Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Where has the year gone? It seems like only a few weeks ago that I was writing about the holidays and the New

Year; and, now I’m doing it again. Sadly, for many people the holidays bring much sadness. Whether memories

of better days or just plain loneliness settles upon them, these emotions obscure what is supposed to be the most

glorious celebration that mankind will ever know; the birth of the Messiah…the Savior for all persons.

A great antidote for feelings of self-contempt, low self-esteem, or just plain disappointment is to do something

for others. Regardless of how you might feel and the situation that you perceive yourself to be in, there is

someone…actually many others…that are in much worse shape. We are the “miracle makers” that the Lord

speaks of when he declared that the disciples would do much more than He had ever done. The only thing that

we have to do is get busy. I challenge you to seek those opportunities that would allow you to reach out to

others in Christian love and make a difference in their lives.

Over the past few weeks we have been giving away coats and sweaters at the Hinnant Outreach Center. We have

been amazed at the response; both from givers and those coming with a great need for warm outerwear. It has

been such a blessing to see people walk out wearing a warm coat, when just a few days ago that same garment

was a “castoff” hanging in the back of someone’s closet. God doesn’t ask us for what we do not have. He asks

that we share those things with which He has blessed us. Extra coats, sweaters, sweatshirts…anything to keep

someone warm can be donated to the Hinnant Outreach Center and we will be sure to try to distribute those to

people in need. We are also accepting canned goods and dry foods to make up food boxes for families in the

area.

I praise God daily for the many blessings bestowed upon my family, my church family and me. I am

overwhelmed by the Lord’s love for me. There are many in our community that have never seen or known that

kind of love. Will you join us at the Hinnant Outreach Center as we serve the basic needs to those in our

community? Will you help us show God’s love through feeding and providing warmth to a desperate World? I

thank you for your willingness to be a part of something so wonderful and glorifying to our Lord and Savior.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Pastor Al

Good news you can use……..from Micro O.F.W.B. Church

Winter 2011

Volu me 3, Issue 5 THE

MESSENGER

Page 2

The Messenger

For this issue of The Messenger, we’re giving you two recipes instead of one. The

first one, for Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf, is from Paula Deen and it’s one of our

son Charlie’s favorite meals. Needless to say….it’s delicious, but definitely not

low-fat!

The second recipe is for Low Fat Taco soup. Debby Warrick brought this to our

Family Night supper in November, and it’s so good you won’t believe it’s Weight

Watchers.

You choose whether to be naughty or nice….or BOTH!

BACON CHEESEBURGER MEATLOAF

1 pound ground chuck 10 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted 1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and

next 8 ingredients, mixing well. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and

mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining

ketchup mixture. Press meat mixture into a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a

loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over

loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake 10 to 15 minutes, or

until meat is no longer pink.

LOW FAT TACO SOUP

2 lb. 93% lean hamburger 1 large onion, chopped

1 pkg. ranch dressing mix 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 can black beans 2 cans dark kidney beans

1 can corn 1 can Rotel tomatoes & chilis

2 cans diced tomatoes 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

Brown meat and onions and drain. Mix ranch dressing mix and taco seasoning mix

into meat. Without draining, add al other ingredients. Simmer for one hour.

Serves 10 (Weight Watchers points plus = 8, depending on number of servings.)

Page 3 The Messenger

WHAT TO GIVE

Need gift ideas this year? Here are a few

suggestions:

To your enemy…..forgiveness To an opponent…..tolerance

To a friend……..….your heart To a customer…….service To all men………….charity

To every child…….a good example To yourself……..….respect

Did you know that……

Olive oil removes tree sap from your hands?

Salt sprinkled on your carpet makes it easier to vacuum up fireplace soot?

(Let it stand for 10 minutes)

Lip balm not only moisturizes lips, but also softens dry cuticles?

THE GREATEST GIFT

Of all the gifts we could ever receive, the greatest one is the gift

of salvation. All of us are born sinners, but because of God’s

unconditional love for us, He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die in

our place so we may have salvation in Him (John 3:16).

In order to receive this gift, the only thing we have to do is

believe. Romans 10:9 says that if we confess with our mouth

that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him

from the dead, we will be saved.

If you would like to accept Jesus into your heart, or if you would

like to talk with someone about the gift of salvation, please

contact our pastor, Al Warrick at 919.284.5441 or a volunteer at

the Hinnant Outreach Center at 919.284.0082.

Page 4

The Messenger In the last issue of our newsletter, we mentioned our tentative plans to begin working with Angel Food

Ministries as a way to serve our community. Since then, we have been informed that this organization

has closed its doors due to financial problems.

Although this door has been closed to us, we have been able

to serve in other ways. In November, a coat give-away was

held at the Hinnant Outreach Center, and over 350 coats

and sweaters found new homes! We continued the coat

give-away on November 25th with a free Thanksgiving meal to

the community.

Our annual Operation Christmas Child was a

success also. We packed 160 boxes that have

been sent to needy children around the world.

Some of these boxes have already been delivered

to places in Iraq, Niger and The Baltics!

Our Harvest Sale auction raised $9,800 that will be used for benevolent work in the community

throughout the year. We appreciate the Adult and Next Generation Sunday School classes for sponsoring

this annual event.

We are excited and blessed to see how God is using our congregation and community to serve others in

His name!

E (Bible quiz answer: B (See Matthew 1:18–2:12 and Luke 2:1-20, especially v. 11.)

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use

whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s

grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who

speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the

strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus

Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:8-11

Page 5 The Messenger

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The Messenger

DECEMBER

12-18 Christmas cantata, 11 am

Christmas dinner and play, 6pm

12-23 Soup & Santa, 11 am – 2 pm at HOC

12-25 Christmas day worship, 10 am (no Sunday School)

JANUARY

1-1 New Year’s Day worship, 11 am

1-8 Ladies Auxiliary meeting, 6 pm

1-11 Family Night dinner & youth meetings, 6:15 pm

1-29 Fifth Sunday early worship, 9 am

FEBRUARY

2-8 Family Night dinner & youth meetings, 6:15 pm

2-12 Ladies Auxiliary meeting, 6 pm

2-28 Quarterly business meeting, 6 pm

Since The Messenger has gone to quarterly publication, some church

events and dates may not be listed here. To get updates on what’s

going on, please visit our website, www.microfwb.org for detailed

information.

You can also find links to all our Facebook pages as well as a link to

the Hinnant Outreach Center.

Some parts of the Christmas story, as commonly told, aren’t actually

recounted in Scripture. Which of the following details is recorded in

the Bible?

A. Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem, and Joseph walked alongside her.

B. Angels announced that a Savior, the Messiah (or Christ), had been

born.

C. There were three wise men.

D. Shepherds and wise men (or Magi) worshiped Baby Jesus together.

E. None of the above.

(Answer on page 4)

Page 7 The Messenger

What not to take into the new year • Self-help books — Trust in God first; don’t turn to him as a last resort. (See Proverbs 3:5-6.) • Tape measure — Consider only God’s standards; don’t compare yourself to other people. (See Luke 18:9-14.) • Rearview mirror — Don’t live in the past. You’ll miss out on what God is doing in your life now. (See Philippians 3:12-14.) • Gavel — Stop wasting time judging others. Instead, pray for them, help them and team with them. (See Luke 6:37-38.) • Life vest — Don’t be overly cautious spiritually. Peter experienced Jesus in a real way because he dared to step out of the boat. (See Matthew 14:22-33.) • Garage-door opener — We think we’re networked but often isolate ourselves. God intended for us to live in community with one another. (See Hebrews 10:23-25.) • Handcuffs — Don’t offer excuses about why you can’t help out. God can do amazing things through — and despite — us. Just follow him, with no excuses. (See Mark 6:35-44.)

February 5, 2012 has been designated as Scout Sunday. All scouts pledge:

“On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and

to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself

physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” What more can

parents ask of their children than that?

We are proud to support scouting and those in our church who have gone

on to achieve the rank of Eagle, scouting’s highest honor. Less than 5% of

scouts reach this goal, and we are blessed to have FIVE Eagle scouts in our

church family!

With a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary at the church, the minister asked Brother Ralph to take

a few minutes to share some insight into how he managed to live with the same woman all these years.

The husband replied, “Well, I treated her with respect, spent money on her, but mostly I took her

traveling on special occasions.” The minister asked, “Trips to where?” Ralph replied, “For our 25th

anniversary, I took her to China.”

The minister replied, “What a terrific example you are to all husbands. Please tell us what you’re going

to do for your wife on your 50th anniversary?” Brother Ralph said, “I’m going to go get her.”

Micro F.W.B. Church 104 US Hwy 301

P.O. Box 247

Micro, NC 27555

Phone: 919-284-5441

919-631-6519

(Pastor’s cell)

E-Mail: alwarrick@microfwb.org

cindypeele@microfwb.org

lynnyoung@microfwb.org

We’re on the Web!

Visit us at:

www.microfwb.org

Micro Original Free Will Baptist Church

P.O. Box 247

Micro, NC 27555

SERVICE SCHEDULE

Sunday School 10:00am

Sunday Morning Worship 11:00am

Wednesday Bible Study 7:00pm