May 12, 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

FOOD PANTRY: There are some items that either we cannot get from Gleaners, or we do not get enough to meet the demand. Some of us have been buying stuff when it is on sale at the local grocery where we shop. You do need to look at the “use by” or “sell by” date if you do this, because groceries tend to unload stuff that is about to go out of date by putting it on sale. Right now we need peanut butter, canned tuna, and canned chicken. If you buy these, put them on the freezer in the pantry room. If you need a receipt for tax purposes, bring your receipt to Bill Gibson and he will write you one.

REMINDER: The magazines and booklets that are in the lobby are for you to take home. We urge you to have these in your home, especially in places where people may be occupied for a time and will want to look at something — on a coffee table or in the bathroom. In this day of pornography and suggestive literature it is a good thing for us to have an alternative available for our families and for visitors to our home.

TODAY'S LESSON

TAKING FOR GRANTED
2 Timothy 1:5

THE BACK PAGE

THE HISTORY OF “MOTHER'S DAY”

In 1868 a lady named Ann Jarvis created a group to establish a “Mother's Friendship Day” to reunite families which had been divided during the civil war. In 1872 Julia Ward Howe led a “Mother's Day for Peace” and in 1877 a “Mother's Day for Temperance” rally was held, all on the second Sunday in May. In 1904 a man named Frank Hering of the Fraternal Order of Eagles made a plea for a national day to honor mothers and in 1905 Anna Jarvis established a small service to honor her mother who had taught Sunday School. In 1907 the church where her mother had taught held an official ceremony and in 1910 the state of West Virginia declared the second Sunday in May to be a special day to honor mothers. In 1914 the U.S. Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as “Mother's Day.”

Romans 14:5 – 8 tells the early Christians to not worry about special days, but that “each one should be fully convinced in his mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord … none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone … so whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” If you are fortunate enought to have your mother accessible to you, let them know of your love and thankfulness, but if that is not the case just focus on the good memories you do have.

What is interesting historically is that Anna Jarvis who started the holiday in its modern form, spent most of the rest of her life opposing it because of the commercialization that came upon the day. Last year Americans spent $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on pampering gifts like spa treatments, and $68 billion on greeting cards. Anna Jarvis said that a greeting card was a sign someone was too lazy to write a personal letter and she got so involved in decrying all of this that in 1948 she was arrested for disturbing the peace.

We are so thankful for the mothers who have blessed this congregvation and who are a major part of its strength. Happy Mother's Day.

— John Clayton