From The Publisher

To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, greetings from all of us here at Believers’ Bulletin. I would like to welcome you to our initial edition and share our mission with you. 

In C.S. Lewis’ satirical novel “The Illustrated Screwtape Letters”, he writes from the perspective of Satan dealing with his demons as it relates to the Church. The idea is to target and tempt humans away from true faith by creating divisions within the Church. The strategy is to get a Christian convert to focus on the earthly and flawed aspects of the Church, thus distracting him or her from genuine worship. Things such as seating, what the Pastor wears, the type of music, etc.. Satan, and many world leaders, do not want the disciples of Christ to be unified. That is where we hope and pray to make a difference.

Even though we may have different views on formal or informal attire, traditional or contemporary music and other things, we all share one glorious thing in common. We are all children of GOD.

The Believers’ Bulletin is intended to bring Christians together and since we have to start somewhere, we are starting in the Wake and Johnston County areas. We are looking to unite all of us by bringing us together on common ground. We will do so as we:

Educate You

Entertain You

Empower You

Just know that you are part of our family and we look forward to strengthening our bond with each other as well as doing all that we can to go forth and make disciples as instructed by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. May the GOD of us all bless you and keep you.

John Ellis

Daily Devotional Guide

Sunday 11/16 - God’s Grace in Every Season

Scripture: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
No matter the season—joy or struggle—God’s grace is steady and sure. When we come to the end of ourselves, His strength begins.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for grace that carries me through every moment. Amen.

Monday 11/17 - The Light Still Shines

Scripture: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” — John 1:5 (NIV)
Darkness never wins. Even in the hardest times, the light of Christ keeps shining. Let His light guide your steps and give you hope today.
Prayer: Jesus, be the light in my life and help me reflect Your brightness to others. Amen.

Tuesday 11/18 - A Peace That Stays

Scripture: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” — Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
True peace isn’t the absence of problems—it’s the presence of God. When we trust Him fully, His peace calms every storm within.
Prayer: Lord, help me to fix my mind on You and rest in Your peace. Amen.

Wednesday 11/19 - Purpose in the Process

Scripture: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” — Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Even when we can’t see it, God is weaving purpose through our pain. Every setback is an opportunity for His glory to shine through.
Prayer: Father, thank You for working all things for my good, even when I don’t understand. Amen.

Thursday 11/20 - Renewed Each Morning

Scripture: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” — Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)
Every sunrise is proof that God hasn’t given up on us. His mercy resets our hearts and renews our hope daily.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for fresh mercy and unending love. Help me begin this day with gratitude. Amen.

Friday 11/21 - God’s Timing Is Perfect

Scripture: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” — Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
We may not understand God’s timing, but it’s never late—it’s always right. What feels delayed is often divine preparation.
Prayer: Lord, help me to trust Your timing and wait with faith instead of worry. Amen.

Saturday 11/22 - Strength for the Journey

Scripture: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” — Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
When life wears you down, hope lifts you up. God’s strength never runs out—He renews those who trust in Him.
Prayer: Father, renew my strength today. Help me soar above every challenge in Your power. Amen.

Food For Thought

A pastor asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.
“Lord, I hate buttermilk”, the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going.
The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.” Now the pastor was growing concerned. Without missing a beat, the farmer continued - “And Lord, you know that I do not care for raw white flour.” The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he was not the only one to feel uncomfortable.
Then the farmer added, “But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So Lord, when life gets hard, when we do not understand what you’re saying to us then help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits.” Okay? Amen”.
- Author Unknown

This week's Church of the Week is First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), located at 1001 South Crescent Drive in Smithfield, NC. Founded in 1947 as a mission project of the Disciples of Christ by 14 families that wanted to start a new congregation. 

They were the first church in the downtown Smithfield area to welcome a fulltime female pastor 30 years ago and Reverend Beth Burton Williams is still serving First Christian Community to this day. The mission of the church is to advance a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world by sharing the love of Christ with everyone that they come in contact with.

Their ministries include, but are not limited to, a food pantry with 24/7 access, hosting the South Smithfield Community Picnic, weekly Bible study, Hand Bell Choir, school supply drive in the Fall and Breakfast with Santa. Their Breakfast with Santa brings in over 200 community children and their families for breakfast and a photo op with Santa. They are excited about their callaboration with other Smithfield area churches to host unity events such as "Lenten Lunch Series" and "Partnership with Children".

Visitors can expect traditional and contemporary worship styles blended together into one service including time for children and Holy Communion on a weekly basis. The church is here to serve by living out their faith through internal fellowship and external service. 

They would love to have you come and worship with them if you are looking for a church home. You can find out more about First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) by visiting them online at www.fcc-smithfield.org.

* If you would like to have your church spotlighted then reach out, via email, to believersbulletin004@gmail.com.

Bible Reading Guide

Have you ever wanted to read the entire Bible but thought that it was too overwhelming? Each week we will have a guide that will have the Bible read in its entirety by Thanksgiving 2026. Let's get started.

Sunday 11/16 - Genesis 1-3 and Psalm 1

Monday 11/17 - Genesis 4-7 and Psalm 2

Tuesday 11/18 - Genesis 8-11 and Psalm 3

Wednesday 11/19 - Genesis 12-15 and Psalm 4

Thursday 11/20 - Genesis 16-18 and Psalm 5

Friday 11/21 - Genesis 19-21 and Psalm 6

Saturday 11/22 - Genesis 22-24 and Psalm 7

We would love to hear about your progress. Send results to believersbulletin004@gmail.com

Sunday Morning Comics

Personal Testimony

Each week will provide an opportunity for a fellow brother or sister to share their personal testimony. This week we are honored to have Jeff Wuchich of Rolesville, NC share with us.

"Are you playing the blame game? Staying mired in your pain of some circumstance, the bitterness eating you alive? If so, I can relate. I was existing that way for many years. God transformed me, then equipped me for a life I could not have imagined. I am grateful to have the opportunity to share my testimony with you.
God intervened in my life in a mighty way July 30, 2002. I was in the grip of alcoholism. I was about to lose yet another job because of it. I had already gotten divorced and hand bounced into another toxic relationship. That day I was driving drunk down I 20 in rural South Carolina. It was pouring rain. The weight of all my pain had me wanting to die. I started gunning the engine, hoping a crash would bring the end. I saw a rainbow, and recalled God’s covenant. My agnostic heart cried out “God, if you are really there, help me.”
He did. In the form of a state trooper. I spent the next 24 hours in jail. There was another drunk driver in the jail cell with me. He had killed someone that night. In all my selfishness, it never occurred to me that I might harm or kill someone else. It finally started sinking in that alcohol ruled my life, and that my life was in ruins. I realized that I did not want to die, but I knew I did not want to go on existing as I was. I really did not want to harm anyone else either.
Fast forward then to August 11, 2002 (about 11 days later), I finally admitted defeat - that I was powerless over alcohol and needed help. A week later God prompted me to share with my boss what had happened, and God further intervened in a mighty way. It turns out my boss had grown up in the very town in SC where I was arrested, and that his dad was a judge there. Mercy abounded and I had the opportunity to begin a spiritual journey of recovery that I have stayed on to this day.

A touchstone verse for me has been John 9:1-7. Jesus healing the man born blind. In this passage the disciples and Jesus meet a man blind from birth. With the (misguided) perspective (from Exodus 20:5–6, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9-10) that all affliction stems from
sin, they wonder who is to blame. Jesus, instead, points the disciples to focus on God’s glory shining through this circumstance and to stop worrying about the blame. God has indeed used all of the things I did wrong while in active alcoholism and put them to use in bringing His grace and healing to others.
God also blessed me with a wonderful wife, Renee. We’ve been married nearly 22 years now. She has helped me to grow spiritually in ways I did not know possible. We have built a marriage that, while not perfect, is striving to exemplify Ephesians 5:21-33. It’s not lost on me how God’s hand has been all over our relationship (even down to her maiden name, Godwin - “God wins” )
He also blessed me with a talent for sales, and I was able to build a successful software sales career that also involved me being able to launch my own business. I had feared that my sales ability only came from the bottle, but God helped me to hone that ability to heights I had not thought I would aspire to. I could stop here and it would already be
very clear that God had accomplished so much through me.

But there is so much more he had in store for me and paths and transformations that are incredible for me to reflect on as I write this. Next I'll take you to July 15th, 2007. That's when our son, Matthew, was born. He had complications within the first few hours of birth. Doctors thought he had a seizure. He was put into the NICU and spent the first 10 days of his life in a medically induced coma.
Then began a journey of all sorts of hospital stays and medicines and questions leading in an 18-month process, getting to the point of the diagnosis of an ultra-rare neurological disease that had no cure and was going to be super debilitating to his life. A disease called alternating hemiplegia of childhood. It's like seven diseases all rolled together, having some of the symptomologies that look like stroke, seizures or epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ADHD, and autism.
Now, Renee and I had had challenges in conceiving Matthew. In fact, it was through the in vitro process that conceived Matthew. I started blaming myself for all of this, even though God had already seen me through a lot of stuff and a lot of development. I had already said yes that I wanted to be healed and had gone through a spiritual cleansing process of my own before this. I thought I had let go of the blame game, had looked for ways to let God’s works be done through my life, and had healed. I started to play the blame game again. But with the tools I had learned to utilize since returning to faith, I did quickly let go of the blame game and turned to God. This passage was the key for me.
And it's interesting that while my wife Renee was pregnant with Matthew, we were in the midst of this 9 month Bible study called Disciple 1. And at the end of that, all the people, and there were like 20 plus in our group, were supposed to tell each other what we see as spiritual gifts in that person. Everyone was saying I should become a therapist or a counselor. Of course I was still a software sales rep at the time. With that going on, I totally rejected this feedback. I said, “No, no, I don't see that. I don't want to answer that kind of call. “
But then God kept knocking. And He, as I was traveling for sales, sent pastors and counselors to sit next to me and people who just started pouring out their life stories and to me saying, don't know why I'm telling you this, but I'm going to share this because I think you can help me. While all those things happened, it was when presented with my
son, I finally saw the light, and was able to answer “ yes, I recognize God that this is what you're calling me to.”
I'd like to say I jumped right into seminary and jumped right into counseling. And, oh, it's been all hunky-dory and I was quick in answering the call. Unfortunately, no, I dragged my feet left and right. In fact, it took me another year and a half. until the fall of 2010, before I started seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary. first to get a master's in divinity and then eventually to also add on and get a master's in pastoral counseling.
I did my studies very part-time while I also got into advocacy for Matthew's rare disease. Renee and I founded and built a nonprofit, Cure AHC (www.cureahc.org) that today is flourishing and leading the way in cutting -edge research that may just have the cure for alternating hemiplegia of childhood within reach. We turned the reins over in 2019 to others with more time and resources than we had, and are grateful to see God continuing to bless the efforts we had poured into that organization. We remain ambassadors for it. Matthew has thrived beyond what doctors had said was possible, and we are grateful to God for that blessing, despite his ongoing significant challenges.
All those things God blessed me with and God's glory was displayed in each case. It's culminating now in the fact that I have retired from software sales. I am now a therapist, working towards licensure as a marriage and family therapist for a company called Paradigm Therapy. (www.paradigmtherapypractice.com ) . I share this with you to say
that it has only been the grace of God that has made that possible. It has been the opportunity when I've answered yes, that God has blessed that in so many incredible ways. When I stopped playing the blame game, I could see Matthew not as his disease, not as a missed potential, not as someone who is nothing like what I had envisioned my
son to be, but rather as God’s miracles made manifest in this wonderful young man who is our son.
I will leave you with these three points of encouragement:
One, stop playing the blame game. It is the biggest tool of the enemy. And the consequences are not worth any of the potential rewards.
Two, whatever you're facing right now in your life, try to ask the question, how can I allow the work of God to be displayed? Who might God be directing me to help this happen?
And finally, ask the question, do you want to be healed? See, some people still want to hold on to their stuff. I certainly kind of held on to a lot of that stuff, kicking and screaming over the 10 plus years it took me to get my two degrees. And then the five plus years it took before I finally jumped into doing therapy as a full-time role in retiring from software sales.
I promise you that the effort, mountainous as it can be, will be worth it because the prize of letting go of the blame game, the prize of letting God's glory and works be displayed in your life, and the process of healing will bring a joy and a peace that can be found nowhere else."

- Jeff Wuchich

Recipe of the Week

Submitted by Grace Johnson - Benson, NC

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Serves: 6–8
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

3 lbs (about 6 medium) russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup milk (or half-and-half for extra creaminess)

4 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

(Optional) ¼ cup sour cream or cream cheese for richness

Instructions:

Boil potatoes & garlic:
Place potatoes and garlic in a large pot, cover with cold water, and add a teaspoon of salt.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Drain and mash:
Drain the water completely.
Return potatoes and garlic to the pot and mash with a potato masher or fork.

Add milk and butter:
Warm the milk and butter together (microwave or small pot) until melted and hot.
Pour into the mashed potatoes a little at a time, stirring until smooth.

Season:
Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in sour cream or cream cheese if desired.

Serve warm with a sprinkle of parsley or melted butter on top.

Quick Tip:
You can make this a day ahead — just refrigerate, then reheat with a splash of milk before serving.

BIBLE TRIVIA

Answers in next week's edition

Which prophet was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind?

Which New Testament church received a letter from Paul addressing issues like spiritual gifts and divisions?

Who interpreted the handwriting on the wall during King Belshazzar’s feast?

Each week we spotlight a Christian owned business that operates under Christian principles. This week's selection is Johnson's Lawn and Landscaping located in Smithfield, NC. Owned by Robbie and Claire Johnson for 35 years, the business started as a means to support a growing family and has grown through the loyalty of their customer base - many of them have been there since the beginning. 

Mr. Johnson's philosophy on running his business is to focus on being honest with people and everything else will fall into place. They are active in their church despite the busy schedule that they have and just recently completed the Memorial Garden, with help from other church members, to celebrate the Pastor's faithfulness and commitment for so many years.

To request a quote, email Robbie at robbiejohnson0819@gmail.com

If you have a business that you know operates under Christian principles then feel free to nominate them by emailing us at believersbulletin004@gmail.com

Prayer Request

Please keep the following brothers and sisters in your prayers. If you or someone you know is in need of prayer, please submit the names to believersbulletin004@gmail.com.

Faith Anderson

Delma and Joyce Austin

Cathy Baker

Julia Barrett

Molly Barrett

Lucas Bennett

Samuel Briggs

Nathan Brooks

Helen Bunn

Megan Caldwell

Emily Carter

Ryan Chandler

Lily Chapman

Sarah Collins

Blake Dalton

Charlotte Dawson

Sue Dupree

Paige Ellison

Dylan Fletcher

Antoinette Griffin

Abbie Guthrie

Rachel Hammond

Joshua Harding

Olivia Harrington

Zoe Harper

Benjamin Hayes

Cole Jennings

Brandon Kent

Matthew Langford

Derek Lawson

Gavin Maddox

Ethan Mercer

Tyler Monroe

Glen Morgan

Caleb Norton

Lauren Pike

Hannah Porter

Claire Preston

Jacob Reynolds

Daniel Rivers

Trevor Sinclair

Victoria Sloan

Sue Smith

Natalie Thornton

Abigail Turner

Jenna Wallace

Grace Whitfield

Pet of the Week

We will spotlight a pet that is currently available for adoption at either the Wake or Johnston County animal shelter. This week's pet is Barney. 

Barney is currently at the Johnston County Animal Shelter. His information is as follows:

Animal ID 59621695

Species  Dog

Breed   Terrier, American Pit Bull/Mix

Age      

Gender  Male

Size     Medium

Color   Brindle

Spayed/Neutered        

Declawed No

Housetrained Unknown

Site  Johnston County Animal Services

Location  General Dogs

Intake Date 10/17/2025

You must be at least 18 years of age with a government-issued ID to adopt a pet from the Johnston County Pet Adoption Center. You do not need to be a Johnston County resident. Fees apply. Call the shelter, 919.934.8474, between 1:00p.m. and 4:30p.m. for questions and to schedule an appointment to view Barney and any other pets that are currently residing there. 

We are looking to expand the Believer's Bulletin and will be growing the following sections:

Upcoming Events

Family and Faith Resources

Volunteer and Service Opportunities

Classified Marketplace to share information between churches and people in the area.

If you have anything that you would like to list, please forward to believersbulletin004@gmail.com the Wednesday prior to the Sunday that the edition is scheduled to go out.

IT IS COMING!!!

In closing this week's edition, there is a hunger for a relationship with GOD. According to a report, since 2022 BIBLE sales are up 41.6%. That's is not all as Religion and Spirituality app downloads are up 79.5% since 2019 as well as Christian music streaming is up 50% over the same time period. 

As we look ahead to 2026, our prayer is that God will breathe new life into His Church — rekindling passion, unity, and purpose. Revival begins not in programs or plans, but in hearts that hunger for God’s presence and yield to His Spirit. Let this be our shared desire as a community of faith. So please join all of here at the Believer's Bulletin in the following prayer:

"Heavenly Father, We come before You with humble hearts, longing for Your presence and power to fill Your Church once again. As we prepare for 2026, we ask that You ignite a fresh fire of revival within us — one that transforms hearts, renews minds, and restores hope across our community.

Lord, awaken Your people from spiritual slumber. Let every believer hunger for Your Word, thirst for righteousness, and move with boldness to share the love of Jesus. Heal divisions, reconcile relationships, and unite us under the banner of Christ.

Pour out Your Spirit upon pastors, leaders, and congregations. May every church become a beacon of light, compassion, and truth in this dark world. Let Your presence be known through salvation, healing, deliverance, and joy.

Father, may 2026 be remembered not for our plans, but for a mighty move of Your Spirit that draws souls into Your Kingdom and glorifies Your Name.
Revive us again, Lord — starting in our hearts today.

In Jesus’ mighty name,
Amen."