June 7, 2013 Dear Cedar Grove UMC family, In Luke 7, Jesus raises from the dead a widow’s son in Nain. Many bystanders see the dead man sit up and begin to speak. These bystanders realize something special and mysterious is happening in their midst, and they know God is at work in the situation. They begin to worship and to cheer and to celebrate. They glorify God and tell others what has happened. The story about Jesus and the widow’s son spreads throughout the region. The words “God has looked favorably on his people!” indicate the joy with which they shared the good news. As we consider the crowd’s reaction, we should also think about our calling or vocation as Christian disciples. God calls us to share the good news about resurrection with others. As Christian believers, we tell others about the power of God to bring new life in the midst of the old. Our vocation calls us to offer new life in God’s name to all who, like the widow in Nain, have lost hope. Each day, we have opportunities to speak words of hope and new life to others. Each day, we have opportunities to share with others God’s resurrection power through our words and our actions. These opportunities may come through phone conversations, e-mails, visits, cards, gestures of compassion and care. As people tell us of their struggles, we can offer the love that we know in God’s gift of Jesus Christ. Like the bystanders in Nain, we can tell others with great joy what we have witnessed and experienced. We can say with the joy and confidence of the resurrection that, no matter our circumstances or the circumstances of those around us, God has looked favorably upon us all. Praise be to God! This Sunday: Jehovah-nissi, “The Lord Is My Banner” We are continuing our sermon series examining how the different names used for God in the Old Testament reveal dimensions of God’s character and help us better understand his glory, power and majesty. On Sunday, we’ll look at the story surrounding the name Jehovah-nissi, which means “The Lord Is My Banner.” The Israelites’ first battle after escaping Egypt was with the Amalekites. When Moses held up the staff of God, Joshua and the people prevailed over the Amalekites. When Moses’ arms grew tired and he lowered the staff, the Amalekites began to win. Aaron and Hur helped support Moses’ arms so the Israelites would not waver in their battle. This ancient story has much to teach us about where we find strength for our daily lives and how we are called to support and encourage one another. Please plan to join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. Sunday – and bring a friend with you! Men’s Prayer Breakfast is on Sunday Men, I look forward to seeing you at 7 a.m. this Sunday morning for great food, great fellowship and a spiritually uplifting time of devotion and prayer. See you there! Confirmation Class starts Sunday I will start a confirmation class with several of our youth beginning this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Confirmation Sunday is planned for June 30 when we will recognize these confirmands, allow them to profess their faith, and receive them as professing members of our congregation. Please be in prayer for me and the confirmands over the coming weeks. Annual Conference convenes next week From Wednesday through Saturday, June 12-15, I will be attending Annual Conference in Greenville as a clergy delegate representing CGUMC. Please be in prayer for all the delegates as we worship together, conduct the business of the Conference, and seek to determine God’s direction for our Conference. Looking Ahead: Administrative Council meets June 23 The Administrative Council will meet at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 23 at the church. Admin Council members, committee chairpersons and team leaders should plan to be in attendance. Thanks! Responding to the tornadoes in Oklahoma and Texas There are several ways we can respond to help our brothers and sisters affected by the recent devastating tornadoes: · Pray for those who have been so deeply hurt. Pray for their families, for their communities, and for the teams of volunteers who will help with the rebuilding of homes and lives. · Make a donation to UMCOR. Please place your donations in the offering plate with the following marked on them: UMCOR Advance #901670 – Tornado. One hundred percent of your donations will go directly to assist those affected by the storms. · When the appropriate time comes for recovery and rebuilding efforts, consider forming or joining a work team to help. As an Easter people, we can be the hands and feet of God helping our brothers and sisters and showing our love for God and for our neighbor. OCIM collections We collect canned fruit and other non-perishable items to support the food pantry at Orange Congregations in Mission throughout the year. Please remember to bring your OCIM offerings each week as a way of reaching out to brothers and sisters around us. Operation Christmas Child Our year-long effort to support Operation Christmas Child continues as we work to meet our goal of 75 shoeboxes. Each month, we are collecting items that can be included in the shoeboxes. v During June, we are collecting coloring books for our OCC donations. We have a blue collection box near the basket where we collect our OCIM food offerings each Sunday. Just drop your Operation Christmas Child donations in the blue box after you’ve put your canned fruit or nonperishable items in the OCIM basket! Your gifts will show the love of Christ and the power of the gospel to a child or a family whose life you will indelibly touch, even though you may never meet them. The Week Ahead at Anathoth Community Garden: Saturday: Community Workday, 9-1 p.m. with potluck afterward Tuesday: Community Workday, 5-8 p.m. with potluck afterward I look forward to seeing each of you on Sunday! Blessings! Karl
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:45:01 +0000
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