Join us for supper at 6:00 PM in the fellowship hall,
followed by Bro David leading us through the series
“Unfailing Strength in Uncertain Times”

Menu for Family Night

Meat Loaf, Sweet Potato
Cabbage, Cornbread
Frozen Salad

All ladies are welcome to join our WMU  group.

Monday, May 13th
1:30 PM

Meet in Bill Hardin SS Class Room
Women on Mission (WMU) members seek to live out missions through missions projects, ministries, prayer, giving, and Bible study.

PROJECT FOR OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

Several members of the Church will meet on Monday, May 20th, at 1:00 PM in the fellowship hall to continue working on handbags for Operation Christmas Child Boxes. All are welcome to join and help. See Mary Moore if you have any questions.

VBS Workers

It is time again for us to start getting volunteers for VBS. If you would like to help with this ministry, see Eilene Perry. It will be July 15-17.

Giving as of May 7, 2024

Budget for 2024 . . . . . . . .  $329,423.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . $114,031.26
Received to Date . . . . . . . . . $92,627.84
Needed for weekly budget . . .  $6,335.00
Tithes Received this week . . . $10,255.00

MID-WEEK DEVOTION

Don’t forget to check out Brother David’s Mid-Week Devotion in the book of Psalms. They are uploaded each Wednesday on the sermon page.

From Our Family And Music Minister

I love to watch competitions and people compete, especially if I have someone for whom to root. One thing I find entertaining is how quickly someone jumps from supporting a losing team to a winning team instead of remaining loyal. If they were true fans, they would be fans no matter how well they did. They would stay through the thick and thin no matter the sacrifice. When it comes to a task that God puts on your heart, how hard is it for you to remain loyal to the task when adversity strikes?

In my last several articles, I have talked about how God has used ordinary people to do extraordinary things. This next person is no exception. He remained faithful to his commitment even when quitting seemed the best option.

The Philippian church had heard that Paul was in prison. As fellow Christians should do, they were concerned for him. They decided to do two things: to take up an offering to meet Paul’s material needs and to send a minister who could remain with him and help him. This man would have to be brave. By attaching himself to a man facing a capital crime, he would be leaving himself open to the charge of being an accomplice. By helping Paul, the man would be risking his own life. The man chosen was Epaphroditus.

While in Rome meeting with Paul, Epaphroditus fell seriously ill and came close to death; however, God spared him. After Epaphroditus gained strength, Paul felt that Epaphroditus should return to Philippi for some reason- possibly to keep his sickness from recurring or to eliminate the chance of him being arrested.  The possibility existed that if he returned before Paul’s fate was known, some would call him a quitter, a coward, a failure. We know from Paul’s letter to the Philippian church that he was far from that.

Epaphroditus did not quit. When he became sick, Epaphroditus could have forgotten about his mission. He could have decided that the mission was not worth losing his life over and returned home. The danger of being associated with Paul would have been understood by most, and his illness and the need to recuperate from a deathly illness would have definitely been a valid reason. Epaphroditus had every human reason to return home and let someone else take up his job.

But as a true soldier of Jesus Christ, he would not, and he did not. Epaphroditus was concerned not about his welfare but about Paul’s welfare and the task given to him by the church. Epaphroditus was faithful to his call and his church. He did not quit nor forsake the church. He had every reason to quit, but he did not. He stood firm despite challenging circumstances and the threat to his own life. When God gives you a task, you should have the mindset that you will weather the storm with God’s help instead of jumping ship to find calmer waters.