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Family Lines
Newsletter, December 20, 2009
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**Permanent
Good**
By David
Chadwell
Recently I
heard a commercial several times that speaks of “permanent good.” I wonder
how long “permanent good” is? A decade? A life span?
Generations? Or a century?
How would you
like to do something “permanently” that, at the moment, was good?
How would you do it? Are you sure you would like your name permanently
attached to anything? Do you know how many objects of praises later are
objects of curses?
Have you
driven down a dedicated highway and wondered, “Who was that? What did he
do?” Have you walked by a building prominently named for someone and
wondered, “Who was that? What did she do?” Instantly a memorial
becomes a question mark.
Whatever good
we do lasts, at best, a lifetime. Hopefully, it touches a younger
life. Hopefully, the younger life touches someone with the good you
started. Eventually someone asks, “Where did that come from?” The
response, “I do not know, but it sure blessed me!” We should be so
fortunate as to be the anonymous person who began a good that blesses
others. Remembering your name is unimportant when the good you do blesses
someone you never knew and who never knew you. God knows who did
what!
Here are some
permanent things that should cause us all joy:
1.
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ is permanent—God does not withdraw
forgiveness.
2.
Reconciliation in Jesus Christ is permanent—God will never withdraw
reconciliation through Jesus.
3.
Sanctification in Jesus Christ is permanent—God will never withdraw
sanctification through Jesus.
So are hope,
mercy, grace, and resurrection permanent. God made them permanent in Jesus
Christ. Because of what God did in Jesus’ death and resurrection, God will
never say, “Oops! That is not available any more.
Sorry!”
If the only
one who knows you in judgment is Jesus, that is more than enough. As your
mediator, he will introduce you to God. “Thank you, God, for the gift of
Jesus! Thank for making what You do through him permanent!” Have you
responded to God’s gifts?
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**Order of
Worship**
Worship
Leader -- Brent Evans
#1005 –
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem (vs. 1, 3)
Welcome
#1003 –
Silent Night! Holy Night! (vs. 1, 3)
#998 – What
Child Is This? (vs. 1)
#995 – It
Came Upon A Midnight Clear (vs. 1)
#996 – O
Little Town of Bethlehem (vs. 1)
#1001 – Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing (vs. 1)
#357 –
Bethlehem…Galilee…Gethsemane
Table of the
Lord and Offering
#1014 -
Jesus Loves Me! (vs. 1, 2, 3)
Coins for
Christ
Dismiss for
Children’s Worship
#2002 –
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (vs. 1, 2, 4)
Message –
Chris Benjamin
Song for
Responses
Light the
Fire (on screen)
Elder’s
Prayer
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In Our
Thoughts & Prayers
• Alice Jean
Rogers is in St. Edward Hospital, room 5510.
• Geneva
Shepherd has been moved to Methodist Nursing Home, room 152. She would
really enjoy some visits!
• Jewell
House has chronic hives and is confined to home. She welcomes phone calls
and can have limited visits, but please call first.
• Russ
McConnell has pneumonia and is resting/recovering at home.
• Wilburn
Howard is in Sparks Hospital, room 697, recovering from an appendectomy.
He expects to go home Thursday (12/17/09).
• Prayer is
requested for Wendi Murrell, daughter of longtime friends of the Gouty’s and
Lowry’s. Wendi (a single mom with a young daughter) fell down a flight of
stairs at church. She sustained multiple head injuries, and is in a coma
at a Tulsa hospital.
**Continued
Prayers**
Continue to
pray for Bobbie Bollinger, Caidan Dockery, Inez Hatfield, Jim Dunn, Lela Neal,
Margaret Stone, Ruth Bearden, Sharon Carroll, Van Humphrey, and Wilma
Son.
**Just
Born**
Congratulations
to Bob & Sharon Faries on the birth of a granddaughter, Adleigh Faith
Faries, on Dec. 14. The baby is 19 1/2 inches long and weighs 6 lbs. 14
ozs. She is the daughter of Elizabeth and Jacob and Asher is her big
sister.
**Prayer
Pager**
441-2378
Geneva Shepherd
**Welcome
Back!**
Virginia
Mobley
1908 N. 44th
Terrace
Fort Smith,
AR 72904
Phone:
763-1212
**Correction**
Our apologies
to Norma Jean Breedlove for listing her in last week’s newsletter as a former
member. Norma Jean’s membership extends back to 1960, when her family
began to worship with the College Terrace congregation.
**Congregational
Leadership**
This new
series of lessons by David Chadwell focuses on the leadership that should be
exerted by every member of a congregation. The first four lessons on selecting
elders will be in classrooms on Dec. 27 and will be used by ALL adult Bible
classes on January 3, 10, 17 and 24. Classes that use only lessons 1-4 are
encouraged to consider using the fifth Sunday in January as a discussion class
on the meaning of a congregation being led by elders. The lessons will
soon be online at-- www.westark.org/chadwell/leadership. Teacher’s Study
Guides are available in the church library.
**York
College Concert Choir Coming January 7th!**
A musical
blessing is coming our way in January! The York College Concert
Choir from York College in Nebraska will be here at West-Ark to sing for us on
Thursday evening, January 7.
We need to
provide housing for the students the night of Jan. 7. If you can house 2,
4, or even more students, please contact Mary Burkett. (The choir members travel with two people sharing
one suitcase, so they need to be housed in pairs.)
A CHANGE in
the additional details:
* Families
that house students need to have them back at the church building at 10 AM on
Friday morning and provide a sack lunch for their journey. (This is
three hours LATER than what we originally thought.)
* The
students will be given supper in the gym on Thursday night before their
performance.
**JOY Bunch!
**
We’ll meet
December 19, 6 PM in the Family Life Center (gym). Bring a wrapped
“white elephant” gift for the Dirty Santa gift exchange.
**On the
Bulletin Board**
• Thank you
from Pam Tennant
• Thank you
from Barbara Smith
• Thank you
from Jake Odell
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**Bridal
Shower**
honoring Bill
Davidson (son of Bob and Jo) and Amy Couture
Monday,
December 21, 5:00 - 7:00 PM
at the home
of Danna Turpin in Fianna Hills.
Bill and Amy
are registered at Dillard’s and Bed Bath & Beyond. Gift cards are
welcome, but only from Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy’s. (The Boston area does
not have a Dillard’s store.)
**Seeing Dots
Before your Eyes???**
Maybe they
are on books that need to be returned to the church library. Look on your
book shelves and try find some of our long overdue books.
All of our
books have a colored dot on the spine. Please look for these dots before
donating books to the Hope Chest or to a charity.
Notices for
overdue books are going out in January!
**Financial
Peace Simulcast**
On March 13,
2010, West-Ark will be hosting a Dave Ramsey live simulcast of the Total Money
Makeover show. Tickets are on sale now for this event for only $9 and can
be purchased through the church office.
**“Plugged In
For 2010”**
http://www.westark.org/temp/pluggedin.htm
This is one
of what we hope will be many concerted efforts at working together to open our
congregation up to serve a wider circle of people. Many of you probably have
family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors that you have invited to worship
- or maybe you’ve always been thinking about it. Let us help you. If you will
supply contact info for them, then the office staff will send them an invitation
to join us for worship on January 3 (when we typically see the bump up in
attendance).
Fill out the
form (at the link above) for as many families as you need. Please be praying about
the people whose names and contact info you supply.
**King’s Kids
Calendar **
Please see
the schedule changes below during the holidays.
Wednesday,
December 23, NO CLASSES - Combined Devo
Kids For
Christ will not meet...
Sunday,
December 20
Sunday,
December 27
Sunday,
January 3
May God bless
you with traveling mercies and wonderful times together with family and
friends!
**West-Ark
Online Calendar**
December 23 –
Wednesday night combined devo at 7 PM in the Auditorium
Dec. 24, 25
-- church office closed
We will not
publish a bulletin next week (Dec. 24).
Merry
Christmas to all!
**The Hope
Chest Toy Giveaway**
Many thanks
to all of you who were involved in the 2009 Hope Chest Toy
Giveaway. Many of our West-Ark family, young and old, gave of
their time to be of service during this event. Your efforts made the
giveaway a huge success. Over 400 adults were able to choose toys, books,
games, and stuffed animals for their families. Because of the many servant
hearts in this congregation, area children will have a brighter holiday
season. I appreciate each of you so very much. ~~Connye
Neal
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4
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**Youth Group
News**
NEW EVENT
(not on calendar) WAYG Girls Ornament Exchange - Sunday, December
20
The exchange
is Sunday, Dec 20, from 2-4 pm at the home of Lauren Hankins. It is open to all girls in the youth group. We realize the
Youth Group Christmas party is that night, but this would make it a little bit
longer of an event. Each girl only needs to bring a new wrapped
ornament.
Christmas
Party - Sunday, December 20
This is a FUN
event that you won’t want to miss. Bring $3 to help cover food costs and a
gift that costs $10 or less for a gift exchange (no gag gifts or gift cards). We
will be doing a “progressive dinner” where we eat an appetizer, salad, main
course and dessert at different houses. The gift exchange will take place at the
last house. We’ll leave from the building at 5 PM and return by 8 PM.
Don’t miss it!
Youth Group -
Wednesday, December 23
All classes
will be combined in the auditorium at 7 PM.
No Youth
Worship - Sunday, December 27
New Year’s
Eve Lock-In in Rogers - Thursday, Dec. 31
Carrie and
Chris Burress have volunteered to chaperone the event. But we still need a few
more adults to help them out. Please contact Rick or Jackie ASAP if you can
help. Thanks!
Winterfest
2010 - January 15-17, 2010
Turn in your
application and money by January 4. Pick up an application in class or by the
bulletin board.
UPCOMING
EVENTS!
Look for more
information, applications, etc. for the following events coming
soon.
- Mid-South
Girls Conference, January 29-30, 2010
- Christeens
(HS only), February 26-28, 2010
- Mexico
Mission Trip, March 20-27, 2010
**Happy
Birthday**
December
20
Dorothy
Harwell
Darrell
Moses
December
21
Jim
Johnson
December
22
John Paul
Hundley
Holland
McClendon
Jim
Wilson
December
24
Claretta
Bartlett
Debbie
Belote
December
25
Bill
Moss
Laurie
Sexton
Frances
Tyler
Sheila
Vaught
December
26
Rodney
Jones
Mary Beth
Oliver
December
27
Hope
Frost
Sharon
Knight
December
28
Hannah
Hesslen
Natalie
Nelson
December
29
Mack
Farris
Patrick
Pruitt
December
30
Lyndell
Foster
December
31
Bob
Davidson
Christy
Puckett
January
1
Billie
Neisler
Julie
Wilson
**Nursery
Workers**
Dec. 20
Morning
Flora
Johnson
Betty
Callicott
Linda
Wilson
Evening
Sheila
Vaught
Dec. 27
Morning
Berniece
Rogers
Sharon
Faries
Kelsey
Spickes
Evening
Denise
Lusby
**Attendance
and Contribution Count**
Bible
Classes...………....381
Sunday AM
Attendance..590
Sunday PM
Attendance..N/A
Wednesday
Classes…...N/A
Contribution………..$21,347
Children’s
Homes……..$397
Coins For
Christ.............$36
Lao
Worship
Attendance……………......36
Contribution……………$159
Iglesia de
Cristo
Attendance………………..62
Contribution……………$204
Office Phone
(479) 452-1240
Fax
(479) 452-5767
office@westarkchurchofchrist.org
www.westark.org
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"Making
disciples for Jesus who are eager to serve others."
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