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Vol. 47,
No.45 SOUTHSIDE ORACLE
January 21, 2005
The Bulletin Board
Elder Installation - Bruce Williams will be appointed as an elder at the
end of the first worship this Sunday. Those who usually attend the second
worship and Bible classes may wish to come a bit early for the
installation. Bruce will also be introduced as an elder to those present
for the second worship.
Trustee Selection – By law we are required to choose trustees for
business purposes. Two trustees to serve two years each will be chosen at a
brief meeting in the auditorium at the beginning of the Bible class period
at 10:00 a.m. Sunday. Those whose terms are expiring are John Dickson and
Troy Jensen. Three trustees have a year to serve. They are Kevin Parker,
Tom Brockdorf, and Brad Stanger.
Care Packages – We are preparing two more college care packages for our
students away at school. The students this month are John and Christina
Anguiano who are students at York College. The boxes are set up by the side
entrance. Please take a look at the lists and choose an item or two to
contribute. For questions see Colleen Windell. Thank you for your help.
ATTENDANCE RECORD
Two
years ago Last year Last week Goal
Bible
classes 143 138
128 170
Morning worship
251 237 *244 250
Evening worship
66 58 58 80
Contribution $3403.12
$3181.74 $4038.05 $4900.00
(*) first service,
141; second service, 103
Fools for Christ’s
Sake
“We are fools for Christ’s sake” (1 Corinthians 4:10).
A
few years ago, through the generosity of a friend who supplied us with
tickets, four of us saw the Milwaukee Brewers play their opening home game
at County Stadium. The day was rainy and windy, while the temperature
hovered in the high thirties. It was raining as we arrived at the ballpark
half an hour before the game. We passed some early arrivals who, reflecting
on the weather, decided to go home.
It
continued to rain for two hours as we shivered in the wind. Finally, as we
were about to give up, it was announced that the rain was stopping and that
the game would begin. That it did, better than two hours late. We
continued to shiver as the home town boys took a 10 to 1 thumping. By the
time we left not many of the announced 52,000 fans were still there.
A
non-baseball fan would observe that we were fools for sitting there that
long, especially when the game’s verdict was going the other way. Only the
true fans (some of them, that is) could appreciate the importance of
watching the ball game.
It
occurs to me that just as those who are not sports fans cannot understand
why one who roots for the home team can endure misery for his cause, so
those who are not dedicated followers of Christ cannot comprehend the
behavior of the Christian. That is what Paul meant when he said, “We are
fools for Christ’s sake.” In the eyes of the world one is a fool if he is
scrupulously honest, puts the welfare of others before himself, and
regularly takes time to worship his Maker. The man of the world cannot
understand why disciples of Christ often act against their immediate best
interests. Even less can they appreciate how one can truly enjoy the acts
of service that he renders in the name of Jesus. Even so, Paul was right
when he declared that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the
weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).
__Monroe
Hawley
Youth Small Group
Report
Our youth have many special activities as well
as two Bible classes for the young people Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m.
There is also a group of six or eight teens that meet on Wednesdays at 7:00
p.m. in the basement of the Williams home at 10230 W. Grange Avenue in Hales
Corners. This is at the same time that the adult Hales Corners Small Group
is meeting upstairs. The group includes those in grades 7 – 12. Daryl
Miller, our youth minister, teaches the Bible class that is currently
studying 1 John. The group also spends time sharing prayer needs. Other
young people who are interested are invited to join the class, and if there
are parents who are not part of a current Bible study, they can attend the
adult class at the same time.
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