Southside Oracle Archive

Vol. 48, No. 25                      SOUTHSIDE ORACLE                      August 28, 2005

The Bulletin Board

Labor Day Retreat - This annual retreat at Fallhall Glen will be September 2 -5. Dale and Vicki Hawtey who will present a program called "The Balancing Act." Wayne Alexander will direct the retreat.

The Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp will celebrate fifty years of youth camping on Saturday, September 3rd with a special program from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. at Fallhall Glen. The celebration will coincide with the Labor Day Family Encampment. Plan to attend if you are interested.

Guest Speaker - Our lesson this Sunday evening at 6:00 will be given by Roger Hawley who will be visiting the Hawleys together with his wife, Nelda. Some of you will remember when they conducted a workshop for us some years ago at Southside.

Promotion Day - ^-Children in our Sunday Bible school are promoted in September Because of Labor Day when many are gone, promotion will be September 1 I . New adult classes will also begin that day.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

(*) first service, 116; second service, 62

Our low attendance last Sunday reflects the fact that over forty of our congregation were camping together at Bluemound State Park.

The Southside Ladies' Retreat will be at the Sienna Center on Lake Michigan near Racine on September 16 & 17. Nina Miller will be the speaker. The topic will be "God's Plan for Self-Esteem." Brochures are available at the church building.

Fallhall Days will be September 9 - 11 at Fallhall Glen. This is a youth program for those in the 9th through the 12th grades and is sponsored by York College. See Daryl Miller for details.

No Oracle will be published next week.

Calendar of Events

September 2 - 5 - Labor Day Retreat, Fallhall Glen, Black River Falls

September 3 – 50th anniversary celebration, W.C.Y.C., 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Fallhall Glen September 9 – 10- Ladies" Retreat, Waukesha Church, Camp Whitcomb-Mason September 9 -11- Fallhall Days for grades 9-12, Fallhall Glen

September 10 - South Beloit Ladies' Day, 8:30 - 2:00

September 11- Elders/deacons meeting, 4:30 p.m.

September 11- Praise and Palate

September 16 - 17 -Ladies' Retreat, Sienna Center, Racine

September 17 -Hampton Avenue Ladies Seminar, 9:15 a.m.

September 18 - Youth planning meeting after 2nd worship and lunch

September 18 - 23 - Gospel meeting, Midtown Church, Racine, 7:30 p.m.

September 23 - 25 - Hampton Avenue Men's Retreat, Wisconsin Dells

September 26-28 - 42nd Annual Midwest Preachers' Retreat, Fallhall Glen

October 1 - Family Bible Day, Southside

October 7 - 9 - Singles and Young Couples Retreat, Fallhall Glen

October 15 - Annual Southside Give-Away

Making Music in Our Hearts

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns mid spiritual songs Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. " (Ephesians 5:19,20).

Our recent worship survey of the congregation has pointed to our need to improve our congregational singing. We are currently considering several things that we might do to accomplish this purpose. The passage quoted above focuses on the purpose of our singing. Whether "speaking to one another" involves antiphonal singing in which one part of the congregation sings to the other or simply reflects our need to mutually edify one another is uncertain. From this passage we do learn that singing is directed to God in worship, but involves our strengthening one another.

This two-fold function of singing is seen in our choice of songs. "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Our God, He Is Alive", and "As the Deer" are songs of praise or psalms. "How Sweet, How Heavenly Is the Sight" is a song of edification while "In Memory of the Savior's Love" teaches us the significance of the Lard's Supper.

Our hymns should be chosen with care. The beat of some songs may evoke lusty singing, but if the message is shallow it will hardly edify the body. There is a distinction between enthusiastic and edifying singing.

Observe that we are to "sing and make music" in our hearts. The test of acceptable singing is not haw it sounds, but how the heart is involved. The instrument that praises God is not one created with our hands, but is the human heart. Off key singing meets God's approval if it is from the heart, while beautiful singing designed to entertain does not constitute worship if it is only external.

Does this men that we should not seek to improve our singing? Not at all. It is much easier to sing from the heart if the singing is goad as measured by sound. Likewise, if our hearts are in tune with God, we will physically enter into our singing in a better way than if we don't feel what we are singing. Therefore, it is important that we seek to improve our singing!

__ Monroe E. Hawley

To Top