FAMILY NEWS AND NOTES
Volume 10 11 May 2008 Issue No. 11
If you have something that needs to be included in the announcements...please make certain you get it to the person making the announcements ... in legible written form … prior to announcement time.
COMMUNION FOR MAY 2008
SOUTH SIDE
NORTH SIDE
AM
Wayne Charlton Grady Duncan
Daniel McCary Royce Armstrong
David Neal George O’Neal
PM
Jimmy Jay Fox Charles Kyle
ANNOUNCEMENTS ….…..…..…… Jerry Freeman
SONG LEADER (AM) …….....................Hal Roper
(PM) …………..….........Hal Roper
Wednesday Nite …….......Daniel McCary
PRAYERS —– Sunday.
AM First Prayer …...… Wayne Charlton
AM Closing………….…..Jimmy Jay Fox
PM First Prayer……..… Grady Duncan
PM Closing……………..… Jody Sparks
PRAYERS — Wednesday Nite
First Prayer………..… Royce Armstrong
Closing……………...……..Rodney Cook
PRAYER LIST:
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Doris Bell, Louis & Nona Bell, Winell Blackard,
Billye Campbell, Jim Duncan, Patsy Duncan, Peggy Grimes, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide,
Ben McCain, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Wesley DuBose, R. C. Grissom, Myrtice Grissom, Kent Miller, Dana Morton,
Betty Newman, Don Shuette, Paul Unger, Yvonne Waldrup
And now for … FAMILY NEWS AND NOTES
MEN’S BUSINESS MEETING tonite following evening service. All men of the congregation are encouraged to attend. It’s only a moment out of your scheduled life and your input is very important.
Vacation Bible School June 9—13 ….! If you are willing and able to offer monetary assistance for refreshments … see Veleta McFerrin.
REMINDER: Boy’s & Men’s Retreat—Fri. & Sat. May 16 & 17—at Beaver Bend State Park in OK, hosted by Broken Bow church of Christ.
Remember … reception tonite following evening service … honoring Ben McCain, a graduating senior. Everyone is invited to attend. The event will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room.
Jim Duncan will undergo laparoscopic gall bladder surgery on Thursday, May 22, at Titus Regional Medical Center. If everything goes smoothly, he should be released from the hospital on the 23rd and be out of circulation for about a week. Jim has asked for our prayers.
Mary Glover’s brother is doing better. Mary requested that we keep him on our prayer list.
Rebecca Tippitt who is in the hospital at Tyler is also doing better. Keep her in your prayers.
R. C. Grissom, still in Hospice in Tyler, is feeling a little better Friday. Keep R. C. and Myrtice in your prayers.
Ann Carter’s brother, Thomas (Tom) Connor, passed away Tuesday and his funeral will be graveside at Omaha Cemetery this afternoon, May 11, at 2:00 PM.
Yvonne Waldrup, mother of Karen Roper, has been having some medical problems recently. Please keep Yvonne in your prayers.
Chancellor High, husband of Stephanie high and friend of the McCary’s and Roper’s, was involved in a car accident while working on Monday, receiving a broken leg and arm. He will probably need surgery. Chancellor and Stephanie have asked that we keep them in our prayers.
Barbara Duncan reports that Mary Taylor (Macky) of the North Ridge congregation will have hip replacement surgery Monday morning at Titus Regional Medical Center. She has asked to be placed on our prayer list.
Jeanette Miller (daughter-in-law of Weldon and JoAnn and Kent’s wife, was removed from life support on Friday. We should have and update for additional information by today.
Weldon Horn, brother of Peggy Grimes, had a stroke and an anuerism was removed from life support at Longview Regional Hospital on Friday. Additional information should be available by today. Keep the Horn family and Peggy in your prayers.
Dust to Dust
A little boy had just got home from Sunday School and mom was cooking lunch. "Mommy, is it true that before you're born you're just dust and after you die you go back to being dust?"
"That's right son, why?"
"Well that's just what they said at church today."
"Run up stairs and wash your hands son, lunch will be ready in a few minutes."
About 10 minutes went by and she called out for him to come down. "I'll be there in a minute." As they were about to sit down at the table, the little boy asked again about being dust before being born and after you die. Once again mother said, “Yes son.”
The little boy looked at her and said, “Then you better get up to my room pretty quick, because something under my bed is either coming or going!!”
Religious Unity
Jesus prayed fervently for the unity of all believers (Jn. 17:20-21). However, denominationalism thwarted the Lord’s prayer by creating hundreds of schisms and “isms,” effectively dividing the body of Christ into many competing factions, all vying for position as the Lord’s true church. Amidst all this confusion, is there any way we can achieve religious unity? Yes there is, if all who claim to follow Christ would throw away their denominational names, creeds, and doctrines, and restore the New Testament church by practicing only what the Bible authorizes and commands. The following principles, taken directly from the Scriptures, must be adhered to, if we would restore the unity of the Lord’s true church in our generation.
The foundation of the Lord’s church must be Christ, and Christ alone, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 3:11). The church of the New Testament was built by Christ (Mt. 16:18), and He is the head of His body, the church (Col. 1:18). Any attempt to build religious unity on the foundations of man-made denominations is destined to eternal failure, for the Lord warned, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Mt. 15:13).
The only creed or rule of faith and practice for the Lord’s church must be the New Testament of our Lord. According to Hebrews 1:1-2, Jesus is God’s final spokesman to mankind for these last days. In Jesus’ prayer for unity, in John 17, Jesus said He had shared the Father’s Word with His disciples, and that His Word was truth (vss. 8-17). In John 12:48-50, Jesus said His Word would be the standard of authority for judgment at the last day. Truly, if we would find religious unity, we will find it in the Scriptures, for as the Apostle Paul wrote, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (II Tim. 3:16-17).
This is the plea of faithful churches of Christ, to restore in our time the original New Testament church. We believe progress can be made toward accomplishing religious unity by going “back to the Bible” as our pattern for worship and practice. How many people in our world would find the plea of undenominational New Testament Christianity based upon the authority of the New Testament appealing, if we would but share that plea with them? The only way we will ever have Biblical unity is to let the Scriptures be our one and only guide in matters religious! David McCain
Mark your calendars for “Friends & Family Day,” on June 8th, and plan to bring at least one friend or family member each, to help us double our attendance!
