August 2, 2011

The Christian Messenger

Fifth Avenue Church of Christ 115 W. Fifth Ave. Lancaster, OH 43130 740-654-0626 e-mail: [email protected] www.myfacc.com

Strengthen your faith

Brad Seevers Senior Minister (740-550-9882) David Tingler Associate Minister Glen Shady Youth Minister (740-438-5257) Sunday Services 1st Worship 8:00 a.m. 2nd Worship 10:30 a.m. Bible School 9:15 a.m. Evening Worship 6:00pm

Hike and Picnic Cookout

at Mike & Deb Coopers Saturday, August 6 Meet at Cantwell Cliffs at 3:00pm for the hike. If you dont want to go hiking, you can go to the Coopers at 5:00pm for the cook-out. Meat will be provided. Bring a side dish or dessert, your favorite beverage and table service and your lawn chairs.

New Sunday School Elective beginning August 14th! "Higher Love: Discovering God's Design for your Marriage!" This six week elective class will be led by Brad Seevers and will help you better handle: unrealistic expectations; becoming a spiritual team understanding your spouse's feelings; the ups and downs of your relationship.

SPIRITUAL STATISTICS (July 31, 2011) Sunday School 1st Morning Worship 2nd Morning Worship Total Morning Worship Weekly Budget Budget Received Air Conditioner Keenagers 69 75 79 154 $ 4,471.00 $ 4,123.10 $ 50.00 $ 512.00

Congratulations to Ryan and Jessica Cox on the birth of their daughter, Delayna Ryan Cox, born Wednesday, July 27. She weighed 5 lbs, 15 oz and is 20 inches long. Proud grandparents are Jim and Cindy Cox.

My family and I would like to thank the church for their thoughts prayers and cards on the passing of my father, Jack Bowers. Delores Payne

SERVING SCHEDULE August 7, 2011 Fred Griffith, Ralph Conrad At the Table 1st G. Lambert, T. Huffman, Serving 1st B. Kelly, C. Marsh nd Fred Griffith, N. Hinson At the Table 2 G. Lambert, P. Hinson, N. Rudolph Serving D. Taylor, D. Thornton 2nd Fred Griffith Pastor of the week George Lambert PM Deacon Team 3 Offering Counters COMMUNION PREPARATION 1ST Worship Wib & Betty Sparks 2nd Worship George & Alberta Ellis GREETERS 1ST Worship Ray & Mary Alice Coats nd 2 Worship Larry & Phyllis Bussey NURSERY Sunday School Laura Wersell, Shirley Marsh nd 2 Worship Courtney Beiter, Cindy Cox Sunday School Helper Carolyn May st Visitor Center 1 Worship Janet Brown Visitor Center 2nd Worship Julie Stuck SECURITY 1ST Worship Dan Brown Bible School Bill Kelly nd Worship Mike Cooper Evening Worship Paul Hoagland MEETINGS

Elders Meeting Thursday, August 11th at 6:00pm Carriage Court Service Sunday, August 14th at 2:00pm Oversight Meeting Sunday, August 14th at 7:00pm

Jr/Sr High End of Summer party Watch for details!!

SERVING SCHEDULE August 14, 2011

Mike Cooper, Charlie May At the Table 1st D. Rose, D. Shumaker Serving R. Ayers, J. Baker 1st nd Mike Cooper, Tom Puckett At the Table 2 D. Rose, N. Hinson, P. Hinson Serving N. Tomlinson, R. Troutman 2nd Mike Cooper Pastor of the week Dale Rose PM Deacon Team 4 Offering Counters COMMUNION PREPARATION 1ST Worship 2nd Worship George and Alberta Ellis GREETERS 1ST Worship Don & Judy Gardner 2nd Worship Jim and Cindy Cox NURSERY Sunday School Laura Wersell, Thea Kallenberg nd 2 Worship Marie Huffman, Kim Seevers Sunday School Helper Norma Holtom st Visitor Center 1 Worship Shirley Marsh nd Visitor Center 2 Worship Norma Holtom SECURITY 1ST Worship David Will Bible School Ray Coats nd 2 Worship Jim Puckett Evening Worship Dick Shumaker

BITS FROM BRO DAVE

THE WILDS: We had a final total of 26 make this trip and we returned with the same number! AUGUST EVENT: August 24, we will be visiting the American Whistle Corporation plant in Columbus. This is the only manufacturer of metal whistles in the United States. Cost for admission and travel is just $6.50 per person. Lunch will be on your own at the MCL Cafeteria. Departure will be at 8:30am and we will return in early afternoon. A sign-up sheet is posted. If you are paying by check, make the check payable to Fifth Avenue Church of Christ. COMING KEENAGER EVENTS; September 13 New Horizons Retreat in Zanesville: We have attended this excellent inspirational event for the past several years. Registration is just $20, per person, if paid by August 15. Many of you have, already, received registration materials. Registration forms and sign-up sheet are posted. Please make checks payable to NTCofC New Horizon Retreat and give your registrations to me. October 13 LaComedia Dinner Theatre: We are scheduled to enjoy Church Basement Ladies; A Second Helping. The Theatre provides a great show and an excellent buffet dinner. We have reserved front row seats for 28 people. If you are interested, contact me as soon as possible. We will be posting a sign-up sheet very soon. Cost, per person, is $43.00. This includes your admission and transportation. Payment must be made by September 1. WEDNESDAYS: Watch for announcements regarding the resumption of our 10:00am and 6:30pm studies in September. SUNDAY EVENINGS: In August we will be having a series of Mystery Speakes. In September, I will return to this evening slot. NOTE: Communion is available at these evening gatherings.

Blood pressure check-ups will be taken this Sunday, August 7th,.

Its come to our attention that items are being stored in the library. Please help us keep this room for books.

A Note from brAd

I want to begin by saying thank you for your patience the past two weeks as we have been without air conditioning in the building. As of this writing, I can report that the parts are still on their way from Tennessee being brought in by horseback. Haha! Fairfield Air seems hopeful that they should arrive anytime and have our unit rebuilt by this Sunday. Pray hard! Of course if you do not have breathing issues, I know our people will be present because they are tough individuals who would not allow a little heat to keep them from worship. Right? I am really excited about a new class being offered at FACC. It is called "Higher Love" and it will be offered for six weeks at 9:15 on Sunday mornings. I will be offering this class for a couple reasons. For one, we have a need for additional adult classes on Sunday morning. Secondly, Christian marriages are eroding as fast as the worlds marriages today. If you would like more information about this class then call me at 740.550.9882. If you are ready to commit, a sign up sheet is on my office door. I hope you join us. This Saturday, if you want to go hiking with us at Cantwell Cliffs, you can catch a ride with us at the church at 2:20 PM. If you prefer to drive then join us at the park at 3:00 PM for the hike. Otherwise, we plan to eat at the Cooper's at 5:00 PM. Parking will be limited so please carpool with others. You are asked to bring a lawnchair, side dish, plasticware and drinks. The Cooper's are providing the meat and buns. This Sunday night, we will have a "mystery speaker" at 6:00 PM. Please join us! Cya Sunday Brad, Eph. 3:20-21

Joanne Ellyson Jim Nagle Allen Ours Wanda Dickson

Tenley Oehrtman Jeane Goldfarb Jim Hoff Judy Smith (home)

Sharon Bloom Mary Marsh Mark Miller Jr Unspoken

Debbie Bradford Our Troops Dorothy Herman Barbara Benadum

Joanne Ellyson Diane Campbell Ron Young Gladys McCoy

BOOK NOOK NEWS The book for this meeting is While Were Far Apart by Lynn Austin. Next meeting of the Book Nook will be Monday, September 26th at 6:00pm. If you would like to purchase this book from the church, please

Back-To-School Carnival
Wednesday August 18, 2011 6:00 7:30pm PreK 5th Grade Students Invited There will be a supper served at 6:00pm.. This will be an evening of prizes, games, and fun. Every child in attendance will receive a package of school supplies. Please call or email Glen to RSVP for your child 740.438.5257 [email protected] A REMINDER: We are still in need of some school supplies. Lists of needed items are available on the table in the parlor. You can bring items and leave them in the parlor.

call the office by August 7. Only books that have been preordered will be purchased by the church.

Planning Ahead!!!! all church picnic Sunday, September 11, 2011 Rising Shelter at Rising Park 4:30 pm
The freezer that was in the basement has quit working and has been destroyed. If anyone has an upright freezer that they arent using and would like to donate to the church, please contact Don Taylor or one of the trustees.

Ladies Movie Night at the church. Friday, August 19 7:00pm

Children of God...
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." -- Proverbs 22:6

White Fang
By Glen Shady This week I read the classic novel by Jack London, White Fang. This story revolves around a wolf/dog named White Fang that must survive the world. Life is hard on him, and he learns to live by a code that best benefits him. This code is simple. Meat is important; it is everything. Pain is bad. Power is to be obeyed. The most powerful force that White Fang comes into contact with is humanity. From his simple wolf mind, humans are gods with the power to do many things; most importantly the power to give meat or give pain. So White Fang learns this system, but the gods that he is bowing to are not kind. They are self-serving and White Fang is merely a tool to them. This situation eventually turns White Fang into a hate-filled dog that seeks nothing more than to get his claws around the throat of anything possible and any given time to kill. This is White Fangs whole purpose in life. Then White Fang is rescued by a different god. This man does not use a club, and sees White Fang as more than a tool. He sees him as a dog worthy of a second chance in life. Even when White Fang rips open his hand, the man still comes back to White Fang with compassion and patience. He earns White Fangs trust. Eventually he changes White Fangs heart. He may still have scars from the past, but he is a new animal thanks to this man. With these changes in his life White Fang changes his code. Meat is no longer everything. Given the choice of hunting through the woods and waiting for his master to return, he chooses to wait hungry. White Fang raided the chicken coop and killed 50 chickens. This is his nature, but upon learning that his master does not approve of this behavior, those chickens were never safer with any dog as they were with White Fang. He would even protect them now as his masters property. When an evil man with a gun (a tool that White Fang knows and fears greatly) sneaks into the house, White Fang does not run. He takes three bullets to protect his master. It is interesting to me how Jack London chooses to describe this man that took White Fang in. In the eyes of White Fang, he is the love-god. Is it not wonderful that we get to experience such a relationship with a Love-God. His patience and love with us is overwhelming, even when we nip at his hand. If we learn to trust him, our heart will be changed. Our lives will no longer be filled with bitterness and hate, but with joy. We will even change our code of selfishness and learn that there is more to live for than our measly existence. Romans 6:4 speaks on this transformation: We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. So I encourage you to allow yourself to be rescued from the self-serving gods of this world. There is but one true God, and he is a LoveGod.

Prayer Concerns
That God would raise up workers from within the church who are passionate about working with young people Gods blessing of summer activities