Terry Lowe wishes to be acknowledged as a member at Central. Terry has been visiting with us for the past several months and we are indeed happy to have him. His address is 2429 1/2 N. Market, Shawnee, 74804, telephone number is 878-0828. Please add him to your directory.

We extend our sympathy to the family of Eddie Morris who passed away on Sunday afternoon after a long illness. Eddie was the brother of Louise Dixson and cousin of Jim Pettyjohn. Funeral services were held on Wednesday afternoon at the Northridge building with Bob Anderson officiating.

All of our young people here at Central continue to be such an example for us. Have you noticed the young men who continue to lead in our worship? They are doing an outstanding job! Of course right now, so many of our young people are extremely busy working on LTC which will be held this weekend in Tulsa. They have been working and preparing many hours on bulletin boards, chorus, drama, puppets, song leading, sermon delivery, Bible reading, and other projects. Be sure to encourage all our young people and give them "a pat on the back" for all of their hard work. And what can you say about all the faithful training and instruction from the parents, coaches, and supporters of LTC and our entire youth program here at Central? Also, I know we're all especially thankful for the leadership and organization of Bob and Janet Stephens and all their hard labor. All of these adults are doing a tremendous job in working with and guiding these young people in the way of the Lord. I think this is a great sign for a positive and bright future for us.

I will be out of the pulpit this coming Sunday. Maggie and I are going up with the young people for LTC this weekend and we'll be staying over through Sunday to visit and worship with our families. I'm thankful for the time to be away and especially for Dwyane as he continues to preach and labor here in the kingdom at Central. Of course this Sunday is Easter Sunday. It is a time of year when people all over the world think about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I have always believed that these occasions provide us wonderful opportunities to invite and look for visitors. This could be our only opportunity to connect with some people who may be searching for a purpose to their life. Take the opportunity to especially invite someone this week to Bible class and worship with you.

What is at the heart of our Christian faith? The apostle Paul said, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Cor. 15:3-4) The foundation of our faith must be the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is truly the greatest historical event of all time. Our faith is not just a collection of ideas, principles, and laws. It is about a real event in history that occurred almost 2,000 years ago. Either this is true or our faith is a farce. I love to sing the song, "I believe in Jesus." It says, "I believe in the one they call Jesus, I believe He died on Mt. Calvary. I believe that the tomb was found empty, and I believe that He's the answer for me." May our lives everyday be grounded firm in the resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We congratulate all those having birthdays and anniversaries in April. Carl Worley is in the Veterans' Home in Norman and has infrequent contact with loved ones in Shawnee. Why not send him a card for his 93^rd birthday. The address is Norman Veterans Center, First Floor East #117, P.O. Box 1668, Norman, OK 73070. We extend our very best wishes to Bob and Charlotte Seikel who will be celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary in April.

Fay Crosby forgot to send her thank you note for the Christmas fruit, and then we forgot to print it. We appreciate all who are thankful and for the love that prevails among us prompting many deeds of kindness.

Sue Merritt's same-day knee surgery went well last Wednesday and she was able to be in worship on Sunday evening.

It was also good to see Glenn Watson able to be with us on Sunday morning.

There will be a public discussion between members of the church and The Latter Day Saints at Eastside in Midwest City on March 31 and again on April 7, beginning at 7 p.m. On the 31^st the discussion will be "The Book of Mormon: Is it a companion to the Bible and inspired scripture as Latter-day Saints claim, or is it in opposition to the Bible?" On the 7^th this discussion will be "Some churches claim that Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are a 'non Christian cult.' Are Latter-day Saints really 'Christian'?" Both nights the forum will consist of presentations followed by a question and answer session. Dale and Kent Hartman will represent the church and two local Mormon men will represent the other side of the issues. You are invited to attend. Much of the material will enable your Mormon friends and acquaintances to hear some things about their own teaching and the New Testament church that they will never hear in their own churches. Further details in coming days will be posted on the Eastside website at eastsidechurchofchrist.org

If you happened to see Tad McGalliard walking around with a hand full of photos Sunday morning, it's because he just returned from Haiti recently. Tad traveled to Haiti with the campus group from East Central University where he's attending college. I remember a couple of years ago when Tad said there was no way he would travel there! While in Haiti the group worked with children, not to mention Tad had the opportunity to preach through an interpreter. Next time you see Tad give him a pat on the back and ask to see those pictures. (Central assisted Tad with $300.00 for his trip.

We have another traveler among us. Tanner Nipper will be going to Washington D.C. at the end of this week with a group of students from South Rock Creek. Keep Tanner and the others in your prayers as they travel.

Guys mark April 22 & 23 on your calendars! We are having a guys retreat. We will spend the night at the Quail Ridge Hunting Lodge in Tecumseh. And enjoy outdoor activities on Saturday. The retreat is for the youth group guys and dads. If you have any questions see me.

COMING YOUTH EVENTS