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Vol. 45 May 5, 2020 Number 18
“Read Your Bible, Pray Every Day. . .”
Barry Kennedy
These words ring aloud in our living room from time to time (used to be
more often). Many of you, especially those who have taught young children’s
Bible classes, will recognize that these are the words to a song. “Read your Bible,
pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grow.” We would sing this song in our
nightly family devotional time. Like most songs there is a message that we all
should heed no matter our age. God’s word is described by David to be “a lamp
unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Is that how we see God’s
divinely inspired word today (2 Timothy 3:16, 17)? How well are we growing in
the faith of our Lord? What is our prayer life consisting of today?
Read your Bible Every Day. Every living creature upon God’s created
earth must feed to survive. The hungry lion will not hesitate to take down his meal.
Hesitation could mean the difference between starvation and nourishment. The
motivation for the lion is hunger. Is it any wonder that Jesus said, “Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”
(Matthew 5:6)?
Do we truly hunger for the word of God on a daily basis? Is our spiritual
man so malnourished that we do not even recognize the pains of starvation?
Consider how Peter encouraged growth in the Christian’s life. “But grow in grace,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both
now and forever” (2 Peter 3:18). Paul also emphasized growth in knowledge to the
Colossian brethren. “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
(Colossians 1:10). The Bible is God’s revelation to mankind, instructing us in way
that we should live. What knowledge do we truly have of God? Far too many are
following a better felt that proven faith. Yet the scriptures teach, “faith is the
substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Of
course, that faith is a product of hearing (understanding and applying) God’s word
(Romans 10:17). Are we reading God’s word every day? If not, we are not going
to be fed, and if we are not fed, we cannot grow.
Pray Every Day. The longer one lives here on this earth, the more he or
she realizes the beauty of a strong prayer life. God has given so many blessings to
man that some have questioned the accuracy of the hymn “Count Your Blessings.”
The chorus of this song says, “count your blessings, name them one by one; count
your blessings, see what God hath done.” We need not go to the extreme and
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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
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—
condemn the use of this hymn, but is it possible to
actually count all the blessings we enjoy from
above? Of course not, yet, one must take the time to
thank God. Paul told the Roman congregation about
how the “invisible things of Him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen. . .” (Romans 1:20).
However, though many “knew God, they glorified
Him not as God, neither were thankful...” (Romans
1:21). Ingratitude is arrogance at its highest level.
Many go through life with an attitude of “the world
owes me a living.” We must not forget that the
world and all that’s in it was created by God
(Genesis 1, 2; John 1:1-5; Hebrews 1:1, 2);
therefore, the world and all that is in it belongs to
God. Are we praying to Him daily, are we thanking
Him on a regular basis, or are we waiting until we
need Him to call? We must pray every day if we are
to grow, grow, grow.
Bible study and prayer habits are not
developed overnight. It takes a conscience effort on
one’s part to “seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Having said that,
we must also know that it is not too late. Though
you may not have a habit of daily Bible reading and
prayer this very moment, it is not too late. Make the
decision of whom you will serve while we are on
time’s side of eternity, and do not look back. God
does not desire that any soul would be lost, but that
we would “come unto the knowledge of the truth”
(1 Timothy 2:4). Part of our coming to the
knowledge of truth should remind us of our
wonderful gift of being able to pray to our Father
through the mediation of His Son and understanding
of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 6:9; 1 Timothy 2:5;
Romans 8:26, 27).
The opposite of reading and praying every
day is that we “shrink, shrink, shrink.” Friends,
may we all grow in our Bible study and prayer life
now, that we may live for all eternity then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wedding Shower for Alex
& Cassie
The Wedding Shower for
Alex Blackwelder & Cassie
Cummings is now scheduled
for May 23 from 3-5 p.m. It
will be a “drive by” shower at
the church building. They are registered at Target
and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
High School Graduates
We are still planning to honor our
2020 High School Graduates! We just
have not determined exactly how we
will do it or the exact date yet. We
hope to have definite plans soon. Our high school
graduates this year are Hannah Bland, Jacob
Bradley, Jacie Dickinson, Sam Hood, Brooke Roby,
and Kylee Steward. Please let us know if we have
left anyone off.
Thank You Notes
Dear East Main family,
Thank you so much for all the cards, calls, and
messages of love and concern in the death of my
brother Michael. It is such a comfort to know that
you can always lean on your church family in a time
of grief.
Thank you for all the support during this lock
down time also. You are a wonderful supportive
family at all times and that means so much to me.
Love my church family!
Billie McNutt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
East Main family,
FAMILY. That’s exactly what you are. Due to
the virus, I was hesitant to send “licked” and
“sealed” letters. I felt this might be the safest. Zac
& I are at a loss of words for how well you all have
“showered” Baby Tucker. They say it takes a
village, and I believe whole heartedly, we have the
best there is. Thank you from the bottom of our
hearts for all of the gifts and cards to celebrate such
a special time in our life. We are so blessed and
cannot wait to meet this baby. We love you.
Zac & Savannah Tucker
John Duke stationed in Gulfport, MS
Caleb Williams stationed in Iraq
Rob Cross & family stationed in South Korea

Daily Bible Reading
May 6 ..................................................Nehemiah 1-2
May 7 ..................................................Nehemiah 3-4
May 8 ..................................................Nehemiah 5-6
May 9 ..................................................... Nehemiah 7
May 10 ................................................... Nehemiah 8
May 11 ..............................................Nehemiah 9-10
May 12 ............................................Nehemiah 11-12
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Debbie Vines (May 6), Jake
Donald (May 10), Barbara Wright (May 10),
Tammy Hughes (May 11), Maggie Minor
(May 12), Summer Smith (May 12).
Anniversaries: LuAnne & Paul Funderburk
(May 8), Larry & Suzanne Long (May 12).
Our Sick
Wilma Underwood, Chevela’s mother-in-law,
has finished therapy and is home. Continue to
remember those in nursing homes and assisted
living facilities, as they are not allowed visitors at
this time.
On-Going Illnesses
Mary Lou Walden, Pete Barber, Steve Kelly,
Frankie Estes, Jennie Cox, Donny Dulaney, Adam
McCurley, Mary Jordan, James Goddard, Bill Goff,
Leroy Brown, Jadon Parish, Jerry Smith, Mitch
Maclean, Mary Starz, Sheba Tuggers, Homer
Smith, Jill Rice, Ann Letteri, Shirley Roberts,
Merlene Johnson
Nursing Homes
Evelyn Willis, Nancy Haywood, Randy
Attaway, Shirley McCarthy, Mary Southern, Veona
Harris
Our Sympathy
We extend our sympathy to Marlon Geno &
Shirley Lyons in the loss of their aunt, JoAnn
Goddard of Booneville, MS, on May 4.
Home Devotional
In what chapter of the Bible do you find?
The Great Commission .......................... Matthew 28
Love ................................................1 Corinthians 13
Birth of the church .......................................... Acts 2
Birth of Jesus.................................................. Luke 2
Faith ....................................................... Hebrews 11
Quote Psalm 23:
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he
leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths
of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the
LORD for ever.
Put the following Bible characters in
chronological order?
❖ Abraham
❖ Moses
❖ Joshua
❖ Eve
❖ Daniel
Can you tell a Bible story from the
following picture?
Outreach Item for May:
Bathroom cleaner

Men to Serve Sunday, April 5, 2020 a.m.
Announcements..............................Dennis Hallmark
Bible Reading..............................Hunter Underwood
Opening Prayer ..............................Roger Sanderson
Lord’s Supper
Dale Dulaney & Kent Nichols
Serve Congregation, East Side:
Greg Hughes, Joe Minor, Andy Baldwyn
Serve Congregation, West Side:
Lee DuBois, Ben DuBois, Jackson Voyles
Lead Singing......................................Hugh Scribner
Closing Prayer................................. Jason Dickinson
Ushers .................. David Ramseyer & Eric Barnette
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday Afternoon
Opening Prayer ...................................Mike Childers
Closing Prayer................................... William Harris
Lead Singing....................................James Simmons
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Prayer.................................................... Chet Wilson
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 ..................... Bobby Joe & Brenda Lindley
...................................Ricky & Lisa Lindsey
Prepare Lord’s Supper—April...........................Greg
& Tracy Lyle
Nursery (1st
worship)...................Tammy & Sarah Minor
(2nd
worship)......Stephanie Baldwyn & Maggie Minor
Pantry................................................................ Tuna
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 3-25-20.............................................N/A
Sunday 1st
Worship, 3-29-20 ..............................N/A
Sunday Bible Class .............................................N/A
Sunday 2nd
Worship............................................N/A
Contribution (budget $7,900)..........................$6,755
Mark Your Calendars!!!
Personal Evangelism Workshop – May 29th-30th
Vacation Bible School – June 14th-17th
Maywood Christian Camp – July 12th-18th
Outward Camp – July 31st-August 1st
Gospel Meeting – September 13th-16th
Fall Family Retreat – November 13th-14th
We will be livestreaming services
again this Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
We are in unprecedented times! The elders are diligently looking for ways to spiritually
feed our East Main family while we are unable to assemble as a congregation due to the
COVID 19 virus. Please continue to view East Main’s Facebook page to see recorded
worship services and Bible class lessons, as well as daily devotional thoughts (“Monday
Meditations,” “TNT,” “Thoughtful Thursdays,” “Elders’ Encouragements”) for adults and
youth. Also, you can view our Sunday worship services on YouTube.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
East Main Church of Christ
Here is what the Facebook page looks like. If you are not able to access this page,
please call the church office and someone will assist you in gaining access.
Please continue to pray for each other and the world over!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3)