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Week of November 19, 2023 | |
On Guarding Our Ears
By Mike Riley
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The inspired writer Solomon gives us some sage advice when he states:
“Do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you, For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others” (Ecclesiastes 7:21-22).
From our study of the New Testament, we know that James reminds us to guard our tongue — to be careful of what we say — and we would do well to heed that inspired advice (James 3:1-13). But God’s word also advises us to guard our ears:
“Take heed what you hear” (Mark 4:24) and “Take heed how you hear” (Luke 8:18).
Equally important are the times when we should not “hear” what we hear. For example, we must have the tolerance of soul to disregard ugly things we have heard said against us (Isaiah 53:7; cf. Matthew 26:63; Matthew 27:12; Matthew 27:14; 1 Peter 2:23).
Brethren and friends, we do not have to bark back like a dog at every snarl we receive. We are made in the image of God, with the capacity to love our enemies and to forgive (Matthew 5:43-48 ; Luke 17:3-5). It is not a sign of weakness to not respond to everything we hear. One thing we should consider, is that the “chip on-his-shoulder” fellow is usually weak and unsure of himself, and feels threatened by every dart.
Solomon’s advice in Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 has a spiritual backdrop: We are to forgive others because we ourselves are in need of forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15; cf. Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13). Having wronged no one, God is the ultimate example of tolerance and long suffering (2 Peter 3:9). Even though God was sinned against time and time again, He still gave His sinless Son to die for you and me (John 3:16-17).
We can thank God that His justice is tempered with mercy (Luke 6:35-36), and through Christ, our sins are remembered against us no more (Jeremiah 31:31-34; cf. Hebrews 8:10-12; Hebrews 10:16-17).
Thus those of us who would be recipients of God’s mercy must respond like our Lord:
“who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).
Therefore, we are to “not take to heart everything people say” (Ecclesiastes 7:21).
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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, November 19, 2023
Text: 2 Peter 3:12
Title: LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY OF GOD!
Speaker: Bro. Denver Simmons
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Annual Thanksgiving Outreach: Thank you to all who assisted with Saturday’s annual Thanksgiving Outreach.
Gingerbread House Event: Saturday, December 9th, 12 noon – 4 p.m. at the church building. $12 per participant. See Sis. Juanita Tabb to pay.
Singles’ Ministry Meeting: Monday, December 4, 2023, at 6 p.m. at the church building. See Sis. Pettway, Sis. McGlothin, or Bro. Holmes for details.
Tech Day: 3rd Saturday of the month, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the church building. Bring your cell phones, tablets, laptops for help with your tech issues. See Bro. Javier Jackson, Jr., or Bro. Jerard Samuel for details.
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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.
- Upcoming Events:
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Boston Metropolitan Evening Worship Service: Sunday, November 26th at Florian Hall, Dorchester, 5:00 p.m. Details below.
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Drive-by Baby Shower for Walter & Kioumara Estrada: Sunday, December 3rd, 1:30-4:30 p.m. Details below.
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Singles' Ministry Meeting: Monday, December 4th, 6 p.m. at the church building. Details below.
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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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Gingerbread House Event, Saturday, December 9th, noon-4 p.m. at the church building. $12 per participant. All welcome.
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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, mrcg13@hotmail.com].
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 cocroxbury@gmail.com 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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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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The Couples' Ministry meets the second and third Fridays of the month at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. | |
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Our November Women's Class will take place on Sunday, November 19th at 5:00 p.m. at the church building and via Free Conference Call.
Dial in number: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
Or join the class online at join.freeconferencecall.com/carl95fred
Presenter: Sis. Loulee Morrison
There's Something About the Number 3 - It is Good
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November 2023
Visitor Thank You Letters - Karla Unger-Laffin
Visitor Gift Bags - Sis. Sandra Wade
Baptistry - Sis. Sylvia Cross
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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 cocroxbury@gmail.com 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 Sunday, November 19th at 5 p.m. at the church building.
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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
11/7 - Ministers/Elders/Deacon's Meeting
11/12 - Deacons' Meeting following 11:00 service @church building.
11/18 - Tech Day, 11am-1pm
11/19 - Men's & Women's Classes, 5pm @church building
11/26 - Boston Metropolitan Evening Worship Service, 5pm @Florian Hall, Dorchester
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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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