Pulpit Guests
The Cure for Anxiety and Stress
November 12, 2023 • Rob Looper • Matthew 6:25–34
This is the final opportunity for members to submit their pledges during morning worship. Members who have not made a commitment or otherwise contacted the church will be contacted by church officers. For details, go to http://briarwood.org/emc.
For Such a Time as This
November 5, 2023 • Mark Cushman • Esther 4
During the Morning Worship Services, members have the opportunity to turn in their EMC commitment cards for 2024. The Every Member Commitment provides the opportunity for members to indicate their intended level of giving to the Lord’s work for the next year. For details, go to http://briarwood.org/emc.
Not Ashamed of the Gospel
October 29, 2023 • Stafford Carson • Romans 1:16–17
Dr. Stafford Carson is principal and professor of ministry at Union Theological College in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He previously served as executive vice president of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and minister of First Presbyterian Church in Portadown, Northern Ireland.
Crisis Mode
October 15, 2023 • Randy Thompson • 1 Peter 4:1–6
Born and reared in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia, Randy Thompson holds a B. S. from Virginia Tech, a M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary, and a D. Min. from Westminster Seminary in California. He was the church planter and then pastor of Evangelical Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Cape Coral, Florida in 1980 and served there until 1995. He has also served as pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenwood, Mississippi. In 2002 he became the pastor of First Presbyterian. He and his wife Cathy, have four grown children and eight grandchildren.
Life As Trial
October 8, 2023 • Dr. Dan Doriani • James 1:1–12
Dan Doriani founded and leads the Center for Faith and Work Saint Louis, and is the host of Working with Dan Doriani, a faith and work-focused podcast. In his principal calling, he has pastored churches, served as faculty in colleges and seminaries, and authored and edited a number of books. Dan holds degrees from Geneva College, Westminster Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, and also currently serves as vice president at large and professor of biblical and systematic theology at Covenant Theological Seminary.
How Christ Matures Our Faith
October 1, 2023 • Joel Beeke • Matthew 15:21–28
Joel Beeke served as president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary from its founding in 1995 until 2023. He presently serves as the seminary’s chancellor and professor of systematic theology and homiletics. He is a pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan (since 1986), editor of the Puritan Reformed Journal and the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, board chairman of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society.
Is God Sovereign?
September 24, 2023 • Randy Pope • Genesis 45—50
Randy Pope is the founding pastor of Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, Georgia. After 42 years of leading Perimeter Church, in September 2019, he moved into the role of full-time Assistant Pastor of Perimeter Church and President of Life on Life Ministries. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a major in math and Reformed Theological Seminary. His personal passion and commitment is to make and train disciples of Christ. He just finished his 53rd consecutive year disciplining a few men. He founded Life on Life Ministries, an organization committed to establishing life-on-life missional discipleship in churches worldwide. In addition to training church leaders throughout the world, he has been a guest lecturer at numerous universities and graduate schools. He has written books specifically for pastors and leaders, The Intentional Church and Insourcing. He has also written a book for singles, Finding Your Million Dollar Mate. He has developed resources used around the world that include: The Journey, a gospel-centered resource for discipleship and Express Your Faith, a relational way to help others investigate Christ. He has also developed resources for those exploring Christianity that include Life Issues and Next Steps booklets. Randy and Carol have four grown children and fifteen grandchildren.
The End of Death: How Jesus Rose to Call You to Follow Him
September 17, 2023 • Murray W. Lee • John 21:15–19
http://dr.murray Lee is a lifelong resident of Birmingham AL. He is a graduate of Samford University (Communication Studies, 2002) where he met his wife Kim, Covenant Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, 2005), and University of Alabama (Ph.D. in Organizational Communications through the College of Communications and Informational Sciences, 2017). In January 2006, Murray was hired by Covenant Presbyterian Church (Birmingham, AL) to serve as Assistant Pastor of Church Planting. In September 2007, he and Kim planted Cahaba Park Church PCA, a daughter church of Covenant Presbyterian Church. Cahaba Park Church PCA was particularized in September 2008. Murray served as Cahaba Park Church PCA’s as Senior Pastor until September 2022. Murray led Cahaba Park Church PCA in the planting of three daughter churches and established a church planting ministry, COHORT, with the help of CPC’s daughter churches and Mission to North America. Approximately 20% of new PCA church plants each year come through the COHORT ministry. COHORT has helped establish more than 80 new churches in 10 years. God has blessed the PCA already through the organizational leadership gifts of Murray as a member of the MNA Permanent Committee (2013-2022); MNA permanent Committee Chairman (2021 – 2022); Evangel Presbytery Moderator (2020 and 2021) and Evangel Presbytery MNA Committee Chairman (2016 – 2022) and assisted in establishing the Alabama Church Planting Network and served in various leadership positions. Murray and Kim have been married twenty years and have three children. In addition to his passion for his family and for ministry, he loves watching his kids play the sports they love, working in the yard and Alabama football.
Knowing God’s Love Through Suffering
September 10, 2023 • Tom Hawkes • Hebrews 12:5–7
Dr. Tom Hawkes – Lead Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Fernandina Beach, Florida Tom Hawkes is an experienced pastor and church planter who served in the PCA before being called to Florida by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. He also serves as the Director of Church Planting for the Florida Presbytery. A graduate of Gordon College, Gordon-Conwell Seminary, and the Free University of Amsterdam, Tom completed his Ph.D. at the London School of Theology and has lectured at several seminaries around the world. Currently, he teaches church planting to doctoral students at Birmingham Theological Seminary.