Issue #4 - August 2006

Minister's Message

I've been giving a lot of thought during the past week or so to the meaning and importance of Baptism. As a result, I'd like to share with you a church newsletter article I received a few days ago from my good friend David McSwain. David grew up in North Carolina and is the son of a Presbyterian minister. David and I were classmates in seminary, and he now serves as the pastor of an Episcopal church in Schenectady, New York. He writes in a humorous, "down-home" style, but what he says is quite profound. I hope you'll find it as interesting and informative as I did!

The summer we were fifteen my friend Andy got saved! It was during the June revival at First Baptist Church. On Friday night, the final night of the revival, Andy went forward during the singing of "Just As I Am Without One Plea" and told the preacher that he wanted to give his heart to Jesus. Andy's parents and his Sunday school teacher had wanted him to get saved all that year. Finally it happened. Andy's parents were thrilled. Miss Long, his Sunday school teacher, cried. The pastor scheduled Andy for baptism the following Sunday.

On Saturday morning, Andy, Eddie, Richard and I snuck in the back door of First Baptist to check out the preparations, which included taking an illegal dip in the baptismal pool behind the pulpit. In between having a blast in the indoor pool, we wondered a lot that morning about baptism, Andy's and ours. Eddie said he was baptized when he was a baby at the Methodist church. I said that mother had told me that I was baptized in the manse one Sunday afternoon when I was a year old. Richard didn't know when or if he had been baptized. He even wondered if he could get on the program with Andy on Sunday. We all had a lot of questions that day on baptism --- baptism in pools, baptism as babies, and baptism when you get saved. Maybe we could get baptized again with our friend Andy on Sunday just to be sure. Eddie said he didn't think so. My dad, the Reverend William Belk McSwain, said "definitely not." I remember asking my dad, "Well how do I know I am saved?"

The Catechism in The Book of Common Prayer says, "Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the Kingdom of God." In other words, through baptism we are born again. This new birth is not only symbolized in baptism, it is actually conveyed! We are made members of Christ and of his Body. It does not matter whether we are baptized as infants or later. We are reborn, regenerated, made members of Christ's Body the Church and inheritors of the Kingdom of God. As members of Christ's Body, our sins are forgiven. We have entered into a new life.

Andy's pool experience was inviting that hot June. If you have been baptized, you have been born again as a first-class child of God. You may not feel like it, you may not be living like it, but you have!

~ Denny Burnette

Regional Office Move

The Regional Office for the Christian Church in Virginia has moved into a new building. The new address and phone number are as follows:

Christian Church (DoC) in Virginia
1290 Enterprise Drive
Lynchburg, VA 24502

Phone: (434) 846-3400
Fax: (434) 528-4919

Peace Statement - General Board of the Christian Church

As we have listened to and watched the tragic developments in the Middle East these past two weeks, especially the current situation of escalating war between Israel and Lebanon, the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 22-25, 2006, expresses its deep concern and prayers for the victims of this conflict on all sides (Israel, Lebanon, Palestine and others). Particularly we express our concern for the victims who have been caught in the cross-fire of indiscriminate bombing and who now suffer the growing humanitarian crises in the wake of the destruction of their homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, highways, bridges, and electric power stations. Villages are being destroyed; children and families are being torn apart and suffer.

We urge people everywhere to work for a just peace throughout the Middle East through non-violent and diplomatic means, rather than acts of war; and, we reaffirm our church's commitment to critical presence in the region through persons in mission and accompaniment ministries with partner churches and other religious organizations. We are neither pro-Palestinian nor pro-Israel; we are "pro" peace and justice for all parties and nations. We thus call upon all sides in the conflict to cease the current hostilities and to exercise restraint in their actions.

We denounce the provocative, violent actions of both Hezbollah and Israel that threaten to destabilize the Lebanese government, and thereby the stability of the entire region.

The General Board affirms the witness of our General Minister and President, The Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, as she joined with fifteen other Christian leaders here in the United States in signing a letter on July 21, 2006, urging President George W. Bush to work with other world leaders "to secure an immediate cease-fire in the violent conflict raging between Hezbollah and Israel" and calling upon President Bush to apply his leadership and the full weight of the United States, acting in concert with the international community, "to launch an intensive diplomatic initiative for the cessation of hostilities."

A recent statement by the National Council of Churches of Christ USA and Church World Service addressing the current crisis in the Middle East began with the biblical image of Jesus "as he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, 'If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace.'" (Luke 19:41-42a, NRSV)

Today, we hear Jesus' lament in the crisis of the Israelis, Lebanese, and Palestinians; Christians, Jews and Muslims; and others whose lives are threatened by the escalating violence and war. Jesus' tears wash across the landscape of the Middle East today, and his words echo in the hearts of Christians and peoples everywhere: "let us embrace those things that make for peace."

The Rev. William Lee, Moderator,
on behalf of the General Board Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
July 24, 2006

Schedules

Acolytes

August: Jacob and Blake
September: Amber and Corey
October: David and Abbie
November: Fairlyte and Shawn
December: No one as of now

Nursery

August Adult:
Steff Throckmorton 6th & 13th
Need help - 20th & 27th

August Youth:
Need help

September Adult:
Steff Throckmorton 10th & 17th
Need help - 3d & 24th

September Youth:
Emily T. 14th & 21st
Need help

A Great Joke

One of my friend's favorite church songs as a kid was "Up from the Grave He Arose", except he thought the song was "Up from the Gravy He Arose." It wasn't until he learned to read that he found out that the song had nothing to do with mashed potatoes. I can just imagine what picture was going through his mind when he sang that song ...

Lectionary

August 6, 2006
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a; Psalm 51:1-12
Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35

August 13, 2006
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130
Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51

August 20, 2006
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Psalm 111
Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58

August 27, 2006
1 Kings 8:1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-43; Psalm 84
Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69

Take a moment and read these scriptures each week!

Volunteer Opportunities

Upcoming Youth Activities

Worship

Sunday School every Sunday at 10 AM
Worship Service following at 11 AM
Prayer Service each Wednesday at noon

Every Wednesday we offer a Bible Study at 10:30 AM and 6:30 PM
Community Youth Night every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:15 PM

Louisa Christian Church
P.O. Box 1344
104 Elm Avenue
Louisa, VA 23093

www.louisachristianchurch.org

Rev. Burnette: 540-967-4884
Email

Rev. Ricks: 804-683-3537
Email

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