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February 8, 2009

TO OUR VISITORS

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.

FAMILY NEWS

NEW CLASSES UNDERWAY:  Our Bible classes have changed and we encourage you to look into the new classes.  On Wednesday and Sunday evenings we are looking at challenges to the Bible and to the Christian system.  Larry Brewer has begun a new class on Sunday morning on the Book of James--one of the most practical and helpful books in the Bible on how to live our lives as Christians.  We work hard on making these classes interesting and relevant.  Come and join us in these studies.

NEXT SUNDAY:  Ladies of the congregation, remember next Sunday you are the esteemed guests of the men of the congregation for dinner immediately after services.  If you have not let us know you are coming, today is the deadline to do that so we can reserve a spot for you.  You will be taken to the restaurant and returned here to the building or to your home after dinner if you do not have transportation.

NOTE ON "PASTOR:"  Just so you know--the only biblical use of the word "Pastor" is Ephesians 4:11.  The Greek word is poimen meaning a feeder.  We have many feeders in this congregation--any teacher is a feeder.  The denommational use of this word has corrupted it to mean a person with authority who rules the Church.  I do not want to be called a Pastor because I do not have any authority and do not want any.  I am trying to temporarily fill a role of speaking from the pulpIt until I can be replaced.  Hopefully this will be in the near future, but when someone asks to see the Pastor, use it as a teaching opportunity to share our non-denominational nature--a body of Christians serving God and man.  John Clayton.

TODAY’S LESSON

LESSON FROM GOD'S SMALLEST CREATURES
Proverbs 6:6; 30:24
INTRODUCTION
Our children sing about small creatures.
Bugs fascinate children--have lessons for all of us.
They place a huge premium on the value of the home.
Do not disturb a hornet's nest.
Do you know what a bee line is?
Ephesians 5:25
Offspring are the focus of animal's homes.
Ephesians 6:4
If home is not where you want to be--why?
They are busy, work quietly, and work hard.
Worker bees need to form a union--life ain't always fair.
Matthew 6:1-9
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Have goals. Work hard. Do not give up!
They bring back good things for the home.
A bee will not bring fermented nectar into the hive.
Do we?
I Corinthians 15:33--Who do you allow access to your kids.
They leave things better than they found it.
Where would we be without bees?
Why do the ants show up?
Acts 2:47--We need to have that kind of reputation.  What are we known for?
Elder--1 Timothy 3:7
They communicate.
Bees, ants
Matt 18:15-17
A non-communicating marriage will not work (ouch!).
A non-communicating congregation will not either.
Where this comparison breaks down.
Bees and ants are not created in the image of God.
Insects are programmed--designed.
We have choice--we are not programmed.
We have two homes--2 Corinthians 5:6-8.
Look in your song book at all the songs about heavenly homes--the home of the soul.
Can you sing those songs with confidence and peace? 
 
  
GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING

We have made the point several times in the past several weeks, that 2008 was a year of getting things done on our facility.  Being able to get in and out of the building is considerably easier for all of us now than it was a year ago.  The inside of our building has been improved, and between the carpeting and the soft water the building is more comfortable, more attractive, and easier to maintain than in the past.  It is vital that we not stop here.  We spent over $500 on fuel to heat this place last month, and we need to use this facility.

This past Sunday we learned about the mechanics of the South West Gleaners Food Bank where we can become a food pantry to serve Cass county.  In the basement we have a very long room which currently has a lot of junk in it but otherwise is wasted space and perfect for food pantry use.  The discussion going on is whether we can build storage in that area, start buying commodities from the food bank at greatly reduced prices, and start serving the people of this area in a more effective way.

We are not a rich congregation, but our expenses are pretty small.  We do not owe anything on the property, we are not paying a preacher, and after all of this construction we have money in the bank.  We could get this ready and announce it at the Cass County Fair where we plan to have a booth this August.

What we need to do this is man/woman power.  We need people who will go get the food, organize it, get it on the shelves, allow their phone number to be publicized for people to call who need help, and meet with the people to get them the things they need.  At the same time we would give them one of our New Testaments and see if they have spiritual needs that we can address.

There is an old story about "Murder in the Church."  The idea is that Churches tend to find a willing horse and ride it until it dies--in other words rely on the same faithful members to do all the work until they are incapacitated and then let the work die.  This food bank is something we can do, but we need new people to step up and volunteer.  Let Bill Gibson, Bill Salmons, or John Clayton know if you are interested and willing to get involved.