Fresh Start Christian Church www.FreshStartChristian.com April 2015

WORSHIP SERVICES9:30 A.M. & 11 A.M.

PRAYER SERVICE6 P.M. MONDAYS

BIBLE STUDY6 P.M. WEDNESDAYS

Fresh StartYouth Activities

Fresh Start’s youth kicked offthe new year with a magicshow and have enjoyed funactivities each month of theyear’s first quarter.On January 10, 2015, theyouth were thoroughly

entertained by magician Patrick Stanley.Alexandria Spann, a Murrah High Schoolsenior, who assisted Stanley with one of thetricks said: “The magic show was tons of fun.The magician did tricks for all ages.” Alongwith fun tricks, Stanley managed toincorporate ministry. According to Spann,Stanley “illustrated that without Christ,nothing is possible.”

On February 14, the youth watched TheWatsons Go to Birmingham, a movie aboutan African American family’s trip from theirhome in Detroit, Michigan to segregatedAlabama. The events of the movie take placein the 1960’s. After the movie, Bro. CharlesLacy, a elementary school principal, discussedthe movie and the importance of educationwith the children.

The youth rounded out the quarter with aSpring Fling Game Night. Spann alsoattended and enjoyed Game Night. She said,

“Game Night started and ended with a bang”,She explained: “Everybody came with jokesto start the night. Then, we played a gamethat involved matching phrases to candy bars.We even got to keep the candy we won.”.William Culbreath successfully made a freethrow from half court to win the free throwchallenge. The group divided into teams fora quick change relay where each teammember ran to the center of the basketballcourt and quickly put on and took off auniform. The highlight of thenight was a MichaelJ a c k s o n - T h eExperience dancecontest that evenPastor Henleyparticipated in.M c K e n z i eW a s h i n g t o nachieved thehighest score. Each night wasgreat fun for FreshStart’s youth.

Move on from your past

m i s t a k e s!

Some of you needed to readthat. You continue to beatyourself up because of a badrelationship you got involvedin, a bad investment, quittinga job without a job — whateverit might be — an impulsivedecision which still haunts youbecause of the consequences.You have to say, “You knowwhat? That is behind me.There’s not a thing I can doabout it now, but I can comeup with a strategy withChrist’s Spirit showing me theway as I start to attack thosethings which used to hold meback.”   Paul says inPhilippians 3, “Forgettingwhat is behind and strainingtoward what is ahead, I presson.” I’m really not thatconcerned about your past

PASTORHENLEY’SCORNER

THIRD & FOURTH FRIDAY MINISTRIESRETURN TO PRIOR FORMAT. In January,2013, Fresh Start’s outreach ministries tocommunity youth changed their format and wasopen to girls only on Third Friday and only to boyson Fourth Friday. Each activity returned to itsoriginal format in January 2015. Third Friday isnow open to children (both girls and boys) ages 5to 13 and Fourth Friday (now Teen Friday) is opento ages 13 to 18. All children must arrive by 7:00p.m. to participate in either activity.

AnnualChurch Picnic

Saturday - June 6.

PastorRev. James L. Henley, Jr.

First Lady/Church AdministratorSis. Vivian Henley

Youth Ministry TeamPastor Herb SandersSis. Phyllis Robinson

ElderSis. Annie Williams

(601-506-5494)

Worship Center and Annex5210 Manhattan Road

P.O. Box 31473, Jackson, MS 39286Phone: 601-362-1818

Fax: 601-362-1716pastor@freshstartchristian.com

F reshStartChristianChurch@comcast.netwww.FreshStartChristian.com

Worship ServicesSundays, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

3rd Sundays, 5 p.m.

Prayer ServiceMondays, 6 p.m.

Youth Choir PracticeSaturdays before the first & third

Sundays, 10:30 a.m.

Fitness WorkoutTuesdays and Thursdays, 6 p.m.

Bible StudyWednesdays, 6-7 p.m.

Praise Team PracticeWednesdays, 7:10 p.m.

Parents’ Night Out3rd Fridays, 6-8:30 p.m.

(ages 5-13)

4th Fridays, 6-8:30 p.m.(ages 13-18)

Girl Scouts2nd and 4th Saturdays, noon

Couples MinistrySecond Friday of

January, April, July, October,7p.m.

L.I.G.H.T.S. (Women;s Ministry)Second Friday of

February, May, August,November, 7 p.m.

A Fresh WordJanuary, April,

July,October(next issue July 2015)

mistakes. They are in the past. I amconcerned with your present. A wise manonce said “the best time to plant an oak treewas twenty years ago. The second best timeis today. Get started.” Today is your “FreshStart.” When others try and take you backsimply say in your most loving voice “I ain’tgoing back and that’s a fact Jack – so takeyour negativity somewhere else because itdoesn’t play here anymore.” Then smile andsay “isn’t Jesus great because he died onCalvary so that I could move forward in life.”

Pastor James L. Henley, Jr.

PASTOR’S CORNER FROM PAGE 1

On February 21, 2015 , the married couples of Fresh Start Christian Church cametogether to celebrate marriage. As part of the program, the event’s creator andsponsor, Anthony Chiplin, Sr., posed the question, “As married couples, have youever thought about just how many days you have been together”? Married on August5, 1956, Mr. Fillmore and Mrs. Annie M. Williams, parents of Elder Annie L. Williams,have enjoyed the longest marriage of the couples in attendance.  The Williams havebeen married for 58 years – over 21,000 days.

Guest speaker, Dr. Willie Nettle of Bypass Church of Christ in Vicksburg encouragedthe couples to really walk in love in their marriages by communicating, beingcommitted and learning to celebrate each other.  Nettle used the responses that 4 to8 year old children gave when asked “What is Love?” to illustrate what it means towalk in love.

The examples he gave were: Rebecca, age 8 said, “When my grandmother got arthritis,she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.  So my grandfather does itfor her all the time even when his hands got arthritis too.  That’s love.”  And Danny,age 7 said, “Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sipbefore giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”

The couples also enjoyed dinner and a movie.

Mother Ruth Davis, the Mistress of Ceremony for the occasion,and Annie M. Williams one-halfof the longest married couple .

Bro. Edward Cousinsgreeted and served.

Thari Walker was baptizedon February 28, 2015.

Page 2

Baptism

A Fresh Word

Page 3A Fresh Word

I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of amission trip to the Dominican Republic (the “DR”) duringSpring Break - March 5-13, 2015. I participated on thetrip along with other members of the William Carey vocalgroup Carpenter’s Wood. The trip was such an eyeopening experience. One part of the trip included a visit toa girls’ orphanage. We played games with the girls andsang for them. We also donated school supplies, clothesand recorders that we collected at William Carey and tookwith us to benefit the girls living at the orphanage. Thedirector, Ms. Alma, was overwhelmed and thankful foreverything we brought for the them.

We sang at two other schools and donated music recordersto each school. While I have many fond memories of thetrip, I would like to share this one because this experiencewas amazing.

On the third day of the trip, we held a masterclass andpeople came from three hours away to attend. In theStates, three hours is not that a long trip. However, thereis such heavy traffic in the Dominican Republic that a threehour trip can easily turn into 6 or 7 hours. Our group wassplit to go to different areas for the masterclasses. I waschosen to go with the kids. The children were nervous atfirst but warmed up to us after a while. I taught themsolfege (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do), the related hand

symbols, and a round. After the lesson, we had some timeleft so they sang some songs the church taught them andwe played games that involved the elements of music.While we were playing the games, a little girl named Wendygave me a note which said: "Dear Teacher: I love the classand I like how you sing. With Love, Wendy." I wasspeechless and honestly in disbelief. I gave her a hug andsaid thank you.  At the end of the masterclass, the kidsperformed a song we taught them in English and everyoneloved it. Carpenter's Wood sang a song before the classwas dismissed.

After the class, so many people came up andcomplemented me on my voice and expressed howthankful and happy they were that we came to the DR tohelp them. One lady came to me and just started speakingin Spanish. Her daughter translated for her and said thatmy voice was beautiful and she was happy that I had thesame skin color as her. Then a man who also spoke inSpanish began to talk to me. One of the man’s friendstranslated and told me that he said my voice was beautiful,that there was power in my voice because I am black andthat he was happy I was there. I was very surprised bytheir comments. I never thought that my participation onthe trip would have such an effect. That day was probablythe busiest but the most rewarding.

William Carey University vocal ensemble, Carpenter’s Woodperformed at Fresh Start on Sunday, February 15. Groupmembers are both music and non-music majors.  Thesemusicians maintain an active schedule traveling throughoutthe southeast sharing their testimonies through song.Carpenter’s Wood traveled to the Dominican Republic overspring break on a mission performance. Fresh Start memberSydney Henley shares her memories of the trip below.

Carpenter’s Wood Performs at Fresh Start.

Making Christ Visible - Through Song“. . . and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”Acts 1:8

.

MAKING CHRIST VISIBLEThat if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the

dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NIV)

Fresh Start Christian Church Making Christ Visible

FRESH START FAMILY IN ACTIONWoman’s Conference, Fun at the Magic Show, the Washington’s Go to Birmingham and Spring Fling (Game Night)