The Church of Jesus Christ The Message of Hope
Revelation 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. Volume 121
Autumn 2010
The Church of Jesus Christ Headquarters: 2797 Bryant St. Portage, IN 46368 Phone 219-763-1049 WWW.JESUSCHRISTISGOD.ORG Message of Hope Editors: Bro. John & Sis. Sandi Garza Official Organ, owned by: The Church of Jesus Christ Please send all articles to: Message of Hope 2797 Bryant St. Portage, IN 46368 Articles and Pictures Due: September 3rd
What Does The Church of Jesus Christ Believe? We believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God and is the SOLE authority on every subject. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Almighty God. Rev. 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” God put on the robe of flesh and walked here on earth for 33 years to fulfill prophecy for the New Testament Church, which is The Church of Jesus Christ. According to the Word, John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us….” The Church of Jesus Christ believes that everyone must take His word seriously, John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I Am He ye shall die in your sins.” We follow God’s Plan of salvation. Acts 2:38, “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Baptism is by immersion in water only. The evidence of the infilling of the Holy Ghost is according to Acts 2:4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” John 3:5 states, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” We must then live a clean, holy, and dedicated life to Jesus Christ thereafter taking diligent heed to the Word. The Church of Jesus Christ must be found faithful to His Word. We must be partakers of Communion service. This service consists of the Lord’s Supper and Foot Washing. 1 Cor. 11:24, 25, “And when he had given thanks, he brake it and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (25) After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, “This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” John 13:14, 15, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. (15) For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you.” Watch, pray, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, give your tithes and offerings, so that YOU can be counted among the faithful when our one and only Savior, Jesus Christ, comes back in a “cloud with power and great glory!”
Bishop Board and Pastors Bishop Jarret R. Spence, Presiding Bishop 2298 Fern Street Portage, IN 46368 Phone 219-762-7492 Bishop Paul Rose, Secretary/Treasurer P.O. Box 344 Cabin Creek, West Virginia 45035 Phone 304-595-5640 Bishop Danny Walls P. O. Box 216 Ingalls, IN 46048 Phone 317-485-4105 Bishop Robert O’Dell 5235 East Van Ness Road Pierceton, IN 46562 Phone 574-594-2337
Bishop Calvin Blaine Pennington P.O. Box 413 (Mailing Address) 12237 State Highway 576 Montpelier, OH 43543 Phone 419-485-4464 Bishop Harold Goodrich 36288 Valley Drive Paw Paw. MI 49079 269-655-9093
Elder Humberto Loera Iglesia De Jesucristo (The Church of Jesus Christ) 138 Alejandrina Col. San Isidro Matamoros, Tamps, Mexico Phone 956-564-0911 Bishop of Jamaica Bishop Orville Rodney 199 Catherene Mount Albion P.A. Montego Bay, St. James, Jamaica, W.I. Phone 879-952-6676 Bishop of Canada Bishop Mathias Gooden 75 Dunlop St., Apt. 406 Richmond Hills, ON L4C 2M7 CANADA Phone 905-883-8543
National Youth Leaders Bro. Jarret & Sis. Caryn Spence 804 Pennsylvania Avenue Laporte, IN 46350 Phone 219-325-3904 Bro. Travis & Sis. Nora Hensley, Assistants 437 Tecumseh Street Warsaw, IN 46582 Phone 574-551-4487
If I have all the worldly possessions of this life and not the truth, I have nothing. Serving God brings great rewards not only spiritual wealth but he supplies our needs for this life. If we serve him he promises to meet our every need, not our wants, but our needs. In Matthew 6:8 it says your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Count Blessings, not Sheep If you’re a poor sleeper, you’re probably grateful for any night with seven or eight hours of uninterrupted rest. But maybe you should consider what else you’re thankful for. It turns out that enhanced gratitude in all aspects of life may be a way to improve your sleep. When researchers at the University of Manchester, England, had 401 adults fill our questionnaires that rated their gratitude, they found that those who scored highest slept longer and better than less appreciative participants. It has to do with your bedtime mindset, say researchers. The grateful people had more positive- and fewer sleep delaying negative- thoughts between turning in and drifting off. So take a few minutes each day, not just at Thanksgiving, to mentally savor things, large or small, you’re thankful for. Sleeping soundly may soon be one of them. Excerpt from good health Praise the Lord everyone in the name of Jesus Christ. As I read this article, I thought of so many people who are letting the burdens of this life hide the blessing of the Lord. I may not be rich with the material things in life, but I have the blessed hope of life eternal. People are so worried about gaining worldly things that it over shadows the blessings of everyday life. As Thanksgiving approaches, people begin to count their blessings. If they would only take time each day to count their blessings they would realize that God is good all the time. We as members of the body of Christ have so much to thank him for. His birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, and with his death and resurrection, the hope of eternal life through his name in baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. I praise him for all these things.
So when you lay down tonight to sleep, start counting your blessings, knowing you are blessed. Sis. Marilyn Pastor: Bishop Jarret R. Spence Portage, IN
He is great and greatly to be Praised. I often think of the amazing things that have happened in the bible. The three Hebrew children, God didn’t take them out of the problem, but met them there in the fire. That’s just one story in the Old Testament. And in the New Testament Matt. 14:22-32 there was Peter and the disciples in a ship being tossed about. Then here comes Jesus Christ walking on the sea. “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said come: Peter went. There he was doing what we think is the impossible. But the wind was boisterous and be began to sink, “Lord save me.” Haven’t we all been there? And Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him. “Oh thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt.” You know the story doesn’t stop there if we read on. We read that the winds did not cease till they were already inside the ship. God walked with Peter on the wind tossed sea. I may have trials down here but I can rest assure that God will walk with me thru them. He will hold my hand just like he did with Peter. Submitted by: Sis. Patsy Miller The Church of Jesus Christ Pierceton, IN Pastor: Bishop Robert O’Dell
Pierceton Report Praise the Lord, Everyone. God is great and greatly to be praised. So thankful for the Lord’s grace and mercy to each one of us. He has kept us and protected us through all life’s storms. To God be all the Praise and glory given. Enjoyed convocation and the fellowship of like precious faith. It is encouraging to know that God is still with us and moving. There is nothing like the presence of the Lord coming down and blessing his people, and everyone worshipping him together as one. So awesome! Love to see God move and work in people’s lives. The lifting up and encouraging work that went forth about putting the landmark’s back in their place and not moving them anymore was so great and so needed! Loved every bit of it! So thankful for this year’s convocation. We also enjoyed our time at the tent revival in Decatur, MI. The word went forth and the people of that town heard it. They definitely won’t be able to stand before God and say they did not hear. No matter what, I am thankful for the stand that Bishop Harold Goodrich and their congregation have taken. They might not be big in number but they are grounded in the truth of God’s word and no one can take that from them. We are so thankful for having been part of their tent revival. May God bless them. We are so grateful for and appreciate our Pastor Bishop Robert O’Dell. He stands strong in the word and is not swayed by what comes or goes. To him it is “What thus saith the word of God”, Nothing added or taken away. And that, As a congregation is what we love. Preach it straight, preach it true, and preach it hard. It helps each of us keep ourselves in check with the word of God and not with what others think or believe. In the end, when we stand before God, our lives have to be lined up according to the standard that God set, NOT the one man has set. It all goes back to not moving those landmarks that God has set, but abiding in the boundaries. Don’t change the word to fit your life, change your life to fit the word of God! That is where to many people today go wrong. They try to justify their life style and ways instead of wanting to change. We are so glad for a good pastor who will teach us right things, not things that just sound good. So thankful for the love of the truth. May we all be ready and waiting for the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We need to be ever watchful and praying, keeping our souls in check with the work of God. Each one of us will stand in judgment for the things we have done. Nevertheless, above all else, WE HAVE GOT TO MAKE IT! Church Reporter, Sis. Nora The Church of Jesus Christ Pastor, Bishop Robert O’Dell Pierceton, IN
Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh In looking at each of these gifts that were given to the Baby Jesus, you will find that each one has a meaning. Gold: Gold is a highly sought after precious metal. It is something valued as the finest of its kind. 1st Corinthians 3: 12-13 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. Frankincense: This is an aromatic resin obtained from the genus tree named Boswellia. It is obtained from scraping the bark and allowing the resins to bleed out and harden. These hardened resins are called “tears.” This type of tree is considered unusual for its ability to grow in environments so unforgiving that the trees seem to grow directly out of solid rock. The deep roots keep the tree from being torn away in violent storms. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:2 that Jesus Christ was a sweet smelling savor…. an aroma. So, we too, must be a sweet smelling fragrance unto him. As the trees seem to grow out of solid rock, we too should be like the trees that when the violent storms of life come at us, we are grounded and rooted upon the rock, Jesus Christ. As the hardened resins are called “tears,” this goes along with Hebrews 5:7. Hebrews 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. Myrrh: A yellowish-brown to reddish-brown aromatic gum resin with a bitter, slightly pungent taste is obtained from a tree called Commiphora Abyssincia. Myrrh was taken from a tree which points to Jesus Christ. He drank of the bitter cup for us. He was hung upon a tree for us. And as myrrh comes from a tree….Abyssincia, Jesus Christ descended to the abyss for us. Each and everything in God’s word has a meaning and with a better understanding, we can apply these to our daily walk with Jesus Christ. Bro. John Brandenberger Pastor: Bishop Calvin B. Pennington Montpelier, OH
Bro. Keville Rodney
From Left to Right: Bro. Blake, Bro. Allen, Bro. Omar Smith and Bro Keville.
The Science Contest One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. Evangelist Sis. Rodney in the black hat, Miss Subaxon in the white hat, Sis. Kerisa Doeman, and Sis. Mclean.
The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost." God listened very patiently and kindly to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well, how about this, let's say we have a man making contest." To which the scientist replied, "OK, great!" But God added, "Now, we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam." The scientist said, "Sure, no problem" and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.
Inside The Church of Jesus Christ, Montego Bay West Indies Pastor: Bishop Orville Rodney
God just looked at him and said, "No, no, no... You have to go get your own dirt!"
and friends, especially his grandchildren. He kept up with current events, enjoyed telling stories and reading his Bible. Roy was preceded in death by his parents, 1 son, Steve Burkeen, in 1995, 2 brothers and 3 sisters. Survivors include his wife: Shirley Burkeen of the home; 5 daughters: Karen White and husband, Al of Cordell, OK, Debbie Frank and husband, Gary of Yukon, OK, Gail Chester of Burns Flat, OK, Christy Hiebert and husband, Jon, of Cordell, OK, Robyn Burkeen of Cordell, OK; 2 sons: Dale Burkeen of Hayti, MO, Kenneth Gregory and wife, Nanette of Union, OR; 7 sisters: Loyce Holland and husband, Bill of Waverly, TN, Connie Mulliniks of Kennet, Mo, Jewel Walker and husband, Creed, of Caruthersville, MO, Avis Nuetzmann and husband, Kermit, of Owensville, MO, Pauline Cunningham of Rockford, IL, Irene Riley of Millington, TN, Mary Jo Underwood and husband, James, of Hayti, MO; 3 brothers: Jerry Burkeen of St. Louis, MO, Freeman Burkeen and wife, Bonnie, of Memphis, TN, Bob Burkeen and wife, Joann, of Broken Arrow, OK; 23 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and 1 more expected any day.
Roy Lee Burkeen, 83, resident of Cordell, Oklahoma, was born on March 13, 1927 in Henderson, Tennessee to Gilbert and Fleetie (McCormick) Burkeen, and passed away on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Roy was raised in Tennessee and later, moved to Hayti, Missouri with his family. He served his country in the Korean War, receiving an honorable discharge in 1948. Roy worked for several years for the Chrysler Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, in car assembly. He later worked in St. Louis, Missouri as a machinist and also as a salesman for Whites Bakery. Roy later worked as a salesman in the home improvement industry, for many years. He built his first church, The Church of Jesus Christ, in 1952, in Hayti, Missouri. Roy married Shirley Smith on October 18, 1963 in Ironton, Missouri. He has lived in southwest Oklahoma for the past 25 years. Roy was faithful to his Lord and recently started The Church of Jesus Christ, in Cordell, He was an avid gardener, and enjoyed spending time with his animals. Roy also loved spending time with his family
This was on the building. Short lived but in the TRUTH.
Taken September 12, 2010, all of Bro. Burkeen’s family in attendance at church.
Searching For A Vessel The Master was searching for a vessel to use; On the shelf there were many - which one would He choose? Take me, cried the gold one, I'm shiny and bright, I'm of great value and I do things just right. My beauty and lustre will outshine the rest And for someone like You, Master, gold would be the best! The Master passed on with no word at all; He looked at a silver urn, narrow and tall; I'll serve You, dear Master, I'll pour out Your wine And I'll be at Your table whenever You dine, My lines are so graceful, my carvings so true, And my silver will always compliment You. Unheeding the Master passed on to the brass, It was widemouthed and shallow, and polished like glass. Here! Here! cried the vessel, I know I will do, Place me on Your table for all men to view. Look at me, called the goblet of crystal so clear, My transparency shows my contents so dear, Though fragile am I, I will serve You with pride, And I'm sure I'll be happy in Your house to abide. The Master came next to a vessel of wood, Polished and carved, it solidly stood. You may use me, dear Master, the wooden bowl said, But I'd rather You used me for fruit, not for bread! Then the Master looked down and saw a vessel of clay. Empty and broken it helplessly lay. No hope had the vessel that the Master might choose, To cleanse and make whole, to fill and to use. Ah! This is the vessel I've been hoping to find, I will mend and use it and make it all Mine. I need not the vessel with pride of its self; Nor the one who is narrow to sit on the shelf; Nor the one who is bigmouthed and shallow and loud; Nor one who displays his contents so proud; Not the one who thinks he can do all things just right; But this plain earthy vessel filled with My power and might. Then gently He lifted the vessel of clay. Mended and cleansed it and filled it that day. Spoke to it kindly. There's work you must do, Just pour out to others as I pour into you. -- Author Unknown Submitted by Sis Judy Spence The Church of Jesus Christ Portage, IN
Kids Corner I’m thankful for everything I have. Also for two brothers. I had lots of fun at church camp. I’m thankful that I have a mom and dad. I’m thankful for going to church. -Zach Traxler I’m thankful for my mom giving a baby sister. I’m thankful for going to Indiana beach. I’m thankful for going to camp. I’m thankful for having a babysitter. I’m thankful for all of my presents from my birthday. I’m thankful for going to church. -Corbyn Baldrich I am thankful for God giving me the Holy Ghost and I am thankful for the great youth camp we had. - Micah Hensley I had a great time at church camp that the Lord protected me that I did not get hurt anymore on my bike. -Hannah Hensley
The Church of Jesus Christ 2797 Bryant Street Portage, Indiana 46368 (219) 762-7492 www.JESUSCHRISTISGOD.org RETURN SERVICE REQUIRED