Our attendance was down yesterday morning due to farmers scurrying to get crops gathered in and some of our hunters out in the woods stirring up the wildlife.  

But the Bono church is bustling!  We had a lot of activities going on.  A CCCM Board meeting occurred at our building at 2:00pm.  The Board primarily discussed fundraising and how to get to the needed level for hiring a full time Campus Minister, which would take no less than $7K each month (we presently receive a bit over $3K).  A Secretary will be hired within a few days.  Thanks to all the Bono members who were interested in filling that position.  I am sad we couldn’t hire you all.    

Our focus on youth ministry has been sharpening over the past few weeks.  Some activity began to be visible yesterday.  Our older youth enjoyed a hayride and devotional at the Keith’s house.  Our younger youth began a Sunday night “seminar” that will provide them both teaching and the opportunity to be of service to the church and community.  Our Nursery ministry is in operation.  

We’ll be having another congregational Christmas Party on Sunday night, December 14th, immediately following our evening worship.  We’ll “frolic and play the Bono way,” and eat!  Hope you’ll plan to be a part.  

Two things I’ve been hoping to get calendared for next year fell into place over the past few days, and I am excited about both of them.    One is a Friend’s Day that will happen on Sunday, February 22nd.  We’ll have a big church-wide potluck that morning following our worship service and have Harding’s Good News Singers return to be with us to sing about 1:30pm.  Who will preach hasn’t been worked out yet… it’s good for the regular minister to speak so our visiting “friends” see what Sundays are like at Bono and it’s good to have a guest speaker (just in case the normal preaching isn’t so good and so the members get a break from routine).  We’ll have that figured out in plenty of time to let you know which will happen.  

The second… we have scheduled a Marriage Enrichment Seminar with Jerry & Lynn Jones (from St. Louis) for Sunday through Wednesday, November 1st through 4th.  I am grateful to our elders for their willingness to plan this inasmuch as the seminar is an expensive undertaking.  But it is so very much needed.  It will absolutely bless our church’s marriages.  But more, we’ll publicize it well and offer the seminar free of charge to our Bono community as well as to our Christian friends from the area.  

We announced last week that we’d be hosting a Divorce Recovery Support Group led by Terri Inman.  It will begin in mid January.  It will be for our members and the Bono community, plus the larger Jonesboro area as well.  

Throw in another great VBS with a Fun Day attached, participation in the Area-Wide Singing at the end of July, and another big Trunk or Treat plus Shepherd Group activities and we have a good year to look forward to already, God willing.  

Congratulations to Kristen Castleberry and Molly Arnold on their continued outstanding play on the volleyball court.  Though Westside didn’t win the state championship trophy Saturday, they did play in the state championship game for the sixth consecutive year.  That is outstanding by any measure!