Month: July 2021

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Update: COVID Precautions

We want you to know that your church leadership is aware of the outbreak in Nassau County and we are taking the proper precautions to protect those of us still gathering together. The good news? As of right now our church is not dealing with an outbreak, just a couple isolated cases. We want to do our best to keep it that way! Over the last month, our church has added 4 families in membership and every Sunday brings new visitors! We cannot wait to have everyone together again, but before that happens may we walk in wisdom and obedience together in the Spirit.

We have two services every Sunday morning, 9:00am and (new time) 10:35am! We go LIVE no later than 10:45am every Sunday for those participating from home! We are thankful for the technological capabilities that allow those at home to continue worshipping alongside their church family! With 200 seats on the floor, less attend the first service than the second if you are desiring more physical distancing.

Precautions we are taking: Our Building Manager Stephen Henslee is using Purtabs to sanitize and disinfect the buildings weekly. Purtabs is an electronic and chemical spray capable of killing viruses on hard and soft services.

In addition, we have asked each Sunday School teacher and Small Group leader to communicate with their classes. They will garner health conditions and comfort levels moving forward into the Fall.

Our fellowship dinners will not start August 18th, the date is TBA based on an evaluation every two weeks.

All singing in the worship service will continue to be conducted at the end of the worship services!

Masks are available at our Welcome Center for anyone who wants to wear one, specifically in Sunday School or Small Group.

Our Fall Wednesday Night Student and Children’s Ministries will begin on August 18th but, as is everything, this is subject to change. Everything else on our calendar (communicated via website, social networks, mass email, welcome desk and church bulletin) is tentative.

We thank each of you for your mercy, grace and patience with your staff, Elders and fellow church members. It is vital we be a people of grace now more than ever!

We are asking you to commit to the following out of a love for your brothers and sisters:

Individuals who are ill, with cold symptoms, or have been exposed to someone who is ill in the past week are respectfully asked to avoid enclosed gatherings at this time.

Approach each and every person with the consideration they are practicing safe social distancing during the rise of the Delta Variant in the state of Florida.

Pray for one another fervently! Check in on one another until you can come to weekly corporate worship face to face! Now is the time to be the church! If you can come Sunday, we cannot wait to see you as we celebrate the love of our Savior Jesus Christ! God bless!

In Christ Alone,

The Elders of Amelia Baptist Church

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Sisters In Christ, Choose The Good Portion

Luke 10:38-42

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Have you ever related to Martha more than Mary? This a running theme in my life and as it turns out, prevalent in the lives of many of my friends. We have found it quite helpful to remind each other “this is no new problem” but rather one that brings forth much introspection. This account reminds us that a servant’s heart is a cherished thing, but nothing is more valuable than the time and energy we devote to our relationship with the Lord. In other words, seemingly good things can make the most subtle, dangerous idols. Whether it’s an unrealistically clean house, excelling at our job performance, or being everything to everyone in whatever capacity, it has become a daily fight to find our worth in Christ alone. So it is with that context in mind, I want to focus on the last part of this passage. Jesus says to Martha “you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

We often get caught up in the act of serving but have we stopped to evaluate why? You naturally have a servant’s heart? You were asked to do it by people who depend on you? You want to remain willing to do whatever is needed as an ambassador of Christ? These are great reasons, but I think they are too often coupled with other motivators: guilt, pride, expectation, and the approval of others. It was Jesus Christ that said to Martha, “…you are anxious and troubled about many things.” The longing to serve those around us is often used as a faulty barometer of our standing in the eyes of the Lord, rather than the evidence of spiritual fruit overflowing from a place of love and thankfulness. We serve so we can relieve our troubled hearts from anxiousness. We choose service as an act of recompense rather than an act of love.

The Lord tells Martha, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” He showed Martha that she had a choice to make and He was the One who would give her the power to do it well. How often do we allow anxiousness to cloud our judgement or blind us from seeing the one thing that is most necessary when committing our tasks? Sisters, how do we move on from an anxious heart to a peaceful one, a heart just dying to sit and have time with our Lord? The answer might seem simple to write, difficult to live out.

We surrender to Him daily. It is for His glory, not our own. It is by His power, not our own. True strength lies in recognizing our weakness without Him.

It is dire that we first humble ourselves and ask the Lord for help as we surrender our “rights”, plans, expectations, and again, the approval of others. Notice a trend? Surrender is the pathway to true freedom in the Lord. Submitting to His will by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is choosing the good portion.

Martha could have taken her anxiousness, surrendered it and knelt before her King, spending her time focusing on the main thing in the living room. Allow me to reiterate, it wasn’t that Mary was a “better” Christian than Martha and it isn’t a bad thing to serve. It was the root of her service that was misaligned. Start with surrender and let your service be guided by the leading of the Holy Spirit. As we surrender ourselves to the Lord, our service becomes the overflow of a thankful heart that loves to bring God glory through opportunities to serve Him and His people. Be encouraged as you ask God to help you fully surrender and in the process, grow closer to the one thing that is most necessary in our lives: honoring a WORTHY Lord. My friends, let’s choose the “Good Portion.” Praying for you and thankful for my sisters in Christ!

Sister in Christ,

-Amy Jo-