May 5, 2013 WELCOME! WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE We are a group of believers who simply try to follow the Bible as a guide for all we do. Everything done in our worship service is something for which we have a Bible basis. You are welcome to participate as much or as little as you wish. We will sing hymns together and we will observe the Lord's Supper or Communion together. We will also have an opportunity to give to the work of God in this area. This collection is for the members here, and if you are visiting you should not feel and pressure to give. Our lesson time will be divided into two groups. The young children will go to our classroom area in the basement where they will be taught the Bible at a level they can understand. The adults will stay in the auditorium for a lesson at an adult level. We do try to serve the community, and if you have some needs that we can help you with, mention it to one of the members. Thank you for worshipping with us.

FAMILY NEWS

POTLUCK TODAY: This is the first Sunday of the month, and our tradition is to have a meal together. If you did not bring anything, that is fine — we always have a lot left over. Stay and enjoy the food and being with God's special people.

APPROVAL SHEET: We have prepared a sheet which details the decisions we have made during the past month about this year's work. It is important that we all understand what is being done, how money is being used, and what our goals are for the future. Be sure to read this and if you have concerns or do not understand something on the sheet, let one of the men you see leading worship know.

BUILDING UPGRADED FOR WiFi: We have upgraded our technology here at the building another notch by adding WiFi to our system. To get the password see Karl Marcussen. This will allow us to use the web in our classes, and will allow people to use their laptops here at the building. This has the potential for abuse, especially for kids and grandkids, so families need to make sure it is used constructively.

TODAY'S LESSON

UNDERSTANDING REAL LOVE
PROVERBS 5

THE BACK PAGE

THE CASINO

The Four Winds Casino opened this past week amid much fanfare and with huge media attention. We know that the presence of a casino in our neighborhood is going to change the area and the community as a whole. We also know that the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians will do everything they can to be law abiding and to operate the casino in an honest way. Chief Leopold Pokagon moved the tribe to Silver Creek Township nearly 200 years ago and just over 10% of the 4,600 members of the tribe live in Cass County. The Pokagons are good citizens and have many good motives in building this facility here — jobs being the main one, but also services to members of the tribe.

With that having been said, we have to clearly state that as a body of Christians we oppose the introduction of what is called “a sin industry” to our community. Gambling is associated with evil and is a destructive force in our society, and while 125 jobs have been created, the pain gambling can bring to innocent people is undeniable. First Thessalonians 4:21 – 22 tell us to “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every appearance (or every kind) of evil.” We associate Las Vegas or Monte Carlo with gambling, and sin industries, not with “holding to good,” and the same is true in Dowagiac. The association of gambling with drugs, alcohol, prostitution, a wide range of addictions, and pornography is undeniable. The rapid growth of Gamblers Anonymous in America is an indicator that gambling is a social ill that is causing heartache and hardship on many families. We as Christians are called to be part of the solution of the problems of our friends and neighbors, not part of the problem.

We know the Pokagons will do all they can to control and minimize the social ills that the casino will bring to Dowagiac, but the ills will be there no matter how hard they try. We too will try to offer help and support to those negatively affected by the casino's presence.

— John Clayton