Church Blog

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! We had a wonderful day of worship together as we sang about the great faithfulness of our Lord Jesus, who is our Rock and our Redeemer. Then as we continued to look in James 2, James confronted us with the relationship of faith and works. In this section, James is not asking if we are saved by faith. James knows that faith in Jesus alone saves. But James is asking, “What kind of faith saves?” Claims to faith in Jesus need to be backed by an ever-changing life. Faith in Jesus can’t be seen, but the evidence of a changed and caring life can be seen. We must back up our claims to faith by walking with Jesus and loving and caring for others. True faith in Jesus changes lives. False faith produces only words and never a changed life. True faith reveals itself in good works. False faith is as dead as a corpse in a coffin. True faith in Jesus reveals itself by actively loving God and serving others.

Please keep praying for Kathy McElmurry as she recovers from her stroke. Kathy is now in a rehab center close to her home in Aberdeen, SD.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! We celebrated the Lord’s Supper and considered all that Jesus did for us as He died on the cross and rose again so we could have forgiveness and eternal life. Then, as we studied James 2 yesterday, we saw that God is no respecter of persons. A person’s outward beauty, wealth, race, social standing, or fame holds no sway in how God looks at people. We also should see people as God sees them, without being a respecter of person and without being influenced by beauty, wealth, race, social standing, or fame. God does not see the way people see. We look at the outward and seek to determine their potential. We are like Samuel the prophet looking for a new king for Israel. “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart,” (1 Samuel 16:7.) And since we cannot see anyone’s heart, we are to not ever look at a person’s beauty, wealth, race, social standing, or fame in determining how we treat them. We are to treat each person we see as a reflection of the image of God and as one for whom Christ died and whom without Him will perish. Therefore, believers seek to recognize the image of God in every person. Believers seek to keep the royal law that loves and is merciful to all around us no matter their social or economic status. We all know how short all of us fall from living this way. We thank God that through Jesus our sins are forgiven and can keep on being forgiven. We also know that by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, we can love more purely and live more and more like God wants us to live. Believers in Jesus seek to see every person as made in the image of God and loved by Him.

We will have a potluck luncheon after worship next Sunday, February 5, 2023. Bring enough food for your family and a little extra for guests who might join us.

Continue to pray for Kathy as she recovers and is in rehab.

Below is information and prayer requests for missionaries we support. Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we worshipped and thought about God’s amazing love that Charles Wesley wrote about.

“And can it be that I should gain an int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me!”

Then, as we investigated James 1, we thought about the problem of self-deception. We learned not to be deceived by certain things. We learned God never seek for us to fail and do evil. We learned every good and perfect gift comes from the God. We learned man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires. We learned we were to obey God’s Word and not just listen to it.Believers always seek to know and walk in the truth and be freed from self-deception.

Continue to pray for Kathy as she recovers and is in rehab.

We will observe the Lord’s Supper in our worship service next Sunday morning.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! I hope you have had a good day today remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. as he led in the struggle against the evils of racism and segregation and fought for the ideas of the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. Every person has been given inalienable rights by Almighty God because he or she has been created in the image of God.

Yesterday we worshipped our risen King Jesus who is the fount of every blessing. Then we worshipped by looking at James 1 to think about how we are to face the many trials and difficulties that will come our way in this life. We are to joyfully face the trials that come to us. We are with faith to ask God for wisdom as we face these trials. We are to face the trials of wealth and poverty with humility and confidence of what we have in Christ. We know that our poverty in this life will not hinder God grace toward us or His working in our lives. Neither will our wealth in this life give us any more access to God’s grace or aid God in working in our lives. Rich and poor, all of us, stand before God in need of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Then we saw that we will be blessed as we stand firm in God’s grace during the trials and difficulties of life. God uses the various difficulties and trials every believer faces to grow and mature us as followers of Jesus.

The ladies will have brunch this Saturday, January 21st, at Buck and Honey’s Restaurant, 800 W Broadway, Monona, WI 53713, at 11:00 AM.

The January 8 service which we were unable to livestream is now available on our YouTube channel. Here is the link to that service: https://youtu.be/PKWQ7_7cJ5w

Continue to keep praying for Kathy McElmurry as she recovers from a stroke.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday as we worshipped, we sang about the grace and nearness of Almighty God to us through Jesus. Then from Lamentations 3:21-26, we remembered the love, mercy, and utter faithfulness of God toward His children. We serve a God who always keeps His Word and promises. Our God is a faithful God. Because God is faithful, believers know He will be with us in all the circumstances of life. We might not understand all we go through and why at times life can be sorrowful and difficult. There are times when we might not sense His presence. However, we must remember He is always present with His children. Times of sorrow and difficulty will never have to be met without His presence. And all those tough times, God will use to make us more like Jesus. In the middle of life’s most difficult and painful places, remember where hope is found. In the middle of life’s most difficult and painful places, remember God’s love for His children never ceases. In the middle of life’s most difficult and painful places, remember God’s mercies never end and are new every morning. Every day of life, remember God is faithful. We can always find hope in the mercy and utter faithfulness of the Lord.

I know you all have been praying for Kathy McElmurry as she recovers from a serious stroke. I talked to her brother Brian this morning and he told me he saw her over the weekend. She seemed to get a little stronger and communicate more clearly each day he was there. She is on a feeding tube and as soon as they can remove that tube, she will go to a rehab facility. It does look like recovery might take a while. Keep Kathy in your prayers. I will try to update you as I receive updates on her condition.

The ladies will have a brunch fellowship on Saturday, January 21^st, at Buck and Honey’s Restaurant, 800 W Broadway, Monona, WI 53713, at 11:00 AM.

We apologize for not having a livestream during yesterday’s worship service. We recorded the service and hope to have it up sometime this week.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Merry Christmas to all! “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”  (Luke 2:8-14, ESV)  

We will observe the Lord’s Supper next Sunday, January 1, 2023, during our morning worship at 10:45 AM. Remember there will not be Bible Study, but only worship at 10:45 AM.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Carla and I wish all of you a joyful celebration of the birth of our Savior. We love you all!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, the theme for the fourth Sunday of advent was love. We sang about the great love of God found in Jesus Christ. We learned that though the word “love” is not found in either of the gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth in Matthew or Luke, God’s love permeates the whole event of Christmas. God did not just say He loved us. God did not give us some formal definition of the word “love.” God showed us what love truly is by giving His only Son to save us from our sin. Christ Jesus, God the Son Himself, showed us love by condescending to become a human being to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Christ Jesus took on human fleshly body and became a human baby dependent on Mary and Joseph. Christ Jesus took on that body to die on the cross in our place so our sins could be forgiven, and we could be saved and know a love relationship with God. We looked at love described in 1 Corinthians 13 to see how Jesus showed us what love truly looks like. Real love acts in sacrificial ways for the good of those who are loved. Jesus’ love for God the Father and us compelled Him to sacrificed His life on the cross so we could have life. Real love in someone makes the hardest of sacrifices for those it loves.

East Madison Baptist Church will have a Christmas Eve service at 5:00 PM Saturday and a Christmas Day service at 10:00 AM Sunday morning. Our New Year’s Day service will be at 10:45 PM. There will be no Bible Study on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

During the month of December, we will be taking up the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions. Lottie Moon offering envelopes and prayer guides are on the table in the back of the sanctuary b9y the offering box.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday our emphasis in worship was joy. We sang “Joy to the Word! The Lord is come.” All accounts of the birth of Jesus have joy as a central theme. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary describes joy as a “state of delight and wellbeing that results from knowing and serving God….Joy is the fruit of a right relation with God.” Joy is closely connected to happiness, but more than happiness. We can have joy even at times in our lives when we might be experiencing pain or grief. Joy is connected to Jesus. Whenever Jesus is present there is joy. Joy is found in the presence of Jesus as we bow before Him as our King and Savior. Joy is found in the presence of Jesus as we realize He is near us. Joy is found in the presence of Jesus as He works through us to bring salvation to the world.  Joy is found in the presence of Jesus as we recognize Christ the Lord is the Savior of the world. The presence of the Jesus the Savior brings ultimate joy.Look to Jesus and find true and ultimate joy today.

East Madison Baptist Church will have a Christmas Eve service at 5:00 PM and a Christmas Day service at 10:00 AM. Our New Year’s Day service will be at 10:45 PM. There will be no Bible Study on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

During the month of December, we will be taking up the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions. Lottie Moon offering envelopes and prayer guides are on the table in the back of the sanctuary by the offering box.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday our emphasis in worship was peace. We learned from Isaiah 9, Luke 2, and Romans 5 that peace with God and others comes only through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Peace with God through Jesus ends the hostilities between those who believe and righteous God. Peace with God through Jesus provides eternal friendship between holy God and His former enemies. Through Jesus, God becomes our Father and we become His children. Peace with God through Jesus can provide internal peace during chaotic circumstances. Peace with God through Jesus provides the only means to truly bring peace on earth among people. Yes, let there be peace on earth and let it begin in me. Peace with God and others comes only through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

East Madison Baptist Church will have a Christmas Eve service at 5:00 PM and a Christmas Day service at 10:00 AM. Our New Year’s Day service will be at 10:45 PM. There will be no Bible Study on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

During the month of December, we will be taking up the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions. Lottie Moon offering envelopes and prayer guides are on the table in the back of the sanctuary by the offering box.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! I would like to thank Jason for filling in for me yesterday when our flight to Madison was messed up and we had to arrive a day late. I am thankful to God for the giftedness He has given to East Madison and those who step in when needed. I heard you had a wonderful time in in Bible Study and worship as you learned about missions. I am sorry I missed this day. However, even in the interruptions of life, God blesses. We got to spend extra time with our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren! We were also able to worship together as a family at The Front Church, where our son Nate is pastor.

As we begin to prepare to celebrate Christmas and the first coming of our Savior, there is a song that I have grown to love the last couple of Christmas seasons. It is called “O Come, All You Unfaithful.” Look at the wonderful message of hope found in this song.

O come, all you unfaithful
Come, weak and unstable
Come, know you are not alone

O come, barren and waiting ones
Weary of praying, come
See what your God has done

Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you

O come, bitter and broken
Come with fears unspoken
Come, taste of His perfect love

O come, guilty and hiding ones
There is no need to run
See what your God has done

Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you

He’s the Lamb who was given
Slain for our pardon
His promise is peace
For those who believe
He’s the Lamb who was given
Slain for our pardon
His promise is peace
For those who believe

So come, though you have nothing
Come, He is the offering
Come, see what your God has done

Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you
Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you

        Songwriters: Bob Kauflin, Lisa Clow. For non-commercial use only.

Here is a link to it video. O Come, All You Unfaithful • Official Video – YouTube

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church