Do I Have to Be There?
By Mike Riley
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Regarding church attendance, this writer questions why any faithful child of God would ever ask such a question as “Do I have to be there?” in the first place. Unless there is a compelling reason that prohibits attendance, where else and with whom else would a child of God want to be than with the saints? (cf. Acts 2:42; Romans 12:9-10; Romans 15:30-32).
We have the obligation to submit ourselves to elders in such matters as attendance for the inspired writer of Hebrews 13:17 says:
“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.“
The elders are charged with the oversight of the local congregation. They have been given the responsibility to “feed the church of God” (Acts 20:28 KJV), and that “feeding” involves providing the necessary teaching to bring them to spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:11-13). Thus, when the elders set a day and a time for the church to assemble, the church should assemble in order to be spiritually fed.
From the well-known passage of Hebrews 10:23-25 we read:
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.“
Willful absence from any assembly of the congregation of which we are a member serves to discourage those who do attend. That is why the Hebrew writer said, “And let us consider one another to in order to stir up love and good works.”
Let’s ask ourselves, “How does my personal, willful absence from any service that I could have attended indicate that I am thinking about anyone but myself?”
Having said that, how does our “staying home” help us get to heaven, which should be our primary goal? In what way does our staying home, when we honestly and truly could have been at the worship service, serve to “stimulate” our brothers and sisters in Christ “to love and good works”?
Philippians 2:3-8 exhorts us to do the following:
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.“
After reading and studying the above passages in context, this writer cannot imagine any child of God asking, “Do I have to be there?” Dear fellow saint, can you imagine it?
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Elders
Leon Cort
Mark Craigwell
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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
In Memoriam
Gone, but never forgotten, our beloved brother,
James W. Wade, Sr.
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Sermon for Sunday, October 29, 2023
Speaker: Bro. Jorge Espinal
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Zetmara Lorenzo-Nurse was baptized into Christ on Sunday, October 22, 2023, during the 11:00 service. Zetmara is the cousin of Sis. Amy Nelson, Sis. Orquidea Tejeda, and Bro. Anson Mancebo. Let us welcome our new sister in Christ!
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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.
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Annual Thanksgiving Outreach: Saturday, November 18, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. See Upcoming Events section below for details.
- Upcoming Events:
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Sojourner House Popcorn Fundraiser: November 2-6, online only. Details below.
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Housewarming Celebration & Fellowship for Sis. Sharee Farley, Saturday, November 18th, 2-4 p.m. See Upcoming Events section below for details.
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Boston Metropolitan Evening Worship Service: Sunday, November 26th at Florian Hall, Dorchester, 5:00 p.m.
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2024 Mature in Heart Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion: We are now accepting registrations for next year's excursion to see a live performance of "Daniel" and the Sight & Sound Theater. See Mature in Heart Ministry section below for details and link to registration form. Registration form and deposits due by 12/31/23.
- Youth & Family Ministry
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Manchester (CT) Youth Rally, November 10-12
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The congregation is requesting member support of its Mission Fund as we provide an educational stipend to Bro. Phillip Morrison while he attends Sunset International Bible Institute full time for the next 18 months to train as a minister. We are asking members to commit/pledge at whatever amount your heart and ability can provide for this period of time. This is a commitment over and above your regular giving and we hope all members will participate to the level of their ability and heart for God. Our target is to provide $3,000 per month and all commitments, whether large or small, are helpful and appreciated.
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Please make checks and money orders payable to Church of Christ in Roxbury and write Mission Fund in the memo line.
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Electronic donations may be made via the E-Giving option at ChurchofChristinRoxbury.org/e-giving, followed up with a text or email to Bro. Gallington [(617) 922-4598, [email protected]].
Click here to complete the pledge form electronically.
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OUR CURRENT COVID PROTOCOLS | |
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Effective immediately, and until further notice, we have suspended the requirement for attendees to sign up in advance to attend Sunday worship. We have also suspended attendance taking at our in-person services, classes, and events. Masking remains optional.
Remember that although COVID numbers are down, COVID has not gone away, and is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Please protect yourself and those around you by adhering to the guidelines below.
If you test positive for COVID after attending an in-person church event, please notify us by email at [email protected] or by text to Sis. Gloria Gallington at 617-922-5987 so that notifications can be made as needed.
For up-to-date information regarding COVID in Massachusetts, click the link below:
COVID-19 Updates and Information | Mass.gov
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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 9:45 a.m.; the second service begins at 11:00 a.m. Our weekly Bible classes for all ages begin at 10:00 a.m. 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. As noted under News & Notes, it is no longer necessary to sign up in advance to attend worship services in person.
E-giving link
https://churchofchristinroxbury.org/e-giving
Livestream link
Church of Christ in Roxbury - YouTube
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Thanksgiving Outreach 2023 | |
Our monthly community outreach grocery distrubution will resume in JANUARY 2024. | |
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Remote & In-Person
Class/Meeting Schedule
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Wednesday Night In-Person & Dial-In Bible Study
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in-person and via freeconferencecall.com.
Dial in number: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
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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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Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at the church building
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COUPLES' MINISTRY MEETINGS WILL RESUME ON Friday, November 10th at 7:00 P.M. via Zoom, and thereafter the second and third Fridays of the month at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. | |
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October 2023
Visitor Thank You Letters -
Visitor Gift Bags - Sis. Sandra Wade
Baptistry - Sis. Rosamund Bloom
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2024 Mature in Heart Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion:
We are accepting registrations for the 2024 trip to Lancaster County Pennsylvania to see the September 19th showing of "Daniel" at the Sight and Sound Theater. The bus will be scheduled to leave at 4am on the 19th and estimated to return between 9pm and 10pm on the 20th. A minimum initial deposit of $120 is required to secure a spot. This should be completed by December 31, 2023 to allow us to plan for the number to attend. The deposit (and subsequent payments) can be made by cash, check (payable to Church of Christ in Roxbury), or electronically via our e-giving link: churchofchristinroxbury.org/e-giving. If you make your deposit or any subsequent payments electronically, please follow up with an email to [email protected] with the subject line 2024 Pennsylvania Trip, and your name and payment amount in the body of the email.
The number of participants is limited by bus capacity. The overall cost of the charter bus, show ticket hotel and banquet has increased by $54 per person from 2023, however we have made some changes and restrictions to try to reduce the impact.
1. The minimum number for the event is increased from 24 to 30 (bus passengers). This will ensure that the bus cost per person is no more than $145.
2. The family-only restriction is removed for triple and quad hotel accommodations. However, we are requiring that all roommates be identified at the time of registration and the spots are not confirmed until all roommates have registered. There are also restrictions on refunds to make sure room costs are covered. More details are available upon request. Please see Bro. or Sis. Gallington, Sis. Keitrice Johnson, or Sis. Elizabeth Nagarajah with any questions.
Based on the changes described above, the following are the trip costs for 2024:
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Quad Occupancy hotel room, banquet seat, bus seat and theater seat -- $352
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Triple occupancy hotel room, banquet seat, bus seat and theater seat -- $371
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Double occupancy hotel room, banquet seat, bus seat and theater seat -- $408
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Single occupancy hotel room, banquet seat, bus seat and theater seat -- $535
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Grand king hotel room, two banquet seats, two bus seats and two theater seats -- $859
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Banquet seat and theater seat only -- $120
Please click here to access the online registration form.
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The date for the November men's class is TBD.
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Young Adult Ministry (YAM) | |
Date of next meeting will be announced. | |
Monthly Ministry Meeting
1st Sunday of each month at 1:00 p.m.
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Meetings & Events
10/2 - Ministers/Elders/Deacon's Meeting
10/5-7 - Roxbury Men's Retreat, Rumney, NH. Details above.
10/7 - New Haven CoC Ladies' Day in New Haven, CT, 9am-1pm. Details above.
10/8 - Deacons' Meeting following 11:00 service @church building.
10/14-18 - Roxbury Fall Gospel Meeting. Details above.
10/15 - Area-Wide Fellowship, 3pm @church building
10/20 - Teen Talk, 6:30-9pm @church building
10/21 - Ministers/Elders/Deacons Wives' meeting, 9am
10/21 - Tech Day, 11am-1pm
10/29 - Retention Ministry Fellowship at Craigwells' home
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Ministry Meetings - Please contact your ministry coordinator for remote meeting schedules.
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- Sunday New Converts' Class, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Bible Class (children) Sundays at 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Adult Devotional/Bible Study, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Worship Service 8:30 and 11:00am in person and 11:00am via livestream on YouTube. See above for details.
- Men's/Women's Classes, 5pm (4th Sunday of the month) @church building
- Youth & Family Ministry (1st Sunday of the month at 2pm)
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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) in person and 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 (2nd & 3rd 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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