A Weekend To Remember for So Many Reasons

Good Morning Church and Online Community,

God's abundant blessings to you this morning. This morning is not like another Monday morning. It's a morning where we go back to school, to work, and into our community with hearts that still are filled with great pain from what we witnessed in Newtown, CT on Friday. We seek the peace that passes all understanding as we make sense of all that has taken place in our nation. May the Lord continue to pour out His grace to all who are in need this day. 

In worship yesterday, we centered our thoughts around this event from Friday and sought out ways to cope and ways we, as the people of Jesus Christ can respond. I was led to preach yesterday on Matthew 5:38-44 as Jesus turned the old law into a new way of living. In this passage, Jesus said, "⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." We see, in this passage, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount requires both love of, and prayer for, our enemies. 

In our society today, we have been accustomed to living under the old law of "loving neighbor and hating enemies." We no longer seek out opportunities to love all. May we continually seek out ways to love God and love all. Love all means more than those just in our circle. Love all means, love all. Many times we hear those words "love all," but they don't resonate to our deepest core. What must we do to begin to change the world? Love all in the love of Christ. Those whom society shuns, we must love. Those whom society neglects, we must love. May we see with the lens of God's love for all of humanity. 

Yesterday, Jill Todd led our Advent lighting at the 9:26 with a profound reading as individuals representing all the lives lost lit a candle in the front of the Sanctuary. A most powerful reminder to be the Light. Both of our worship services took time to spend in prayer for all those affected by the events at Sandy Hook Elementary. May God continue to watch over all of those who mourn this day. The following video was played in worship yesterday:

Last evening, we celebrated togetherness by joining in our 2nd Annual Night of Gifts! It was a joyous evening where so many people shared their talents with the church and community! 

A special thank you is extended to all of those who made this possible! A large crowd gathered following the Night of Gifts for a time of fellowship in Oz Hall along with a surprise visit from Santa! Below you will find pictures from last night's festivities! Click on one to enlarge. 

Have a blessed week church family! It is an honor to serve and lead as your pastor. 

Turning Christmas Upside Down: Give More

Good Afternoon Church Family and Online Community,

I pray you are well and blessed today! It was a great day for worship. We have seen many coming to our church from our community recently! It has been great getting to know new faces at both services! If you see an unfamiliar face, take a moment to give them a great Christ Community welcome!

At the 9:26, we welcomed Bailey Nicole for Baptism. She is the beautiful daughter of Tony and Alisa. It was a beautiful baptism and their family was here to celebrate! 

Our focus this Sunday was on the Advent Conspiracy: Give More. In the message, I was not advocating giving more gifts, however, our focus was on giving more "presence." Offering ourselves in the light of Christ to others is one way we can creatively give more. We shared some different ways to give, one being to go to Wal-Mart and offer to pay anonymously someone's lay away balance. Simply walk to the layaway department and ask the clerk that you would like to pay for someone's layaway balance. That's just one way we can "Turn Christmas Upside Down" this Christmas.

This week, we have the joy of going to Wal-Mart to spread Christmas cheer! This Wednesday, December 12, we will meet in front of Wal-Mart (Grocery Side) and sing carols to our community as they shop! We will meet there at 6:45 p.m. If you're hungry on Wednesday, we have a potluck dinner scheduled for 5:30 p.m. We will meet in Oz Hall for dinner! All are welcome!

Have a blessed week church! Know how blessed I am to serve and lead as your pastor.

Turning Christmas Upside Down: Spend Less

Good Morning Church and Online Community!

God's blessings to you as we enter into this season of Advent! It was a joyous weekend of worship at Christ Community!

Our message centered on Jeremiah 33:7-11, 15 the calling of the Branch who would come to execute justice and righteousness, foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ. How do we spend our money at this time of year? Do we fall into the trap of excess? How much is too much?

The challenge for us is to see if we live as Christ came, executing justice and righteousness to all of God's people. Dr. Bob Todd reported that Kiva, the lending program we joined in 2011, has repaid the loan to all those who donated. Those who donated, can, if they wish, donate to another small business or group so that they can earn a profit in their way of life. If you would like to be a lender or like more info on Kiva go to Kiva's Website

We also thank Dr. Bob and Bob Kline who delivered 64 flood buckets to the Eastbrook Mission Barn over the weekend. We are grateful for all of your support to those who donated in so many ways to make this possible. We are also thankful for Ron and Cathy Wesley's organization of our church decorating night! Great job everyone!

a few pictures of our church decorating on December 1st

Tonight we gather for our Annual Church Conference with our DS, Rev. Dean Ziegler. We will gather at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. All members are welcome.

This Wednesday, invite your friends and family to come out to see special guest, Rev. Jeff Vanderhoff! He is a magician and I've seen his head get bigger and smaller. He's great! He will begin at 6:45 p.m. in the sanctuary on Wednesday! Anyone is welcome! Dinner is also at 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Please contact the church office by Monday, noon to place your dinner reservation.

Have a blessed week church family! How great is it that we are nearing 65 degrees in December! Enjoy the gift! It is an honor to serve and lead as your pastor.

2012

Good Morning Church Family and Online Community!

God's abundant blessings to you this week! I pray you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This weekend welcomed our first snowfall and were able to see a beautiful snow the morning of worship! The snow has already melted and we are into a new week of ministry!

Yesterday, in worship, our message centered on Mark 13:1-8.

13:1 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Remember the movie "2012?" The earth ripping apart, floods to the highest point on earth? Have you ever seen the show Doomsday Preppers? I haven't, but it's a new one on National Geographic. It documents real families/individuals who spend all their time/resources planning for the end of time. Building bunkers/stocking shelves upon shelves of food/ teaching kids to do things unimaginable are just some of the things these families are doing to prepare for something that may never occur.

The disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew all were caught up by similar questions and scenarios. Jesus specifically told them, "See that no one leads you astray." Jesus spoke of two things not to be misled by: 1) Don't be misled by people. Many will claim to be the Messiah but Jesus said, "Don't be misled by these people." 2) Do not be misled by world events. "There will be wars and rumors of wars." These are just the beginning of the birth pains. As they had these questions so do we. Remember... the first Gulf War, Y2K, September 11? All of these were thought of by many, end of world scenarios, but as we read in the Scriptures, these will continue.

Jesus closed this chapter by saying that no one knows the hour, only God. While living, we are called to live in the NOW. Remain vigilant, stay awake. Love the Lord with all your heart, mind and strength. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. May we live in that Light. We are called to be in ministry today.

We also were blessed yesterday in worship to celebrate the baptism of Emily Elizabeth, daughter of Chris and Kim. Blessings to Emily and her family on this special day!

Have a blessed week church! Don't forget about Wednesday Nights at church! This week is "surprise" meatloaf... Hmmm. Can't wait! 5:30-6:30 p.m. is dinner!

It is an honor to serve and lead as your pastor.

An Active Church Life...

Good Afternoon Church Family and Online Community!

I can literally say how exhausted I am after this weekend. Not only me, but I heard from many of you in worship today how you took pain relievers to help with the sore muscles, back aches and bones! You deserve a break!

It was a great weekend around the church! The church hosted its annual whole hog sausage sale on Saturday as it was one of the largest sales in our history! People from everywhere came by to get their fresh sausage, just in time for the holiday season! Thanks to everyone who made this sausage sale one of the best yet! We had all kinds of help from cutters to lunch makers! It's great to see so many from the church come together! I heard from many church family members that they had such a great time sharing fellowship! (Thanks Kevin Loomis for the pictures!)

click on picture to enlarge

Saturday was not only the sausage sale. We also raised nearly $2500 for flood buckets from the needs of Hurricane Sandy. Saturday was the assembling of these kits. Thanks to Dr. Bob Todd for organizing the effort and getting everyone coming together to assemble. Many people left church today with empty flood buckets to take to their places of employment, etc... to fill. Thank you for taking time to fill these extras! 

In worship, we gave thanks to God for the opportunities we have been blessed with to give and receive. This church has truly demonstrated time and time again, the joy in giving with a grateful heart. Our Sunday School classes made cards for our Butler Twp. teachers, EMT's. Firefighters, Police and Township officials. Thank you kids! Also, in this week of Thanksgiving, our church has made some 1000 cookies to send to these different agencies and schools. You're awesome! May this be just a token of our appreciation for all that these groups do for us to teach and to keep us safe. Thanks to the many who stayed after worship to assemble the many trays. 

In worship, we also celebrated our Prayer Shawl Ministry and welcomed new members. We welcome Megan McCleary and Jordan Gibson who join our church family membership! They are a blessing to our church family! 

There will be NO Wednesday Night dinner and classes this week. Happy Thanksgiving! It has been a true, true joy to serve and lead as your pastor over this weekend! Be blessed!

Ministry Celebration Sunday!

Good Afternoon Church Family and Online Community!

What a beautiful day of worship it was at Christ Community! We truly were blessed as we experienced some of the ministries of the church engaged in worship and throughout the day. Our Sing Out Loud! Children and Youth Choir brought smiles to both worshipping bodies as they sang, "We are Marching!" Thanks to Jon Pincek for his leadership with our children and youth!
Our praise band did a great job today leading us in worship at the 9:26.

Our 11:00 a.m. traditional had the joy of listening to Deb Pincek and Marilyn Stephenson in a piano/organ duet throughout worship! It was beautiful!

Following both services, Oz Hall was open to fellowship with each other! A special thank you to Deb Pincek who decorated, and provided the refreshments for the day!

At worship, we remembered the Saints who have gone before us over the last year. We remember with gratitude, Rev. Cloyd "Oz" Osborne, Dorothy Miller, Harold Morse, Linda Sams, and Pauline Hawk. Their lives made an impact on us in so many ways. Thank God for their life and witness. We recognized Alberta Osborne's work on a wall hanging in memory of her husband "Oz" and all those who entered the Church Triumphant this year. Thank you Alberta for a most loving gift to the church.

Our worship centered on Commitment to Christ: Service. The text came from Romans 12:11-13. We are called to not be lazy in our work but to serve Christ and others enthusiastically. Thank you for bringing your pledges forward as we prayerfully discern where God calls us to go as a church in 2013.

Church, we have an immediate need to serve. If you wish to donate monetarily towards cleaning buckets, you may do so. Simply mark your check in the memo, "UMCOR Cleaning Buckets." Dr. Bob Todd, Outreach Chair, will purchase all the necessary items for the buckets and we will assemble buckets on Saturday, November 17 along with our annual Sausage sale. The buckets will be assembled downstairs in the education classes. (A great day to come and share your gifts!) If you wish to put together a cleaning bucket on your own, you may do that also. The list of needed items can be found by going to Cleaning Kit Recipe

Another way to give... A special offering on November 18 will be held to go to UMCOR Hurricane Sandy Advance. May we continue to be in prayer for those affected by this life-altering storm.

Have a blessed week church! It is an honor to serve and lead as your pastor!

Commitment to Christ: Financial Giving

Good Afternoon Church and Online Community!

Well, it is here, Hurricane Sandy. The winds are gently beginning to pick up and the rain has been coming down all day. It's odd that we here in Western Pennsylvania can be hit with such magnitude of a storm. It is my prayer that all are safe and that no more lives are lost to this horrific storm. Be safe everyone. Pray for our national guard, and all of our first responders, EMS, Fire and Police. I am posting the following from our Western PA UMC:

Preparation Alert for Western Pennsylvania United Methodists
Early Response Teams; If needed, teams of individuals who have completed early response training will be formed to respond within and outside of the Conference when the time is right. Rick Nelson and Calvin Cook, Conference disaster response coordinators, will communicate through Volunteers in Mission coordinator Diane Miller with those people who have completed Early Response Team training. 

If you have been trained, now is the time to prepare, to let Rick know of your availability in the next month, and to wait for further word. Rick Nelson cell phone: 724-651-6155.

In some circumstances, Nelson said other disaster response volunteers may be called on.
Our Disaster Response Coordinators are connected to the Red Cross and other groups that will be responding. We will use email as our primary means of communication. As the storm develops check your email regularly for how you might plug in as a volunteer.

Diane Miller
Mission/VIM Coordinator
Western Pennsylvania Conference
United Methodist Church
140 Boone's Way
Kennerdell, PA  16374
814-498-2308 (o)
diane.miller@wpaumc.org

If you were with us yesterday at church, we celebrated another Sunday of our Commitment to Christ. This Sunday's focus centered upon Financial Giving. I'd like to thank Boyd and Sharon Brewer for their story as they shared with both worship services their joy of giving. I'd also like to thank Jill Todd for a profound reading on Extravagant Generosity by Bishop Schnase.

In Schnase's Book, "The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations," we read the following: "People who give generously to the church do so because they genuinely desire to make a positive difference for the purposes of Christ and because they want to align their lives with higher purposes. They give in response to the Spirit's urging and feel a soul-sustaining satisfaction in the sense of meaning and connection that comes with generosity."

My wife, Jennifer and I do not give under compulsion, but we tithe because we receive a soul-sustaining satisfaction that God is doing great things through the ministries of this church to the community and to the world. Our vision is loving people, loving God! When we claim the vision and can see it and dream it, then through our giving and God blessing that cheerful heart of giving, we see ministry blossom and flourish!

I am praying for you this week as you will receive a letter from our stewardship team. May you prayerfully discern where God is calling you regarding extravagant generosity. We will bring our commitment cards to worship this Sunday, November 4 and will celebrate the many things that God is doing in our life as the church here at Christ Community! Thank you for your prayerful discernment.

Last night our youth hosted Trunk or Treat! We had families from our community join us for a night of fun! Thanks to Cherie and the youth for leading such a great night! All the canned goods will go to New Hope Soup Kitchen, on the Northside of Pittsburgh.

A night of fun in Oz Hall with the Youth and Kids! 

Butler Dad made a special appearance! His hair grew too! 

Have a blessed week church and be safe. It is a honor to serve and lead as your pastor.