“Don’t leave home without it!” Your trusty plastic charge card is indispensable, to hear the company tell it. You can do anything from taking your wife to lunch to vacationing in a foreign country. If you lose your card and/or cash, you can get a new card and a cash advance right away – your vacation won’t be interrupted, and you won’t be stuck out in the middle of nowhere. (What they don’t mention is that you have to pay the bill when it comes due! Otherwise you will be socked with penalties and interest.) Yes, membership has its privileges!

Membership in the Lord’s church has infinitely greater privileges than those offered by the credit card company. The church is God’s family, and members have the privilege of calling upon Him in prayer as their Father. They have the privilege of worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. Wherever they go in the world, they carry the assurance of salvation with them. And should they become lost, they can confess their error to God with a repentant heart, confident that He will lovingly forgive them and restore them to His favor.

Does this sound inviting to you? Here’s how you apply: Learn the Bible, which is the word of God, until you develop a sincere, confident trust in Jesus Christ as the Son of God; that’s faith (Rom. 10:17; John 8:24). Then let that faith motivate you to determine in your heart to turn away from sin; that’s repentance (Acts 3:19). Next, verbally state your belief that Jesus is the Son of God; that’s confession (Rom. 10:9, 10). Finally, be immersed in water in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; that’s baptism (Acts 2:38). If you meet these conditions, you will not be turned down! The Lord will add you to His church (Acts 2:47).

By the way, no one will run a credit check on you, and you will not receive a monthly bill. All who apply for membership are hopelessly in debt. That’s why they want membership – because Jesus paid the penalty for them when He died on Calvary. Through Him, their debt of sin can be forgiven!

If you aren’t a member of Jesus’ church, become one today! “Membership has its privileges!”

Welcome
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Edward Owusu-Ansah, from Ghana, West Africa, who will be our guest speaker for this morning's worship service. It is a blessing to have brother Owusu with us today and we will meet in his honor, for dinner-in-the-annex today at noon, following the AM worship. Everyone is invited to attend and be our guest.

Also Note: There will be NO PM fellowship on the last Sunday of this month or next month.

Thanksgiving Devotional
We will have a Thanksgiving Devotional service this coming Wednesday evening instead of our regular classes.

Our hearts go out in deepest sympathy to Elsie Chambers and the rest of the Chambers family, in the passing of Melvin Chambers (Elsie's son) this past Tuesday morning (Nov. 15th) in Byron, Georgia. Melvin had suffered with cancer for some time. In addition to his mother, he is survived by his wife, Connie; 3 children - Scotty, Dustin and Jamey; a sister Pat Conner and 3 brothers James, Gerald and Stanley. Melvin was 57 years old. Memorial services were held this past Friday in Georgia. Keep the Chambers family in your prayers.

Senior Dinner 2005
The members of the Orange Street church of Christ will honor the senior members of the congregation with our annual Senior Appreciation Dinner, on Sunday, December 4th, 2005, in the annex, after the morning worship services. All non-senior members are asked to bring pot-luck dishes.

The Pantry
As we enter the holiday season, our pantry is called upon more and more to assist with the needs of those who might be less fortunate than we. Let's be sure that the pantry is fully stocked and that we are ready when those needs arise. We especially need canned meats, entrees, and fruits. Make sure all donations are in non-perishable containers.

Silence is often the refuge of the coward and the compromiser. It is quite often an effective means in perpetuating a vicious lie. Many an individual, who would not think of voicing a vicious, will permit Satan's lies to triumph over God's truth by their silence at vital moments. Well did Robert Louis Stevenson write: "the cruelest lies are often told in silence".