The Christian Messenger

Fifth Avenue Church of Christ

115 W. Fifth Ave.
Lancaster, OH 43130
740-654-0626 – e-mail: info@myfacc.com
www.myfacc.com

April 5, 2011

Brad Seevers April 17, 2011

Senior Minister
(740-550-9882) Palm Sunday Services
Combined worship on that day.
David Tingler Sunday School at 8:45am
Associate Minister
Worship at 10:00am
Glen Shady (Easter Cantata)
Youth Minister Evening Worship at 6:00pm
(740-438-5257)

Sunday Services
1st Worship
Easter Sunday
8:00 a.m.
2nd Worship
Services
10:30 a.m.
Sunrise Service – 7:00am
Bible School Easter breakfast – 8:00am
9:15 a.m. Sunday School – 9:15am
Evening Worship
Morning Worship – 10:30am
6:00pm There will be no Evening Worship
 SPIRITUAL STATISTICS (April 3, 2011) BITS FROM BRO. DAVE
Sunday School 77
First Morning Worship 98 LAST CALL: The “Keenagers Retreat” at
Second Morning Worship 91 Round Lake Christian Camp is next week! On
Total Morning Worship 189 Tuesday, April 12, our group will depart at
Evening Worship 39 7:00 am. There is still time for you to register
Family Reunion (3/30) 33
Weekly Budget
to attend. However, the registration fee will
$ 4,471.00
Budget Received $ 4,414.50
be $28 per person. (We will share the cost of
Mary Shaner Memorial $ 20.00 gas for travel.) A sign-up sheet is posted.
Van Fund (In Memory of Mary Shaner) $ 80.00 Please take one of the registration forms,
Elders $ 27.00 complete it and return it to me, along with
Maywood Mission $ 20.00 your registration fee, as soon as possible.
Book Nook $ 50.00 (Checks should be made to “Round Lake
Darren Craft Memorial $ 55.00 Christian Camp.”)

SERVING SCHEDULE – April 10, 2011 SENIOR SAINTS: It’s time to begin
registering for “Senior Saints in the Smokies”.
At the Table 1st Tom Puckett & Charlie May This is the grand event held on the Johnson
Dale Rose, Carmel Marsh, Dick Bible College campus each year. It’s a great
Serving 1st
Shumaker, Jerry Baker
time of inspiration, relaxation and fellowship.
At the table 2nd Tom Puckett & Ned Tomlinson
Serving 2nd Dale Rose, Neal Rudolph, Don Taylor, I have been attending for the past 21 years and
Dale Thornton, Ned Tomlinson I highly recommend it. The date is May 30
Pastor of the Week Tom Puckett to June 3. If you are interested in attending,
PM Deacon Dale Rose please see me regarding registration forms,
etc.
Offering Counters Team 1
WEDNESDAYS: I invite you to join us, each
COMMUNION PREPARATION week, as we study the book of I Corinthians.
1ST Worship Larry King Our groups meet at 10 am and 6:30 pm.
2nd Worship Fred Griffith
SUNDAY EVENINGS: Currently, I am
GREETERS preaching a series of messages based in the
1ST Worship Ruth Andrews & Jeanne Noble book of Proverbs. On April 10, the message is
nd
2 Worship Dick & Marg Shumaker “Responsible Response” from Proverbs 15:1,
NURSERY
28. Then, on April 17, the theme is “Handling
Sunday School Laura Wersell & Thea Kallenberg
nd
Courtney Beiter
Criticism” based on Proverbs 13:18, 15:31-32
2 Worship
Preschool Helper Debbie Cooper (The Lord’s Supper is available at this 6:00pm
Early Elementary Helper Nancye Rose service.)
Upper Elementary Helper Larry King
th
6-8 Grade Helper Mike Cooper FINAL THOUGHT: In the long run the
Visitor Center 1st Worship Sue Tingler pessimist may be proved right but the optimist
nd
Visitor Center 2 Worship Bev Puckett has a better time on the trip.

SECURITY
1st Worship Paul Alexander
Bible School Ray Coats
2nd Worship Mike Cooper
Evening Worship Paul Hoagland
 SERVING SCHEDULE – April 17, 2011 “Thank you”
Thanks to everyone for your cards and
At the Table 1st Fred Griffith & Glen Shady
prayers. Thanks for thinking of me. My
Larry King, Dan Brown, Ralph
Serving 1st prayers to everyone.
Conrad, Jack Hardwick
At the table 2 nd
Fred Griffith and Jim Cox ~ Bessie Shumaker
nd
Serving 2 Larry King, Taylor Dean, Patrick
Hinson, Don Taylor, Ned Tomlinson
Pastor of the Week Fred Griffith
PM Deacon Larry King

Offering Counters Team 2

A reminder to our members that we have a
COMMUNION PREPARATION “prayer chain” at the church. If you are not
1ST Worship Larry King currently on the chain and want to receive
2nd Worship Fred Griffith prayer requests by phone, then please
indicate on the back of your silent roll call
GREETERS card, and we will put you on the list of people
1ST Worship Brenda Hines & Virginia Wentz to call. We do not use the phone tree
2nd Worship Larry & Phyllis Bussey
anymore for prayer requests.
NURSERY
Sunday School Laura Wersell, Courtney Beiter
2nd Worship Marie Huffman & Kim Seevers
Preschool Helper Ruth Andrews
Early Elementary Helper Norma Holtom
Upper Elementary Helper Marg Shumaker
6-8th Grade Helper Mike Cooper
st
Visitor Center 1 Worship Judy Gardner
nd
Visitor Center 2 Worship Julie Stuck

SECURITY We will be decorating the church for

1st Worship Dick Shumaker Easter on Thursday, April 14th at 7:00pm.
Bible School Carmel March We would appreciate anyone who would
2nd Worship George Lambert
Evening Worship Jim Puckett
be able to help with this project.

FAMILY REUNION
EVERY WEDNESDAY
CLASSES AT 6:30PM

Women’s Prayer Breakfast

Saturday, April 30th - 9:00am
Mary Alice Coats speaking
Concert by Lancaster High School
Swinging Gales Jazz Band
Upcoming Events
Apr. 16-17
CIY: Believe (Jr. High
Conference). We will leave on
Saturday at 1:00pm and travel to
Anderson, IN for this amazing
weekend. Please let Glen know
ASAP if you are interested.
Apr. 18-22,
Middle School/High School
service week. Details coming soon.
April 24, Easter!
Need to have $2000 raised for
pallet of food to Haiti.
Prayer Concerns
 CIY: Believe Middle School
Conference. Five students
attending April 16-17 in
Anderson, IN.
 That God would raise up
workers from within the
church who are passionate
about working with young
people
Jesus established his church and left it in the hands of
men. Risky business if you ask me. Luckily we still
have God's spirit and the model of Christ to follow.
Thankfully we have scripture that can guide our
decisions, tasks, and priorities.
This week I read 1 Corinthians 3 and, as always, was
very encouraged and challenged by this chapter. Paul
speaks about how in growing the church, some people
plant and some people water. In the end, though, only
God can make things grow. So the encouragement that
I found is that I do not have to feel pressured to take
part in the whole process, and none of it is based on my
own strength. If we faithfully serve in the opportunities
afforded us, God will make sure the growing is
happening.
This passage is followed up by a warning, though. Paul
writes that this planting and growing is kind of like we
are constructing God's building (i.e. the church). He
says that when we do this we should know that
someday the structure of what is built will be tested by
God. On this day the builders will either receive
rewards or the building will be burned up. Now the
builder may escape through the flames, but it would
seem that it is at the cost of the rest of the church. So
the challenge here is that, no matter how hard it may
be, we keep Christ as the foundation for our church. He
must be at the center of everything that we do. We are
his bride and we do not want to become adulterers.
Thankfully through Bible study, prayer, fasting, etc. we
can know his will. So with all things let us step forward
boldly to build on a strong foundation, Jesus our
Savior.
 “A Note from brAd….”
In one of my recent articles, I introduced a plan for our second worship service. We intend to be more creative
to assist with drawing more people to Christ.

I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible
means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel.” You may have been familiar with
those words from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, but maybe you never have caught what he said in verse 19. Paul said,
“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as
possible.”

What if we made it our business to identify with people outside of Christ? To go where they go; to meet them
on their terms? The fact of the matter is, it is the church’s business to do just that! At what point did we turn
everything upside down and say to the world, “You have to spend time on our turf, talk like us, dress like us,
and act like us before we’ll accept you.” God forgive us for sending this message to the world. Jesus meets
people where they are!

I want to ask you a very pointed question. When was the last time the church considered itself a “slave to
those who don’t know Christ?” As a church, we must chain ourselves to this community. We must handcuff
ourselves to our culture. That doesn’t mean we have to accept the sin, but we must reach out to the sinner.

I believe God has reached out to each of us and as a result we must be “IN the world, but not OF it.”
Therefore, God has placed us IN the society and culture we find ourselves in, not by accident but on purpose.
That purpose is to infiltrate, influence and impact the world that surrounds us.

To use the excuse that we shouldn’t reach out to the world because the world and its way might “rub off” on us
is a pathetic excuse, blindness to Scripture, and nothing more than a not-so-clever way to disguise our
disobedience.

Jesus got His hands dirty serving those who did not deserve to be served. He got His hands bloody loving
those who did not deserve love.

Now, let’s go to the masses. Palm Sunday & Resurrection Sunday are coming. Let’s see whose life God might
change because you reached out to the world.

In His Service,
Brad, Eph. 3:20-21

A new Life Group will be held at Tim and Marie

Huffman’s home beginning April 10th @ 5 P.M.
The study is called: “GET REAL” & is based on
the book of 1 John. It is a 5 week commitment.
 Our Prayer Requests
David Daubenmire Pauline Stebelton Mabel Stevens Dorothy Henderly Matthew Engler
Charlie May Millie Hoy Frances Trimmer Tom Puckett Laura Wersell
Pat Davis Wes Camp Jim Cox Dorothy Herman Evelyn Wersell
Wanda Dickson Julie Stuck Deb Dobson Judy Smith Cliff Byers
Our Troops George Andrews Sharon Bloom Joe Lockhart Diane Williams

Easter Special Offering CARRIAGE COURT SERVICE

Sunday, April 10th at 2:00pm.
It is our goal to raise $2000 to send 2 pallets
of food to Haiti through Lifeline Christian OVERSIGHT MEETING
Mission. The Missions Committee is Sunday, April 10th at 7:00pm
contributing $2000 to this effort and is
challenging the congregation to match that ELDERS MEETING
amount with the Easter Special Offering. If Thursday, April 14th at 6:00pm
you do not have an Easter offering
envelope, please mark it on a normal
envelope. For more information, look for CRAFTER’S BEE
one of the bags of food stationed around the Saturday, April 16th
church. 10:00am to 1:00pm

There will be an
“Easter Egg Hunt” for
the youth Preschool thru
5th grade on Wednesday,
April 20th during the
evening class time.
Candy is needed to fill
the eggs. You can bring
it to the church or if you
want, you can donate
money and we will buy
the candy. Any
questions, please contact
Glen.