January 4, 2015 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.

POTLUCK AND CONGREGATIONAL MEETING: Today is the first Sunday of January as well as the first Sunday of a new year. Please plan to stay for a short meeting in which a new proposal for a method to reach out to our neighborhood will be made. We also need to look at finances and our long range plan to bring in a full time worker, and a decision needs to be made as to whether to continue having a booth in the Cass County Fair. Plan to stay for a short congregational meeting.

COAT GIVE-AWAY A HUGE SUCCESS: All 50 of the coats have been given to a child who needed one. Thanks to everyone who helped make this effort work.

REMEMBER OUR CLASSES: We are continuing to have our discussion class which is centered on the book of Acts in the fellowship area on Sunday mornings at 10:00. This has been a great sharing time, and we have had discussions of a wide range of subjects as well as an in depth look at Acts. Our Wednesday night class on Hebrews is continuing. Sunday nights we are studying the book of Ruth in the Old Testament, and will probably finish that book this month.

TODAY'S LESSON

THREE RESOLUTIONS WE ALL NEED TO MAKE
Matthew 5:33 – 48
John Clayton

It is hard to believe that we are starting a New Year. Where did the last year go? Time seems to fly by in our world of deadlines and due dates. At the end of a year there is a need to look back at what happened during the past 12 months. Sometimes we see a lot has been accomplished, but for us 2014 was not a good year in terms of accomplishment. We have maintained a lot of things we started in 2013, and for a few of us there has been a lot of energy and time spent in the food pantry, the coat give-away, the highway clean-up, and the teaching program. Those are all good and wonderful things, and maintaining them is important. What we have not seen has been a growth in our numbers and the development of new outreaches in the community.

We must not stand still. There are sister congregations in the area that are standing stil. As time progresses and older members die, the attendance goes down until the congregation closes its doors and abandons its role in the community. We must not let that happen.

In today's congregational meeting, two ideas for the future will be brought up. One is a new idea that has come from our members and that is to make a contact with all of our neighbors by giving them a gift this spring of a flowering plant with a message from us. The other is a financial report on our long term plan to bring a full time worker on board to make an extended outreach in the community. We also need to decide if the fair exhibit is worth continuing and whether we should use the same exhibit or do something new.

We need to focus on growth and outreach. Bring your ideas, your thinking, and your willingness to participate to the meeting after the potluck today.

— John Clayton

Our sign by the street!

Sign saying from www.sayingsforchurchsigns.com