According
to the Bible, every Christian has been given at least one spiritual gift
to use in service to the body of Christ. “Each of you should use whatever gift
you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its
various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very
words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God
provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him
be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen”. So, an important step in
determining how to best serve in the church is for us to discover what our
spiritual gifts are. Of course, we don’t have to know what our gift is before
we start getting involved in the church. In fact, we often discover our gifts
in the process of serving.
There
is a difference between the Body of Christ universal and the local
church Christians attend for corporate worship. But there is no difference in
how Christians ought to use their spiritual gifts, because serving God is a
twenty-four-hour proposition, not a Sunday-only enterprise. All Christians
everywhere should be serving God in their local churches and looking for
opportunities to serve outside the walls of a church building. It may be difficult
to discover which spiritual gift(s) God has bestowed, but it’s better to serve
somewhere than nowhere. Often, the discovery of gifts becomes more clear in the
doing—as we serve in various jobs, we learn what we are good at and what we
have a heart for.
There
are always more needs than willing workers; this was true in Christ’s day and
is still true today. It’s never a problem to find a need in the local church.
From evangelizing the community to cleaning the bathrooms, there is always
plenty of work to be done. It is good to inquire of the church leadership
regarding the needs of the church.
Every member of every church should be serving in some way, and every servant of the Lord should remember that it’s more than just serving others; it’s loving them: “Serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13). Serving the church can take on many forms: preparing a meal for a family struck by illness, visiting an elderly, housebound widow, or just picking up a phone and saying, “I was thinking about you today.” Christians may busy themselves in tasks of service like the ones listed above, but endless performing, without love, is meaningless. As we go about serving God and others, let us do so with a spirit of humility and brotherly love. Yours in Christ,
Our Teen Talk is for anyone in 7th grade and
above. We meet on Sunday mornings starting on
September 8 at 9:30 am. to talk about God
and Jesus, how our lives are influenced by them and how we can be an influence
to others around us. There are so many
things that try to manipulate us away from God.
This is our own time to dig deeper into our faith. It’s not just another “Sunday School class”
or Bible Study. It’s all about us – who
we are, what’s happening in our lives right here and now, and how does any of
this relate to God and our faith. We’ll
be discussing the important things going on in the world, our town and our
lives. And if you have any particular
ideas to discuss, just give them to me. Come
to Teen Talk and find other teens who want to make their faith
stronger and be better at dealing with ideas and things that pull us away from
being Christians. We’re looking for everyone in 7th
grade and up to come out and talk about how God really relates to us – not just
in theory, but in reality.
Thanks to
everyone who buys Weis or Carone’s cards.
We appreciate all your support.
See Deb or let a Youth Group member know if you want some more! There
are also envelopes on the table in the narthex to put in with the offering and
receive the following week.
As our food pantry is used by the
community on a regular basis, we are running low. We do have an abundance of pasta and
cereal. Please try and help us stock the
pantry so we could continue to offer this outreach to our community members.
Did you know our church is 150
years old this year? What a Great Cloud of Witness we are (from
the Book of Hebrews)! We have
deliberated this fact at our last consistory meeting and decided to celebrate! On Sunday, October 6th, there
will be a special service during our regular worship time. We would like to
continue the celebration with a covered
dish luncheon after the service.
Please consider preparing your favorite German themed dish to share. Also,
bring along family and friends to make our celebration meaningful to all. I
will be contacting former ministers of Emanuele UCC to join us that afternoon.
In addition, we ask that if you have any memorabilia to share start collecting it now and bring it to me. I do plan on setting this up in our social hall for all to enjoy! I will be looking for anyone who would like to be on the anniversary committee for our 150th anniversary. This is going to be a think-tank to help plan for our celebration October 6th. We need ideas to make this a fun and memorable afternoon. Please see me after church if interested or call me at 570-582-9550. Thanks,
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Emmanuel United Church of Christ, Mountaintop, Pa
The apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians tells us, “…But (Jesus) made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Phil. 2:7).
A lot of people have argued about
what Jesus emptied Himself of, exactly. Most Christian scholars agree that when
Jesus came to Earth as a human, He emptied Himself, or set aside, His divine
attributes—that is, His omniscience (knowing everything), His omnipresence
(being everywhere, always present), and His omnipotence (limitless in His
power). As a human, He was limited in all these qualities simply because of He
had a human body. But let’s set that thought aside for now.
My question is this: what if He
didn’t just empty Himself, but also added something? What if that
something was human nature? If that were the case, then of course Jesus would
have had to limit the access He had to His divine nature. He couldn’t fully
operate out of His divine nature and still have the full experience of
being human. Those two natures contradict one another.
This is the really challenging
part. How human was Jesus, really? He was born of human flesh, grew physically
like any other human would, had veins of actual blood, got hungry, thirsty, and
tired. He died a physical death. He felt human emotions including anger,
despair, joy, grief, sadness, excitement, and wonder. Jesus struggled—He was
tempted, confused at times, limited by others’ lack of response, frustrated,
and often lonely. It all sounds pretty human to me.
If I were Jesus and had a “God
card” I could access anytime I wanted, I would have certainly used it to avoid
the daily struggles of being human. However, although Jesus possessed His
divine nature throughout His life on Earth, He mysteriously gave up His access
to this nature in order to fully possess humanness. Let that sink in for a
moment. God, through Jesus, became like us. I don’t know about you, but
this makes Jesus—and in turn God the Father—much more relatable and
“follow-able” than a super-human, superhero-like God.
To be open to the idea that we
are loved is to respond to a God who chose to be human and vulnerable.
In my own ministry, I enjoy
meeting and interacting with others.
When I do this on a spiritual level, I bask in the humanness of sharing
joy and sometimes grief, accomplishment and disappointments.
Jesus, in His human nature, completely identifies with us! He gets it—our joy, our sorrow, our loneliness, our longings. Jesus meets us in our humanity. He is, after all, the fullest expression and example of what it is to be human. Yours in Christ,
Ethel
Fine will be celebrating her 96th birthday on August 7. Let’s all give her a great birthday by
sending her cards showing her how much she means to our church family
Ethel Fine will be celebrating
her 96th birthday on August 7. Let’s all
give her a great birthday by sending her cards showing her how much she means
to our church family.
Some of our graduates are pictured with their class. Crestwood’s graduating class included Morgan Rinehimer. We wish her God’s guidance and encourage her as she pursues the next phases of her life.
Our annual 300 Club and Silent Auction was enjoyed by many people. Ray Stec enjoys a laugh with Dave Myers while he waits for his hamburger. Our thanks to all who came out to support this fundraiser.
I think about it all the time.
While I’m driving, praying, eating. I
guess I can call it one of my little obsessions. It is the question, “How can we get more
people involved in church life.
Well,
understand I am not the only person on this church asking that same question. We as a whole are not the only church asking
that question. As a person who needs to know the facts, I have turned
to a group of researchers who have already explored these questions. They are called The Barna Group. In its 30-year history, Barna Group has
conducted more than one million interviews over the course of hundreds of
studies, and has become a go-to source for insights about faith and culture,
leadership and vocation, and generations. Barna Group has carefully and
strategically tracked the role of faith in America, developing one of the
nation’s most comprehensive databases of spiritual indicators. Barna Group has
worked with thousands of business, nonprofit organizations and churches across
the U.S. and around the world, including many protestant denominations,
Catholic parishes, and faith leaders. Some of its notable clients have included
the Salvation Army, World Vision, Compassion, the American Bible Society, and
Habitat for Humanity. It has also served mainstream business and non-profit
leaders at organizations like Sony, Walden Media, Easter Seals, CARE, the ONE
Campaign, the Humane Society, the Gates Foundation, and NBC Universal. The
firm’s studies are frequently cited in sermons and talks, and its public
opinion research is often quoted in major media outlets such as CNN, USA Today,
The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, the New
York Times, Dallas Morning News, and the Los Angeles Times.
Their research always surprises
me. Here is a statistic I feel we can work with.
Millennial
Non-Christians Show Greater Spiritual Curiosity Than Older Adults
Despite
the growing indifference toward Christianity, especially among young people,
there appears to be a spiritual curiosity among Millennials. Barna’s recent report Reviving
Evangelism, shows that Millennials report many more faith conversations or even
evangelistic encounters than older non-Christians. For at least some young
adults, there appears to be deeper interest in spirituality in general, and in
Christianity specifically. This statistic appeared as a research release in the
magazine Faith and Christianity,
2019.
What
is a millennial? According to the US Census Bureau, they were born between 1982
and 2000. They are the largest generation in the workforce because of their
birth years. Millennials are the children of the baby boomers and are also
called the Generation Y or Gen Y. They possess several qualities and
characteristics different from the past generations. And although the
characteristics of a millennial varies on the culture and environment,
they grew up in; these are the common characteristics of millennials
today.
Millennials are Often Optimistic About the
Future
They Love Social Networking
They are Tech-Savvy
They Believe in Work-Life Balance (prioritizing
family over work).
They are Goal-Oriented
They Want Recognition (feeling valued).
Millennials Love to Multitask
They Have an Entrepreneurial Spirit
They Like Adventures
They are Educated
I feel these are some great attributes, and I am sure you do also. As you read this list of qualities, imagine them being put to work in our modern day churches. I, along with many others in our church, are serious about considering these characteristics and putting them to work for the good of our world. Our older church folks have so much to share with this generation and they will embrace your thoughts and visions. So look out! Expect some changes at Emmanuel UCC. Changes for the good of all of us.
THANKS to everyone who helped in any way to make this year’s 300 Club
and Silent Auction a fantastic success.
Almost all the 300 tickets were sold, ensuring us a good profit. We also had additional guests who each
donated $15 to enjoy the great food and bands.
We are still waiting for some of the Silent Auction payments to be
collected and will have and update of the profit as soon as it becomes
available.
Worship begins at 6:00 pm Sunday evenings beginning July 7 and continues
to the end of August. If you can help
with refreshments for July 15 when we are host, please see Cindy.
July
7……………. Emmanuel
UCC
July 14……………… New Hope UMC
July 21……….. St. James Lutheran
July 28……………… St. John’s UCC
Aug.
4………. St. Mark’s
Lutheran
Aug. 11……………… St. Peter’s UCC
Aug. 18……………….. Mt. Zion UCC
Aug. 25……. Cemetery Association
We hope everyone will find time to worship in this historic setting.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. — Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)
