Southside Oracle Archive

Vol. 50, No.23.               SOUTHSIDE ORACLE               August 10, 2007

The Bulletin Board

            Hills Arrive -Jeff and Holly Hill and their children arrived Friday and were with us last Sunday. Jeff will be preaching his first sermon here this Sunday morning. Contact us for their address and phone number.

            Inter-congregational Picnic - The annual joint picnic of Milwaukee area churches will be at 11:00 a.m., this Saturday at Kletzsch Park.

            Greg Johnson, our summer youth intern, will be leaving Monday to return to his home in Colorado. We thank Greg for the work he has done with our youth this summer.

            The Sick - Martha Sepulveda entered St. Francis Hospital Monday with congestive heart failure.... Elfriede Wandsnider fell last week, but was able to be with us for worship last Sunday.

            New Attendance Directory - Cliff Copass has posted a tentative directory list of attendees at Southside on the hall wall adjacent to room 9. Please check it and make corrections and additions as necessary.

            Camp Notes - The senior session at Fallhall Glen concludes Saturday. The Quest family camp will start Sunday and conclude on Thursday. The Labor Day Family Encampment will be August 31- September 3.

            Last Sunday evening Bethany Stanger shared with us her experiences this Summer at Sendai, Japan, where she participated in the "Let's Start Talking" outreach. It was much appreciated.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

(*) first service, 117; second service, 81

            Jim and Linda Capitonoff will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary at 3:30 p.m. at Southside on Saturday, August 18th. All are invited to attend.

Praise and Palate will be Sunday at 6:00 p.m. The palate part will be a cook-out.

Calendar of Events

July 29 - August 11 - Senior Camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, Fallhall Glen

August 11- Inter-congregational picnic, 11:00 a.m., Kletzsch Park

August 12-16 - Quest all ages camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, Fallhall Glen

August 31- September 3 - Labor Day Encampment, Fallhall Glen

September 24 -26 - Midwest Preachers' Retreat, Fallhall Glen

September 28 - 29 - Ladies' Retreat, Sienna Center, Racine

Fighting Depression

            Depression is a major problem faced by many. Probably every adult faces this situation occasionally. We all have our hills and valleys. With some people the valleys are deeper and more prolonged.

            Depression can be caused by several factors. It can relate to one's psychological and physiological makeup. We are also affected by external circumstances. Prolonged bad weather makes most of us grouchy. This can be partly psychological.

            But circumstances, tensions, problems, and shock can also send one into the "slough of despond."

            I am not a psychologist and cannot give a clinical solution to depression. Beyond doubt some chronic depression requires professional help. But this I know: the Christian faith is the greatest single therapeutic answer to this universal malady. Our difficulty often relates to our failure or refusal to apply Christian solutions to our problem. Space does not allow for detailed elaboration, but a few examples will illustrate my point.

            Jesus teaches, "Ask, and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). Do I try prayer, both to find a ready ear in God and to solicit his help? Again, "If any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1, 2). Some depression relates to guilt feelings. In such cases, the Christian solution is found in the knowledge that when we ask him, God forgives us. Merely to think, "God has forgiven me," does not automatically get rid of the problem, but to appreciate God's forgiveness is a good start toward overcoming guilt depression.

            “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). Am I willing to share my problems with my fellow believers to help me gain an objective insight into my difficulties? Often when we get down in the valley we refuse to let others help us out. These are only some suggestions to show that the Way of Christ not only provides some answers, but that it must also be applied to be effective.

                                                                 __Monroe Hawley

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