Sunday, our elders announced that the following men would be considered for the position of deacon.

• James Denson
• Jason Pulliam
• Jason Dockery
• Justin Watkins

They are giving the congregation a couple of weeks to consider these men (Paul says they must be “tested” first–1 Tim. 3:10). Barring any legitimate, Scriptural objections, they will be appointed on Sunday, January 27.

Pray for these men and encourage them as they step forward to take on this great responsibility. Their appointment would give us ten deacons and provide our congregation with the leadership that we need to move forward in 2008.

The funeral arrangements for Glenna Pepper are as follows.

 Visitation will be at Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Trussville on Tuesday night, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The funeral will be on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

Tomorrow’s scrapbook meeting for Lads to Leaders (Jan. 11) has been cancelled because our coordinator, Lilla Haynes, is ill.

 Information for future meetings is posted on one of the bulletin boards in the hallway.

We have set aside January 27-29 for photographers from First Choice to photograph our congregation so that we can update our pictorial directory.

 We do our directory in-house so that we can keep it updated on a regular basis. But since our photos are getting outdated, we decided it was time for everyone to have their pictures made again. First Choice has agreed to take all the pictures free of charge. We will receive from them all of these photos in digital format, so that we can plug them into our directory, and every member will receive a complimentary portrait. In exchange for this, they get the opportunity to sell our members the photos they will take–not a bad deal, since most of us like to have family portraits made anyway.

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We received another email with pictures from Joel Taylor, who is stationed at LSA Anaconda in Iraq. He is doing well and keeping himself busy with his responsibilities.

 Joel has been helping the chaplain with a number of duties that have encouraged the other soldiers who are stationed in Iraq. Among these are the planning of activities, like Christmas parties, to keep their spirits up. Also, Joel has been filling in for the chaplain while he has been home on leave. It is fulfilling work, but it is also draining. I know Joel is ready for the chaplain to return.

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We received another email message from Jim and Gloria. They return home tomorrow. Please continue to pray for them. 

Hey everybody,

We are fine; it is very cold here and snow still on the ground.  WE had a great day today visiting another hospital and our friends in Tigorviste.  We will leave here on Sunday around 1pm. We had a great trip and did a lot of great work.  We helped to prepare ~ 4,500 gift bags which were delivered to around 50 places.  Obviously we did not visit all those places, but we were able to visit many of them.

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Jim and Gloria Harrington are in Romania doing mission work. Every year at about this time, they make this trip so that they can deliver much-needed medical supplies and other goods to orphans and hospital patients. Their work is contributing to the growth of the church in Romania. They will return on Christmas Eve. Below is an email message we received yesterday.

Please excuse the group mail. We are doing fine in Romania. It has snowed here twice and is very cold; the streets are OK, but everything else is pretty messy to walk in . We have already prepared over 3,200 bags and still have more to do. Several Church members are helping, and things are going very well. We are trying to be organized and efficient, and it is working very well.

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Adam Lyons is through with basic training and is now in Huntsville, where he has begun his advanced individual training. He will be there till the end of the year. He is not allowed to leave base for five weeks. Unfortunately, that puts him there over Thanksgiving.

The good news is that he is not too far away, and Dennis and Ann are able to visit him on the weekends. That won’t always be the case. After Huntsville, he will go to Pensacola for five or six months, and then he will finish his training in Maine.

Dennis has set up a website so that we can track Adam’s progress. There are a lot of good pictures there.

Please continue to pray for Adam as he goes through all this training.

The family of Michael Bamberg have arranged for his funeral services to be held at the Ashville Road Church of Christ on Thursday, October 4, at 11:00 AM. No visitation has been planned, and the burial will be in Knoxville, Tennessee on Friday.

The church will provide lunch in the Fellowship Hall following the services. Those who are able to help with the meal should contact Elaine Harris. The food should be brought to the building no later than 10:30 AM.

We heard from Joel Taylor again yesterday, and this time he is a little more settled than he was before. He is stationed in LSA Anaconda, one of the largest U.S. military bases in Iraq, located near Balad.

Since Joel is in more permanent surroundings, he was able to give us his address. You can write to him at:

SGT. Joel Taylor
HHC, 1203rd EN BN
APO, AE; 09391

Of course, if you prefer email, you can still contact him at alltenn2u@yahoo.com.

Joel seems to be doing fine, and he is working hard with the chaplain to locate members of the church in his base. Keep praying for him, and remember Mischelle and Allison also.