Area-Wide Bible Bowl

Main Street hosted this month's Bible Bowl on tues., May 20. More than 75 people from area congregations: Reyno, Skaggs, Imboden, Portia, Palatka, Main Street, and others attended this month's event. The questions were on I Corinthians 13-15.

Thanks to our members who provided the food-- and the ladies who served.

Civic Duty

From left: Pat Whitmire, me, Lee Turnbull, and Ray Mosely.


This photo (sorry for quality of print) appeared in today's Jonesboro Sun. I had an enjoyable evening assisting with the local elections in Lawrence County. I was trained on the 650 paper ballot machine-- I got to see a lot of people I knew and do my civic duty- congrats to all those who ran and to those who won the local elections.
Of course, Pat Whitmire is a member at Main Street and Lee and his wife, Judy, who are active in may local causes, visit Main Street on occasion.

Seeing Clearly

Our son, James, had to start wearing eye glasses for the first time~ He didn't even know he had a problem with his vision, but the eye doctor says his uncorrected vision is 20/70, so he had to get glasses. That makes me think about a Bible passage...

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. (Luke 24:30-31)

You may not have trouble with your eyesight, but all of us have difficulty seeing and understanding things at times. Some of Jesus' disciples had trouble understanding what they had seen. When Jesus died, His followers thought that He was gone forever. They didn't know what to do. They were very sad. They couldn't see things clearly because they were so mixed up and upset. Two of Jesus' friends were sadly walking back to their home in the village of Emmaus when another traveler joined them on the road. They didn't recognize who it was, but they began to talk to Him and tell Him all about what had happened to Jesus and how sad they were. When it was evening they arrived at their home and invited the stranger to stay with them and have supper. The group sat down to eat and when the traveler broke the bread and blessed it, something happened. It was as if they had put on new eye glasses. Suddenly they saw clearly what they hadn't seen before even though they had been looking right at it most of the day. They realized that the stranger who had joined them on the road was really Jesus - alive and well. After Jesus left them, they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples.

Sometimes we feel confused up and don't see things clearly. When that happens, we need help understanding our lives more clearly. Get into God's word~ its great when we begin to see things more clearly. James didn't want to wear eye glasses, but he can see things now he didn't even know he was missing before. What are you missing? Find out. Visit Main Street Sunday and find out more about God's word and how it can change your life! Rob Combs, minister

Debbie Cook's 3rd-4th grade Class

Mike and Debbie Cook and Levi and Kelli O'Neal hosted a special Sunday outing for Debbie's 3rd-4th grade Sunday School class on May 18th.

I can't get all the photos to load, but about 15 children enjoyed a Sunday afternoon at Debbie's house-- they ate lunch, played video games, played basketball, went horseback riding and made and decorated "stepping stones."

If I can get the other photos to load, I'll add them later.

We appreciate the Cook family for their hospitality-- I asked some of the children how the day went and Luke Wall summed it up, "It was the funnest day ever."

From The Preacher's Desk

Childhood Treasures

Like most people, I have many special family treasures, things I have inherited from relatives—pieces of furniture, dishes, and other mementos that I value greatly.

We begin “collecting things” during childhood. Most of us had toy boxes where we stored our toys, and many of us have held on to certain toys that hold a special memory to us.

As adults, our treasures enlarge – literally. Many valued things over time are less valued, so we move them aside and make room for other treasures. We fill storage closets, garages, and basements with these things.

During the Great Depression, people kept everything that might be needed some day. Saving for a rainy day validated them as being thrifty and hard working. If these items were lucky enough to survive a fire or a tornado or two, those ancestors have passed those items on to us. Society has become enslaved by their ancestor’s inventories. Things tend to validate who we are.

Is there anything wrong with collecting things or saving family heirlooms? No, of course not. But we must remember what is most important to “hand down” to our descendants. Is it a marble-top table, or should it be our religious faith and integrity?

When we are long gone, what do we want our descendants, our children and grandchildren to say about us? Do we want them to value some material keepsake, or do we want to pass our faith on to them, so lasting generations can be godly?
We tend to forget that one child, reared and trained for the Lord, can rear and train others, and they others, and they others (Ps. 78:5-6) and there may be more souls in heaven, all because we took time to train one. The opposite can also be said. If we put possessions and worldly pursuits and other things ahead of the spiritual—and fail to train a child, it means we failed to put the kingdom first (Matt. 6:33). Rob Combs, Minister

Over 50's Fellowship

Our "Over 50's" Group meets each second Tuesday of the month for their fellowship and potluck. This month, unfortunately we lost one of the group-- Brother Harry Williams passed away and his funeral was today. We invited the Williams family to attend the potluck in his memory.

Monroe Smith and son, David
Ray Williams and family from Granite City, IL

Danetta Townsdin and family

The Milligans' and Nadine Weaver, with Velma Robert (with her back turned)

Melba Kellim and Barbara Davidson

Clara Melton, Nancy Paxton and Pat Graham

The Nath Williams Family

Steven Townsdin and mother

Junior Briner and Mary Light

A New Roof

A lot of hammering and the such is being heard around the office this week, as our roof on the auditorium and the annex building are being replaced. I'll try to take some photos of the finished product later.