IN THIS ISSUE
2 WAYS TO APPRECIATE YOUR PASTOR
3 A TRIBUTE TO GOD’S SHEPHERDS
4 HOW WE LEARN TO OBEY
5 BALANCING THE PURPOSES OF CHURCH
6 BUILD YOUR BIBLE POWER
6 IN THE NEXT ISSUE
November 2007
Pastoral Anniversary Celebrates 25 years of Service
Giving Thanks
This service that you perform is not
only supplying the needs of God’s
people but is also overflowing in many
expressions of thanks to God. 2
Corinthians 9:12 (NIV)
N
ovember marks the twentyfifth pastoral anniversary, a
time of thanksgiving and rejoicing. To celebrate the love and
faithfulness between Pastor Hunt and
the people of Bethel, some Bethel
members would like to express their
well-wishes to Pastor and Lady Hunt
and /or what the relationship has
meant to them personally, as we, the
Bethel Missionary Baptist church,
look back on our union of the past 25
years and reach forward with faith and could not attend the funeral, but we
a promising vision for Bethel’s future. would be in his prayers. During the
service Pastor Hunt was asked to
************
come to the pulpit, my children whisPastor and Sister Hunt have been more pered to me with such enthusiasm
than just church leaders to us. They “Pastor Hunt is here!” His presence
have been our extended family, always meant so much to us. Mrs. Hunt her
willing to lend an ear and share their smiles, hugs, attentive ear and calm
love.
demeanor are such a blessing!
—The Brookes Family
—Rene’ M. & Michael Brooks
and Family
************
Pastor really touched my family and
************
me, when my mother passed. Pastor Dear Pastor and Sis. Hunt,
called me and asked how I was hold- We are so blessed to have you as our
ing up, he prayed with me. He said he Pastor and First Lady. We know
Issue 47
that leading a large group of diverse
people isn’t easy, but the two of you
do it with dignity and grace. You
make each one of us feel as though
we’re your most important member.
Know that we love you and we pray
that the Lord will continually cradle
each you in his loving arms.
—Barbara Davis
************
What can I say? The Pastor and
Mother Hunt have been such a strong
spiritual support and have nurtured me
and my family so much. Thank God
for them. It would be endless.
—Andrea Delgado
************
We have been blessed that you have
allowed God to use you to help us
change our lives and live for the Lord.
Love, The Dembo family
************
Pastor and Mrs. Hunt,
We offer our heartiest congratulations
for twenty-five years of faithful and
devoted service to the Bethel congregation. May God continue to bless,
guide, and sustain you as we move
forward in our efforts to make Bethel
a fruitful branch in the vine of His
master plan.
—Deacon John H. Pleasants and
Deaconess Doris M. Pleasants
Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor
O
Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
2611 South Ave.
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
phone: 845.297.6188
fax: 845.297.1509
Christian Chronicles is a publication of
BMBC, published six times a year, January, March, May, July, September and
November. The newsletter is a ministry
that encourages and communicates
church and community news, promoting
God’s word.
Bethel Missionary Baptist Church family is encouraged to submit articles, photos, and news for the church newsletter.
The editor reserves the right to edit articles for style, accuracy and length.
Please place all submissions in the main
office, or send via
E-mail:
[email protected]
Snail mail:
Bethel Missionary Baptist Church,
2611 South Ave., Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
Deadline is the10th day of the month
before publication.
Feb. 10, April 10, June 10,
Aug. 10, Oct. 10, Dec. 10
ctober was National Clergy
Appreciation Month and the
second Sunday in October,
October 14 for 2007, was Clergy Appreciation Day. Nationwide, church
folks set aside this special time to
honor their pastors and pastoral families for the hard work, sacrificial dedication and multiple blessings provided by these special people. For
thirty-one days congregants showed
their appreciation by random and
spontaneous acts of encouragement.s
Pastor appreciation is the sign of a
healthy church and healthy churches
want to pay tribute to their pastor
through loving acts of gratitude. So,
here at Bethel, as we celebrate the
twenty-fifth pastoral anniversary let
us set aside November as our Clergy
Appreciation Month. After all God
has instructed us to recognize His servants: “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of
double honor, especially those whose
work is preaching and teaching”
(1Timothy 5:17).
Here are a few ways to appreciate
Pastor and Lady Hunt:
• Pray regularly. Ask God to shower
Pastor
Dr. Edward L. Hunt
pastor with an abundance of love,
hope, joy, faith, peace, power,
wisdom, and courage. Pray for his
maturity and growth in the faith.
• Attend the weekend Pastoral
Anniversary Celebration on Friday,
Saturday and/or Sunday.
• Honor the pastor with cards and
letters of appreciation, but don’t
flood his email box.
• Offer to wash the Hunts cars or to
take the cars in for an oil change
• Invite the Pastor and Mrs. Hunt to
dinner.
• Take a walk with Lady Hunt.
• Buy a gift card to Barnes and Nobles
or the new Christian bookstore in
Fishkill, Lily of the Valley.
• Give a gift certificates to a store or
restaurants
• Squelch gossip. If you hear a
negative comment, respond with a
positive one. If misinformation is
being spread, correct it with the
accurate information. Or, if people
are gossiping, just walk away.
Remember, to express appreciation
and affirmation for your spiritual leaders is appropriate throughout the entire year, simply because appreciation
is what a loving congregation does.
Managing Editor/Page Designer
Angela Batchelor
Copy Editors
Pat Effort, Marilyn Willis
Contributing Writers
Joan Williams-Okon
Rick Warren
Photo Editor
Kiara Tatum
The friendship of Jesus enables
us to see others as he saw the
apostles: flawed by good
children of the Father.
—Brennan Manning
Members of Bethel celebrate pastor’s anniversary downstairs in the
Myrick Fellowship Hall in 1985. ( Photo from historical file.)
CHRISTIAN CHRONICLES •2•
NOVEMBER
2007
A Tribute to God’s Shepherds
The Pastor’s Wife
A Pastor’s Heart
A well spoken message stirs a heart to rejoice
There is nothing like a strong, resilient voice
But when sorrow comes, there is no better gift to impart
Then the gift of a caring, pastor’s heart
She’s a Godly woman, she has such grace
Always a warm greeting, a smile on her face
She’s always encouraging, she knows her place
She is - The Pastor’s Wife
A loving touch or a kind word
A moment of counsel from God’s holy word
A telephone call—after you just heard..,
Is the gift of our pastor’s heart.
She has to always look just right
Always on time, though the schedule’s tight
From early morning, til late at night
Always - The Pastor’s Wife
Lord, bless this pastor
In each new day
Bless his ministry along the way
She’s such a Lady, everyone’s friend
She serves with love from deep within
All of the rifts she tries to mend
Oh she’s - The Pastor’s Wife
For fame and fortune can never impart
The precious gift of a caring pastor’s heart
Just a servant of Christ
and at times a dear friend
With a desire to love God
To the very end
Tending his flock in the Savior’s way
Is the gift of a pastor’s heart
At church as she starts to walk up the aisle
So many need to stop and talk for awhile
Though she is tired, she has her own trials
She’s patient, she’s - The Pastor’s Wife
Striving to live
as an apostle of Christ
Serving his Father giving Godly advice!
Preaching and teaching and sharing the Word
Is the gift of a caring pastor’s heart.
—Sandra L. Adams
She carries your burdens, she prays for you
Sometimes she cries the whole night through
But you won’t know when she’s feeling blue
’Cause she’s - The Pastor’s Wife
Her life, her time is not her own
There’s always a need, they go on and on
With a knock on the door or a ringing phone
That’s the life of - The Pastor’s Wife
Her husband she shares with a whole congregation
She humbly accepts his intense dedication
In loneliness she kneels to seek consolation
God Bless - The Pastor’s Wife
She will someday reach the end of her race
As she meets her Master, face to face
Surely our God had a Special Place
In heaven for - The Pastor’s Wife
—Judy Dycus
CHRISTIAN C HRONICLES •3• NOVEMBER 2007
Giving Thanks
continued from page 1
************
The McCormick family proudly extends our congratulations to the Rev.
and Mrs. Hunt for their twenty five
years of leadership and dedicated service to God and the Bethel family.
May God bestow his blessings upon
them and illuminate their future with
his everlasting Grace.
— Edward L. and Beatrice
McCormick
************
To Rev and Mrs. Hunt,
May God continue to bless you on this
25th Anniversary and many more to
come.
Love, Mary & Frank White
************
Praise God for the sermonic word that
Pastor brings each Sunday. For me, the
sermons, scriptures and stories have
convicted, confirmed and affirmed my
walk with Christ Jesus, my fellowship
with Bethel family, my tithe of talents
and my talk of discipleship. For example there was a sermon that continuously reminds me that no matter what
troubles come my way keep my focus. Pastor used Tiger Woods, the golf
pro, as an example, so when the unexpected happens, I keep my eye on the
ball, and remember my focus -- my life
be a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
—Angela Batchelor
************
May your journey continue with the
Lord, Pastor & Mrs. Hunt, as you continue to lead our BMBC Family.
—Deaconess Ministry
“Whereunto I am appointed a
preacher, and an apostle, and a
teacher of the Gentiles.”
2 Timothy 1:11
Greetings to Reverend Edward L.
Hunt, PhD, and Mrs. Hunt and your
family for serving God through His
people:
Twenty-five years of commitment in
a time of change and turbulence in
one’s life truly is a blessing from God
in Jesus Christ. I want to send you a
personal word of thanks in the name
of Jesus for your dedication and personal presentations of love and humility while continuing in your office.
Having met you and Mrs. Hunt
some fifteen years ago, through the
Bethel Family, is an experience that
has grown into a spiritual landmark
in my life.
You see, after venturing into a nomadic world of rejecting God as a personal savior, I had hoped to reeducate
those in the church culture as fools,
but God sent me to Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Bethel in its grace
and existential love tolerated my questioning and sometimes subtle criticisms. You must have told God’s
members to just tolerate me in love
and allow me enough time to see the
eternal hope that I was (at the time,
not knowing) seeking. You must know
that Bethel was the only church that
did not ask me to leave and not to return. Therefore, my love for Bethel is
special; it is the only church in my
growing age that I’ve known and belonged.
So, I just wanted you to know this
information, for I am sure that there
is another time outside of time where
you and I will meet, where the eternal
record will require of us this renewing of good times.
A quarter of a century has indeed
earned you my congratulations and
everyone’s best wishes in whatever direction you are now thinking of traveling.
Thanking you in Jesus Faith,
Chuck
CHRISTIAN CHRONICLES •4•
NOVEMBER
How We Learn
to Obey God
By Joan Williams-Okon
Obedience is required of a servant,
especially for the servant of Jesus
Christ. God has said that … “to obey
is better than sacrifice,”… “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” The first commandment with a
promise of long life is given to children if they obey their mothers and
fathers. Obedience is important in the
life of a believer. However, obeying
God isn’t always easy, since sometimes obeying costs you something.
In looking at how to obey God, we
have to look at the example of Jesus
Christ.
Hebrews 5:8 says, “Though he
was a Son, yet he learned obedience
by the things which he suffered.”
Jesus submitted to the type of suffering that was painful. To the human
flesh, the mention of suffering is
enough to cause some of us to run in
the opposite direction. Yet, we didn’t
come to serve Jesus because he promised us a life free of suffering. In many
instances, the opposite is true. If we
truly take up our cross and follow
Jesus, we are in a process of daily
denying ourselves. Where we once
served sin, we have become the servants of righteousness by declaring
to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
Christ chose to lead a sacrificial
life. He chose to die a painful and humiliating death. It wasn’t His will, it
was the will of the Father. He chose
to give up his life, and He chose to
raise Himself from the dead.
Some can not do God’s will, perfectly, because they are not willing to
suffer according to God’s will. Each
one of us will suffer in this life; sometimes it is a matter of choosing which
manner of suffering we will take. If
Continued on page 4
2007
Balancing the Purposes of Your Church
presents the
By Rick Warren
C
hurch health is the result of
balance. Balance occurs
when you have a strategy
and a structure to fulfill,
what I believe are, the five New Testament purposes for the church: worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. If you don’t have a
strategy and a structure that
intentionally balances the
purposes of the church, the
church tends to overemphasize the purpose the pastor
feels most passionate
about.
In evangelicalism,
we tend to go to seed
on one truth at a
time. You attend
one seminar and
hear, “The
key is seeker ser-vices.” You go to
another and “the key is small groups”
or “discipleship” or “expository
preaching.” The fact is, they’re all important. When a church emphasizes
any one purpose to the neglect of others, that produces imbalance—it’s unhealthy. It stunts a lot of churches.
To keep things balanced, four things
must happen. You’ve got to
•move people into membership,
•build them up to maturity,
•train them for ministry, and
•send them out on their mission.
How you accomplish those four objectives doesn’t matter. The only important issue is that the style matches
the people God has called you to
reach. As long as you are bringing
people to Christ, into the fellowship
of his family, building them up to
maturity, training them for ministry,
and sending them out in mission, God
is pleased with your ministry.
Health does not mean perfection.
Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
When a church focuses on evangelism, it brings in a lot of unhealthy
people. My kids are healthy; they’re
not perfect. There will never be a perfect church this side of heaven because every church is filled with pagans, carnal Christians, and immature believers along with
the mature ones.
I’ve read books
that emphasize,
“You’ve got to reinforce the purity
of the church.”
But Jesus said,
“Let the tares
and the wheat
grow together,
and one day I’ll sort
them out.” We’re not
in the sorting business. We’re in the
harvesting business. We
do get a lot of unhealthy people at
church because society is getting
sicker. But Jesus demonstrated that
ministering to hurting people was
more important than maintaining purity. When you fish with a big net, you
catch all kinds of fish.
A far better focal point than church
growth is church health. Size is not
the issue. You can be big and healthy,
or big and flabby. You can be small
and healthy, or small and wimpy. Big
isn’t better; small isn’t better. Healthy
is better.
If churches are healthy, growth is a
natural occurrence. I don’t have to
command my kids to grow. If I provide them with a healthy environment,
growth is automatic.
Pastoral 25th Anniversary
Weekend Celebration
“Chosen of God for God’s Purpose:
Looking back and reaching forward.”
Youth Celebration
Friday, November 9, 7 PM
at BMBC
Poems, skit, musical and liturgical
dance tributes. Keynote Nothanda
“Daisy” Bopela.
Anniversary Banquet
Saturday, November 11, at 5 PM
Dutchess Manor, 263 Route 9D, in
Beacon with fellowship, dinner,
music.keynote Dr. Dale T. Irvin,
Ph.D., president of New York Theological Seminary. Cost $80.
Sunday WorshipService
Sunday, November 11 8 AM & 10:45 AM
Sunday with guest preachers, Rev.
Byron Williams of Baptist Temple
Church, Newburgh and Dr. Tony
Baker of St. Phillips Baptist Church,
Staten Island. Ministry presentations.
How We Obey
continued from page 4
we suffer according to God’s purpose,
there is power to overcome and minister to others in that suffering. If we
suffer due to our poor choices, or
through our will, untold anguish, pain
and destruction will result.
Jesus learned how to obey God by
submitting to the suffering that God
had ordained for His life. Jesus chose
to suffer for us; his suffering was vicarious.
What is God requiring you to submit to? What choices are you facing
in life that could minister to others or
Rick Warren is the pastor of
Saddleback Church and best selling cause great destruction in someone’s
life? Many times we choose our path
author. Printed with permission.
of suffering; which path will you
choose?
CHRISTIAN CHRONICLES •5•
NOVEMBER
2007
Build Your Bible Power
C. 8 days
D. 7 years
By Lynn Austin
Stories for the Ages
4. Israel’s youngest king, Joash, inherited the throne when he was how
According to the Bible, we can old?
serve God regardless of our age.
A. 5 years
Paul told Timothy, “Don’t let
B. 7 years
anyone look down on you beC. 10 years
cause you are young, but set an
D. 12 years
example for the believers” (1
Tim. 4:12). Similarly, God has no 5. How old was Noah when he enmandatory retirement age. tered the ark?
Joshua conquered the Promised
A. 120 years
B. 250 years
Land when he “was well-adC. 600 years
vanced in years” (Josh. 13:1).
D. 750 years
Can you guess the ages of the following people when God used
6. At what age did Caleb conquer
them?
1. How old was Moses when he led
the giants in the Promised Land?
A. 85 years old
the Israelites out of Egypt? (Extra
B. 65 years old
points if you know how old he was
C. 90 years old
when his mother placed him in the
D. 110 years old
Nile.)
A. 40 years
7. How old was Jesus when Simeon
B. 60 years
and Anna prophesied that He was the
C. 80 years
promised Messiah?
D. 120 years
A. 40 days
B. 12 years
2. What was the approximate age difference between Jesus and John the
Baptist?
A. 6 months
B. 9 months
C. 12 months
D. 2 years
3.
Methuselah, the
oldest person in the
Bible, died when he
was how old?
A. 123 years
B. 635 years
C. 872 years
D. 969 years
CHRISTIAN CHRONICLES •6•
NOVEMBER
2007
Answers will be published in the
December 2007 issue.
Copyright © 2001 by the author or
Christianity Today International/
Today’s
Christian magazine
(formerly Christian Reader). Reprint
with permission. January/February
2001, Vol. 39, No. 1, Page 42
In the
next
issue
The December 2007 Christian Chronicles will feature
Ladies Tea, A Trip to Tanzania, Website announcement,
and Pastor’s Anniversary Celebration.
If you would like to submit an
article, a photo or announcement
the deadline is November 10.
Please send to
[email protected]