YOUTH GROUP

TO COMPETE

NATIONALLY

The Davis family was established in June of 2005 when Justin and

Lindsay were married in this very church by Pastor Chuck.

Justin has a master’s degree in geology and has

worked for the Department of Natural Resources for

almost 7 years. Prior to dating Lindsay, he attended

First Assembly of God in St. James. He became a

Christian in the summer of 1997. Justin enjoys moto-

cross, gardening, hunting/fishing and many other

outdoor activities.

Lindsay is a pediatric nurse and has worked for

PCRMC Medical Group for almost 6 years. She was

born and raised in this church; dedicated as a baby,

water baptized and married. She and Justin later

dedicated their babies in this church. She received

the baptism of the Holy Spirit at age 14 while attend-

ing youth camp. Lindsay enjoys yard sales, reading and keeping up with her

guys (all three of them).

Mason is 7 years old and in the first grade at St. James Elementary.

He is a very passionate little man and tells his mommy and daddy often that

Jesus lives in his heart and he can’t wait to live with Him in Heaven. He

loves fishing, riding his bike and motorcycle and going on adventures.

Reid is 4 years old and attends Church of Christ Day School on Tues-

day and Thursday mornings. The remainder of the time he is with his Nana.

He is sweet and loving. He enjoys going to church to learn about Jesus with

his friends. He also enjoys hot chocolate with his Nana, Legos and anything

(Davis continued on page 4)

This past February the

Youth Department took 29

students to the District Fine

Arts Festival in Springfield.

Fine Arts is a program de-

signed by the Assemblies of

God to assist our students

with discovering, developing,

and deploying their ministry

gifts. It empowers our teens

to be confident in using their

God given gifts to make Jesus

known. It has proven to be a

very effective program, and

our teens love participating.

Out of the 29 students that

we took to districts, 22 of

them advanced to the Nation-

al Fine Arts Festival which will

be held in Orlando, Florida,

(Continued on page 6)

25 YEAR ANNIVERSAY Looking back, it’s a common wonderment:

Where did the time go? In the case of Pastor Chuck

and Annette’s anniversary, those are my first

thoughts.

For context, Dorse and I had already been at

First Assembly for 26 years before their arrival. We

had a three man Board of Deacons at the time

(Dave Mesplay, Fred Brookshire, and myself) and

before his arrival we had been searching for a new

pastor… without success, I might add!

However, a lady from Steelville mentioned in

casual conversation a young man serving as youth

pastor over there who was reportedly doing a fine

job and was well liked by all. Shying away from

the “young man” characterization, nothing more

was said about it and our search continued.

As I remember, I was at the time assisting the

(Anniversary continued on page 5)

MINDEN TEEN CHALLENGE FAMILY CENTER

DIRECTORS ANDY AND CHRISTY JENKINS

We are gathering items of need for the Minden

Teen Challenge Family Center ahead of our missions

trip at the end of this month. We hope you can look

over the list below and help them out! We've also

listed some prayer needs that the Challenge Center

Director sent to us. There is a wheelbarrow in the

church foyer for collecting items; monies can be

placed in a tithe envelope and marked “Teen Chal-

lenge”.

Physical Needs:

Prayer Needs:

Financial blessings-They do not charge for girls in

the program, and costs for the facility are very high.

Additional staff members.

For vans and transportation needs.

That God pour out the Holy Spirit on the staff.

That God equip Andy and his wife to continue lead-

ing the girls and the staff.

Prayer for protection for the staff, for spiritual dis-

cernment and wisdom, for rest so they don't burn

out, and for protection against the enemy.

Prayer also for the staff's families and children.

CENTER NEEDS AND PRAYER REQUESTS

Will Heaven be boring? Will we just be floating

around on clouds strumming our harps? Or will Heaven be

an unending church service? That could get long and bo-o-

o-o-o-ring! Right? Think again!

Randy Alcorn, in his excellent book, Heaven, writes,

“Our belief that Heaven is boring betrays a heresy – that

God is boring. There’s no greater nonsense. . . . Did we

invent wit, humor and laughter? No, God did. . . . Our de-

sire for pleasure and the experience of joy come directly

from God’s hand. He made our taste buds, adrenaline, sex

drives and the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our

brain. . . . Are we so arrogant as to imagine that human

beings came up with the idea of fun?” The psalmist con-

curs, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand

are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11.) Fullness of joy

and pleasures forevermore? Does that sound boring? Not

at all.

Unfortunately, many believe Satan’s lie that sin is

fulfilling (and maybe Hell will be too) and righteousness is

boring. Randy Alcorn, in Heaven, speaks the truth.

“However, in reality, sin robs us of fulfillment. Sin doesn’t

make life interesting; it makes life empty. Sin doesn’t cre-

ate adventure; it blunts it. Sin doesn’t expand life; it

shrinks it. Sin’s emptiness inevitably leads to boredom.”

Have you ever realized that Hell will be boring? In Jesus’

account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, the

rich man in the afterlife was alone as well as in torment.

No, there won’t be parties and drinking and having fun with

your buddies in Hell. Satan, who wants to keep people

from being reconciled to God, perpetuates this lie. Instead,

picture Hell as solitary confinement with just yourself and

your regrets in torment . . . forever. You don’t want to be

there!

Dr. David Jeremiah, in his study guide, Revealing the

Mysteries of Heaven, gives us five reasons why Heaven will

not be boring. They are:

1. “Heaven will not be boring because God is not bor-

ing” (Psalm 16:11.) (This was discussed above.)

2. “Heaven will not be boring because you will not be

boring” (I Corinthians 15:51, 52.) (Remember,

you are going to be changed!)

3. “Heaven will not be boring because your friends

will not be boring” (Hebrews 11:22, 23) (You’ll be

hanging out with angels and Old and New Testa-

ment saints, as well as Jesus.)

4. “Heaven will not be boring because your work will

not be boring” (Revelation 7:15.) (This will be dis-

cussed next month.)

5. “Heaven will not be boring because Heaven is the

place you’ve always longed for” (Rom. 8:22, 23.)

(You will enjoy a satisfaction and fulfillment that

was never achieved on this earth.)

No, Heaven will not be boring- not for a minute. The

Everlasting God, infinite in goodness and creativity, will

fully delight and satisfy all of His children throughout eter-

nity. See also Isaiah 55:2, 3, Ephesians 2:7 and James

1:16, 17. Don’t miss it! References:

Randy Alcorn, Heaven, pp. 410, 411

Dr. David Jeremiah, Revealing the Mysteries of Heaven, pp. 31-38

Beverly Flori

1300 weeks.

Congratulations, not only

to Pastor Chuck Whitmire, but

to his family as well for the

past 25 years of ministry here

at First Assembly. Let us stop and take a look

back over the road that has been traveled during

those years.

At the start, he was working the office pretty

much by himself and ministering during the

week; hospital visits, in-home visits, and prepar-

ing ser-

mons for

three ser-

vices. It

w a s n ’ t

long until

staff was

hired to

help with

a growing

congrega-

tion: a youth pastor and a secretary.

Still the workload grew as the congregation

grew, as did the vision for what he believed the

Lord would want done. Missions—a reaching out

I remember driving up out of the canyon

from Batopilas on that Mexico Mission

Trip. We had just finished the series of

switchbacks and we're bouncing along

this rocky, washed out, narrow Mexican

dirt road and Pastor Chuck, who's relaxed

and grinning ear to ear says something

like, "this is like a bunch of those Dent

County backroads." Drew Blair

beyond the borders of Rolla, Missouri,

and the US, into the foreign field.

That vision for missions has grown

over the past 25 years; and more so

as he and some friends went to India

and other countries

and experienced

firsthand what the

burden was in his

heart.

From there,

the congregation

has gone on nu-

merous missions

trips both foreign

and domestic; and

from there burdens

were birthed in other hearts as well. Many—too

many to count—people have been ministered to

and have been pointed to Christ as a result of the

ministry of First Assembly as the Lord Jesus has

been building His church by using laborers, while

encouraging other laborers to get into the field of

work.

Thank you, Pastor Chuck and family, for

faithfully ministering, laboring if you will, encour-

aging and leading a work force for Christ to be

part of building the Kingdom as the Lord Jesus

directs.

He’s one of the most thoughtful,

generous, caring pastors I’ve ever seen. Frank Ratliff

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS: A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OF MINISTERING

There was the time that I spilled disappearing ink on PC’s white shirt just before church started. You should have seen the look on his face as I told him, “don’t worry; it will be gone in 5 minutes”.

Ross Haselhorst

that involves his Daddy and big brother.

Justin, Lindsay and the boys consider this

church home. They feel very blessed to have been

provided with meals when sick, visitors while hospi-

talized and an amazing group of prayer warriors that

are always available.

Lindsay Davis

(Davis continued from page 1)

Thank you for

hearing the voices

of others as they

have dreamed

about a ministry

the Lord gave

them and put it to

work.

Thank you for

the hours no one

knows about, sitting in hospitals with many of us

as our family members were going through sur-

gery.

Thank you to your family for their sacrifice

done through the years because you were out

late at night or very early morning ministering to

some wayward soul.

Thank you for the investment into our com-

He is the husband of a famous

author.

I appreciate Chuck because

he cares more about reaching

the people outside the church

than he does about numbers

in the church. Mike Schanta

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS: A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OF MINISTERING

Pastor Chuck has the heart of shepherd. He is a

man with a heart after God, a sense of humor, and

passion. He is the real thing, speaking the Word of

God, correcting and disciplining through the Holy

Spirit. He has the spiritual strength of 10 spiritual

giants. He is not proud, but very humble. He is a

motivator to win souls for Christ Jesus. So thankful

for our Pastor. He shows by Word and deeds how to

live a Christ-centered life for God. Judy Schanta

Steelville Assembly with the installation of a computer

system (the same as the one used in our church).

While asking about our quest for a qualified pastor,

the Steelville pastor, Brother Harris, suggested we

consider his assistant—Chuck Whitmire. As they say,

the rest is history!

Pastor Chuck was an immediate “hit” with our

congregation. His approach to the task ahead made a

tremendous difference in attitude in just a short while.

Difficulties of the past were soon forgotten and the church has grown to become what you see it to be today.

Note the pictorial evidence of Pastor Chuck merging “seamlessly” into the life of the church. The Sen-

ior Adult group (Pacemakers) were having a western themed program that called for appropriate western

dress. Pastor Chuck is on the far right—”cowboyed up” in fine fashion. (Someone help me—Could it have

been “Daddy Sang Bass”?

It goes without saying, both he and Annette have contributed greatly to the successful church we have

today. Carl Wilkinson

(Anniversary continued from page 1)

munity through the ministries that touch our com-

munity: KidCare/Thrive, a benevolence house for

families who have lost their home to fire, and the

church to be used for a shelter during disaster.

Thank you, Whitmire family, for all that you

have done during the past 25 years. We look for-

ward to more as the Lord Jesus continues to build

His church—using laborers He calls for that task.

Thank you.

Carl Wilkinson, Dave Skyles,

Carl Curtis, and Pastor Chuck

Well, it is that time of year again! May will mark

another school year down and the busyness of sum-

mer will be upon us. This time of year we take time to

honor those who have reached a milestone in their

lives and move on to another season. We have quite

a few First Assembly family members who will be

graduating from High School as well as college. We

would like to congratulate you all. The church will be

recognizing all college graduates on Sunday May 3rd

in the first service. The high school graduates will be

recognized on Sunday May 10, also during the first

service. Please let the office know if you fall under

one of these categories so we can recognize your ac-

complishment.

Youth Summer Events All Events are open for 8th – 12th graders

May 10: Pastor Chuck will recognize HS graduates dur-

ing first service

June 1-5: Church Camp with speaker Joseph Kellog—

Full Week Camp - $147 (Scholarships available)

July 18: Youth Six Flags trip

August 1-8: National Fine Arts Festival Open only to

those students who advanced to the NFAF

August 15: Youth Sectional Rally at First A/G Rolla

August 22: “Engage the Campus Youth Rally” in St Louis

This fall First As-

sembly will begin offering

Junior Bible Quiz (JBQ).

JBQ was created and de-

signed to help children

develop a love for the

Bible and an understand-

ing that its truth can

guide their lives daily. JBQ offers a fun, exciting way to

motivate children to understand the all-important

truths in God's Word. Children will learn Bible content

and memorize scripture with their family at home and

at team practices. Then, through cooperative competi-

tion, the children meet with other teams for a fun quiz-

zing match. Children in kindergarten through sixth-

grade are eligible to participate in JBQ.

Participation in JBQ is a family commitment.

Learning the material together as a family provides

many opportunities for discipleship and is an excellent

way to organize family devotions. Parents can also

participate by coaching teams and helping at quiz

meets with scorekeeping & officiating. If you have any

questions or want more information, please contact

Erin Gibson (573-647-0840 or erinre-

naegibson@hotmail.com).

UPCOMING GRADUATE RECOGNITIONS

this August. Out of those 22 students, 16 of them

have committed to attending this conference.

For those of you who were able to make it to

our Showcase in February, you were able to see how

hard our students have been working. Our Christian

Band, “Benevolence”, achieved the ‘Award of Merit’

with the highest score in the State of Missouri. Micah

Wells also received this award with her brass solo.

The Youth Leadership Team could not have been

more proud of our students.

The next step is Nationals in Orlando, Florida.

With that comes a great need, and I am here to ask

for your help. The cost of taking 16 students to Orlan-

do for a week is great. Every year our church takes

students to Nationals and we could never do it with-

out the generosity of our church family and for that,

we thank you. Each student will be responsible for

paying for a portion of his or her own trip. This way all

of them will work for this trip. We rely on donations

to offset the cost per each student. This year we have

made it easy to give with the “Envelope Fundraiser”

that you will see in the lobby of the church starting on

4/19. If you would like to give, please see a student

in the lobby and they will give you an envelope. You

may also designate ‘Fine Arts’ on your giving envelope

and put it in with your Sunday morning tithes and of-

ferings. All donations are tax deductible. If you have

any questions or thoughts please contact Pastor Ja-

son. Thank you!

Pastor Jason – Youth Pastor

(Continued from page 1)

JUNIOR BIBLE QUIZ COMING SOON!

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

JUSTIN AND LINDSAY DAVIS Spotlight family

25 YEARS A Celebration of Pastor Chuck and Annette’s Ministry

WILL HEAVEN BE BORING? Worldview FAQs

MISSIONS Teen Challenge Family Center, Minden, Louisiana