Southside Oracle Archive

Vol. 50, No. 7               S0UTHSIDE ORACLE               April 13, 2007

Mission Sunday

            This Sunday, April 15, will be Mission Sunday for Southside. You will be provided with an opportunity to learn more about spiritual opportunities outside of our land. At the 10:00 a.m. class period all of the adult classes will meet together in the auditorium. At that time Scott Saunders will explain the work of Compassion International in sponsoring destitute children in other lands and how a person can become involved in this effort. Larry Bertram will then tell about the work of Lifeline of Hope, an outreach to orphans throughout the world that is providing opportunities to spread the gospel in places where it might not be able to go otherwise. Bath of these men will have displays in the fellowship room and provide an opportunity to answer questions and to explain how one can become involved.

            We also need to be reminded that our own Bethany Stanger will be working this summer with the Let's Start Talking program and the Sendai Mission Team in Japan. If you are interested in helping her, be sure to see additional information on the bulletin board. All of these provide us an opportunity to look beyond our borders to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of others.

The Bulletin Board

            Guest Speaker - Our speaker at the morning worship services Sunday will be Larry Bertram. For many years he preached for the Waukesha congregation and until last year ministered to the Richfield Church in the Twin Cities. He is currently working on a full-time basis with Lifeline of Hope, an outreach to orphans around the world. The Sunday evening lesson will be brought by Wayne Alexander.

            Congregational Meeting - We will have a congregational meeting on April 22 at 1:00 p.m. For that Sunday only our schedule will be changed. Bible classes will begin at 9:30 a.m. We will have a single morning worship at 11:00 o'clock. There will be a sandwich lunch after worship followed by the congregational meeting from 1:00 to about 2:30 p.m. There will be no evening worship that Sunday.

            Our annual Men's Retreat at Camp Matawa will be April 20 & 21. Those who can go should sign up on the sheet on the men's bulletin board. This is a fine program and we encourage our men to attend if possible. See Dale Ketterhagen for additional details or pick up one of the brochures in the foyer.

            New Arrival - Congratulations to Matt and Jessica Ondrejka on the birth of baby girl Layla Grace at Waukesha Hospital last Sunday. Mother and baby are now home.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

(*) first service, 132; second service, 118

            The Sick - Sandy Ondrejka was in the emergency ward at Waukesha Hospital Monday for asthma and upper respiratory infections, but is now home.

Calendar of Events

April 14 - Hampton Avenue Men's breakfast, 8:30 -11:00 a.m.

April 17 - Christian Workers' Meeting, 9:00 a.m.

April 20, 21 - Southside Men's Retreat, Camp Matawa

April 22 - Combined morning worship followed by congregational meeting

April 22 - Sunday Night Live for youth, Mandrake Road Church, Madison, 4:30 p.m.

May 11 - Mother/Daughter Banquet, 6:30 p.m.

May 12, 13 - Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp youth rally.

Selecting a Version

(Tenth in a Series)

            Recently we have told how we got our Bible and have considered some English versions available. God's truth can be learned from any translation. Still, not all versions are equally good. We should choose those that best accomplish our purposes. Choosing a version for personal study must be an individual decision. The reader should consider several factors in making a choice. It seems to me that the most important things to be considered are these: (1) the version should be based on the most accurate text from the original languages; (2) it should be as close to the words and sense of the original compatible with English grammar and understandably; (3) it should be in contemporary English.

            The King James may still be the most widely circulated of all versions. Though perhaps the most beautiful version ever made, it was translated from a text inferior to those used in most recent versions. Some have difficulty in understanding it because of its Elizabethan English. However, if one is comfortable with it because of familiarity, it will certainly teach the great truths as will other versions. Others may want to consider the New King James, a contemporary revision of the King James with. greatly improved accuracy.

            Some modern versions such as the Good News Bible have their uses as being very readable, but are deficient in accuracy because they are free translations. The Living Bible and The Message are not translations, but paraphrases. They give the personal understanding of the translator of what the original writer meant, rather than rendering what the inspired writer actually said.

            When the criteria mentioned above are considered, it seems to me that three versions commend themselves for personal use. They are the New American Standard (now difficult to buy), the New Revised Standard, and the New International Version. All are based an accurate texts from the original languages, are reasonably close to the original meanings, and are quite readable in English. All have weaknesses as do other versions, but on balance they deserve to be considered in making a choice. In any event, one would do well to compare versions before making a choice. We'll next look at study Bible options.

__Monroe Hawley

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