"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (which means, God with us)."   Matthew 1:23 RSV -

CELEBRATION OF SEPTUAGENARIAN & OLDER BIRTHDAYS IN DECEMBER

Happy Birthday to HPGMBC Family members, who are 70 Years Old or Older and are celebrating their special day in the month of December: Sisters Fredericka Kemp, Jackie Maupin  and Juanita Warren. (If a member who is celebrating a 70th or greater Birthday in December and their name is omitted from the above list, please call (859) 254- 7387 to give us the name. Thank you.)

 3,558 New COVID-19 Cases  & 24 Deaths Reported in Kentucky on  Saturday, December 12, 2020

As of December 9, the Lexington Fayette County Health Department reported a total of 19,464 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lexington, and 137 local deaths have been attributed to the virus.  New COVID-19 cases are rising at a very rapid rate!  Please be safe and adhere to the CDC and Kentucky Governor's Guidance and Mandates.  

• Get a flu vaccination as soon as possible but getting it any time in the flu season is beneficial. VaccineFinderexternal icon to find out where to get vaccinated near you.​

• Avoid close contact with those who are sick, maintain at least 6 feet from others who are not from your household,
• Wear face masks when in public (Mandatory in Kentucky and is being extended on a 30 day basis until the spread is under control),
• Wash your hands frequently,
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and leave home only when absolutely necessary.

December at a Glance 

December 20   Special Christmas Virtual Worship Service

December 27   Virtual Worship Service

December 31   New Year's Watch Zoom Service (11:00 pm)

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

• Please join our Virtual Prayer Service by phone on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.  Call: 253-215-8782 or 301-715-8592; Meeting ID: 685 433 0718

• Radio broadcasts Saturdays 9:00 am and 3:00 pm as well as Sundays at 7:30 am on WJMM FM 99.1
  (This Sunday’s Lesson: 

  "Called through Heritage," Matthew 1:1-6, 16-17; Hebrews 1:1-5;

  Next Sunday's Lesson: "A Regal Response to Holy Light,"  Matthew 2:7-15)

• Virtual Worship Service on Sundays at 10:00 am on the Church Facebook Page, YouTube, and Zoom. It can also be viewed on demand on the church website, http://www.hpgmbc.com/
• "Children's Sunday Worship" 12:00 noon. See Children's Ministry Facebook Page to Signup

• Thank you for giving Tithes and Offerings by mail or the Givelify App. Our address is:

                Historic Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church
                PO Box 11845
                Lexington, KY 40578

Aim: REMEMBER the story of the angel’s announcement to Joseph of Jesus’ Birth, REJOICE that the birth of Jesus fulfilled God’s promise to be with His people, and LIVE with greater awareness of God’s abiding presence.

Background: Matthew 1:18-25;

Bible Lesson: Matthew 1:18-25

Highlights:

• Prior to Joseph and Mary coming together as husband and wife, Mary, who was a virgin became pregnant by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit  and not by the coming together with Joseph.

  ( "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. “ Isaiah 7:14 NKJV)

• When Joseph, Mary’s fiance’, a righteous man, learned of Mary's pregnancy, he sought a private way to dissolve the relationship without embarrassing Mary.

• During Joseph’s deliberation as how to resolve the matter, God dispatched an angel to take a message to him. This angel’s visit with Joseph was like Gabriel's visit to Mary recorded in Luke 1:26-38. God’s message through the angel included:                                      
  • Don’t be afraid to go through with his marriage to Mary
  • An explanation that the child that Mary was carrying was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit with no human intervention.
  • A pronouncement of the baby's sex to be a boy
  •  That the baby should be named Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew name, Joshua, which means “Yahweh is salvation”
  • A pronouncement that the baby would save his people from their sins (in other words, be the awaited Messiah)
• The Old Testament prophesy, Isaiah 7:14 was repeated in the passage being studied with the  addition of the meaning of the name Immanuel, “God is with us.”
  
  

• Joseph was obedient and continued with his plans after the visit of the angel
  • He continued with his marriage to Mary
  • He did not come into Mary until after Jesus was born
  • He named the baby, Jesus

Take Aways:

• In retrospect we see God fulfill his Promise of the Messiah, the Savior of the World.

• We are reminded that God is present in the affairs of man and even in our very lives

Bible Verses for Consideration:

1 John 4:4 NKJV - "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV - "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He [is] the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age. Amen. "

Bible Study Questions

We thank Rev. Ron Jones for continuing to faithfully teach and record the Bible Study Lesson following our Virtual Prayer Services each Tuesday evening. The Bible Study Lesson is broadcast on WJMM 99.1 on Saturdays (9:00 AM and 3:00 PM) and Sundays (7:30 AM).  During the month of December, Rev. Jones takes a respite from Bible Study Lesson teaching. When Bible Study teaching resumes in January, 2021, Rev. Jones is entertaining Bible Study Lesson questions that can be discussed in a question and answer session following Bible Study. Questions should be emailed in advance to Rev. Jones at rwilljones@gmail.com

COVID-19 TESTING LOCATIONS

• The Mayor’s Mobile Neighborhood Testing Program provides public testing at no cost to the individual. Testing is available without an appointment, with both walk-up and drive-up options. As of December 9, the Lexington Fayette County Health Department reported a total of 19,464 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lexington, and 137 local deaths have been attributed to the virus.
   
• Free drive-thru testing also continues, through Bluewater, at Southland Christian Church, 2349 Richmond Road. Testing is available 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday. No appointment is necessary.
  
  
• Bluewater, which also administers testing at Mayor’s Mobile Neighborhood Testing Program locations, is offering tests at no cost to the patient. Health insurance information may be requested, but is not required, to receive testing. Tests are available to anyone. Results are generally available in 48-72 hours.
  
  
• Additionally, through a partnership with the University of Kentucky, UK HealthCare and Wild Health, testing is available to the public at 1505 College Way and 1350 Bull Lea Road. These sites are not intended for UK student testing. Free drive-thru testing is available from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., seven days a week. Appointments are required and can be made by visiting lexington.wildhealth.com.
  
  
• Drive-thru testing is also available seven days a week at the Walgreen’s testing location at 2296 Executive Drive (the corner of Winchester Road and Executive Drive). Tests will continue while test kits are available. Online registration is required at walgreens.com/coronavirus.

Finally, most private healthcare providers are offering testing options for their patients. Urgent Care Centers are also offering COVID-19 testing.

For information on more testing sites go to: lexingtonky.gov/COVID-19.

Bluewater Diagnostic Laboratory has been recognized by the state of Kentucky for expanding the state’s COVID-19 testing capacity. Based in Mount Washington, KY, they are committed to be an industry leader in cutting-edge instrumentation and testing methodologies.

IN-PERSON WORSHIP STATUS

The HPGMBC Joint Board met as scheduled on Saturday, October 24, to assess the safety of resuming In-Person Worship Services. With prayerful consideration of the current COVID-19 Virus infection rate and the composition of our membership, it was decided to not resume In-Person Worship Services for the remainder of this year.  The Joint Board will reassess the situation in January, 2021.

Prayer Requests

• Sister Nannie Caise (St. Joseph Hospital) (Sister Norma Johnson's mother)
• Sister Gwen Johnson (Versailles Rehab)
• Rev. Jonathan Morehead (recent surgery)
  
• Brother Sam Prather (UK Hospital) (Sister Tassa Wigginton's brother
  
• Chris Sykes (VA Hospital - Cooper Drive)
  
• Sister Gloria Tompkins (Homestead Rehabilitation Unit)
• Sister Eleanor Beatty (Home)
• Benjamin Brown, Jr. (Home) ( Sister Bonita Brown and Ben Brown's son)
• Paul Coffey (Home)
  
• Brother Charles Jones (Home)
  
• Sister Dorothy Offutt (Home)
  
• Sister Benita Peoples (Home)
  
• Sister Delores Spencer (Home)
• Brother Jack Sterling ( Home) (Sister Alyce Emerson's brother)
• Brother Larry Leath and family (Upcoming Surgeries, FL)
• Sister Thelma Wright (Home) (Brother Carl Wright's wife)

• Residence of Homestead, Pine Meadow and other Nursing Homes
• Each person listed on our Sick List
• COVID-19 Victims around the world
• Healthcare workers, First respondents, etc.
• The Entire Pleasant Green Church Family
• HPGMBC Pulpit Committee
• Our Nation and our Government Officials

Heaven Father,  Thank you for keeping us and bringing us through seen and unseen dangers. Thank You for Jesus!  In His Name. Amen 

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED

• If you have not completed the HPGMBC In-Person Re-Opening Survey, please click SURVEY and complete it. In preparation for in-person worship services, the Re-Opening Committee would like each member to complete the survey.

• In an attempt to expand the options for communicating information to HPGMBC Family Members, if you have a cell phone, please complete the Cell Phone Information Form for yourself and encourage others to do the same.
• Volunteers are needed to assist in the HPGMBC Online/Virtual Communications Ministry. Some of the needed knowledge and skills are Facebook and/or YouTube live streaming, video recording, video editing, general computer use, etc. If you are willing to assist, please click and complete this Contact Form. Thank you in advance for your willing spirit to help in Outreach and Kingdom Building.