• Remember our Pizza and Praise on February 22.  It will start at 6 PM and go until 6:50 or so.  I will provide the pizza and anything necessary for eating.  If you intend to come, I only ask that each family provide one of the following: chips/dip, drink (a box of 12 cans would be best), or a dessert.  Once again, Pizza and Praise is for any family with a kid or teen.  Please take the time to sign up on my door what you intend to bring so I can make sure to fill in any gaps and everyone can have a good meal.
• We are taking a trip to Rainbow Omega on Saturday, February 25.  We will be playing games with the residents (if it’s a nice day we will play kickball or something like that, otherwise we will be indoors).  This is open to anyone from the church who wants to come and help out.  If you want to go, let me know and I can give you the information (which is also posted on my door).
• I will be talking with youth group members about helping out with the Senior Banquet next week.  To make sure that we have the proper numbers, I will also be talking with the parents.  Just a heads up, but we will be serving the dinner and also helping in other ways.  This is a perfect opportunity to serve!

As usual, we have some great stuff planned, and I really hope that you make plans to come.  We’ve got anything from service to hanging out over the next month, and this is the perfect time to step up and help out.  I’m looking forward to it!

Since it is the end if January, I’d like to go over what we have planned for February.

• Next week (February 5) our monthly devo will be here at the church.  We will do what we have been doing the past few months and meet in the teen classroom to sing, then follow up the devo with dinner in the fellowship hall.  As always, parents are welcome to stay if they would like.
• Don’t forget the Area Wide Youth Series (February 19) at Roebuck Parkway.  We will be leaving at 4:30PM.
• We will have a Pizza and Praise on Wednesday, February 22, at 6PM for any family with kids in the 1^st-6^th grades as well as the youth group.  I will have sign-ups on my door for those who want to come. I am asking that you bring only one of either: chips/dip, drink, or dessert (this is per family, not per head).  I hope that you can make it to dinner and fellowship before we worship that Wednesday!
• The following Saturday (the 25^th) the youth group and any parents who want to be involved are traveling to Rainbow Omega to play games with the residents.  We will be leaving at 12:45 that afternoon and returning around 4:15.  If it is a nice day outside we will play games such as kickball outdoors; if the weather does not permit that we will play board games inside the resident’s homes.  If you are on the fence about going, be sure to talk to anyone who went last year to see what a great time was had by all.  I hope that you are able to make it!

I’m looking forward to a great month.

Sunday, July 17, we will have a fellowship meal following the morning worship service.  An early 12:30 service will follow.  There will be no 6PM service that night.

Each weeknight of the meeting we will serve a meal at 5:30PM.  We are doing this to feed the preacher and his family, enjoy fellowship with one another, and to help  busy families who might be rushing from work to make the meeting.

Our theme this year is simply “The Gospel” and the schedule of lessons is below.  After each lesson, you’ll be able to find the recording of it by clicking here.

July 17 @ 9AM: The Gospel and the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23)
July 17 @ 10AM: The Gospel of Death and Resurrection (Romans 6:4-5)
July 17 @ 12:30PM: Evidence of the Gospel (Philippians 1:27)
July 18 @ 7PM: Obeying the Gospel: Baptism (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8)
July 19 @ 7PM: Obeying the Gospel: Deliverance (Luke 4:18-21)
July 20 @ 7PM: Obeying the Gospel: Reconciliation (Galatians 2:4-5)

You can read the article by going to Lost in Afghanistan.

If you have time, send a card to Joel and let him know how much we miss him.

Since the disaster of last Wednesday’s tornadoes, you have responded with overwhelming support and a desire to help.  As Christians, we have seen the love God has shown us and want to reflect that love to our neighbors, so your concern is the natural response of people of faith.

The elders, deacons, and ministers have had several meetings over the last several days with the objective of putting together a planned response that will make as effective an impact as possible in our community.  The result of those meetings is a four-pronged response designed to incorporate the talent and resources that are at our congregation’s disposal.  Here is what we plan to do:

Financial Aid

After talking with numerous church leaders, victims, and responders, we have come to a realization that the primary need right now is money.  With this in mind, this Sunday’s contribution is dedicated towards the tornado relief efforts.  For now, we are focused on assisting our brethren in the affected areas, but once we are satisfied that these needs are taken care of, we may move funds into other areas as well.  In addition to the collection this Sunday, we have placed coin jars throughout the building.  These are especially good for teaching our little ones to help others who are in need.  We have additional plans for raising funds that we will tell you about in the near future.  For now, we want to focus on giving as much as we can this Sunday so we can respond immediately.

Donations

Ashville Road is partnering with the American Red Cross to serve as a tornado relief donation collection site.  Starting Thursday, May 5, through Saturday, May 21, we will accept the following items: school supplies, personal hygiene items (soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.), bottled water, batteries and flashlights, canned goods, packages of underwear and socks (all ages and sizes), work gloves, diapers and baby supplies, lighter fluid, charcoal, hand sanitizer, and sandwich bags.  In addition to bringing items, we also need volunteers who are willing to watch the fellowship hall as these donations come in.  The building will be open for donations from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  Signup sheets to volunteer for this are on Neil’s door.

Meals

Already we have had an opportunity to prepare hot meals for 200 victims in the Ashville area.  Be listening for more opportunities like this, as we are working with coordinators in Ashville and Heathermoor Estates in Moody to provide hot meals to victims who are without power and in some cases water.  If you can cook for the victims in these areas, please send an email to Neil Hillis, letting him know you are on standby.  When a need arises, we will be letting you know through email and the Calling Post.

Clean Up

So far, many of the areas that have been devastated by the tornados are not open for volunteers to enter in and begin cleaning up the debris.  We have notified volunteers in several areas throughout Alabama that we will have a team ready to clean up when they need us.  So that we can be prepared, please notify Neil if you would like to be a part of this team.  We will let you know when we are given an opportunity to go into one of these areas and assist.  For starters, if you can help this weekend, we are planning to take a team into Shoals Creek this Saturday at 11 a.m.

Remember that this is only the beginning.  The recovery process will last several months, maybe even years.  Please continue to pray for the victims who have lost property and even loved ones.  And volunteer to help where you can.

Neil has been named the coordinator for all our efforts.  All of your questions, ideas, and information should be directed towards him, and he will see that it gets to the right person.  We’re grateful to Neil for the hard work he is putting into this response.

Because the workshop is less than a month away, I would like to share with you some reasons why you should come:

1. Our estimation of something’s importance is indicated by the amount of preparation we put into it.  If a student shows up to take a test without having studied for it, she obviously doesn’t care whether she passes or fails the class.  If an executive decides to give his presentation “on the fly,” he is not too concerned about impressing his clients.  And churches who put little or no time and effort into their Bible school betray their ambivalence about learning from God’s word.
2. Churches have a responsibility to teach their young people.  Of course, a spiritual education is ultimately the responsibility of the parents.  But Christian parents deserve to belong to a church that is committed to the task of educating young people in Bible school.  Life became very bad in the days of the judges because there arose in Israel a generation that did not know the Lord (Judges 2:10).  The same tragedy is possible today.
3. Historically, the condition of a church’s Bible school has been an indication of the condition of the church as a whole.  Ira North liked to say, “As goes the Sunday school, so goes the church!”  He preached for one of the largest congregations among the churches of Christ because he believed in the importance of Bible classes.
4. We are bringing new teachers into the program every year.  We would never seek counsel from a lawyer who never went to school, nor would we go to an untrained doctor for medical advice.  Why, then, should we turn our Bible classes over to a teacher that has never be trained to teach the Bible?
5. Wells will stop producing water if the pump is never primed.  Even the best teachers grow stale when they stop challenging themselves.  Every year, good Bible class teachers seek to better their knowledge and skills so that their lessons will stay fresh and engaging.
6. Our Teacher’s Workshop will be an opportunity for fellowship and growth.  You don’t have to be a teacher to attend.  Everyone who comes will enjoy the experience.

Make plans to spend a few hours focusing on a very important work of the Lord.  Invite others who may be interested.  This is an opportunity you will not want to miss. You can find more information here.