Five Weeks Away
The weather is warming up. Memorial Day is next Monday. School is about to be out. You know what that means? The Southside Lectures are fast approaching!
Five weeks away, to be exact. That’s just hard for me to fathom. This whole year has been a series of statements beginning with “I can’t believe it’s already ______.” But it is. And we can’t let the lectures sneak up on us or we’ll be unprepared for what is sure to be a spiritual feast.
The dates this year are June 22-25, Monday through Thursday. We have morning lectures (9:30, 10:30) and evening lectures (7:30, 8:30) each day and a period of congregational singing every night at 7. It’s a busy week with a lot packed into four days. But the rewards are just as abundant. Our bodies will be tired, but our spirits will be refreshed. Start making plans to be here as much as you possibly can.
The theme of the lectures is connected to our goals of spiritual growth and maturity in 2026: “Higher Ground.” The subjects are designed to help us gain new heights in our faith and level of commitment. The goal at the end of the week is that we, as individuals and as a congregation, will have our feet planted on a higher plane than where we began. The speakers we have invited will help us do just that.
Edwin Crozier is new to Southside though not new to our area. He preached at Dowlen Road in Beaumont from 1996-2003. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida, and works with the Livingston Avenue congregation in Lutz. Brother Crozier has written extensively on the subject of prayer, and all of his lectures will focus on developing a more effectual prayer life: “The Praying Saint,” “The Praying Family,” “The Praying Church.” This is much needed as we onward bound.
Max Dawson has been a steady fixture in Southeast Texas since moving to Beaumont in 1978. He preaches and serves as one of the shepherds at Dowlen Road. Brother Dawson’s subjects are centered on drawing closer to Jesus: “Seeing Our World Through the Eyes of Jesus” and “Coming to Jesus: Hearing and Doing His Will.” Jesus is THE true and living access to the upward way.
Mark Roberts has preached for the Westside church in Irving, Texas, for 34 years. He has a series of sermons he calls “Ready, Set, Grow!” that fits perfectly with our theme of “Higher Ground” this year. Brother Roberts will preach about “Growing in Holiness” and “Growing in Confidence of Our Salvation.” We gladly welcome his return to the lectures.
Phil Robertson is a native of Lubbock, Texas. He now labors with the brethren in Valrico, Florida as an evangelist and an elder, while also serving as the VP of Advancement at Florida College. Brother Robertson will begin the program with “Discipleship with a Higher Purpose” and speak Thursday night on “Inspiring Teens to a Higher Purpose.” In between, he will surely help lead us on to higher ground.
For the fourteenth consecutive lectureship, Tim Stevens will lead the congregational singing. While the speakers minister to us in the word, Tim ministers to us in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. He requests a copy of the program each year so that he can choose songs that will lead our minds into the study of the Scriptures. All the while, we praise God who opened up the way and lifts us up to stand on heaven’s tableland.
Five weeks from tomorrow. What can we do over the next 36 days as we anticipate the 46th annual Southside Lectures?
Pray every day. Pray for the speakers as they make preparations to be with us and to preach on this great theme. Pray for the success of the lectures: that God will be glorified, that the church will be edified, and that visitors will be encouraged to seek the path that leads to eternal life.
Participate in every way. We make sacrifices in others areas of life. We get up early, we stay up late, we work through meals, we rush here and there. What about giving some priority to four days of worship and spiritual growth? It will be an investment you won’t regret.
Plan while you may. The lectures are a wonderful opportunity to invite friends, coworkers, neighbors or even strangers to “come and see.” You can hand them a lecture brochure, and they can choose to hear the subjects that may interest them. If they attend church elsewhere, they won’t have to miss their own services. But after June 25, this special opportunity will pass.
“Let us press on to maturity.” The 46th Southside Lectures can help us toward that goal as we continue pressing on til heaven we’ve found.
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https://www.southsideonline.org/articles/2026/05/17/five-weeks-away
