themainline JULY2017 A Monthly Publication of Main Street Baptist Church THE MISSION

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1 JULY2017 themainline A Monthly Publication of Main Street Baptist Church SUNDAY 9:40am Bible Fellowship Groups 10:50am Worship Celebration WEDNESDAY 5:45pm Kingdom Kidz 6:00pm The Following (Student Ministry) 6:00pm Bible Study Groups CHURCH STAFF Dr. Bruce Smilie Senior Pastor Don Johnson Associate Pastor Johnny Knowlton Youth Minister Heather Good Director of Children s Ministry Nancee Reddick Ministry Assistant Curtis Good Maintenance Director Physical Location: 313 N. Main St. Grand Saline, TX Office Phone: info@churchonmainstreet.com THE MISSION To become completely committed Christ-followers (3Cs) who: Touch God through expressing and demonstrating love to Him, to Christ-followers, & to the unbelieving (worship). Transform lives through connecting in small groups, growing together in unity, maturity & Christ-likeness, and reaching out to serve others (fellowship, discipleship, and ministry). Take risks through relationally and compassionately sharing Jesus Christ locally, nationally, and internationally (evangelism/missions). THE VISION To be a disciple-making, multiplying, missional church community, where imperfect, irreligious, and inquiring people are encouraged and equipped, to become life transformational, servant leaders for the Kingdom of God.

2 Dear MSBC, I recently found the following account online and thought it was appropriate for this month s Pastor s Power Point. In the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, there's a special display for a rickety, home-made aluminum kayak. This tiny, makeshift boat seems oddly out of place in the midst of displays for impressive Navy vessels and artifacts from significant battles on the sea. But a bronze plaque tells museum visitors the story behind this kayak's heroic makers. In 1966, an auto mechanic named Laureano and his wife Consuelo decided that they could no longer live under the oppression of Cuba's totalitarian regime. After spending months collecting scrap metal, they pieced together a boat just barely big enough for two small people. Then Laureano jury-rigged a small lawn mower engine on the back of the kayak. After months of planning, on a moonless September night, sitting back to back and wearing only their swimming suits, they set out in the treacherous Straits of Florida. They had only enough water and food for a couple of days. Finally, after they had floated in open water for over 70 hours, the U.S. Coast Guard found and rescued the couple just south of Alligator Reef Light in the Florida Keys. Was it worth the risk to find freedom? Laureano thought so. Years later, he said, When one has grown up in liberty, you realize it is important to have freedom. We lived in the enormous prison which is Cuba, where one's life is not worth one crumb. Where one goes out into the street and does not know whether or not one will return to one's home, because the political police can arrest you without any warning and put you in prison. Before this could happen to us, we thought that going into the ocean, and risking death or being eaten by sharks, is a million times better than to stay suffering under political oppression. Food for thought, isn t it? This remarkable story of courage and perseverance in the face of enormous danger reminds us that there is a deep longing in every human heart to experience at any cost the fresh air of political freedom. As we reflect this month on Independence Day, the day commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence 241 years ago on July 4, 1776, we should pause and be eternally grateful for the lavish abundance of freedoms we have the privilege of enjoying as American citizens. Just as there is a deep longing in every human heart to experience political freedom, there is also a deep longing in every human heart to find the spiritual freedom that only Christ can provide. And risking everything to possess our freedom in Christ, just as Laureano and Consuelo did for freedom from oppression, is a million times better than remaining in spiritual bondage. Thankfully, freedom in Christ is available to all and is free of cost to us by faith, but costing our Savior, Jesus, His precious blood in death on a Roman cross (1 Pet. 1:19). As American citizens, we should never take our liberty for granted (freedom is never free- it costs the lives of brave Americans to provide it and maintain it and it can apathetically be lost by those who do not diligently defend it) or abuse our privileges of political freedom, nor the privileges of others. We must likewise do the same as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Take to heart God s Word in Gal. 5:13-14: You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. And further absorb God s Word in 1 Pet. 2:16-17: Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor (today, that s our local, state, and national leaders). So, my friends, I encourage you as citizens of the greatest nation in the world and as citizens of the one and only eternal Kingdom of God, enjoy your freedoms this month as Christians and demonstrate your appreciation for those freedoms by living free in Christ, not openly indulging the flesh or clandestinely covering up evil. By doing so, you will spiritually strengthen your Christian witness and morally strengthen the community, state, and country in which you live. Have a great Fourth and month of July! Your friend & pastor, Bruce

3 "Cornerstone" My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly trust in Jesus' name It s a known fact that mankind has a need to hope in something or someone. It is the way God created us. Some have referred to this as a God-shaped hole that only He can fill. However, many choose not to allow God to fill the hole, but rather, fill the hole with other things or other people. The stuff of earth will pass away (Matt. 24:35) but Christ Jesus is everlasting (Is. 9:6) and is the hope we all seek whether we realize it or not. Our hope cannot be built on anything less than Him otherwise we will never be satisfied in this life, and won t partake in the eternal life with Christ. It is by His blood we have been made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21) and this is our hope. Imagine, if you will, life without Christ. You may be able to remember as if it was yesterday. What did you put your hope in? Your job? Your spouse? Your children? Your education? Your good looks? Your charm? Your addictions? If you answered honestly and are a Christian right now you can probably see how weak you were, even though you had hope in something or someone. This emptiness, tends to lead us further into more emptiness as we continue groping things or others to fill our hope hole. A misplaced hope is no hope at all. The only true and lasting hope is Jesus. He is not a fix for a temporary high. He is the sure thing. The resolution. To wholly trust is Jesus is to experience the hope that God created us to experience. This hope, this Jesus, should cause us to want to pray and worship daily. When we gather for corporate worship each Sunday morning, this hope, this Jesus, should cause us to sing to Him with thanksgiving and gratitude. Unaware of our preferences or those of others around us only concerned with God s preference in how He wants to be worshiped and adored. He is worthy! He is our HOPE! Let us worship Him because He has become our hope Our Cornerstone! Don

4 Fun Fifty-five... No FUN AFTER FIFTY-FIVE In JULY Children s Camp this year is July 24th-28th Please contact Heather With any questions. -Single Ladies- July 9th Lunch at: Peralta s We still have room for your child to join us!! Wednesdays from 5:30-7:15 p.m. - Room across from Library and will continue until the last Wednesday in August.. Any questions please contact Patti Seay or Celia Hansell 24th-28th year. July us this camp with child going to in your interested you are Good if Heather Talk to

5 CHOIR NOTES FOR JULY, 2017 As human beings we all desire to be happy, content and at peace in life. God made us that way. The only way we can truly experience happiness and peace in our life is to have God living within us. Psalms 16:1-2 says: Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You. I said to Yahweh, You are my Lord. I have nothing good besides You. We should pray that God will help us to find our peace and happiness in Him. He alone is all we really need and long for. Lots of other things in life will come and go but He is steadfast and faithful and is always with us. Psalms 16:5 says: The Lord Himself is my inheritance, my prize. He is my food and drink, my highest joy! He guards all that is mine. There is no greater happiness than feeling God s presence in our hearts, encouraging us, strengthening us, and giving us peace. Sometimes His voice is the only calm thing we have in our hectic lives. In Psalms 16: 8 David says: I keep the Lord in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. David learned how to focus on God throughout the day and we can do that also. It should begin when we wake up, even before we look at our cell phones or watches. We should focus on Godly things as we continue on through the day as we go about our activities. Lord please remind us that You are always with us and that you love us. Sometimes we tend to forget about God and try to go through life solving our own problems and we get into trouble without Him. God offers us happiness and peace both now and forever, if we trust Him and rely on His promises to us. As Christians we have the ultimate happiness in Heaven to look forward to. We know how this story will end and it is going to be glorious. An old hymn that we used to sing is The Solid Rock written by Edward Mote in England in He was a cabinet maker by trade but also an inspired hymn writer. He composed this hymn for the dying wife of a friend to bring comfort to her. My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus blood and righteousness. 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. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. Jesus is our only hope for real happiness, peace and contentment in life. May we all realize that we need to depend on Him every day and in every circumstance. Psalms 17: 6-7 says: He sees that I am given pleasant brooks and meadows as my share. What a wonderful inheritance. I will bless the Lord who counsels me; He gives me wisdom in the night. He tells me what to do. Please consider joining one of our choirs. The Sr. Adult Choir meets each 1 st and 3 rd Wednesday morning at 10:00 in the choir room and then we go to one of the nursing homes. They always look forward to us coming. Our Sanctuary Choir meets each Wednesday night at 7:15 in the choir room. Our choirs always need more singers and we welcome everyone. Choir is a good ministry opportunity for our church that you can participate in. Shirley Bailey

6 Please be in prayer over our students and sponsors as they seek to encounter everything that God would have in-store for them during the week of camp, July Green Acres Baptist Church, Tyler, Tx October 26, 2017 Purchase Tickets At: itickets.com or

7 JULY BIRTHDAYS Emma Elliott 2 Craig Gillentine 2 Pam Nichols 8 James Brumfield 9 Tommy Ramey 10 Sarah Elliott 10 Fallyn Maciel 10 Doug Nichols 11 Diane Howerton 18 David Smith 18 Thomas Pugh 19 Lyndsi Love 20 James Norris 21 Jeff Cleere 26 Cheryl Brumfield 27 Chris Means 29 Cade Gray 30 Memphis Maciel 30 Tithes/Offerings Analysis January 2017 Month Month To Date Year To Date January $38,192 $38,192 February $34,940 $73,132 March $36,215 $109,348 April $37,882 $147,230 May $36,017 $183,247 June $42,838 $226,085 July August September October November December S.S. Mission Giving For T Unidentified Cash Pre K-K 1st-2nd- 3rd-4th- 5th-6th- Friendship Gleaners Hispanic- Jubilee Koinonea Maranatha- Rejoicers Young Adults- Youth- TOTAL , Weekly Offerings 4th - $ 19, th - $ 6, th - $ 6, th - $ 9, Weekly Worship Attendance 4th th th th Sunday School Attendance 4th th th th - 174

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