A.M. P.M. Sunday, Nov. 4 Rachel Scribner Rachel Scribner Sunday, Nov. 11 Jennifer Hughes Jennifer Hughes Sunday, Nov. 18 Lisa Lindsey Lisa Lindsey Sunday, Nov. 25 Amy Hughes Amy Hughes Wednesday, Nov. 7 Rachel Scribner Rachel Scribner Wednesday, Nov. 14 Jennifer Hughes Jennifer Hughes Wednesday, Nov. 21 Lisa Lindsey Lisa Lindsey Wednesday, Nov. 28

1. 4
Hugh
Vol. 43 October 30, 2018 Number 43
Finding the Strength to Forgive
By Barry Kennedy
There they were, two friends who had known each other all their lives. They
seemed to be inseparable. They shared the same hobbies, liked the same sports, they
even enjoyed the same foods. Yes, they were the best of friends and it seemed as though
nothing could come between their friendship. Then it happened, both having the same
likes and dislikes, they set their eyes on the same girl. Only one could be her boyfriend
and the other would be left out. Tempers flare and words are spoken in anger and now
their friendship was traded for a feud. Finally, one (the one who became the boyfriend)
decided he wanted to be reconciled with his friend. He realized that he treated his best
friend wrongly and wanted to be forgiven. His friend was truly wronged and may never
have the opportunity of dating the “girl of his dreams.” This may seem very trivial to
many, but how often are relationships permanently destroyed because of similar
situations? How do we find the strength to forgive?
Consider Ourselves. How often have we stopped to consider our mistakes?
David did, “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me”
(Psalms 51:3). David had the proper understanding of sin and how that it affects our
relationship to God. If we have any doubt about that, consider Psalm 51:4: “Against
Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.” John, by inspiration,
defined sin as a transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4). Many choose to believe that
there is no law today. They sight, without understanding, passages that state we are not
under law to try and prove their point (Romans 3:27, 28). It only takes a little study (not
a haphazard reading over the scriptures) to see that Paul is referencing the law of Moses
in this context. All we have to do is look at the actions that we see in this world to know
that sin exists, therefore, law exists. Our law is the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). It is
also called the law of faith (Romans 3:27). All this is found in God’s Word, the Holy
Bible (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:3). If we are going to find the
strength to forgive, we must consider our own transgressions.
Consider Our God. If we are ever going to find the strength to forgive, we will
have to remind ourselves of who God is. Far too many times, people go their whole
lives without ever truly understanding who God is and what He expects from them.
Many profess to have a “personal relationship” with God, but if need be they could not
produce any evidence whatsoever about God. Why? Because very few ever take the
time to study God’s Word. Stop for one moment and think of God. What do you see?
We understand that no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12), but we
have a mental image of deity. Do we see a grandfather type figure, or maybe a harsh
disciplinarian who is just itching to punish? A lot of our imaging comes from our
upbringing. If a child is never punished for his wrongs, he may have an image of the
loving Grandfather figure who will overlook every wrong and give a reward to make
--article continued on page 3--
ELDERS
Mike Childers..............397-6453
Dennis Hallmark .........255-5557
Mark Hitt.....................322-0917
Bobby Lindley.............260-9193
DEACONS
Wade Bryan.................419-5552
William Harris.............416-8149
Ricky Lindsey .............255-8136
Jeff Mansel..................871-0357
Jimmy Spearman.........840-8957
Michael Wilson ...........891-0891
PREACHER
Barry Kennedy ... (931)787-7108
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office...........................842-6116
Fax...............................842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Worship....................... 9:00 a.m.
Bible Classes............. 10:15 a.m.
Worship..................... 11:15 a.m.
Singing or Devotional
Last Sunday of the Month
MID-WEEK
SERVICES
Wednesday Classes .....7:00 p.m.
EAST MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)

2. Community Outreach
Item:
Garbage bags
Gospel Meeting Notes
➢ We will have a combined auditorium
class this Sunday for grade 7 up through
adults.
➢ We will have a fellowship meal this
Sunday for the whole congregation at
11:15 a.m. in the multipurpose room.
➢ Afternoon services Sunday will be held at
12:30 p.m.
➢ We will have fellowship meals in the
multipurpose room during the week
hosted by the Sunday adult classes:
Monday—auditorium class; Tuesday—
Room 10 class; Wednesday—Multi-
purpose room class.
➢ Make plans to attend every service and
invite others!
Sr. Youth Activity
The Senior Youth are
invited to Ricky & Lisa
Lindsey’s home on Sunday,
Oct. 28 at 6:00 p.m. for
their monthly devotional &
meal. Also, since it’s close
to Halloween, we would like everyone to dress up!
A food sign-up list is posted beside the tract rack in
the foyer. Also, please bring your lawn chairs.
Community Outreach
Program
The Community Outreach Program will be sending
a donation to the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief in
Nashville, TN, on Thursday to help those affected on
the coast by Hurricane Michael. If you would like to
donate additional funds, an envelope has been left in
the church office on the desk. Thank you.
Reasons Not to Use
Profanity
Profanity has become so common that many no
longer consider it objectionable. It is printed in
papers, used on camera, spoken in mixed company by
both sexes, and used in the presence of children, as if
God does not object. He does. God’s name is not to
be treated irreverently.
God forbade the ancient Israelites’ taking His
name in vain. “You shall not take the name of the
Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).
God’s name is holy and reverend; it is to be
respected. “Holy and awesome is His name” (Psalm
111:9).
God’s name is to be hallowed. Jesus said, “In
this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). The Greek
word hagiazo means: “to set apart from common use”
(Berry).
God’s name and His doctrine are not to be
blasphemed (1 Timothy 6:1). It may surprise you to
know that profanity is more common in so-called
Christian America than in heathen countries. Idolaters
often have greater reverence for their false gods than
some persons do for the true and living God.
A missionary was returning from India with his small
son who had never been to America. One day an
American on deck was using profuse profanity. The
missionary said to him, “Sir, my boy was born and
brought up in a land of idolatry, but in all his life he has
never heard a man blaspheme his Maker until now.”
The New Testament forbids a person’s using
profanity by command and principle (Ephesians
4:29; Colossians 3:8). As Christ is a member of the
Godhead (Colossians 2:9; Matthew 28:19), His mane
is not to be taken in vain.
Children should be taught not to use profanity
(Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4).
To use profanity in the presence of persons who
object to it is to manifest a lack of respect for them
(Matthew 7:12).
To sin, a person does not have to say the obscene
words orally. He can use profanity in his heart even
as he can commit adultery (Matthew 5:28) or
murder (1 John 3:15) in his heart (see Matthew 9:4;
Proverbs 23:7).
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation
of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord”
(Psalm 19:14). -Eris Benson (adapted)
Via House to House:Heart to Heart (Vol. 23, No. 9)
November 2018
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Sr. Adult
Fellowship @
6:00 pm
John 1-3
2
Staci Rushing
John 4-5
3
Eric Barnette
John 6-7
4
Dillard & Trish
Scribner
Daylight Savings
Time ends
John 8-10
5
John 11-12
6
John 13-16
7
Ainsley Millard
John 17-19
8
Stuart Childers
Ladies’
Fellowship @
6:00 pm
John 20-21
9
Acts 1-2
10
Greg & Keisha
Gholston
Sr. Youth
Breakfast/Work
Day
Acts 3-5
11
Kelly & Evelyn
Thompson
Visitation Team #2
Area Youth Meeting
@ New Albany
Acts 6-7
12
Acts 8-9
13
Acts 10-12
14
Acts 13-14
15
Acts 15-16
16
Acts 17-18
17
Bobby Joe
Lindley
Acts 19-20
18
Melvin Duke
Kirk Sheffield
JY/ES Devo.
Jr. Bible Bowl @
East Main
Nursing Home
Singing
Acts 21-23
19
Tony Donald
Rachel Scribner
Acts 24-26
20
Jimmy & Brenda
Spearman
Dean & Kristie
Webb
Acts 27-28
21
Shirley Lyons
Romans 1-3
22
Jeff & Natalie
Mansel
Kyle & Summer
Smith
Romans 4-6
23
Lee DuBois
Debbie Hallmark
Romans 7-8
24
Tammy Minor
Romans 9-11
25
Visitation Team #4
Romans 12-16
26
Eli Rushing
Rodney Voyles
Shawn & Jean
Mounce
1 Corinthians 1-4
27
Addie Hitt
1 Corinthians 5-7
28
Amy Hughes
1 Cor. 8-11
29
Eddie Simmons
1 Cor. 12-14
30
1 Cor. 15-16

3. Daily Bible Reading
October 31.................................................... Luke 24
November 1..................................................John 1-3
November 2..................................................John 4-5
November 3..................................................John 6-7
November 4................................................John 8-10
November 5..............................................John 11-12
November 6..............................................John 13-16
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Staci Rushing (Nov. 2), Eric
Barnette (Nov. 3). Anniversaries: Dillard &
Trish Scribner (Nov. 4).
Our Sick
Lauren Lindley continues in CCU at NMMC. Jean
Mounce continues at UAB following surgery last
week. Both Lauren and Jean seem to be progressing
slowly.
On-Going Illnesses
Laverne Raper, Frankie Estes, Donny Dulaney,
Adam McCurley, Mary Jordan, Bretta Robinson,
James Goddard, Ray Scribner, Bill Goff, Linda Bryan,
Mitch Maclean, James Nichols, Sheba Tuggers,
Sherry Gregory, Shirley Owens, Mickey Bailey, Mike
Scott, Tracey Wilburn, Sammy Carson, Nathan Hale,
Leroy Brown, Mike Stroup, Shirley Lyons, Jadon
Parish, Caroline Willis, Charlie Evans.
Nursing Homes/Assisted
Living
Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Shirley
McCarthy, Mary Southern, Veona Harris
--article continued from page 1—
everything alright. On the other hand, the child who is
brought up in the strict and stern discipline of might
makes right, he may view God as the great punisher who
just cannot wait to send someone to Hell. Both of these
views might be conceived by a glancing approach
toward the Bible, or maybe just taking bits and pieces of
sermons to form an opinion. The Bible says, “STUDY to
show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). God is love (1 John 4:8),
merciful (Psalm 116:5), and gracious (2 Chronicles
30:9); however, we need not lose sight of the fact that
God is just (Isaiah 45:21), jealous (Deuteronomy 5:9),
and vengeful (Romans 12:19).
So, what do we need to know about God to help
us find the strength to forgive others? God is Holy and
without sin, but we are weak and sinful creatures and
despite this truth, He still wants to forgive our every
sin, if we will but repent and ask His forgiveness (2
Peter 3:9). Are we in Christ (Romans 6:3, 4; Galatians
3:27; 1 Peter 3:21)? If so, we have been forgiven of
every sin we have committed against God. He has
taken us from the bonds of sin and death to give us a
clean slate in Christ and as long as we walk in the
light (1 John 1:7; Psalms 119:105), we maintain that
forgiveness of sins. Are we not willing to share that
blessing with others in this world? May we all
remember to consider ourselves and our God in order
to find the strength we need to forgive others. Then
we may pray as Jesus directed: “And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever”
(Matthew 6:12, 13).
Sr. Adult Fellowship
The Sr. Adult fellowship will be held this
THURSDAY, NOV. 1 at Hardin’s Country Store at 6:00
p.m. The bus will leave the building at 5:45.
Ladies’ Day
The West Main congregation will host a Ladies’ Day
this Saturday, Nov. 3 with Shelia Butt speaking from
8:30 a.m. until noon.
Leadership Workshop
A Leadership Workshop will be held this Saturday,
Nov. 3 at the Antioch congregation in Columbia, TN. A
flyer is posted on the bulletin board across from the
library with schedule times and speakers.
John Duke is stationed in Long Beach, MS.
Matt Duke is stationed in Ft. Carson, CO.
Caleb Williams is stationed in Jacksonville, NC.
Dylan Kelly, Steve Kelly’s grandson, is in Kuwait.
Ty Nichols, Patsy Nichols’ grandson, is in
Oklahoma

4. Men to Serve Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018 a.m.
Announcements..............................Dennis Hallmark
Bible Reading..............................Hunter Underwood
Opening Prayer ...................................Jake Kennedy
Lord’s Supper
Mike Ratliff & Perry Hand
Serve Congregation, East Side:
Ricky Johnson, Wesley Bass, Rodney Voyles
Serve Congregation, West Side:
Larry Long, Jimmy Spearman, Joe Smith
Lead Singing....................................James Simmons
Closing Prayer................................... Stuart Childers
Ushers ..........................Andy Baldwyn & Joe Minor
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday Afternoon
Opening Prayer ................................Michael Wilson
Closing Prayer....................................... Wade Bryan
Lead Singing......................................Hugh Scribner
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Prayer ................................................ William Harris
Lead Singing........................................ Greg Hughes
Contact Ricky Lindsey (255-8136) if unable to serve.
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Greeters ...................................Chad & Susan Willis
...............................Hugh & Rachel Scribner
Prepare Lord’s Supper—October ........................ Joe
& Alicia Smith
Nursery.............Diane Dickerson & Carmen Perkins
Pantry.................................................... Canned fruit
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 10-24-18............................................148
Sunday 1st
Worship, 10-28-18 .............................202
Sunday Bible Class ..............................................186
Sunday 2nd
Worship.............................................141
Contribution (budget $7,900)..........................$7,464
Another Saint Goes Home
Our hearts were deeply saddened at the passing of our beloved sister
Claribel Simmons on Sunday, October 28. Sister Clara was a sweet
spirited Christian lady who let her light shine brightly for our Lord. Mrs.
Clara was faithful in worship with the East Main congregation where
she was a member for over 50 years. If the doors were opened to
worship, sister Clara was there. When there was a meal to be prepared,
Mrs. Clara would always be sure to have something there. Even in her
later years when she wasn’t able to cook something, she would buy a
cake and drinks to make sure we had plenty. Saying farewell to sister
Simmons is difficult, but the most wonderful blessing is that we will see
her again on the golden shores of home if we remain faithful to the Lord. The prophet Daniel closes
his book with the words, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life…And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that
turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Dan. 12:2, 3).