This coming Tuesday, November 2nd every Christian has the opportunity to make the changes that need to be made in our local, state, and national government by the simple act of voting. Vote! It is your right as an American to make a positive difference in our country and in the world. Make this right a priority on Tuesday.

This Sunday morning (31st) our lesson from the pulpit will help us to know what God expects from every Christian: He expects us to give three things: Time (We each have been given the same amount of time, 24 hours every day), Talents (We each have talents, given by God to be used in service to others), and Treasures (Everything we have is a gift from God). He expects us NOT to give three things…Can you guess what three things Christians must never give? We will discuss these things on Sunday morning, Lord willing.

On Sunday evening we are in for a very special time of worship, study, and fellowship. Our young men will be handling every aspect of the service. Make sure you are here to support them. I am certainly looking forward to this very special service. I remember the first time I led a song in the church. The song was “Send the Light,” number 192 in our song book. I was about 10 years old and practiced leading that song in my Papa’s old barn loft with my two brothers acting as the church. What a sight and sound that must have been so many years ago. I wonder if my mother stood outside that old barn just to hear us sing. There was no way anyone could have known that 41 years later I would be preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in Columbia, South Carolina. God knew.

Where will our young men and young ladies be tomorrow, next year, 41 years from now? God knows. We hope and pray that they will be preachers and preachers’ wives, song leaders and the wives of song leaders, elders and elders’ wives, deacons and deacons’ wives, Bible teachers, faithful Christian parents, and faithful Christian friends following the pattern of the Bible in life and living. What they become is a product of prayer, preparation, practice, privilege, and participation. May we at St. Andrews Road do a good job in each area of service to our young people! Thank you to Allen Hutchison for your love and faithful dedication to the young men and women at St. Andrews Road. Thank you to every faithful Christian parent for your dedication to bring up your children in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Thank you to every young man and woman for your commitment to Jesus Christ and His church at St. Andrews Road. We are so very proud of you!

Remember that “Daylight Saving Time” ends early on Sunday morning, November 7th. Cindi and I usually move the clocks “fall backward” before we go to bed on Saturday night, November 6th. Whew! Can you believe that Thanksgiving is less than four weeks away with Christmas just around the corner? This is my favorite time of the year!

BIBLE BOWL 2011! We will host the Statewide Bible Bowl on Saturday, February 26, 2011. Everyone is already studying the book of Matthew. Please go to the bulletin board in the lobby to sign up to be on one of our Bible Bowl teams. There are four divisions: Preteen, Teen, Adult, and Senior. If you have a question or need further information, just call the church office. You can also check our website: www.sarcoc.org for up to date Bible Bowl information. For those who do not sign up to be on one of our teams, we will need your help in other areas of the Bible Bowl. In the coming days we will post several sign-up sheets on the bulletin board for your consideration. We love working together.