Saturday, December 5, 2009

Church Greening Service, 2009

The Greening of the Church was held on Sunday, November 29, 2009. In years past this service has been known as the Hanging of the Green.

The celebration of Christmas for Christians is such an important part of the church that it is easy to assume it has always been celebrated. But the major Christian festival for the early Christian church as Easter. Around the fourth century, Christmas became part of the Christian calendar and by the year 336, December 25 was generally established as the date of Jesus' birth. Soon afterwards, church leaders began to feel the need for a period of preparation leading up to the actual celebration of the Christ Child's birth - thus we have the Advent season.

The observance of the Hanging of the Green is an old English custom of decorating one's home with evergreens and other festive wrappings for Advent and Christmas. For all of us here at First Baptist Church, Lithia Springs we continue a very special tradition with the decorating of God's house with evergreens on this, the first Sunday of Advent, 2009.



























The Church....Decorated for Christmas

The church decorations for the Christmas season....Many thanks to the flower committee led by Melanie Bearden for all of their hard work.
























Sunday, March 15, 2009

A New Pastor

In June, 2008 Pastor Kevin McKoy became the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church, Lithia Springs following eighteen months as Associate Pastor to Students where he provided spiritual and administrative leadership for grades 6 through college.


From the biography Pastor McKoy presented to the church:

Kevin was born on December12,1972 in Newnan, Georgia. He graduated from Newnan High School in 1991 and was accepted into North Georgia College in Dahlonega, Georgia. He graduated from North Georgia College with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Finance in 1995. During his college years, Kevin was involved in the Corps of Cadets ROTC program at North Georgia. It was during this time that he enlisted into the United States Army to the Artillery Branch. Upon completion of his degree requirements, Kevin was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Chaplain’s Corps. He attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where he completed his Master of Divinity degree in 2001.

Prior to coming to First Baptist, Kevin served as the Associate Pastor and Minister of Youth and Education at Unity Baptist Church, LaGrange, Georgia for five years. He also served as Pastor of Westside Baptist Church in Hinesville, Georgia for three years. Kevin served as an Army Chaplain in the United States Army and the Georgia Army National Guard from 1996 until 2005 when he out-processed at the rank of Captain. While attending college in north Georgia, Kevin also served as Youth Minister at Northlake Baptist Church and at Dahlonega Baptist Church.

It was at North Georgia College where Kevin met his wife, Christy. They were married in Christy’s hometown of Claxton, Georgia on March 14, 1998. The McKoys have two beautiful children, Ryley and Camryn.

Pastor McKoy advises:
I was called to full-time ministry during my junior year of college. Since NGC was a military college, the Lord led me to combine ministry and military by pursuing the Army Chaplain’s program. I was licensed from my home church, Elim Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia, in September of 1994. Since that time I have served the Lord at both a church and military level. Upon accepting my first pastorate at Westside Baptist Church in Hinesville, Georgia, I was ordained into the gospel ministry in January of 1998.”

The biography concludes:
Kevin has a passionate call to ministry on his life. He believes that God still desires to reach people with His message of hope and joy. Kevin and Christy have expressed their heartfelt desire to continue to be faithful in whatever God has planned for them.

Isaiah 40:31 – Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.