Woodland Hills Church of Christ

Sunday, January 14, 2007 Volume 51, Issue 2

HOW YOU CAN HURT THE WOODLAND HILLS CHURCH

I am so very thankful for the Woodland Hills church of Christ.  Thins are going in a great direction and the future is bright.  But we also need to realize that in any congregation of this size there is always potential for problems to arise in the work.  The devil will always work against us the most when things are going well.  He's going to look for any little way he possibly can to crack our unity and distract our work or discourage us in our efforts.  That is why we have the warning that is recorded in 1 Peter 5:6; "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whomhe may devour."  Consider four ways that the Devil would love to use us to hurt the Woodland Hills church of Christ.

We can hurt the Woodland Hills church by being DOWN.  In other words, the Devil wants you to be a pessimist, not an optimist.  He wants as many of us as possible to be down on the work here - to be that negative person.  We need to maintain the attitude like Caleb had when he faced a great challenge'
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." (Numbers 13:30)  The Devil knows the power of positive thinking, and he wants us to huty the Woodland Gills church by being down.

We can hurt the Woodland Hills church by being DESTRUCTIVE.  It is in Philippians 4:1-2 that we read about a church problem; "Therefore my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.  I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord."  Philippi had a great church, but two ladies were at odds with each other, and the way they were behaving was becoming destructive in that church.  Paul said this needed to stop - they need to be of the same mind..  We are supposed to be a light to the world, and so Satan is going to do all that he can to make us be destructive instead.  What needed to happen?  Paul wanted some of the brethren to be a solution to that problem.  A guiding passage in our lives ought to be Romans 14:19; "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace."

We can hurt the Woodland Hills church by being DISINTERESTED.  If a Christian family ever becomes disinterested in teach other we have a serious problem.  Galatians 6:2 is a wonderful passage in connection with this point; "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."  We must always have one another's best interest at heart.  Is the life that you are living right now helping or hurting the Woodland Hills church?

See You In Bible Class,
Bobby O'Dell

TAFT TALK

We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

GIRLS DEVOTIONAL
The report from the girls devotional that I got was excellent. There were several in attendance and they say that Jenny Mitchell is an excellent cook and speaker. Getting together like this is a very special things that the girls in our youth group do. I would encourage any who currently are not to get involved. It is hard to prioritize many times with our busy schedules, but make an effort to spend this special time with your sisters in Christ.

EVANGELISM UNIVERSITY
We will be taking a group to Evangelism University on Friday, the 12th.  We will be spending both nights (as usual) with my aunt and uncle in Adamsville, TN.  This trip is open to all ages (7th-college)...unofficially.  It is actually focused on 9th-12th grades, but you know me, I believe that we all can get something out of this.  So what I am saying is that if you are below ninth grade....or in college, IT IS FINE IF YOU COME.

The elders really support this weekend, because of the spiritual intensity and high spipritual leve of learning.  The cost is $40 but the church pays half...so you must make a check out to the Woodland Hills church of Christ for $20 if you want to go.

If you want more information about EU, the website is www.evangelismuniversity.net.

We will be leaving on Friday afternoon (the 12th) after school and return time will be on Sunday afternoon (the 14th).

WE CURRENTLY HAVE 25 GOING TO EU.  WE ARE SET TO LEAVE AT 4:45 ON FRIDAY.  PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS GROUP.

OTHER DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
- SATURDAY NIGHT "FIVE" January 27th
- GATLINBURG TRIP February 16th - 19th
- SPRING RETREAT March 23rd - 25th

Much Love,
T

FAMILY NEWS

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
Sunday, January 14, 2007
AM Opening Prayer: Tom Thompson
AM Closing Prayer: Bud Thomas
PM Opening Prayer: Rhea Miller
PM Closing Prayer: Dave Ketchen
Pick Up Attendance Cards: Matthew Close, Noah Robison
Nursery Volunteers: A.M. - Joyce Anne Morris, Katie Thomas, Shelby Dacus P.M. - Kathy & Katie Hillis

BRIDAL SHOWER
The ladies of the congregation are invited to a Bridal Shower for Miss Alicia LaBlanc, bride-elect of Dane Dacus, this afternoon from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. She is registered at Macy’s and Bed Bath and Beyond.
(Note: If you would like to help with the shower please call the church office.)

BRING A FRIEND DAY
We will have a "Bring A Friend Day" on Sunday, January 28^th. Following the morning service there will be a Chili Dinner. Start now to invite your friends to came.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Please join us in celebrating Marvin Allison’s 90^th birthday Sunday, January 21^st, from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. in Rooms 11/12. Please no gifts, but cards would be appreciated. His actual birthday is January 23rd.

BABY GIRL SHOWER
The ladies of the congregation are invited to a Baby Girl Shower for Leigh (Dacus) Rivers on Sunday afternoon, January 21^st, from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

MEMORIALS
We have received gifts in memoryof Mrs. Aileen King, Mrs. Yvonne Blasingame, and Harold Martin from Larry and Myrtice Knox.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

NEWS FROM THE FOOD PANTRY:
    Once again it is with great pleasure that I announce another successful year for the pantry. Through your great generosity we were able to provide food for many people both of our congregation and others who are not yet members.
    This year we want to expand our program to include personal hygiene and household cleaning items.  We have found this to be a need that we can easily accommodate through the pantry.
    This year we would like to toe the bringing of these items to our Service Groups.  This is an attempt to spread out the dates that the items are brought.  In the past I have made an announcement of a need to restock the pantry and we received massive amounts of food, sometimes enough for the whole year.  The problem is that all the food has the same expiration date.  By spreading out the collections times we will have fresher food to distribute to those in need.
    We encourage you to bring only one or two cans at a time.  The cleaning and hygiene items should be small bottles or cans.  (Possibly travel size hygiene products.)  This will allow us to store a wide variety of items in the allotted space.  We would also like to encourage families with small children to allow them to be responsible for bringing the item into the building and placing them in the collection area.  The lessons in Christian Values such as Charity, Giving and helping those in need will be invaluable for our little ones.

Service Group One:
Canned vegetables and soups 10.5 to 15 oz.
Men's items (bar soap, shaving supplies, deodorant....)

Service Group Two:
Canned fruit 10 to 15 oz.
100% fruit juices 12 to 16 oz
Women and children personal items

Service Group Three:
Canned mean (tuna, potted meat, Vienna sausage....)
Household cleaning supplies (including mops and brooms)

Service Group Four:
Dry items - beans, rice, pasta & sauce, noodles
Dish and laundry detergents

Once again, thank you for your cooperation.

In Christian love,
Jim Hubbert, Deacon