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Vol. 46 June 29, 2021 Number 24
PAYING OUR VOWS
Barry Kennedy
A sea-captain related his misfortunes: the wreck of his ship and his own
escape after floating several days on a plank. A gentleman who heard it asked him
privately if he did not in that hour of peril vow to serve the Lord if He would deliver
him. The captain became angry and replied: “It is none of your business.” His
questioner treated him very kindly, while he was ill at ease. The next day the captain
called on him and said: “Sir, I have not slept a wink since I saw you; I abused you
yesterday; I am now come to ask your pardon. I did, while on that plank, vow to God
that I would live differently from whatever I had done; and by God’s help, from this
time forward, I am determined to do so.”1
The wise man Solomon said long ago, “Better is it that thou shouldest not
vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). We all know
people (sometimes we ourselves) who make plans in the heat of the moment without
considering the cost. It may sound good or be something that we felt would help us in
our immediate circumstance, but we failed to consider the long-term impact. For
example, the vows people make at the wedding service are almost always considered
to be permanent, after all, most say, “till death do us part.” Yet, in today’s world, the
divorce rate nears the 50% mark. Some statistics say we are having fewer divorces
today, but much of that is due to the number of people cohabitating (i.e., shacking up).
Just think about how many hearts could be saved from severe pain, how many
children could be saved from broken homes, if people would adhere to the wise words
of Solomon. If you are not going to pay the bill, do not take the goods.
Another example to consider (and the most important one at that) is the vow
we make to become a Christian. You may be thinking, “What vow?” Before one is
immersed into Christ there is a statement that one must make. “I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37; co. Romans 10:10). There is much more to this
statement than just acknowledging that Jesus is. We must be willing to “put on
Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). The Lord’s relationship with the church is described as a
husband loving his wife so much that he would give his life for her (Ephesians 5).
How many of us have made those oaths to the Lord and have neglected to pay? Jesus
once told a certain scribe, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests;
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). This man was so
eager to follow Jesus that he said, “Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou
goest” (Matthew 8:19). Jesus wanted the scribe, and you and I today, to consider the
vow that he was trying to make. Following the Lord will certainly take us out of our
comfort zones. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecu-
--article continued 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
MINISTERS
Barry Kennedy....(931)787-7108
Alex Blackwelder (731)879-9196
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 class..................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.
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)

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--article continued from page 1--
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins
and their iniquities will I remember no more”
(Hebrews 8:12). What about the other use of
rest in this great invitation? To answer this, one
should consider Hebrews 4:8-11. The Hebrew
writer referred to the history of Israel
conquering the land of promise as recorded in
the book of Joshua. They obtained the land of
rest, i.e., Canaan (Joshua 21:43), but there is
another rest awaiting the Children of God.
Jesus said it is a “rest unto your souls” (Matthew
11:29). Consider the way John recorded this
truth. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying
unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in
the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labors; and their works do
follow them” (Revelation 14:13). This rest is the
rest of Heaven. What an awesome thought!
God, the Almighty Creator of the universe
(Genesis 1:1) offers sinful man the opportunity
to have our sins washed away, and to have an
eternity of rest with Him in Heaven! Jesus is
still saying, “come unto Me... and I will give you
rest.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man
cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).
The question is, “Are you ready for rest?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Sermon
Many years ago, a farmer had an unusually
fine crop of grain. Just a few days before it was
ready to harvest, a terrible hail and windstorm
destroyed it. The farmer and his son went out on the
porch after the storm. The little boy looked at what
was formerly the beautiful field of wheat, and with
tears in his eyes looked up at his dad, expecting to
hear words of despair. All at once, his father started
to sing softly, “Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me
hide myself in Thee.”
Years after, when the little boy had grown to
manhood, he said, “That was the greatest sermon I
ever heard.” The farmer lost a grain crop but gained
a faithful son.
“You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14, 16).
-House to House Heart to Heart, Archive 2128
Wedding Shower
You are invited to a wedding
shower in honor of Savanna Bell,
bride-elect of Clayton Long, this
Sunday, June 27 “drive by” from 2-
3:30 p.m. at the East Main church building. Clayton
& Savanna are registered at The Knot and Amazon.
The links are: https://theknot.com/youbelongwithme &
https://www.amazon.com/wedding/share/youBeLONGw
ithMe
Our Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to Dale Dulaney in
the loss of his mother, Shirlene Dulaney, on June 17
after a brief battle with cancer. Funeral services
were held June 19 in Mantachie.
New Locking System for
the Building
Beginning this week at the church building a
new electronic locking system has been installed on
the doors. Please do not use your keys anymore but
a key card or fob. If you would like one, please let
Renee know and she will get you one. Scan the
card or fob on the black pad beside the door, it will
beep, and then you can pull the door open. Once
you are inside the door will lock back automatically
after a few seconds. We hope this system will help
keep the building more secure! Thank you for your
cooperation.
July 2021
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Proverbs 1-4
2
Sarah Phillips
Sr. Youth--TGIF
Proverbs 5-9
3
Proverbs 10-13
4
John Bowlin
Proverbs 14-17
5
Michael &
Christine Wilson
Proverbs 18-21
6
Betty Long
Proverbs 22-24
7
Logan Lyle
Proverbs 25-27
8
Ladies’ fellowship
Proverbs 28-29
9
Proverbs 30-31
10
Natalie Mansel
Amy Voyles
Eccl. 1-6
11
Barry Kennedy
Jennifer Ray
Eccl. 7-12
12
Song of
Solomon 1-4
13
Wade Bryan
Song of
Solomon 5-8
14
Isaiah 1-4
15
Hallie Donald
Isaiah 5-8
16
Waymon &
Dolline Gibson
Sr. Youth-TGIF
Isaiah 9-12
17
Kannon Smith
Isaiah 13-16
18
Susan Willis
Addi Millard
Isaiah 17-20
19
Caset Gullett
Isaiah 21-23
20
Derik & Staci
Rushing
Isaiah 24-27
21
Laura & DJ
Bennett
Isaiah 28-30
22
Katy Beth
Voyles
Isaiah 31-35
23
Harry Cowan
Steve Kelly
Mary Morgan Lyle
Tracy Lyle
Isaiah 36-39
24
Drew Baldwyn
Britton Smith
Isaiah 40-41
25
Isaiah 42-43
26
Jason & Amanda
Dickinson
Isaiah 44-45
27
Judy Bates
Eric & Glenda
Barnette
Joe & Tammy
Minor
Isaiah 46-48
28
Dennis &
Debbie
Hallmark
Isaiah 49-51
29
Isaiah 52-57
30
Sr. Youth-TGIF
Isaiah 58-62
31
Rodney & Amy
Voyles
Isaiah 63-66
Maywood Christian Camp –7th
Week Squad July 18th
-24th

3.
Daily Bible Reading
June 30 .............................................Psalms 145-150
July 1.....................................................Proverbs 1-4
July 2.....................................................Proverbs 5-9
July 3.................................................Proverbs 10-13
July 4.................................................Proverbs 14-17
July 5.................................................Proverbs 18-21
July 6.................................................Proverbs 22-24
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Joe Paul Perkins (June 30),
Sarah Phillips (July 2), John Bowlin (July
4), Betty Long (July 6). Anniversaries:
Michael & Christine Wilson (July 5).
Our Sick
Please keep Susan Reed in your prayers. She will
be undergoing gall bladder surgery & a liver
transplant soon. Ricky Johnson’s mother, Merlene,
is in room 5529 at NMMC on hospice. Kathryn
McKee continues to recuperate from hip surgery.
Shauna McMickin has two more rounds of chemo at
St. Jude. James Simmons continues to recuperate at
home from his chemo. Randy Pearce (Chad Willis,
Kristie Webb & Rhonda Pennington’s cousin) has
been moved to a rehab facility in Oxford.
On-Going Illnesses
Mary Lou Walden, Steve Kelly, Bettye Davis,
Frankie Estes, Shirley Lyons, Caroline Willis, Sean
Koehn, Carol Hood, Bill Goff, Donny Dulaney,
Adam McCurley, James Goddard, Mitch Maclean,
Mary Starz, Sheba Tuggers, Steve Higginbotham,
Lance Canerdy
Nursing Homes
Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Veona Harris,
Shirley McCarthy, Bob/Clara McClure, Brenda
Dawson
--article continued from page 1—
tion” (2 Timothy 3:12). It is not that Jesus does not
want people to take upon them the oath of
Christlikeness, but that we would be fully prepared to
walk the walk that is before us.
The Hebrew writer wrote much about the
children of Israel and the fact that many of them fell in
the wilderness because of unfaithfulness (Hebrews
3:7-19). If we are not careful, we will miss the point.
True, we can fall by the same example of
unfaithfulness, but the message is we do not have to.
We can “...come boldly unto the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need” (Hebrews 4:16), because we have a better High
Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15). May God help us all to pay
the vows that we make, letting our “...communication
be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay:” (Matthew 5:37). Finally, if
we make a vow in the storm, let’s not forget it when
things are calm.
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Foster, Elon, 6000 Classic Sermon Illustrations, p.753
EMYG News
The senior youth will have TGIF (Together
Growing in Faith) this Friday, July 2 at 9:00 p.m.
We will have Brain Freeze this Wednesday, June
30 after Bible study in the multipurpose. Everyone is
invited to stay and enjoy ice cream & fellowship.
Our week at Maywood Christian Camp is July 18-
24. Please register online ASAP to reserve your spot.
www.maywoodchristiancamp.com
Thank You Note
To my East Main family,
I will never be able to put into words how thankful
I am for your presence in my life and how grateful
Gage and I are for everything you have done for us.
We want to say thank you for the beautiful shower
that you hosted for us, as well as, for all of the
prayers, gifts, and well-wishes that you have sent our
way. I love each of you deeply, and Gage and I are
blessed to have such a generous and supportive church
family. Thank you so much! Gage & Olivia Gregory
*Olivia & Gage were united in marriage June 26 in TN.
We wish for them many years of happiness.
Ladies, don’t forget the next Ladies’
Fellowship on Thursday, July 8 beginning at
6:00 p.m. in the multipurpose room.
There will be no meal.

4.
Men to Serve Sunday, July 4, 2021 a.m.
Announcements...........................Bobby Joe Lindley
Bible Reading......................................Jake Kennedy
Opening Prayer ..............................Dennis Hallmark
Lord’s Supper
Jeff Mansel
Lead Singing..................................Jonathan Nichols
Closing Prayer........................................... Joe Minor
Ushers .............................Larry Long & Chad Willis
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday 11:15 a.m. service
Opening Prayer ....................................... Perry Hand
Closing Prayer...................................... Jalon Mansel
Lead Singing......................................... Wade Bryan
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Opening Prayer ......................................Mike Ratliff
Lead Singing.........................................Wesley Bass
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact the church office (842-6116) if unable to serve.
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 6-23-21 .................................................... 120
Sunday 1st
Worship, 6-27-21 .................................... 158*
Sunday Bible Class..................................................... 158
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................... 109
Contribution (budget $7,900) ................................ $6,877
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item................................................ Dry beans
Our Gospel Meeting is
Aug. 29th
-Sept. 1st
Neal Pollard, speaker
Mark your calendars!