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Vol. 44 October 1, 2019 Number 38
What if it Comes Down to Just Me?
Barry Kennedy
“The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let
him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely”
(Revelation 22:17). There are many passages in the Bible referencing God’s desire for the
whole of mankind being saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; etc.). John, the apostle who
received the above revelation, also penned what has become the most well-known verse in
all of the Bible. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Of
course, “the world” (in this context) has reference to the whole of humanity. Do we ever
stop to consider the fact that God sees us as individuals? Do we ever take the time to think
about how we can be personal beneficiaries of God’s love and salvation? As we look
around we may find ourselves feeling alone. At times, it may seem to be the case that no
one wants to hear about God, no one wants to talk about absolute truth, no one wants to
hear that they must be in subjection to God, and no one wants to hear that there is a right or
wrong way to live. Have we every asked, “What if it comes down to just me?”
What if it comes down to just me when it comes to believing in God? One
foundational fact of Christianity, dare I say life itself, is that of faith. “I said therefore unto
you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he (Emph. Added), ye
shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). The writer of the book of Hebrews addressed this fact as
well. He first defined faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen” (Hebrews 11:1). He would go on to say that “without faith, it is impossible to please
Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). It may be or become the case that everyone else
in the world may choose to not believe in God, but that will never take away my (or your)
personal responsibility to believe (i.e. trust and obey). Therefore, if it comes down to just
me, I must believe.
What if it comes down to just me when it comes to living the Christian life?
Living the Christian life may sound like the same as belief to those reading this article and
that is true. There is; however, a good example why there can be differences between
belief and actions. Many of the chief rulers in the first century believed in Jesus as the
Messiah, but because they feared being removed from the synagogue by the Pharisees, they
would not confess Him (John 12:42). Jesus said that our lives are to be compared to salt
and light (Matthew 5:13-16). He, of course, was saying that our lives are to have an impact
on the world around us. On the contrary, far too many times we allow the world to be more
of the influencing agent on our lives instead of God’s Word. Paul said to the brethren at
Corinth, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Jesus
set the standard we must follow as the church (1 Peter 2:21). The church is comprised of
individuals (1 Corinthians 12:12). Though it may be the case, or come to be the case, that
--article continued page 3--
ELDERS
Mike Childers..............397-6453
Dennis Hallmark .........255-5557
Mark Hitt.....................322-0917
Bobby Lindley.............260-9193
DEACONS
Wade Bryan.................419-5552
William Harris.............416-8149
Ricky Lindsey .............255-8136
Jeff Mansel..................871-0357
Jimmy Spearman.........840-8957
Michael Wilson ...........891-0891
PREACHER
Barry Kennedy ... (931)787-7108
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office...........................842-6116
Fax...............................842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Worship....................... 9:00 a.m.
Bible Classes............. 10:15 a.m.
Worship..................... 11:15 a.m.
Singing or Devotional
Last Sunday of the Month
MID-WEEK
SERVICES
Wednesday Classes .....7:00 p.m.
EAST MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)

--article continued from page 1--
Four, Christ “gave himself for it,” the
church. Jesus shed his blood to purchase the church
(Acts 20:28). But his blood was shed for the
remission of sins (Matt. 26:28), and there is no
forgiveness of sins apart from the shed blood of
Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:22; I Pet. 1:18-19). Therefore, no
salvation exists outside of the church of Christ
because none outside of the church of Christ have
the blood of Christ applied to the sinful condition
of their souls and receive the remission
(forgiveness) of their sins. The penitent believers on
the day of Pentecost were instructed to repent and
be baptized for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.
The ones who “gladly received his word were
baptized: and the same day there were added unto
them about three thousand souls” (v. 41). “The
Lord added to the church daily such as should be
saved” (v. 47). The one church of the Bible has the
saved added to it by the Lord himself. The good
news of the gospel is seen in the church of Christ.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pine Vale’s Fall Pantry
Drive
East Main will be collecting items for Pine Vale’s
fall pantry drive for the next couple of weeks. They
will be sending a truck by sometime in October to
pick these items up. Our assigned items are:
Toilet Cleaner
Spaghetti sauce (NO glass jars)
Disposable plates/cups
Thanks so much for your help!
Family First Fellowship
Our next Family First Fellowship will be held this
Sunday, Sept. 29 from 8:15-8:45 a.m. in the multi-
purpose room before worship services. Everyone is
encouraged to come and enjoy a short period of
fellowship with your brothers/sisters in Christ.
Baby “Girl” Shower
There will be a baby “girl”
shower in honor of Anna Claire
McMillen this Sunday, Sept.29
“come & go” from 2:00-3:30 p.m.
in the multipurpose room. Anna
Claire is registered at Walmart
and Amazon. All the ladies are invited!
Sympathy
Our deepest sympathy is extended to the family
of our sister Laverne Raper who passed from this
life early Tuesday morning, Sept. 17. Funeral
services were held Sept. 19 at Lee Memorial in
Verona. Mrs. Raper was 99 years old! We will
sorely miss her.
Thank You Notes
Dear church family,
Thank you all so much for all the prayers during
my recent surgery. I am doing great and hope to be
back to full strength soon! Thank you all for the
kind words, texts, calls, cards, food, gift cards, hugs
and advice. You are such wonderful people. Once
again, your kindness has been overwhelming. I
love you all so much. Thank you again!
Dundee Donald
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No words could ever express our appreciation
for the love and support you have shown to us
during this tremendously difficult time. We are
blessed to have had mother’s love and presence in
our lives for so many years. She loved her East
Main family so much! You were there when we
needed you most. On behalf of my family, I thank
you. With love,
Margaret Palmer (daughter of Lavern Raper)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear East Main family,
I cannot express to you how much it meant to me
and every girl that came this weekend, the
willingness & eagerness with which you welcomed
us this morning. It is always a blessing to come
home and you truly provided a home for our visitors
and my friends. Thank you from the bottom of our
hearts for your hospitality today and every day!
In Christian love,
Olivia Sanderson
John Duke stationed in Long Beach, MS
Caleb Williams stationed in Quantico, VA
Rob Cross & family stationed in South Korea
October 2019
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Dundee Donald
Evie Webb
Sisters Supporting
Sisters--6-8:30 pm
Matthew 1-4
2
Lexie Dickinson
Robert Parker
Matthew 5-7
3
Sr. Adult fellow-
ship @ 6 pm
Matthew 8-9
4
Matthew10-11
5
Glenda Barnette
Door Knocking @
8 am
Matthew 12-13
6
Sandra Simmons
Matthew 14-15
7
Matthew 16-17
8
Matthew 18-20
9
Ken Pearson
Matthew 21-22
10
Carester &
Charlie Ruth
Hallmark
Jon & Ainsley
Millard
Ladies’ fellowship
@ 6 pm
Matthew 23-24
11
Matthew 25-26
12
Tyler Barnette
Beth Reed
Matthew 27-28
13
Area Youth
Meeting-Antioch
@5 pm
Mark 1-3
14
Ian Reed
Mark 4-5
15
Brittany Webb
Mark 6-7
16
Nancy Haywood
Mark 8-9
17
Mark 10-11
18
Brenda
Spearman
Mark 12-13
19
Chad Willis
Mark 14-16
20
Will Davis
Jr. Youth/ES Devo.
Visitation Team #3
Nursing Home
Singing
Luke 1
21
Judy & Pat Jones
Luke 2-3
22
Luke 4-5
23
James Simmons
Luke 6-7
24
Mark Gilliland
Luke 8-9
25
Evelyn Willis
David & Katie
Bates
Luke 10-11
26
Ethan Benefield
Congregational
Chili/Hotdog
Supper &
Trunk or Treat @
5 pm
Luke 12-13
27
Family 1st
Fellowship
Visitation Team #4
Luke 14-16
28
Luke17-18
29
Luke 19-21
30
Olivia Blansett
James Burney
Dean Webb
Chad & Susan
Willis
Luke 22-23
31
Halloween
Luke 24

Daily Bible Reading
October 2..................................................Matthew 5-7
October 3..................................................Matthew 8-9
October 4..............................................Matthew 10-11
October 5..............................................Matthew 12-13
October 6..............................................Matthew 14-15
October 7..............................................Matthew 16-17
October 8..............................................Matthew 18-20
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Lexie Dickinson (Oct. 2), Robert
Parker (Oct. 2), Glenda Barnette (Oct. 5), Sandra
Simmons (Oct. 6). Anniversaries: None this week.
Our Sick
Hanon Ray is home following surgery Monday on
the discs in his neck. He is doing well. Jean Mounce is
home from UAB on IV antibiotics. Pete Barber is still
having problems with fluid in his lungs. Mary Lou
Walden has a slight case of pneumonia. Andy Bald-
wyn’s mother, Stephanie Baldwyn, is in NMMC
recuperating from several surgeries. Barbara Franks,
Tammy Minor & Stephanie Baldwyn’s mother, is
having some heart problems. Barbara Bishop is home
with a broken food. Evelyn Willis is at the Meadows
in Fulton in room 116 (Hummingbird Lane). Jill Rice,
Debbie Vines’ mother, and Ann Letteri, Sandra
Simmons’ sister, continue hospice.
On-Going Illnesses
Frankie Estes, Donny Dulaney, Adam McCurley,
Mary Jordan, Bretta Robinson, James Goddard, Bill
Goff, Leroy Brown, Jadon Parish, Jerry Smith, Mitch
Maclean, Mary Starz, Aspen White, Ezra Golman,
Sheba Tuggers, Ruby Clark, Homer Smith, Don
Blackwell, Brenda Williams
Nursing Homes
Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Shirley
McCarthy, Mary Southern, Veona Harris, James
Nichols
--article continued from page 1--
everyone chooses not to live the Christian life, it will
never take away my responsibility to live for Jesus (John
12:48; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Therefore, if it comes down
to just me, I must live the Christian life.
We are truly blessed to know that God has
faithful followers who truly believe and who are striving
to live the Christian life. They encourage, motivate, and
comfort us to do the same. The Lord told Elijah, when
he thought he was the only faithful one left, “I have left
Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have
not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not
kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). May God give us the
courage to say, “I will stand for Him, even if it comes
down to just me!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pine Vale’s Pantry Drive
East Main will be collecting items for Pine Vale’s
fall pantry drive for the next couple of weeks. They
will be sending a truck by sometime in October to
pick these items up. Our assigned items are:
Toilet Cleaner
Spaghetti sauce (NO glass jars)
Disposable plates/cups
Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to Raleigh Bass in the
loss of her grandmother, Norma Harrell, on Sept. 26.
Funeral services were held in Ripley on Sept. 28.
Also, our condolences to Charles Barber in the loss
of his wife, Sheila, on Sept. 26. Funeral services were
held at Lee Memorial in Verona on Sept. 29.
Sr. Adult Fellowship
The monthly Sr. Adult Fellowship will be held this
Thursday, Oct. 3 at Catfish Country in Booneville at 6
p.m. The bus will leave the building at 5:30 p.m.
Door Knocking
A brotherhood-wide door knocking
day has been set for Saturday, Oct. 5.
The goal set by House to House/Heart to
Heart is for at least 200 churches of
Christ to go into their communities on
the same day to evangelize and invite others to our
worship assemblies. The world starts next door!
Please meet at the building at 8 a.m. to get organized.
Outreach Item for
September: Diapers

EAST MAIN’S
FAMILY RETREAT
November 1st & 2nd at
Maywood Christian Camp
WE WANT ALL AGES TO ATTEND!!!!
Reed Swindle will speak 3 times on Saturday.
There are two lists in the foyer beside the tract rack to sign (1. If you are coming and your
t-shirt size, 2. If you plan to attend Friday night or just Saturday).
Plans are to bring the bus over Saturday morning for the day for those who may not feel
comfortable driving to Hamilton, AL.
Come and enjoy a great period of fellowship with your church family!
Men to Serve Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 a.m.
Announcements...................................Mike Childers
Bible Reading..............................Hunter Underwood
Opening Prayer ............................ Rommie Dilworth
Lord’s Supper
Terry Kingsley & Roger Sanderson
Serve Congregation, East Side:
Clinton Kingsley, Robert Parker, Jalon Mansel
Serve Congregation, West Side:
Chad Willis, Ian Willis, Aaron Willis
Lead Singing..............................................Mark Hitt
Closing Prayer........................................... Joe Minor
Ushers .............. Jimmy Spearman & Andy Baldwyn
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday Afternoon
Opening Prayer ....................................... Perry Hand
Closing Prayer............................................Joe Smith
Lead Singing...............................Bobby Joe Lindley
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Prayer........................................................Tim Davis
Lead Singing........................................ Greg Hughes
Contact Wade Bryan (419-5552) if unable to serve.
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Greeters .............................Hugh & Rachel Scribner
..................................Lee & Heather DuBois
Prepare Lord’s Supper—October .....................Larry
& Judy Bates
Nursery....Chevela Underwood & Twinette Wallace
Pantry................................................................ Soup
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 9-25-19..............................................176
Sunday 1st
Worship, 9-29-19 ...............................191
Sunday Bible Class ..............................................195
Sunday 2nd
Worship.............................................196
Contribution (budget $7,900)..........................$8,856