A NEWSLETTER FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE GREENWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

VOLUME 2 NO. 3                                             March 6, 2005

“THOUGHTS ABOUT OUR GOSPEL MEETING”

By Steve Niemeier

Our gospel meeting starts next Sunday the 13th. We will be having different speakers each evening and Greg King will be our speaker for all services on Sunday the 13th. All of the lessons are designed for both members and non-members of the Lord's body.

The question to us is “What is a gospel meeting?” While we have used this term for years and we have all attended and participated in gospel meetings, sometimes we wonder if we really know what a gospel meeting is. Our gospel meeting is not a social gathering for other congregations to come and see all of us here at Greenwood. However, our gospel meeting is an excellent time for those of other congregations to come and hear the word of God and support the efforts of the brethren in this area. Our gospel meeting is a time set aside by the members of this congregation to come together for a special “Spiritual Feast.” Our gospel meeting should be a time for ALL of our members to “recharge” their enthusiasm and “inventory” their lives.

The future of the Lord's church in this area should be a concern for all of us. We will be seeing some of our young people move on to college and then their careers may lead them to other areas of the country (we certainly pray that they stay in the area and continue to worship with us but we all know how life develops at times). The future of the Lord's church here at Greenwood lies within each one of us that are members at the present. Our willingness, abilities and dedication to teach the word of God to those in this area is what the Lord requires of us and then He will take care of the increase. Our willingness to be an active member and work toward the building up of ourselves and our fellow brothers and sisters will bring rewards for the future of this congregation.

Our gospel meeting will be an excellent time to re-focus ourselves on the work we must do to be found faithful in the eyes of the Lord. We have just finished our first year of working together and the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us are staggering ---2 baptisms, 16 restorations and 25 new members! An addition with an elevator/lift to our building to benefit those who have trouble with stairs has gone from a dream to reality by us working together. Many members dedicating their time, effort and money to work on the building and improve the resource room and our classes have created an excitement that will not be quenched as a fire is raging within us that is fueled by our love and dedication to the Lord's will. Our gospel meeting will just keep fueling this fire and we know that the Lord has much more for us to do as we labor for Him.

Let us all bring our families, friends, and acquaintances to the greatest event in Johnson County during the week of March 13th through 18th---OUR GOSPEL MEETING! We look forward to this SPIRITUAL FEAST and pray that all members will be here to partake!