Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
September 20, 2020

Disregarding God’s Plan—By the Numbers
by Steve Klein
The Florence Times-Daily newspaper ran an article on August 28, 2002 with this headline: “Movin’ on up: Church plans 111-acre expansion.” The article was written by staff writer Russ Corey, and describes the expansion plans of the Darby Drive Church of Christ in Florence. According to the article, “Dorian Flynn, the church’s pulpit minister, said the first phase would include a multipurpose facility and a two-story educational wing...the church plans to build buildings and accessory structure that will total 94,950 square feet.” The article also stated, “The project also includes two baseball fields, a soccer complex, a football field and two tennis courts.” At the end of the article, there was brief section entitled “By the Numbers” that gave some interesting numerical facts about the church’s project.
Here is that section: (see next page)
BY THE NUMBERS
94,950—The number of square feet planned for the new church buildings.
1,500—The number of seats planned for the new worship center.
111—The total number of acres at the Cox Creek Parkway site owned by the church.
534—The number of parking spaces planned.
45—The acreage planned for Phase I of the construction.
2—The number of baseball fields and the number of tennis courts planned for the site.
1—The number of football fields and the number of soccer fields planned for the site.
What follows are some additional numbers that were not in the newspaper article, but probably needed to be.
BY THE (BIBLE) NUMBERS
3,000—The number converted in Acts 2 without ever setting foot in a church owned multi-purpose facility.
5.000—The number of men who had come to believe in Jesus in Acts 4 without ever playing on a church softball team. (The gospel did just fine, right?)
10 or more—The number of preachers that could be supported for one year with the money being used to build tennis courts, baseball fields, football fields and soccer fields.
1—The number of Bible verses that say, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God” (2 John 9). Note: Quite a few others teach the same principle.
0—The number of Bible verses authorizing local churches to build and maintain recreational facilities.
The newspaper article also stated that, “The new church was given final planning approval Tuesday by the Florence Planning Commission.” Isn’t it incredible that a church would do all that is necessary to receive the approval of a human commission, while showing such little concern for finding “final approval” from God for their plans? Let us determine to always consult the Scriptures and allow God’s word to lead us when plans are being made concerning the work of His church.

Contact Information
	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@gmail.com / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
(temporary during pandemic)
Sunday
Worship 9:00 A.M.
Worship 11:00 A.M.
Tuesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.