Hope Versus Despair
By Mike Riley
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According to the dictionary, despair is a loss of hope, which brings about a state of hopelessness. A loss of hope brings about discouragement. Discouragement brings about a loss of courage, hope, and ambition because of obstacles, frustrations and the problems of life.
What can we do to overcome despair in our lives? We can look for hope; but not just any hope. We look for the kind of hope that is based on “the light” at the end of what can sometimes be a very long and dark tunnel (John 8:12; John 9:5; cf. John 1:1-5; John 3:14-21).
The Christian hope is anchored in Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Through His perfect sacrifice on the cross of Calvary and God’s immutable oath that He would honor His promise to Abraham that through him, all nations of the earth would be spiritually blessed (Genesis 12:1-3; Acts 3:19-26; Gal. 3:6-9), our hope is made steadfast and secure (Hebrews 6:10-20).
As William Bradbury so eloquently wrote:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name ….
His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”
Brethren and friends, no matter what sort of adversity or challenge that we might face in life, when we fix our eyes upon Jesus and His sacrifice (Hebrews 12:2 NASB), our hope for eternal life is solid and secure (Romans 5).
Hallelujah to God, who sent His perfect Lamb to redeem us from our sins (Romans 5:1-11; Hebrews 9), forever securing our place in eternity with Him (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Revelation 21:1-7).
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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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Services for Bro. Wade’s Sister
Ms. Donna Wade
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
George Lopes Funeral Home
821 Cummins Highway, Mattapan
Viewing: 10:00 a.m.
Service: 11:00 a.m.
Masks are required.
Interment:
Mt. Hope Cemetery,
Dorbury Park Section
355 Walk Hill Street, Boston
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Mature in Heart Quilters Won't Let Pandemic Stop Them!
Although they have not been able to meet in person during the pandemic, the Mature in Heart quilters have not been idle. They have been busy at work in their homes, making quilts for our newlywed couples. Their most recent project, completed by Sis. Deloris Pina, went to Touré and Leslie Cort, who are thrilled with and very grateful for their gift.
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Each year the Boston Weston METCO Parent Organization (BWMPO) hosts the John Hudson Memorial Scholarship fundraiser which supports our Weston METCO high school seniors who are pursuing higher education, and we’d like to share two ways that you can support our seniors this year. Please see the links for our virtual presentation on February 12th and METCO merchandise which can be purchased through April 30th. Thanking you in advance for your support.
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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.
In-Person Worship Sign-up
Please 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
- Service information for Ms. Donna Wade
- Mature in Heart Quilters' latest project
- Baby Gift Registries for Alexanders, Craigwells, & Odimas
- Worship & Class Schedule - Links to Services & Classes; link to worship attendance registration form
- Latest on COVID-19
- Vaccine available for ages 5 and up. Walk in appointments available at many clinics
- Current and Upcoming Events -
- Monday-Friday Meal Distribution, 1:30 p.m. daily
- Couples' Ministry resumed on January 14, 2022 - connection info below
- 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. It's not too early to register for 2022.
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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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
Presenter: Sis. Elizabeth Nagarajah
Topic: Hospitality
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 26, 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
2/21-25 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2 p.m. @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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