Revival praying!

Begin to pray for our revival scheduled for May 3 - 6 with evangelist Chuckie Chandlar. We are believing that great things will come from God during this special time.

Now Is The Hour

Tommorrow's service will continue the sermon series thought of "Discerning the Times." In Ephesians 5, Paul encourages us to realize three things:

1. Our time on earth is limited.

2. We should make the most of every opportunity.

3. We must understand what the Lord's will is.

Richard Swenson wrote a book in which he talks about the major distractions of today's society - Anxiety & Stress. He says that people are continually "overloaded."

1. We are overloaded with commitments.

2. We are overloaded with possesions.

3. We are overloaded with work.

4. We are overloaded with information.

When we learn how to overcome our anxieties and stress we will learn how to understand God's will and follow Him into abundant living. Paul writes, "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now that when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Romans 13: 11-12).

Parsonage Renovation

Parsonage Renovation

Pastor Ron & Pamela have begun a new project of renovating the master bedroom in the parsonage. Above are some before pictures. We will post the finished product pictures as soon as we are done. Hopefully, it won't take too long. We are sleeping on the living room floor until the project is finished.

Moive Night!

"The Final Inquiry begins three years after the Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Rumors that he is a prophet who has risen from the dead are inciting the people to rebel against the Roman Empire. In an effort to control the unrest, the Roman Emperor recruits a formerly exiled, clever and disenchanted investigator to disprove the story. As the search is aided by a beautiful, young Israeli woman and hampered by Governor Pontius Pilate, a proud, honest Roman hero is drawn deeply into a deep realm of love, honor and spiritual understanding.
After a harrowing but victorious campaign against the barbarian hordes, Rome's greatest general Tito Valerio Tauro receives a special assignment from the emperor: travel in secret to the city of Jerusalem to investigate the recent death and possible resurrection of a crucified man. Unwilling to believe the alleged miracle, Tauros sets out to discredit the rumors and put an end to the spreading cult of Jesus. But in a land touched by faith and hope, the secrets he uncovers and the people he meets may prove strong enough to crack even the hardest heart and bring truth to an empire."

Join us Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. for this special presentation that will kick-off our Easter celebration at CCC!

Food Pantry Board of Directors Meeting

There will be a Board of Directors meeting for the Food Pantry tonight at 6:30 p.m. If you have any questions or suggestions for the CARE Package you are invited to attend this meeting and submit your ideas to us.

Softball Practice

Coed softball practice will be Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. at the church. Bring your gloves, bats and equipment with you.

Discerning the Times

Pastor Ron continued his sermon series from Ephesians 5: 14 - 17, as he preached a message inspired from Steve Malone's series on "One Month to Live." Yesterday's message was entitled Living the Dash!" Every tombstone has a birth-date and a death date, separated by a dash. The dash represents our lives. What we do in the dash of life determines where we will spend eternity.

Malone mentions 4 universal principles that Christ has given us to live by. He taught us to:

1. Live Passionately

2. Love Completely

3. Live Humbly

4. Lead Boldly

Aaron Wilburn tells the story of a man who was given the strangest name by his parents at his birth. They named him, Odd. The man hated his name. He was always the object of laughter and scorn because of his unusual name. People would make fun of him for being Odd. After many years of enduring this kind of ridicule, he became ill and was facing certain death. He called his family to his bed-side and expressed his love for each one of them. Then, he instructed his wife and children, that when he passed away, he did want his name to be listed on his tombstone. He just wanted the date of his birth and the date of his death listed. And sure enough, when he passed away his family followed his wishes. The place for his name was left blank on the headstone and only the dates of his birth and death are listed. And to this day, whenever people pass by his tombstone and see the empty name plate, they will stop and remark, "Isn't that Odd!"

How are you living the dash in your life?

Food Pantry Staff

The CARE Package Food Pantry Staff was extremely busy this past Saturday. The group served approximately 90 families for a total of 350 people. Our shelves were completely emptied. We had 40 brand new families show up for assistance. It was a great opportunity to minister the gospel to them and extend God's love. A special thanks to everyone who participated in the activity.

Bishop James Adkins

The CCC J.O.Y Club had a wonderful time today, as we shared in food, fun and fellowship. We were blessed to have Bishop James Adkins as our special guest. Brother Adkins shared the wonderful truth that we don't have to yield to our past, and can enjoy our present situation in spite of circumstances.

His message was very inspirational and encouraging. We will be providing written copies for everyone who desires them.

Bishop Adkins has been a tremendous inspiration to our church for many years. We deeply appreciate his kindness and faithfulness to God, and are looking forward to his return visit in the future.

JOY Club

Discerning the Times

Pastor Ron began a new sermon series entitled, "Discerning the Times!" Someone shared a story recently about a group of Native Americans living on a remote reservation many years ago. It was autumn, and the Indians on the remote reservation asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a new Indian Chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets, and when he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the weather was going to be. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect wood to be prepared. But also being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?" "It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed," the meteorologist at the weather service responded. So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared. A week later he called the National Weather Service again. "Is it going to be a very cold winter?" "Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it’s going to be a very cold winter." The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find. Two weeks later he called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?" "Absolutely," the man replied. "It’s going to be one of the coldest winters ever." "How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked. The weatherman replied, "Because the Indians are collecting wood like crazy!"

One of the greatest challenges of the modern-day church is to connect to the surrounding world and be relevant within our culture.

Paul encourages us, in Ephesians 5, to redeem the time because the days are evil. When so much around us that seems to be happening is consummed by sin and wickedness, we find comfort in the hope that God is in control.

We live in a time where God wants to fill our hearts, minds, souls and churches with His love and grace. Be ready to embrace the favor of God, everyday, and look forward to His coming with heightened anticipation!

Coed Softball

CCC will once again field a Coed Softball Team. If you are 16 years and older, then you are invited to join us for some great fun and fellowship. If you would like to play on the team, please contact P. J. Behan.

J.O.Y. Club

The J.O.Y. (Just Over Youth) Club will meet at the church on Tuesday, March 17th at 11:30 a.m. The special speaker for the day's event will be Bishop James Adkins from Collinsville, AL. Participants are asked to bring a covered dish to share with everyone.

Food Pantry Board Meeting

There will be a Food Pantry Board Meeting on Monday, March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. Board members are: Teresa Crawford, John Hassell, Dottie Pittman, Yvonne Dewberry, Rena Horton & Ron Martin. If you would like to contribute or receive information about the details of the meeting you can contact us at (205) 553-9413,

Servant Leader Award

Pastor Ron presented Servant Leader Awards, today, to over 70 active servant-leaders from CCC. The award included a $1 bill, which, Pastor Ron asked the leaders to take and sow into someone's life.

Also honored, were members of the Stewardship Committee (Harold Terry, Jeff West, Jerry Boatwright, P.J. Behan & Herman Smith). Two new members were appointed - Linda Griffith & Yvonne Dewberry.

A special recognition was given to Treasurer\Office Administrator, Valyn Behan and Church Secretary, Brenda Francisco.

The day was concluded with a special sermon about Christ's principles of servanthood and the need for laborers to go into the harvest field.

Servant-Leader Day

Servant-Leader Day will take place tommorrow morning at CCC! The event will honor each individual who sacrifices and serves the community and church.

Damien Phillips lists 6 attributes of a Servant-Leader:

1. Servants lead out of relationships, not by coercion.

2. Servants lead by support, not by control.

3. Servants lead by developing others, not by doing all the ministry themselves.

4. Servants guide people, not drive them.

5. Servants lead from love, not domination.

6. Servants seek growth, not position.

We invite you to join us in tommorrow's activities as we honor those who believe in the principle, "Whoever is greatest among you will be your SERVANT!

Outreach Day!

Approximately 20 people showed up Saturday to participate in Outreach Day! Several teams went out into the community to share the Gospel, while others stayed at the church and prayed for God's strength and favor upon each team member. It was a great day of labor, as we turned our hearts to the harvest field. The teams distributed around 270 packets to our community neighbors. We are praying that God will send more laborers to help us reap the harvest of lost souls around us.

Outreach Day!

Heaven Rejoices

1 Corinthians 13 - Mutual Respect

Tonight's Bible Study will deal with the topic of LOVE! It is important for us to realize that the greatest Commandment of the Bible is to:
1. LOVE GOD;
2. LOVE OTHERS.

All of us are unique in our own special way. It is when we learn to love in spite of our differences, that we can truly love like Jesus loved. BISHOP BILLY MURRAY once wrote:

"Individual inspiration must be recognized and respected - that God still
works with and through individuals, who should not be expected to be molded into
a uniformity beyond what the Scriptures prescribe. Jesus said, 'He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than
these shall he do; because I go unto my Father' (John 14:12). It seems easy for
us to change the word 'he' in this scripture to 'ye' and then make application of it as though Christ was referring to the entire Body of Christ. Faithfulness to its wording, however, tells us that Jesus was speaking of the invidual who believes. None of us may know yet just what all the Master had in mind. We do know that whatever works any person does, of which Jesus spoke, it will not be that person, but Christ in him who does the work and, therefore, who must receive all praise." (WWM, Aug. 15, 1992 edition).

Paul encourages us to remember that LOVE is the longest enduring spiritual gift of all. LOVE NEVER FAILS.

JOIN US THIS EVENING AS WE STUDY GOD'S LOVE!

Hypocrites - Are They Everywhere?

This irreverant cartoon appeared in February 25th's edition of the Tuscaloosa News, and the message of the strip caught my attention. While I wouldn't suggest that this type of approach to hypocrisy is advisable, it does address the fact that hypocrites exist. The English dictionary defines a hypocrite as:

• 1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
• 2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

Jesus addressed this issue in regards to worship. He said, "Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Veryily I say unto you, They have their reward . . . . And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward" (Matthew 6:2, 5).

In Matthew 23:15, 27, 33, Jesus pronounces a judgment upon the hypocrite when He said, "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. . . . Woe unto you, scribes and Phariseees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. . . . Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

No one wants to think of themselves in terms of hypocrisy, but at times it can happen to the best of people. The only cure for this is to remain focused on the purpose of Christ, making sure that there are no ulterior motives undermining our devotion and commitment to Him. In all things, we are to be guided by the principles of Christ's Love. It is by His love and grace that we are able to conquer the flesh and abide in His truth forever.

The CARE Package Food Pantry has been privileged to serve our community in the last several months. God has blessed us to serve over 1024 people in the last 4 months. With the help of contributions we have spent close to $5000 for food and supplies. This is completely a faith-based effort. We do not have a large cash-reserve set aside to draw from. But, God supplies our needs every month. It is amazing to see that the cost for feeding one person for a month is only $4.39. We will spend 10 times that amount for one tank of gas that only lasts for a week.

If you would like to help us minister to hurting people you may contact us by calling (205) 553-9413.

Daylight Saving Time

Don't forget to set your clocks 1 hour ahead this coming Saturday evening. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 8th.

Servant-Leader Day

CCC will celebrate SERVANT-LEADER Day this coming Sunday, March 8th. We will be honoring everyone who sacrifices their time, talent and dedication toward making our congregation great. The words of Jesus resonates in our hearts when He tells us: "Whoever will be greatest among you, will be your servants." God has blessed CCC with many great Servant-Leaders, and we want to bestow honor upon them for their untiring efforts. May God bless our Servant-Leaders!

Cottondale Pastor's Prayer Breakfast

Pastors from the Cottondale area churches will be meeting on Tuesday, March 10th at 8:00 a.m. for a monthly prayer breakfast. This meeting is designed to bring the community's churches together in a spirit of love and unity. We hope you will join us for this wonderful time of fellowship.

Snow Day

We were unable to have church today, due to the snow and inclement weather. The snowfall was extraordinarily beautiful. Pam and I were fortunate to be able to get out of the house and spend the morning with Dr. Cardin. We regret that the weather prevented him from ministering to the church, but he did an excellent job ministering us. We are looking forward to his return in the near future.

Alabama Snowfall