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East main informer, 6 29-21
- 1. 4 Vol. 46 June29, 2021 Number 24 PAYING OUR VOWS Barry Kennedy A sea-captain related his misfortunes: the wreck of his ship and his own escape after floating several days on a plank. A gentleman who heard it asked him privately if he did not in that hour of peril vow to serve the Lord if He would deliver him. The captain became angry and replied: “It is none of your business.” His questioner treated him very kindly, while he was ill at ease. The next day the captain called on him and said: “Sir, I have not slept a wink since I saw you; I abused you yesterday; I am now come to ask your pardon. I did, while on that plank, vow to God that I would live differently from whatever I had done; and by God’s help, from this time forward, I am determined to do so.”1 The wise man Solomon said long ago, “Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). We all know people (sometimes we ourselves) who make plans in the heat of the moment without considering the cost. It may sound good or be something that we felt would help us in our immediate circumstance, but we failed to consider the long-term impact. For example, the vows people make at the wedding service are almost always considered to be permanent, after all, most say, “till death do us part.” Yet, in today’s world, the divorce rate nears the 50% mark. Some statistics say we are having fewer divorces today, but much of that is due to the number of people cohabitating (i.e., shacking up). Just think about how many hearts could be saved from severe pain, how many children could be saved from broken homes, if people would adhere to the wise words of Solomon. If you are not going to pay the bill, do not take the goods. Another example to consider (and the most important one at that) is the vow we make to become a Christian. You may be thinking, “What vow?” Before one is immersed into Christ there is a statement that one must make. “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37; co. Romans 10:10). There is much more to this statement than just acknowledging that Jesus is. We must be willing to “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). The Lord’s relationship with the church is described as a husband loving his wife so much that he would give his life for her (Ephesians 5). How many of us have made those oaths to the Lord and have neglected to pay? Jesus once told a certain scribe, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). This man was so eager to follow Jesus that he said, “Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest” (Matthew 8:19). Jesus wanted the scribe, and you and I today, to consider the vow that he was trying to make. Following the Lord will certainly take us out of our comfort zones. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecu- --article continued page 3-- 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 MINISTERS Barry Kennedy....(931)787-7108 Alex Blackwelder (731)879-9196 SECRETARY Renee Childers Office.......................... 842-6116 Fax .............................. 842-7091 E-MAIL eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com WEB PAGE eastmaincoc.com SUNDAY SERVICES Worship........................9:00 a.m. Bible class..................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. 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 frompage 1-- merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). What about the other use of rest in this great invitation? To answer this, one should consider Hebrews 4:8-11. The Hebrew writer referred to the history of Israel conquering the land of promise as recorded in the book of Joshua. They obtained the land of rest, i.e., Canaan (Joshua 21:43), but there is another rest awaiting the Children of God. Jesus said it is a “rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Consider the way John recorded this truth. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13). This rest is the rest of Heaven. What an awesome thought! God, the Almighty Creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1) offers sinful man the opportunity to have our sins washed away, and to have an eternity of rest with Him in Heaven! Jesus is still saying, “come unto Me... and I will give you rest.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). The question is, “Are you ready for rest?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Sermon Many years ago, a farmer had an unusually fine crop of grain. Just a few days before it was ready to harvest, a terrible hail and windstorm destroyed it. The farmer and his son went out on the porch after the storm. The little boy looked at what was formerly the beautiful field of wheat, and with tears in his eyes looked up at his dad, expecting to hear words of despair. All at once, his father started to sing softly, “Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.” Years after, when the little boy had grown to manhood, he said, “That was the greatest sermon I ever heard.” The farmer lost a grain crop but gained a faithful son. “You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14, 16). -House to House Heart to Heart, Archive 2128 Wedding Shower You are invited to a wedding shower in honor of Savanna Bell, bride-elect of Clayton Long, this Sunday, June 27 “drive by” from 2- 3:30 p.m. at the East Main church building. Clayton & Savanna are registered at The Knot and Amazon. The links are: https://theknot.com/youbelongwithme & https://www.amazon.com/wedding/share/youBeLONGw ithMe Our Sympathy Our sympathy is extended to Dale Dulaney in the loss of his mother, Shirlene Dulaney, on June 17 after a brief battle with cancer. Funeral services were held June 19 in Mantachie. New Locking System for the Building Beginning this week at the church building a new electronic locking system has been installed on the doors. Please do not use your keys anymore but a key card or fob. If you would like one, please let Renee know and she will get you one. Scan the card or fob on the black pad beside the door, it will beep, and then you can pull the door open. Once you are inside the door will lock back automatically after a few seconds. We hope this system will help keep the building more secure! Thank you for your cooperation. July 2021 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Proverbs 1-4 2 Sarah Phillips Sr. Youth--TGIF Proverbs 5-9 3 Proverbs 10-13 4 John Bowlin Proverbs 14-17 5 Michael & Christine Wilson Proverbs 18-21 6 Betty Long Proverbs 22-24 7 Logan Lyle Proverbs 25-27 8 Ladies’ fellowship Proverbs 28-29 9 Proverbs 30-31 10 Natalie Mansel Amy Voyles Eccl. 1-6 11 Barry Kennedy Jennifer Ray Eccl. 7-12 12 Song of Solomon 1-4 13 Wade Bryan Song of Solomon 5-8 14 Isaiah 1-4 15 Hallie Donald Isaiah 5-8 16 Waymon & Dolline Gibson Sr. Youth-TGIF Isaiah 9-12 17 Kannon Smith Isaiah 13-16 18 Susan Willis Addi Millard Isaiah 17-20 19 Caset Gullett Isaiah 21-23 20 Derik & Staci Rushing Isaiah 24-27 21 Laura & DJ Bennett Isaiah 28-30 22 Katy Beth Voyles Isaiah 31-35 23 Harry Cowan Steve Kelly Mary Morgan Lyle Tracy Lyle Isaiah 36-39 24 Drew Baldwyn Britton Smith Isaiah 40-41 25 Isaiah 42-43 26 Jason & Amanda Dickinson Isaiah 44-45 27 Judy Bates Eric & Glenda Barnette Joe & Tammy Minor Isaiah 46-48 28 Dennis & Debbie Hallmark Isaiah 49-51 29 Isaiah 52-57 30 Sr. Youth-TGIF Isaiah 58-62 31 Rodney & Amy Voyles Isaiah 63-66 Maywood Christian Camp –7th Week Squad July 18th -24th
- 3. Daily Bible Reading June30 .............................................Psalms 145-150 July 1.....................................................Proverbs 1-4 July 2.....................................................Proverbs 5-9 July 3.................................................Proverbs 10-13 July 4.................................................Proverbs 14-17 July 5.................................................Proverbs 18-21 July 6.................................................Proverbs 22-24 Birthdays & Anniversaries Birthdays: Joe Paul Perkins (June 30), Sarah Phillips (July 2), John Bowlin (July 4), Betty Long (July 6). Anniversaries: Michael & Christine Wilson (July 5). Our Sick Please keep Susan Reed in your prayers. She will be undergoing gall bladder surgery & a liver transplant soon. Ricky Johnson’s mother, Merlene, is in room 5529 at NMMC on hospice. Kathryn McKee continues to recuperate from hip surgery. Shauna McMickin has two more rounds of chemo at St. Jude. James Simmons continues to recuperate at home from his chemo. Randy Pearce (Chad Willis, Kristie Webb & Rhonda Pennington’s cousin) has been moved to a rehab facility in Oxford. On-Going Illnesses Mary Lou Walden, Steve Kelly, Bettye Davis, Frankie Estes, Shirley Lyons, Caroline Willis, Sean Koehn, Carol Hood, Bill Goff, Donny Dulaney, Adam McCurley, James Goddard, Mitch Maclean, Mary Starz, Sheba Tuggers, Steve Higginbotham, Lance Canerdy Nursing Homes Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Veona Harris, Shirley McCarthy, Bob/Clara McClure, Brenda Dawson --article continued from page 1— tion” (2 Timothy 3:12). It is not that Jesus does not want people to take upon them the oath of Christlikeness, but that we would be fully prepared to walk the walk that is before us. The Hebrew writer wrote much about the children of Israel and the fact that many of them fell in the wilderness because of unfaithfulness (Hebrews 3:7-19). If we are not careful, we will miss the point. True, we can fall by the same example of unfaithfulness, but the message is we do not have to. We can “...come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16), because we have a better High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15). May God help us all to pay the vows that we make, letting our “...communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay:” (Matthew 5:37). Finally, if we make a vow in the storm, let’s not forget it when things are calm. 1 Foster, Elon, 6000 Classic Sermon Illustrations, p.753 EMYG News The senior youth will have TGIF (Together Growing in Faith) this Friday, July 2 at 9:00 p.m. We will have Brain Freeze this Wednesday, June 30 after Bible study in the multipurpose. Everyone is invited to stay and enjoy ice cream & fellowship. Our week at Maywood Christian Camp is July 18- 24. Please register online ASAP to reserve your spot. www.maywoodchristiancamp.com Thank You Note To my East Main family, I will never be able to put into words how thankful I am for your presence in my life and how grateful Gage and I are for everything you have done for us. We want to say thank you for the beautiful shower that you hosted for us, as well as, for all of the prayers, gifts, and well-wishes that you have sent our way. I love each of you deeply, and Gage and I are blessed to have such a generous and supportive church family. Thank you so much! Gage & Olivia Gregory *Olivia & Gage were united in marriage June 26 in TN. We wish for them many years of happiness. Ladies, don’t forget the next Ladies’ Fellowship on Thursday, July 8 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the multipurpose room. There will be no meal.
- 4. Men to ServeSunday, July 4, 2021 a.m. Announcements...........................Bobby Joe Lindley Bible Reading......................................Jake Kennedy Opening Prayer ..............................Dennis Hallmark Lord’s Supper Jeff Mansel Lead Singing..................................Jonathan Nichols Closing Prayer........................................... Joe Minor Ushers .............................Larry Long & Chad Willis Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m. Sunday 11:15 a.m. service Opening Prayer ....................................... Perry Hand Closing Prayer...................................... Jalon Mansel Lead Singing......................................... Wade Bryan Wednesday, July 7, 2021 Opening Prayer ......................................Mike Ratliff Lead Singing.........................................Wesley Bass The elders kindly request that men leading in public worship wear the best dress clothes they have. Contact the church office (842-6116) if unable to serve. Attendance & Contribution Mid-Week, 6-23-21 .................................................... 120 Sunday 1st Worship, 6-27-21 .................................... 158* Sunday Bible Class..................................................... 158 Sunday 2nd Worship.................................................... 109 Contribution (budget $7,900) ................................ $6,877 *This does not include the livestreamed views. Pantry item................................................ Dry beans Our Gospel Meeting is Aug. 29th -Sept. 1st Neal Pollard, speaker Mark your calendars!