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The First Baptist Church of Northwood will be hosting the World Day
of Prayer, Friday, March 6, at 1 p.m. All are invited to join
together in prayer for the women of Papua New Guinea. World Day of
Prayer is a worldwide ecumenical movement of women of many faith
traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each
year on the first Friday of March. For 2009, the WDP Committee of
Papua New Guinea developed the theme, In Christ There Are Many
Members, Yet One Body. Come and join us as we pray for the women of
Papua New Guinea.
The First Baptist Church of Northwood will be presenting the
Clown Ministry of “The Joyful Joeys” on Sunday, March 15 at 10 a.m.
Come and join us in worship with this joyful ministry of worship and
praise.
Pastor's Corner: The Joy of Knowing Jesus
By Pastor Ted White
There is joy in knowing Jesus! To know
Him is to understand, according to the Word of God, who God is. He
has revealed Himself in His Word, in His Creation, in our conscience
and in His Son. It is so wonderful to know Him and to know that He
loves me. That is what I put my trust in. If a person disagrees with
me, that is his choice and it does not affect who I am in the Lord
Jesus. I do not put my trust in any man who would go contrary to the
Word of God. God’s Word, the Bible, is His Authority.
Originally, man was made in the image of God. Yet today, man
would make gods in their own image. Some would like a “Domesticated
Genie” god - if a person behaves a certain way and rubs the lamp,
then the genie god is obligated to answer. You know what? He is not
obligated to answer to the whims of man, but man is to obey Him out
of love because of an understanding of what He has done for us
through His Son, Jesus.
Others think of a “Distant Ogre” god - just waiting to squash a
person who gets out of line or of bringing hardship into a person’s
life just for the fun of it. This is a misunderstanding of God who
is love, God who expects obedience and God who we will answer to. He
is always looking out for our best interest, but will judge all that
do not want Him as King over their lives.
Then there is the “Spiritual Psychotherapist” god of people’s
making - just wanting people to feel better about themselves. This
god is only an encourager and would never say or do anything that
would hurt one’s feelings. But the God who is revealed in the Bible
rebukes people, shows them where they are in error. Then He shows
how to correct the error.
There is also the “Kindly Old Grandpa Santa Claus” god - he
doesn’t hold us responsible for our actions and tends to overlook
our sins. He gives us what we think we need and cannot deny us.
First of all, this is a very low view of who God is and what His
Son, Jesus, did at the cross. Jesus came and suffered for our sins
and we will be judge by God depending on whether or not we trust the
finished work of Jesus on that cross, living according to His Word.
Now, no person is perfect in this, but there is a desire to live for
Him and a seeking to do so.
Matthew chapter 7 is a challenging chapter to read. It speaks
about those who claim to be following Jesus and yet Jesus said that
He never knew them - even though these professors were involved in
many things that man would think of as great. There is only one way
to be joyful in Jesus. As the song says “Trust and obey for there’s
no other way. To be happy in Jesus is to trust and obey.” May you
know that joy of knowing the true God through Jesus Christ the Lord!
God wants you to enjoy the life He has given you and to escape
the consequence of death, which is separation from Him forever,
under His wrath in Hell. To do so go to
www.newhopenorthwood.com
or call 942-7729 or to find peace with God
www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp or
http://www.simplysharejesus.com/
Quotes are from The
Exemplary Husband by Stuart Scott, pages 14-16.
Chesley Memorial Library
The Chesley Memorial Library will be
closed Saturday, March 7, for Northwood School Meeting and Saturday,
March 14, for Northwood Town Meeting.
The library will be open
Friday, March 6, and Friday, March 13, from 4:00-8:00 p.m.
We
apologize for any inconvenience. Please call the library at 942-5472
if you have any questions.
Letter
Ken Curley has done a great job as selectmen for the last two
years. He came into the position when the administration of the town
was in shambles, and has worked very hard, with Alden Dill and Scott
Bryer and the Town Administrator, Paul Martel, to get things working
again. He has put in many hours, serving on town committees, doing
his homework, and thinking ahead about the future for Northwood. He
is willing to continue to serve us, and I ask you to re-elect him.
There is more to being a selectman than cutting our taxes, our town
needs day to day management and leaders who can plan for our future.
I would also call your attention to Jim Vaillancourt, who is
running for the Budget Committee. Jim has been serving on the
Recycling Committee and has brought his analytical and people skills
to that group. He has already suggested a number of initiatives to
make information about the town budget more accessible to town
government, the Budget Committee and the public. He understands that
without good statistics we can’t figure out what our tax money buys,
and he has the skills to make that information more transparent and
understandable. He would be a great addition to the Budget
Committee.
Bob Strobel has both the interest in land use issues and the
experience needed to help the town’s Planning Board meet the
challenges small towns face. While development has slowed due to the
economic downturn, planning for the future of Northwood remains a
compelling need.
In these challenging times, it is very important that we choose
our leaders for the talents and intelligence they can bring to our
government, not the promises they make to get elected..
Lucy C.
Edwards
Letter to the Editor
Warrant Article #3
Please support Warrant Article #3 at the Northwood Town Meeting
on Saturday, March 14th. Article #3 asks the Town to raise $136,950
to provide extended ambulance coverage. The article creates 2 new
firefighter/EMT positions and extends the hours of existing full
time personnel. While the thought of creating new positions in these
economic times is a bit unnerving, I believe it is absolutely
necessary. The new positions, related expenses, and overtime will
provide essential emergency services.
Currently, as I understand it, we have a shared arrangement with
Epsom, which has allowed us to have periods of time when we did not
have to provide coverage. Epsom has notified us the arrangement will
end in the near future. I view this as a significant public safety
matter. One has to consider Route 4 in summer, the lakes, the
weather and all of us who may need emergency care. When the phone
rings at 3:00 A.M. we want to be sure Northwood’s finest answer the
call. A private service from, lets say Concord, just won’t do.
Thank-you.
Bob Holden
Northwood, NH
Important Upcoming Dates To Remember
Northwood registered voters will want to mark the following
dates on their calendars: Saturday, March 7 the Annual School
District meeting will begin at 9 am at Northwood School. The
warrant articles for decision by the voters include a proposed
operating budget of 11,818,962.; an increase in salaries and
benefits for teachers included in the collective bargaining
agreement; upgrading the heating controls in classrooms for energy
savings; and funding for three capital reserve funds. On Tuesday,
March 10 the polls will be open from 8 am to 7 pm at the Parish
Center at St. Joseph’s Church, next to the town hall. The ballot
includes proposed amendments to the Northwood Development Ordinance
and election of town and school officials. Saturday, March 14 is the
date of the Annual Town Meeting at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy,
slated to begin at 9 am. The list of items being considered includes
a proposed operating budget of 3,061,515.; new telephone system for
the town hall, adding two additional firefighter/EMT positions,
purchase of new police cruiser, and numerous warrant articles for
existing capital reserves and expendable trust funds.
The 2008 Annual Reports are in and may be picked up at the town
hall during regular business hours M-F 8-4.
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