The American home is under attack from many enemies, all of them doing the bidding of Satan. In this time of moral crisis, only a return to God’s ways can save us, says Don Blackwell, speaker for the annual homecoming and gospel meeting next week at Central Church of Christ.
“God, Give Us Christian Homes” is the theme of the series beginning this Sunday, Aug. 14, and running through Wednesday. Blackwell, executive director of the Gospel Broadcasting Network and preacher at Southaven Church of Christ near Memphis, recalls the warnings of Old Testament prophets who saw their nation sinking into moral carelessness.
“The home is absolutely under attack,” he said in a Southern Standard interview from his office. “There is a movement aggressively trying to redefine the home,” he asserted, citing as an example the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down state laws against same-sex marriage.
Powerful players in the entertainment media are also pushing the agenda, Blackwell complained. “It’s slipping into every corner,” he said, pointing to the current renewal of the Star Trek movie franchise in which a traditional character is “made into a homosexual.”
The image of the nuclear American family “has changed over 30 to 40 years to the point where the single-parent home is more and more common.” The declining divorce rate is the result not of stronger marital fidelity, but the fact fewer couples are bothering with the formalities and commitments of marriage, he said.
Said Steve Stubblefield, one of the elders at Central, “As we witness the deterioration of public morals in our society, our only hope for rescue, as individuals and as a nation, is a return to God’s soul-saving word.” 
The series opens with Blackwell leading the auditorium Bible class at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, followed by the 10:30 a.m. worship service when he offers a message on the theme of “My Parent’s Faith.” The traditional homecoming meal, open to the entire community, will be served in the church’s fellowship hall immediately after the morning worship.
Sunday evening worship, starting at 7:30 p.m., will focus on the subject “Proverbs for Child Rearing.” Meetings Monday through Wednesday will begin at 7 p.m.
The ever-popular Friends and Neighbors Luncheon will be Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in a relaxed, casual atmosphere in Central’s fellowship hall. Blackwell will deliver a 10-minute inspirational message at noon.
Anyone needing transportation is invited to call the church office at 473-6537.