FAMILY NEWS AND NOTES
March 30 will be here before we know it. On your mark and get ready to go …
OUR GOSPEL MEETING BEGINS March 30th and runs thru April 02. It is not too early to make your plans to attend. Already we have folks talking about the upcoming meeting with Michael Light preaching. We hope to have good crowds each evening. Won’t you be there?! Michael will be teaching the Ladies Bible Class on Tuesday. The men are invited.
Also, following the morning service on March 30th we will be having a Luncheon in the Multi-Purpose Room. Bring your favorite food. Everyone is invited. (Visitors … you are welcome.)
Michael will be staying with David & Janice McCain. We have a list on the table in the foyer for signatures from those who are able and willing to help with meals for Michael Light for a day and time of your choice. You may wish to take him to breakfast, a noon meal, or a evening meal. Please sign up.
On Saturday, March 22, CLEANING DAY, beginning 9:00 AM. Afterward we will have a luncheon furnished by Bob Hedges.
On the Saturday preceding our Meeting, the Young People will go door knocking from 10:00 AM to Noon. Those interested in doing this work please meet at the building about 9:45 AM. After the chore is done David McCain will be treating everyone to Pizza for lunch.
On Monday, March 31 we will have a Men’s Luncheon and bible Study at Western Sizzlin’ Restaurant.—Dutch Treat— Starting at 12 Noon. All men are encouraged and invited to attend.
Keith Rubedor, age 6, great grandson of Frances Neal, is doing a little better and was expected to go home on Saturday. However tests continue to try to determine the cause of his illness.
Frances Neal’s Aunt whose home is in Wichita Falls, passed away this past week. Her name was not available at the printing of this bulletin.
Gospel Meeting begins this week at Atlanta. Barry Grider will be preaching. He is from the Memphis School of Preaching. David and Janice will be going on Monday nite, so if some of you would like to carpool or in several cars, let David or Janice know. We’ll probably leave about 5:45 PM
R.C. Grissom was dismissed from the local hospital and is now back at home. We need to keep him in our prayers.
Ladies Day at Blodgett church of Christ at the Fellowship Building, (located across from the main building on CR 2850) on Saturday, March 29, beginning at 9:00 AM. Phyllis Hold Davis of Dallas will be guest speaker. Topic for the day is ’Swept Away in Kingdom Living.”
We regret the loss of the brother of Keith Fetters last week. His name was Eldon Fetters. Keith and Ercel returned to Iowa for the funeral service.
Alice Freeman’s father, Tillman Etheridge, passed away last week and his funeral was conducted on Tuesday with burial at Union Hill Cemetery in Titus County. Please remember Alice and extended family in your prayers.
It has been requested that we place Ronald Ladenburger on our prayer list. He is the grandson of Doug and Betty Abbey, and lives in Glenwood Springs, CO. He was diagnosed with an infected appendix.
Richard Massy, preacher at Weatherford, is in VA hospital in Dallas with some health problems. Please pray for him.
“North Jefferson Church ... “the family of Lurline Johnson acknowledges with grateful appreciation the kind expression of your sympathy. Your kind expressions of sympathy were so appreciated last week during our time of sorrow. The food, the flowers, the visits, the phone calls, all meant so very much to all of us. It is still so hard to believe that she is not with us., but we know where she is and for that we are most thankful.
With grateful appreciation to you all,
Debbie and family”
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PRAYER LIST
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Doris Bell, Louis & Nona Bell, Winell Blackard, Annah Brown, Billye Campbell, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide, Ben McCain, Charles Neal, Rebecca Tippitt, LaShedra Traylor
ALSO: Larry Clifton, Wesley DuBose, R. C. Grissom, Carlos Kidwell, Richard Massy, Betty Newman, Whayln Payne, Don Shuette, Paul Unger
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At What Price Unity?
There is a strange practice which seemingly is becoming more and more common among some of our sister congregations in the brotherhood. Apparently, the leadership of those congregations seem to think they have a crisis with some of their members, who are not satisfied with the style of worship which has characterized churches of Christ, since the first century. According to those brethren, our worship is said to be too "old-fashioned," or too "traditional," to suit the tastes of some brethren. Evidently it is not exciting enough for some, not politically correct enough for others, with our "out-dated" male-dominated leadership style, and just not "with it" for so many of the young known as “Generation X.” As I recently heard one brother lament, there is just a whole class of "disenfranchised-Christians" out there, who don't find that our traditional style of worship meets their perceived needs.
So, in the name of promoting “unity” in the church, and to make sure that those "disenfranchised-Christians" have their needs met, rather than them getting upset and moving their membership to another congregation, or even quitting the Lord’s church entirely, some congregations have arrived at what they think is a “solution” to the problem. They have decided to have multiple worship services, with different styles of worship in each, so that everyone can find a style of worship that will make them happy and meet their perceived needs.
For the modern set there will be an instrumental music service. For the neo-Pentecostal group there will be a service with hand waving, foot stomping, hand clapping, shouting, and maybe even speaking in tongues. For the feminists and the "P.C." crowd, there will be a service with female worship leaders. And, by all means remember they are promoting unity, so there will even be an "old-fashioned traditional service" for "old fogy's" like me.
What a wonderful solution! No more "disenfranchised-Christians." No more unhappy campers. No more unfulfilled worshippers. Everyone will be happy. Everyone will have their needs met. Unity will be promoted. The church will be saved from its own demise! Or will it?
OK, so I got a little carried away with my tongue-in-cheek description of the various services. At the present time, the congregations who are leading this new movement to "save the church," really have only two services. They have a "traditional service," and a "celebration service," as they call it. But, don't be surprised when it goes as far, or even further than I described, because that is the next logical step where this "unity-promoting" device is headed.
Why can't these brethren see that in the name of unity, they are the ones causing division in the body of Christ? As my mother often said, "why, anybody with one eye and half sense can see that!" That leads me to conclude that these brethren are either blind, or they haven't got half the sense they think they have. Perhaps the god of this world has blinded their minds (II Cor. 4:4). But, more importantly, where is it written that worship is for man's pleasure, or that its primary purpose is to meet man's needs? The last time I read John 4:20-24, I got the distinct impression that worship is supposed to please God, not man. Only God has the right to dictate our worship patterns and forms. When man's needs become the focus of worship, worship becomes vain (Mt. 15:7-9).
And, what about those "disenfranchised-Christians," whoever or whatever they are. So what if they don't like worship as God instructs? So what if they get mad and leave the church? Did Jesus run after the rich young ruler, and say, "Wait a minute, maybe I've been too harsh. Let's re-negotiate. How about half of everything you own?" I don't think so!
Yes, God wants us to have unity, but not at just any price. Yes, we are to “endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3), but not at the cost of upholding the truth of God’s Word (I Tim. 3:15, Jn. 8:32), which is the real foundation for Christian unity (Eph. 4:15, I Pet. 1:22). Paul had something to say about the cost of “unity” that ultimately leads to division. He wrote, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (I Cor. 1:10). David McCain
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