You can click on a photograph to go to Picasa Web Albums and email it to a friend, download it to your computer, download the entire album, or order prints online.

Watch our men show their expressions of love…

…and our parody of a classic love song….er, song about love! ;)

…and finally, check out the slideshow from all of the Sweethearts’ Banquets of yesteryear. We have pictures from almost every year, along with some video of the “entertainment.”

Sweetheart’s Banquet Slideshow from Matthew Hiatt on Vimeo.

If you’d like a taste of what they learned, check out Zipped PDF’s of Bible Bowl Questions, and the Newsletter. Way to go teams!!

If you’re interested in particpating, contact Matthew or Butch. Classes begin the first Sunday of July.

New Summer Bible classes begin tonight! Here’s what you have to look forward to:

Sunday Morning at 9am:

Auditorium: Glenn Buffington “Grace and Works”

Downstairs: James Hinkle “You and Your Bible”

Wednesday Evening at 7pm:

Auditorium: Jerry Hall “Great Passages of the Bible” (Gospel Advocate quarterly)

Downstairs: James Hinkle “The Minor Prophets”

Bible Bowl 2009 will begin in July with a study of the Gospel of John from the New King James Version.

Hope to see you there!

      It has been my privilege to spend about a month in New Zealand teaching students the Bible and training them to be church leaders.  This has been a special ministry for me for about twenty years.

      The training school where I teach is in Tauranga, New Zealand.  There are students from all over the South Pacific, Australia and Asia. This year we had students from New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Pakistan and Fiji.  These students will go back to their homeland and culture and be lights for Christ in their own neighborhoods and communities.  We believe that this is the best way to do world evangelism.

      While in New Zealand I get to work with several former students and I was able to preach every Sunday I was there. The Lord’s Church has struggled in the South Pacific but is beginning to make progress.  There as several church plants and more will become a reality as our students get going in their communities. Most of the churches in Fiji and New Zealand are now led by our students.

      On another topic we are about ready to knock every door in Burns.  Our campaign begins June 10^th. Campaigners will begin arriving on Wednesday night and the door knocking will begin on Thursday. Glen Buffington is in charge of all organizational matters.  He has worked to get ready and many of you are on his team.  This effort will require that all of us “give of our best to the Master”.  From food to washing baptismal garments to cleaning the building to greeting new members, much is to be done.  See Glen if you have not already volunteered.

      Thanks to Matthew who preached in my absence. There was not a beat missed when I was gone.  We are much blessed by having Matthew and Leslie on our team.

      This weekend is our “couples’ retreat” at Joe Wheeler State Park in North Alabama. Jeff and Pam have planned a great retreat and all who attend will be blessed.  We will be down in our attendance with so many gone.  Sit close and sing as loud as you can. 

This guide is meant as a tool to aid as you pray for our campaign. Don’t feel bound to it-explore the possibilities of prayer as you take this special effort to the Father’s throne.

1.      Pray for ourselves

a.      …that God will give us a burden for the lost.

b.      …that God will help us do our best to prepare.

c.       …that God’s will may direct our planning in wisdom.

d.      …that we will learn and be transformed by this experience.

e.      …that we will have pure hearts and right attitudes.

f.        …that we will have the energy, health, and resources to complete our task.

g.      …that we will have confidence in God.

h.      …that our lives will exemplify Christ.

i.        …that we will be forgiven for the times we’ve hidden our lights.

2.      Pray for our visiting campaigners

a.      …that they will travel safely.

b.      …that they will be effective.

c.       …that God will use them to teach and inspire us.

d.      …that their training will be remembered and utilized well.

e.      …that Eddie’s preaching of the gospel will lead souls towards Christ.

3.      Pray for our community

a.      …that we will find those who want to know God.

b.      …that those who don’t yet want to know God will learn to seek Him.

c.       …that nothing happens to hinder our effectiveness.

d.      …that Satan may not interfere with our efforts.

e.      …that God will prepare the hearts of those we meet.

f.        …that through God’s providence every person may have an opportunity to hear the gospel.

4.      Pray for our congregation

a.      …that our leaders will lead well, following in the footsteps of Jesus.

b.      …that we will grow spiritually-more sure of our faith in Christ, more dedicated to his cause.

c.       …that we will be what God wants us to be and the world needs us to be.

5.      Pray!

a.      Thank God for his love, grace, and mercy.

b.      Thank God for the ones who have taught us faith.

c.       Thank God for the gift of Jesus.

d.      Thank God for his eternal wisdom.

e.      Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise him, all creatures here below! Praise him above ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Several times in the Gospel of John Jesus repeats a simple formula: I AM… By using this simple phrase, Jesus claims the authority of Jehovah God, the Great I AM at the same time as He makes Himself available to you and me. Join us on Sunday mornings in February, March, and April as we look at the “I AM” sayings of Jesus in the book of John.

Our tentative lesson schedule is:

February 15: “I AM – Before Abraham Was I Am” (James Hinkle)

February 22: “I AM the Bread of Life” John 6 (James Hinkle)

March 1: ” I AM the Light of the World” John 8 (Matthew Hiatt)

March 8: “I AM the Good Shepherd”  John 10 (James Hinkle)

March 15: “I AM the Vine”  John 15 (James Hinkle)

March 22: “I AM the Living Water” John 4 (Matthew Hiatt)

March 29: “I AM Going to the Father” John 16 (James Hinkle)

April 5: “I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life”  John 14 (James Hinkle)

April 12: “I AM the Resurrection” John 11 (James Hinkle) (Easter)

April 19: “I AM Lifted up from the Earth” John 12 (James Hinkle)

April 26: “I AM the Alpha and the Omega” Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13 (Matthew Hiatt)

Is faith compatible with science? Does God exist–and if He does, why all the suffering? Can we trust the Bible?

Lee Strobel asked these tough questions more than once in his life. As a young professional, the legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, he knew for a fact that religion was a crutch–something made up to help the weak. When his wife became interested in faith, he thought it was going to be more of an annoyance than anything! With his reporter’s notebook in hand, he decided to examine the evidence. The atheist is now a world-renowned apologist helping others step through the same evidence he looked at–in an investigation of a lifetime!

We invite you to join us for a special three-month series on Sunday nights at Burns: Examine the Evidence. We want to look at tough questions like these and see what answers we can find from experts and the word of God. Strobel has produced three video sets, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator, and The Case for Christ. These videos are full of great information for anyone!

If you’re a beliver–come, and learn more about your faith. If you’re a seeker–come, and see what it is that means so much to us. If you’re convinced that we’re crazy–come and see for yourself!

We’ll show these interactive videos on Sunday nights at 6pm along with supplementary lecture materials and group discussion. In addition, we’ve planned four special nights of guest speakers. We have sought out experts who know their materials to help us examine the evidence.

We have invited Dr. Steve Cantrell, a surgeon who is involved in cancer research, to present evidence examining the resurrection of Jesus. Dr. Cantrell was recently published in Think magazine on this topic and has served for several years at the Crieve Hall congregation in Nashville.

Dr. Joe Deweese from Walnut Street will make two presentations examining the evidence for God from the perspective of a scientist and biochemist. Dr. Deweese has presented material at Walnut Street and will teach at Lipscomb as well. He is now finishing his work at Vanderbilt.

Our third guest is Dr. Dale Manor from Harding University. Dr. Manor is an archaeologist and professor of Old Testament Studies. He is the field director of Tel Beth-Shemesh excavations in Israel. You may have recently heard him present at the Fairview Church of Christ or at Freed-Hardeman University’s lectureship.

These men will guide our study and answer questions as we work to examine the evidence! Please join us for this investigation of a lifetime!

• March 1 Faith in a World of Reason?
• March 8 The Gospels: Eyewitness Testimony
• March 15 Friends and Foes: Extra-Biblical Testimony
• March 22 Who Is the Real Jesus?
• April 5 The Resurrection: It Happened.
• April 12 A Doctor’s Look at the Resurrection Dr. Steve Cantrell, MD, DDS
• April 19 Science and God: Incompatible?
• April 26 A Scientist’s Look at the Universe Dr. Joe Deweese, PhD Biochemistry
• May 3 A Biochemist’s Look at Intelligent Design Dr. Joe Deweese, PhD Biochemistry
• May 10 An Archaeologist’s Look at the Bible Dr. Dale Manor, PhD Archaeology 
• May 17 How Did It All Start?
• May 24 Design? Intelligent?
• May 31 Philosophical Evidence for God 

Download a printable flier with schedule of speakers and topics.

Enjoy a “then and now” slideshow:

Enjoy pictures from our special night

.

In addition, here’s are our pictures from the Christ Tomb Tour at Woodlawn. Thanks to the folks at the Funeral Home for the great tour!

Arnold Garcon, our missionary who works in Haiti and elsewhere in central/south America, came this past Wednesday night to make a presentation about his work. As you may be aware, there have been several storms and hurricanes hit in the past year–which is a problem in the hemisphere’s poorest nation. On top of that, inflation and rising prices combined with a weak dollar have hurt the church’s buying power.

With that in mind, we’re having a special contribution this Sunday for relief work in Haiti. This contribution will be used to support Arnold’s work and help those who are in desperate need of physical aid — and in need of Good News.

If you didn’t get to join us Wednesday night, take a look at one of Arnold’s presentations to get a feel for what has been going on:

Arnold’s Mission Report Audio:

Download audio file (Wed-2008-11-19.mp3)

Here’s a little slideshow of the night:

Each student was assigned a mentor, memorized scripture, participated in service projects, and had opportunities to grow in leadeship. 

In addition, we recognized our Bible Bowl students as you have already read in previous posts.

Enjoy the pictures from our awards day!

Your kids will really enjoy our annual train ride in the parking lot…and it’s a great time for you to get to know your neighbors again. We hope you’ll join us!

Congratulations to our Bible Bowlers this year! Our students did great learning the book of 2 Samuel, and we’re really proud of their hard work and accomplishments. Every student set a personal best score this year, four of our seven were above 90%, and our junior team made it into the semi-finals (the Sweet 16) for the first time in our history!

Check the Bible Bowl page for pictures of the big day in Cookeville! ]]> http://www.burnschurchofchrist.org/2008/09/bible-bowl-2008-congratulations/feed/ 0 http://www.burnschurchofchrist.org/2008/09/2008-summer-sermon-series-tough-stuff/ http://www.burnschurchofchrist.org/2008/09/2008-summer-sermon-series-tough-stuff/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:21:45 +0000 Matthew http://www.burnschurchofchrist.org/?p=222 We just wrapped up a summer sermon series about “Tough Stuff” — the difficult days of life. You can listen to all of the lessons by clicking on “Sermon Audio” to the right.

Topics included: Temptation, Doubt, Shame, Anxiety, Divorce, Remarriage, and Death. That’s tough stuff–but God has a plan!

You can download a PDF of their notes here, or read the full text below:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Aug 31 – Cookout after Evening Services
Sept 6 – Bible Bowl @ Cookeville
Sept 7 – Special Collection: Goal $8,550
Sept 13 – Building Clean-up and Work Day
Sept 27 – Burns Fish Fry
Nov 1 – Costume Party at the Olivers’

Small Group Bible Study

It is our prayer and hope that the small group Bible study format we’ve used on Sunday nights has been helpful to you. We have been encouraged to see how many people have actively participated and worked through some familiar (and not-so-familiar!) lessons from 2 Samuel. We want to hear your feedback—so let us know what has worked, so we can continue to provide the best learning and growth opportunities possible.

We will continue our small group format through the month of November. Beginning on the first Sunday of September, we’ll launch into new study topics. Let your group leader know what topics and texts would be helpful.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 31. Instead of our usual 5th-Sunday Singing, we’ll have our final study session of 2 Samuel followed by a cookout on the grounds. Be listening in your group for more information.

New Faces

We’ve had three baptisms in the past year. Make sure you’re continuing to encourage Marcia Dauphin, Chazz Jackson, and Ashton Long.

Be sure to encourage them as well as all of our other new members!

Less Hot Air!

Some of you have already noticed that the auditorium is much more comfortable lately. That’s thanks in part to the work of Kenneth Caldwell who has repaired several components of the HVAC system.

We’ve worked with several heating and air folks to continue to make the auditorium as comfortable (and efficient) as possible. We’ll soon be replacing our current mis-matched thermostats with ―smart thermostats that will keep the temperature more consistent and save on our energy bills. During summer months, the air conditioning will be set at 76 degrees. During winter months, the heat will be set to 68 degrees. You’ll want to dress accordingly!

You may also have noticed in Keith Oliver’s financial reports that our last two months’ energy bills have been astronomical! We’re still working on this, but it appears that the power company is fining us for when we use a lot of power, suddenly. (Like at Fellowship meals: we turn on the air conditioners, the lights, the heating table, the warmer, etc. all simultaneously!)

Please help us conserve by noticing the instructions on several light switches and thermostats – and turn lights off when they’re not in use.

We still have several more repairs and upgrades to make to help our systems work more efficiently, and these won’t be free. Kenneth has been gracious to donate his expertise—which would cost us thousands—but we will need help for parts and other expenses. We will have a special collection to help with building upkeep and maintenance on Sunday, September 7. Our goal is to raise $6,000 above the budget (a total of $8,550) so that we can fix our facilities problems before they get worse.

We really appreciate your help! We’re blessed with a comfortable place to worship and study, and we want to take care of it so it can be used for years to come.

The Church Mortgage

Several months ago, the church mortgage balloon payment came due. The church’s note is a 5 year loan with a balloon payment due at the end. Thanks to the help of Becky Gaskins at Pinnacle Bank, we have refinanced the note for the next 5 years at a 15 year amortization schedule (instead of 10).

If you have any questions about the church’s finances, please talk to us or Keith Oliver, our treasurer.

House to House/Heart to Heart

We recently expanded our mailing of the House to House/Heart to Heart newsletter to include every mail route in the town of Burns. Several have responded to the Bible quizzes and we’ve had some interest in Bible studies as well.

If you don’t live on a Burns route, you can pick up a copy for yourself or for a friend in the foyer. They’re available every two months.

Fish Fry 2008

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 27, 2008 for our annual Burns Appreciation Day. This year, we’ve decided to focus on the fish—it’s going to be great! In lieu of barbeque, we’ll be serving hot dogs and hamburgers as well.

If you have a deep fryer, please let John Gabriel know. We’ll plan on having a grounds clean-up day on September 13 from 9:00 to 12:00 to help get ready. Don’t forget to start inviting friends!

Charlie Dauphin

We’re also glad to announce that effective Sunday, August 17, Charlie Dauphin is resuming his role as a deacon. You all know Charlie to be a hard worker in everything he does, and we look forward to his continued service in this role.

We now have four deacons: John Gabriel, Butch Jack, Stan Whitfield, and Charlie Dauphin. These men are responsible for a lot of the day-to-day work at Burns, coordinating everything from gift baskets to cleaning the baptistery. We’re working on defining their roles more clearly—and once that’s done, we’ll post that information so you’ll know who to contact when you have questions. You can read more about the nature and work of deacons in 1 Timothy 3.

The Burns Website

Be sure to check out the church website. It’s online at http://burnschurchofchrist.org. On it, you can find recordings of recent sermons, our bulletin articles, useful Bible study links, congregational news, and pictures from recent activities.

In the past two months, there have been more than 160 people who have visited the site from 6 different countries and 19 different states. We’ve already had a couple of questions from folks asking for Bible study materials and questions about the church. It’s a great resource for a friend.

Coming soon will be access to an online directory. We’ll announce a username and password in the next few weeks.

Outreach: 2009

The church exists to bring glory to God by encouraging the faithful and reaching the lost. We believe that the church at Burns can and should do more to help reach those who don’t know the goodness of God.
We’re currently working on plans for a campaign in the spring of 2009. We will likely be assisted by the God’s Family Evangelistic Ministries group. Lori Jack’s father is a part of this group, and they’ve worked with other congregations with great success.

They will come for a weekend training session for us early next year and assist us with a Gospel Meeting and door-knocking campaign after a couple of months.
The details of this work are still very much up in the air, but now is the time to begin praying for this effort. Pray that God will use us to do His will, that He will soften hearts in our community, and that He will give us wisdom and grace for the task.

Fellowship Meals

We’re planning a slight change in our schedule this year: we will not conduct our standard fellowship meals in the months of September (due to the Fish Fry) or December (due to the Christmas holiday). All other fellowship meals will continue as usual.

Thank You

Thank you for the encouragement that you are—and we pray that together, we will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.