New Year's Eve Fellowship

We had a great New Year's Get-Together on Sunday evening, Dec. 30 to celebrate the New Year. Here are some of the happy faces...


David Coker
Cathy Coker
Ted and Martha Coker
Layne Ditto and Luke Wall

Anna and Dallas Cagle
Roxann Hibbs and Darbie Hudson
Dean and Debbie Wall
Steve Wall and Jerry Easton
Doris Shackelford

The food line-- it was long! (but the food was great, as usual!)
Heather Hamby, Natasha Fry, and others
Joe and Krystal Winters
Justin Winters and Eddie Gilllean
Helen Swindle and Loretta Brewer

Cody, Richard Jr., Michael, and Jeri
Michelle Easton
Ashlyn Abbott
Whitney visits with Steve

Joey Winters

Spc. Joey Winters 39th Infantry Brigade

The Main Street congregation offered a special prayer and fellowship for Spc. Joey Winters, son of Joe Winters. Joey is in the National Guard with the local 39th Infantry Brigade. He will be stationed in Iraq and the brigade will be departing for Ft. Bragg very soon. Our prayers are going out to all our servicemen and their families.

Spc. Joey Winters (dad says this is as close as we can get when we say "smile.")

Ed Baker, one of our elders, offers his well-wishes to Joey.

Joey is presented with a special "Battlefield" Bible to take with him in Iraq.

From The Preacher's Desk

New Year’s Resolutions

It is nearing January 1, 2008. Every year, we get revved up with “personal improvement” projects as the dawn of a new year approaches. Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? For most of us, the resolutions include losing weight, exercising, spending more time with our family, etc. According to many research studies, resolutions are not kept for very long. In no time flat, those lofty goals and noble commitments evaporate and are forgotten. In fact, one study I read said that fewer than 10% of all New Year’s resolutions are actually kept.

According to RIS Media, the Top 10 Resolutions are:

The Top 10 New Year’s resolutions or goals were ranked as follows:

1. Get out of debt or save money

2. Lose weight

3. Develop a healthy habit (e.g., exercise or healthy eating)

4. Get organized

5. Develop a new skill or talent

6. Spend more time with family and friends

7. Other

8. Work less, play more

9. Break an unhealthy habit (e.g., smoking, alcohol, overeating)

10. Change employment

Can we extend our resolutions to spiritual goals, also? We should! Setting goals is important. Too often, however, we set goals for ourselves — whether we call them “New Year’s resolutions” or some other name — without any real plan for reaching them. Sometimes the goals themselves are unrealistic: telling myself I’m going to be elected President this year would be rather fruitless for a host of reasons. But more often, we fail to accurately assess what will be required to achieve our goals, including the effort and commitment involved.

Jesus taught an important lesson on this subject:
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
“Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:28-33).

The Lord’s point is that even the greatest goal — such as being a servant of Christ — is doomed to ruin if it’s not supported with the necessary resources. Deciding “I want to be a Christian” today does me little good if tomorrow I say, “This is too hard — I think I’ll quit.” Better not to make the commitment at all than to renege on a promise to God to be faithful to Him: “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth” (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).

Will the new year be a happy one? It may or may not be. It depends on your attitude and actions.

From the Main Street Family, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
~ Rob

Honduras Presentation

Our pre-teen and teen Bible Classes met Wednesday evening to see a special Powerpoint Presentation from Chastity Henry, who has participated in mission trips to Honduras the past two years. She showed slides from last summer's trip-- and discussed the need for long-term and short-term mission trips into Central America. We had about 40 of our young people who watched the presentation.

The pre-teens and teens classes at Main St. Church of Christ

Chastity Henry, is a student at Crowley's Ridge College. She is planning another mission trip to Honduras soon.

Chastity is the daughter of Carrie Colburn, and the grandaughter of Darrell and Marilyn Colburn.

All I Want For Christmas Is...

Gracie Evans came into church last night-- cute as always-- but missing her TWO FRONT TEETH! She is just as pretty without them!!

"Sisters in Christ" Holiday Party

Recently, the "Sisters in Christ" (formerly Secret Sisters) group met for their annual Holiday Party at Jerry Dale Adams' cabin in Strawberry, AR. This is one of the favorite outings for the group each year. They are always welcoming any ladies who would like to join. They meet every month and do regular service projects for the church and the community. Here are some of the pictures> (Thanks to Debbie Cook for providing)



Jerry Dale washing dishes

The four Debbies: Debbie Combs, Debbie Rice, Debbie Gillean, and Debbie Cook.

Gift exchange: Nancy Paxton, Jerry Dale, and Debbie C.

Roxann Hibbs opens her gift, while Mrs. Cooksey and Debbie Gillean look on.

Debbie G.

Pat Graham "steals" a gift in the "Dirty Santa" Exchange

Pat Dixon

Krystal Winters, Debbie Rice, Jan Dillingham, Pat Graham and Estella Smith explore the "goodies table."

A BIG Thanks to Jerry Dale for opening her cabin to the group again this year!

From the Main Street Church of Christ Family to your family, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May God richly bless you during this holiday season.

Sunday Afternoon Youth Outing

On Sunday, December 23, some of our young people accompanied me to go and deliver cookies and holiday messages out to some of our members and friends. Some are shut-ins and others are members, but we all had a great time. We ended up at the Nursing and Rehad Center in Walnut Ridge. The young men helped with the church service there, and we visited with the residents.

From left- Hailey Fowler, Natasha Fry, Matt Wall, Luke Wall, James Combs, Heather Hanby, Samantha Fry, and Jonathan Colburn (not pictured: Rocky Beasley)

Debbie Combs and Natasha Fry-- Debbie helped prepare our lunch while we delivered our cookies.

Our stop at the Easton's house-- pictured here: Natasha and Jeri Poole (Michelle Easton at the door). They are laughing because Hailey got her feet stuck in the mud while running up to their door.

Joyce Sutterfield-- she has been in the hospital and unable to attend church.

The group at the Nursing Home church service

Our delivery to Dallas and Anna Cagle's house

We delivered to Chris and Sara Harper, members at the Hoxie congregation.

The group at Estella Smith's house-- her daughter, Rhonda Prichard and husband Fred and family are visiting from Bonita Springs, FL.

Tammy Fowler poses with the group (she is in the center)

We made a delivery to Joyce Ward (center) who had to work at B and J's Market on Sunday afternoon. Also in the picture are Rocky Beasley, Jonathan Colburn, and Natasha Fry.

One of our first deliveries was to Dan and Regina Poindexter, members at the Free St. Church of Christ. Dan has been ill.

A delivery to one of the best cooks in the church-- Dorothy Stuart-- she makes the BEST cookies.

Our delivery to Rhedda Russell and family

We visited Karen Smith, who has been sick and unable to attend services.

A smiling Alexa Smelser answers the door at her mother's house.

We offered our holiday wishes and goodies to Joe and Rose Henderson and family

Our holiday cheer extended to Joe and Bernice Floyd, who live here in Walnut Ridge.

Here is the group offering a plate of cookies to Ruby Light, one of our shut-ins.
Ruby again

We are getting ready to surprise another member

Thanks to Pat Dixon who supplied a boat-load of cookies for our deliveries. The children were all well-behaved and we appreciate their kindness!