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Sunday, December 15, 2024

"JOY"

Isaiah 12:1-6

Pastor Bryon LePere will be sharing the message this Sunday. There will be Kids Ministry Programming this Sunday during Worship at 10:00am and during the 11:00am Bible Study hour.

Sunday, December 15 at 3:30 and 6:30 pm.

A great way to get in the Christmas spirit with music from our handbell choir, Voices of Gayton choir, instrumentalists, a children's choir and cookies!

Donations will be collected during each show for the BGAV Disaster Relief - Hurricane Helene.

The Gayton Christmas Post Office will be open until Dec. 24. Send cards to your Gayton friends via the Gayton Post Office and donate the amount you would have paid for postage. All donations received through the post office will benefit one of Gayton's mission partners. Be sure to check the post office each week for cards that have been sent to you!

Services will be held at 4:00 and 5:30pm on Christmas Eve. Both services will be in the Worship Center.

The 4:00pm service will be livestreamed.

For all Christmas events and opportunities, go to This Christmas Season.

We will have a family photo opportunity set up in the foyer area on Christmas Eve. Just have your smiles and aphone handy, and a volunteer will snap the picture.

Once upon a time, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, descended His heavenly realm.  Just how far down did He reach on our behalf?  All. The. Way.  From Creator, to humble carpenter.  Although He reigns above us, He chose to become one of us.  Despite His supreme authority over all things, at times, He was actually quite ordinary and relatable; drawing us in, and unto Himself.

I was thinking recently about just how far He went in becoming one of us.  From a physical characteristic standpoint, He could have been the most attractive man who ever lived, the most dashing and handsome of princes!  But the outward appearance holds no attraction for Him.  He concerns Himself solely with the interior life of man.

There was really nothing about His physical appearance that made Him stand out in a crowd, as Isaiah 53:2 informs us:

He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

Meek and mild and lowly is how He came.  Blinding good looks would only distract from the true meaning of why He came.  He had no need for earthly things, not beauty or riches or any of the things that man so highly esteems.  From cradle to grave, His was a life of humble humility.

Wendy Jones

SAVE THE DATE!

Mark your calendars for the Men's Breakfast - Saturday, January 18 at 8:00am. There will be food, fellowship and a guest speaker.

Stay tuned for more details and to sign up.

A group of Gayton members have read our way through The Bible in 2024, using The Bible Recap plan with daily commentary by Tara Leigh Cobble. We would love to have more people join us for 2025! 

If you are interested, contact the church office and we will get back to you to sign you up and help you get started! You can also talk to any of the following people about the plan and how it's made a difference in their lives! 

Karen Bowles

Janet Letteer

Lauren Raikes

Susan Eads

Anita Cox

Diana Rogers

P.S. We are hoping some couples will join us this year!

Results from the Dec. 4th Business Meeting: All nominees on the ballot were approved. The new deacons and council members will begin their service in January.

Crackers and Jelly

Our Food Pantry relies mostly on donations. Pick up a couple extra boxes of crackers and your favorite jelly during the month of December. As always, any and all donations are appreciated.

The SPACE afterschool program is looking for several great leaders!

This program serves students ages K-5. The hours are 1:45-5:15, Monday - Friday.

Great staff, great kids!

If you are interested or if you know anyone you think might be a good fit, please reach out to the director, Annette at annette@gayton.church.

Young Adults

New Bible Study class for Young Adults (Beyond) begins Feb. 2.

Stay tuned for info about Young Adults LifeNights in 2025.

Contact Jennifer@gayton.church for more information.

Gayton Students

Dec. 20 - Youth Christmas Party

Check out gayton.church/students for more information and upcoming events.

DNOW 2025: GRAVITATE!

"Are you moving toward God or drifting away from Him? We can easily gravitate toward the things of this world or we can dig deep and strive to gravitate toward Jesus and center our hearts, desires and lives on Him. During this weekend, we are going to look at our own nature, be reminded of God's grace and focus on the importance of moving toward God and following Jesus daily!"

For WHO?  

All students in 6th-12th grade! Students may invite friends and all deadlines and details apply to all!

WHAT is DNOW?

DNOW stands for DISCIPLE NOW.  

It is an in-house retreat for youth with:

- small group Bible studies - who meet and stay in host homes divided by gender/age.

- large group worship gatherings at Gayton Baptist with a guest praise band, special prayer times and biblical messages

- meals and community- building fun activities and games at both the church and host homes

- a "Kindness Scavenger Hunt"

WHEN is DNOW?

Friday, January 24-Sunday, January 26

Everything kicks off at 6:00pm on that Friday with check-in and dinner!

And everything ends on Sunday, when the students return to church by 8:45am to prepare to lead us all in worship for our annual YOUTH SUNDAY at 10:00am followed by a fellowship!

For more information, go to gayton.church/students

Sunday Mornings in Gayton Kids

In-person Nursery Care (birth through age 2.5), Preschool Church (ages 2 - PreK) and Elementary Kids Worship (grades K-5) is scheduled to take place during our December Sundays (*except Dec. 29) during the 10 am Worship Service and during the 11 am Bible Study hour.

Virtual PSC & EKW services are posted in our Facebook group at 8 am each Sunday and are left up for the week. 

**Special note: There will be NO Kids Ministry programming on Sunday, Dec. 29.

Elementary schoolers are invited to celebrate the birthday of Jesus during Elementary Kids Worship on Sunday, December 22nd at 10 am. We will have cake, play games, sing "Happy Birthday," and celebrate the birth of our Savior together. Please let Mrs. Hillary know if your child is coming. 

📊 FINANCIAL HEALTH UPDATE

(Budget = Anticipated Giving; Actual = Actual Giving Received; YTD = Year-to-Date)

Fiscal year 24-25 TOTAL revenue through 12/08/2024 = $405,859

Fiscal year 24-25 TOTAL budget through 12/08/2024 = $417,300

Fiscal year 24-25 YTD difference =  -$11,441

Funds collected to Budget = 97%