Coe Church of Christ August 2018 Newsletter

Staying in the Loop

“GOD’S FOLLY?”

“He called you to this through our gospel, that you
might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:14)

When the foundation stones for the Salisbury
Cathedral were laid on April 23, 1220, there was
neither a spire in the plans nor a foundation
deep enough on which to build one. Completed
in 1266, the Cathedral stood for a hundred
years as a perfect example of the early English
style on unity and grace that served its commu-
nity well. Today, however, the Cathedral in
Salisbury is known for its elegant spire that ris-
es 404 feet off the ground and is the highest in England. It can be seen and is recognized for miles
around. The spire was added in the 14th century against all the architectural engineering wisdom of
the time, and amidst a storm of controversy between a driven priest who felt called by God to a
questionable task and an overly cautious builder frightened of unknown results.

At one point in the spire’s construction, when the two men were alone together high in the
scaffolds, the builder expounded “...the shear impossibility of it! Is this not God’s folly?” Even the
priest privately had doubts and wondered if he had misunderstood God’s instruction. In his mind he
had felt the spire shudder and begin to collapse like a “dunce’s cap a hundred and fifty feet tall.”
But when the builder pleaded to stop building, the priest cried out, “No, no, no! What God reveals
and calls us to, we must fulfill. God chose me. He chooses you. Do you think we can escape His
work? Neither of us can avoid God’s call.”

To this day, visitors can see the buckled columns, and tons of additional reinforcements that were
added as each foot of the imposing spire rose into the air. Through faith and determination, the
odds were defied, and more than 600 years later the spire still stands and continues to serve as a
beacon to the lost and a refuse for the forlorn.

I wonder...how often do we consider our efforts to reach the lost and nurture the saved by updating
our building and modernizing our ministries as foolishness and folly? It would certainly be much
easier to settle with past accomplishments and simply maintain the status quo.

Is the building of Christ’s church on earth unreasonable? Are efforts to improve and update our church
building unrealistic and a waste of time and money?

Great undertakings without guaranteed results go against our human nature. It’s senseless we think. It
frightens us, and to many appears unnecessary. But God calls us to always make Christianity attractive, and
for God to work great acts through our hands, it will be by answering His call and then taking big steps of
faith. It is up to us. As the priest said, “He chose me. He chooses you.”

By the way, since when did God ask his chosen ones to be reasonable? Even in the old days, He rarely asked
men to do what was sensible in the world’s eyes. We can be reasonable; we can keep the status quo all by
ourselves. But when we are truly in tune with God and His purpose, out of some deep place in our hearts
and souls comes the command to do what makes no sense at all—to build a ship on dry land; to go forth to
face a giant; to marry a prostitute; to place a loved son on an altar of sacrifice. Noah, David, Hosea, Abra-
ham...they all were called by God to envision the unreasonable, attempt the senseless and achieve the im-
possible. This, of course, was God’s plan all along. To God be the glory!

I don’t believe that God has called us to erect a 150’ steeple here at Coe, but we are called to do one great

thing for Christ, and that is to build his church here on earth and to be unafraid of personal

costs. Many times it will be through acts of great faith we don’t understand, deem unneces-

sary, find senseless, consider impossible, and WILL stretch us immeasurably. That is a good

thing, because God in His glory provides, and has proven over and over again if

men act in faith it is not folly, but that a new and better thing comes. May it Denny
come through us.

A NOTE FROM THE ELDERS… “God rarely calls
the equipped,
“From him the whole body, joined and held together...grows and builds itself up in but always
love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16) equips the
called”

Scriptures tell us that God has endowed each of us with some talents or gifts. Before you say, “I’m an excep-
tion, I can’t do anything”, let me relate a personal situation in my own life. Back more years than I would
care to admit, our Sunday School Superintendent challenged me to teach 4th grade boys. I gave him a mil-
lion excuses (perhaps that is a slight exaggeration) why I couldn’t teach 4th grade boys. For every excuse, he
looked at me, smiled, and said, “If I thought you couldn’t do it Dick, I would not have asked
you.”

I needed some encouragement and self-confidence. This scenario took place over 60 years
ago.

The Coe Church is always looking for and needing people to do a variety of tasks within the Dick
church. I challenge you to look about the church and ask yourself, What can I do for the
Lord?

SUNDAY SCHOOL/WORSHIP “Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lord our God,
10:00 AM/ 11:00AM to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments…”
(1Kings 8:61)
MID-WEEK MEAL/STUDY
5:30 (meal) 6:30 (study) “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”
(Mark 16:16)
MINISTER
Donald (Denny) Dennis Jade Drayton came forward for baptism on Sunday, July 22nd
during our morning worship service. Praise God for her new life
YOUTH MINISTER
Eric Sheldon in Christ!
ELDERS Flossie Hawkins came forward Sunday July 15th during our
morning service to rededicate her life to Christ. Praise God!
Phil Leonard (chairman) May we all come together in support and love for our new sisters
Dennis Fowler in Christ.
Dick Colbry
DEACONS
Clyde Thatcher
Zack Rulapaugh

(Building & Grounds)

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Janet Fowler

“Coe Church of Christ exists to
reach out to the lost, and to
train people to maturity in

Christ through discipleship, wor-
ship, and fellowship, completely

following God’s Word.”

The family of Bob McCaul has generous-
ly donated received memorial funds to
purchased two new stoves for our church
kitchen. These new appliances replace
the well used and worn out original ones.
Two new microwave ovens have been
generously purchased by an anonymous
donor as well. These new fixtures prom-
ise great food and fellowship for years to
come. Praise God!

IT HAD TO BE DONE!

“The latter glory of this house shall be greater
than the former, says the Lord.”
(Haggai 2:9)

Work is well under way to repair
and replace some water-rotted roof
decking around our steeple as well
as replace rotted underlying soffit
and fascia on the church building
and gymnasium. This work is be-
ing done by His Way Construction,
a Christian based company based
in Mt. Pleasant. The work will con-
clude with new aluminum fascia on
the roof eaves. Along with the new
drive through roof work done this
past spring, it promises to keep our
church rain tight and attractive for
years to come.

I know it is hard to think about the coming fall with the weather being so hot, but cooler weather is
coming! And our “Fall Kickoff” event is coming too! So mark Saturday, September 8th on your
calendar, day planner, phone, or just write it on your arm and don’t wash! There are some great
events planned!

HERE’S A HINT… hot dogs, bonfire, music, games for kids and adults… PLUS...something new!
CCC’s first C.O.E. corn hole open invitational tournament for adults and children! Stay tuned for
more details coming. But in the meantime, pick your partner and start practicing tossing corn!

Our new There is a new women’s Bible study beginning.
pictorial di- And—well—since I’m not a woman, I can’t tell
rectory of you the particulars. But I can point you in the
CCC mem- right direction for details. Contact Heidi Gilpin
bers and at- and she will tell you all about it. Why? well—
tenders is because—she is a woman...and leading it.
Now I think I will just be quiet before I say
nearing something stupid—because—well—I’m a guy.
completion!
Thanks for For Information:
you patience
and “posings” Contact Heidi Gilpin @ 989-621-5032
during this

process.
BUT! We still
have pictures to take and alas...some to
retake. So don’t be surprised to see a
camera or two out and about on Sunday
mornings!

The theme this year is “Polar Blast” -
where Jesus’ love is cool ! (Get it? Polar
… cool?) At Polar Blast, kids will experi-
ence a fun-filled, imaginative adventure where their biggest discoveries will be
rooted in Jesus’ love for them.

We are so blessed at this church to have a staff of over 20 willing volunteers! At
Polar Blast, kids learn one important Bible Point: JESUS WILL ALWAYS LOVE
YOU! Instead of trying to teach kids more than they can remember or apply, Polar
blast focuses on one key biblical concept. The Bible point is reinforced by the key
Bible verse - “I trust in your unfailing love” (Psalm 13:5) - and through Cool Bible
Adventures, songs, and hand-on activities that help kids know more about Jesus
and his love for them. Kids who already attend Coe regularly will enjoy exploring
God’s Word in fresh, new ways. And neighborhood kids who come to our VBS will
experience Bible truths perhaps for the first time. Add in game time and snacks,
and it promises to be an exciting weekend!

Any kids who are preregistered by August 4th will get a free “Polar Blast” tee-shirt!
Registration forms are on the table in the foyer, or can be downloaded on the
church website.

Also, the closing program for VBS will be during the Sunday morning worship hour
(11:00 a.m.) on August 19th. Please plan to stay for a fun picnic immediately follow-
ing the service. This is a great chance to meet and greet our neighbors, and show
them what a friendly congregation we are!

Thanks, and please be in prayer for this event. It could very well be

a life changer for people searching for God! Kathy

The elders have made the decision to experiment with a
change in our Sunday morning Bible class and worship
times. Beginning on September 9th, Bible study classes
will begin at 9:00AM and our regular worship service will
begin at 10:00AM.

WHY? You may ask.

ONE: In years past, an 11:00AM service time accommo-
dated farmers in the community who had chores to do and
cows to milk.

TWO: Most people have been awake for hours, and the
11:00 service inevitably runs into lunchtime.

THREE: An earlier worship time isn’t as likely to hinder
other weekend activities that many families are involved
in.

FOUR: Studies have shown that a majority of would-be attenders are more likely to attend
an earlier service. Rarely do people say they want to attend an 11:00AM service unless they
are strong traditionalists.

FIVE: Millennials are particularly averse to a later service. If they decide to attend a worship
service, it will not likely be at 11:00AM. When polled, most chose a worship time between
9:00 and 10:30AM.

SIX: People who are seeking a church to attend perceive a church with a lone 11:00AM ser-
vice to be too traditional and out-of-touch. Thus, changing to an earlier time not only makes
sense, but is also perceived to be more relevant to members and the community alike.

Thanks to the urging by one of our younger
adult men, CCC has restarted a Men’s Bible Study
and Ministry group led by David Gilpin. This is a
great opportunity for men to build real relation-
ships with our fellow men, and an outlet to ask
real questions and seek out relevant biblical an-
swers in an atmosphere of non-judgmental respect.

This men’s group is open to adult men and meets every other week on Thursday evenings
at 7:00PM at the Gilpin’s home. Our next gathering is set for Thursday, August 9th. If you
have any questions about how you can participate, see David Gilpin or Zack Rulapaugh.

Recently, I have had the privilege to attend and work
different camps this summer. Ironically, they both have
been centered around the Gospel and letters of John.
I found myself being deeply convicted by John’s view
of Jesus and what it means to be a true disciple. Over
and over again, John tells us that Jesus is light and
life. John’s writings boil down to these two things. Our
lives are filled with choices, moment by moment, to
choose Jesus—the choice between life & death and
dark & light. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that we find ourselves choosing death
and darkness, rather than life and light.

When we are darkness, everything and everybody looks amazing because darkness hides our

present reality. The scariest thing about the darkness is that at first the darkness is disruptive.

Overtime we adjust to it and living in the dark becomes doable. For those of us in Christ, we

know that the light is by far way better than the dark. Yet, we choose to When Jesus spoke again
stay in the dark. We’re so afraid of what’s waiting for us in the light, so to the people he said, “I
we stay in the darkness. We know that when we are in the light of Christ, am the Light of the world.
it exposes our crack and imperfections.
Whoever follows me will

John’s letters are to a congregation that he is trying to pull out of the never walk in darkness,

darkness. He is reminding them what is actually in the light. In the light but will have the light of

there is forgiveness. In the light there is fellowship. In the light there is life.”

grace that never grows tired. In the light there is victory over death and

darkness. There is no more loneliness, sorrow, hate, lies, or fear. That’s John8:12
is the life that the world needs, and Jesus invites us into it.

Maybe you are like me and need a reminder of what the light promises. Maybe you are in the
light, but you know others who are in the darkness. Or maybe you know you are in the darkness
and need the life that the light promises. Regardless of where you are in your journey, Jesus of-
fers this life to us. It is up to us to decide whether we want to settle for the darkness or live in the
light.

Grace and peace, Eric

Comments, suggestions and contributions to CCC’s “Staying in the Loop”
newsletter are always welcome. The church office, Denny, and overseeing
elder do however reserve the right to edit, omit, or enhance any contribu-
tions or pictures to be published.