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Week of February 20, 2022 |
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Keep in mind that Peter’s epistle is often referred to as the Gospel of hope.
He continually reinforces this theme in the first 12 verses. By reiterating a few of the blessings promised by a faithful God, Peter prompts believers to focus on the hope that is part and parcel of a right relationship with Him: their election and sanctification through the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. 1 Peter 1:2.
To bolster his assertion, Peter lists the following blessings encompassed in a right relationship with God:
Believers have the hope of an incorruptible inheritance waiting for them in heaven– 1 Peter 1:4
Believers are comforted by the hope in the power of God’s eternal salvation– 1 Peter 1:5
Believers have great inexpressible joy in the fullness of God’s glory– 1 Peter 1:6-9
Reviewing the blessings associated with Christ, Peter urges believers to prepare for the hardships that Christians face as part of their walk with Christ. Rather than focusing on adversity, Peter directs His readers to fix their minds on the hope they have in Christ:
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” 1 Peter 1:13.
Today, we appreciate and understand the relevance of Peter’s epistle regarding a right relationship with Christ. He steadfastly encourages fellow believers to turn away from any and all things that impede focusing on the hope embedded in a spiritual relationship. He urges believers to put away the impediments of fear, worry, or preoccupation with carnal possessions. Instead, replace obstacles with a hope that rests wholly in the grace we will receive when Christ comes again.
I. Peter: Strengthen the focus of your hope, 1Peter 1:13
a. Place hope in Christ
b. “Fix your hope completely”
c. Cultivating a strong hope is essential in a right relationship
II. Peter identifies the focus of believers’ hope
b. Grace of Jesus Christ
c. Promises inherent in a right relationship with Jesus
III. Peter tells us how to fortify our hope
IV. Conclusion:
Remember, we are pilgrims traveling through this life. Our hope is not in carnal things but in the Grace supplied by Jesus the Christ.
In service to our Lord,
—Rod Ellison
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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, February 20, 2022
As I Journey Through This Land (1 Peter 1:17)
Speaker: Bro. Denver Simmons
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Church Building Reopens
After Windstorm Topples Steeple
The church building was closed for several hours on Friday, February 18, 2022, after the steeple was toppled by severe winds at approximately 9:00 a.m. The steeple was removed, the roof repaired, and Inspectional Services Department (ISD) has given the okay to reopen the building. By the grace of God, no one was hurt.
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Thank You: We sincerely appreciate all the acts of kindness, prayers, flowers, phone calls and cards. The world is cruel, but what makes it lively are Christians.
God bless you all,
Bro. & Sis. Wade.
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Our February Community Outreach will take place on Saturday, February 26, 2022, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the building to assemble bags of groceries, which will then be delivered to seniors in the community. All are welcome to participate. Masks are required. |
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We now 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 FEBRUARY 20TH 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, Saturday, February 26th (details above)
- Baby Gift Registries for Alexanders, Craigwells, & Odimas
- Worship & Class Schedule - Links to Services & Classes; link to worship attendance registration form for next week
- 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
- Current and Upcoming Events
- Monday-Friday Meal Distribution, 1:30 p.m. daily
- Sigma Gamma Rho Virtual Symposium, Saturday, March 12, 11am-1pm via Zoom for youth ages 14-18
- Ladies Take Note
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4th Sunday Ladies' Class, 2/27/22 @5pm VIA ZOOM. See below for details.
- Men Take Note
- 4th Sunday Men's Class, 2/27/22 @5pm in person @church building
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New England Lectureship - See updated flier. Register now and book your hotel room before they are all gone!
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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Current & Upcoming Events |
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February 21-25
- Monday:
- Roast Pork, Roasted Potatoes, Steamed Carrots
- Vegan: Crispy Tofu
- Tuesday:
- Baked Flounder, Green Beans, Salad
- Vegan: Nuggets/BBQ sauce
- Wednesday:
- Wheat Pasta with veggie sausage, kale, cherry tomatoes, garlic bread
- Thursday:
- Yassa Chicken, Steamed Greens, Couscous
- Vegan cutlets with grilled onions
- Friday:
- Herbed Haddock, Golden Beet Salad, Steamed Peas
- Vegan: Chickpea Burgers
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Held simultaneously, on the second Saturday of March by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc Alumnae Chapters across the nation, our Youth Symposium is designed to address some of the prevalent concerns that impact our youth.
This year, our workshops will focus on job readiness (resume writing, interview techniques, cover letter writing), investing and budgeting, and STEM/Computer Programming.
Attendees are encouraged to attend the Mental Health Drop-in that will be held from 10AM-11AM. The formal event will start at 11AM; each attendee will choose 2 out of 3 workshops to attend.
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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.
The DPH also advises continued masking and social distancing, and several Massachusetts communities have reinstituted mask mandates. Click here for the most recent advisory 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 Class/Meeting Schedule |
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Tender Lambs & Pure in Heart Sunday Morning Bible Class
Sundays 10-10:30 a.m. in person and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 861 5908 0656
Passcode: 733792
If you prefer to dial in, use one of the numbers below:
+13017158592,,86159080656# US (Washington DC)
+13126266799,,86159080656# US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 861 5908 0656
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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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January: Friday, January 14th and 21st @7:00 p.m.
February: Friday, February 18th, virtual dinner @7:00 p.m.
Beginning in March, 1st & 2nd Fridays of the month @ 7:00 p.m.
Click here for full size image to scan QR code
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4th Sunday Ladies Class, Sunday, February 27th at 5 p.m. VIA ZOOM ONLY
Sis. Elizabeth Nagarajah
Hospitality - We Can All Do This
Click here to join class online
Meeting ID: 842 7265 5713
Passcode: 037668
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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,February 27, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. at the church building.
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Click here to download full-sized flier.
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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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Meetings & Events
1/30-2/4 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
2/7-11 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
2/14-18 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
2/19 - Family & Friends Skating Outing in West Roxbury (details above0
2/21-25 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
2/26 - Community Outreach, 10am @ church building
2/27 - Roxbury 4th Sunday Ladies' 5:00pm @via Zoom
2/27 - Roxbury 4th Sunday Men's Class, 5:00pm @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 Bible Class (children) See above for connection info and times for individual classes.
- 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)
- New Converts' Class (Wednesdays @ 7pm) @church building
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Healing Hearts (Thursdays @6:15pm) VIA ZOOM
- Couple's Ministry (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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