A video was shown in the place of the Children’s Lesson. It was about the
Christmas Child shoebox ministry which is part of the Samaritan’s Purse
organization.
Franklin Graham is president of Samaritan’s Purse; Franklin is the son of
evangelist Billy Graham.
Graham says the small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies tangibly show God’s love to a child in need. Volunteer workers follow-up with the youngsters and teach them about salvation through Jesus Christ.
Our church is packing boxes and the send off date is 11-18. Anyone can learn more about this project on line atwww.samaritanspurse.org or facebook.com/OCC shoeboxes.
Our congregation extends their sympathy to the family and friends of Margaret Armstrong. Margaret was a longtime member of our church. Her funeral was held in our sanctuary on Tuesday, 10-01 at 11:00 a.m. and a luncheon was provided for the family in the Clay Annex at 12:30 p.m.
This past Sunday we had special congregational singing, we shouted out the number of the hymn we wanted to sing and our able pianist played for us. This was followed by a delicious covered dish dinner.
We thank Ray LaBaume and Pastor Ken Lunsford for setting up the tables and chairs. A big thanks to Kathy Logan and Neva Smith for decorating and getting things ready. And don’t forget the cleanup crew, Raymond Salinas, David Cleveland, and Pastor Ken Lunsford; these guys take dishwashing to a whole new level.
Rev. Ken Lunsford’s sermon was titled “You Never Noticed”; it was based on the parable from Luke16: 19-31.
Jesus tells a story of a rich man who was well dressed in fine linen and lived
in luxury every day. At his gate lay a beggar named Lazarus who was covered in sores. Lazarus would have been happy to eat what fell from the rich man’s
table. The time came when the beggar died and he went to heaven to be with
Abraham. The rich man died and went to Hades.
Most of us would prefer not to think much about this parable. We are saved by grace, not by works, we say to ourselves, so we skip over this parable and
other teachings of Jesus concerning our responsibility to the poor of our
world.
Bible teacher William Barclay titles this story, “The Punishment of the Man Who Never Noticed.” That is us. Have we noticed how often Jesus talked about our responsibilities to the poor and down-trodden?
There was a time spiritually, when each of us was a beggar lying at the gate
totally helpless, and Christ noticed us and Christ loved us just as we are. As
we remember that compassion and grace, Christ calls us to look and see someone who needs our attention and love. The research shows that this person might remember our actions when he or she is in the position to help someone else. That first act of kindness is extended far into the future. Look for someone who needs your helping hand.