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Announcements Plus Devotional Aids

Let's Learn a Bible Verse!

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
--Acts 2:38 (NIV)

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Contents

Announcements

June Newsletter is now online

Country Style Steak Fundraiser

REPORT: We raised $1955 with this effort. We thank all those who donated money while enjoying a great meal. May God bless you for your generosity.

On Saturday, May 30th, 4-7:00 p.m., we will be serving up Country Style steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and roll with your choice of a homemade dessert for a donation to our General Fund. Dine-in and a beverage is included. Take-out is available. We thank you for your support!

 

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Quote to Ponder

"When shame disappears, so do the internal brakes that keep selfish impulses from overwhelming our shared norms that make community possible. Shame isn't about cruelty or humiliation; it's the subtle pressure that nudges people toward responsibility, restraint, and consideration for others. Remove that pressure, and the center of gravity shifts from "we" to "me," and the social fabric dissolves."

 

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For Meditation

"If I were the devil and wanted to undo the Creator's perfect design, the first thing I'd eliminate is shame. Remove shame, and the rest collapses like so many dominoes. Without shame, belief in God becomes optional, then inconvenient, then irrelevant. And once God is dismissed, a vacuum opens that people rush to fill with either their own self‑importance—making themselves the center of the universe—or with the appetites of the ungodly: desire without duty, impulse without restraint, and a steady erosion of any standard that interferes with the latest craving. The Marxist destroyers understand this perfectly. The removal of shame is a primary tool, and it is dissolving the core of Western Civilization before our eyes."

Kenneth Francis.

https://mindmatters.ai/2026/05/understanding-the-atheists-mind/

 

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Mini-Bible Lesson #103: Meeting Together

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. –Hebrews 10: 24-25

There are believers that say that they do not need to go to church to be a follower of Christ; then they point to the man on the cross whom Jesus said would be in paradise with Jesus that very day. But is this a good analogy or comparison? The thief on the cross was saved for believing in Jesus, but he died that day. He would never have to deal with temptation, distractions, sorrows, pains, persecution, or doubts. Most people who become Christians do not immediately die. They are left here to deal with the slings and arrows of fate. They face temptation daily. They face doubts. They face evil daily because they continue to live in a fallen world.

In Hebrews 10:24-25, we are admonished to “not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.” Why are we to meet with one another regularly? In those same verses, we read “let us encourage one another—all the more as you see the Day approaching.” That is one purpose in our meetings. That Day that approaches is the day that each of us meets the Lord face-to-face, and there is one Day coming when the whole world will see Jesus and experience either his wrath or his redemption. So, we need the church for encouragement because life can be difficult and persecution will come to us who profess Jesus and live by his standards and not the world’s.

There are other reasons to not forsake church attendance. We can “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (see Hebrews 10:24a). When Christians pray together, great things can happen. It happened at Pentecost (Acts 2) and in Acts 4, after Peter and John were persecuted by the Sanhedrin, they returned to their fellow believers and prayed and “the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31). We can share reports about what God has done. “On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" (Acts 14:27). We can avoid being “carried away by all kinds of strange teachings" (Hebrews 13:9). As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 15:32, “so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.” Our faith is renewed and we are refreshed by being with our fellow believers in a worship service and in a Bible study group.

When we come together to “[s]peak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20), we reaffirm our faith and our commitment to the Lord and to one another. We are reminded of how much we have received from God and Jesus, creating gratitude in our hearts that gives us peace even when all is chaos around us.

And though we no longer have “everything in common” (see Acts 2:44-45), we can “bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). In a world filled more and more with lonely people, being an active member of a local church helps you to avoid loneliness and gives you opportunities to relieve the loneliness of fellow believers and others who need to know about Jesus.

Read these descriptions of the Body of Christ, the Church. Reflect on them until you understand what church is really all about—it is not a social club, though you can find and make friends there; it is not just a fall back when something goes wrong, though it can help you through hard times; it is not for entertainment, though you can be entertained there. The church is here to help us to grow into the people God has always wanted us to be and to help grow the kingdom of God. Be a church goer and doer not just a member.

Ephesians 4:12-16 (emphasis added):

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Colossians 3:12-17(emphasis added):

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of the one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

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Special Resources

The picture below is our new Resource Room with books, dvds, videos, and a TV screen (not shown in photo). Individuals are encouraged to take resources home for Bible study or reading; and classes can use the room to show videos related to their studies. We would appreciate donations of books or dvds, especially for young children for this collection.

 

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Ongoing Collections - Updated - 8/5/2025

CCC & TI Food Pantry Collection - Yearly in April

Throughout the month of April, we will be collecting single serve, microwaveable or ready-to-eat items for students at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Suggested items: single serve Ramen Noodles, macaroni and cheese, crackers with cheese or peanut butter, cookies, single serve canned meats, etc.

Oakhill Backpack Ministry

We are beginning to collect single serve, easy to microwave or use food items to send home with needy children, such as, fruit cups, mac and cheese, snacks, noodles, etc. The children will receive a backpack of these items to take home on the weekends, and use for themselves and their families. Put the items in the old fellowship hall. We thank you for helping.

Local Schools Supply Closet

We continue to collect items for our local teachers.This ministry provides items for teachers and their students that they cannot obtain through the regular budget.

They include the following: Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, hand soap, paper towels, facial tissues, sharpies, dry board markers highlighters, black/blue/red ink pens, colored pencils, glue sticks, composition books and notebook paper (wide and college ruled), crayons, scissors (children's type), index cards, construction paper, pencil sharpeners, sheet protectors, file folders, large and small legal pads, white out, paper clips, staples, pencil pouches, markers, rulers, ring binders, card stock white/assorted, 3 ring note books, large and small pencil top erasers, and post it notes.

South Caldwell Christian Ministries

August is our month to help resupply the SCCM Food Pantry. Canned meats and vegetables, rice and cereral, canned beans, soups, canned fruits, Instant Variety Packs of oatmeal or grits, peanut butter, crackers, and other non-perishable items.

We are collecting non-perishable food and clean used clothing in good condition that will be taken to South Caldwell Christian Ministries. You may leave the items at the church on Sundays or during normal office hours (8:30 to 1:00 p.m., Monday-Friday).

We thank you for helping us to minister to the needs of our community.

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Contact Information: 828-396-2214 or emcdudleyshoals@yahoo.com;
4948 Burns Rd., Granite Falls NC 28630