Clothes Closet

The Clothes Closet ministry will not be accepting any clothing donations until further notice. They are also asking if someone is interested in helping Jean Antill in the closet, please contact Sue Dearth at 740-472-0237.                             

Ladies Bible Class

The ladies Bible class will meet next Saturday, September 14th at 9:00 a.m. in the Fellowship building.

September Sunday A.M. Ministers

September 8th Woody Biggs

September 15th Woody Biggs

September 22nd Jeremy Powell

September 29th Jason Daughterty

Bible Bowl Practice

Bible Bowl practice will begin Sunday, September 15th 5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. in the Teen room in the Educational building. If any teen is interested please join in the fun and if an adult would like to help coach, please see Merna Bettinger.

Book Signing Event

There will be a book signing event Sunday, September 15th immediately after services until 1:30 pm. in the Fellowship building for Minister and brother in Christ, Kim Matthews. Kim authored the book A Mountain of a Sermon that looks at the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7 in a unique perspective. He believes this remarkable passage can be considered in two ways. One is to be considered as a legalistic endeavor. That may be true. The other is to look at the Sermon and dig a little deeper to see the principle that is foundational to the instruction. This is a methodology to change actions by changing the heart.

Kim was a minister at the Woodsfield Church of Christ from 1981-1983 serving alongside Harry Summers at the 221 South Main Street location. He was instrumental in starting the J.O.Y Bus and youth ministries at this church. He and his wife Brenda have been married for 50 years and have 2 children and five grandchildren now.

There will be books available to purchase that day if you have not already purchased one, the hardcover is $37.99, and softcover will be $20.99. Kim and his family look forward to seeing and fellowshipping with everyone that day.

Day of Prayer & Giving for Children

Life at Potter Children’s Home is constantly changing. Our residents may change through the years, but one thing that never changes is the need for prayers for this ministry. Whether it is praying for a new single parent family that has just moved in, helping a girl in the girls’ house work towards independence or a boy in the boys’ house that is working on family therapy– the residents here need your prayers. 

There will be a special donation box available in the foyer on Sunday, September 29th for anyone who would like to donate to this special day for the Potter Children’s Home.

2024 Area Wide Singing Schedule of the Church of Christ

August 30th – Pursley Church of Christ, 901 Tyler Hwy, Sistersville, W.Va.

September 13th – Sunrise, 598 Old Turnpike Rd., Parkersburg, W.Va.

September 20th Wingett Run, Wingett Run Rd., Wingett Run, OH

October 11th North End, 1301 West Viginia Ave., Parkersburg, W.Va.

October 18th New Concord, 13333 Maple Lane, New Concord, OH

October 25th Lower Salem 9660 OH 821, Lower Salem, OH

November 15th Camden Avenue, 2900 Camden Avenue, Parkersburg, W.Va. 26101

Who Will You Serve?

In 1979, Bob Dylan broke into a new era in his recording history and released a song, “Gotta Serve Somebody.”  The gist of the song is a biblical concept—all of us are in servitude to someone in life, no matter how great or powerful we are.  The repeated phrase throughout the song, “it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord” was the reminder of the only two masters one can serve.  At first, the song was criticized.  John Lennon came out with a song of his own ridiculing Dylan’s, entitled “Serve Yourself.”  Eventually, however, the song caught on and became a hit; now it remains one of his best-known songs.

In many ways, the song was personal for Bob Dylan.  During this same period, Dylan surrendered his own life in service to Jesus.  The song is a window into the mind and heart of Dylan, a newly converted Christian, who was wrestling with his own fame, notoriety and eternity.  It took a lot for Dylan, who already possessed a successful musical career of over a decade, to change directions and write this song.  He would go on to release 3 albums of gospel music in the late 70s/early 80s.

We’ll explore more on this topic of service, but for the sake of this bulletin article I’d like to pose one question:

Would you have had the guts to write this song?

It’s easy to be a dedicated Christian in a pew or in the company of fellow believers, but it’s another thing entirely to take that message out to the street and proclaim it to an audience that is anything but.  Lennon’s response and mockery of the song is a perfect example of the reaction many in the world have to the message of the gospel.  I hope that I would be so bold.  I hope you would be too.

                                                                                                                        Scott McFarland

Becoming the Man (or Woman) God Wants You to Be

One of the greatest gifts of the Christian life is the promise of growth.  God lays out an opportunity in Scripture not just for our ultimate salvation, but our ongoing sanctification (a fancy word for God making us holy and maturing us).  While most of us are aware of our salvation and the promise of it, I’m not as sure we take full advantage of the process of sanctification.  There are probably reasons for this, the first being that it is not always pleasant.  The process of getting better at anything in life often entails work and being uncomfortable.  Not many people enjoy being uncomfortable, yet that is one of the ways in which God grows us.  Another reason I can think of is the need for a lot of humility.  Being able to grow involves admission of weakness—our ignorance and our need for help.  This is hard for us; we don’t like being weak!  Yet, if we look at examples of spiritual growth in the Bible, these people needed to admit their faults and weaknesses before God could use them.

We'll look at how the process of sanctification through the lens of one of Scripture’s greatest examples: Paul.  We’ll see how Paul’s allowing God to work through him, his admission of weakness and need for God, and his ongoing sanctification gave him incredible opportunities.

I hope we as Christians can regain an understanding that God is not just concerned with what happens at the end of your life, but what happens throughout it.  We cannot become the people God wants us to be without submission to His process of sanctification.  Salvation and sanctification are not just future opportunities; they are right now.

                                                                                                                        Scott McFarland

No One Came to Our Party

After a few days of hard work, all the preparations had been made and it was time for the party. The tables were ready, filled with stacks of paper plates, plastic flatware, and cups. Cold drinks were iced and ready while the grill belched out smoke with the smell of cooking steaks. There was sliced fresh watermelon, homemade ice cream and apple pie. Hanging decorations moved gently in the breeze while tunes played from the Bluetooth speaker. It was time for the party!

As the time for the gathering came and went none of the invited guest arrived. Perhaps the traffic was bad or other distractions were holding up the party goers. But as an hour passed, it soon became evident that no one was coming. The time, effort, and expense that had gone into getting ready for the party was all for nothing. The host felt disappointed and embarrassed. “No one came to our party.”

Jesus told two similar stories, one about a wedding, the other about a great supper. (Matt. 22:2-14; Luke 14:16-24) Both had been prepared but some guests made excuses as to why they could not come while others “made light of it and went their ways…” (Matt. 22:5).

Each week, the preparation for worship to God has been made for all of us. We may believe that our lack of attendance doesn’t affect anyone but ourselves. However, by my absence I may be discouraging those who have worked diligently in preparation for me to experience the blessing of worship. Just as in our previous example, the B  ible class teacher may sit in an empty classroom and say, “No one has come.” Let us all give appreciative consideration to those that work so hard to make it possible for us to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

Jay Launius – 2024
Maud church of Christ
Maud, Texas