First Pentecostal Holiness Church of Hemingway

First Pentecostal Holiness Church of Hemingway Regular Weekly Services:
Sunday School 10:00am
AM Service 11:00am
Sunday Evening 6:00pm
Wednesday 7:00pm

03/15/2026

Life Lessons from the Holy Spirit
Weekly Encouragement for Fellow Christians

I’ve been studying the joy of the Lord lately and it has brought me on some wonderful detours. One of those detours is today’s life lesson: Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday. It’s the way into God’s presence (along with praise and worship). I’ve shared how life has been super lifey lately. I found myself complaining and grumbling far too much. That’s not who I am anymore and frankly, I couldn’t stand being around me! Sorry to anyone else who had to be around me… Anyway, I brought it to God and He answered in the most unexpected way.

I was looking for a specific verse in Psalm and on the way there, stopped at Psalm 100. I didn’t end up moving on. That passage gripped me and just wouldn’t let go:

Psalm 100 (NLT)
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

This Psalm gave me step-by-step instructions for getting over myself and getting my focus back on God. The Holy Spirit showed me a very practical way to apply this in my day-to-day walk: Thank and praise God for everything. Everything. As in ALL things. Every time I caught (and catch) myself complaining, I thank God for that thing. For example, I was exhausted one day from doing so much. I wanted to complain about being tired but praised Him instead that I’m healthy enough now to BE tired from doing so much. There was a long period when I had the broken hip that I wasn’t able to move much. Now I can. I haven’t “arrived” and am far from perfect, but I’m learning to be thankful in ALL things, and that matters to God. Try it. You’ll be amazed at the difference in attitude in a short amount of time!

03/01/2026

Life Lessons from the Holy Spirit
Weekly Encouragement for Fellow Christians

The Holy Spirit has really been working with me on letting go of fear. The springboard for this week’s lessons is from Genesis 3:11 which starts with “Who told you that…?” Adam and Eve had sinned then hid from God when it would have been their normal time to literally walk with Him in the garden. Prior to the conversation with the serpent, they walked and talked with God daily. It was a two-way relationship: God met them there and they met Him there. That day, everything changed. God still showed up to spend time with them. THEY didn’t show up to spend time with HIM. All of a sudden, they were afraid, ashamed, and hid themselves from God.

God didn’t ask them where they were or if they’d eaten from the tree because He didn’t know the answer. He asked to let them know He was there and for them to come to Him. They could have come in repentance – truly sorry for what they’d done – asked His forgiveness and been restored. Instead, they ran, hid, blamed each other and the serpent… You probably know the story. It’s easy to sit back, a little smug, and think you wouldn’t do that. But don’t we? I know I do. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s the truth.

I have always struggled with the fear of not measuring up to His expectations and what people will think/say/do. Far too many times, I’m so afraid of making a mess, of not doing things perfectly, that I either hold back (my default) or don't step out at all (my 2nd default). There are times I don't try something new or go to God because I'm afraid of looking like a fool, being awkward, or sounding "weird". It’s so much easier to hide, blame circumstances, etc. than to just go to God and sit in His presence.

I’ve learned – and am still learning – that God shows up in the secret place every time, waiting for me to come and spend time with Him. He’s already there! Too many times, I don’t show up. I miss the divine appointments because I listen to the enemy’s lies telling me I’m not good enough, I don’t measure up, God doesn’t really love me unless I’m perfect. All of those are lies from the pit of hell. God DOES love me. He DOES want to spend time with my imperfect self. He DOES want the best for me. He DOES love me simply because I exist, because He created me. We love our babies simply because they exist and are ours even though they haven’t done one single chore yet, don’t we? It’s the same with God. He loves us even better and more than that! I’m asking myself more and more, “Who told me that?”

Dig Deeper: Genesis 3, Joshua 1:9, Psalm 100, Matthew 11:28-30

02/15/2026

Life Lessons from the Holy Spirit
Weekly Encouragement for Fellow Christians

Freedom doesn’t always, or hardly ever, looks or feels like you think it will. I’ve been pretty open about my testimony and past, sharing how God has used it over and over to help others find their way out of the pit. About three years ago, the Holy Spirit led me on a deep dive of loving, forgiving, and praying for my enemies. That was a hard, painful journey but freeing at the same time. God even gave me the opportunity to share that message a few times. Little did I know that it was preparation for the last couple of weeks.

There were two people who were the main abusers throughout my childhood. I am so grateful God taught me how to forgive them and give it all to Him to use as He will. I have prayed for those two (and many more) daily for years and really meant it for the last few. Let me be clear here: that is God in me, not me in my own strength. Submitting to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to work, teach, and lead me through that process was freeing. I learned – and am still learning – who God says I am and how to walk in that. It was a level of freedom I had never expected but was and am grateful for.

Two weeks ago, we received a call that one of them had passed away. Honestly, my first reaction was relief that I am now safe. I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore. Following closely behind the first reaction, though, was sadness and grief. I didn’t realize until that moment that I had still been holding on to hope that he would get his life together, heal, and become the person he could be in Christ. Nobody is EVER too far gone for Christ to redeem. Death, however, is when eternity starts. The time for decisions, redemption, saving, etc. is gone at that point. The time for surrendering his life to Jesus was over. His time had run out.

I did my part in forgiving, letting go, and praying for him daily. The rest is between him and God. I am not responsible for the outcome, only for my obedience to God and His word. I will forever be grateful that when the call came, God didn’t have to wade through unforgiveness, bitterness, or anything else from long ago. I was able to feel compassion for his wife and children because they lost someone they love, a version of this person that I didn’t know. I can be grateful for the freedom and sad for their loss at the same time through Christ who strengthens me.

Dig Deeper: Joshua 1:9. Philippians 4:12-13, John 8:36, Matthew 5:43-46

01/04/2026

Life Lessons from the Holy Spirit
Weekly Encouragement for Fellow Christians

Love your neighbor as yourself. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a command, right behind love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Throughout the Bible, we’re given examples of how to do this, how to love our neighbor. Whenever I thought about that command, I always thought about loving my neighbor in terms of grand gestures and big moves like the account of the Samaritan man who helped the man who had been attacked by bandits. Yes, those big moves are valid, necessary, and ordained by God; but in the day-to-day, how often do I come across situations like that? Not very!
The Holy Spirit pointed out that usually it’s the small, everyday things that allow us to live out the command to love our neighbors: a kind word, a prayer, a smile, a call or text to let someone know you’re thinking of them. Simple daily things that can have a huge impact. Sometimes, it’s about your name being on the hat. Let me explain.
I started a new job the week before Thanksgiving. (Thank you, Lord, for that answered prayer!) From day one, everyone welcomed me and made me feel like part of the team, like I’d always been there. That alone meant the world to me. Two weeks before Christmas, my coworkers started bringing small gifts for each other. And me! Let me be clear here, it wasn’t about the gifts themselves. It was that I was included even though I was new. (I also brought small gifts for each of them, not out of obligation but in appreciation.)
One of the gifts was an ornament that had a bunch of raccoons wearing Christmas hats on it. Each hat had the name of a team member printed on it. I was shocked to see that my name was on a hat! I teared up because I realized that ornament had to have been ordered very shortly after I started for it to be delivered in time for Christmas. To me, my name being on the hat was the equivalent of the Samaritan man taking care of the injured person. They didn’t even know how much of a struggle the past two years had been jobwise with the plant closing and the whole process that entailed; how disconnected and lost I’d felt. I knew I belonged to my family and my church family but had lost that connection at work.
Now when I think of loving my neighbor, I think of helping people see their names are on the hat. It’s not a grand gesture, it’s shining a light to let them know they’re seen, valued, and loved by the God who sees.

Dig Deeper: Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:29-37

12/01/2025

CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTINA DAME!!!
You are tonight’s prize calendar winner of a SC State Beach Pass, 2 beach towels, and a Shibumi shade tent!!

11/30/2025

CONGRATULATIONS GARRETT MANN!!!
You are tonight’s prize calendar winner of a Christmas Survival Kit!!

11/29/2025

CONGRATULATIONS LINDSAY SQUIRES!!!
You are today’s prize calendar winner of a Food Lion gift card!!

11/28/2025

CONGRATULATIONS KAREN ALTMAN!!!
You are today’s prize calendar winner of a Relaxing Spa-like Basket!!

11/27/2025

CONGRATULATIONS TRACI HARRELSON!!!
You are today’s prize calendar winner of a gift certificate to Farmhouse Cafe!!

11/26/2025

CONGRATULATIONS LISA FENTERS!!!
You are today’s prize calendar winner of $100 cash!!

11/25/2025

CONGRATULATIONS MICHELLE BRUCE!!!
You are today’s prize calendar winner of a Tupperware food storage set!!

11/24/2025

CONGRATULATIONS JOHNNY NETTLES!!!
You are today's prize calendar winner of a Kids Fun Basket!!

Address

107 East Andrews Street
Hemingway, SC
29554

Opening Hours

Wednesday 7pm - 8pm
Sunday 10am - 12pm
6pm - 7pm

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