A NEWSLETTER FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE GREENWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

VOLUME 3 NO. 3                                            March 12, 2006

IT STARTS NEXT WEEK

BY STEVE NIEMEIER

We have been announcing it ever since our last one finished.  For over six months we have known it was coming and it starts next week!  As a member of this congregation you have to feel the excitement.  We have been mailing out personal invitations to friends, family and fellow workers.  We have sent special invitations to many different congregations of the Lord's church in Central Indiana.  We have invited neighboring “denominational” groups to attend.  All of this excitement and work comes to fruition as it starts next week.

Our gospel meeting with Bro. David Lanius will begin next Sunday.  We have a full schedule that day with our normal morning Bible Study (Bro. Lanius will be conducting our study), our worship and then our afternoon singing and our early evening worship.  This will just get us started as we will meet Monday through Friday at 7:30 PM for a study pertaining to the Christian life.

We are “flashing back” in time as we have invited Ben Lanius to conduct our singing for the whole week.  We have some very capable song leaders in our congregation that we normally use during our meetings.  However, this will allow us to experience not only a different speaker but a new face leading us in our singing.

As members here at Greenwood we have an obligation to be at every service.  This is where we are members and where we are “located” to do the work of the Lord.  This will not be a week to go on vacation or visit other congregations.  This is a week to be fed from God's word.  This is a week to see each other every day and “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Heb. 10:24).  It is a week where we can worship together every day in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

We will have visitors almost every service and the members here are the “hosts” for these visitors.  How good of a host will you be?  Will you be here on time to greet the visitors?  Will you make sure they have a visitor's card and will you talk with them after the service?  Will you look around and make sure the song books are in place after the service and that things are picked up around where you are sitting?  We pray for opportunities to come our way to teach the gospel and this is one of those opportunities.  What will we do with it?

Yes, our gospel meeting starts next week.  Are you ready?  Every member here at Greenwood has known this meeting was going to start on March 19th for almost 6 months now.  Bro. Lanius was given his subjects many months ago and knowing him as one who serves as an elder and a very capable gospel preacher we can be assured he is ready.  He will speak in a way we can understand and he will not want the glory as he is a humble man who gives God all the glory.  He will only speak what can be found in the word of God and he will encourage all in the audience to follow the will of God.  He will speak about living as a Christian should live and living Christ-like just as the word of God instructs us.  Jesus paved the way for us and Bro. Lanius will challenge us to follow this way.

So much preparation, so much anticipation, so much expectation!  Next Sunday our gospel meeting starts.  It is finally going to start!  May God bless our efforts and may He see all of His children at every service worshipping Him just as He seeks.