We had a great day at Enola yesterday, Sunday, August 21, 2011 with 136 in attendance for worship on Sunday morning and 96 on Sunday evening. The offering toward the work of the church was $2152.00. The elders announced the need to appoint additional deacons and asked the congregation to present to them the names of qualified men to serve in this capacity. The plan is very simple. Just take a sheet of paper, make a list of the names of the men you believe meet the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3:8-15, sign the sheet, and hand it to one of our elders, Brother Larry Arnett, Brother Eddie Hawkins, or Brother Andrew Shock. They’ll take it from there. They will meet with the men we present to them to discuss the work of the church and their desire to serve. As soon as they get a list of qualified men who desire to serve they will present these men back to the congregation for further consideration. After a few days of consideration these men will be appointed to serve with our brothers who are already serving as deacons, Brother Patrick Breeding and Brother Sonny Wolfe. I know they’ll be glad to have some much needed help with the work of the church. We are becoming a great congregation. God is certainly blessing us every day with joy, peace, and prosperity.

Last Sunday we looked at how important UNITY is to any endeavor. Unity is especially important if we are to become a great congregation of the church of Christ. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). We must be united in His way, in His truth, and in His life. Paul pleaded with the church at Corinth by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among them, that they be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Corinthians 1:10). He pleads with us today. Paul reminds every Christian of our calling to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He wrote in Ephesians 4:4-6 to remind us that there is one body (the church), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is above all, through all, and in all. Let us continue to work together in unity and harmony. Let us worship together in spirit and in truth. Let us fellowship together in peace and happiness. Let us always perfectly joined together in the same mind (our thoughts, our plans, our desires for ourselves and the church) and in the same judgment (the decisions we make, the actions we take).

This Sunday we will focus out attention on another attribute that Christians in every great congregation possess: GREAT LEADERSHIP. Great churches have leaders, elders that are men of character, reputation, and vision. When “little men” oversee the work of the church, little will be done. When “great men” oversee the Lord’s work, great things will be accomplished. God expects the eldership of His church to be men of knowledge, love, zeal, and faith. They must be men of vision who see what God can do. They must be men who are “given to work.” They must be men of respect, humility, and service. I look forward to sharing this lesson from God’s word with you. We have three great elders at Enola. May we all appreciate our elders more and endeavor to make their work a work of joy.

Sunday evening at Enola is very special. Our series is entitled “Every Christian Should…” Every Christian should REJOICE. Life is tough. People are rough. And sometimes it seems like we don’t have enough. Rejoice anyway. Rejoice always. Every Christian should REMOVE. We should remove sorrow from our hearts and evil from our lives (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10). HOW? We must present our sorrow and our sin to Jesus honestly, openly, and willing. He cares for us. Hebrews 12:1-2 is a great passage of Scripture to read, remember, and apply. This Sunday evening we will consider the next lesson in this series, “Every Christian Should REMEMBER.”

BIRTHDAY & ANNIVERSARY FELLOWSHIP AT THE BURLESON’S – This Sunday evening immediately following our assembly. If you or a member of your immediate family has a birthday or anniversary in August bring a finger-food dish and come on over.