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Vol. 46 March 30, 2021 Number 12
7 LESSONS LEARNED FROM A SOFTBALL GAME
Barry Kennedy
We are surrounded by lessons everyday if we are willing to look for
them. This thought became apparent while my family and I were watching a
college softball game. Consider just a few spiritual lesson ideas that came to
my mind while watching the game.
1. We must listen to the coach! “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not
my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the
same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
2. Teamwork is a must! “We then that are strong ought to bear the
infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us
please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased
not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that
reproached thee fell on me” (Romans 15:1-3).
3. We need a strong defense! “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I
might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11; see also 1 Peter 5:8).
4. We must keep our eye on the ball! “Brethren, I count not myself to
have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God
in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14; see also Hebrews 12:1-2).
5. Third base (almost) is never good enough! “Then Agrippa said unto
Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28).
6. Some will lose! “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21; See also 25:41-46).
7. Getting Home is the goal! “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
Far too often people fail to see what really matters in life. It may be that some
reading this article can’t get past the softball references to see the point. This is
nothing new; people missed, and still miss, the point of the parables as well.
God expects man to look past the physical and start seeing the spiritual side of
life (2 Corinthians 5:7). What spiritual lessons can we learn from the Bible and
the world around us?
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
MINISTERS
Barry Kennedy....(931)787-7108
Alex Blackwelder (731)879-9196
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office.......................... 842-6116
Fax .............................. 842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Early worship...............8:30 a.m.
Main worship.............10:00 a.m.
Bible class.............11:15 a.m.
Singing or Devotional
Last Sunday of the Month
MID-WEEK
SERVICES
Wednesday Classes......7:00 p.m.
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--
Bible study will scatter our night. “Thy word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”
(Psalm 119:105).
All glory and praise to the Lamb that
was slain. How could one not be revived, if he
or she truly believes Jesus is the Lamb that was
slain? The Bible explicitly states the importance
of knowing the Christ. Jesus said, “If ye believe
not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John
8:24). In the same chapter Jesus said, “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am”
(John 8:58). The fact that Jesus is deity denotes
the fact that He is worthy of glory and praise.
No other sacrifice could bear all our sins and
cleanse every stain. “How much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living
God?” (Heb. 9:14). “Forasmuch as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; But with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot:” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). Do we find
ourselves being revived when we hear the
message of man’s redemption? Do we not need
to be revived on a regular basis? Satan wants
Christians to become complacent, lazy, or
indifferent. God wants us to be revived!
Our worship can be a time to revive and
renew our spiritual man within! Are we
excited? Are we inviting others to come and
hear the Gospel message (Romans 1:16)? Let’s
pray for our Lord to “revive us again!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jr. Youth Activity
The youth in grades 6th
and
under are invited to the
multipurpose room on Saturday,
Apr. 3 from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Each child should bring a basket
and 12 plastic eggs. Also, please
sign the sheet on the youth
bulletin board across from the
ladies’ bathroom if you plan to attend so we can
prepare for lunch.
Thank You Note
Dear East Main family,
Sandra and I have been so grateful for all the
cards, calls, food and especially the prayers during
my cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments. To
those who may not already know, my pet scan last
week showed no more cancer, and we know that all
those prayers offered on our behalf have been
heard. I will continue to complete my treatments as
a preventative measure, but hopefully they won’t be
as hard on me physically as the previous two.
Please continue to pray for strength for me, as well
as for Sandra, as she continues to be my primary
caregiver. We love you all and look forward to
worshipping with all of you again soon.
In Christian love,
James Simmons
~~~~~~~~~~
The task ahead of us is
never as great as the Power
behind us.
John Duke stationed in Gulfport, MS
Caleb Williams stationed in Quantico, VA
Rob Cross & family stationed in Saudia Arabia
Mark Your Calendars!
Sr. Youth & College
April 16-18 -– 7th Week Squad Retreat
@ Maywood (7th grade-college)
More info. soon
April 2021
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Raleigh Bass
Matthew
Nichols
Roger
Sanderson
1 Kings 1-4
2
Hannon & Star
Ray
Sr. Youth-TGIF
1 Kings 5-6
3
Jr. Youth Egg
Hunt
1 Kings 7-8
4
Mark Hitt
Missy Nichols
1 Kings 9-11
5
1 Kings 12-14
6
Kim Johnson
Sr. Youth-Kidz
Connect
1 Kings 15-16
7
Ayzleigh Bass
Ginny Berryhill
Kylee Steward
1 Kings 17-19
8
Susan Reed
1 Kings 20-22
9
Jalon Mansel
Emily Williams
Sr. Youth-TGIF
2 Kings 1-3
10
Russell & Norma
Deaton
2 Kings 4-8
11
Larry Bates
Wedding Shower
for Will Nichols &
Mary-Kate Shelby
2 Kings 9-12
12
Scott Childers
2 Kings 13-17
13
2 Kings 18-21
14
Sky & Jennifer
Ray
Brain Freeze
2 Kings 22-25
15
Heath Lindley
Sr. Youth-Kidz
Connect
1 Chronicles 1-4
16
Mike Cross
Dennis Hallmark
Hannon Ray
1 Chronicles 5-9
17
Janna Gholston
1 Chron. 10-13
18
Brenda Lindley
1 Chron. 14-16
19
1 Chron. 17-21
20
Wanda Bryan
LuAnne
Funderburk
Blaine Roby
1 Chron. 22-27
21
1 Chron. 28-29
22
Ricky & Lisa
Lindsey
2 Chronicles 1-5
23
Ashley Davis
Brittney
Kennedy
Joe & Alicia
Smith
Sr. Youth-TGIF
2 Chron. 6-9
24
Bobby Joe &
Brenda Lindley
2 Chron. 10-12
25
2 Chron. 13-16
26
Russell Deaton
Greg Hughes
Sarah Smith
2 Chron. 17-20
27
Shawn Mounce
2 Chron. 21-25
28
McKenna
Lindsey
2 Chron. 26-28
29
2 Chron. 29-32
30
Jr. Youth—
Lock-In
2 Chron. 33-36
Sr. Youth-7th
Week Squad
Retreat @ Maywood

Daily Bible Reading
March 31..................................................2 Samuel 21-24
April 1............................................................1 Kings 1-4
April 2............................................................1 Kings 5-6
April 3............................................................1 Kings 7-8
April 4..........................................................1 Kings 9-11
April 5........................................................1 Kings 12-14
April 6........................................................1 Kings 15-16
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Birthdays: Raleigh Bass (Apr. 1), Matthew
Nichols (Apr. 1), Roger Sanderson (Apr. 1), Mark
Hitt (Apr. 4), Missy Nichols (Apr. 4), Kim Johnson
(Apr. 6). Anniversaries: Hannon & Star Ray (Apr. 2).
Our Sick
Ashley Davis and James Simmons continue chemo.
Shauna McMickin is at St. Jude with some infection.
Judy Bates continues to recuperate from knee surgery.
Tommy Goff, Patsy Nichols’ brother, will be taking a
short break from his chemo & radiation. Bruce & Dale
Pate, former members here, are battling Covid.
On-Going Illnesses
Jean Mounce, Mary Lou Walden, Steve Kelly, Bettye
Davis, Frankie Estes, Caroline Willis, Sean Koehn,
Carol Hood, Bill Goff, Donny Dulaney, Adam
McCurley, James Goddard, Mitch Maclean, Mary Starz,
Sheba Tuggers, Steve Higginbotham, Jane Griffin
Nursing Homes
Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Veona Harris,
Shirley McCarthy, Bob & Clara McClure, Brenda
Dawson
Wedding Shower
A Wedding Shower will be held in honor of Mary-
Kate Shelby, bride-elect of Will Nichols, “drive
through” on Sunday, Apr. 11 from 2-3:30 p.m. here at
the building hosted by Sherry Kingsley, Lisa Lindsey &
Renee Childers. They are registered at Belk, Amazon,
and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to the family of June Hale
who passed away Mar. 27. Funeral services were held
Mar. 30 at Holland Harris.
EMYG News
Hello! I hope that you are having a fantastic week.
As we consider the next month, here is what to look
forward to!
April 2nd
– T.G.I.F. from 9:00pm-12:00am.
April 3rd
– The Spring Egg Hunt for the Junior
Youth from 10:00am-11:30am.
April 4th
– Begins our normal worship schedule:
- Worship 9:00am
- Bible Class 10:15
- Worship 11:15
April 6th
– KIDZ KONNECT 6:00pm (Up to three
Senior Youth kids).
April 7th
– Wednesday Bible Class. All meet in the
auditorium at 7:00 and then will be dismissed to
age-appropriate classes.
April 9th
- T.G.I.F. from 9:00pm-12:00am.
April 14th
– BRAIN FREEZE after Bible class
April 15th
– KIDZ KONNECT (Up to three Senior
Youth kids).
April 16th
-18th
– 7TH
WEEK SQUAD MAYWOOD
RETREAT ($40.00 per person). Let me know if
you’re going and I’ll also be the one collecting the
payment.
April 23rd
- T.G.I.F. from 9:00pm-12:00am.
April 30th
– Junior Youth Lock -In. (Parents, if
you’re willing to be present at the Lock-In, it would
be greatly appreciated).
Please make every effort to attend these events.
We love you and if we can help you in any way,
please let us know.
Jr. Youth Activity
The youth in grades 6th
and
under are invited to the multi-
purpose room this Saturday, Apr.
3 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. Each
child should bring a basket and
12 plastic eggs. Also, please
sign the sheet on the youth
bulletin board across from the ladies’ bathroom if
you plan to attend so we can prepare for lunch.

Men to Serve Sunday, Apr. 4, 2021 a.m.
Announcements.......................................Jeff Mansel
Bible Reading..........................................Tanner Hitt
Opening Prayer ..........................................Mark Hitt
Lord’s Supper
Jalon Mansel
Lead Singing......................................Hugh Scribner
Closing Prayer......................................... Larry Long
Ushers ..................Terry Kingsley & Andy Baldwyn
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday 11:15 a.m. service
Opening Prayer ............................ Rommie Dilworth
Closing Prayer...........................................Tim Davis
Lead Singing........................................ Kent Nichols
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Opening Prayer ......................................Mike Ratliff
Lead Singing..................................Jonathan Nichols
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact the church office (842-6116) if unable to serve.
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 3-24-21 .................................................. 117*
Sunday 1st
Worship, 3-28-21 ........................................ 33
Sunday Bible Class................................................... 139*
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................. 194*
Contribution (budget $7,900) .............................. $12,127
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item...............................Cake or brownie mix
Beginning this Sunday, Apr. 4, the elders have decided to go back to our regular
schedule of services before the Corona virus affected us. We will have worship
Sunday at 9:00 a.m., Bible class at 10:15 a.m., and worship at 11:15 a.m. On
Wednesday we will meet in the auditorium at 7:00 p.m., have a short devotional
and then go to Bible class until 8:00 p.m.
The cry room will be reserved for those with health issues or compromised immune
systems who should still maintain caution.
The 9:00 a.m. Sunday service will continue to be livestreamed. As well as the 10:15
a.m. Bible class.