Elders & Deacons Meetings

There will be an  Elders meeting Sunday July 21st at 4 p.m. in the library.

There will be a Deacons meeting Monday, July 22nd at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship building.

The Schemes of the Devil

In our class on Sunday mornings, we’ve been studying about angels and demons, the spiritual realm.  I have often thought throughout the class how little we acknowledge the spiritual realm.  Apart from worshipping a spiritual God on Sundays, praying to a spiritual Lord throughout the week, and pledging our allegiance to a spiritual Savior at our baptism, our acknowledgement of the spiritual realm, let alone the spiritual battle taking place around us, is minimal at best.

In Ephesians 6, Paul ends his letter with a discussion about spiritual warfare.  He begins it with an encouragement to be strong in the Lord (v. 10) and a command to put on the whole armor of God (v. 11).  The purpose for this, he says, is to “be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”  The idea Paul is trying to get across is that the devil has a scheme, a plan, to attack us and pull us away from God.  This plan, by the way, is not noticeable.  It is often subtle, slow, and unrecognizable until after the fact.  Most people don’t intend on wrecking their lives with sin.  It begins gradually, innocently even, and grows until whatever is happening is too big to stop or it’s too late to do anything.

This morning, we’ll discuss spiritual warfare and the need for us as people to be vigilant.  Don’t be naïve and think the devil doesn’t have a plan.  He does, and it is intentionally difficult to see and understand.  Our ability to detect it and fight against it, however, is of utmost importance.

 Scott McFarland

Thank You VBS

To all the workers, teachers and “kids” connected to the Woodsfield Church of Christ Vacation Bible School. Thank you SO MUCH for the canned peas, green beans, spaghetti sauce and man-n-cheese donated to the Manna Food Pantry. This was a huge amount of food that will be very much appreciated by those receiving the boxes and bags distributed each Wednesday to eligible families. May God bless each of these kids and their families in some special way for their caring attitude and generosity to help those in need.

Sincerely, Jim Barrow, MANNA Food Pantry Manager

Children's Bible Class

We have completed the Shaping Heart curriculum over the last 5 years and are now searching for a new one. If anyone else has any other curriculum ideas that would be beneficial for our next selection, please let Merna know.

YOU ARE STELLAR!!!

Thank you so much to EVERYONE that made the 2024 VBS a success! This church knows well the song: far and near the fields are teeming with children’s hearts so ripe God is sending forth His workers. Such a STELLAR crew UNITED!

I cannot attempt to name you all (55+) but know my heart praises God for every single one of you and all your WORK for the LORD and His children. It’s such a blessing to be a part of this church.

Who Do You Surround Yourself With?

As we continue our annual training, I'm reflecting on some observations from the week.  Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." I especially noticed this in my youth ministry days, and I'm seeing it again in my military service as well.  Well intentioned people are sometimes sidetracked in life, not because of their lack of ability but because of the people they choose to be around.  There are some really good soldiers that make some really sad decisions and permanently damage their career or lives, simply because of their lack of attention in who they choose to be around.  Sometimes these poor influences are in the unit, and sometimes they are outside.  I've watched one young man over the last year do this as he struggled to stay in the Army because of some poor life choices he made.  What is really sad about this story is that this individual is a phenomenal soldier and has the potential to be a really good leader.  However, because of his decisions and lifestyle outside the Guard, he has been demoted, kicked to other platoons, left out of career advancement opportunities, and become the problem child for leadership.

Most of us have our closest friends outside of church.  There is probably a lesson there for another time, but given this reality it is important that we be careful in who we choose to be around.  It's not that we can't be friends with everyone, but that we choose to limit the time we spend around certain people because we know their life is not one we want to imitate.  Humans are social creatures that adapt to the environments they live in.  If the environment you are in isn't taking you where you want to go, it's time to change the environment.  Obviously we can't choose the people we work with or who are in our family, but for the most part we can limit the time spent around people and seek better influences when necessary.

So, who do you surround yourself with?  Are they the kind of people you want to become? If not, it's time to make a change.

Scott McFarland

Vitalant Blood Drive

Tuesday, July 30th 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Building

To schedule an appointment to donate you can go to: vitalant.org and search with Account Code 100560132 or call 1-877-25VITAL or scan the code for a list of all available times on the flyer insert included in the bulletin. If you have any question please contact Joy Yontz.

V.B.S. Starts Sunday

How Many Will There Be In Heaven

Despite all the wishful thinking in the hearts of men, Hell is as real as Heaven. Details and explanations are given in Scripture as to the condemnation of the unrighteous, willingly ignorant, and rebellious masses of the generations of men who’ve lived upon the Earth. The universal call of the Gospel, in its Truth (telling of Jesus our Savior’s death, burial, and resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4), states that we can be part of the blood-bought institution, the Church! The Church is admitted into Heaven as the Bride of Christ, but so many refuse the obedience that gets us there (into the church=added to the church, Acts 2:47).

Jim Patterson

Small Group Trip

The Bettinger’s Small Group is organizing a trip to Sugarcreek to see the play RUTH. The cost for seats is $49.00 and there is a separate cost for a meal. The show will be on Thursday, August 1st at 1:00 p.m. Please give money to Alice Keylor by July 14th if you plan to join the trip.