From the Pastor

2015-07-01 Newsletter Message

In the adult VBS class, we read a great story of a pastor who stopped at a convenience-type gas station and filled his tank. When he went into the store to pay for the gas, he saw another item that he wanted to buy. When he got to the counter, the clerk collected the payment and the pastor left the store.

However, as he walked to his car, the pastor noticed that the clerk had not charged him for the item he picked up in the store. He turned around, stood in line again and when it was his turn, the pastor told the clerk that there was an error. The clerk replied, “I know.” The pastor persevered, explaining that he had not been charged for the second item. Again, the clerk replied, “I know.”

The pastor said, “I don’t understand.” The clerk explained that he had worshiped at the pastor’s church and he was looking for evidence that the pastor practiced what he preached.

The study book went on to say:

I’m sure that we all understand that. But there are times when we forget. A careless word or action whether out in the community or inside the church walls or at a church event can affect whether a quick-mart clerk or high school student or young mother with a baby or ….. will feel that they want to be part of our faith family. Negative comments are often overheard, even when we think we’re just talking to our best friends.

What kind of evangelist will you be???

Summer Worship Series—Faith at the Movies

Beginning Sunday, July 5, movies will offer us images of our faith from our culture. On Sunday, I will preach on some faith themes that I find in a movie, and on the following Wednesday at 7 pm, we will show the movie in our Fellowship Hall – with popcorn, of course!

On the first Wednesday, July 8, the Men’s Fellowship will provide a cookout dinner (Slow Cooked Pork BBQ) with some sides for a freewill offering that will be given to a service project. Dinner will be served at 6:15 that evening.

The films we will enjoy are as follows:

Please note that I will be away, directing camp at West River the week of July 5-10. If there are any emergencies during that time, please check with Robine in the office first or, after office hours, call my cell phone.

Finally, I just want to thank our young people for the amazing contribution they gave to our VBS! Patrick Holsonbake (with some help from his big sister Katie and his parents) built the awesome visual set for the week, complete with the road right down the middle of the sanctuary. Katie Harry was the acting genius (they call that “vocal actor!”) behind Checkers the Cheetah. Jason Waters ran the sound board and video, and about 15 more of our youth (Alyssa & Kara Morris, Lindsy Renner, Andrew & Jonathan Raab, Katie Holsonbake, Sophie & Grace Warfield, Ryan Outt, Kate & Brenna O’Connor, Angela Myers, Ben Morrison, Bobby Alexander and Niya Butler) served as classroom assistants. The energy and enthusiasm they brought, along with their love for the younger kids was a blessing to us all!

I know that some of you are traveling, and I hope that you are either having a fabulous time away now or will be enjoying some vacation very soon! God works on our spirits as we play. Have a GREAT time!!

Blessings on you!

2015-06-01 Newsletter Message

Ordinary Time.  Yep, it’s a thing.  A liturgical thing, and one that is very helpful to me.  Ordinary Time, though it has a very technical academic and liturgical meaning, speaks to me of the time in between the high, holy celebrations – of living in the routine of our lives.  It speaks to me of God in the every day.  And, fittingly, Ordinary Time takes up the majority of the Sundays of the liturgical year.

It’s very easy to talk about God in startling moments of clarity or when major things happen in life.  It’s not so easy to find God in the every day when homework, cooking, getting to work or school on time, music or sports practice, and every item on our daily agenda is screaming for attention. 

The Letter of Paul to the Romans, as translated by Eugene Peterson in The Message, has this to say about Ordinary Time:

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what God wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)

During this Ordinary Time, how will you do that?  What tools will you use to keep your focus on God?  Do you use a daily devotional book?  Our weekly study guide?  There is a visual devotional that is published by the General Board of Discipleship called Sight Psalms.  You can subscribe by going to their website, and the devotional is delivered to your email:  http://goo.gl/T4uR9Z.   I don’t subscribe to a lot of things, but I enjoy Sight Psalms and the comment or question that comes with the picture.  Another resource I found today as I have been thinking about this topic, is a booklet published online by Crossroads United Methodist Church.  The booklet, My Everyday Life With God is a series of personal exercises.  You may find that booklet at http://goo.gl/ELuznB

During the month of June, worship will focus on the following themes:

• June 7 – Harmony and Dissonance – Mark 3:20-35 –If our faith does not encounter dissonance, is faith just lukewarm?
• June 14 – John Wesley’s Birthday – Psalm 92 – Singing Our Faith – We will sing Wesleyan hymns on this Sunday to celebrate John’s birthday, even though it was his brother Charles who wrote most of the hymns!
• June 21 – 1 Samuel 17 – This Sunday we will explore David and Goliath
• June 28 – A Celebration of Vacation Bible School

Blessings on you!