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Vol. 48, No.
6 SOUTHSIDE ORACLE
April 8, 2005
“Does God Exist?”
Lectures
On
April 29 & 30 Southside will host a series of lectures by John
Clayton on the theme of “Does God Exist?” The series will be held at
Greenfield High School, 4800 S. 60th Street at W. Layton Avenue,
just off Interstates 43 and 894. The series is open to everyone and you are
encouraged to invite friends and neighbors.
John
Clayton is a scientist and teacher, but also a former atheist. He came to
the Christian faith through personal struggle that convinced him that there
has to be a God. His presentations will give his reasons for believing in a
supreme being and will be a response to the challenges of atheism. He will
use charts, slides and fossil displays in conjunction with his lessons. He
has been with us in the past for similar messages and has been very well
received.
The
lectures will be from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There will
also be a conference for youth on Saturday between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Descriptive brochures are available at the church building for you to share
with your friends.
The Bulletin Board
Men’s Retreat –We need additional men to sign up for the annual
Southside men’s retreat at Camp Matawa near Campbellsport on April 15 & 16.
The theme will be “The Measure of a Man” and will be led by men of our
congregation. If you can go, sign up on the men’s bulletin board. For
questions contact Dale Ketterhagen at (262) 895-6561.
The Sick – Elfriede Wandsnider had successful surgery Monday at
Froedtert Hospital for the removal of a kidney. She is doing well…..Roger
Young also had surgery Monday and is now home from the hospital…..Gertrude
Bahn is not doing well at home….. Remember the sick in your prayers.
ATTENDANCE RECORD
Two
years ago Last year Last week Goal
Bible
classes 144 130
125 170
Morning worship
215 226 *229 250
Evening worship
65 no count 64 80
Contribution $4177.76
$4364.47 $3772.62 $4900.00
(*) first
service, 111; second service, 118
Praise and Palate will be Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Bring “your choice.”
The Mother-Daughter Banquet will be May 6th
at 6:30 p.m. at the church building. All the women and girls are invited.
Those who plan to attend should sign up on the bulletin board no later than
April 20th.
Calendar of Events
April 9 –
Men’s Breakfast, Hampton Avenue Church, 8:30 – 11:00 a.m.
April 10 –
Elders/deacons meeting, 4:30 p.m.
April 10 –
Praise and Palate, 6:00 p.m.
April 15,
16 – Southside men’s retreat, Camp Matawa
April 19 –
Christian Workers’ Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
April 23 –
Grounds clean-up, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
April 23,
24 – W.C.Y.C. youth rally with Soul Concern at Fallhall Glen
April 29,
30 –“Does God Exist?” seminar, Greenfield High School, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
April 30 –
Spring work day at Fallhall Glen
May 6 –
Mother/daughter banquet, 6:30 p.m.
Wrapped in Family
Values
An
article in Tuesday’s Journal Sentinel caught my attention. It’s
about a proposal by State Rep. Terese Berceau to raise the beer tax a
whopping two cents per six pack. She would use the proceeds to pay for
alcohol abuse treatment provided by counties. For political reasons (this
is Wisconsin) the proposal isn’t going to fly. It lacks support from both
parties.
What
interested me in the story was the rationale of some of the opponents. Rep.
Scott Suder of Abbotsford said that the tax would “punish responsible
drinkers” and also “hike up the price of a Friday night fish fry for
working families who are already struggling to make ends meet.” At two
cents per six pack that really hurts the family!
The
absurdity of the argument reminds me of the old Arab who declined an
invitation to dinner saying, “I have to tie up my milk.” When queried what
he meant by his response he replied, “When you don’t want to do something
one excuse is as good as another.”
This
illustrates how unresponsive we sometimes are to the issues we encounter.
If we don’t have a decent reply we shout, change the subject, or come up
with an argument that won’t hold water. This is true in politics, in the
family, and sometimes even in the church. How many family conflicts that
rise to the shouting stage completely avoid the real issues! Emotion
replaces reason and nothing is truly resolved. In these cases the only
thing that may help is the counsel of an unbiased person, but too often such
assistance is declined. How sad!
Christians of all people should learn to deal rationally and fairly with
conflict. Let us learn to control our emotions, abandon the rhetoric, and
meet truth face to face.
__Monroe Hawley
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