Anna Church of Christ
104 Nile Street, Anna, Illinois 62906
833-5815
Website:
www.annachurchofchrist.com
Vol 22. Issue
30 July 27, 2008
Vacation Bible School 2008
Last Thursday was the final night of our Vacation
Bible School. In many ways, it was a great success. Our youth made noticeable
efforts to invite their friends and in fact, the young lady who brought the
most doesn’t even attend here regularly.
Those youth who do worship and study with
us regularly were very well represented also, many of whom received recognition
for perfect attendance. It’s encouraging to see that young people have an
interest in spiritual things.
Five great lessons were taught around the
theme “Walking In Son Light.” We examined the faith of the great Bible figures
Moses, Abraham, Esther, Peter, and Paul and anyone who missed out, be they
nursery age or adult, really missed something worthwhile and rewarding. There
was a general feeling of excitement and interest that I wish we felt every time
we assemble to worship God or study more of His word.
The only thing that could have made things
even better would have been some more of our own number making the effort to be
present. Now, we did pretty well for the most part, and I realize that Bible
School is commonly thought of as a “kid thing” – something we put on for the
children – but for years, the Anna church of Christ has offered an adult class
as part of the program. We too can invite our friends to come hear the Word
taught. Moreover, we can be here whenever the Bible is being studied.
There’s not a one of us who doesn’t need more time studying the scriptures.
Overall, though, our attendance was
encouraging. There have been years when attendance was high one night, but low
the next. Fortunately, we started with sixty-five and only increased, ending
with 84! We had support from our sister congregations (especially Wetaug) and
we pray that many people grew spiritually as a result of this Vacation Bible
School effort.
In the future, let’s try to harness some
of the enthusiasm our kids show in being part of what the church is doing, be
it VBS, a Gospel Meeting, or Lectureship. We’ll grow in faith and our Lord will
be honored. -
R.W.
SERMON TOPICS
A.M. – “The Greatness of God Seen In
Job” (Job
40:1-5)
P.M. – Questions & Bible Answers
(Psalm 17:10-15)
Those For Whom We Are
Praying:
Kathleen Ritchey
Loren Eddleman
Rosemary Dillow’s mother &
Son–in-law
Jerry & Betty Ward
Rodney & Nikki Lingle
Bill Whitnel
Sheilah Whittington
Paul Frailey – Carolyn’s father. Wardell Barnhart Virginia McIntyre – Dr. estimates 40% blockage in one artery and 100% in another.
Carlos Wright – experiencing arthritic back pain.
Dustin Dillow – Suffered knee injury recently and will need surgery to repair torn ACL & meniscus.
Sara Wilkins’ father – Diagnosed with cancer.
Lowell
Karraker
Fred
Hillman – (Margaret’s brother)
Bill Brandstatter – Father passed
away Friday morning. Arrangements TBA.
Wisdom From Proverbs: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get
wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Prov. 4:7).
Notice: After today, sister Aimee Dasher will begin attending the congregation in Marion regularly. Gasoline prices coupled with family considerations have prompted this move. We will miss her and wish her all the best as worships with the saints in Marion.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES/ANNOUNCEMENTS
*Our VBS was a
great success! Thanks to Ron for all of his planning and hard work. Thanks also
to all who
taught & provided refreshments.
*We have
invitation letters to our services to mail out. If you’d like to be a part of
this, see R.W.
*Feel free to
drop any Bible questions in the Question & Answer box in the foyer.
*Men – Be sure
to sign up for a Wednesday night in July or August if you’d like to offer the
invitation.
*Food Pantry
needs canned fruit.
*Disturbing News: McDonald's
donated $20,000 to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in exchange
for membership and a seat on the group’s board of directors. The NGLCC lobbies
Congress in support of same-sex marriage (source: American Family Association).
More information and a boycott form is on the bulletin board. Do we want to give our financial support to
a company engaged in such?
Hearing assistance for any service is available upon
request.
BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:
Last week’s answer: . Four. Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego. The fourth was “like the
Son of God.” (Dan. 3:24).
New question: When Esther entered the inner court of the
King’s house, what gesture from the king would show that she was not to be put
to death for appearing without being summoned?
Quotable Quote: “The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.” – Fred Astaire
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Dawn
Lackey – 7/31
Kristie
McAlister – 7/31
John
Bradley – 8/2
Sentence
Sermon: Keep the Son in your eyes at all
times.
Do You Have Rabies?
by Steve Higginbotham
I'm sure you've heard the story about the man
who was bitten by a dog. He went to the doctor to be checked over, and
sure enough, the doctor returned with the news that the man had indeed been
infected with rabies.
The man then asked the doctor for a piece of
paper and a pen, and he began writing. The doctor was taken back by this
request and finally assumed that this man was writing out his will, so the
doctor said, "Sir, I know being told you have rabies is something you
never want to hear, but be assured, medicine has advanced through the years,
and this is no longer fatal. Therefore, there's no need to make out your
will. You'll be fine in just a few weeks." Upon hearing this,
the man looked at the doctor and said, "My will? I'm not making out
my will. I'm making a list of people I'm going to bite before I'm
cured!"
We probably all know people who are like this
man, and if we're perfectly honest without ourselves, we may sometimes succumb
to this attitude too. However, the apostle Paul said, "Let all
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with
all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, just as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).
If you were infected with rabies, would you be
asking your doctor for a pen and piece of paper? Give it some thought.
Via MercEmail
Church Football
Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving during the
invitation.
Draw Play - What many children do with the bulletin during worship.
Halftime - The period between Sunday school and worship when many choose
to leave.
Benchwarmer - Those who do not sing, pray, work, or do anything but sit.
Backfield-in-Motion - Making a trip to the back (restroom or water
fountain) during the service.
Staying in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of money during the
offering.
Two-minute Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon
is almost over and begin to gather up your children and belongings.
Instant Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back
on last week's illustrations.
Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the
preacher goes "overtime."
Trap - You're called on to pray and are asleep.
End Run - Getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or
fellow member.
Flex Defense - The ability to allow absolutely nothing in the sermon to
affect your life.
Halfback Option - When 50% of the congregation decides not to
return for the evening service.
Blitz - The rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer.
- Selected
Some of us may have seen this before and
considering that many here are sports fans, and that football season is fast
approaching, this seemed appropriate. However, let’s not just have a good laugh
and that be the end of it. This list of “definitions” has much deeper meaning.
How many of these things are we guilty of? ? Give it some thought.
-
R.W.