Vol. 46, No. 12                       SOUTHSIDE ORACLE                  May 30, 2003

The Bulletin Board

      Church Picnic – We will have a church picnic Sunday after the second worship at the Root River Parkway, area 2.  This is the usual place where we have the picnic.  Plan to attend.

      Congratulations to our graduating high school seniors.  They are:

Alex Hanyard, Rufus King High School – plans to attend Univ. of Wis. - Milwaukee

Holly Shilts, Hartford Union High School – plans to attend York College

Sevea Shilts, Mukwanago High School – plans to attend Harding University

Bethany Stanger, Heritage Christian High School – plans to attend York College

Armando Valdez, St. Francis High School

      New Arrival – Thomas Joseph Poetker, son of Tammie and grandson of Bob and Sandy Ondrejka, was born May 21st.  He weighed less than three pounds and will have to stay in the hospital for a couple of months.

      The Sick – Richard Boucher is having shoulder surgery this week following a work-related injury….For the second time recently, Betty Maleshafske had stents inserted Friday to open her heart arteries.  She went home from the hospital Saturday….Cheryl Morgan is recovering at home from her recent spinal surgery, but is still in considerable pain.

      Southside has a scholarship fund to help send children to the Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp.  If you would like to contribute to send a child to camp, please see Tim Shilts.  There are four two-week sessions beginning June 15^th.  The sessions are divided according to age.  Also, the various sessions are in need of help.  If you would consider working at one of the sessions, see Tim.     

ATTENDANCE RECORD

                                                  Last year   Two weeks ago Last week          Goal

   Bible classes                                  94                  138                   126             170

   Morning worship                            180                  216                * 207             250

 Evening worship                              36                    63                    35                80

 Contribution                             $2725.40         $4244.06         $3543.59  $4200.00

                                                             (*) first service, 123; second service, 84

      Have you noticed the new trees and shrubbery on the east side of the church building?  Our thanks to Lou and Mary Brown for their landscaping work.

      Our thanks to Daryl Miller and J. R. Frost for their lessons last Sunday.

  About forty of our number attended the Southside retreat at Fallhall Glen over the Memorial Day weekend.

                                 Calendar of Events

June 1 – Congregational picnic, Root River Parkway, after 2^nd worship

June 6 – Tween summer party at Alexander home, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

June 8 – Elders and deacons meeting, 4:30 p.m.

June 8 – Praise and Palate, 6:00 p.m.

June 15-28 – Junior camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, Fallhall Glen

June 15 – 21- Soul Quest, York College

June 24 – 29 – Youth service trip to Menominee, Michigan

June 29 – Elders’ forum, 6:00 p.m.

June 29 – July 12 – Middle camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, Fallhall Glen

Eternal Life Now

      There’s an old story about an eccentric Texas millionaire who wanted to be buried in his Cadillac.  A couple of  cowboys happened to ride by on  their horses as a crane eased the tycoon and his car into the monstrous grave.  One cowboy turned to the other, shook his head, and said, “Man, that’s really livin’.”

      The human race never seems to learn where the real values in life are centered.  If someone were indeed foolish enough to request burial in a luxury car, that person would be just as dead and just as far removed from life as the person who is laid to rest in a pine box by the county.  Scripture says to one and all, “For we brought nothing into the world and we will take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:10.)

      Most of us realize that Paul’s statement is true.  The daily obituary column in our newspaper provides tangible evidence of the fact that we aren’t permanent inhabi-tants of Planet Earth.  Even so, we continue to pursue earth-bound goals – money, fame, pleasure, work, and power.  These are tangible goals.  All around us we see those who have these things.  How about eternal life?  Well, that’s a long way off in the future (or so we think) and besides it requires a lot of sacrifice, denial, and personal austerity to make it through the gates of pearl.

      Certainly the pathway to heaven is a road of sacrifice, but is it always an unpleasant one?  Not according to John.  John says, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is given us in his son” (1 John 4:11).  Please observe that eternal life is not something we will receive at some future date, but it’s a present possession.  Certainly the idea of unending life is present in the word eternal, but there’s always the thought of the quality of life in view.  John is saying that the Christian experiences the same quality of living here as those who live in heaven.  What’s that life?  Galatians 5:22, 23 contains at least a partial list of the benefits of eternal life now.  These include “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Man, that’s really livin’!

                                                                                            __Norman L. Bales

To Top