bulletin 10-13-20

1. 4
Vol. 45 October 13, 2020 Number 40
FEAR NOT
Barry Kennedy
We have a lot of things going on in the world around us. Christians are not
immune to hardships and difficulties (1 Peter 4:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13). This reality
is naturally going to cause us some level of fear from time to time. We must not
however, allow fear to consume us to the point of inactivity for the Lord. Consider the
scene with Moses and the children of Israel at the banks of the Red Sea. The Egyptian
army was hot on their heels and they could not advance because of the water. All
seemed terribly bleak at that moment! “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not,
stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for
the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever”
(Exodus 14:13). God delivered them in the midst of their fear and brought them
through the Red Sea on dry land. This is much more than some nice story to tell our
children at bedtime, this is a reminder why God’s people must not fear!
Fear robs us of our abilities. Satan has preyed upon man’s fears for centuries.
The sad fact about it is that we allow it. Fear backs one into the corner and makes it
virtually impossible to see the ability God has given His creation. When Moses
brought the children of Israel to the banks of the Red Sea, they were ready to let fear
rob them of their ability to go forward. God said through Moses “Fear ye not.” The
New Testament has much to say about fear as well. The parable of the talents gives
divine insight into how God views His creation (Matthew 25:14-30). This parable is a
study of judgment, but we need not overlook the important point that the master
(Jesus) knows our ability. “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to
another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his
journey” (Matthew 25:14). The one talent man allowed fear to control his abilities and
when that happens ability turns into inactivity. The result, “cast ye the unprofitable
servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew
25:30). Many focus on punishment and fail to see that God is saying, “Fear not, I
know you have the ability.”
Fear blinds us to our opportunities. Opportunities are all around us, but one
thing is for certain, if we close our eyes, we will never see them. The children of Israel
quickly forgot about the deliverance God gave them in Egypt when they saw the
enemy advancing and the Red Sea serving as an impassable boundary. Their fear
would not allow them to see the opportunities that lay before them. How many times
do we allow fear to blind us of the opportunities God has before us? How about the
times we have been given the opportunities to talk with someone about the gospel, but
we allowed our fears to keep us from seizing the opportunity? We must remember that
the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20) was given by our Lord; therefore, we
--article continued page 2--
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.
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)

2. --article continued from page 1—
should fear not. After all, Jesus said, “...Lo I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt.
28:20). Paul informed the Roman congregation that if
God is for us then who can be against us (Rom. 8:31).
Often, we find ourselves frightened by the
unknown. Sadly, many people are fearing their
Christian duty because of the same reason, the
unknown. We are the only ones who can change that.
It will take diligence to overcome our fears. It will
take a faith that is motivated to trust in the living God
and not in our own ways. “Trust in the LORD with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own under-
standing. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes:
fear the LORD and depart from evil. It shall be health
to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (Prov. 3:5-8).
Are we ready to trust the Lord and do His will,
or will we keep on allowing fear to extinguish our zeal
and maintain a melancholy approach to serving God?
Let’s all take up that cross we have been denying and
start following Christ as true believers and not fearful
mice. The result of a life spent in fear is an eternity in
a devil’s hell. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and
the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,
and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). On
the other hand, “He that overcometh shall inherit all
things.” (Rev. 2:7). The same God who says
“Overcome” says “Fear Not!” Are we listening?
Congratulations
Congratulations to Betty Beard
in the birth of her great grandson,
Samuel Evans Beard, on Oct. 6. He
weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 19 ¾
inches long. Justin & Heather
Beard are the proud parents.
Mother and baby are doing well.
Pine Vale
Fall Pantry Drive
East Main continues to collect items for Pine
Vale’s fall pantry drive. They will be sending a truck
by October 20 to pick these items up. Our assigned
items are: Batteries (AA or 9-volt)
Salad dressing (Ranch/Thousand Island)
Light bulbs (40w, 60w, 100w)
There is a box in the foyer for you to leave your
items or you may donate money for purchase of these
items if you do not feel comfortable shopping.
Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to Emily Williams in the
loss of her grandfather, John Williams, on Oct. 5.
Graveside services were held Oct. 7 in Nashville, AR.
He was Gary Williams’ father.
Response
Jacie Dickinson responded to heaven’s invitation
Sunday morning to confess that her focus hasn’t been
on God. We commend Jacie in her desire to live
pleasing to God and keep Him first in her life.
HELP NEEDED!
We are working to install a more
professional setup of cameras &
equipment than the cell phones & tripods
we’ve been using to produce our live
stream services, & we are looking for help
to create a number of teams to help man the cameras &
work the sound board. The reason we want multiple
teams is to make sure no individual is responsible for
every service. Due to the additional equipment, we need
two person teams to handle everything. Depending on
how many teams we have, will determine how often you
will be on duty.
This is a wonderful form of service for those who do
not feel comfortable leading in public worship in front of
the congregation. However, we encourage anyone
interested to volunteer, because we need quite a few to
set up teams. Also, do not worry if you don’t know how
to operate the equipment, we will have some training.
If you are willing to help, please contact William
Harris (662-416-8149) or Renee Childers (662-842-
6116).
John Duke stationed in Gulfport, MS
Caleb Williams stationed in Quantico, VA
Rob Cross & family stationed in South Korea
Ty Nichols stationed in Germany

3. Daily Bible Reading
October 14......................................................Mark 4-5
October 15......................................................Mark 6-7
October 16......................................................Mark 8-9
October 17..................................................Mark 10-11
October 18..................................................Mark 12-13
October 19..................................................Mark 14-16
October 20......................................................... Luke 1
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Ian Reed (Oct. 14), Nancy Haywood
(Oct. 16), Mary Ann Wallace (Oct. 17), Brenda
Spearman (Oct. 18), Chad Willis (Oct. 19), Mary
Robbins Bowlin (Oct. 20), Will Davis (Oct. 20).
Anniversaries: None this week.
Our Sick
Jean Mounce continues at UAB. Andy Baldwyn
will undergo rotator cuff surgery Wed. in
Germantown. Robert Kingsley will undergo cataract
surgery Wed. Beth Deaton, Russell & Norma’s
daughter, underwent outpatient surgery Tues. Mary
Lou Walden is home. Ricky Lindsey’s father, Jimmy,
is having health issues. Pete Barber & Jill Rice
(Debbie Vines’ mother) continue at Sanctuary
Hospice House. Linda Hand’s cellulitis is better. Judy
Bates has a checkup Friday for her back. Heather
DuBois had some wisdom teeth pulled last week.
David Rushing, Pat Putt’s son, continues to recuperate
at home following surgery.
On-Going Illnesses
Steve Kelly, Bettye Davis, Frankie Estes, Jennie Cox,
Donny Dulaney, Adam McCurley, James Goddard, Bill
Goff, Leroy Brown, Jadon Parish, Jerry Smith, Mitch
Maclean, Mary Starz, Sheba Tuggers, Homer Smith,
Shirley Roberts, Merlene Johnson, Thomas Lloyd, Steve
Higginbotham, Tommy Goff, Brenda Dawson, Brian
Carver, Sean Koehn
Nursing Homes
Evelyn Willis, Nancy Haywood, Jennie Cox, Randy
Attaway, Shirley McCarthy, Veona Harris, Bob & Clara
McClure
EMYG News
Greetings!
Cassie and I hope that you all are doing well.
This past Wednesday night, we welcomed a new sister
into the family of God. Audrey Harp and her family
have been visiting East Main for a while, and after some
study with her, she decided to take responsibility of her
spiritual state. We are very proud of you, Audrey.
We had a wonderful turnout for our very first
T.G.I.F. (Together Growing in Faith) event this past
Friday night. These events will be on Friday nights from
9:30-11:30pm. We had a great time of fellowship,
singing, and games. Thank you to all who came and
made T.G.I.F. a huge success! Transportation is
available for your children if you would prefer them to
be brought back home. Mark and Carrie Hitt are the ones
for that. Be sure to check regularly the youth board for
all the future events and information. Be sure to sign up
for our church Fall Retreat at Maywood Christian camp!
The dates are November 13-14. Registration ends
November 1st. The Junior youth will have their first
activity November 1st. See board for more details.
For all other concerns, questions, or needs, feel
free to contact me directly at (731) 879 -9196. Alex
Thank You Note
Dear family,
Thank you so much for your many calls, texts, cards,
and hugs during the passing of my grandfather John
Williams. The floral arrangement you sent, too, is a
lovely reminder of your care and kindness. God seems
to have chosen this season to teach me a lot about love
and loss, and while those lessons are difficult, your
support has made them easier to bear. I am
overwhelmed by your encouragement, and I can truly
say like Paul did of the Philippians, I thank God every
time I remember you. Please continue to keep me and
my family in your prayers as we move forward to the
day we will be reunited with our loved ones. I love and
appreciate you. In Him,
Emily Williams

4. Men to Serve Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020 a.m.
Announcements................................Michael Wilson
Bible Reading...................................Cooper Blansett
Opening Prayer ..............................Roger Sanderson
Lord’s Supper
Andy Clemmer
Lead Singing......................................Donny McKay
Closing Prayer..........................................Will Davis
Ushers ..................... Dale Dulaney & Mike Childers
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.
Bible Classes (streamed each week)
Adult class................Jeff Mansel (Facebook/YouTube)
Adult class.......... Barry Kennedy (Facebook/YouTube)
College class.....Roger Sanderson/Tim Davis (Facebook)
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 9-30-20 .................................................. 125*
Sunday 1st
Worship, 10-11-20 ...................................... 39
Sunday Bible Class (Sr. adult class)............................. 28
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................. 126*
Contribution (budget $7,900) ................................ $8,278
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item.......................................Canned chicken
Mark Your Calendars!
Jr. & Sr. Youth Fall Festival – November 1st
Fall Family Retreat – November 13th--14th
Services will be livestreamed this Sunday at
10:00 a.m. if you do not feel safe attending the
service in person.