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Vol. 46, No. 21
SOUTHSIDE ORACLE August 3, 2003
The Bulletin Board
Baptized – Nathan Holtz was baptized at the Wisconsin Christian
Youth Camp intermediate session on July 24th. Nathan lives at
2458 S. 75th St., West Allis 53219, phone (414) 541-6865. We
pray that God will bless Nathan in His service.
Camp News – Our campers and staff left Sunday for the two-week
senior session at Fallhall Glen. We are happy to report that Jennifer
Giemza won the best girl camper award at the intermediate session.
The Sick – Martha Sepulveda is recovering after being
discharged from West Allis Hospital….Patricia Young is improved and home
following her shoulder surgery last week….Lisa Gustafson came home after her
throat surgery last week, but has returned to Cleveland this week for
additional surgery….Don Capitonoff was hospitalized recently for kidney
stones.
Last Saturday our Tweens had a free car wash for the community. It
was a fine service that they offered and we commend them and the adults who
worked with them.
Two years ago
Last year Last week Goal
Bible classes
122 123 146 170
Morning worship 222
220 *227 250
Evening worship 57
48 72 80
Contribution $3634.57 $4491.45
$4414.65 $4200.00
Area Congregational Picnic – Saturday, August 9th, is
the date of the area-wide congregational picnic, beginning at 10:00 a.m. It
will be at Kletzche Park, 6560 N. Milwaukee River Parkway, areas 5, 6, & 7.
At least six congregations will be participating. For additional
information see the announcement on the bulletin board or contact Bobby
Valentine.
Congratulations to Steve and Mercedes Sebestyen who will
observe their 60th wedding anniversary on August 11th!
Address Change – Heidi Hite, 3159A S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee
53207
Calendar of Events
July 27 – August 9 – Senior camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp
August 4 – 8 – Lake Geneva Encampment, Williams Bay
August 9 – Inter-congregational picnic, Kletzsch Park, 6560 N. Milwaukee
River, Parkway
August 10 –16 – Family week, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp
August 10 – Elders & deacons meeting, 4:30 p.m.
August 10 – Praise and Palate, 6:00 p.m.
September 20 – Family Bible Day
September 22 – 24 – 40th annual Midwest Preachers’ Retreat, Fallhall Glen
A Member in Good Standing
Recently I participated in the formation of a non-profit group which
has been set up to help fund the fine arts department at one of our local
high schools. I have devoted time, money, and energy to the establishment
and continuation of this organization. While the patrons group is important
to me, it doesn’t consume me. I’m just a member in good standing.
I’m afraid many of us regard the church the same way I regard the
patrons group. After all, if a person attends regularly, gives a portion of
his income to support the church, and devotes some of his time to church
work, don’t we normally think of that person as a member in good standing?
There’s very little difference in the way the average person view a church
member in good standing and the way he views a Lion, a Rotarian, or a
Kiwanian as a service club member in good standing.
The Bible describes discipleship in totally different terms. For one
thing, our patrons group came into being when a few persons decided we
needed it and we set about to incorporate ourselves under the laws of the
state. The church, on the other hand, came into being as an act of divine
mercy and at the price of the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28). The Lord never
asks us for some of our time, some of our money, and some of our energy. He
asks for the sacrifice of ourselves. “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in
view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and
pleasing to God which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). He makes no
provision for part-time discipleship.
Jesus expects you to practice discipleship even when you’re trying to
help the school children get a few dollars together for their fine arts
program. You’re still offering your body as a living sacrifice when you
play golf with your business partner. When you chat with your neighbor over
the backyard fence, you’re not just exchanging ideas about how to control
dandelions. You’re on duty for the Lord. In fact, there is no such thing
as an off duty Christian. A sense of mission needs to permeate everything
we do as we rub shoulders with unsaved people. That’s what it means to be a
member in good standing.
__Norman Bales
In the ancient world pearls were highly prized. In Bible times Jesus
warns against metaphorically casting one’s pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6)
and relates a brief story we call the parable of the pearl of great price
(Matthew 13:45). At the close of Revelation John describes the New
Jerusalem which has twelve gates made of pearls. The pearl is a highly
prized gem today even as it was two millennia ago.
The pearl is formed as an abnormal growth found inside some oysters.
An irritant such as a grain of sand stimulates a secretion around the
irritant that hardens into a protective coating that we call a pearl.
There is a human parallel to the pearl. It is common in dysfunctional
families for a child who has been badly hurt to build a shell around himself
to guard against future hurt. Sometimes it becomes a steely resolve never
to be hurt again. Because he believes he has been betrayed too often, he
is unwilling to trust others because he fears betrayal and consequent pain.
He puts up a front to mask his inner suffering. He refuses to confide in
others because in so doing he becomes vulnerable. He may even shut his wife
out of his confidence which causes her to feel rejected. Divorce may be the
result.
We all have our secrets, things that we don’t want others to know
about us. I don’t want to know all of your problems and you don’t need to
know mine. There is nothing abnormal about a person’s wishing to maintain
his privacy. And there are times when one may struggle with whether it is
wise to reveal some dark spot in his past.
However, one can never live a happy life if he has abandoned trust
that he has in others. Life totally without trust is impossible. At an
intersection you trust the unknown driver on the intersecting street to stop
for a stop sign. Sometimes that trust is betrayed and an accident results,
but you can’t go through life never trusting another driver.
In the spiritual realm it is vital to allow yourself to become
vulnerable. You may seek advice from another Christian relating to a family
problem, trusting that your confidence will not be betrayed. Finding a
solution to the issue is so important that it is necessary to risk being
hurt. Because it is a fellow believer in Christ whom you seek out, you may
be quite certain that your confidence will be kept. The remote possibility
that it will not be should not deter you from seeking the help you need.
There is a corollary to this issue. It is vital that the one whose
counsel is sought maintain the confidence of the seeker. Gossip is not
compatible with the Christian philosophy.
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