From the Pastor’s Desk: November 2017

November 2017

  Well the time has changed, the weather is cooler, and we begin to look ahead to that season where we are light deprived and snow-covered. I always take winter as a time to think and plan for the coming spring and summer. It is a time of slowing down, cooling off, and letting our busy-ness take a back seat.

  But things are still going strong in the church. We have had several new activities begin in recent months. Among these are a knitting and crocheting group, a Civil War Discussion group, a short-term Bible study on Ruth, and a new community-wide free movie day. Although there are many things happening, there is always room for more. If you have an idea or passion, share it with me or with one of the Leadership team and new things can happen.

  We are approaching our Pledge Sunday (Nov. 19th). For the past few months we have taken several Sundays to emphasize what we do with our money. We have been using as a guide James A. Harnish’s book Earn. Save. Give.  He uses Wesley’s simple adage concerning how we deal with what the Lord has given us. That is Earn all you can; Save all you can; and Give all you can. The Old Testament minimum was a tithe, a tenth of our earnings. The New Testament gives no set amount, perhaps because we are to give all we are, all we have to God who has so generously given to us.  In reality, it is not about how much we give, but about how much we keep back. As we come to our time of pledging, give, not to the church, but to God, who gave us the greatest gift of all, his Son, Jesus Christ.

  In other areas of this newsletter there will be announcements of activities coming up during Advent. I do intend to have an Advent study. More details will be forthcoming. One item that is coming up is our Annual Charge Conference. This year it is December 21st. It will be a time of reviewing the past year and making plans for the next. If you are a committee chair, you need to submit a report for inclusion in our Charge Conference Booklet. Pleas don’t wait for the last minute! Chris and I would appreciate those reports as soon as possible so that the materials can be printed and collated.

  This month we come to my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. Part of that may be because my birthday is near that day. It also is a favorite because of the food. This year I will have to learn a new way of enjoying is as surgery has diminished my appetite, but I still look forward to the smells (they don’t add calories), the family gathering, and at least sampling a bit of turkey and fixings. As you gather with your families, give thanks for what you have, for what you can share, and for all that God has blessed you with.

From the Pastor’s Desk

Greetings in the midst of summer! Certainly the dog days of August are upon us. The gardens are growing rapidly (especially the weeds), and we are enjoying all the flowers that summer brings us. It may be summer but we are already gearing up fro fall and Sunday School and Advent.

In a few days Vacation Bible School will be with us. This is an opportunity for service with our children. If you haven’t volunteered, at least come for a night to see what is happening.

New things are happening. A knitting and crocheting group has formed. Check with Anita for details. This fall I am offering a Civil War Discussion group. I am not sure of the details yet, but hope to draw from the community and the church interested individuals for a lively discussion. I hope to have a meeting once a month, beginning with September 8th, at 7 PM.

I have met our new District Superintendent. Rev. Dr. Foster comes to us from parish ministry in Philadelphia. It is evident that he has a pastor’s heart, with teaching being a major emphasis. I have arranged for him to come and speak ( and to be introduced to our congregation) on one of my vacation weeks in October. Rev. Foster will be speaking on October 8th.

Lately we have been going through Romans on Sunday mornings. Romans is probably Paul’s best thought-out treatise. He did not know the church at Rome; he had not been there. So, in a way, this letter was a letter of introduction. Paul uses his letter to outline his basic beliefs and theology. This week, July 23rd, Paul, in Romans 8 talks about hope and patience. The 30th will cover the final parts of Chapter 8, and then on August 6th and 13th we will be in Romans 9 and 10. There Paul will discuss where Israel fits in with this new concept of faith in Jesus Christ. Come and learn. Come and fellowship. Come and spend an hour in God’s house with God’s people.

Continue to have a great summer! Enjoy the warmth and sunshine. But do’t neglect your faith. Take time to refresh and renew, and get ready for the fall that will help you grow in love, faith, and hope.

Rev. Peter

 

 

First blog post

Welcome to our Blog. This is the beginning of a new venture for our church. For now our blog will consist of our Pastor’s monthly messages and information from our Missions group.  We will be looking for a “blogger” to help get our message out. If you are interested see Beth Hajder. She will get you set up.