THE BLUFF CITY CHRISTIAN (USPS 059-120)

PUBLISHED BY THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, POPLAR BLUFF, MO

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017 THE BLUFF CITY CHRISTIAN Vol. 71 - 7

Serving Schedule May 7, 2017

Worship Leader

Kay Gilbreath Children’s Moment

Pastor Frank Communion Prayer

Ed Lewis Offertory Prayer Todd Richardson

Van Driver George McCall/Mark Richardson

Communion Preparation Carlos & Glenda Hicks

Diaconate Rob Blackwell, Carlos Hicks, LuWanna Forister, Jim Hillis,

Shirley Kearbey

Upcoming Opportunities WEDNESDAY, MAY 3: 3:00 p.m. Youth THURSDAY, MAY 4: Next Issue of The Bluff City Christian FRIDAY, MAY 5: 7:00 p.m. Christian Community Child Care Graduation SUNDAY, MAY 7: 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Morning Worship & Children’s Church FIRST SUNDAY BRUNCH TUESDAY, MAY 9: 5:30 p.m. Day Care Board Meeting WEDNESDAY, MAY 10: 3:00 p.m. Youth THURSDAY, MAY 11: 6:30 P.M. Worship Meeting 7:00 p.m. Board Meeting SUNDAY, MAY 14: 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Worship TUESDAY, MAY 16: 11:30 a.m. Senior Fellowship, Fellowship Hall WEDNESDAY, MAY 17: 3:00 p.m. Youth THURSDAY, MAY 18: 1:30 p.m. CWF, Gail’s Home Next Issue of The Bluff City Christian SUNDAY, MAY 21: 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Morning Worship & Children’s Church WEDNESDAY, MAY 24: 3:00 p.m. Youth THURSDAY, MAY 25: 6:00 p.m. Thursday Women at Lemonade House Grill 6:00 p.m. Men’s Fellowship at Colton’s SUNDAY, MAY 28: 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Morning Worship & Children’s Church MONDAY, MAY 29: Memorial Day - Church Office Closed

Thursday, May 25th 6:00 p.m. at Colton’s

Serving Schedule May 14, 2017

Worship Leader

Gleta Gorman Children’s Moment

Doris Chlastak Communion Prayer

Gail Doss Offertory Prayer

George McCall Homebound Communion

Gene & Anne Roberts/ Steve Fowler

Hospital Visitation Gail Doss

Van Driver George McCall/Mark Richardson

Communion Preparation George & Annette McCall

Diaconate Marin Parks, Stan Pinkston, Linda Casey, Kim Wagganer

Thursday Women Thursday, May 25th

6:00 p.m. at Lemonade House Grill

The food of the month for the Northside Nutrition

Center in May will be sweet potatoes (canned). Sunday, May

14th

First Sunday Brunch

Sunday, May 7th Following Worship Hosted by: Elders Please bring a dish or two for sharing.

We welcome Adison Asher

and Emma Sutton to our church family. Adison and Emma received the sacra-ment of Baptism on Easter Sunday, April 16th, 2017.

PAGE 2 THE BLUFF CITY CHRISTIAN THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017

THE BLUFF CITY CHRISTIAN Published Bi-Weekly Except in August By THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Located at Main & Davis St. Mailing Address: 1601 N. Main Office Ph. 785-6466 Entered as periodical matter October 16, 1945, at the Post Office at Poplar Bluff,

Missouri 63901, Under the Act of March 3, 1897 SUBSCRIPTION-$10.00 CIRCULATION-110

Minister ...................................................................................... Rev. Frank Chlastak Music Director ...................................................................................... Bill Clanahan Organist…………………………………………………………………Mary Holley Youth Director ...................................................................................... Bill Clanahan Secretary……………………………………………………………… Linda Everett Custodians .......................................................................... Kenny and Kay Gilbreath Web Site ............................................................................. www.firstchristianpb.org E-Mail Addresses: ......................................................... church@firstchristianpb.org

pastorfrank@firstchristianpb.org bill@firstchristianpb.org linda@firstchristianpb.org

OFFICE HOURS: Mon. - Thurs. 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M

ATTENDANCE REPORT April 9, 2017

ATTENDANCE: Worship ....................................... 54 Children’s Church ......................... 5 TOTAL WORSHIP .................. 59 SUNDAY SCHOOL: Elementary A/B ............................. 8 Homebuilders ................................ 5 Men’s Class ................................... 7 Total ............................................ 20

ATTENDANCE REPORT April 16, 2017

ATTENDANCE: Worship ....................................... 86 Children’s Church ......................... 7 TOTAL WORSHIP .................. 93 SUNDAY SCHOOL Elementary A/B ............................. 6 Homebuilders ................................ 7 Men’s Class ................................... 6 Total ........................................... 19

FDIC

INSURED

J.D.’s Quick Stop, Inc. Full Service Gas & Groceries

1529 North Main OPEN 6 A.M. - 10 P.M. 7 DAYS

785-0360

SWAFFORD’S STATION

1319 N. Westwood Blvd. Poplar Bluff, Mo 63901

Expert Auto Service

Tires ● Batteries ●Accessories Tune-ups ● Break Service

Auto Air Conditioning

Road Service

573-686-4243

Owners: Bill & Carol Swafford

Open 7 days 6 a.m. –11 p.m. till 12 midnight on Friday & Saturday

Southern Bank ww.bankwithsouthern.com

Home Office 531 Vine St, P.O. Box 520

Poplar Bluff, MO (573)778-1800

Looks who’s having a Birthday in

Glenda Hicks 7 Irma Brannum 12 Wyattt Joiner 20

At Home Dr. Bob Casey, Matthew Clanahan, Margena Halferty, Bryce Hinkson,

Betty Jackson, Michael Spain, Ramona Sutton, Sandy Urich

Nursing Home Residents C.M. Wilson (Oakdale)

Cedargate Assisted Living Pauline Hearne (Phase 2, #9)

Oakdale Assisted Living Mary Fears, Bettie Linn

Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Dr. Bob Casey

Rivermist Residential Care Ctr. Wilma Burwell

[Names will remain on our Prayer Concern list until the Church Office is notified to

remove them.]

SIGNS ALONG THE WAY

It is always a wonderful experience during the Lenten season to have a Pastor Class for young people seeking to begin to understand what it means to “Make the Good Confession of Faith” in Jesus Christ. Our two candidates were delightful and challenging in

their quest to understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus. They even humored me when we talked about Barton Stone, Thomas Camp-bell, Alexander Campbell, “Raccoon” John Smith, and Walter Scott. We discussed Walter Scott’s “Five Finger Exercise” in which he used this simple teaching tool about faith in Jesus. I want to share those simple steps once again. 1. Faith: Peter makes the “Good Confession” at Caesarea Philippi where Jesus askes the disciples, “Who do you say I am? Peter responds, “You are the Christ.” The first step of a journey of being a follower Jesus is to have faith. Like Peter proclamation, faith is having a firm belief with strong conviction. 2. Repent: To repent is not simply saying that we should feel sorry for their sin. To repent calls us to a new way of life. Repent is one of those "church words" we often throw around without explaining. Repentance is much like the military term about-face. To repent is not to look over our shoulders and say, "I'm sorry, God." To repent means that we stop going in our own direction, turn around, and choose to live in obedience to Christ. 3. Receive Forgiveness: Something amazing happens when we repent of sin and ask God for forgiveness. The Bible tells us that the past is washed away and all things become new. We are given a new heart, a new start, a second chance in life. If you've ever wished that you could start all over again, free from the baggage of your past mistakes, God offers you that opportunity. Though physical or material consequences of your past may remain, in a spiritual sense, you are set free. There aren't many places in life where you get a second chance. 4. Be Baptized: Then we are to be baptized. While scholars seem to agree that Peter was not setting forth some ritual path to salvation, the rite of baptism was certainly emphasized in the early church. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change in a person's life. The baptismal cere-mony is symbolic of death and resurrection in Christ. The old person dies, and a new creature is born, emerging from the water to a new way of life. 5. Receive the Holy Spirit: A person who is "born again" comes into a new realm of life. It is called "abundant life" in the Scripture. In addition to the Holy Spirit's role as a comforter, the Spirit provides direction and guidance in life. When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in a person's life, he or she begins to understand things from a different perspective. God’s “ruach” or wind, or spirit, or breath will guide us on our journey of faith when we need a second breath. Thanks for humoring me in this column.

Pastor Frank