The family of God here at Dowagiac Church of Christ wishes to extend to you a warm welcome.  If you have questions about our worship services and why we do what we do, we will be glad to give you a biblical answer.  The uniqueness of the Church of Christ is that we are trying to restore to the best of our ability those things that we see the first century Church doing.  We are also working hard at building the spirit, unity, and love that Jesus taught and prayed for.  We have no clergy, but are working together as equal co-workers trying to serve one another and the area in which we live.  Come study with us, grow with us, and serve with us as we strive to do God’s will in all things.


We encourage you to take advantage of the Bible classes that we have regularly.  Tonight we will be continuing our study of how the Church can and should deal with change.  Come and join us for this stimulating discussion.  Our Wednesday night study on communion is continuing.  We have had some stimulating and challenging dialogue on what communion is and how we should do it.  Come and join us


Jim Harasewicz is preaching at Mishawaka today.  We are thankful for Jim’s talent and the fact that he can be of service to our brethren in other congregations in this way.  Larry Fox is undergoing tests to address hearing problems he is having.  Keep Larry in your prayers.  This is a scary health problem, and we need to bring him up to God regularly.  Donna Pickens has been sick this week with flu-like symptoms.  Karl Marcussen is still in pain from the shattered bones in his wrist and is undergoing more tests. 

We are continuing to talk to paving companies about the blacktopping of our parking area and drive.  When an agreement is reached, we will let you know.  Remember that potluck is next Sunday!  Join us for a great time together.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ADOPTED?
The one difference in our adoption by God is that we have a choice as to whether to accept the adoption or not.  Kids generally do not—which is a problem for many of them.

WHEN WE ARE ADOPTED, WE GET A NEW NAME.
    

ADOPTION PRODUCES A NEW ALLEGIANCE.
ADOPTION CHANGES OUR INHERITANCE.   
ADOPTION MUST BE LEGALIZED.

There is such a thing as false adoption.
Adoption can be undone—but it is done consciously.

A lot of times when people talk about mission work, they think that the subject involves sending a preacher to some far-off country and having him preach to people who are geographically isolated from the rest of us.  We all have seen movies and heard stories about people preaching to isolated tribes of people in Africa, and certainly that is mission work.  The fact is today, however, that doing that type of work is not needed or possible in most places on the planet.  The number of Christians in Africa is very large, and most people in that country have heard about Jesus Christ in some way or another.

A small congregation in a small town is automatically going to be doing mission work.  Our congregation is a mission congregation, just because of where we are.  In Mark 8:38-39 we see one of the men at Gadarene who had been cured of demon possession wanting to go and do mission work with Jesus.  He was thankful for what Jesus had done for him and he wanted to go and be a part of what Jesus was doing.  When he proposed that to Jesus, Jesus told him, “Return to your own house, and shew how great the things are that God has done to you.”  Basically what He said was, “Go do mission work in the place where you live.”  

The Bible says, “He went his way, and declared throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”  He did mission work in a place where the Church did not exist.  We do not know what happened to this man or to those who were influenced by his word.  It must have seemed pretty empty at the time to hear that Jesus had brought a wonderful solution to this man and left it there.  Before long, the Church came to Gadarene, and I am convinced that this man must have been one of the keys to its establishment.

We need to become more vocal, more useful, more visible, and more influential in the Dowagiac area.  Good things are being done.  Opportunities for service and benevolence are increasing, and as God blesses us with these tools of evangelism, let us join hands and do mission work.