West-Ark Newsletter, 24 August 2003

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Family Lines Newsletter, August 24, 2003
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Matthew 7:21-23, Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

In every generation God's people fall to this enormous temptation: substituting "being technically correct" for faith in God, His son [Jesus Christ], and His presence in our lives [the Holy Spirit]. Once we fall to that temptation, we quickly surrender to another: placing faith in our acts of "technical correctness" instead of placing faith in God.

In a lesson [Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7], Jesus contrasted the emphasis in his teachings with the emphasis in the Pharisees' teachings. Before we "trash the Pharisees," recognize the good things to say about them: their faith in God was enormous; they promoted spiritual cleanness and meticulous keeping of the Sabbath; they were experts in scripture [as Jesus acknowledged in Matthew 23:2,3]; to them scripture was a living expression of God's self-revelation, God inspired; they thought scripture must regulate all of life; they thought scripture should be protected.

We agree with them in all those matters. Unfortunately, too many of us agree with them on another matter. They believed "technical correctness was the essential evidence proving people belonged to God." Thus, a faith in God that changed life was insignificant if the person was not "technically correct." Of course, they determined what was and was not "technically correct."

Near the close of Matthew 5-7, Jesus included a judgment scene lesson. On that day some were excluded who were certain they should be included. "What an injustice! Do you know who we are? Do you know what we did? We prophesied in Your name! [Jesus prophesied.] We cast out demons in Your name! [Jesus cast demons out.] We performed numerous miracles in Your name! [Jesus performed numerous miracles.]"

In Jesus' day, these great evidences proved God sent the person: being a prophet with power over demons who could perform many miracles. To do this in "Your name" irrefutably proved the person represented Jesus with "technical correctness."

Jesus, the judge on that day, ordered these people to depart from him. Why? Carefully note the reason. They were ordered to depart from Jesus on that day because of the way they lived. "You mean a person can do what is 'technically correct' and still be rejected by Jesus on that day?" Jesus said it would happen.

Should we seek correctness before God? Yes! Is "correctness" a substitute for godly living? Never! We cannot earn salvation, but we can show by our lives how deeply we appreciate salvation. We will not regret godly lives on that day. Be as well as know!

Adopt-a-Student
Remember the feeling of starting your first day of school for the year with a new outfit, a new book bag, and new erasers and pencils still in their packages? Remember the smell of those brand new 64-pack Crayons? Remember how all of this made you excited about school? You were ready to take on the world--or at least the first day of the third grade.

Thirty children from our community know this feeling, many of them for the first time. God used many at West-Ark to bless these children with school supplies, clothing, and other gifts to prepare them for a tough school year. I had the privilege of delivering the supplies that many had bought, but were simply unable to deliver. The excitement on their faces was worth all the money and time that was spent on them--and a lot of money and time was spent! If you were able to deliver the supplies yourself, then you got to see those expressions. Many of you took your student with you as you shopped; I don't think they will ever forget what you did!

To all who participated, THANK YOU. God's presence in us is made evident, not in correct doctrine, but in our actions. To thirty local children and their families, God's presence at this moment is very recognizable.

Tutoring
The West-Ark church will continue to minister to all thirty of these children through the Hispanic church, the Laotian church, the Way, and Thursday's tutoring program. The one-to-one relationship formed through tutoring is an exceptional way to bond with a child and teach them. Tutors are needed on Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:00. A very quick information meeting will be held Sunday, August 31, at the front of the auditorium following the morning assembly. Come if you are interested or if you plan on being a tutor.

**Tuesday Morning WINGS**
Orientation/Registration/Coffee
September 2, 10:00 a.m.
in the Family Life Center.
We hope you can join us as we start our weekly study of Esther.
If you have questions, contact Judy Green (484-1438)
Shelly Robbins (996-2109) or Heather Curtis (452-3290).
Child care will be provided In the Church Nursery.

**Many Teachers Are Needed!!**
We need 11 people who are willing to teach, co-teach or just be the helper. There are openings for Sunday and Wednesday in all ages. Please contact Robin Pratt-Webber if you can help (783-8728).

The Wed. night classes meet from 7 to 8 p.m. in the upstairs classrooms. The enrollment for this group averages 30 members, with two small discussion groups. An orientation fellowship was held August 20th. Classes begin September 3rd. They will be studying "Paul: by the Grace of God" by Cassandra Martin.

All are welcome to come and be a part of the wonderful studies! Thank you to those who willingly give their time, talents, money, prayers, and dedication to these life-changing ministries. You truly are servants dedicated to Jesus who are eager to serve others!

**Golf Tournament in Dyer**
River Valley Golf Course
Saturday, September 20
4 person scramble
Includes a Bar-B-Que dinner
Cost is $100 per team (this does not include carts, which must be reserved before the tournament).
First come/first accepted with an 18 team limit. Call Jim Bullock at 474-5866 or 632-3097. Make checks payable to Jim Bullock and memo it "Golfers for Christ." Mail your entry to Pleasant Valley Church of Christ, 6020 Kibler Road, Van Buren, AR 72956.

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**Please Pray For**
* Janet Jackson will undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor on Friday, August 22nd, in Little Rock.
* Gary McCartney (cousin of Peggy Pistole) is in St. Edward ICU. He has had two serious back-to-back surgeries.
* Ada Ferguson is now at Medi-Homes on Rogers Avenue, Room E-15, phone 452-6026.
* Remember Travis and Jeannie McDonald's little daughter, Maile (age 13 months), and pray for her healing from Bell's Palsy.
* Shirley Washburn had kidney stone surgery last Friday and is now at home.
* Eugene Smith is home from the hospital.
* Continue to pray for Vicki Varvel, John Hawkins, Helen Epton, Richard Bandy, Bennie Hedrick, and Glenda Roberts.

**Prayers for Mission Trips**
* Roy Dunavin and Jack Harriman are on a mission trip to Ethiopia. They are scheduled to return September 12.
* Jerry Canfield will travel to Laos August 30th. He will be gone for about 10 days.

**Baptism**
Vance Payne (son of Carlene Payne) was baptized Sunday morning after worship by Bill Wilson. Vance had recently visited Bill in West Monroe, Louisiana, and been convicted of the need to change his life.

**Directory Correction**
Please correct your directory listing to include all three daughters of Chris and Denise Campbell: Ashley (age 16) Leslie (age 13), and Caroline (age 8).

**Bridal Shower**
A shower honoring Adriane Anderson, bride-elect of Todd Martin, is planned for Sunday, August 24, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the home of Helen Pratt. Adriane and Todd are registered at Dillards, Wal-Mart and Pier 1.

**Miscellaneous Church Shower**
The church is in need of some miscellaneous items for the baptistery, Annex kitchen, FLC kitchen and restrooms.

Registration forms (with a bar code) are available in the foyer for you to pick up. Unwrapped gifts can be returned to this same table in the church foyer. If you would like to donate $$ and have someone shop for you, see Sharon Faries, Connye Neal, or Ann Selig.

**Gateway News**
To celebrate our study of the birth of Jesus, on August 31, we would like to have a "baby shower" for baby Jesus. Children in the 2nd through 6th grades may bring a baby gift which we will then give to the Way and to the church pantry. We have many requests for disposable diapers (all sizes). Any baby gift will be great. Used baby clothing would be very welcome as well.
Whether you are able to send a gift or not, we look forward to having your child with us to celebrate this most important event. It is our desire that by bringing gifts for the "Baby Jesus Shower" the children will also learn about giving to others. Thank you for your help in this and for the opportunity to teach your children.

**Thank You!**
On Saturday morning, August 9th, the CURE eye exam equipment was moved from the Fort Chaffee warehouse to the Good Samaritan Clinic building on North "B" Street. Installation will begin shortly. Kathy Monk will meet with Fort Smith Public School nurses in mid-August to plan screening procedures for the school year 2003-2004. Thanks to Kathy & Gene Monk, Rod & Matt Jones, Ron Moreton and Jim Selig for their help.
~~Bob Fisher

**New Arrival**
Ken and Connie Tipton (formerly of West-Ark) have a new grandson. Josiah Lee Blackmer was born August 20 to Carla and Ken. He weighs 5 lbs., 15 ozs. If you would like to send a card to Connie and Ken, their address is 1752 Sarah Ann Drive West, Southaven, MS 38671.

**Family Meeting, Ice Cream and Fellowship!**
Our Family Meeting is Sunday evening, September 7th. Afterwards, we will enjoy our Annual Ice Cream Supper in the FLC (in years past this ice cream supper was hosted by Mat and Jo Griffin at their home).

Please bring a freezer of your favorite homemade ice cream. If you can't bring homemade ice cream, desserts of all kinds are needed. You may also bring store-bought ice cream.

The Lord is good and for this we rejoice! The past few weeks, it has been obvious to many people just how much the Lord has blessed our youth group this summer. Our numbers are way up and we are out of room.

We've had over 60 in class the past two Sunday and Wednesday nights. The youth room is full and we've had people sitting in the floor. But more important than just numbers is the fact of what God is doing in the lives of these young people.

As intended, the events of this past summer have caused many to change and to recognize the need for God in their daily, personal life. This has brought about many opportunities for us as a group and it will affect the events and outreach we have planned for the near future.

As a result, I would like to meet with all of the 7th - 12th graders and their parents this coming Sunday night, August 24th from 6-7 p.m. in the gym. During this time of worship and reflection, we will share what the Lord has been doing through our young people this summer and we will talk about how that will affect the need for everyone to be involved in our program in the coming months.

Mom and dad, please be present this coming Sunday evening. There is nothing more important than your involvement in the spiritual part of your teen's life. I hope to see all of you Sunday evening. May God bless you as you strive to lead your family closer to Him.

**Schedule of Services**
Sunday Worship (10:30).................622
Sunday Classes (9:30) .................. 459
Sunday Evening (6:00)....................311
Small Group......................................21
The Way (4:00) .................................81
Wednesday Worship (7:00)............ 321
Sunday Contribution ................$19,383
Laotian Attendance............................31
Hispanic Attendance..........................45