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512 S. Pitney Road ~ Galloway, NJ 08205 ~ 609.652.7507 ~ www.mainlandbc.com HYMN STORIES Stories of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the Faith Winter Wonderland Gala Wednesday, December 13 th 7:00 pm At The Carriage House More Details to Follow! A Night to Benefit Champion Baptist Academy Haitian native Dorothy Edma was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, the capital of that nation, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. The oldest of four children, she faithfully attended a Roman Catholic church as a child, but “as I grew older, though I was still going to church, I always felt like something was missing. ” In 1985, at the age of 16, Dorothy came to the United States to be with her mother who was living in Stamford, Connecticut. She finished high school there and obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration Accounting degree at Berkeley College in Westchester, NY. After graduation, Dorothy moved to Queens, NY, where she met Moliere, her future husband and fellow Haitian. In the year 2000, five years after that meeting, they were married and moved to Long Island, NY. Living outside New York City, the couple would come to South Jersey to visit Dorothy’s brother, who lived in Galloway. She remembers driving by Mainland Baptist Church, seeing all the buses and commenting that if she ever moved down here, “I will attend there, because if they have buses, they must love people and kids! ” Dorothy and Moliere decided to move to Galloway in 2002, after the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attack on the United States. One Sunday morning, she told her husband that she did not want to attend a Catholic church, but “wanted to go somewhere I can learn more about the Bible and Jesus. ” That day, Dorothy and her then two year old daughter Sabrina drove down Pitney Road past Mainland Baptist to another church, but when she arrived in the parking lot, “I felt like Someone was telling me to go back to the church with a lot of buses! ” After sitting in her car for a while, she drove back to Mainland Baptist Church. Mary Oguntuase, a native of Nigeria and wife of Deacon Ben Oguntuase, “greeted me with a warm welcome, making me feel that this is where I should be. ” Dorothy stayed for the service and was “so impressed that Pastor Bult was preaching from the King James Bible. ” That same week, on September 26, 2002, Dorothy Edma heard the wonderful news of the Gospel and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. Her husband Moliere also received Christ as his personal Savior. Three months later, on December 29, she followed the Lord in scriptural baptism and became a member of MBC on March 9, 2003. Dorothy, whose favorite Bible verses are Philippians 4:13 and Psalm 121, faithfully serves the Lord by teaching Sunday church to 4 and 5 year olds, singing in the choir, and the Friday night RU Recovery Ministry Kidz Club. Her mother Yva Dieudonne, her daughters Sabrina, now 17, and Sarah, 10, also enjoy coming to Mainland Baptist. This Administration Manager for Atlantic Palace Suites is grateful to God for bringing her family to “the church with all the buses!” Consider this definition of a gravesite for a Christian: “An Inn of a Pilgrim Traveling to Jerusalem.” That's what Henry Alford wrote for his tombstone. He was born October 7, 1810, in the Bloomsbury area of London, and even from childhood showed remarkable promise. At six, he wrote a biography of the apostle Paul. When he ten he wrote a pamphlet titled, “Looking unto Jesus; the Believer’s Support under Trials and Afflictions.” When sixteen, Henry penned a note in his Bible describing his rededication to Christ: “I do this day in the presence of God and my soul renew my covenant with God and solemnly determine henceforth to become his and to do his work as far as in me lies.” This committed young man made a mark on Cambridge University as he studied there for the ministry. One of his deans said, “He was morally the bravest man I ever knew. His perfect purity of mind and singleness of purpose seemed to give him a confidence and unobtrusive self-respect which never failed him.” Henry was powerful preacher and a brilliant scholar. He served in the village of Wymeswold for eighteen years before accepting the pastorate of a large London church in 1853. In 1857, he was appointed Dean of Canterbury, an office he held until his sudden death on January 12, 1871. Henry Alford is remembered for his scholarly books, including his classic Greek New Testament, the fruit of eighteen years of labor. His two-volume set of psalms and hymns was published in 1844, while he was laboring among his flock in the little farming village of Wymeswold, where he was beloved. He visited every home, loved every soul, taught the Bible simply, and helped the people render thanksgiving. This hymn, “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” was written for the English Harvest Festival, the British version of the American Thanksgiving holiday. “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” - Psalm 107:1 “ Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” - Psalm 100:2 Mainland Lighthouse By Pastor Dean Bult Events Upcoming 11.4 Men’s Breakfast 11.8 Absecon Manor Couples Night-7pm 11.9 Pastors & Deacons Meeting 11.11 Fall Harvest Banquet 11.14 A.C. Rescue Mission Ministry 11.16 CBA Parent/Teacher Conf. - Noon Dismissal 11.21 Thanksgiving Service 11.22-24 - CBA Thanksgiving Break 11.23 Happy Thanksgiving! FODALO Bowl 11.27 CBA resumes In Ecclesiastes 9:7-9, Solomon highlights two sources of enjoyment in this lifetime. First, we should enjoy the fruit of our labor. As we work daily, we should have an attitude that reflects thankfulness, joy, and purity in all things as we reap the benefits of our labor. We should enjoy the food and drink God has provided, and thank Him for shelter and clothing, as well as the undeserved luxuries of life. We should never have an attitude of entitlement or assume that we deserve what the Lord has given to us. Second, we should find enjoyment in our family and church relationships which are intended to be good gifts to bring joy to us during this life. We are to enjoy life’s many blessings provided by our gracious God. Our nation has recently faced a surge of deadly disasters, including three massive hurricanes; unprecedented floods; the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history; a sudden outbreak of lethal wildfires; and a terrorist attack in New York City – all in a period of barely six weeks. In Luke 13:2-5, Jesus answered the people’s question why God would permit some of the tragic events of their day. His response was to focus on the condition of their own souls. His first and highest concern is for sinners who urgently need to “repent ye and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15b). Tragedies such as we have seen in our nation in recent weeks are also times when we should examine ourselves and make sure we have turned from our sins. The surest path to lasting hope is through a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So, let all the redeemed in the midst of our journey here on earth be thankful and “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.” (Psalm 106:1). Let us enjoy God’s provision and enjoy life’s many blessings provided by our gracious God and serve Him with gladness and come before His presence with singing. Thanksgiving is ThanksLiving!
