December 2010
Volume 5 #12
Wading River Baptist Church
P.O. Box 438, 1635 Wading River-Manorville Road, Wading River, NY 11792
(631) 929-3512; 929-6022
www.wrbc.us
The Christmas story is so basic to our
Christian Faith that most of us know it
well. In fact, every year we hear it again,
probably many times, through Scripture
readings, sermons, music—even Christmas
cards. We see elements of it in advertising
and decorations from our living rooms to
our malls. Many of us would like to hear
something new about Christmas, and yet
we must realize that it is important to hear
the old truths from the old story over and
over again.
Elizabeth and Zacharias, Mary and
Joseph, Bethlehem, the baby lying in the
manger. It’s all so familiar. And yet what
does it mean? Evangelical Christians are
used to hearing the message that Bethle-
hem was only the beginning, that the Lord
Jesus Christ was born to die, and of course,
that’s true—blessedly so. He came to die in
order that we who are dying might live
through faith in Him.
But He came to do more than that, and
we miss the fullness of Christmas if we do
not recognize the future focus of Bethle-
hem. In a passage like Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah
foretold of One who would reign from the
throne of David, and whose kingdom
would have no end. But perhaps the big
picture concerning Christ’s coming has
never been stated so succinctly, yet com-
prehensively, as it has in Revelation 12.
Here is how the scene of Bethlehem fits in
the broader context of the drama of the
ages. In other words, here is the big pic-
ture.
“A great sign appeared in heaven: a
woman clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and on her head a
crown of twelve stars; and she was with
child; and she cried out, being in labor and
in pain to give birth. Then another sign
appeared in heaven: and behold, a great
red dragon having seven heads and ten
office@wrbc.us
The Big Picture
horns, and on his heads were seven dia-
dems. And his tail swept away a third of
the stars of heaven and threw them to the
earth. And the dragon stood before the
woman who was about to give birth, so
that when she gave birth he might devour
her child. And she gave birth to a son, a
male child, who is to rule all the nations
with a rod [scepter] of iron; and her child
was caught up to God and to His throne.
Then the woman fled into the wilderness
where she had a place prepared by God, so
that there she would be nourished for one
thousand two hundred and sixty days”
(Revelation 12:1-6).
This passage takes us back to some
point before or during Genesis 1-2, that
point at which Satan (represented here as
the “great red dragon”) fell and took one-
third of the angels with him in his rebel-
lion. The fall of Satan then became the
pernicious dynamic behind the fall of the
human race through the disobedience of
Adam and Eve in Eden (Gen 3:1-6). Mil-
lennia later, the human race having proven
that they were incapable of governing
themselves or saving themselves, God cre-
ated a nation through one man, Abraham,
through which He would bless the world
(Gen 12:1-3). Israel became God’s cove-
nant nation—His special treasure, His gift
to all the nations. Israel would mediate His
truth to all the nations. Thus the imagery
of the sun-clothed woman with the moon
under her feet and the 12-starred crown on
her head (each star representing one of the
tribes of Israel).
For this reason, Israel has been hated
by Satan. There came a day, however,
when Israel bore a Son. This Child was no
ordinary boy; He was destined to rule the
nations with an iron scepter. John writes
that at the point of His birth, Satan was
prepared to destroy Him, thus moving the
story from Bethlehem to Calvary within
one sentence. This Child was caught up to
God and to His throne, pointing to the res-
urrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus
(Acts 1:9) and to His present session as our
High Priest at the right hand of the throne
of God (Eph 1:20; Heb 1:3; 12:2). Satan’s
evil purposes were utterly thwarted.
Once again, fast forward, for John
skips over the Church Age and immediately
returns to Israel’s persecution during the
coming Great Tribulation, where the Jews
flee into Transjordan where God has pre-
pared a sanctuary for them to protect them
from Satan’s climactic pogrom (see Mt
24:15-22).
Thus the birth of the Son, here not of
one woman (Mary), but of the nation of
Israel, is placed in its context of the fulfill-
ing of God’s purpose that through His Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, He would again
reign as undisputed sovereign over His
creation, defeating Satan and all His ene-
mies operating under Satan’s dominion.
Thus, Christmas is one part of the big pic-
ture—the Story of the Ages—God creating;
God rejected; God redeeming; God re-
claiming; and God reigning. That’s all of
human history in a nutshell. Thus, we en-
thusiastically add our “Amen” to the future
angelic chorus (so gloriously captured by
Handel in his masterpiece, The Messiah):
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the
Almighty, reigns” (Rev 19:6); and, “The
kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and
He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15).
Encouraging words for our discouraging
times! Have a blessed Christmas!
⎯ Pastor Ron Glass
1
 Getting Acquainted with Geraldine Cosgrove
What a privilege it is to peek into the life of
someone who lived during the Great De-
pression and was born the same year Cal-
vin Coolidge was President, Mickey Mouse
was created, and Amelia Earhart piloted
over the Atlantic. It was also a time of
great hunger in a Brooklyn, NY, neighbor-
hood where children had distended stom-
achs and their families did not have welfare
to fall back on.
These were the conditions that Gerald-
ine Cosgrove was born into on June 24,
1928. She lived in that Brooklyn neighbor-
hood but fortunately her father worked for
Consolidated Edison, which provided a
much needed commodity that allowed him
to keep his job at a lower weekly pay.
Her parents, Arthur and Elsie Mun-
ster, and Geraldine, an only child, lived in a
two-story apartment house with a Presby-
terian church right next door. Incredibly,
Geraldine remembers being enrolled in the
cradle roll when she was only 3 years old as
well as her first Sunday School teacher’s
name, Ella B. Smith. In spite of the de-
pression going on, Geraldine’s mother was
faithful in taking her to church each Sun-
day. Geraldine loved it as she heard about
the Lord and sang the hymns.
Her father had served a 10-year tour of
duty in the Navy which in 1937 entitled
him to a “wartime” bonus. With the bonus,
they were able to move to the borough of
Queens and make a down payment on a
house in Cambria Heights.
There they joined a Dutch Reformed
Church, a church where Geraldine became
active in teaching Sunday School, singing
in the choir, and participating in the Young
People’s Fellowship. As much as Geraldine
loved that church, she knew something was
missing.
The “Thelein” Universe – Part 3
In this series, Dr. Bellard has introduced
the concept of the “thelein” universe, the
creation which has come into being by the
will of God (the Greek verb, thelein, means
“to will”). We explored recent develop-
ments, such as the BioLogos Foundation,
which claim to believe both the Bible and
evolutionary science, a position Dr. Bel-
lard insists is untenable. This “new deism”
is utterly antithetical and an unwarranted
accommodation to the inspired Scrip-
tures—God’s authoritative revelation in all
matters of belief and practice. It is an
It was not until Geraldine spent time
with her grandfather that she began learn-
ing about the Lord. When her grandfather
visited with them, she would spend many
quiet moments with him as he witnessed to
her about the Lord. It remains a most pre-
cious memory.
Education wise, Geraldine attended
the Andrew Jackson High School where
she was very active in sports such as swim-
ming, bowling, basketball, and volleyball.
She loved school and had many friends
whom she continues to stay in touch with
even now.
While in high school, Geraldine ma-
jored in stenography and secretarial duties
that more than qualified her to be trained
as a legal secretary for the New York Tele-
phone Company, her first job after gradua-
tion.
After leaving the NY Telephone Co.,
Geraldine worked for a lawyer in the Home
Insurance Company followed by a job in
another company working as an executive
secretary. It was at this job that Geraldine
met Harold and was married on June 21,
1952, in the Dutch Reformed Church in
Cambria Heights.
While working as an executive secre-
tary, Geraldine met a woman by the name
Dr. Victor Bellard
insult to God’s honor and glory, and is
nothing less than idolatry. This month, we
will discover persuasive reasons for ac-
cepting the Genesis account of creation.
Science and Truth
Science is not an infallible guide to the
truth. It has only a limited ability to un-
cover the events of the past which cannot
be observed or demonstrated. In order to
accommodate to modern cosmology, pro-
gressive creationists (sometimes called
“theistic evolutionists”) insert billions of
of Evelyn Olsen who introduced her to the
saving grace of our Lord. Geraldine offers
gratitude to this woman for helping her
find (in her own words) “the golden thread
I had as a small child and carried in my
heart all through the years.” It was one
night as she lay in bed talking to God that
she knew He had something in mind when
He put His warm wonderful hand over her
heart.
Harold and Geraldine were blessed
with two children: a boy, Robert, and a girl,
Janet. Having a daughter, Geraldine be-
came quite proficient in sewing as she
sewed most of her daughter’s clothes in-
cluding coats, dresses, and evening gowns.
Her sewing skills included clothes for her-
self and her mother, as well as the curtains
and drapes throughout their home. Her
skills were not limited to sewing as she also
loved to cross stitch, crochet, and knit.
Her son was married for five years
with no children and her daughter has
been married to Bradley for 32 years with
two sons, Matthew and Jonathan.
In 1999, Harold and Geraldine moved
to Leisure Village next door to John and Ro
Freyhammer, former members of the
WRBC. The Freyhammers were instru-
mental in introducing Harold and Gerald-
ine to the WRBC. Now the Cosgroves at-
tend the WRBC when they are not visiting
with their children or grandchildren. They
are regular attendees of the Senior Saints
luncheons and love the fellowshipping that
WRBC provides. Geraldine is a joy to
know, a great friend, and a lady who con-
tinues to grow in the Holy Spirit.
⎯ Joan Tyska
years into the six days of creation as re-
vealed in the Genesis account in an attempt
to synchronize Scripture with the secular
science proposed by ungodly men. As a
result, God’s creative acts are spread out
over long periods of time, corresponding to
the big bang time scale of cosmic history
and the uniformitarian time scale of earth
history.
One tragic consequence of this ac-
commodation is that the connection be-
tween the cause (God commanding things
to happen) and the effect (the creation
continued on page 3
2
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coming into being) is destroyed by the in-
tervening billions of years. This is not just
a disruption of biblical logic; it is an insult
of the first magnitude! Those who insist
that billions of years intervened between
God’s command and the creation’s re-
sponse necessarily portray God as being
remote from His creation. He spoke, but it
was millions or billions of years before any-
thing happened!
A Retreat into Deism
Such accommodation is a retreat into a
form of deism, which is the idea that God
created the universe and then left it to run
by itself. Deism is probably one of the
greatest insults anyone can make against
the God of the Bible. The Bible itself re-
futes Deism. For example, the God of crea-
tion was present in the Garden of Eden,
walking and talking with Adam and Eve.
The God of Moses was present with His
people in a pillar of fire by night or a cloud
by day. In the Tabernacle, the cloud of His
presence (shekinah) rested above the
mercy seat. Even more persuasive is the
reality that one of Jesus’ names is “Em-
manuel” (“God with us”)! The significance
of the Day of Pentecost is that the Holy
Spirit is now with us. Concerning His dis-
ciples, Jesus’ prayer on the way to the Gar-
den of Gethsemane was “that they may all
be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and
I in You, that they also may be in Us, so
that the world may believe that You sent
Me” (John 17:21).
Would a God, so extraordinarily inti-
mate with His creation, issue a command
only to have to wait billions of years for
something to happen? No, the God of the
Bible upholds His creation with His Word
of power (Hebrews 1:3). His Word is
“God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). The
Lord knows when a hair falls from our
head (Matt. 10:30; Luke 12:7)⎯not only
because He is omniscient, but also because
He is paying attention! We may be slow to
obey, but that is not because God is far
from us. We should never even suggest
that He is.
In fact, a primary purpose of the six-
day creation is that it also displays God’s
transcendent omnipotence. He was well-
able to bring everything into being in that
short period of time. Besides, there are
Missionary of the Month – Mars Hill Broadcasting Network
It is the mission
of Mars Hill
Broadcasting to
provide the public, through its radio
also nearly a dozen different Hebrew
words that God could have used to indi-
cate long periods of time, had He desired
to do so.
Undermining the Authority of the
Written Word
Because Christ has fulfilled the Law
for us, most Christians have lost sight of
the extraordinary significance of the Sab-
bath for the ancient Israelites. In the
Fourth Commandment, the Sabbath was
clearly identified by God as a commemora-
tion of His work of creation (see Exodus
20:8-11). The same truth appears in God’s
summary statement to Moses regarding the
Sabbath in Exodus 31:12-18. Out of all the
institutions God established on Mt. Sinai,
He chose the Sabbath to be a “sign forever”
for the Israelites that He made “heaven and
earth” in six days. As if to make the point
indelibly clear, the very next verse says:
“And He gave to Moses, when He had
made an end to speaking to him upon
Mount Sinai, the two tables of testimony,
tables of stone, written with the finger of
God.” In case we should miss the point,
Exodus 32:16 tells us, “The tables were the
work of God, and the writing was the
writing of God.”
Consequently, when compromising
Christians teach that God did not make the
universe in six ordinary-length days, they
are not only undermining the authority of
the words that God inspired men to write,
but the words that God personally wrote
down in stone! That is why these people
and others like them are to be avoided and,
indeed, even pitied.
If you compromise this biblical crea-
tion truth, you condemn yourself by your
own words. You may worship God as Crea-
tor, as all Christians claim to do, but you do
not believe what He has actually said on
the subject of creation. Realize that no
human beings witnessed God’s work of
creation, not even Adam and Eve since they
were the last beings made during the crea-
tion week. Obviously, no human being can
revisit creation week in a time machine to
check out what God did. Therefore, the
only eyewitness is God Himself! Thus, if
we do not accept God’s eyewitness account,
we have no accurate information at all on
the subject! Since all human theories are
broadcasting, with a clear biblical message,
as well as to demonstrate the character of
Jesus Christ. Considering that there are
those who would like to shut down broad-
based on unverifiable assumptions, we do
not have enough information even to reject
with confidence what God says about it!
The big bang theory does not accu-
rately explain the origin of the universe, so
there is no reason to trust it. Those who
reject the six-day Genesis creation account
are therefore under a cloud not only of sin
but of foolishness. They reject the word of
the only eyewitness, and substitute for it
the demonstrably fallible theories of men
who were not there, who do not know eve-
rything, who do not have all the relevant
facts on what actually occurred, and whose
theories fail to explain even the present
world⎯let alone the ancient world! “How
long will you hesitate between two opin-
ions? If the Lord is God, follow Him..!”
Our God is omnipotent. Why then do some
Christians believe that He is not capable of
creating the entire universe, as well as the
human race, just as He says He did, in six
ordinary, twenty-four-hour days?
The history of many scientific theories
is one of virtually universal acceptance by
the “scientific community”, that is until
doubts creep in as new discoveries are
brought to light. Doubts are followed by
disbelief, disbelief by rejection, and rejec-
tion by relegation to the dust bin of history.
This is persuasive evidence that Christians
should not hitch their faith to any current
theory or they risk being stranded just like
a ship stuck on the bottom when the tide
recedes.
The Bible Stands
The Bible has survived for over 2,000
years in spite of the attempts by unbeliev-
ers and compromising Christians to refute
it or to change its simple, concise language.
Those who would change the clear meaning
of Scripture would do well to heed the
warning given in Revelation 22:18-20: “I
testify to everyone who hears the words of
the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds
to them, God will add to him the plagues
which are written in this book; and if any-
one takes away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God will take away
his part from the tree of life and from the
holy city, which are written in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I
am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord
Jesus.”
casters such as Mars Hill, we must be more
determined to support the efforts of this
broadcasting network not only with our
financial support but with our prayers.
continued on page 4
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It is a means outside our church to listen to
the Word, as pastors throughout the listen-
ing area bring their messages through the
air waves as “The Pastor of the Day.” Our
beloved Pastor Ronald Glass participates
and can be heard on the third Thursday of
from Victory in Christ by Robert C. McQuilkin, Part 2
As quickly as
possible I sought
out Mr. Trumbull
and had an inter-
view with him. It
was a blessing to
hear him talk over
the problems very
quietly, and pray in
definite requests.
But I did not enter into any new experi-
ence. Two or three days passed, and one
evening I met Mr. Trumbull in the hall. He
asked me if I was satisfied, and I told him,
no. He suggested that we go into the
prayer-room and pray together. As we
walked through the hallway, there came to
me this distinct impression⎯perhaps it
was a prayer: “I am going into that room,
and I do not want to come out before this
matter is settled, and I have taken Christ as
my Victory for daily living as well as my
Saviour.” As I went into that prayer-room
there were three definite facts in my mind.
First, there was the great need in my life. I
was a defeated Christian. I had need for
this life of constant fellowship, or super-
natural victory over sin, of definite fruit-
bearing and answered prayer. The second
fact was that since I had taken Christ as my
Saviour, the Lord was living in my heart to
meet all these needs. The third fact was
that on my part I was to surrender com-
pletely to Him, and to trust Him to supply
every need.
We went into the room and kneeled
down. My new friend prayed. I then
prayed. But it was a different prayer than
any I recall praying before. It was to be an
expression of a definite transaction that
would make things completely different in
my life. I began very definitely to do the
two things I was supposed to do. First, I
was to surrender, then to believe.
From one standpoint, I would have
been counted a surrendered Christian. I
had offered my life to go as a missionary.
Had anyone asked whether I wanted the
whole will of God in my life, I should with-
out hesitation have answered, yes. But on
that day it was on my heart to make the
each month, three times a day: 5:25 am,
12:13 pm and 9:27 pm.
Mars Hill is seriously Christian offering a
24-hour mission in bringing truthful news
not only of the Scriptures but also of the
secular variety. If you have not checked it
Classics to Contemplate
“Taking God at His Word”
matter a definite thing. Later I learned
new facts about surrender from the Word
of God, and from the experience of myself
and others as interpreted by the Word. But
it is a glorious fact that God meets us when
our heart is right, and He meets us where
we are, and according to the measure of the
knowledge we have. In my prayer I ex-
pressed my surrender in a logical way.
First, I told the Lord I surrendered all my
sins. This, of course, every real Christian
has done. If we know that there are sins in
our lives and we deliberately desire to keep
on doing the things that we know are sin-
ful, there is a grave question whether we
have ever known the grace of God in our
lives. Second, I told the Lord I wanted to
surrender the doubtful things in my life.
There were some things that I did not call
sins. If I called them sins, they must be
given up. Now I wanted to give God the
benefit of the doubt, and yielded these
things to Him.
I recalled afterward a foolish story that
is told of a man and his wife who were go-
ing out to a party together. In this story
the wife was ready to go, and her husband
was still upstairs finishing his toilet. After
waiting a few moments she became impa-
tient, went upstairs, and looked into the
room. There was her husband standing
before the bureau, picking up one slightly
soiled collar after another, trying to decide
which was clean enough to wear. His wife
made one curt remark: “It it’s doubtful, it’s
dirty!” He found a clean collar and put it
on. It anything is doubtful for the Chris-
tian, it is not of faith, and that makes it sin
(Rom. 14:23). It is possible for Christians
to be legalistic and consider something
wrong which is not really wrong. There
was at least one thing in my life that I
yielded that day which afterwards I discov-
ered was not a sinful thing.
At that time, the question of worldly
amusements was not a problem. I had
faced these problems some time before,
and had definitely recognized the sin in
card playing and in the theatre. Dancing
and smoking, two other questionable
things that are often faced by young people
out, maybe now is the time at WMHR Riv-
erhead, NY, 90.9 FM on your dial, or on
the computer at www.marshillnetwork.org.
⎯ Joan Tyska
as problems, I had logically proved to my-
self were not God’s will for the Christian.
All such things may be yielded to Christ,
but that does not mean that peace and joy
and victory and power will necessarily re-
sult. But if these worldly things are not
yielded, they will be found to be a bar to
Christ’s greatest blessing.
After surrendering the doubtful things,
I surrendered the things that I counted
good things, along with my life plans. I
was looking forward to going to the mis-
sion field, and I yielded this to the Lord in
case it should be His will for me to remain
at home. I yielded to the Lord my doubts
concerning this and that part of the Old
Testament. I recognized what a flimsy ba-
sis such doubts had as over against the
overwhelming testimony to the Bible as the
Word of God. In any case, the yielding of
our own intellect to the guidance and con-
trol of God’s Spirit is a needful thing in
facing all questions of truth. Then I told
the Lord I surrendered my loved ones to
Him. His most precious gift to me at that
time was the love of a young woman to
whom I was engaged. It was a real transac-
tion when I faced the question and I told
the Lord I would bow to His will in case He
should want her love taken out of my life.
This gift was returned in a more precious
way. At that very hour, though I did not
know it, my loved one was alone in another
part of the conference grounds pouring out
her heart to God and asking for a similar
blessing of a Spirit-filled life. Years later a
friend asked this question: “Would you be
willing to surrender your wife to the Lord if
He wanted to take her?” The answer
seemed very natural: “Why, I did that when
I yielded my life to the Lord, before we
were married.”
When I had reached this point in my
prayer, a question came into my mind that
seemed almost like an audible voice: “Now
wait a moment. Do you think that with all
those past failures in your life, with all the
neglected opportunities, you can in just a
moment enter into this joy and peace and
victory that you have seen in other lives?”
Another voice seemed to say, “You are
continued on page 5
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making a surrender. Had you not better
surrender the past to the Lord?”
There was no emotion about this
prayer, as I recall it. It all seemed like a
definite business transaction. But there
was a quiet sense of reality in the definite
surrender of the past that I made to the
Lord. I realized anew that because Christ
had died and put away my sins, I could
turn all the past sins and failures over to
Him. I realized that He could restore the
years that the locust had eaten.
Almost immediately there came an-
other question, as though from an outside
person: “Now do not get excited. You are
here at this missionary conference. Every-
one is interested in spiritual things. It is
one thing to make a surrender like this
now. But wait until you get back to your
home. (We had tremendous problems in
our home.) Wait until you get back to that
church. (There was much of coldness and
spiritual deadness in the church.) Wait
until you get back to that business office.
You better wait and see how this works out
before making any definite decision to
thank Christ for victory before you have
tried it out to see whether the thing will
work.”
There came the answer: “You are mak-
ing a surrender. Had you not better sur-
render the future to the Lord?”
There came a quiet assurance as I did
surrender the future to the Lord. How
glorious this truth is for each of us this very
moment. As we look into the future, with
all the unseen problems, with all the un-
known paths, we can be assured that from
now until the day we see the Lord face to
face He is taking care of every need.
It took but a few moments to pray this
prayer of surrender. When I finished that
part of the prayer, I had no special emo-
tion, and I saw no vision. But it did seem
for me, for the first time consciously in my
life, there were just two persons in the uni-
verse⎯my Lord and I, and nothing else
mattered except the will of that other Per-
son. That is what surrender is. For the
first time it seemed that there was nothing
between my Lord and me.
However, I had in mind that this was
just the first part of what I was to do. Since
I was yielded to Christ, and He had ac-
cepted me, my part now was to thank Him
that He was living in my heart, and that He
was now meeting all my need. Not, He will
meet every need, but He is meeting every
need. Again, I saw no vision, and I had no
special emotion. But it seemed to me that I
was standing on the shore looking out on a
measureless ocean that represented the
boundless grace of God. There was a boat.
I had one foot in the boat. The question
was, Would I put both feet into the boat?
That is, would I thank God, apart from all
feelings, and upon the basis of His Word,
that His grace is sufficient, that Christ is
actually living in my heart, and that He is
meeting all these needs? I took God at His
Word, and thanked Him. I put both feet
into the boat. When we rose, I went out
from that room with no special emotion,
but with a clear conviction that there was a
new attitude in my life. Something had
happened. I had made a decision.
I went to my room and opened the Bi-
ble. I had a new Bible. I was reading
words now that were the words of my Fa-
ther, personally, to my heart. What rich
treasure now lay before me as I considered
that now Bible study was listening to the
Father’s voice. Now I was on the inside of
this Book. It was written for me. I do not
recall what I read that night, but I soon
went to bed with the peace that passeth all
understanding. Early in the morning, at
daybreak, I awakened and climbed over the
cot of the seminary student with whom I
was rooming. I hastily dressed and went
out with God’s Word to search into this
new treasure. I turned to a verse on the
resurrection. It was perhaps the verse con-
cerning the exceeding greatness of His
power to usward who believe, according to
the power of the resurrection (Eph. 1:19,
20). I turned from this to the verses in
Romans six about being united with Christ
in the likeness of His resurrection, and
walking in newness of life. As I recall it,
there must have been six or eight verses on
the resurrection in different parts of the
New Testament that seemed to leap out of
the pages. This was my first Bible study
describing the new life I had begun to en-
joy. It was present resurrection life, the
power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. In
prayer that morning I asked in faith for the
salvation of a loved one who was far from
God, and prayer seemed a new thing. It
appeared also that my great problem of not
being able to speak to people about their
souls was solved. It seemed that I could
freely speak to any one, when the Lord
opened the way.
That day some of the old temptations
returned. I realized that in myself I was as
weak as ever. There were the same desires,
the same temptations, the same possibility
of sin⎯nay, the certainty of sin, apart from
the grace of the Lord. But this new secret
was that I could look to the Lord in faith
and expect a power not my own to take
hold and give victory, as I yielded and
trusted Him.
It was quite evident to me that the
Psalmist was not using extravagant lan-
guage when he spoke of God’s Word being
sweeter than honey, and more to be de-
sired than gold. The Apostle was speaking
literal truth when he testified about “the
peace that passeth all understanding.” Our
Lord really meant it when He spoke of
leaving us His peace and His joy. The
amazing prayer promises of the New Tes-
tament were intended to be taken at face
value. So also did the glorious statements
about union with Christ, and the power of
the Holy Spirit in the life, have a practical
application to the everyday experiences of
humble Christians.
In the same way, I realized that the
promises of power for service were in-
tended even for me. I knew that results
would come. From that day to this, as I
think of those who have heard the Lord’s
glad message of salvation and victory, and
have entered in, there has never been the
slightest thought that I had anything to do
with this work. It was God’s working. By
His grace, I was one of those who had the
privilege of giving out His Word.
The immediate result of this new un-
derstanding of the grace and power of the
Lord that came to several of the young
people in that conference, was a prayer
group of six that met every week for a year,
planning for the establishing of a young
people’s conference, where this message
and the message of the mission fields
should be prominent. The result was the
Oxford Conference in 1913 (held in the
little town of Oxford, Pennsylvania), with
Dr. Griffith Thomas and Dr. Henry Frost as
the two chief speakers, and Dr. J. Alvin Orr
as the chairman. At Dr. Frost’s suggestion,
the conference moved in 1914 to Princeton,
where the meetings were held till 1918,
moving in 1919 to Stony Brook, and in 1924
to the permanent home of the Victorious
Life Testimony in Keswick, New Jersey.
It seemed more than a coincidence
that the original week chosen for this con-
ference should be the third week of July,
the same week as the great Keswick con-
vention in England. When Dr. Griffith
Thomas, one of the Keswick speakers, was
at Oxford in 1913, his first conference en-
gagement after coming to America, Dr.
Charles G. Trumbull was at the English
Keswick. Cablegrams of greeting were ex-
changed between the young conference in
America, which was to develop into Amer-
ica’s Keswick, and the conference which for
sixty years has proclaimed the satisfying
sufficiency of Christ for every yielded
Christian.
5

October 30, 2010 – It
did not take long for the
sign-up sheet to fill up for a
bus trip into the city to
view the King Tut exhibit.
We thank Denise Tolf, the
WRBC’s secretary, for
acquiring the tickets and arranging for the
transportation. That Saturday morning, 29
participants boarded the church bus to
head to the city with Carl Chapman taking
on the driving responsibilities. Thanks to
both Denise and Carl
for their part in
bringing together
another fun outing.
There was a lunch
stop at Ciro Trattoria
Restaurant for some fun and relaxation
before arriving back late afternoon very
tired but a little more knowledgeable about
King Tut. Also, thanks to Dr. Vic Bellard
for putting together a pamphlet with a Bib-
lical timeline according to the Old Testa-
ment Scriptures along with the brochure
accompanying the exhibit put out by the
Egyptian government.
October 31, 2010 – A small group of
people attended Candidates’ Night at the
Calvary Baptist Church in Riverhead ar-
ranged by Jason McGuire of the New
Yorker’s Family Research Foundation.
Three candidates shared their platforms
and participated in a question and answer
session⎯a prelude to Election Day two
days later.
November 6, 2010 – The Wading River
Fire Department sponsored a Spaghetti
Dinner for Philip Massimino, a firefighter
recovering from an auto accident which left
him with traumatic brain injury. As a re-
sult of the fundraising dinner being opened
to the community, the WRBC accepted the
invitation to support a fellow citizen while
at the same time providing another night of
fellowshipping for 19 members of WRBC.
Among those attending were Marge
Kurthy, Marge’s granddaughter, Sheena,
and Marge’s great
grandson, Robbi.
What a thrill it
was for little
Robbi when he
was given the
grand tour of all the fire trucks and left
with a souvenir⎯a child-sized firefighter’s
hat. The fire department also has a souve-
nir of Robbi; a picture of him is now hang-
ing on the wall of the Wading River Fire
Department.
Also attending the dinner was a couple
by the name of Jim and Liz Foster who
were seated with the group from WRBC.
A Month in Review
As the conversation continued with Jim
and Liz, the couple revealed that Jim had
just lost his job on Wall Street. Upon
learning of their circumstances, Jim and
Liz were added to the WRBC prayer list
with promises to pray for them.
November 13, 2010 – “God’s Harvest
Senior Saints’ Luncheon” met in the fel-
lowship hall for a beef stew luncheon
served by a group of volunteers from the
church. Not sure which group had the
most fun⎯the seniors (pictured above) or
the volunteers (pictured below). Both
shared a special bond of fellowshipping
and love that overflowed into the unity of a
great luncheon. Doug Heuzey shared a
devotional emphasizing Scriptural refer-
ences to harvest.
November 14, 2010 – A special retire-
ment celebration was
held for Dr. Vic Bellard
after the Sunday service
on November 14. It of-
fered another moment to
gather together over a
meal and to extend con-
gratulations to Dr. Bellard on his retire-
ment from SUNY Farmingdale State Col-
lege. Dr. Bellard holds the record at Farm-
ingdale State College for the greatest num-
ber of different courses taught⎯25 courses
in all. After 41 years at Farmingdale, it is
agreed that his retirement is well earned.
November 19, 2010 – “The WRBC Mov-
ing Van Volunteers” were at it again, this
time moving Joe and Martie Best into their
new home in Manorville. A few hours
given over to the move were better than a
workout in the gym for a handful of people
from the church, giving Joe and Martie
their first night of rest in their new home.
November 20, 2010 – Lincoln’s
Thanksgiving Proclamation was read by
Mike Pandolfini to welcome all those at-
tending the third annual Thanksgiving
Harvest dinner. Thanks to Liz Hyland for
planning the details of the dinner; giving
the Fellowship Hall a glow of Thanksgiving
atmosphere with the decorations; and
making sure that there was ample food for
all, considering the outstanding atten-
dance.
A special invitation to attend the din-
ner was extended to Phil and Shelly
Ormsby and their three sons: Nathan, Mi-
chael, and David. Phil is the Long Island
Ministry Coordinator for Child Evangelism
Fellowship (CEF) and one of the mission-
aries supported by the WRBC. Phil, in ad-
dition to enjoying a Thanksgiving meal
prepared by the ladies of the church, gave a
short devotional during the service in the
sanctuary held after dinner.
After dinner, everyone went upstairs
for a short time of devotions, musical per-
formances by
several of the
talented musi-
cians within the
church, and a
special apprecia-
tion of the first
Thanksgiving dramatized by the Awana
Group led by Chris Hallstrom and Liz
Hyland. Joining Chris and Liz in the first
Thanksgiving drama were the boys and
girls of WRBC’s Awana Club.
Last on the agenda was dessert served
in the fellowship hall. Without a doubt,
some of the best cooks in the area are
members of the WRBC. Liz Hyland can
attest to how good the
apple pie was as she was
finally able to kick back
and enjoy some of the
sweet delights herself.
Thanks, Liz, for another
wonderful Thanksgiving Harvest Dinner.
You’re the best!
⎯ Joan Tyska
6
 December Bible Quiz Questions
1) Who had all of her grandsons killed, with the exception of Joash,
so as to gain the throne as queen of Judah?
2) Which group of people was tested by Jeremiah at the word of
God to see if they would remain obedient to the vow made to the
commandment of their forefather to abstain from drinking wine?
3) Where and by whom is David referred to as a prophet in the
New Testament?
November Bible Quiz Answers
1) Simon, a Cyrenian (Mark 15:21). He was compelled to
carry Jesus’ cross (see also Matthew 27:32; Luke 23:26).
2) David (Psalm 31:5) and Stephen (Acts 7:59).
3) Doxology.
4) Five.
5) Proverbs 30:1 (Agur) and Proverbs 31:1 (King Lemuel).

4) Jesus said that Moses permitted divorce for what reason? Bonus: Yes, the Apostle Paul had the gift of speaking in
tongues (1 Cor 14:18).
5) What was engraved on the precious stones that were set in the
breastplate of the holy garment worn by the high priest?
Bonus: Where in the Old Testament are the Urim and Thummim first
mentioned, and what is the literal meaning of those names?
― Felix Acerra The Birthday Corner
December 2nd – Pastor Noel
Submit the answers and Bible references to: office@wrbc.us
Faustinorio
December 5th – Bob Drummond
The Anniversary Corner December 8th – Martie Best

December 18th – Noel & Nora Faustinorio December 9th – George Ehmann
December 10th – Ruth Kerr
December 28th – Tom & Laura Kelleher
December 13th – Kristen Hallstrom
December 31st – Dennis & Joan Tyska
December 16th – Pastor Ron Glass
December 22nd – Katie Glass
December 2010
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 8:00 AM Ladies Prayer 2 3 4
– Joan Tyska (727-5998) 6:30 PM
7:00 PM Prayer Meeting AWANA
and Exposition of Psalms

5 9:45 AM Sunday 6 7 8 8:00 AM 9 10 11

School – “God’s Word Ladies Prayer 6:30 PM
and Everyday Ethics” 7:00 PM Prayer Meeting AWANA
(Peter Albrecht) and Exposition of Psalms
11:00 AM Morning
Worship Service

12 9:45 AM Sunday 13 14 15 8:00 AM 16 17 18

School (Biblical Ethics) 7:00 PM Ladies Prayer
11:00 AM Morning Board of 7:00 PM Prayer Meeting
Worship Service with Deacons and Exposition of Psalms
“Night of the Father’s Meeting
Love” by WRBC Choir

19 9:45 AM Sunday 20 21 22 8:00 AM 23 24 25

School (Biblical Ethics) Ladies Prayer 7:00 PM
11:00 AM Morning 7:00 PM Prayer Meeting Christmas
Worship Service and Exposition of Psalms Eve Service

26 11:00 AM Morning 27 28 29 8:00 AM 30 31

Worship Service Ladies Prayer
(No Sunday School) 7:00 PM Prayer Meeting
and Exposition of Psalms

7
PO Box 438
Wading River, NY 11792
Wading River Baptist Church
• For the Exaltation of God in All Things
• For the Proclamation of Faith in Christ
• For the Transformation of God’s People
Our Purpose
1. To glorify God through sharing
the good news of salvation by God’s
sovereign grace through faith in His
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. To nurture believers through a
strong program of Christian educa-
tion, youth ministries, and expository
Biblical preaching.
3. To provide an opportunity for
Biblical worship, service, and fellow-
ship.
4. To extend our ministry through-
out America and around the world
through participation in home and
foreign missions.
WRBC is affiliated with the Conserva-
tive Baptist Association of America
and the Conservative Baptist Mission
to the Northeast.