We hope that you got the opportunity to meet Kaylee Hankins who visited Sunday morning last week. We help support Kaylee in the AIM program. These photos of Kaylee and her three teammates below may help you see the emotions they went through recently learning that they will be going next summer for extended mission service in the nation of New Zealand. Let us keep Kaylee and the team in our prayers as they continue to prepare for their Adventure In Missions. For the elders, Ken D
Happy and Safe Holidays To all and Best wishes for a
Healthy and Blessed 2020
From the elders, deacons, building staff, worship leader and their spouses:
Ken & Gail Darnell Troy & Leana Futrell Cary & Brenda Miller Joe & Teri Winnett Bob & Doris Foster Billy Hazlewood Henry & Mary Kattner Don & Paula Welch David & Sheri Zoller Helga & Bill Blackstone Esmeralda Medina Sherry Wills & Ken John & Tina Brewer
GUEST SPEAKER Today, Sunday, December 22nd, we welcome as our guest speaker Marvin Whitt from Cherokee Home for Children. He will give us a report about the work at the Home in the combined adult Bible class and he will also preach. We are looking forward to what he will share with us.
THANK YOU NOTE The Elders would like to thank the members for the beautiful gift basket that was left for us at the Elder’s Meeting. It was so thoughtful and much appreciated. As always, you make it a joy to serve this spiritual family!
PLEASE REMEMBER! • Tuesday, 24th, — NO FOOD PANTRY! • Wednesday, 25th — NO CLASSES! It is Christmas Day. • Tuesday, 31st — last day of 2019, NEW YEARS EVE!
BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES
Nigerian Thank You Note – Sylvanus Obi
Our congregation helps to support several of the Nigerian evangelists that share the gospel with World Bible students and others in West Africa. Sylvanus Obi is a local preacher of Imo State in Southeast Nigeria. Sylvanus recently sent a brief note thanking us for our support. Our brother has written in English even though it isn’t the language he normally uses in his home congregation. Please keep Sylvanus and all the other Nigerian preachers in your thoughts and prayers. For the elders, Ken D
Beloved Brethren, It Is a Great Pleasure and Opportunity for me to labour with you in the Lord’s vine-yard up to date, also approaching to end of the year. I hope we have achieved a lot in God’s glory. I am so greatful and appreciate your Love towards your assistance for me in laboring for the Lord relentlessly. However, we are also moving to enter to the next year and I have always praying that it shall be the highest year ever a great conversion in God’s kingdom. May He Continue to Grant all healthy condition, in doing more services in Jesus Mighty Name Amen! Yours Sincerely Brother/Evangelist Sylvanus Obi
“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16
There’s a lot of talk about giving this month. Even the retail stores, who have separated themselves from the “reason for the season”, have not moved away from this concept. It is a time to give to everyone on your list and “we’re only here to help you with this task …cause we have better sales!‟” But, the reason so many Millennials are abandoning Christmas for Halloween as the biggest holiday, is because when the “good news of great joy” is cut off and disbelieved, crass commercialism and greed are not enough reason to sustain it.
Giving to others only makes sense, to an increasingly selfish world, when it realizes that God gave first … AND THE MOST! God’s giving was His Son on the cross, began when the second person of the Godhead was made like His earthly brothers in every way, but this was planned before the creation of the world.
The expression is true: “we can‟t out-give God.” But do we try? Truly understanding and appreciating His gift, is the first step for us to pull our focus from our self-absorption and give to others from gratitude to Him. Do you give like God?
Doug Kashorek Plattsburgh church of Christ, Plattsburgh, NY
THANK YOU NOTE Thank you all for your prayers, warm thoughts and well-wishes for my granddaughter, Morgan Parker (and Grandmother Linda and others in the immediately family, too) as Morgan went through a difficult delivery and also some troubling problems after the sweet baby had arrived safely. Both mother and baby daughter are doing quite well by now. With love to all! Linda Robertson
TOWN HALL MEETING On Tuesday night, December 17th, our congregation will host a precinct 3 Town Hall Meeting in our auditorium. The purpose of this meeting is not political, but rather informative. Representatives of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will be here to discuss their monitoring efforts concerning chemical pollution under some parts of the Kingsland area. If you are interested in this information you are welcome to attend. The meeting will begin at 6 PM and will end no later than 7:15 PM.
REMEMBER OUR SPANISH WORK! Our brother Salvador San Tillan is ready every Sunday morning to teach a Bible class in Spanish. This is a worthy endeavor. Do you have friends who would benefit from this Spanish Bible study? Let them know about it by giving them a warm, personal invitation. Those who already come, make them feel welcome and at home in our fellowship.
GUEST SPEAKER On Sunday, December 22nd, our guest speaker will be Marvin Whitt from Cherokee Home for Children. He will give us a report about the work at the Home in the combined adult Bible class and he will also preach during the morning assembly.
BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES Keep our AIM students that we support in your thoughts and prayers. For the elders, Ken D Kickin’ it With Kaylee (Kaylee Hankins November 2019 – – Adventures in Missions Part 1)
Hey guys!!! This newsletter is slightly early because of the holiday is coming soon. I honestly cannot believe that November is here and almost gone! Soon enough 2019 will come to close and we will begin a new year in less than 44 days. But do you want to know something even more wild?? Once we get back from our Thanksgiving break, hopefully we will hear about our teams and fields soon. I can’t express how much I wait with joy but also anticipation. I am so thrilled to learn where I will be going and with whom. I am excited to start building those team dynamics and get to know each other even more.
Classes and Studies So not much has really happened as far as traveling, but a few weeks ago we started our new term. We have some assignments from several classes to help us reflect on what we have been learning and how we can apply it to our everyday lives. The most challenging class for me is Pat’s class, Spiritual Discipline. I never really understood what it means to be spiritually disciplined. At least not properly. But in his classes, Pat has given us reading assignments and reflective essays on them. And then we would apply it to our lives. For example, we read about fasting. Fasting can be on anything. First, he had asked us to do electronics fast for 24 hours. I had deleted some apps and turned off my notifications to help me. And I survived it! It wasn’t really that hard. I mostly communicate with my phone nowadays. I don’t have much time to just scroll through my feeds. But I will say it was hard not talking to certain people, but it did help me stay focused on school and get more work done. The next fasting that Pat had asked us to do was about food. I have already done food fasts before, so it was not something too different for me. BUT I did a caffeine fast, and I had no idea how much I depend on coffee to get through the day. Another spiritual discipline we did was silence and solitude. We got up each morning at 6:30 am and just devoted 30 minutes of our morning to God. It was a unique experience because it just sets your mood for the day. And then we did meditation! Which is my favorite because we selected a few Psalms and we would read, respond, and meditate on the Word. I used to journal all the time, just for fun and for personal things, but now we keep a journal for Pat’s class. It’s so that we can reflect on all that we’ve learned and see our growth when we want to look back on them in the future.
“Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country!” This challenge, made famous during the Kennedy presidency, suggests a like principle which should guide every Christian’s attitude toward the church. We should be less concerned about what is being done for US and more attentive to what we are doing for others.
Ask not, therefore… …whether this is a good congregation to be a member of, but ask whether I am a good member of the congregation. …how much I am loved, but how much love have I shown. …how many get well cards I received, but how many I have sent to others. …who visited me, but whom have I visited. …how much I get out of classes, but how much I contribute to make the classes interesting and edifying. …whether I was remembered in prayer, but whether I faithfully prayed for others. …who did or did not speak to me, but how many others I greeted. …whether my good work is recognized, but whether I have given honor to whom honor is due. …how many of my prayer requests God has granted, but how grateful have I been for His innumerable blessings. …to what extent my deeds have profited me now, but how my life will be remembered when I am gone.
“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” — “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve….” (Phil. 2:4-5; Matt. 20:28). – David Pharr via Broadway church of Christ Campbellsville, KY
WE ARE THINKING ABOUT . . . . . . . and have in our prayers Madison Stone, granddaughter of Troy and Leana Futrell, as she left for Kasempa, Zambia, on Thursday, Dec. 5th. She will be there for 2 years, teaching the children of the medical missionaries and taking part in other activities. We pray God’s richest blessings on her!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS A large group enjoyed good food and excellent fellowship at the Millers‘ Open House. Appreciation is extended to the hosts and hostesses Norma Bryan Pat DeVore Ken & Gail Darnell Bob & Doris Foster Don & Paula Welch Cary & Brenda Miller
OUR SPECIAL HOLIDAY FELLOWSHIP . . . . . . takes place today, Sunday, December 8th after our morning worship assembly. All the stuffed animals, with no button eyes, have been waiting for this day, so that they can go to Seton Care-AVan and bring comfort to some boy or girl undergoing a medical trauma. But we, the congregation, have been looking forward to this fellowship, very much too, because it is a very special one, having Doug & Diane Wheeler once more in our midst! Doug has his final and energetic report about his former work in Nigeria in Bible class, and he will also preach for us. Thanks for coming, Doug & Diane!
MORE CALENDAR NEWS FOR DECEMBER • Monday, 16th — Elders Meeting @ 9:00 AM • Wednesday, 18th — Soup Luncheon @ 11:30 AM in the fellowship room. • Wednesday, 18th — Visitation team meets in the library @ 6:30 PM. • Sunday, 22nd — Marvin Whitt, from Cherokee Home, guest speaker. • Tuesday, 24th, — NO FOOD PANTRY! • Wednesday, 25th — No classes, it is Christmas Day. • Tuesday, 31st — last day of 2019, NEW YEARS EVE!
BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES
Nigerian Evangelism – Mike Udam Report
This is a report from one of the Nigerian evangelists we help support. Please keep Mike Udam and the brethren in Nigeria in your prayers. For the elders, Ken D
I greet you in the name of the Lord. Our God has been faithful in guiding and providing for me to work in his vineyard. I sincerely thank you and your congregation for supporting my work out here.
In 2019, my evangelism yielded 8 baptisms, 5 restorations and the strengthening of the church at Ukpe planted by the church at Ukpagada, where I serve as the minister. In the year under review, I made 12 trips across the length and breadth of the country to speak at lectureships and seminars covering several kilometers on road. I also traveled outside the country to Kenya and spent 10 days building capacity in the church leaders there. In my WBS team, we recorded a slight growth from last year. We enrolled additional 300 students this year and we have been following up on the students. As a team, we preached thrice at Ukpe, and thrice at different locations within Ogoja area.
For 2020, it is my desire to share with you my work plan. Lord willing, as a church, we intend to focus on another nearby village and see to the planting of a congregation there like we did to Ukpe and today, to the glory of God, the church has stood and doing well. As a church, I intend to lead them to complete the mission house we started last year. One importance of the mission house is to cut down our expenses during our annual lectureship that has assumed a national status. Because of the bad road that I thread often, the wear and tear on my car bought 5 years ago has increased my expenditure on car maintenance. Therefore I desire a new one and I shall need $4000 for it. I have done some savings and will be able raise $1500. Your support will go a long way in strengthening my work as I go about teaching God’s word around the country. My mission team is also planning a mission trip to Kenya and Tanzania in March 2020 to build capacity in the church leaders there. Our first trip to Kenya this year exposed us to congregations that liberal in nature – women leading in songs, dancing during worship, hand clapping during worship, taking of tithe and very weak evangelism strategies. So we intend to go spend two weeks with the leadership of over a hundred congregations too, in Nairobi, Mombassa in Kenya and Arusha in Tanzania. As a person, $1000 will be able to take care of my ticket to and fro Kenya. I covet your prayers and support in this regard.
Lastly, in conjunction with other preachers around the country, we shall be pushing the gospel to the North east state of Taraba with WBS seminars. Three seminars are being proposed depending on the funds available. A seminar will require $500. This is to cover the transportation and accommodation of the speakers and the feeding of the participants.
I am consoled by the words of the wise one in Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your works unto the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established.” These are my plans as a person, but again it only depends on the approval of the almighty and the availability of funds and good health to make it a reality. God bless you. Mike Udam – The saved must be well taught to stay saved
“My command is this. Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:12-14
Something to Smile About
Think About It
“God looks at the world through the eyes of love. If we, therefore, as human beings made in the image of God, also want to see reality rationally, that is, as it truly is, then we, too, must learn to look at what we see with love.” ~~ Roberta Bondi
