Read the Manual!
By Mike Riley
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Reading God’s Instruction Manual
God’s experience with humankind is exactly like that. We continually get ourselves into trouble and wreck havoc on our lives because we can’t be bothered to read the “owner’s manual” God has provided – the Bible. Everything we need to know to live acceptably before God is contained in this inspired book (Acts 20:32; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3). But how many people really read it? And of those who do make some attempt to study the Bible, how many apply it diligently to every circumstance and situation of life? For some, the Scriptures just aren’t “entertaining” enough. True, the Bible doesn’t read like a comic book, or a romance novel, or the latest John Grisham thriller. But then, it’s not a work of fiction: it’s an instruction manual, one that not only is clear and concise, but addresses all the complexities of human existence. And, like the consumer quick to dial the 800 number for help, many folks — including far too many Christians — are content to let someone else do the reading. “The preacher knows all that stuff,” they reason. But every individual is accountable to God for the contents of His word (John 12:48), because everyone will be judged from the same books (Revelation 20:12-13). We all have the same responsibility to be diligent in our efforts to rightly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). The Proverb writer wrote, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly” (Proverbs 2:6-7). Jesus taught that “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32), and affirmed that God’s word is truth (John 17:17). If it’s freedom and wisdom that we desire, God’s word is the only legitimate source.
Conclusion
Life is difficult because none of us have ever lived it before. The knowledge of how to live a righteous life is not innate but must be learned (Psalms 119:73; Proverbs 2:1-6). When life’s difficult questions arise, or we don’t know how things work, let’s not be stubborn or lazy — let’s read the manual! (2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:11).
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Elders
Leon Cort
Mark Craigwell
Martin Samuel
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Minister
Mark Craigwell
Assistant Minister
Denver Simmons
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Deacons
Raleigh Gallington
Anthony Johnson
Gregory Johnson
Carlfred Malcolm
Albert Martin, Jr.
Walter Maxwell
Richard Meuse
Barry Person
Jason Reid
James Wade, Sr.
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Sermon for Sunday, April 10, 2022
Our Duty to Do Good
1 Peter 2: 11-12
Speaker: Bro. Mark Craigwell
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We extend our sympathy to Sis. Rosamund Bloom and Bro. Robert Jackson in the unexpected passing of their cousin, Richard Gaskins, last week, and to Bro. Greg Lee in the unexpected passing of his cousin, Shacora. Please keep both families in prayer.
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Love Offering for Ukraine
Thank you to all who contributed toward the love offering for Ukraine last week. Thanks to your generosity, we collected $2,904.00 towards the relief efforts for the people of Ukraine. The funds will be managed by Healing Hands International through their Ukraine Relief Fund.
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COVID HOME TESTING KITS
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BOMBAS SOCKS GIVEAWAY
Thursday, April 14th, 4-6pm
Saturday, April 16th, 10am-noon
85 Rockland Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Questions? Call Sojourner House at (617) 442-0590
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City of Boston Indoor Mask Mandate: Due to declining COVID-19 rates and high vaccination rates in the City of Boston, effective Saturday, March 5, 2022, the City of Boston lifted its indoor mask mandate. However, we will continue to require masking and distancing at our in person events until further notice. Thank you for your continued cooperation.
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Our April Community Outreach will take place on Saturday, April 23, 2022, starting at 10 a.m. at the building to assemble bags of groceries, for delivery to seniors in the community. All are welcome to participate. Masks are required. Thank you to all who helped with our Outreach on Saturday,March 26th. |
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We will continue to offer two Sunday morning worship services to accommodate in-person attendees
The first service begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until approximately 9:30 a.m.; the second service begins at 11:00 a.m. The auditorium is sanitized between services. The weekly 10:30 a.m. devotional will continue as scheduled. The usual sign-up rules and COVID protocols remain in effect. When you access the online sign up form, you will be required to specify which service you would like to attend. Once capacity has been reached for a particular time slot, the form will no longer accept new registrations for that time slot. We will continue to livestream the 11:00 service on our YouTube channel, and we encourage members to utilize e-giving, even when attending in person.
PLEASE NOTE: THE LINK BELOW IS FOR NEXT WEEK'S SERVICE. PLEASE SEE LAST WEEK'S E-BULLETIN FOR THE SIGN-UP LINK FOR THE APRIL 10th SERVICE.
In-Person Worship Sign-up
Please also note that there is a new registration link each week.
Links from previous weeks will not work.
E-giving link
Livestream link
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Don't Miss Out! Please scroll through the entire e-bulletin each week to be certain not to miss any important announcements or links. Many items are repeated each week, but there are also new announcements that you'll miss if you don't scroll through the entire bulletin.
See the following sections for new/updated announcements.
- News & Notes
- Community Outreach
- Sojourner House COVID-19 Home Test and Bomba Socks give-away
- Save the Date: October 15-19, 2022, Roxbury Fall Gospel Meeting with Bro. Eric Owens
- Worship & Class Schedule - Links to Services & Classes; link to worship attendance registration form for next week
- Please note that the New Converts' Class now meets both on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m., and Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. at the church building.
- Latest on COVID-19
- Vaccine available for ages 5 and up. Booster shots available for J&J, Moderna, and Pfizer. Walk in appointments available at many clinics.
- Boston Black COVID-19 Coalition Services and Resources
- Current and Upcoming Events
- Monday-Friday Meal Distribution, 1:30 p.m. daily
- Ladies Take Note
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4th Sunday Ladies' Class, 4/24/22 @5pm VIA ZOOM. See below for connection details.
- Mature in Heart, 2022 Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion, October 28-29
- Men Take Note
- 4th Sunday Men's Class, 4/24/22 @5pm at the church building.
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New England Lectureship - See updated flier. Register now and book your hotel room before they are all gone! See below for links to registration, vendor and souvenir booklet ad forms.
- Youth & Family Ministry:
- Summer job opportunities for youth ages 15-18 via Successlink (City of Boston). Application deadline 4/24/22
- Summer job opportunities for youth ages 14-18 interested in public safety. Offered by Boston Fire Department in collaboration with ABCD Boston. Application deadline 4/29/22
TextAlertz: If you are signed up to receive church text blasts via textalertz, but have stopped receiving the blasts, please email Sis. Gallington at ggallington@gmail.com so she can troubleshoot the issue.
Please keep us updated: Please keep us apprised of any changes to your address, phone number and email address so that we can maintain an accurate database of member information. Please notify Sis Nagarajah at enagarajah@gmail.com or Sis Gallington at ggallington@gmail.com of any changes to your contact information.
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Midweek Bible Study
Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
via freeconferencecall.com
(Click image at left to join the class online, or see remote class schedule below for dial-in info)
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The 2022 New England Lectureship is scheduled for May 6-8 in Marlborough, MA. Theme: Each One Reach One. Links to registration, vendor, and souvenir booklet ad forms are included below. Registration is $50 per adult (ages 18 and up) until April 15, 2022. After that, the registration fee will be $55 per adult. Registration is free for youth ages 17 and under. No refunds will be issued after April 1, 2022.
Hotel Information: Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center 181 Boston Post Road West ~ Marlborough, MA ~ 508-460-0700. Room Rate: $99 per night + tax. When you call to make your hotel reservation, request the New England Lectureship rate. Register and book your hotel room now so you don’t miss out. Our own Bro. Phillip Morrison will be one of the featured speakers.
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Click here for updated NEL Flier
Click here for NEL Registration Form
Click here for NEL Vendor Form
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Current & Upcoming Events |
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The Department of Public Health continues to urge all who are eligible to be vaccinated and/or boosted to do so, as vaccination is currently the best medical defense against the potentially deadly effects of COVID and its variants.
Although the City of Boston has lifted the mask mandate for most indoor spaces, masks are still required on public transportation, in hospitals and medical facilities, and the Department of Public Health (DPH) still recommends masking in indoor spaces for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Click here for the most recent advisory (March 1, 2022) from the Department of Public Health regarding face coverings and cloth masks.
All Massachusetts residents ages 5 and up are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and many facilities have walk-in hours. Booster shots are available for the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines at many pharmacies and health care facilities. Use the link below if you need assistance scheduling an appointment or locating a facility.
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Click here or anywhere in the announcement above for more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). |
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Remote & In-Person
Class/Meeting Schedule
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Wednesday Night Dial-In Bible Study
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m.
Dial in number: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
Or join the class online at
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Mid-Week Youth Bible Study
Wednesdays 7-7:30 p.m. via Zoom
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Women's Saturday Prayer Meeting
Join us for prayer on Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. via freeconferencecall.com
Dial-in: 701-802-5069; Access code 3730930#
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REMINDER: Please remember to mute your phone or computer when joining any of the above conference calls to avoid interrupting the class or service you are entering, particularly if you are joining the call after the event has started. |
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2nd and 3rd Fridays of the month @ 7:00 p.m.
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4th Sunday Ladies Class
Sunday, April 24th at 5 p.m.
VIA ZOOM ONLY
Sis. Cintia Martin
Click here to join class online
Meeting ID: 842 7265 5713
Passcode: 037668
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SAVE THE DATE!
Our 2022 Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion is currently scheduled for October 28-29, 2022 to see "David" live on stage at the Sight & Sound Theatre
in Lancaster County.
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Sunday Morning Devotional: Brothers, please see Bro. Phillip Morrison if you would like to present a Sunday morning devotional at 10:30 a.m., prior to our Sunday morning worship service.
4th Sunday Men's Class Sunday, April 24, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. at the church building.
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No announcements at this time. |
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Young Adult Ministry (YAM) |
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No announcements at this time. |
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Monthly Ministry Meeting 1st Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m. |
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Scan the QR code above or click anywhere in the announcement for more information. |
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Click here or anywhere in the announcement above to apply for this position.
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Meetings & Events
4/4-8 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
4/11-15 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
4/18-22 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
4/23 - Community Outreach, 10am @ church building
4/24 - Roxbury 4th Sunday Ladies' Class 5:00pm @via Zoom
4/24 - Roxbury 4th Sunday Men's Class, 5:00pm @church building
4/25-30 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
Masks are required for all in-person events
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Ministry Meetings - Please contact your ministry coordinator for remote meeting schedules.
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Weekly Events - ALL SERVICES, CLASSES, & MEETINGS NORMALLY HELD AT THE CHURCH BUILDING ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, except as noted below:
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- Sunday New Converts' Class, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Bible Class (children) Sundays at 10:30am @church building
- Sunday Adult Devotional/Bible Study, 10:30am @church building
- Sunday Worship Service 8:30 and 11:00 am in person and 11:00 a.m. via livestream on YouTube. See above for details.
- Men's/Women's Classes, 5pm (4th Sunday of the month); Men @church building; Women via Zoom (details above)
- Youth & Family Ministry (1st Sunday of the month at 2pm)
- Young Adult Ministry (2nd Sunday of the month at 6pm) VIA ZOOM
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Mature in Heart Women's Prayer (Tuesdays @ 10:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Prayer Meeting (Tuesdays @ 7pm) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesdays @ 6:30pm) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week New Converts' Class (Wednesdays @ 7pm) @church building
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Healing Hearts (Thursdays @6:15pm) VIA ZOOM
- Couple's Ministry (1st & 2nd Fridays @ 7 pm)
- Women's Prayer (Saturdays 9:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (Connection info above)
- Ministers/Elders/Deacons Wives Meeting, (3rd Saturday @10 am) @church building
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Bro. John Kurpiel, minister for the Lawrence congregation, hosts an international radio program, “Soul Food,” on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11AM until 3PM. The program airs on Ignite Radio Broadcast via Mixlr, an interactive internet radio platform. Use the link below to tune in to listen, or to participate in the conversation. Always free to listen. https://mixlr.com/ignite-radio-broadcast.
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Church of Christ in Roxbury
81 Walnut Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-442-5826
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