Scott's Thoughts

Grace Presbyterian Church

E-mail bulletin

May 1, 2006

 

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

(Psalm 103:13,14)

 

 

Dear Members and Friends of Grace,

 

Greetings in the name of our compassionate Father! Here is what is happening in the life of Grace:

 

 

 

            Wednesday, May 3^rd:

 

-         The Wednesday Evening prayer meeting will meet at the Johnsons’ house this evening at 7:00 p.m. All singles are invited to join us for dinner at 6:00 p.m. Call me with any questions (see phone numbers below).

 

 

Thursday, May 4^th – Saturday, May 6^th:

 

-         The Spring meeting of the Presbytery of the Southwest will take place at Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Fort Worth, TX. Pray for wisdom and guidance for the elders as we meet together, and for the safety of all who will be traveling there.

 

 

Sunday, May 7^th:

 

-         Elder Dave Guild will teach the adult Sunday School.

 

-         During the morning service, Rev. Adam Ostella of Knox OPC in Oklahoma City will fill the pulpit at Grace. As part of a pulpit exchange, I will preach at Knox this morning.

 

-         The evening service starts at 6:00 p.m. We are watching and discussing a video series called “The Case for Kids.” In this series, teachers Paul and Tedd Tripp explain and summarize biblical principles of child-rearing.

 

 

Upcoming studies:

 

-         Did the Church vote to “make” Jesus divine in the 4^th century? Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene? Are there other “gospels” that give us new information about Jesus (for example, the recently discovered Gospel of Judas)? Does the worship of God rather than a goddess lead to wars and bloodshed? Is belief in the Bible and the historic teaching of the Church contrary to historical evidence? These are questions that spring from the outrageous claims made in Dan Brown’s novel, “The Da Vinci Code”. In May, during the adult Sunday School time, we will consider some of these claims from a biblical perspective. As far-fetched as these assertions sound, your neighbor may accept them at face value. The purpose of the class will be to help you give a “reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15) in a culture increasingly ignorant of biblical Christianity and open to paganizing influences such as “The Da Vinci Code.”  

 

-         For an excellent website debunking The Da Vinci Code, go to www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com

 

-         During the summer months, we will combine the adult and children’s Sunday School classes and have a time of biblical instruction for families and people of all ages together. The topic for the study will be announced later.

 

Church history lectures:

 

-         On May 12^th and 13^th, minister and author Rev. Iain Murray will lecture on Charles Spurgeon and Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the campus of Oklahoma City University. Visit this website for more information.

 

 

Website update:

 

-         Grace’s website has been updated to include sermons and Sunday School lessons up to April 30^th.

 

 

Eric Pyle’s work with Wycliffe Bible Translators:

 

-         See Eric Pyle’s website for information about his software programming work for Wycliffe.

 

 

Opportunities for service:

 

-         Volunteers are needed to clean the church building for the months of May, June, and August. If you are interested in serving this way, please sign the sign-up sheet located in the vestibule of the church.

 

-         Stamps for Missions. Each year, the OPC raises funds for missions projects by selling used stamps. This year’s proceeds will go to help finance the translation of Reformed literature into the Tigrinya language for Eritrea. At Grace, we have on hand a large amount of stamps that could be sent to the OPC for this purpose but first must be prepared. If you would like to volunteer to prepare the stamps for sending to the OPC offices, please let me know.

 

 

 

 

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

 

 

 

 

Pastor Scott Johnson

Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC)

Norman, Oklahoma

Visit our website: www.opcNorman.org

church: 405-321-5220

home: 405-321-6151