Announcements

• Spring Break for Antioch Baptist College will be the week of March 18th.  We wish all the students a good break.
• We will have a special meal at the church on Saturday, April 13th.  The losers in the March Penny March for Bibles (men or ladies) will bring the food, serve the meal and clean up afterwards.  The present score is two for the boys and one for the girls.  This will change Sunday morning.
• King James Bible Believers’ Conference will be held at Antioch Baptist Church in Knoxville on June 10th and 11th.

Missions

March Bible Offering (Penny March in March)

• Money going to this special offering may be given in three ways:
1. Special Offering Envelope
2. Wednesday Night Offering
3. Sunday Morning & Evening Penny Marches
• Our Wednesday night offering put the total given so far for Bibles right at $800 with three weeks to go
• This will purchase about 200 Bibles in Zambia and the Philippines

Dennis and Sandra Barnette (Mexico)

• Now have 41 students in their grade school
• Sonrise Baptist Church in Zapata averaging 20-26
• Now have facilities (dormitories, etc.) for 30-40 people to come on trips from the states

Perry and Galia Demopoulos (Ukraine)

• Getting Russian language correspondence Bible courses out by mail and now have them on the internet.  People are being saved and helped through these courses.  Want to get them translated into Ukraine.
• They note that Catholicism is growing in the Ukraine, especially since the pope visited in 2001.  Please pray for God’s help in reaching these people.

Russell Wright (Ukraine)

• Deputation about over.  Plans to leave for the Ukraine about the first week in June.

Preaching/Teaching

• Everlasting Nation Fellowship.
1. David Judy spoke from Ezekiel 37 on the dry bones becoming the nation of Israel.  He emphasized Israel being God’s chosen people (Isa 41:8But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
   See All...) and God blessing all nations through them.
2. Jason Byrd spoke from Zechariah 8:23Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
   See All... on “We Need Israel and Israel Needs Friends.”  He pointed out the passages in Romans where God speaks of “the Jew first.”
• Andy Soon preached the Wednesday Evening Message at Antioch Baptist Church.  His message was taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:1-9 [1] For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: [2] But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. [3] For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: [4] But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. [5] For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: [6] Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. [7] But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: [8] So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. [9] For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
  See All... and was on the Strategies of Service.  His main points were:
1. Persistence
2. Pure Motives
3. Personal Attention
4. Power of the Gospel

Web Site

• Received e-mail question from South Africa wanting to know the correct date of the birth of Christ.

Publications

• Religious book sales were up by 4.7% in 2001 but Bible sales were down by 2.6%.  You should see the kinds of books people are buying.  The number one fiction book (out of all books as per Publishers Weekly) for last year was Desecration by Tim Lahaye in the Left Behind Series.  The number one non-fiction book was The Prayer of Jabez by Wilkerson.  Oh, how we need to get some good material out!  This is the first time in 100 years that religious books topped both categories.  People are looking but what are they getting?

World News

• From a Public School Literature Book printed in 1914 about Thanksgiving:  “The first autumn that the Pilgrims lived at Plymouth there was a fine crop.  They were so glad, and so thankful to God for taking care of them…And now every year the President and the governors…set apart this day…that we may thank God for his blessings to us…You will find here a Thanksgiving song from the Bible—the One Hundredth Psalm—which has been used for many hundreds of years, when people want to show their thankfulness to God.”  [They then quote the 100th Psalm.  In the copy I have, some early student has written above the psalm in pencil, “learn.”