Phone: 908-322-7151 E-Mail: Terrillrd@aol.com Website: TRBC4him.org

The Lamplighter Terrill Road Baptist Church is a Bible-believing

Church where people connect with God, each

other, and influence our world for Jesus Christ

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship Service 10:45 a.m.

Phone: 908-322-7151 E-Mail: Terrillrd@aol.com

Church Website: trbc4him.org

Scan this into your smart phone for instant access to

TRBC’s website.

Find us on Facebook! Terrill Road Baptist Church, Scotch Plains, NJ

TRBC Sound Booth Schedule December 3rd ~ Christy & Joey December 10th ~ Trudi & Lucas December 17th ~ Spring & Alexis December 24th ~ Lucas & Sam December 31st ~ Trudi & Barbara

Thank you for reading this month’s edition!! -Jessica Pratt, Editor

...doing the work He is doing in the world...

December 2017

Pastor’s Page Question of the month Sunday School Nov Answers Ashbrook Ministry Family Dinner dates How well do you know Gods word? Birthdays Calendar of Events

Pastor’s Page

In This Issue:

Glory to God

in the highest

and on earth

Peace..

Christmas Hope

When I was a kid if you had asked me about Christmas hope, my answer would have had something to do with a yearning to receive a fun toy or the latest gizmo. Christmas was mainly about receiving presents. Now I was not a pagan! I knew Christmas had something to do with the Baby Jesus. After all I had seen the TV Special, “The Little Drummer Boy” several times. (Back in those days all those Christmas specials came on network TV once in December. If you missed it, you had to wait a whole year). But I was unable to connect the dots between my life and a baby being born in Bethlehem so long ago. There seemed to be a lot of depictions of this event everywhere (music too), but the presents were my primary focus.

When I understood the Gospel at age 14 and asked the Lord to save my soul, Christmas came much more into focus for me. Now I un-derstood that Christmas was the celebration of God coming to man in the Person of Jesus. The Incarnation was the en-fleshment of God. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Christ-mas is the celebration of God coming to dwell with man. In doing so, we got to see Him up close and personal. If you want to know anything about God, look to Christ. Jesus is God in a “scaled down” form so that we can understand and comprehend. JB Philips used that phrase and I was uneasy with it when I first heard it. But He did-n’t mean that Jesus is a mini-god or that He lacks power or wisdom or glory. He meant that Jesus is God in the most relate-able expres-sion to mankind; the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45).

However, His Incarnation was with a mission: to die a substitutionary death to pay the sin-debt for mankind. Jesus resurrected three days later affirming that the death satisfied the justice of God. But for-giveness is not automatically conferred on everyone. God is a gen-tleman. He does not impose His salvation on anyone against their

The Lamplighter

Pastor’s Page (continued)

will. Individuals must recognize their guilt, repent & believe in Christ, and ask forgiveness. As we teach kids in VBS; A-B-C (admit, believe, confess).

All these years later, I am more appreciative of the hope that Christmas represents. For some folks on Earth, they miss it completely. They cannot connect any dots still. But that is not new. In fact John said,

NKJ John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Jesus’ own people (the Jews) did not accept Him from the start. But for the millions of oth-ers who have, we have experienced forgiveness; a reconciliation with God through Christ and life eternal is our future. THIS is our confident expectation.

In recent weeks we have seen the downfall of a many a powerful man from Hollywood to Washington, DC. Their sins are being exposed and it is all playing out on a very large screen. The behavior is egregious and inexcusable. Now maybe some good will come out of it. Maybe we will begin to see a re-birth of virtue in our land. I truly hope the woman who have been abused and taken advantage of can find healing. They deserve nothing less.

But I also want to remind us that while a sin may be inexcusable, it is not un-forgive-able. In fact forgiveness starts where excusing leaves off. One can rightly say that a person does not deserve forgiveness. But that is the point. Forgiveness is NOT earned. It is given. That is the Good News of the Gospel! If sinners (large & small) will recognize their own guilt, re-pent & believe in Christ and ask forgiveness, they can be reconciled to God – that is the hope of Christmas!

Merry Christmas,

Pastor Bill

Calendar of Events

THE LAMPLIGHTER

December Question of the Month: What is one way that God has blessed you in 2017?

. Email me at jess_pratt@outlook.com

By December 20th

We are blessed by you sharing with us

How Well Do You Know God’s Word? “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through en-durance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 Fill in the blanks, then check your NIV Bible to see how you did. Isaiah 53:6all, like _________, have gone __________, each of us has turned to his own _________. Isaiah 53:12Hethe _______ of many, and made ____________ for the transgressors. Isaiah 54:10Though the _____________ be shaken and the __________ be removed, yet my unfailing _________ for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of _________. Isaiah 55:6________the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is __________. Isaiah 55:9As the ___________ are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than __________ ways and my ___________ higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 59:Surely the ______ of the Lord is not too short to _________, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have ___________ you from God; your_______ have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. Isaiah 60:1Arise, __________, for your light has come, and the _________of the Lord rises upon you.

THE LAMPLIGHTER

BIRTHDAYS Sandi de Sarigny 1 Matthew Spies 3

Mary Frances Olds 4 Sheryl Morales 5

Kristina Williams 8 Allyson Salisbury 9 Daisy Naveira 21 Patrice Brown 22

Betsy Dalrymple 22 Christian Farrell 23 Alessia Vorrius 24 Jenna Vorrius 24 Mike Billian 26

Michael Rampersad 27 Barbara Longo 29

Birthdays and Anniversary

ANNIVERSARY Winston & Patty Buckridee 29

Sunday School

God has blessed TRBC with an amazing group of dedicated, talented Sunday School

teachers. I take this special time of year to give my gratitude and thanks to the following

teachers for the outstanding job they do:

Bonnie Atkins, Sandra Sector, Spring Casterlow, Lucas Page, Chereece Sparrow, Ingrid

Manns, Madeleine Farrell, and Jamie More. I encourage you to take time to thank your

Sunday School teacher for all the hard work they humbly do to serve our Lord and Savior!

If you are not attending a class, you are missing out on so much... excellent Bible teaching,

prayer with concerned friends, fellowship time, and thanks to Trudi & Janice- coffee &

treats each week!

Prayerfully consider making 2018 the year you commit to weekly Bible Study with your

TRBC family! Merry Christmas and a blessed, healthy New Year 2018!

Julie Staines

Sunday School Director

THE LAMPLIGHTER

Continued…

until someone comes."

"I knocked but no one came," he replied. "It was cold outside."

"That's no excuse. Breaking a window is wrong."

Finishing my lecture, I grabbed the cardboard box, turned and walked out of the room, leaving

the boy standing by himself.

As I stomped back toward the janitor's closet, I began thinking over what had just happened. I

thought about the little boy with the defiant face. I thought about the bitter wind that whipped

through the broken window. I thought about the thin jacket the boy wore. I thought about how

desperate he must have been to get out of the cold—desperate enough to risk cutting himself

on the broken window. And I thought about the needy, impoverished families who had sent

their children to the overnight program I put down the box and walked quickly to the door with

the broken window. The boy was gone. I never saw him again.

It's been quite a while since I left that little boy standing in the hallway. Since then, I think I've

grown a lot in my faith. And I've found ways to serve and care for others, like doing volunteer

work at a shelter for battered women. Helping others in need has become very important to

me.

I can't say that my experience with that little boy is the only reason I want to show God's love

to others, but I do know the experience taught me a lasting lesson. Until then, I'd spent a lot of

time feeling sorry for myself. I felt everybody was always bossing me around. I thought I had

no power at all.

But I had a lot of power. I had the power to make a little boy feel welcome or make him feel

unwelcome. I had the power to show Christ's love or reject a child.

At Christmastime, the children's choir at my church sings a hymn that includes these words:

"Innkeeper, Innkeeper, do you have room for the child?" The final stanza ends with this ques-

tion: "Innkeepers, Innkeepers all, do you have room for the child?"

If I say I have room for Christ in my life but fail to show love to others, I'm only fooling myself.

In fact, Jesus says that if I reject hurting people, I am really rejecting him (Matthew 25:31-46).

I hope I will always keep the door open to those in need. I hope I will always realize that I

THE LAMPLIGHTER

Answers to Novembers Question of the month:

Describe your favorite Christmas ornament and why? Norma Byrne My favorite tree ornament was handmade by my mother many decades ago. It's actually three ornaments - the Three Wise Men. They are beautifully crafted with a cardboard center, covered with fabrics and glitzy sewing notions. They are larger than most other ornaments, so they get place first, front and center, on our tree.

Julie Staines It is impossible to pick just one because my collection is a memoir of my life! I have a couple special ones from my childhood. My kid's favorite (to laugh at!) is from 3rd grade where I covered a styrofoam ball with ORANGE tissue paper and has my awkward school picture. I have photo ornaments from my wedding, my parent's wedding & my grandparents' weddings. I have photo ornaments of my girls through the years. I have teacher ornaments from students with names & dates that I treasure. But, the majority of my collection come from all the places I have visited over the years. At every tourist attraction, museum, show or activity, I purchase an ornament and write the date with Sharpie. My furthest is from Greece and my closest is homemade by my Dad made from wood from "Old Peppy", a historical tree that was cut down in Cranford. I have years of Disney ornaments. My newest is from The Honeymooners at the Papermill with my dear friend, Sue. Each year, as we decorate our tree, we take a walk down memory lane. We recall vacations, shows, the girls' school years, outings, day trips, and so much more. It is my favorite day of the year as I recall how God has truly blessed me over a lifetime! So, one ornament is impossible...my whole collection is my favorite. Madeleine Farrell

Once day, my father-in-law, who was much loved, randomly gave me these ornaments that were so very old. They were from Gimbles from way back in the day. Way, way back. There are 4 of them and he was so excited to give them to me. He told me they were gold-foiled and the way he looked at them when he took them out of their box, I knew they were important to him. I refused to even use them as they are very delicate and I didn't want anything to happen to them, but then, once I did, it meant so much to John. A few years ago, one of the kids broke the glass on one of them and I was devas-

THE LAMPLIGHTER

tated. But then I realized we could still use it because the ornament still looked good even if it doesn't have the surrounding glass. We have nicer ornaments. We have more expensive ornaments. We have more fun ornaments. We have super fancy orna-ments. We have Pittsburgh Steelers ornaments. But these 4 from my father in law, are my favorite. Lucas Page Yes, My favorite is my Spiderman one. The way he’s positioned makes it look like he’s swinging from the tree branch Sheryl Morales My two ‘baby’s first Christmas’ ornaments are my favorite, because I am so grateful for my daughters. Pastor Page I have several favorite Christmas ornaments. Hallmark had a special "Sweetheart Se-ries" ornament that ran from 1986-1991. Bernadette and I collected all but one (finances were tight in 1990). I love taking them out every year and remembering some blessed times. Strangely though my most favorite ornament is a little plastic house from my childhood. It is nothing special to look at... a pathetic thing really. It is smaller than a coffee K-cup and is about the same shape and color as one of those little green houses from the Monopoly game. One year part of it melted from being too near one of those old large hot bulbs from the 60's. There is even a little of that sprayed on fake snow still caked on it. My kids have asked several times, "Dad, why is this your favorite ornament?" Its hard to explain, but I think it kind of represents some of my boyhood hopes. Hopes that were ultimately realized in the person of Christ, a girl named Bernadette, and five children I would choose all over again; Brittany, Alexia, Carina, Lucas & Liam. Those hopes have been further realized in the two greatest sons in-law, Andrew & Nathan and now a third generation; little Bernadette & Magnus with two MORE scheduled to arrive in March! This is more than I could have hoped for. God is good. I have much to be merry about this Christmas Emma Pratt My favorite ornament is the Nightmare Before Christmas, because that is my favorite movie.

THE LAMPLIGHTER

Where’s My Christmas Spirit? Gwen Spaudling

With Christmas just days away, I should have been excited, but I wasn't. The part-time job I had

during my senior year kept me in a miserable mood much of the time. I was a custodian for my

church. I disliked getting up on Saturday mornings while my friends slept in. I despised the ugly,

drab, gray shirt that had my name stitched above one pocket.

Most of all, I hated the work. It was dirty and messy, and it seemed like people were always call-

ing me to do things they didn't want to do. "Gwen, sweep up this mess!" "Gwen, put this away!"

What made things even worse on this particular Saturday was that I had to clean a room where

a bunch of little kids had spent the night. The church had held an all-night party for several chil-

dren of needy families in our community. They'd left about an hour ago—leaving behind one big

mess for me to clean up.

As I swept and scrubbed, I felt a cold draft coming from the hallway. I put down my cleaning ma-

terials and followed the chilly breeze to one of the outside doors. A window had been broken

and shards of glass were scattered across the linoleum floor. As I sighed over yet another job to

do, the adult in charge of the overnight party walked up. He looked at me, shook his head and

said, "One of the children did it. He broke it so he could unlock the door. I'm really sorry . …"

The sound of his voice faded as I thought, I can't believe some kid broke the window! How irre-

sponsible! How disrespectful of the church's property!

With anger mounting inside, I found a cardboard box and began picking up the sharp, jagged

pieces. That's when I spotted a small, grubby hand reaching through the broken window. I

looked more closely and saw the head and shoulders of a chubby-faced boy about 8 or 9 years

old. His expression was mean and defiant.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Get in here!"

For some reason, and in spite of his defiant look, he obeyed.

"Did you break this window? I don't even have to ask, do I? What made you do such a stupid

thing?"

"My mom was s'posed to come get me," he answered. "But she never came, and I wanted back

in."

"Didn't anyone ever teach you that you don't break a window when you want inside? You knock

THE LAMPLIGHTER

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

Family Dinner Dates December 17– Christmas breakfast

January 10– Comfort food February 14– Black history month

March 14– St. Patrick’s Day April 11– Baked Ziti

May 9– Cinco De Mayo June 13– Grads and Dads BBQ

Hostess committee invites you to our monthly family

dinners. A night of fellowship to spend with one another. Starts at 5:45pm. See you there!

Please join us for fellowship, December 24th at 9:30am for our annual Christmas breakfast.

THE LAMPLIGHTER

Jessica Pratt I am a huge ornament person. I have so many that sometimes I am like why?? I guess you can say I am a little bit of a hoarder with certain things. For years, Arelis and I would hang these Precious Moments ornaments but then they broke. I think we cried. Arelis did ballet for 8 years, so I bought them for her and it was just a special orna-ment that we truly loved to hang. Arelis would take them out of the box and there would just be so much joy on her face. While the ornaments may be broken we still have them and cherish them very much. My other favorite ornaments are my Louisi-ana ones. You all know how much I love and miss home. These ornaments are made of Oyster shells with little drawings of them like beignets, Cathedral, Mardi Gras and more. I can sit on the couch and look at them and just smile. My best friend from home sent them to me a few years ago. Sue Spies The airplane my cousin gave me before when we went on our first big family vacation. Thank you to everyone that sent in their answers, it truly is wonderful to hear such great stories. I definitely brought a smile to my face, I hope to yours too.

Ashbrook Ministry

Sunday afternoons (from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m - the 4th Sunday of every

month), a group from TRBC goes to minister to our neighbors at the

Ashbrook Nursing Home. You know how to smile. You know how to

talk. And, that’s all that is needed. Please consider making a commit-

ment to serve in this way. Lets go and show God love with others.