1001 E. MacArthur
Shawnee, OK 74804
Off: 405.275.4180
 
 

Ministers
Pulpit
Cliff Craig
 
Youth and Family
Mike Shelburne
 
Counseling
Everett Nicholas
Chris Estes
 
Associate
Terrell Sanders
 
Elders
Robert Allen
Wayne Grisso
Joe Haslam
Lonnie McDonald
 
Deacons
Garry Bailey
Alan Buck
James Cole
Chris Estes
Jack Hickman
Tommy Jones
Bob Kotts
Donny Longest
Neal Martin
Everett Nicholas
Robert Pettyjohn
Darrell Roe
Larry Rowley
Bill Schweikhard
Gary Smith
Dale Younger

         

This Week

Wed Summer Series

                       Speaker this week:

Jim Sheerer/Southern Oaks, Chickasha

 

                         College Praise

Monday at 8:00p.m.

Devotional for college age and young adults.

                   

DivorceCare is this Wed., Aug.21

            Bible Study at 6:30am on Thursdays

An extension program of OU will be using our

 annex to conduct Foster Care & Adoptive Parent Classes on Thursday evenings starting

August 22 – October 17.

 

 

TEENS

 

Back to School

Youth Devo!!

Tonite after evening services.

 

 

Upcoming Events

 Parent/Teen Meeting, Sunday, August 25, 7pm in annex.  Pizza will be provided.  There will be a discussion on important changes to teen program.

 

Graduation for the Bible Hour kids will be Aug 25,  right after evening services.

 

There will be a Kids & The Kingdom

meeting on Sept 1, after evening services. Parents of children from 1st - 5th grades are invited to an organizational meeting to plan activities for this ministry.

 

 

                   

     

August 18, 2002                  Vol  XXIV

The weekly Tuesday   Ladies Bible Class

     Will start September 3rd at 10:30a.m.

Joy Singers will start up again on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of every month at 7:00p.m..  Everyone welcome, new and old members!!!  See Winona Morgan

Baby Shower

It’s a Boy!!

for Heather Slater on September 5 at 7:00pm in the foyer.

 

 

Ladies Retreat

September 13th & 14th                      

Forms are on the foyer table

 

 

 

There is a letter from Beau Burton on the

foyer bulletin board.  Don’t forget to send your cards this week!!

 

                             THANK YOU

 We want to thank Kristi Barnett, Cheryl Richardson, Lisa Snyder, Dorothy Pensoneau, Bill & Beverly Schweikhard for teaching our children’s Bible School.

 

                              

 

 

 

 


 

Remember in Your Prayers

 

Kay Lofton had a hysterectomy & bladder surgery last Thursday at

       Midwest City Hospital.

Bill Wilson, son of Juanita Arrington, was at Unity North suffering from

         a blood clot in his leg.

Nadine Stephens has been dismissed from the rehabilitation center and

          is recuperating at her mothers. (942-8493)

Robert Allen is having problems now with a severe case of shingles.  The

         doctor has delayed his chemo until next week.

Wilma Hall, Jerry Miller’s friend, is in the hospital suffering with cancer

         that is throughout her body.

Tokee Richards is home now from a quick stay in the hospital.

Howard Parsons will have surgery on his hand this Wednesday in

        Midwest City.

Joy Mize, Jobeth Parson’s mother, will have back surgery Wednesday    

        at Baptist Hospital.

 

Faith After September 11

      The tragedy of September 11, 2001, has had all kinds of influence in this country.  Many people have tried to suggest that this was an event that spurred many people to greater faith in God and brought a spiritual rebirth in the United States. 

      Unfortunately, that is not what the numbers show.  Maritz Research and Barna Research have released studies that after a brief spike of belief in the days immediately after the 11th, faith and Church involvement has dropped dramatically.  Surveys show that twice as many people checked “no religion” on surveys as did ten years ago.

      Of all Americans, 39% do not belong to any church, synagogue or mosque-that is 111 million people.  Fourteen percent of all people tell pollsters that they are atheists, agnostics, or disinterested in religion- which is 40 million Americans living without religion.

       Nationwide, Church attendance has dropped by 30% in the last six months.  Belief that the Bible is the Word of God was 23% by Catholics, and 66% by Baptists.  Only 40% of the whole population believes that Jesus was sinless, and only 27% feel that Satan is real.

     (Reference:  Pulpit Helps, Feb. 2002, page 1; Readers Digest, April 2002, page 21; Free Inquiry, a mailout published by Council for Secular Humanism, May 1, 2002.)

 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­      I don’t like hearing such reports either, but they have been common for some years now and somewhat worse this year!  Sociologists have been telling us for 20-30 years that we are actually living in a post-Christian society.  That is, the Judeo-Christian approach to life that generally prevailed on the surface of people’s lives (if not in actuality) is certainly no longer the dominant thinking.  I don’t like that either, but we have no choice but to address our times.  Materialism, secular humanism, relativism, and irrational feel-goodism (logic does not matter, contradictions are accepted) dominate our times.

      What do people want?  How do we grow?  That does not change.  They want connection, acceptance, friends, and to feel needed.  And hope.  We can do that.  We must do that.  Invite.  Meet.  Greet.  Visit.  Befriend.  Same reasons you are here.  Share them!  Then share the way of Christ - the reason that produces the reasons you are here!

                                                                                                                                                                - Cliff

 

 

 

 

 


 

              

 

 

 

 

 

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