Tag Archive for: Estes Echo

Estes Echo

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Upcoming Ladies Events: Get Involved!

So imagine this: you are running errands in Jackson with your small children when you see a sad-looking couple parked at the edge of the parking lot. They look tired and dirty. Their hood is up. They have crafted a sign out of a cardboard box telling you that they need help. Your seven year old pipes up from the back seat, “Mom, those people need help. Can we help them?” Your heart melts. This is the idea behind “blessing bags” that you can have on hand when someone—a stranger on the street, a friend who is having a hard time, or a family who has just experienced trauma—needs to be lifted up. You keep blessing bags on hand or in your car to give people you encounter in your journey through life. Estes ladies will be making blessing bags on July 25, but that is only one of the many activities coming up.

Until Sunday, June 19: Collection of Items for “Blessing Bags”

  • Kindergarten – Boxes of individually wrapped hand wipes
  • 1st Grade – Packages of peanut butter or cheese crackers
  • 2nd Grade – Granola or other type of snack bars
  • 3rd & 4th Grade- Small tubes of toothpaste
  • 5th & 6th Grade- Chap Stick or Lip Balm
  • Youth Group – Boxes of standard or large size band-aids
  • Adult Class (Missions Room) – Adult-size white socks
  • Adult Class (Room 5) – Bottled Water or Packages of Gum/Mints

Get your kids involved in helping others!

June 20: Card Ministry Meeting 6:00; in the fellowship room. Come make a card to lighten the load of someone on our prayer list!

June 25: Blessing Bag Assembly, Devo, and Breakfast Fellowship 9:00. Come help others and be uplifted!

July 8: Movie and snack night 6:30. Come enjoy some fun and fellowship!

July 17-20: VBS at Estes. Get ready to sing!

August 2: First full day of class at Chester County Schools

August 22: Fellowship and Devo “Building Our Spirits” by Sylvia Scott (7:00-8:00). Come to be built up!

August 24: First Day of Class at FHU

September 9-10: Ladies Retreat at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park Group Lodge. Cost is $25.00 per person; see Ashley Estes if you want to attend; sign up lists will be posted later in the summer for food and jobs. Activities will begin at 6:30 on Friday evening and end by 3:00 on Saturday.

Come spend some quality time with your sisters in Christ!

Estes Echo

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The Lord is My Portion

As the summer begins, our friends’ Facebook pages fill with images of fun-filled days, vacations, and people brimming with happiness. We should, of course, be thankful for those blessings for ourselves if we have them and for our friends as they enjoy life, family, and God’s blessings. We should, however, also consider the other side of these images. Recent studies have suggested that social media add to our feelings of alienation in the modern world and sometimes even build a sense of envy as they lead what psychologists call “social comparison.” While everyone seems to be posting the good things of life, we can also develop a distorted version of reality: everyone else is living this exciting life while I seem to have hardship after hardship. Indeed, those around us, our families, ourselves have real problems that social media cover over with a one-sided version of life. Lamentations 3 reminds us of the age-old plight of God’s faithful people working their way through life.

Verse 1: I am the man who has seen affliction Because of the rod of His wrath.—God’s people see affliction. Sometimes when they have turned away from God; sometimes when they have remained faithful.

Verse 4: He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away, He has broken my bones.—God’s people suffer from illness: cancer, autoimmune diseases, broken bones and other injuries.

Verse 6: In dark places He has made me dwell, Like those who have long been dead.—God’s people deal with mental and emotional illness and disorders.

Verse 7: He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy.—God’s people sometimes deal with financial, job, and material problems and burdens.

Verse 8: Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer.—God’s people are often plagued with doubt and indecision.

Verse 9: He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked.—God’s people face temptation.

Verse 10: He is to me like a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in secret places.—God’s people face physical dangers.

Verse 14: I have become a laughingstock to all my people, Their mocking song all the day.—God’s people sometimes face ridicule from others because of their faith and for other reasons.

Verse 18: So I say, “My strength has perished, And so has my hope from the Lord.”—Sometimes God’s people get to the end of their tethers and feel as though their only recourse is to give up.

But Jeremiah continues by giving God’s people then (and now) the solution to all of these problems. This solution is not the immediate kind of solution that we are programed to trust in today in our wi-fi world. This is a long-abiding, faith-built, peace-filled solution that we need to remind ourselves of daily.

Verses 21-24:
This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”

–submitted

Estes Echo

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Accepting Charity

When Linda and I were in our late 20s, life was tough. Linda’s sudden onset of rheumatoid arthritis landed her in a wheelchair and seemingly derailed a good many of life’s plans. With two children under the age of five, a wife with a serious long-term medical condition, and a career path in its infancy, life became very challenging.

My bootstraps mentality shunned those who tried to help, which led to eventual exhaustion – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It was always easy to give to others in need, to extend charity to someone less fortunate and with less dignity, but for me to accept charity was to admit my desperation. It would insult my dignity. It would hurt my pride. It would mean that I had to admit I could not take care of my own.

Through the patience and encouragement of others, my pride surrendered, and we let others begin to help. Through their efforts, the advancements of medicine, and God’s blessings, things began to move to a new normal, and life’s path eventually began to be navigable once again.

Spiritually, all of us are in a frail, terminal position. Life is short, and humanity exists in a condemned, eternal condition. God has already offered his help. He has extended charity through His son’s life, teachings, sacrifice, blood, and resurrection. Charity has also been extended through the Holy Spirit, the church, prayer, and through the scriptures.

Are we willing to accept these gifts? Are we above accepting God’s gifts of grace, mercy, comfort, peace, and salvation? Am I too proud, or do I have too much dignity to keep me from receiving this charity? I mean really accepting it – far more than the way we accept that unwanted, unneeded, and perhaps even offensive gift at Christmas; the one we accept and place at the back of the closet; the one that never has its intended impact. These are very tough questions for me to answer yes. I believe it is superficially easy for me to accept these gifts, but to accept these gifts in a way that impacts every fabric of my being is challenging. To accept these gifts in a way that leads to complete personification is a big, very big, challenge.

Have I fully accepted the unprecedented, bountiful, beautiful, life-changing, eternally-impacting charity that God offers?

–C. J. Vires

Estes Echo

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Burgers with the Bishops

“Burgers with the Bishops” is the annual summer missions send-off hosted by the bishops/overseers (NT Greek episkopoi) of the Estes church (1 Peter 5:1-4). This year the gathering is scheduled for Thursday, May 5th, in the fellowship room of the Estes church building @ 6:00 p.m. Anyone involved in a short-term summer mission effort (whether stateside or abroad) is invited to attend, as well as all others who are interested in missions.

There will be a meal (hamburgers as the main dish) provided by the Estes elders, followed by an opening greeting, introduction of the various campaign groups and individuals (particularly those affiliated with Estes and Freed-Hardeman University), a charge to the campaigners, a special prayer for the campaigners, an exhortation and send-off, final words of encouragement, and a closing group prayer.

While the local church is God’s missionary sending agency, not all supporters and senders can gather in one place at the same time. Even though the Estes congregation is not officially sending all who are participating in these summer campaign efforts, the “Burgers with the Bishops” send-off is more of a symbolic gesture to encourage short-term missionaries and to offer the blessing of a mission-minded eldership. “And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:15a, ESV).

To estimate the amount of food to prepare, we need to know ahead of time if you plan to attend. Estes members are asked to sign up on the Activities Board in the lobby. FHU students, faculty, and staff who have not signed up, please inform Kevin Moore (kmoore@fhu.edu), who is also collecting information about summer mission efforts and welcomes any information you have.

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).

–Kevin L. Moore

Estes Echo

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We have had another great Lads to Leaders year! We had over 70 people go to convention, including several new families.

This year, the congregation helped develop future leaders for the Lord’s church in several events. These event include things that we see in the front of the church (worship activities), events that happen in the back of the church (teaching) and events that include everyday life (art, video, homemaking).

  • Song Leading
  • Song Composition
  • Speech
  • Making Videos
  • Puppets
  • Bible Bowl
  • Memorizing Scripture
  • Reading Scripture At Home
  • Reading Scripture In Worship
  • Good Samaritan
  • Creating Bulletin Boards
  • Teaching Bible Classes
  • Pictures
  • Photographs
  • Homemaking Skills

Lads to Leaders requires HUNDREDS of volunteer hours to make the program great. We have volunteers who gave up Sunday naps, Saturday chores, and even Easter with their families. Lads to Leaders would not be what it is without them.

We will have a Lads to Leaders Recognition Fellowship, Sunday, April 10, after evening worship. This is a great time to say thank you to our volunteers and to congratulate our children. It will be a finger foods fellowship (of course).
If you can’t make it next Sunday, shake a volunteer’s hand and give a child a hug. They ALL deserve it.

–Brent Rudder

Estes Echo

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Echo032516This past Sunday, brother Jim Corner with World Bible School delivered a class and sermon exhorting us to consider personal evangelism and to spread the gospel through the World Bible School program. These messages were scheduled as a means to restart a program that has been a part of Estes for a long time. Through World Bible School, Bible lessons are mailed all over the world; those lessons are then “graded” and mailed by church members in the U.S. – even here at Estes. Many have expressed a desire to be involved in mailing material through the program. Some have expressed a need to be taught more about the program and what they can do. Your level of involvement can be very flexible; those with more time can handle more students. If you have limited time, your involvement can be less. If you are interested in helping with World Bible School, please contact me. I can be reached via email at northrop_j@yahoo.com. You can also contact me by phone (my number is in the directory).

On Wednesday, April 6, 2016, those interested in working with the World Bible School program are invited to meet in the Fellowship Room during Bible class time. We will go over the logistics of how the program works and will assign new contacts to anyone who desires them. ANYONE can be involved in this work – college and high school students are encouraged to participate. Adults of all ages can attend and learn more. If this is a busy time of year for you and you feel you cannot participate but might want to in the future, we will offer a similar class periodically to maintain our knowledge and involvement. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

No one can do everything but everyone can do something. Isaiah declared, “Here am I! Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). Today, we have the opportunity to express the same sentiment. Please consider being a part of the World Bible School ministry.

-Jeremy Northrop

Estes Echo

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CHRISTIANS IN AN ELECTION YEAR

Since the Second World War, the United States has been the most militarily powerful and influential nation in the world. Understandably we take pride in our country, in its history of political freedoms, in its place among nations. Sometimes this pride becomes problematic. Our pride in country, our nationalism, can supplant our love of God. We become American Christians rather than Christian Americans.

This problem of misplaced allegiance and identity is evident in times of crisis and during presidential elections. In our nation, with its republican form of government, elections have always been important, and in recent years, presidential elections have especially loomed large in their cultural significance. Every four years, one can do a survey of comments on social media and see many Christians express fear over the outcome of the presidential election. We pray for a Godly leader, one who will lead the United States in a Godly direction, then grow afraid when a person whose agenda we oppose is elected. To counteract these fears over presidential election outcomes, we need to think bigger. Our God is awesome. He’s sovereign over this world. He’s bigger than any president or presidential candidate.

We can learn something about proper attitudes toward nations and leaders from the Scriptures. The prophet Habbakuk learned that God uses ungodly people to achieve His purposes. Daniel served two different empires, the Babylonian and later the Persian. Neither empire was Godly, nor were its rulers. We learn from the book of Daniel that all rulers are ultimately subject to God. Daniel knew this truth, and practiced it when he prayed to Yahweh despite the edict of the ruler Darius. It didn’t matter if an ungodly king passed a law against the exercise of Daniel’s faith. He still prayed and trusted God to take care of the details. And God took care of the details: He saved Daniel from destruction. That was miraculous. What wasn’t miraculous was how God providentially used the Persians and their policy of tolerance toward subject peoples to get the exiled Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

Paul, a Roman citizen, spread the gospel throughout the Mediterranean basin. The Roman peace that allowed him to travel freely was the same rule of law that executed his Lord. That same rule of law protected Paul’s life and allowed him to carry his message to Rome itself. In the case of these two empires, the Persian and the Roman, separated by a span of over six hundred years, the ruling authorities were instruments of God’s providence, unintentionally fulfilling His will. We can pray that God use our leaders today in the same way. They can unintentionally be instruments of God’s providence. He ultimately is in control. He reigns in our lives regardless of who governs our country. And whether they know it or not, our presidents are subject to God’s will and His redemptive plan.

Regardless of the outcome of this year’s presidential election, our citizenship will still be in the Lord’s Kingdom. We walk by faith, trusting and obeying God. We know that Jesus holds our souls in his hands. Love, Joy, and Peace fill our lives. In this tumultuous political season, we have a great opportunity, to be faithful witnesses and show our fellow Americans the love of God, the grace of Jesus, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

–Greg Massey

Estes Echo

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Supplementing Your Faith

Peter mentions “supplementing your faith” in his second letter. This is a response to what he mentions in verses 3 and 4, that God grants his great promises that provide an escape from the corruption of this world. Because of what God has done for his people, they should make every effort to supplement their faith. Let’s take a look at 2 Peter 1:5-7:

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (ESV)

Isn’t it interesting that Peter tells his readers that they are to play a very active part in growing or supplementing their faith? These wonderful qualities are not things that the Lord just simply bestows unto His people, who then passively receive. His people are called to give all diligence to these things, working in partnership with God to add and increase them. In fact, Peter thinks this is so important that he plans to “always” remind about this (vv 12-15). He plans to remind so well that when he is gone, those that have heard this message can recall his very words.

Peter is telling his readers that one’s faith needs the addition of these special qualities in order to be effective and fruitful. In fact, he says that lacking these qualities is akin to being spiritually blind, forgetting the “sin cleansing” one experiences as a Christian. Paul not only lists these qualities, but tells his readers that they should be working to increase the effect these qualities have in their life.

The significance of these qualities for the Christian can easily be seen. Consider the following:

Virtue: How many friends can be had, how many lives can be touched, by a virtuous person who seeks what is good and moral, and chooses to act that way? Seek to grow in good moral character.

Knowledge: What condition would one be in spiritually if the effort was not made to know the truth about God? Think of the promises that would be missed. Always seek to understand God’s will.

Self-control: How many sins would have never become sins if one’s self-control was an active and increasing quality? Grow your capacity to be in self-control. Learn to skillfully master your passions.

Steadfastness: Imagine the lives that can be touched if one consistently lives for Christ. Imagine how the world would be if it adhered to God’s commands. Imagine the influence one has who is a steadfast child of God.

Godliness: Godliness is a personal attitude toward God that results in one’s actions in honoring and pleasing God. Understood as devotion to God, godliness is the natural path one takes seeking to live a godly life, seeking to demonstrate the quality of godliness to a dark world.

Brotherly affection: What would life look like if one sought to outdo another with love and affection? Treating others with kindness, good will, friendliness, and care can dissolve hatred, remove jealousy, calm tensions, and demonstrate the love of God.

Love: It is impossible to consider love without thinking about the love of God, a love that provides salvation to a sinful world. Love brings the prior qualities together. Paul, in 1 Cor 13, says it best as he describes love as not rude, not resentful, not rejoicing in others’ wrongs, not envious, not arrogant, etc. In other words, love is sincere, patient, lasting, caring, and kind even when the situation is unloving.

Review the list again. Grade yourself. Does your life demonstrate these qualities? Is there an obvious omission of a quality or qualities? Is growth in these qualities stale or on the increase? Supplement your faith with:

  • virtue
  • knowledge
  • godliness
  • brotherly affection
  • self-control
  • steadfastness
  • love

–Mark Scott

Estes Echo

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2016 Goals for the Estes Church of Christ

Each January the Estes elders have a one day retreat at Chickasaw State Park. We spend the day talking about the Lord’s work at Estes. We finalize the budget for the coming year, talk about possible sermon topics, discuss the spiritual and physical needs of our congregation and in general try to find ways to push forward the cause of Christ. Toward the end of our day we set concrete goals for our work as elders of this wonderful congregation of believers. Below are the goals we have set for ourselves for 2016.

Short Term Goals

  1. Continue to strengthen programs such as Connections, 6-2 ministry, and Visitation program to build stronger relationships and promote spiritual growth among members and non-members.
  2. Add at least one more classroom to better utilize the office area or Scott house.
  3. Evaluate each mission point for which we are the sponsoring congregation.
  4. Begin onsite visit rotation of our mission points.
  5. Have at least one congregational meeting.
  6. Have at least one group meeting with the deacons.
  7. Add a new stateside mission.
  8. Strengthen our local outreach program by starting a database of area visitors and starting regular communications to them.
  9. Implement Phase 1 of the Expansion Program and consider Phase 2 implementation.

Long Term Goals

  1. Evaluate Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the Expansion Program.
  2. Develop themed weekend seminars to serve our members and our community.

– Richard Taylor

Estes Echo

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New Members’ Recognition Dinner

Echo022616In Luke 19:10 Jesus reveals His main purpose for coming to this earth: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He has always been concerned for the lost and he stresses how urgent the harvest continues to be. Jesus says again in John 4:35 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” Before ascending back up to heaven, he gave His disciples that same mission recorded for us in Mt 28:19-20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Jesus was all about saving people and wants His church to be dedicated to that mission as well.

Even though we can always do better and never want to become complacent in our service, it can be very beneficial to reflect how well we performed throughout the past year. We had a wonderful year at Estes in 2015! With 17 new members baptized into Christ and added to His church and 27 new members coming our way, the Lord added a total of 44 new members to the church at Estes during 2015 and the first couple of months in 2016!

But with success comes a new problem. It’s hard to know who is new and who isn’t! So… the elders have asked the 6:2 Ministry team to coordinate a new members’ dinner to take place after evening services on March 6th. We will take this time to re-introduce ALL of the new members that came our way in the last 14 months. We are asking the entire congregation to support this event and bring potluck dishes, except our new members of course. Just bring yourself and be ready for a fun-filled evening of food, fellowship and introductions.

–The Estes elders