From the Pastor’s Desk
We are nearing Easter and the death and resurrection of the Son of God. Jesus dined with His disciples in the upper room the night of His betrayal, as He told them this will be His last supper with them. He describes to them, how those who stand beside Him during His trials, will be rewarded in heaven. Peter was bold in his words of standing by Jesus. Are Peters words reflected in us? Do we make bold promises until we are faced with real life situations? Peter says, “Lord,” I am ready to go with you to prison and to death. Jesus responds to him by saying, “I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:33-34) We know that Peter did indeed deny Jesus three times before the cock crowed the night of Jesus arrest and trial. Peter really did have good intensions, but when the finger was pointed toward him as being one of the followers, he lost courage and denied the one he boastfully said he would go to prison or die for. Do we deny our precious Savior when we find ourselves in situations of being singled out, teased or ridiculed, because we live by a different standard than others? Do you hold your ground and stand on the word of God? Or do you deny Jesus and pretend you don’t know Him by throwing Him under the bus and going with the flow of those who place their faith in the prince of darkness? The Lord turned and looked at Peter and Peter remembered his words and was convicted of his sin. Then he went and wept bitterly for what he had done. Repent and be strong in your faith don’t be swayed by the devils attempts to get you to turn your back on the one who suffered for you on the cross because He loves each of you so much. We are reminded of his love by the song, “Jesus Loves Me This I know!”
Our Worship and Outreach Committee is looking into the possibilities of integrating the use of multimedia into our services. We have been using multimedia in a simplistic form for our Saturday evening services for some time, with a favorable response by those who attend that service. Using multimedia is all about connecting with today’s media-savvy culture, especially our younger generations, who are growing up in this digital culture. We want to take the timeless message of the Bible and use this modern means to draw people to a biblical concept. Our worship should give God our best, which includes honoring His command to reach the next generation. He deserves more than endless debate about whether or not we should use a bank of TV screens and computers in our worship experience. The committee will continue to pray for God’s guiding as they review the alternatives that are available. When that is completed, recommendations will be presented for the multimedia system that will best enhance our worship experience and fit the sanctuary.
Confirmation news: Parents of the Seventh Grade class. Please note that CONFIRMATION CAMP starts on Sunday afternoon July 21st and will conclude at noon on Wednesday July 24th. This is a requirement for being confirmed. Some members of the Eighth Grade class expressed interest in coming again this year and they are most welcome to join us. The camp will be held at Riverside Camp near Amherst.
The men of the church (M&Ms) and F.I.R.E. our young adults group have established a date for a mission trip to work at “LOVE PACKAGES” in Butler, Ill. The date scheduled for this adventure is June 9th leaving right after church and getting back Wednesday evening the 12th. Lodging is located on the premises at no cost. We do have to bring our own food and bedding. Ideally our group will be 3 to 4 adults and 3 to 4 young people for this mission that God has assigned to us. I told Love Packages we would have about 6 to 8 people. We have a collection box under the coat rack for depositing Christian books, Bibles, devotionals and Bible studies etc. So if you have any of these items lying around bring them in and deposit them in the box. We would like to take a pickup loaded with Christian materials with us. It will be packaged (That is what we do) and then shipped all over the world, carrying the message of God’s love to the farthest points. I look forward to this mission with excitement.
Please check your bulletins and this newsletter for the schedule of services during Holy week.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
In His name,
Pastor Dave