MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF MILLBROOK FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH– JANUARY 2018

A new year brings to many resolutions to change our

lives in various ways. If we are Christians, however, we

have already had the greatest transformation of all-we

have become new creations in Christ.

We Are A New Creation in Christ

"What does it mean that a

Christian is a new creation?”

The new creation is described in 2

Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if

anyone is in Christ, he is a new

creation; the old has gone, the new

has come!” Our lives are no longer

worldly; they are now spiritual. Our

“death” is that of the old sin nature

which was nailed to the cross with

Christ. It was buried with Him, and

just as He was raised up by the

Father, so are we raised up to “walk

in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

That new person that was raised up

is what Paul refers to in 2

Corinthians 5:17 as the “new

creation.”

To understand the new creation,

first we must grasp that it is in fact a

creation, something created by

God. John 1:13 tells us that this new

birth was brought about by the will

of God. We did not inherit the new

nature, nor did we decide to re-

create ourselves anew, nor did God

simply clean up our old nature; He

created something entirely fresh and

unique. The new creation is

completely new, brought about from

nothing, just as the whole universe

was created by God ex nihilo, from

nothing. Only the Creator could

accomplish such a feat.

Second, “old things have passed

Life Lines

Church Events Jan 7th– Communion

Jan 8th - Prime Timers

Jan 10th– Wednesday

Night Activities

Resume

Jan 11th – Volunteer @

W.E.L.C.O.M.E

Jan 14th- UMM Meeting

Jan 20th– Joy for Johnny

Jan 22nd- Friendship

Supper

Jan 28th- Emmaus

Lunch

From the Cradle to the Cross The children did a beautiful job with

the Children's Musical on Sunday.

"From the Cradle to the Cross" was

inspiring and heartwarming!

Job Opening

Are you an expert with financial software and need a

part-time job? Our church is hiring a financial

administrator/bookkeeper. A full description of the

job duties can be found on our website at

www.mfumc.org.

To apply, send your resume and a cover letter to the

church office at ghead@mfumc.org or call the church

at 334-285-4114.

(Continued on page 3)

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be

remembered or come into mind. Isaiah 65:17

Cookies with Santa

1 Keith Davis

3 James Flanagan

4 Claire Gilmore

ChanceHouston

Roland Rhodes

6 Vicki Ward

7 Teresa Hicks

8 Bill Clemons

9 Wendy Weaver

Greetings friends in Jesus Christ,

I hope and pray you are doing well as 2017 comes to

a close, and I hope you are as excited about the New

Year. Let me tell a few reasons why. Over the past

year, through the work of God’s Spirit in our church

family 31 precious souls have put their lives into the

hands of the one who is Life. Christ has become

their source of thinking, believing, acting and being.

How wonderful!! In this ultimate act of surrender they

have come know in Christ a God who loves and

forgives them. Through a relationship with Christ,

they have come to recognize that they are of

supreme value and their life has eternal significance.

They have discovered they are surrounded by a

church family of grace that will support them and help

them learn how to cope with family tensions, self-

doubts and temptations that hurt themselves and

others. They have come to know in Christ a deep

peace and hope that sustains and anchors them

through deep times of grief and uncertainty. They

have enrolled in Christ’s school of love, where they

will learn how to love one another from the Master,

Jesus Christ. How could I not be excited?

Another reason for my excitement is because of your

excitement. Many of you have shared with me your

real desire to go deeper into the life of prayer,

worship, giving, service and welcoming others.

What excites me about your enthusiasm is the fact

that it is grounded in something real and true. This is

what I know, as we place our lives in Christ, He

promises to take our ordinary talents and gifts into his

extraordinary life, transform them, and produce an

abundant harvest that we couldn’t create without

Him.

Maybe the best reason of all to be excited about

2018 is the promise we have in Christ. He promises

that he will bring to completion that work which he

has started in us. The Apostle Paul gives us this

word from God when he said,

“Now to him who by the power at work with us is able

to accomplish abundantly far more than all we ask or

imagine.”

I pray that God will richly bless you in the coming

year, and I look forward to seeing you at the best

place I know of to start the New Year, His church.

Pastor Jerry

Pastor’s Notes “Over the past year, through the work of God Spirit in

our church family 31 precious souls have put their

lives into the hands of the one who is Life for the first

time.”

January Birthdays

10 Bonnie Bonner

Joe Burdick

11 Dylan Davis

Jordan Head

13 Lee Thomas

15 Ginger McMurry

Jim Houston

17 Will Boartfield

Emily Aspden

19 Katherine McGee

20 Jim Norris

Aimee Hukill

20 Matt Messer

21 Harold Sawyer

24 Will Bacon

24 Glenda Cobb

25 Joanna McLeod

Julianna

Lawrence

Cayde Williams

26 Chuck Kelser

Jessica Messer

27 Ricky Messick

27 Susan Nix

29 Shea Obenauf

30 Genevive Barth

31 Payton Williams

Josie Burdick

Olivia Reed

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1

Office Closed for New Years Day

2

6:00 am Men’s Prayer Group

(Front Porch Grill)

6:00 Cub Scouts

3

No Activities

4

6:00 Trustees Meeting

5 6

7

Communion Sunday

2:00 Children's Action Team

4:00 Youth Action Team

8

9:30am Monday Morning Prayer

Group

10:30 am Prime Timers

6:00 pm Boy Scouts

9

6:00 am Men’s Prayer Group

(Front Porch Grill)

6:00 Cub Scouts

10

5:00 Wednesday Night Supper

6:00 pm Youth and Children

6:00 Pastor Bible Study

6:00 Choir Practice

7:00 Praise Team Practice

11

Volunteer @ WELCOME Day

12 13

14

Noon UMM Meeting

Noon UMW Henrietta Thomas Circle

15

Office closed for MLK Holiday

6:00 pm Lillian Hancock Circle

6:00 pm Boy Scouts

16

6:00 am Men’s Prayer Group

(Front Porch Grill)

6:00 Cub Scouts

6:30 pm SPRC Meeting

17

5:00 Wednesday Night Supper

6:00 pm Youth and Children

6:00 Pastor Bible Study

6:00 Choir Practice

7:00 Praise Team Practice

18

6:30 pm Communication Committee

19 20

4:00 pm Joy for Johnny

21 22

9:30 am Monday Morning Prayer

Group

6:00 pm Friendship SS Supper

6:00 pm Boy Scouts

23

6:00 am Men’s Prayer Group

(Front Porch Grill)

9:30 am Doris Cobb Circle

6:00 Cub Scouts

6:30 pm Finance Committee

24

5:00 Wednesday Night Supper

6:00 pm Youth and Children

6:00 Pastor Bible Study

6:00 Choir Practice

7:00 Praise Team Practice

25

26 27

28

Noon Emmaus Lunch

(Mission House)

29

9:30 am Monday Morning Prayer

Group

6:00 pm Boy Scouts

30

6:00 am Men’s Prayer Group

(Front Porch Grill)

6:00 Cub Scouts

31

5:00 Wednesday Night Supper

6:00 pm Youth and Children

6:00 Pastor Bible Study

6:00 Choir Practice

7:00 Praise Team Practice

29 30

January 2018

Pathfinders Class A Blessing To All

A Sunday School class established only two years

ago now has more than 36 members, many of whom

describe being a part of it as a special blessing.

Scott Cobb leads the Pathfinders Class, which has

members ranging in age from their mid 40s through

their 70s. The class just finished a 36-week study of

the book and movie “The War Room” and will begin

an eight-week study of the Book of James this

month.

Anniversaries

Chip Hicks became a new member of our church

last month by way of Baptism. Please welcome

him when you see him in the halls of the church!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Congratulations! Ricky Messick was inducted as a lifetime member of

the United Methodist Men last month. In this photo, Will

Bacon presents a plaque to Ricky during a surprise

presentation in a Sunday worship service.

Congratulations to one of our hardest working and

devoted church members!

away.” The “old” refers to everything that is part of our

old nature—natural pride, love of sin, reliance on

works, and our former opinions, habits and passions.

Most significantly, what we loved has passed away,

especially the supreme love of self and with it self-

righteousness, self-promotion, and self-justification.

The new creature looks outwardly toward Christ instead

of inwardly toward self. The old things died, nailed to

the cross with our sin nature.

Along with the old passing away, “the new has come!”

Old, dead things are replaced with new things, full of

life and the glory of God. The newborn soul delights in

the things of God and abhors the things of the world

and the flesh. Our purposes, feelings, desires, and

understandings are fresh and different. We see the

world differently. The Bible seems to be a new book,

and though we may have read it before, there is a

beauty about it which we never saw before, and

which we wonder at not having perceived. The whole

face of nature seems to us to be changed, and we

seem to be in a new world. The heavens and the

earth are filled with new wonders, and all things seem

now to speak forth the praise of God. There are new

feelings toward all people—a new kind of love toward

family and friends, a new compassion never before

felt for enemies, and a new love for all mankind. The

things we once loved, we now detest. The sin we

once held onto, we now desire to put away forever.

The class includes all types of people-from singles

to couples-anyone is welcome to be a part of the

group. “The fellowship and the fact that everyone

participates makes this a special class to be a part

of,” said Debbie Cox. Lively discussions are a staple

of each Sunday morning.

Scott said, “I’ve received so much of a blessing from

the lives we get involved in.”

1 Darrell & Cheryl Thomas

2 Scott & Melissa Cobb

16 Charlie & Betty Potts

20 John & Kerry Allen

22 Danny & Joy Rogers

24 Roland & Christine Rhodes

(Continued from page 1)

A New Creation