WORSHIP
THE LORD WITH US!FIRST
CHURCH WINDOWS
February
2010
“Though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red
as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Isaiah
1:18
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WORSHIP
THE LORD WITH US!
Sunday
Worship
--------------
Sunday
School for all ages: 9:00 am
Worship
Service: 10:15 am
Listen
to “
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FIRST
CHURCH WINDOWS is published by:
The
First United
Phone:
(856)858-1186
Fax:
(856)858-1775
E-mail:
info@
Church
Staff
------------
Rev. Sam
Mountain - Senior Pastor
(
Mr.
Shawn Zook - Youth Director
(shawn@
Mrs.
Elizabeth Averell - Director of Music
Mrs.
(maria@
Office
Hours
------------
Monday -
Closed
Tuesday
- Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Closed
for lunch 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm)
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FIRST
CHURCH WINDOWS is online at www.
FIRST
CHURCH WINDOWS is available via e-mail. Send an e-mail to
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IN
WINDOWS THIS MONTH
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The
submission deadline for the February issue of Windows is January 10th.
THANK
YOU FOR SUPPORTING WINDOWS!
====================
As I was
reading this past week I came across this article about two popular sport
figures. Each one of their lives tells a different story.
What is important to them clearly shapes their lives. Apostle Paul says,
“this one thing I do is to forget what is behind and press on toward what’s
ahead to win the prize found in Christ Jesus.” (Pastor Sam Version)
Focus and passion like that can help direct a person’s life no matter the
circumstances we go through. It is
all about our love for God! In the midst of a world watching the aftermath of
Pastor
Sam
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Is this
it? Is this really all there is?
This is
not about football. It’s about starting out the new year with resolute purpose.
Man can
bear great physical or spiritual hardship, but what he cannot bear is the sense
of meaninglessness. Our greatest foe is what we most often seek unencumbered
lives and unbroken leisure, lives free from any care or concern. Our ultimate
enemy is not pain, or disease, or physical hardship, evil as these may be, but
triviality. If a man begins each
day as just another unit of time in which he wonders what to do with himself, he
is already as good as dead.
- Elton
Trueblood
The two
photos tell it all. Is this it?
Is this really all there is?
After
winning the U.S. Open, one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments,
Johnny Miller found himself asking the question a few days later, “Is this it?
Is this really all there is?” Tom Brady was quoted saying something similar
following one of his numerous Super Bowl championships. He knows there are only
so many fingers on which to place Super Bowl rings.
Tim Tebow? Well, he has not allowed fame, fortune (to come), or his
remarkable gifts and abilities to thwart his AIM in life.
I believe the Scripture passage Tim chose to put on display during his
final collegiate game is where every viewer’s attention ought to have gone.
And for sure, it is where our attention as Christians ought to go.
We cannot afford to let this all too familiar and often “trivialized”
passage escape us. It must be our AIM this coming year. “For by grace you have
been saved, through faith. And this
is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no
one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
(Ephesians. 2:8-10, emphasis mine)
Tebow’s
life personifies this verse. And with millions watching, he did not cower to
political correctness or lose his authenticity as a home-schooled son of a
missionary who happens to be athletically gifted and enjoys football. What were
his first words (to no one’s surprise) following perhaps his best performance
ever this past week? “First of all, I want to thank my Savior the Lord Jesus
Christ who has made everything possible.” Let’s logically unpack the apostle
Paul’s statement in Ephesians: Purpose begins with faith-based saving and
sustaining grace. Faith is a gift
from God. It is not self-generated.
Therefore, God alone should get credit for my salvation. He saved me for
one purpose: His good works. That assignment has been waiting for me forever.
My walk should be characterized by doing this assignment.
Doing so will fulfill His purpose for my life and bring glory to Christ.
So what
is it for you?
What one
thing can you do this next year that would have the greatest positive impact on
many other areas of your life? It
may be learning to genuinely love Jesus.
It may be learning to receive love from Jesus. It may be memorizing
Scripture, even one verse per week.
It may be reading the Bible from cover to cover.
It may be learning to listen.
It may be obeying in just one debilitating area. It may be getting
victory over one addiction. It may
be faithfully exercising your body. (YEAH!)
This
year, 2010, could be a watershed year - a year when we see God work in us and
through us in ways we never dreamed possible.
I am glad to be pursuing Him together.
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“Enough”
Series Has Begun
Our new
series of messages is entitled “Enough.”
When we
look at
the word “enough,” there are two responses we can draw from this word:
1st:
God is enough for everything we have and need in our lives.God can meet
and direct us through even the most horrific and amazing times of life. In
Colossians 1 verse 17, Apostle Paul is speaking about the supremacy of Christ
and says these words: “He (Jesus) is before all things and by him ALL things are
held together.” In other words, Jesus is more than enough.
2nd: The
culture and the times we live in somehow define “enough” as an endless journey
which appears as the impossible dream. We can never get enough. It can lead to
an endless journey of discontentment, a place where we can never get enough
love, money, power or recognition. Something deep within can be missing.
That is the root cause of discontentment. Many people live out their
lives like a hamster on a wheel that is in constant motion.
It can move with great speed but with the result of never getting
anywhere. There is good news. When
we place our lives and trust in Christ, the Lord is enough for all of life.
The Lord can make and give us a fresh perspective that we never could
find on our own. And in a time where moral and economic crises have a foothold
in our lives, everyone is affected.
We can take a step back and discover (and possibly rediscover) fresh joy in
Jesus Christ that will enable us to live a life of simplicity and one defined by
generosity.
====================
Super
Sunday
Sunday
morning, February 7, 2010 at 10:15 am
A
special worship service with Covenant Players celebrating the Lord’s goodness
and blessing in our lives together!
The Covenant Players have an amazing gift of bringing scriptures to life. Come
and join us and bring a family member with you too!
Friendship Night and the Super Bowl
How
often have you wanted to have over a neighbor to build a relationship with?
Why not make February 7th evening a time to build some friendships?
Pray and ask the Lord to show you who and make it a special night.
Maybe ask another family to join you as well and have a night of
friendship and fellowship that will help you build some relationships for the
Lord!
SUNDAY
NIGHT PRAYER SERVICE
February
21st, 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary
Join us
for a time of prayer, singing and reflection. Jesus said, “My house shall be
called a house of prayer” and it is our intention to do that together!
Come and bring your praises to the Lord and also pray for yourself,
others in our world, our church and future and community.
As the world events seem to get more intense how we need to seek the Lord
for a revival renewal for a world and time that needs the Lord more than ever.
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“If you are a parent, recognize that it is the most
important calling and rewarding challenge you have. What you do every day, what
you say and how you act, will do more to shape
The
Parent You Want to Be
Who You
Are Matters More Than What You Do
A
Biblical study based on the book
by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott will meet on
Wednesday evenings beginning Wednesday, February 24 at 6:45 pm.
All
parents are encouraged to attend.
Through
a DVD-based discussion we will discover together...
• the most important
question you’ll ever ask as a parent
• the three-step method to avoid being
a parent you don’t want to be
•
the secret to making your “intentional traits” stick
on even your worst days
... and much more
Programs
for children & youth will take place at the same time.
Facilitators: Jan Bittle, Nicole Zook,
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Homemade Chicken & Dumpling Family Style Dinner
Saturday
Night, February 27th
There
will be two times: 4:30 pm and 6:30
pm.
Join us
for a wonderful warm meal, great fun and
some
great music! There is even a rumor
Pastor Sam
is
helping to make the dumplings.
Come and
bring some friends!
Tickets will be available early February.
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HEALTH
KITS FOR
The
hundreds of thousands of Haitians who have lost their homes have many desperate
needs including hygiene. We can
HELP! Almost all of us are part of
a group of some sort such as a Sunday School class, prayer group, small group,
home Bible study, reading club, sewing circle, bowling team, or something. Ask
within your group whether they would help assemble “Health Kits for
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USHERS
MEETING
February 21st after the morning service
in the parlor. If you are
interested in ushering or already usher, please plan to be a part of this
special time. There also will be pizza and snacks.
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DEAR
MEMBERS OF FUMC:
On
behalf of
Bonnie
McElligott, Pantry Coordinator
====================
THE RYVER YOUTH MINISTRY OF FUMC
A
ministry of students
loving
God, loving people,
connecting with our neighbors
Senior
High (grades 9-12) meets on Sunday nights and Junior High (grades 6-8) meets on
Wednesday nights, both from 6:00-8:00 pm (for relationship building and
spiritual topical discussions), and everyone meets on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am
(for deeper Bible teaching and spiritual life training) except for the
following:
ryver
staff – (first Sun) – for all youth leaders – praying, planning, preparing
All-ryver
Games – (first Wed; all grades) – come meet people through sit-down games,
open-gym, etc.
All-ryver
Serving – (last Sun; all grades) – focused on meeting needs in our surrounding
community
All-ryver
Worship – (last Wed; all grades) – experience God through music, teaching, and
arts
COMING
EVENTS
Youth
Super Bowl Party
Sunday,
2/7 - 6:00 pm Great food! Great game (hopefully!)
Great commercials! Or just hang out and play games with great people!
Open to grades 6-12. Cost:
No charge, but we will accept donations for the food.
YOU MUST
SIGN UP BY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3!
Junior
High MWA Meeting - Wednesday, 2/10 - 5:15 pm Mandatory for all Junior High
students attending Keswick. We'll go over some important info and spend some
time praying for the weekend.
JH
Mid-Winter Advance - February 19-21 Please pray for our junior high group at
Keswick this weekend. God will do
great things!
Ski/Snowtubing
@ Blue Mountain - Friday 2/26 We'll be meeting at the church at 2:30 pm (and
returning around 12:30 am) to give you as much snow time as possible - tubing as
usual, and NEW this year - skiing for those who want to!
Registration forms and payments (pricing varies) are due in ADVANCE -No
later than Wednesday 2/24! Students are encouraged to pack a bag dinner, or you
can buy it there. In case of bad
weather, trip will be rescheduled for Friday 3/5. So get some friends and let's
go play in the snow!
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OUR
CHURCH IS ON THE INTERNET
Have you checked
out our website recently? It’s www.
====================
Armand
and Jean LeBlanc,
The
LeBlanc’s and McHughes went on a 4 hour journey to visit the best little
fellowship in
In
The
Saints Prison Ministry
Thank
the Lord that 10 men accepted Jesus Christ as Savior at our basketball team’s
game at Arthur Kill CF on December 8, 2009. Praise the Lord for three decisions
for Jesus Christ at our basketball team’s game at Otisville CF in NY on
Saturday, December 5, 2009. Thank
the Lord for three decisions for Christ at our Basketball Team’s game at SCI
Camp Hill and seven decisions at their game at SCI Mahanoy on Saturday, Jan. 9,
2010.
Woody
and Sue Lewis
We’re
just thankful to live life with the Lord, the One who is full of grace and
truth! Our wish for all of you in 2010 is to get to know and love this One more
and be full of His love and truth, not just one or the other.
We just
wanted you to know that we’re back after a quick and wonderful three and a half
weeks in
Walt and
Pat Stuart, France
The
Stuart Family Christmas and New Year 2010
All 22
of us were together for marvelous times eating, sharing, singing, worshiping,
and playing together! The cousins never stopped and memories were deeply forged.
These coming weeks, please pray with us for:
*Wisdom
as we work on the revision of the FJA 2010 budget (and the needed finances to
make it a reality)
* Pat,
Martine and Benedicte as they work on the texts for the 2011 FJA Family Calendar
January 13-20th
* Walt,
teaching at the Tyndale Theological Seminary in
* A
weekend of training in Biblical Counseling in Guebwiller dealing with loss and
grieving: January 29-30.
Elizabeth and David Givens
We left
January
7 we arrived in our “real” destination in the south of the country where the
team has already plunged into helping with whatever needs to be done.
Today they are interacting with university students at the center where
they are staying. Yesterday was
given to dividing, labeling, and packaging medications that will be distributed
in three different day-long medical clinics next week. An American doctor
arrives tomorrow morning and we’ll be helping him and the rest of the team.
One of our
Don and
Esther Parsons
We moved
into our new home in
We were
also able to travel to PA where we celebrated my grandmother’s 99th birthday
(Julia Slimm.) She is an amazing
woman of God! We also got to see all my family. Please continue to pray for my
dad who suffered a mild stroke on Thanksgiving.
Of
course, please pray for Esther and the kids as I will be traveling this month.
David
and Phyllis Schmid:
Yes, we
were hit hard by this earthquake.
The original
All the
homes are standing but not sure of structural damage.
There is lots of damage with broken glass, etc.
David yelled for me to get out of the house.
I was walking on the treadmill and once it started I was thrown back and
held on for dear life all my bookcases and things in my work room came down.
Cindy was walking down her hallway and could hardly stay on her feet.
We have no way to contact the Mears, Days and Weavers here in Port so
don’t know how they are. Our missionaries out in the province are okay.
Yesterday, Wednesday, our campus filled up even more. All our yards have become
like one big campground. The men say we probably have about 2000 here now, if
not more. Have you thought about where those 2000 are going to the bathroom?
That’s right - in our yards. We
could have a real medical problem here real soon.
Need to get some holes dug or something.
====================
For God
so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV
Dear
Friends in Christ and Partners in Prayer,
As we
celebrated the closing of the year 2009, we brought the crisp, crunchy snow;
frigid temperatures; and brisk winds along with us into January. Now we are
wondering if February holds much of the same. I realize it seems strange to most
people but there are some things about the wintry weather I enjoy; of course,
the biting winds and single digit temps are not on that ‘enjoyable’ list. You
must admit the cold does put a little zip in your step.
Last
February when I wrote you I called February the love month.
It’s interesting how, as time goes, by many things seems to change, yet
many things remain the same. I
think of God’s love for us. It never changes - it’s always the same.
When we disobey, ignore, or are unfaithful to Him, His love for us never
changes but stays the same. How
much different God’s love is than our human love for others. Take some time
during the love month of 2010 and read through the 13th chapter of 1
Corinthians. The people of
Let us
pray that we might strive to be more loving not only to our family and friends,
but to all whom we come in contact.
May we give thanks for the two great presidents of this country whose birthdays
we honor this month, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. While our church
prayer list changes from month to month, it is still quite long with many
needing your special prayers:
Joseph
Paul Waller, Dan Fletcher, Ben Patterson, Jerry
Hunt, Gladys Rambo, Jane
Sachetti, Charlotte Shindle, Baby Teddy DiOrio, Annie Hartke, Karen Snyder,
Carolyn Alexander, Florence Keller, Janet Johnstone, Lily Reckeweg, Cynthia
Fuester, Warren Creely, Mildred Young, Helen Lewin, Betty Andrews, Jason Piligno,
Rosetta Millbury. Caroline Gerelus, Bill Davis, Karen Clay, Paul Gehring.
We must
always remember to pray for God’s guidance for our President and those in
leadership who are making decisions on bills and policies which affect all
Americans. Pray for Pastor Sam, his
family, and our church.
May you
enjoy February, the shortest month of the year, but also the love month.
Love
from your prayer partner,
K. J.
Schmitt
“Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
1
Corinthians 13:6
====================
Birthdays
Feb. 6
Jim Doyle
Marilyn Ellis
Feb. 7
Stan Sheaffer
Feb. 8
Peg Pierce
Feb. 9
Ruthmaria Weinberg
Feb. 10
Carol
Will Jungclaus
Ruth Smith
Feb. 12
Kacey Ehret
Feb. 17
Louis R. VanPelt Jr.
Feb. 18
Marva Wallace
Feb. 20
Jennifer Schwehm
Feb. 22
Cheryl VanPelt
Feb. 23
Philip Sheaffer
Barb Oliver
Ruth Wolf
Feb. 24
George Hemphill
Feb. 26
Jane Doyle
Feb. 27
Jennifer Kennedy
Jennifer Skalko
If you
have not already done so, please give your dates (birth dates and anniversary
dates) to the church office in writing or by e-mail: maria@
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Deaths
at
Marion
Hess - December 2, 2009
Ruth
Werley - December 23, 2009
====================
MISSIONS
THROUGH OCTOBER 2009
2009
Missions Budget:
$127,372.00
Adjusted
2009 Missions Budget: $124,164.00
Actual
2009 Missions Income:
$110,261.00
2008
Year-End Balance:
$1,638.00
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$111,899.00
2009
Missions Shortfall:
$12,265.00
Christmas Love Offering:
$4,424.00
“Each
man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2
Corinthians 9:7
====================
BE A
LOVE BIRD
Many
stories about the origin of Valentine’s Day have come down through the
centuries. There’s no definitive story, but most revolve around the imprisonment
of Valentinus (St. Valentine) for his disregard of Roman laws.
Many
legends are also associated with Valentine’s Day. For example, because birds
seemed to arrive and mate in some countries in mid-February, human couples came
to be called “love birds.”
In 1667,
the first recorded Valentine card was printed. Today, people will give their
sweethearts countless millions of cards and acres of heart-shaped boxes filled
with candy. But why wait for Valentine’s Day to share love with others? Remember
Jesus’ words in John 13:34 (NRSV): “I give you a new commandment, that you love
one another.”
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The
First United Methodist Church