Check out our pictures and more from our annual Sweetheart’s Banquet. It was a great night to celebrate the ones we love. Hope to see you next year!

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.

At our last Fellowship Meal, we took a few minutes to honor the kids who worked so hard in Bible Bowl 2009. Everyone took home a special “Bible Bowl News” paper, and heard recaps of scores and awards. What you might not have heard, was that our kids entered the Sweet 16 in 3rd place. Not that there’s any competition involved, but that’s better than Walnut Street, White Bluff, or any other congregation in the county! :) We’re proud of their hard work!

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!!

This year’s Bible Bowl theme sponsored by the Sycamore Church of Christ will be the Gospel of John. If you’re a regular Burns attender, you’re in luck, because we just finished a 5-month class on John and a 2-month sermon series on John.

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

The Sycamore Church of Christ has announced the topic for this year’s Bible Bowl competition in Cookeville. We will be studying the gospel of John from the New King James Version! Check back soon for more information!

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. 

Campaign for Christ Prayer Guide

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.

Don’t forget–our first guest speaker for the Examine the Evidence Campaign is this Sunday night at 6pm. Steve Cantrell will be presenting “A Medical Doctor’s Look at the Resurrection.” You’ll be blessed by joining us!

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.