Announcements
THANK YOU: Dear C.O.D. church family & friends, Thank you for your prayers for our mother, Genevieve Singer, over the last month and a half. God has answered in a marvelous way and given a speedy recovery for a 90-year-old. Your cards to Mom and prayers for our family to have wisdom and strength during her hospitalization and early days of recovery were also much appreciated. With our gratitude, Jennifer and Ron Reed and Jeff Singer.
NURSERY: Nursery is open on Sunday mornings for babies through 48 months old.
CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA: Practice will resume beginning Sunday, June 6 at 4:30 p.m. in the Auditorium. All newcomers are welcome!! Also, anyone having Living Cross Music, please return it when you come to practice.
RECOGNIZING OUR GRADUATES: If you are graduating from high school (including CCS), college, graduate school, technical school, etc. we will be putting together a special handout that lists the graduates. Please complete the form available at the Welcome Desk and turn it in there, or feel free to call the church and leave the information on Tammy’s voicemail, ext. 308, or email it to her at tacomstock@opendoorchurch.org by June 2.
SOUL-WINNERS CLUB: The next Virtual Soul-Winners Club Training Session begins on Tuesday, August 24. These are Zoom sessions and those interested in taking the class may sign up on line.
COLLEGE AND CAREER CLASS: An “Under the Lights” event is scheduled for Sunday, May 30. For more information and to sign up: opendoorchurch.org/May30.
NURSERY WORKERS: If you have not turned in your Volunteer Contact Information card, please contact Anne-Marie Albaugh at 443-375-2078 or amagoingforth@gmail.com. Also, please see Lynn Graf if you have not completed the Safe & Secure forms for background checks.
From My Heart
We are beginning our Spring Revival Meeting today with Evangelist John Hamblin. Dr. Hamblin will be with us each evening through Wednesday, and I trust you will be with us for each service. I am praying for a great moving of God upon our church family. Can I ask you to sacrifice the next four days to the Lord and let's see what the Lord will do in our church, our families, and our hearts!
I never cease to be amazed at how the liberal media thinks! It does not seem to matter what the issue is, the “lame stream media” looks at that issue in the wrong way! Monday, two weeks ago, Israel was celebrating Jerusalem Day. In the midst of jubilant celebrations, the sirens began to blare warning of incoming rockets being launched in Gaza towards Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Since that first barrage of rockets, the assault has not ceased. As of last Tuesday, over 3,200 rockets have been fired at the Israeli people. Eleven innocent Israeli citizens have been killed from the rocket fire. Israel's Iron Dome has shot down over 90% of the incoming missiles. Who fired the first shot? Hamas and the Palestinians!
Yet, when Israel defended itself, and set out to permanently cripple the ability of Hamas to launch missiles, the press made it sound like big, bad, mean ole Israel is killing innocent Palestinians and they need to stop bombing! They showed pictures of men carrying stretchers with children while they all screamed and cried about how evil those brutal ole Israelis were. Several reporters on one specific day last week, all said in unison (I guess they all read the memo) that it “wasn't fair” because the Israeli's had jet airplanes and big powerful, laser-guided missiles, and poor, deprived, bullied, little, struggling Hamas doesn't!
Israel has very strict rules of engagement and has done everything possible to avoid killing innocent people. They have called building owners on their cell phone and warned them to clear out their building. They give them 2 hours, and then bomb the building. It was revealed last Monday that almost 100 casualties among the innocent Palestinian people have come from rockets set off by Hamas that fizzled and fell inside Gaza, killing their own people. You can be certain the mainstream press will not cover that story - it does not fit their narrative of Israel-bad, and Palestine-good!
So, now the Palestinians and the Arab world are crying that Israel needs to stop. Prime Minister Netanyahu said he will not stop now, until they have done what they need to do to cripple Hamas to where they no longer have the ability to launch rockets into Israel. Israel has killed several key leaders of the terrorist organizations inside Gaza, as well as destroyed the homes of those leaders. Please pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Have a great day, and let's pray for the Lord to bless us greatly!
Pastor Norris