East main informer, 3 12-19
- 1. 4 Hugh Vol. 44 March 12, 2019 Number 9 PRAYER Jack Wilkie I want you to think about the very first time you met your best friend (non- family member). When you first met him/her, you probably didn’t say a whole lot, and in the following weeks, months, and maybe even years, your relationship probably stayed fairly shallow, discussing things like the weather or sports. But over time, conversations between friends grow deeper. We allow ourselves to express more personality, and we feel comfortable sharing more of our inner thoughts and feelings as time goes on. Since prayer is nothing more than talking to God, we should experience the same relationship progression as we do with our closest friends. As immature Christians, our prayers are likely shallow and perhaps short-sighted, but as we talk to Him more and learn more about Him by reading the Scriptures, the way we approach prayer and the words we use should change. Of all the areas in which we can measure our growth as Christians, few seem more clear than our prayer lives. How do we bring about this necessary growth? The first area in which we need to grow in our individual prayer relationships with God is time. The more time we spend with friends, the more we learn to trust them with our deep thoughts and concerns, but we would almost never feel comfortable having that kind of relationship with people we only see in short intervals from time to time. In the same way, if we’re only talking to God during times of worship or right before bed time as we doze off to sleep, our relationship will never grow past the shallow prayers we say from our earliest days as believers. Philippians 4:6 says that in everything, we should be making our requests known. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” There’s no way to read those two verses and think God only wants to hear from us once every day or two. Even in the midst of His daily ministry, Jesus found time to get away from the crowds and pray (Luke 5:16). If God in the flesh felt it important to make time to speak to the Father, how much more do we need to do the same? Prayer might not be a big part of our day when we first give our lives to Christ, but as time goes on, our need to take our cares and praise to the Father should grow every single day. The second area where we can grow in prayer is in the things we request. We often pray for the sick, for the traveling, for people who have immediate needs in this life, and those are all important requests. We need to take those before the --article continued page 2-- ELDERS Mike Childers..............397-6453 Dennis Hallmark .........255-5557 Mark Hitt.....................322-0917 Bobby Lindley.............260-9193 DEACONS Wade Bryan.................419-5552 William Harris.............416-8149 Ricky Lindsey .............255-8136 Jeff Mansel..................871-0357 Jimmy Spearman.........840-8957 Michael Wilson ...........891-0891 PREACHER Barry Kennedy ... (931)787-7108 SECRETARY Renee Childers Office...........................842-6116 Fax...............................842-7091 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB PAGE eastmaincoc.com SUNDAY SERVICES Worship....................... 9:00 a.m. Bible Classes............. 10:15 a.m. Worship..................... 11:15 a.m. Singing or Devotional Last Sunday of the Month MID-WEEK SERVICES Wednesday Classes .....7:00 p.m. EAST MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST 1606 East Main Street P. O. Box 1761 Tupelo, Mississippi 38802 “Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee” (Deut. 17:10)
- 2. --article continued from page 1-- Father because He cares and has the power to do something about each of those concerns. However, growth out of our infancy in Christ should lead us to think more about that which matters most in our prayers. Look at Paul’s prayers in his epistles. He prayed that his readers would do what is right (2 Corinthians 13:7-9), that they would grow in their knowledge of Christ and the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:15-21), and that they would walk in a worthy manner (Colossians 1:9-11). The more we grow in our walk with Christ, the more our prayers will focus on the eternally important and not just the things of this life. Are you praying for the lost? For the people who have walked away from the faith? For your preacher and elders? For your family and their faithfulness? For yourself, that God would give you wisdom and strength to walk in the light? The third area in which we can grow in our prayers is in our faith. Even after years of praying and studying in the Scriptures about what prayer does for us, I still have to admit that there are plenty of times I say a prayer to ask God to take care of some concern, only to go on to continually worry about it and try my best to control the outcome. But Paul reminds us in Ephesians 3:14-21 that God can do more than we can even imagine or ever think to ask. He knows what’s best for us, and the mark of a truly mature praying Christian is the ability to sense the peace that comes from truly placing everything in God’s hands (Philippians 4:7). Sometimes it’s important to remember just what prayer is. The God who is more powerful and holy than our minds can comprehend not only allows us weak, sinful people to talk to Him – He wants us to! With that in mind, how crazy would we have to be to not take advantage of that or to stay stagnant in prayer year after year? If you want to feel closer to God, that all starts with getting better at talking to Him every single day. via THINK, May 2015 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jr. Youth & Early Seekers’ Devotional The Junior Youth & Early Seekers’ Devo- tional will be held this Sunday, Mar. 17 imme- diately following worship services at noon in the multipurpose room. Parents, please sign the food list posted in the foyer beside the tract rack. Community Outreach Those ladies involved in the Community Outreach Program are reminded that we will be meeting this Wed- nesday, Mar. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room to assemble the “blessing bags” for area schools. Ladies’ Fellowship The monthly ladies’ fellowship will be held this Thursday, Mar. 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the multipurpose room. A food list has been posted in the foyer beside the tract rack. Sr. Bible Bowl The Sr. Bible Bowl will be held this Sunday, Mar. 17 at the Nettleton congregation beginning at 2:00 p.m. The bus will leave the building at 1:30. Please see Mike Childers if you need material. Community Outreach Item for March: Dishwashing liquid John Duke is stationed in Long Beach, MS. Caleb Williams is stationed in Norway. Dylan Kelly, Steve Kelly’s grandson, is in Kuwait.
- 3. Daily Bible Reading March 13.............................................. Judges 20-21 March 14..................................................... Ruth 1-4 March 15.............................................. 1 Samuel 1-3 March 16.............................................. 1 Samuel 4-8 March 17............................................ 1 Samuel 9-12 March 18........................................... 1Samuel 13-15 March 19.......................................... 1 Samuel 16-17 Birthdays & Anniversaries Birthdays: Kinsley Floyd (Mar. 14), Perry Hand (Mar. 14), Madi Harris (Mar. 14), Jennie Cox (Mar. 16), Marlon Geno (Mar. 17), Storm Ray (Mar. 18). Anniversaries: None this week. Our Sick Jean Mounce is home recuperating from surgery. No visitors, please. Betty Beard’s son, Kevin, is in the Jonesboro, AR hospital with a GI bleed. Jill Rice, Debbie Vines’ mother, continues at the Sanc- tuary Hospice House. Christina Lindley’s uncle, Lee Graham, is at the Shepherd’s Center in Atlanta. Lynn Sanderson and Glenda Barnette are home sick. Billie McNutt is home banged up from a fall. On-Going Illnesses Laverne Raper, Frankie Estes, Donny Dulaney, Adam McCurley, Linda McCurley, Mary Jordan, Bretta Robinson, James Goddard, Bill Goff, Tommy Goff, James Nichols, Sheba Tuggers, Sherry Gregory, Shirley Owens, Nathan Hale, Leroy Brown, Jadon Parish, Carol Nichols, Jerry Smith, Mitch Maclean Nursing Homes/Assisted Living Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Shirley McCarthy, Mary Southern, Veona Harris 7th WEEK SQUAD SPRING RETREAT The Annual “7th Week Squad” Spring Retreat at Maywood Christian Camp will be held March 29- 31 for those in 7th grade through college on the theme “Called to Be Holy” (1 Thess. 4). The cost is $40. If you would like to go, please see Tim Davis or sign the list posted on the youth bulletin board in the downstairs hallway. Nursing Home Singing The monthly singing at the Tupelo Nursing Facility on Briar Ridge Rd. will be held this Sunday, Mar. 17 from 2- 2:30 p.m. Please bring a song book if you are able to attend. Gospel Meeting The Chapman congregation in Ripley will host a Gospel Meeting March 17-20 with Ken Tyler speaking at 10:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday and at 7:00 p.m. Monday-Wednesday. Our Ladies’ Day Our ladies’ day here at East Main has been scheduled for Saturday, April 27 with Jane Washington speaking on “Walking with the Lord.” If you would like to help on a committee, the sign- up sheets are on the desk in the church office. Mark Your Calendar VBS---June 2-5
- 4. Go Into All the World “IN CHRIST ALONE...” June 7th-8th Please register at eastmaincoc.com by March 31! Speakers: Eric Owens, Joe Wells, Jonathan Bates & Harrison Moran This camp is for ages 13-22 and is being hosted by the East Main Church of Christ, 1606 East Main St., Tupelo, MS 38804. Please see Josh or Barry Kennedy for more information. Men to Serve Sunday, Mar. 17, 2019 a.m. Announcements................................. William Harris Bible Reading.......................................Britton Smith Opening Prayer ..................................... Wade Bryan Lord’s Supper Bobby Joe Lindley & Chad Willis Serve Congregation, East Side: Greg Lyle, Stuart Childers, Jake Kennedy Serve Congregation, West Side: Shawn Mounce, John Mounce, Sam Hood Lead Singing..............................................Mark Hitt Closing Prayer.....................................Scott Childers Ushers .........................Robert Parker & Lee DuBois Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m. Sunday Afternoon Opening Prayer ....................................... Perry Hand Closing Prayer...................................... Jalon Mansel Lead Singing......................................... Wade Bryan Wednesday, March 20, 2019 Prayer ........................................... Rommie Dilworth Lead Singing........................................ Greg Hughes Contact Michael Wilson (891-0891) if unable to serve. The elders kindly request that men leading in public worship wear the best dress clothes they have. Greeters ....................................Perry & Linda Hand ................................Zac & Savannah Tucker Prepare Lord’s Supper—March....................Jason & Amanda Dickinson Nursery....Anna Claire McMillen & Ainsley Millard Pantry.......................................... Canned vegetables Attendance & Contribution Mid-Week, 3-6-19................................................160 Sunday 1st Worship, 3-10-19 ...............................166 Sunday Bible Class ..............................................168 Sunday 2nd Worship.............................................171 Contribution (budget $7,900)..........................$7,313