jesus Christ, God’s promise to the world, has
come! Thank You for Your Word of Truth.
3. God takes away our sins. “As far as the east is from
the west, so far has He removed our transgressions
from us” (Ps. 103:12).
JONAH
After you have found all the words, the leftover letters
will form a Mystery Answer:
_________________________________________
4. God treats our sin like a vanquished foe. “You will
tread our sins underfoot” (Mic. 7:19).
5. God puts our sins out of His sight. “You have put all
my sins behind Your back” (Isa. 38:17).
6. God puts our sins out of His mind. “I will...remember
their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34).
7. God cancels the debt of our sin. “I, even I, am He
who blots out your transgressions” (Isa. 43:25).
8. God removes sin’s stain and restores purity. “Though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow” (Isa. 1:18).
**************************************************************************
God Stands by His Word
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will
clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you see,
will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of
the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,”
says the Lord of hosts. –Malachi 3:1
God always keeps His promises. Through Moses, God
had warned the nation of Israel that if they refused to
obey, they would be taken into captivity. In 586 B.C. this
prophecy was fulfilled.
God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, giving
the exact duration of this captivity as seventy years. This
is the number of years Israel remained in Babylon.
Today’s Scripture reveals two specific messages.
First, a messenger will precede the Messiah, announcing
Him to Israel. This would be John the Baptist (Luke
1:76).
Next, the Messiah will “come to His temple.”
Three specific times stand out from the rest. At the time
of His circumcision a prophecy was given about Christ
being the appointed child by Simeon (Luke 2:34). When
He was twelve years old he became separated from Mary
and Joseph when they were preparing to leave Jerusalem.
They found Him in the temple, astounding the learned
R
P
R
A
Y
E
D
I
S
O
B
E
Y
E
D
J
E
E
F
O
R
G
I
V
E
N
E
S
S
E
O
S
D
R
A
O
B
R
E
V
O
L
C
A
E
P
D
H
E
D
E
D
N
A
M
M
O
C
L
W
P
N
M
O
M
E
D
E
W
O
R
T
A
V
A
ARISE
CARGO SHIP
CAST LOTS
COMMANDED
DECREE
DIOBEYED
DISTRESS
FORGIVENESS
FORTY DAYS
GREAT WIND
HOLY TEMPLE
A
I
S
A
L
P
C
A
V
C
O
N
S
A
E
S
W
H
S
R
Y
T
R
H
A
T
A
T
T
S
A
T
S
S
E
I
T
I
E
S
S
L
L
I
Y
C
A
A
S
O
N
N
E
O
E
T
P
O
O
A
K
E
R
R
E
G
D
E
M
N
N
Y
T
N
D
HUGE FISH
JOPPA
LEAFY PLANT
MARINERS
OVERBOARD
PRAYED
REDEMPTION
ROWED
SACKCLOTH
SALVATION
C
R
A
I
S
R
R
E
R
P
E
F
S
W
Y
L
G
L
U
S
H
T
A
K
S
L
A
E
O
T
O
W
N
O
W
E
I
S
C
C
O
E
V
R
R
T
H
E
D
E
E
P
S
I
D
I
L
A
H
O
H
U
G
E
F
I
S
H
H
D
V
W
W
T
F
SAVED
SCORCHING
SUN
SEAWEED
SHADE
TARSHISH
THE DEEP
THROWN
VIOLENT
STORM
WAVES
WICKEDNESS
"I N F O R M E R"
~ November 2016 ~
Sun
Mon
Tue
1
Wed
2
Thu
3
Fri
4
Bible Study
@ 7:00 p.m.
6 Daylight Saving
7
8 Election Day
13
14
Greater Faith and Joy
Choir Anniversary
@ 2:30 p.m.
20
9
21
15
16
10
11
17
18
Great American
Smoke out
Brotherhood Auxiliary
Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.
22
24
25
23
12
Veterans' Day
Missionary Auxiliary Bible Study
Meeting @ 7:00 p.m. @ 7:00 p.m.
Jubilee Choir
Anniversary
@ 2:30 p.m.
5
Program/Pulpit Aide
Committee Meeting
@ 11:00 a.m.
Bible Study
@ 7:00 p.m.
Time Ends
Sat
Thanksgiving Day
19
26
Ministers & Deacons
Meeting @ 10:00 a.m.
Nursing Home
Ministry
@ 2:30 p.m.
27
28
29
30
Notes:
Bible Study
@ 7:00 p.m.
Have you ever taken the time to stop and think about how you can grow in your faith and become a better witness? Here is a
list of ten things to think about. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Am I walking by faith or by sight?
Am I led by the Spirit or by my flesh? (Am I dying to self so Christ can live?)
Am I growing in my knowledge of God and His word?
Am I faithful to pray?
Am I ministering to others in love? (family, friends, church, community?)
Am I experiencing and expressing love for my heavenly father?
Am I obedient to God’s laws and God’s leading? (Do I treat others as God wants them treated?)
Am I sharing the gospel with others?
Am I responding to adversity with faith and trust?
Am I righteous, pure and holy?
In what areas can you improve? Probably all of them, right?