The
BIBLICAL
MESSENGER

       
        The carpenter work and painting on the new enlarged fellowship hall have been mostly completed. Still to do is the heating and cooling system and the carpeting. Wouldn't it be great if we could get it all completed before December 8???? We'll be working to that end.       

A Whisper or a Brick?

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and spun the car back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?" Building up a head of steam he went on. "That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

"Please mister, please I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do," pleaded the youngster, "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and May God bless you," the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long walk back to his Jaguar...a long slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

God whispers in our souls and speaks to your hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice: Listen to the whisper - or wait for the brick!!!

--Unknown       
       

Mark Your Calendar: December 8, 2002

       Our next potluck fellowship meal will be Sunday morning, December 8, immediately after our morning worship service. Mark your calendar!

        Our fellowship meals are not just a time to eat a social meal and have fellowship with each other. They are a part of our Evangelistic thrust. I realize that in the New Testament one Sunday is not to be elevated above another Sunday. for example, the New Testament knows nothing about "Easter Sunday". However, we use our six yearly fellowship meals as evangelistic tools. They serve as an "opportune" time to invite people to come. They become an important tool in church growth. Our last three fellowship meals have had attendances of 82, 94, and 102.

       Also we are in the process of enlarging our fellowship room. This is a sign of growth! Hopefully, all the work on the fellowship hall will be completed before December 8. When visitors come on December 8 and see the improvements, they will be impressed with the fact that we are a growing church. (Note: Our October average attendance indicates a 24% growth).

        Also, we hope to be enlarging our parking lot in the near future.

        Please plan now who you will invite to come December 8. Tell them about our newly renovated fellowship hall. If you would like for them to receive an invitation by mail, please give me their names and addresses. We will mail out around 125 letters inviting people to come.

        May God bless you.

In Christian Love,                           
John Hobbs