Pastor's Notes for August 15, 2010

WATERMELON FEED, was on Sunday night @ 6 p.m. in our Fellowship Hall, thanks to Jim Pope. Everyone was invited & the melons were sweet. The Youth Group met in the Annex after the watermelon feast to continue their preparation for Youth Sunday.

OUR PANTRY is in dire need of restocking. Please bring lots of pasta, mac & cheese, peanut butter, rice, sugar, flour…. Last month we served 12 households (19 children, 28 adults) out of our crisis pantry.

TERRIFIC TUESDAY, for 3rd – 5th graders, will begin on Tuesday, September 7, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. This weekly after school gathering will include Bible stories and related activities in the Fellowship Hall. Mary Horn & I are working on this outreach. We invite you to work with us on Tuesdays through December 7.

On Saturday, August 20, Mary and I plan to go door-to-door on the blocks nearest our building to invite children to take part in Terrific Tuesday. If you want to join us, call the office for more details. Bring a friend because we will go two together as we knock on doors and invite our neighbors to join us.

PETER CHEI’S BOOKS will be available for check out soon. Kathy Dains has catalogued them & arranged them in the Library-Prayer Room. A dedication service is being planned. If you have books that belong to the Chei collection, please return them to Kathy or the library. A couple of books are missing and need to be processed and labeled.

COMMUNION MEDITATION Hebrews 11:1-2 ~ 12:1-3
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
Abel—Enoch—Noah—Abraham—Sarah—Jacob & Esau—Joseph & the sons of Joseph—Moses—the children of Israel—and the list goes on—the great cloud of witnesses—those who testify with their lives to God’s faithfulness.

…since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus….
We remember Jesus so that we do not lose heart, so that our faith is strengthened, so that we persevere in our faith, so that we become faithful people.

On the night he was betrayed Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it saying, “This is my body given for you. Take and eat. Do this in remembrance of me.”

After the meal Jesus took the cup, blessed it and passed it to them saying, “This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this in remembrance of me.”

As often as we eat this bread and drink from this cup we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.





Reflecting on the Scriptures: Surrounded & Surrendered!

Isaiah 5:1-7 is a tribute to the vineyard of the Beloved. He planted with great expectations but was disappointed, so the vineyard was left without protection. The vineyard = God’s people! God’s expectations = justice & righteousness.

Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19. The vineyard cries out for restoration!

Luke 12:49-56. Jesus proclaims a purifying fire but his words bring division! He expects spiritual discernment but finds his followers can better predict the weather than discern the spiritual impact of this world on their souls!

Hebrews 11:29—2:2. The 11th chapter of Hebrews recounts the faith of God’s people through the ages in spite of their falling short of the Lord’s expectations from time to time. Surrounded by this faithful cloud of witnesses we surrender to the Lord’s leading and persevere in our faith.