The SOUTH COLLEGE CHURCH of CHRIST BULLETIN

The SOUTH COLLEGE
CHURCH of CHRIST BULLETIN
410 South College • Tahlequah, Oklahoma 74464 • 918-456-3414 • Volume 8, No. 3 - March 2009
Pulpit
Minister
David Deffenbaugh
Do we dare hope that winter is over? I saw some daffodils
blooming, but we’ve been fooled by that false harbinger of Spring
before. Whether it is or not, there’s nothing we can to do hasten
Winter’s departure. It will leave when it’s done, not when we’re
done with it. Some things we do not know. Some things we do.
Among those things is the need for our continued faithful service
to God. Opportunities abound. So, Winter or not, let’s be involved
and active in the work of the kingdom!
This month marks the beginning of our “Spring Enrichment
Series.” You have heard about this before, just not by that name.
This is what we are calling the special series of lessons that will be
presented on the third Wednesday evenings of March, April, and
May. These lessons are designed to strengthen, encourage, motivate,
and challenge us in our Christian walk. They are also intended to
serve as an opportunity for all of us to invite our friends, families,
and acquaintances to hear lessons that will be of interest and spiritually enriching to them as well. As you will notice on this page,
our first lesson is on godly parenting and grand-parenting. This is
a subject of great appeal. So, let’s all be here ourselves and invite
guests to come join us on Wednesday, March 18.
Wow! I don’t know what else to say about our second
Equipping the Saints break out session night on Wednesday, February 18. So much good has come from these two events (the first one
was January 21). We have more people who have volunteered and
already actively involved in various ministries than before. I have
been overwhelmed by the good that has been accomplished. I’m
convinced that this kind of gathering needs to happen again…and
again. Keep your eyes and ears open for future announcements about
ways we can all become more actively involved in the ministry and
service of the Lord’s church.
What a great encouragement! I’m speaking of the 2nd Annual Affirming the Faith seminar in Oklahoma City last month. I
was encouraged to know that twenty-one congregations of the Lord’s
church cooperated in planning and supporting this great program.
I was encouraged by the great attendance from all over the area.
In excess of 700 were present for the Friday night lesson. I was
encouraged by the speakers I heard. All did an outstanding job. I do
pray this program will continue into the future and will grow each
year. All of the lessons from this year’s seminar are available for
audio download on the web site (with the exception of one lesson).
“David’s Article” continued on page 7
Kent is an Oklahoma Christian University graduate (’79)
with a degree in Bible. He served for 25 years with the
Memorial Road church of Christ, the last several years
as their pulpit minister. He has also served as Director
of Operations for Continent of Great Cities (a mission
ministry that places missionaries where Spanish or Portuguese is spoken). Currently serves as Senior Gifts Officer for Oklahoma Christian University. He has also led
mission campaigns to Brazil, Guatemala, England, Zimbabwe, the Bahamas, Kenya. Kent is married to Phyllis
(33 years) and they have two sons: Kelly (and his wife
Kristen) and Kory.
For more information visit us online at www.sccofc.org or
call the church office at 456-3414.
Youth
Minister
Tyrel Hatfield
Every year David, Edgar, and I
take a trip to Freed Hardeman University
for their annual lectureships. This year,
along with Dalton Deffenbaugh, we made
the trip again. It is truly a wonderful experience to be able to do this. Throughout
the week, we heard so many great lessons
from many wonderful preachers. Thank
you for this opportunity. We look forward
to attending again next year.
February was a great month for
the youth of this congregation. We are always proud of their willingness to serve.
Our youth, along with several ladies of
the congregation, hosted a Valentine’s
Brunch on the 14th. Our theme was,
“Love Makes the World Go Around.”
Myself, Dalton Deffenbaugh, and Edgar
Lucero performed a few songs, we heard
lots of corny jokes from several of the
other youth, and heard wonderful stories
from several of the ladies. Thanks to everyone involved in this very important
event.
Burnt Cabin Camp Project
It’s time to send out Burnt Cabin
applications. If you like to be involved
in this project, please come to Monday
Night for the Master, March 9 at 6:30.
We will mail off both applications for our
full week and mini-camp. Thanks!
Upcoming Events:
March 8, Teen Connections
at Henryetta; Bus will leave at 3:00 and
will return at 7:00.
March 6-7, Family Retreat.
Details on page 3.
***Spring Break 16-20***
March 29, Devotional with the
University Group at the RFC Student
Center
Youth Service
Our youth hosted a nice
Valentine’s Brunch for the
ladies of the congregation.
Campus
Minister
Tony Bradley
The words SNAP! CRACKLE!
POP! have different meaning to me now
than just a jingle from a breakfast cereal.
That is the sound of all our trees breaking
during the ice storm of January 2009. The
damage was quite severe and with clean
up spanning into the next several months,
it was time for a weekend getaway to
recharge our spiritual batteries. OSU
provided the destination last weekend
with their annual Campus Encounter. This
years theme was “Thirst No More” and the
combination of singing, excellent breakout sessions, and fellowship with over 300
Christians, proved to be the answer.
Our devotionals on Tuesday
nights have been well attended and several
visitors have been in attendance to worship
and fellowship with RFC. Our hope and
prayer is to reach as many students as we
can with this weekly devotional.
Our group is continuing the work
in preparation of our mission trip which
is March 14-21. The group is excited to
work and worship with the Johnstown, NY
Church and pray that we can serve Christ
in this effort. Continue to pray for us in this
endeavor and as we represent Christ on the
NSU’s campus.
BAPTIZED
Family Retreat
March 6-7
at Burnt Cabin Christian Camp.
FRIDAY
6:00 - Meal
7:00 - Devotional / Getting to know you
7:30 - Father’s Class / Mother and Child activity
9:00 - Game
10:00 - Bedtime
SATURDAY
8:00 - Breakfast
9:00 - Devotional
9:30 - Mother’s Class / Father and Child activity
11:00 - Free Time
12:00 - Lunch
1:00 - Goodbyes
COST $10 Per person. Children under the age of 5 are free.
DEADLINE: Monday morning, March 2
Michael Zamora
For directions to the camp, go to www.burntcabinyouthcamp.com
Hispanic
Minister
Edgar Lucero
The month of February was very
special for us in the Hispanic congregation.
We celebrated Valentine’s Day with a very
romantic dinner among the Hispanic couples. We had a talk about the importance
of comunication between the husband and
wife and also we spoke about romanticism.
We ended the meeting with a special dinner
and roses, poems, songs, etc. There were
11 couples and everybody left very pleased
and encouraged. We also are happy to announce that Michael Zamora was baptized.
Please pray for him and for the Hispanic
ministry as we continue working in the
evangelism among the community.
did Jesus Need a good pr man?
David Deffenbaugh
Did Jesus need some help with His PR (public relations)? Through
the middle portion of John’s gospel, it appears that things are headed south
for Jesus as far as His image and popularity are concerned. Notice in chapter
six that many people decide to follow Him no longer (6:66). In chapter seven
there is a decided interest in having Him arrested (7:30, 32, 44) because some
had reached a decision that He should die (7:1, 19, 25). And in chapter eight
people are so upset they forget about arrest and try to kill Him on the spot
(8:59).
Wow. Jesus isn’t exactly a big hit. His “successes” seem to be with
individuals, not multitudes. There were better outcomes with Nicodemus
(chpt. 3), the Samaritan woman at the well and the royal officer at Capernaum
(chpt. 4), and the blind man whom He healed (chpt. 9).
Why did so many people dislike Jesus? Several reasons. One, and
probably the most significant, was that He had this bad habit of speaking
the truth. He also had a greater desire to please God instead of men, and He
was determined to fulfill His true identity as God’s Son instead of bowing
to popular expectations and desires. In other words, He was light that came
“into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their
deeds were evil” (1:9; 3:19; 8:12). Men who love darkness are not just the
rank sinners, they also include many of the politically powerful and religiously
elite.
Of course Jesus wasn’t in need of a better image. His ministry
experience serves as a sober reminder to His church today. There are some
important points to be remembered:
• We ought not fear being disliked.
• We should always serve and care for those in need while imparting
the truth is our ultimate goal (note how Jesus handled the multitude
whom he miraculously fed – chpt. 6).
• God is the only one worthy to be pleased, not men or the religious
establishment.
• In reaching for the masses we should never lose sight of the
individual.
• The light of truth is not, in reality, appealing to most people.
• Jesus is the only means of salvation. That point is not negotiable.
We ought never to underestimate the power of Satan’s influence in
this world. The extent of that influence is never more clearly seen than with
man’s reception of Jesus. He was the very embodiment of grace and truth
– and people wanted Him dead. But Jesus’ success is not measured by the
response of the masses. It is measured by the ones who came to believe that
He is God’s own Son, and believing found life in His name (John 20:3031).
Jesus didn’t need better public relations and neither does His church.
We need an even deeper commitment to presenting Jesus to the world in all of
His grace and truth. We measure our success not by mass appeal, but by the
ones who come to believe in Jesus as God’s Son and find life in His name.
GUATEMALA SURGICAL CLINIC, JANUARY 2009
Karen Bradley
The following is a report of a
surgical mission trip attended by Dr. Danny
Minor, Leslie Minor, Herb Minor, Sam
Yaws, Lindsey Bradley and Karen Bradley
to Montellano, Guatemala, January 2009.
First and foremost, our priority is
to express our appreciation for the prayers,
financial support and words of encouragement from the
members of South
College Church of
Christ. We could
not have made this
trip and participated
in this work without
your support.
The flight to
Guatemala and bus
travel to the clinic
was long but thankfully, uneventful. The weather was fair
which made the 31/2 hour bus ride more
bearable than years past. We arrived at the
Clinica Ezell in Montellano on Saturday
evening and after quickly settling in, we
headed to the Clinic/OR to prepare to start
surgeries the next day. It is amazing how
the workers (around 40), just fall in and
work together just like they work together
every day. That evening after dinner, we
had a good time catching up and enjoyed
our first devotional. We also had a short
orientation, which was new and very helpful, especially for first-timers.
Sunday morning after a wonderful worship with the local congregation, the
surgeries began. From
that point until Thursday afternoon, three
operating rooms were
running constantly. A
total of 58 patients
were treated with a
total of 64 procedures
being done including
umbilical and inguinal hernias, cyst removals, hysterectomies and gall bladders
to name a few. A few of the surgeries were
anything but routine, and those patients
were watched
post-operatively
a little closer.
Leslie
worked hard all
week in sterilization. Early in the
week, Herb assisted Sam with projects that needed to
be done but later
moved to sterilization to assist Leslie. Sam stayed busy
with maintenance duties. Dr. Minor and
Karen worked in the operating room all
week and Lindsey served on the post-op
floor with scheduled shifts to help the registered nurses with vital signs, walking the
patients, delivering trays and transferring
patients. The nurses on the post- operative
floor were busy all week caring for the
patients after their surgeries and before
discharge to home.
Each night at our devotional, the
list of prayers grew as we added each patient to the list as well as others from home
that we had concerns about. The singing
was amazing and our Chaplain had encouraging and thought-provoking messages
to share with
our group.
On Friday
morning after the surgeons made
rounds on
their patients, the bus pulled out for the
airport with a tired but blessed group.
There is a Guatemalan medical staff that
cares for any patients that remain hospitalized at the end of the week.
Health Talents International
thought it best to skip the trip to Antigua
due to safety concerns. We appreciated
the precaution and enjoyed arriving home
a day earlier than usual.
Overall, the trip was a success
as our patients all had good outcomes as
well as being extremely thankful
for the chance
to receive health
care otherwise
not available.
Sun
1
Mon
2
Tue
3
Wed
4
Thu
5
Fri
Sat
6
7
Monday Night for
the Master 6 p.m.
Kelsey Buck
Jeff Bowman
8
David Spears
9
Jimmy Gulley
10
*David & Alice O'Neil
11
William Hood
12
13
14
Connie Edwards
Tyler Hewitt
19
20
MNM 6 p.m.
Jim Hutson
Gabe Martin
Rick Rozell
Eddie Molloy
Bryan Sanders
15
16
17
Series & &
speaking
Gabi Brown
Gabi
*MikeBrown
* Millie Hewitt
*Mike & Millie Hewitt
23
21
SpringAllen
Enrichment
Kent
MNM 6 p.m.
22
18
24
Kids for
Christ
Kids
for Christ
25
Alissa Crawford
Prisila Eligio
Gabriela Lucero
Alexander Bowman
26
27
28
Dovie Young
Colene Haynes
Billie Ward
*JW & Kitty Stidham
Wista Waldroop
MNM 6p.m.
GV Gulager
29
30
Fifth Sunday
MNM 6 p.m.
Fellowship after
pm service
Dillion Sanders
Hallie Foreman
31
Kyle Williams
Pam Davis
Paul Kile
Jon Privett
February
April
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
M
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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10
11
12
13
14
5
6
15
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20
21
12
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
19
26
T
W
T
F
1
2
3
S
4
7
8
9
10
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* Anniversary
“David’s Article” continued from page 1
Shacked Up Couples
John Gipson
When I turned on my computer this morning I
was greeting with an item which said, “Turns out getting
married is becoming downright old-fashioned. Shacked up
couples now outnumber those who’ve tied the knot.”
Woe to those unmarried couples who have financial quarrels over rent, utilities, credit cards, etc., and show
up before “Judge Judy.” In no uncertain terms, she will tell
them that if they don’t have a marriage license our courts
have made no provision to settle such disputes, and they
are on their own.
Does it seem to you that we are getting to the point
in our society where the difference between right and wrong
is either not discerned or else willfully ignored?
Or consider the overt promotion of homosexuality.
Has some law been passed that requires every TV show to
have at least a token homosexual? We must have “tolerance,” our society says.
Those who offer objections are immediately
branded with a sneer as “Fundamentalists.” Yet fundamentals are absolutely imperative today. Athletes who ignore
fundamentals make for losing teams. In fact, mastering the
fundamentals is absolutely necessary in any discipline.
As a nation we enjoy the benefits of Christianity
while tending to reject the source of those benefits. In the
words of Richard Halverson, “Like parasites we are feeding
on lingering blessings produced by the spiritual leadership
and dedication of earlier generations; the blessings are fading, ethical and moral levels decline toward the increasingly
degenerate society.” We want to sow to the wind without
realizing we will reap the whirlwind.
As an ancient prophet warned, “Woe to those who
call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and
light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Will we be wise enough to heed his
warning?
Windsong Church of Christ
Little Rock, AR
Just check at http://www.affirmingthefaithok.com/.
One other experience I want to share from the Affirming the Faith seminar was the number of people I visited with
who have ties to the South College congregation. I saw former
members who moved and are now in other towns with other
congregations. I saw family members of some of our members.
I saw people who are good friends of some of our members. I
saw people who are well acquainted with South College and are
interested in her well-being. I mention all of that just to say the
impact and influence of the South College church is great. Let’s
continue in our faithful work and service to the Lord that His light
might continue to shine through us.
Debates may seem like a thing of the past. In many ways
they are. Much of their demise can be attributed to a decline in
interest for hearing reasoned arguments or counter arguments in
regards to a stated proposition. Religious debates once proliferated and served a valuable service in the propagation and defense
of the truth. There were sad occasions in which mean-spirited
attitudes greatly diminished a debate’s effectiveness. Nevertheless, the medium is rather rare these days. A notable exception
happened last month when Kyle Butt, a young but quite talented
gospel preacher and author debated Dan Barker, the co-president
of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (the largest atheistic
organization in North America) on the campus of the University
of South Carolina, February 12. The venue seated 550 people
and was filled to capacity with many having to be turned away.
A DVD of the event will soon be available. In the meantime, one
can watch the streaming video from this debate at http://apologeticspress.com.
An interesting statement is made by the chief priests and
Pharisees in response to the failure of officers whom they had sent
to arrest Jesus. Having returned empty-handed, the officers said,
“Never did a man speak the way this man speaks” (John 7:46).
They acknowledged there was much appeal with the people by
contrast to “not one” of the rulers believing in Him. Here’s the
interesting statement: “But this multitude who does not know the
Law is accursed” (John 7:49). Do you see a bit of intellectual
snobbery there? They are saying that any favorable response
to Jesus is because of ignorance. These were not the first, and
certainly not the last, to characterize people of faith as ignorant,
superstitious simpletons. Faith is often derided by those who
miss it.
Wednesday Night Adult Classes
Auditorium Great Themes of the Bible Fellowship Room Why I Believe
Lloyd Coppedge
David Deffenbaugh
Elders
Daryl Buck
Lloyd Coppedge
Danny Mason
Danny Minor
David O’Neil
Kevin Shumate
Charles Vanlandingham
Ministers
David Deffenbaugh, Pulpit
Tyrel Hatfield, Youth & Children
Tony Bradley, University
Edgar Lucero, Hispanic
Deacons
Tony Bradley
Virgil Carter
John Gwin
Rob Hensley
James Kaufman
Dean Kelley
Mike Monholland
Bob Reed
J.T. Sego
Louis Sounders
Family News
SYMPATHY TO
…Patsy Vaughn & Debbie Minshew on
the loss of their sister Jean Kolonick in
Norman.
…former member Mary Jo deSteiguer on
the death in Caruthers, CA, of her aunt Lucy
Bradley Osburn, sister of Hazel Deem. Lucy
grew up in Lowrey and lived in Tahlequah
before moving to CA.
…Jeff & Sara Bowman and former member Maryann Bowman, on the passing of
their grandfather and father, Harry Lamprich in Tulsa.
ASKED FOR PRAYERS
…Trudy Mickel
Missionaries
George and Martha Tien - China
Schedule of Services
Sunday
Bible School..............................9:30 a.m.
Morning Worship.....................10:30 a.m.
Evening Worship.......................5:00 p.m.
Tuesday
Women’s Class
(Sept. - May)...........................10:00 a.m.
Wednesday
Mid-week Classes.....................7:00 p.m.
Office Hours - 8 am - 5 pm, Mon - Fri
Phone - 918-456-3414
Fax - 918-456-3445
[email protected]
www.sccofc.org
410 S College, Tahlequah, OK 74464
BAPTISM
…Michael Zamora, son of Sue Gaytan
NEW MEMBERS
Stephen & Krystal Wiser
Daughter: Sarah
1100 E Allen RD
Tahlequah, Ok 74464
457-0383
Monty & Bobbie Kirk
Children: Teagan, Reed, & Jimmy
315 W Choctaw St
Tahlequah, OK 74464
239-2776