I was born in Overland

Park, Kansas in August of

1994. Those were very dark

days for me; but

things got brighter

after the third day

when I could leave

the hospital and

go live on the Mis-

souri side of Kan-

sas City. From the

time my older

brother, James,

was in first grade,

my parents made

the decision to

homeschool each of us rather

than make us attend the dilapi-

dated Kansas City public

schools, a decision for which I

am very grateful. Another great

decision they made was having

us take piano lessons at early

ages. At least, that’s what eve-

rybody tells me…

Childhood was fun. It con-

sisted mostly of school, piano

practice, Royal Rangers, Junior

Bible Quiz studying, Royals

games, and, most importantly,

LEGOs. As hard as it might be

to believe, I didn’t own my first

Nerf gun until my freshman

year of high school. That was

also the year my sister, Stepha-

nie, became Mrs. Korth, which

has resulted in three adorable

kids who call me

Uncle Geeky (well,

two of them do.

The third just

smiles). The year

after that, my

sophomore year, I

began publ ic

school at Truman

High. Until that

year, everything

about my Faith

had been merely

intellectual. I knew God existed

because of everything I had

read and heard. I knew the Bi-

ble to be true because apologet-

ics was a big enough part of the

Abeka homeschool curriculum.

That year, though, I decided I

was done with the intellectually

knowing about God; and, in-

stead, I wanted to truly and per-

sonally know Him. The summer

after my sophomore year, I

completed the Royal Ranger

Gold Medal of Achievement,

which I still hold as my biggest

accomplishment (passing Calc

III might have surpassed it.

(Staetsel continued on page 5)

It’s almost time

for First Assembly’s

annual Friends’ Day

picnic. Start your day

with service and a

Christian Education

class. After church is

over, we will gather at

Schuman Park for

food and fun. This

year, the church will

provide meats and

drinks. Regular church

attendees are asked

to bring a side dish

and dessert to share.

We will also have

bounce houses and

activities for the kids.

Bring your family,

friends, and neighbors

to Friends’ Day. It is a

good opportunity to

bring unchurched ac-

quaintances to church

with you to enjoy fel-

lowship and fun with

your church family.

FRIENDS DAY

PICNIC

I John 4:1 exhorts us, “Dear friends, do

not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to

see whether they are from God, because

many false prophets have gone out into the

world. Paul warns us in Colos-

sians 2:8, “See to it that no one

takes you captive through hol-

low and deceptive philosophy,”

and in Ephesians 4:14 tells us to

avoid being blown around “by

every wind of teaching and by

the cunning and craftiness of

men in their deceitful schem-

ing.” There are many intention-

al deceptions in the world, designed to craftily

lead us away from a vital relationship with Je-

sus Christ and obedience to His Word. How

do we avoid being deceived by these false

teachings and philosophies? How do we iden-

tify false religions and cults?

Of course you must be grounded and es-

tablished in the truth of God’s Word. You

must be able to correctly answer the same

key question Jesus asked his disciples in

Matthew 16:15. “Who do you say I am?”

Knowing how Scripture identifies Jesus

Christ, is the key step to enable you to “test

the spirits” and discern truth from false-

hood.

Scripture is clear about these

three things: 1) Jesus Christ is

fully God. John the Apostle’s

description of Jesus in John 1:1-

18 begins this way, “In the beginning was the

Word, and the Word was with God, and the

Word was God. Colossians 2:9 states, “For in

Christ the fullness of God lives in a human

body.” 2) Jesus Christ is fully man. Following

Jesus’ resurrection, He declared in Luke

24:39, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it

is I Myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit

does not have flesh and bones as you see I

have.” We know from the Gospels that Jesus

got hungry and thirsty and slept; he also wept

and suffered and died. He was fully man. 3)

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to be reconciled

with God. John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, ‘I

am the way and the truth and the life. No one

(Worldview continued on page 6)

This year’s Operation GO! has been suc-

cessful in in it’s first two weeks. Teams of

volunteers have gone door to door canvassing

the neighborhood and inviting our neighbors

to church. We go specifically into MS&T stu-

dent housing areas near the church build-

ing. This outreach has been well received in

the past with many students becoming Chris-

tians and active in church. If you have a

heart for young people and would like to par-

ticipate in this outreach, please meet Pastor

Chuck in the church foyer for instructions and

materials on Wednesday, September 9—the

final night of the outreach. We will leave

PROMPTLY at 6:30 p.m. and return near the

end of the church service.

SALT GROUP - TRIP TO STEELVILLE SALT (Senior Adults Living Triumphantly),

is planning a trip to Steelville this month.

They will leave the church at 3:45 on Satur-

day, September 19, and go to Missouri Hick

for dinner, then on to Meramec Music Theater

for the Good News! He’s Alive Tour with The

Talleys and Tribute Quartet.

The Talleys have become one of the most

beloved and respected groups in Christian

music. The East Tennessee Family's unmis-

takable style of progressive Southern Gospel

has kept them at the forefront of Gospel Mu-

sic for many years. The hallmarks of the

"Talley" sound are their lush arrangements,

close-knit harmonies and powerful vocals.

In an ever-changing musical climate, Trib-

ute has remained steadfast in their goal to

make great music that is both timely and rele-

vant to the current musical scene and their

loyal fan base while never wavering from their

God-called mission to share Jesus with every-

one with whom they come in contact. With a

career that has already spanned the U.S., as

well as several foreign countries, Tribute's

popularity continues to grow. The men of this

quartet attribute that first and foremost to the

favor of God on their lives and ministry, as

well as their many fans and friends who con-

tinue to help grow this ministry one friend at a

time.

If you are a senior adult, sign up in the

foyer to go with the SALT group. Tickets to the

show are $21.50, and is due September 13.

You will also need meal money the day of the

trip. If you have any questions, please call

Linda at 263-7916 or Sharon at 263-7704.

SALT GROUP - TRIP TO STEELVILLE

OPERATION GO—ONE MORE

OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN

VIS ION S INGLES LIFE GRO UP

The new school year is upon us, so once

again we are having Club 360 at the Rolla

Middle School on Thursday mornings at

7:30am in Room 121. I’d like to give a big

“Thank You!” to Kitty Bickford who has so gra-

ciously been our sponsor for the last few

years. We will also have t-shirts for sale again

this year at the price of $10 each. Please

come and enjoy a time of fellowship and the

Word with other believers, all while having a

delicious treat! Looking forward to seeing you

all again this year.

Pastor Brian

Singles – a huge population within our

church and community – often feel like sec-

ond- class Christians. In reality, we as Chris-

tians are all following Jesus, the greatest Sin-

gle who ever lived. Jesus not only loves sin-

gles, he has plans for us as well!

Vision Singles have our Life Group pot

luck/snack fellowship meeting scheduled on

the third Sunday night of each month. We

welcome all ages of adult singles (from 20’s

to 80’s): those never married, separated, di-

vorced, or widowed. We do occasionally relax

with a trip to Meramec Springs or Onondaga

Cave, but our chief aim is to open our eyes to

the ever-present needs of others, and help fill

those needs.

Over the past few months, our group has

helped provide workers for the food ministry

of Phelps County Faith Distribution, cooked

and served the Family Feast church dinner for

August, built a wheelchair ramp for a teen

with handicaps, participated with others in

witnessing and praying for people during the

Saint Pat's week in March, provided at least

14 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for

needy children in foreign countries, and en-

couraged one another to help with Vacation

Bible School, missions trips, etc.

As we seek to be more like Jesus, we can

look past our own circumstances and bless

others. The ministry opportunities around us

are endless! If you need stretched in the area

of serving or just want to try something new,

keep your eyes on Him and come get involved

with Vision Singles.

Ryan Langley

AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE

CLUB 360 - MIDDLE

SCHOOL BIBLE STUDY

They’re pretty close).

After graduating in 2012, I moved to Rol-

la to study Mechanical Engineering at Mis-

souri S&T. I started attending First Assembly

the week after coming to Rolla. During my

second semester, I played the piano during an

all-Church music night. I guess I did a pretty

good job because I immediately became a

member on multiple worship teams, which I

have thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to that,

I’ve been involved with the boys’ ministry and

youth ministry.

The only thing I wish is that there were a

lot fewer Cardinals fans and a lot more Royals

fans than just myself and the Cunninghams in

the Church. Still, despite that, the welcoming

atmosphere and the outpour of love have

been a tremendous blessing for me. Romans

15:1 commands those who are strong to sup-

(Staetsel continued from page 1) port those in their weakest states. As an engi-

neering student at Missouri S&T for the past

three years, there are many times I feel ex-

tremely broken, and I would like to thank indi-

vidual members of the Church for helping

support me when I am.

Nick Staetsel

KITCHEN RENOVATIONS COMPLETED Thank you to our church Trustee

Board and Kitchen Committee mem-

bers for all their work in overseeing the

kitchen remodel. Many hours have

been devoted to cleaning, loading & un-

loading of cabinets & shelves, shopping,

researching, and general oversight of

the entire project. We think it turned

out beautiful and should serve the

church well for many years to come.

Attention all Girls: Coming up on Friday, September 25th is the National Girls Ministries

Sleepover! The fun all begins on Friday night at 7pm and will continue with a sleepover until

9am on Saturday morning. This year’s theme is “Art Party”, so come prepared for fun, games,

crafts and so much more! Once again this year, we are asking that if you are age 5 or young-

er that you have a mom present with you that night. So if you fancy yourself the next Pablo

Picasso or Michelangelo, come join us for this Girls Only Event!

Pastor Brian

comes to the Father except through me.’” In

Acts 4:12, Peter, speaking of Jesus, states,

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is

no other name under heaven given to men by

which we must be saved.”

False teaching is not new; the first centu-

ry apostles and writers of Scripture warred

and warned against this. One of the primary

attacks then and now is on the person and

work of Jesus Christ. I John 2:22 warns,

“Who is the liar? It is the man who denies

that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the

antichrist – he denies the Father and the

Son.” I John 4:2-3 declares, “This is how you

can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit

that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has

come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit

that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from

God. This is the spirit of the antichrist . . .” II

John 7 alerts us that, “Many deceivers, who

do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming

in the flesh, have gone out into the world.

Any such person is the deceiver and the anti-

christ.” Do you see a pattern here? In The

Kingdom of the Cults, Walter Martin writes,

(Worldview continued from page 2) “The Person and work of Christ is indeed the

very foundation of Christian faith. And if it is

redefined and interpreted out of context and

therefore contrary to its Biblical content, the

whole message of the Gospel is radically al-

tered, and its value correspondingly dimin-

ished.” (p. 335)

Simply, if a prophecy or teaching denies

that Jesus Christ is 1) fully God, 2) fully man

or 3) the ONLY way to be reconciled to God, it

is false. Do not believe it or follow it. In the

coming months, we will investigate some

world religions and philosophies and see how

they compare in these areas to the Word of

God.

Beverly Flori

ART PARTY: GIRLS’ MINISTRIES SLEEPOVER

PA

ST

OR

S &

ST

AF

F

Sam Parker After School Ministries &

Missions Director kcatsc@rolla-firstassembly.org

Karen Turner Administrative Assistant

office@rolla-firstassembly.org

Mark Berry Facility Manager

Pansy Bingham Business Administrator

pansy@rolla-firstassembly.org

Abby Swearingen Media Assistant

media@rolla-firstassembly.org

Chuck Whitmire Lead Pastor

pastor_chuck@rolla-firstassembly.org

Ray Cook Associate Pastor

fireguy@rolla-firstassembly.org

Brian Feller Children’s Pastor

pastorbrian@rolla-firstassembly.org

Jason Gibson Youth Pastor

pastorjason@rolla-firstassembly.org

1608 N Oak St Rolla MO 65401-2342

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #116 ROLLA, MO

VISION SINGLES & SALT Two groups meeting in the church

FALSE RELIGIONS? Worldview FAQs

FRIENDS’ DAY PICNIC September 13

NICK STAETSEL Spotlight on one of our students