• Our annual Ladies’ Day has finally arrived, SATURDAY, APRIL 30th. This is a “ladies only” event planned by our ladies for ladies. I hope our ladies and their guests enjoy this very special time of study and fellowship. Thank you to every one of our ladies for the work you have done toward the success of our Ladies’ Day.



• This Sunday morning we will continue in our series “Growing in Gladness” and study about the place of prayer, the power of prayer, and how we can grow in gladness through prayer. When the church meets for worship and fellowship, prayer is an integral part of our assembly. We begin every assembly with prayer. We close every assembly with prayer. Throughout our assembly we pray. This is the way our assembly should be. If we are not careful we can be distracted and lose focus. Let’s make sure that the time we spend in prayer is purposeful, powerful, and meaningful to the church and to God. When I was a boy my mother would “see to it” that my head was bowed, that my eyes were closed, and that my mind was focused when someone was leading the church in prayer. Mothers are different. They can be totally in tune to prayer and at the same time watch out for and correct little boys who are not. Thank God for mothers.



• I am excited about our lesson this Sunday evening. We are looking at our salvation in various ways. We are saved by grace through faith. There is something to do to be saved. This “something” must be done. I must do whatever God commands in order to be saved. This Sunday evening we will ask the question: Will many be saved or few? The false idea that many, if not all will be saved regardless of their belief or lifestyle is comforting (and frightening). And our modern worldly culture views those who espouse this belief as tolerant and loving (How can I say “I love you” and allow you to believe a lie and be lost?). Yet, Jesus taught the very opposite of this view of salvation. After our study from the Scriptures we will see that Jesus taught that few, not many will be saved. He taught that there is only one way to be saved. There is only one truth. There is only one life. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He taught that no one comes to the Father except by Him. Jesus taught that only those who trust Him and obey Him will be saved. I hope you will consider the Scriptures and believe and obey Jesus Christ. He said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).



• May is graduation month for many of our graduates. The Burleson household will certainly breathe a sigh of relief this year. My wife, Cindi will graduate from USC with her Master’s degree in Business Administration. My son, Ben will graduate from USC with his Bachelor’s in History. My daughter-in-law, Lyndsee will graduate from USC with her Bachelor’s in Psychology, and my grand daughter, Faryn will graduate from Morrilton Primary School from Kindergarten. My daughter received her Master’s in Education from Arkansas Tech University in August of last year. I am so very proud of my family for their dedication to education. I can still hear my mother’s words to me, my sister, and my two brothers, “One of the most important things to me in life is to have my children graduate from college.” She dropped out of high school in the tenth grade to marry my dad. When my sister was a senior in high school, my mother took night classes and later received her GED. Going to school is hard work. Finishing, graduating requires planning, preparation, dedication, patience, strength, money, faith, and a strong commitment to a brighter future for yourself, your family, and society as a whole. Congratulations to every graduate! May God bless you as you begin your next adventure, further education or a career of your choosing! I think this “career of your choosing” is called a job. Another word for it is WORK.

• Our annual Ladies’ Day is now only one week away, scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 30th. Our special guest speaker will be Mimi Tate from Kaughman, Texas. Our theme is “Behold the Bridegroom is Coming!” You will be so very glad to be here for this very special event just for ladies. Men: We can certainly help our ladies by serving lunch to those who are present.


• This Sunday morning we will continue in our series “Growing in Gladness.” Too many Christians have lost the true joy of worship and so, do not assemble with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as often as they should or could. Still other Christians may never miss an assembly, but they seem to have lost the joy that once filled their hearts and minds through worship. Last Sunday we discussed how we can grow in gladness through our assemblies. Preparing for worship, remember those present for worship, plugging-in to each aspect of worship, and putting into practice what we experience in worship determines our growth in gladness in our Christian lives.


• This coming Sunday we will take a look at “Growing in Gladness through Singing.” Psalm 100:2 says, “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.” James asks, “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13). Paul writes in Ephesians 5:18-20: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Again he writes in Colossians 3:16 concerning singing: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” As you can see from just these few passages from the Bible, singing is a big part of the life of a Christian. Think about it. About one third (20 minutes) of our Sunday morning worship hour is spent singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. This is the way it should be. Notice also that throughout the New Testament you will not find a single passage that commands, suggests, or infers that God desires or allows mechanical instruments of music in addition to singing.


• Many Christians have lost the joy of singing? Some sing with little or no emotion. Some simply do not sing at all. I am not saying that we should be undisciplined in our assemblies or that our assemblies should be indecent and disorderly. I am saying that singing has always been, is, and ever must be a priority in our worship assemblies if we are to be pleasing to our Father in heaven. How can we rekindle our growth in gladness through singing? Maybe if we understood the purpose of singing and then looked at some principles that will help us appreciate singing more, then we would begin again to grow in gladness through singing.


• We are very blessed at St. Andrews Road to host the annual “All Night Singing” every year in August. We also allow our young men to lead our Sunday evening worship assembly three or four times during the year. This is good. But is this enough? If we expect to have good song leaders in the near and distant future we must allow ample opportunities for our young men to stand before the congregation to lead a song or two. If we expect our worship to God in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to survive and thrive in these modern times, we must give the more earnest heed to growing in gladness through singing.


• I am excited about the sermon this Sunday evening. We will look at the Lord’s instructions to those who ask “What must I do to be saved?” Hear the instructions. Believe God. Repent of any and every sin. Confess who Jesus is. He is the Son of God. Be baptized to have your sins forgiven. Live the Christian life every day, one day at the time until Christ returns to take you home to heaven.

• Don’t you just love this time of year: the warmer weather, flowers everywhere, (The azaleas are especially beautiful this year.), soft rain falling outside, and dreams of summer vacation and graduation. Of course there are negatives: tax time, stormy weather and pollen, stress over grades, and of course whether or not the budget will allow for a summer vacation. My grandfather always said, “Son, you have to take the bad with the good.” The “facts of life” are, well, the facts of life. My trip to Arkansas last weekend was refreshing.


• My grandchildren have really grown in every way since Christmas. Thank you for allowing me to be away for a day or two to see them. Thank you to Brother Caleb Colley for preaching two fine sermons last Sunday while I was away. We are blessed.


• Our annual Ladies’ Day is now only two weeks away, scheduled for Saturday, April 30th. Our special guest speaker will be Mimi Tate from Kaughman, Texas. Ladies; you don’t want to miss this very special event planned just for you. See the front of your newsletter for details on our Ladies’ Day. If you can help, please sign up on the bulletin board in the lobby. Men: We have a special invitation to come out on Saturday and serve lunch to the ladies. We always have a good time serving together.


• We will begin a new Sunday morning series of sermons this Sunday, April 17th. I have entitled this new series “Growing in Gladness.” David said in Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’” Too many Christians have lost the true joy of worship and so, do not assemble with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as often as they should or could. Still other Christians may never miss an assembly, but they seem to have lost the joy that once permeated their hearts and minds through worship. Our topics will include: Growing in Gladness through: Singing, Prayer, The Lord’s Supper, The Offering, Hearing God’s Word Proclaimed, and Bible Classes. It is my prayer that these lessons will help us all to refocus our minds and our priorities on the wonderful blessings we receive when we come together for worship, study, and fellowship. Through a better understanding of worship, we will be able to say, “Worship? Hurray! Let’s get ready now and leave a little early so we won’t be late.”


• Our elders are getting everything in order to begin the process of selecting and appointing additional deacons to serve the congregation at St. Andrews Road. Be listening for the details forthcoming. Be in prayer for our elders, for those who will be selected, and for the entire congregation as we set the stage for future growth in Christ in the Midlands.


• Have you been thinking about becoming a Christian? That’s great! What are you waiting for? There is no better life than the Christian life. What do you need to do? Believe in Jesus Christ. Repent of any and every sin that has caused you so much trouble. This means to sorrow for your sin and commit to turn away from sin. Confess your faith in Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God and Savior of all. Be baptized into Christ. In baptism we put on Christ. We have our sins washed away through baptism. Jesus will add you to the church, His church. You will be a Christian, saved, free from sin, a new person, a member of the body of Christ, the church of Christ. I am always available to help you.

• COMING SOON…


• Ladies Day with Mimi Tate (Texas) – April 30


• Gospel Meeting with Brad Harrub – June 24-26


• The 67th Annual Carolina Lectures has now come and gone. We spent 4 days together – 9:00 to 9:00 and heard 42 lessons from 22 different speakers all focused on what it means to preach the cross of Jesus Christ. I especially enjoyed the 5/9 session every day. What a wonderful lectureship we enjoyed!


• Thank you to every participant for being a part of this annual event hosted by various congregations from the Carolinas. Thank you especially to Brother Bill Young for assisting in arranging song leaders and men to lead prayer every hour, for manning our multimedia controls, and in general seeing that people had what they needed to get the job done. Thank you to Dave Pyle and our Service Groups at St. Andrews Road for breakfast and lunch everyday. Thank you to our church secretary, Kay Yenny for all the work that had to be done behind the scenes to see that the lectures were a terrific success. Thank you to Alex Arlington, John Dennison, and Alan Larmon, our elders who were on the scene every day to see that every need was met. Thank you to our exhibit representatives who came in from just about everywhere to let us know about so many opportunities for service locally and abroad. Thank you to our speakers for all the time and effort they invested in preparing and sharing lessons form God’s word that are much needed in these troublesome times. Thank you to Brother David Sain from Fayetteville, Tennessee who spoke every evening as our keynote speaker. Thank you to every member at St. Andrews Road, our guests from other congregations, and our guests from the community for being a part of this year’s 67th Annual Carolina Lectures. We’re already looking forward to the 68th Carolina Lectures in North Carolina next year.


• NEXT UP – LADIES’ DAY @ ST. ANDREWS ROAD! Our Annual Ladies’ Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 30th at St. Andrews Road. Can you believe that our ladies’ day is only 3 weeks away? There is much to be done to get everything in order. If you can help, please check the bulletin board in the lobby and sign up to help. Men: Our ladies need our help to set up and clean up for lunch. If you can help, sign up on the bulletin board in the lobby. We always have a great time together.


• Cindi and I will be out of town this Sunday visiting in Arkansas with our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. Please pray for us as we travel. Brother Caleb Colley will be preaching this Sunday morning and evening. It certainly is good to know that I can be away and know that capable faithful men will stand to continue the work of Christ. I plan to return on Monday, April 11th, Lord willing.


• Our monthly Men’s and Preachers’ Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19th at 10:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Brother Larry Reynolds, preacher at Leslie, SC will present our program on “The Relationship of Faithful Deacons to the Eldership They Serve.” If you can join us for this meeting, please do. We meet every third Tuesday in the month. We do take a break in June and July, and in December for the holidays.


• Check out our website http://www.sarcoc.org/ to listen to the sermons from your computer. We plan to place the lectureship lessons on our website as soon as possible.


• May God bless our efforts together for the cause of Christ in the Midlands.