Reading The Bulletins
News From Here And There
Billy Fielder will move from Kansas City to Nashville, Tennessee, to begin work January 20 with the Riverside Drive church. On the same day Robert. Jackson, who has been with Riverside Drive for three years will begin work with the Franklin Road church in Nashville. Harris J. Dark, who has preached for Franklin Road, is now laboring with the Eastland Avenue church in Nashville .... Curtis Posey has moved from Nashville, where he labored with the Acklen Avenue church, to Tullahoma, Tennessee. Howard White, one of the teachers at David Lipscomb College, will preach at Acklen Avenue .. . . Dale Sexson has moved from Denver to Dallas to work with the Saner Avenue church .... After five years with the church in Old Hickory, Tennessee, Charles Scott is soon to move to Pennsylvania. He will work in Harding. Within a 25 mile radius of Harding there are more than a million people. From the Old Hickory bulletin this information is gleaned concerning Pennsylvania: Population 12,000,000; full-time preachers, 14; congregations, around 40; average size of congregations, 42. The church in Harding has only 8 or 9 members . . . . John Holland, whom the Old Hickory church has supported in "mission" work at Martinsville, Virginia, will move to Old Hickory to work with the church there .. . . Jerry Slatton has moved from Kannapolis, North Carolina, to Mobile, Alabama, to work with the Oakdale church . . . . Bruce Curd has moved from Union, South Carolina, to Kannapolis . . . . Howard Reese has moved from Winchester to Rockwood, Tennessee . . . . Paul Tucker is leaving the Jackson Park church in Nashville and will work with the Wingate church in the same city . . . . Hiram Hutto is now laboring with the new church in Russellville, Alabama . . . . The Skillman Avenue church in Dallas has a budget of $159,000 set for 1957. $50,000 will be used for missionary work in various phases.
In this column emphasis has been given recently to the rapid drift of the churches into social and recreational activities. These affairs have reached alarming proportions and it is past time that we realize the danger that is upon us. Sometimes such things are defended as the work of the homes; but the close relationship to the church nullifies such a defense. W. L. Totty sent me the following:
Attention, Young People!
IT'S HERE — LAFAYETTE'S WEEK-END
Young People's Rally!!!!
January 12 and 13, 1957 A program has been planned for your recreation and spiritual growth. Come Saturday, and stay overnight for the entire program. The program is planned to allow sufficient driving time coming and going.
Lodging will be provided by the congregation members. Please plan to stay overnight as we have planned for you, and have a very full schedule for the entire two days.
The program has been prepared so that it will provide interest for all ages, so if you have a son or daughter who is of grade school age and seems interested, please don't hesitate to send them as we have ample facilities and chaperons to take care of them. Also, you married couples who might think you are too old, just pack your things and come along. These age groups, all drivers, and chaperons are cordially invited. Come one, come all!
The theme, Youth and Their Responsibilities to God in Everyday Life, will include audience participation. Come "loaded" with questions.
The Sunday afternoon song rally will consist of group singing and special numbers by young people from various congregations. Will your congregation have a special number? Be sure your song leaders names are made known!
A chili supper is planned on Saturday evening, provided by choice cooks of the Lafayette congregation who will also provide well filled baskets for a pot luck dinner Sunday noon. Tasty refreshments will be served before the Saturday evening recreational period.
The enclosed card will help us plan for you, and your earliest reply will be appreciated. Don't let us down, we are counting on you!! Help us make our (overnight) rally a success!!!
The Lafayette Church of Christ Young People
/s/ Scottie Scottie Morrison, Chairman
Lafayette is soon to open one of Indiana's newest, most modern and one of its largest skating rinks and there will be a skating party held Saturday afternoon for all who can attend.
A special get-acquainted game on Saturday will initiate the "Mnemonic Socialability" award. The trophy will be kept by the winner. His name will also be engraved on a plaque which will remain at Lafayette.
— Lafayette, Indiana
Hobbyist Hobby
Many people today seem to be quite concerned over what they call "Hobbyists." For some time now I have wondered what makes a hobbyist a hobbyist. It certainly can not be the fact that hobbyists continually preach on one subject, which they evidently feel is neglected, misunderstood, or "mis-practiced" by Christians. This could not make a man a hobbyist, because as servants of Christ we are obligated to fight what is wrong with all the strength we have. Now I realize that in many instances the objections which are made to certain practices by the hobbyists are made on the grounds of human opinion rather than direct scriptural teaching. But does this mean that we should put our hands over our ears and never listen to anyone who dares to challenge our practices? Let me serve to remind all of us, that none of us are infallible, and merely calling a man a hobbyist when he objects to some practice which We are doing, does not even begin to investigate the arguments which he has presented.
Is a man a hobbyist because he does not represent the majority of the church? Most emphatically not! Not one of us will be judged according to what the church has believed, taught, or done. Each man individually will stand before the Perfect Judge to give his account of how he has lived. We must be loyal to CHRIST, whether the whole world, our friends, or even the church is against us or not. Following "the church" is exactly what made for the great falling away which finally resulted in the Roman Catholic Church. No, my friends even when a hobbyist speaks, a REAL EVIL may be under attack, so we ought to at least investigate openly and thoroughly to see whether his charges are true or not. ONE OF THE GREATEST DANGERS AMONG US IS THIS "HOBBYIST HOBBY." YES, SOME SEEM TO BE HOBBYISTS ON HOBBYISM, AND ALL THEY CAN SEEM TO DO IS FIGHT HOBBYISM. I too, am against the "CRANKS" in the church who are ag'in anything and everything, but let us be sure we are dealing with "CRANKS." The only way we can be sure is to test them, find them true or false, and act accordingly in harmony with God's Word.
— Bob Howard, The Edifier, Nashville
Things We Are Made To Wonder About
Sometimes I read about things and do not understand them for I do not know the background. A thing may be all right in every respect and yet the things said of it and title given it may make us wonder.
To illustrate, I read in a bulletin of a "Teen-Age Retreat" sponsored by a congregation of the Lord's people... Now I just don't know what that thing is, but evidently it is some kind of recreation or "get-to-gether" or it sounds like a "get-a-way." It is right to entertain our young people, but it is not the business of the church to do it. It always hurts to read of churches forgetting their mission.
— Paul Brock, Dyersburg, Tennessee