Photos 1-2: Komen Race for the Cure, on Saturday, May 5th - The Love Walkers. Barbara Angel also walked,but we missed her (she beat us to the start line). "Hoping to find a cure for breast cancer!"
Photo 3: Ann Cornatzer receives a prayer quilt on May 6th during Sunday morning Worship Service.
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Photos 4-5: Cinco de Mayo Luncheon - Sunday, May 6th - sponsored by the Young Adults.
Photo 6: The Pinata was broken by Jake and Hunter. Hunter took to that bat like a pro!
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Photos 7-8: Spring Music Celebration & Hot Dog Supper Sunday, May 6th - at Advance UMC. It was a beautiful day for music in the park. Ricky Naylor's "Bluegrass Church Band" was one of the featured bands.
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Our Prayers
As you say your daily prayers, please remember to lift up the needs of these people:
Edna Angell - Jerry "Flop" Barnes - Chester Bivens - Kelsey Broadway - Family of William Burgess - Pete Colbert - Ann Cornatzer - Manual Cornatzer - Margaret Deal - Lillian Duvall - Savannah Ferguson - Wanda Flippin - Butch Fowler - Johnnie Lou Fritts - Jean Gaddy - Betty Godwin - Doyle Grose - Phyllis Grubbs - Fran Gunter - Cindy Harris - Evelyn Hendrix - Clyde Hutchens - BJ Lanier - Brenda & Ricky Lanier - Joe Dean & Margaret Lanier - Lula Mae Lanier - Mary Lawson & family - Ted Leonard - Judy Loomis - Tommy McDowell - Roger McNew - Martha Orndorf - Bud Ridenour - Josh Rominger - Gavin Steele - Family & friends of Iona Stewart - Terry Stewart - Tommy Stewart - Neville & Rachel Storey - Kay Swing - Glendon Walker - Jenny White - Wendi White - Tom Wilkinson - Jackie & Bill Williams - Nelson Young
Our Church - Our Nation - Leaders of our church - Leaders of our nation - Young adults & the direction of their ministry - All who lost their mother (or some other special woman) in the past year
15:9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
A few weeks ago, someone spray painted graffiti all over Davie High School.What if that happened here?Imagine that someone breaks into the church tonight, steals all the microphones and speakers and computers, throws all the hymnals in a pile and burns them, and spray paints stuff all over the walls.Now jump forward to next Sunday evening.We've worked hard all week, cleaning and painting, and the church is about back to normal.
Right in the middle of Administrative Council, the sheriff comes in with two young men in handcuffs.And he says: "We caught these two with partially burned Methodist hymnals with Fulton - Elbaville UMC on them and empty cans of spray paint.And they confessed.If one of you all will just sign these papers, we can formally charge them and bring them to trial."Here they are standing before us; what do we do?
In verse 12, Jesus says: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."This is a wonderful phrase - noble and generous and grand.But what about when it gets applied to real life?What would we do when these two young men are standing before us, men who have never seen the inside of a church, men who know nothing about praying, nothing about God?Sure, we don't condone their behavior, but is it possible to witness God's love in that situation?What would Jesus do?
I asked that question a few years ago in a Bible study at a different church, and was quite surprised at the lack of forgiveness and grace.Maybe I was just naive; or maybe they couldn't see the forest for the trees.Should we forgive and invite those people to join our fellowship?
After the heated discussion died down, an older lady spoke up.And everyone turned to listen, because she usually didn't have much to say."Before my father found God," she began; "he lived a pretty rough life.He drifted from place to place, stayed just long enough to steal what he needed to survive on for a few days, and then slip out of town ahead of the law.He would concoct a story about going Florida to see his dying mother and would ask people if he could stay the night in their barn.Back then, most all people would invite him in and give him the guest room.And he would be gone the next morning with their money or silver and jewelry."
"One time," she continued, "he stayed with an older man, a widower, and did his usual routine, stealing the money in the cookie jar and the silver, but the police caught him.He concocted a story about the old man giving the stuff to him to help him pay for the trip to Florida, so the police brought him back to the house to check out this wild story.And the old man looked at the policemen, and then looked at my father and said; 'You left so early this morning that you forgot these two silver candlesticks, which are worth more than everything else I gave you.'
"Well," the woman continued."The police took off my father's handcuffs and left him standing on the front porch; and the old man said to my father: 'I have bought your soul for God.Take these gifts and go make something of yourself.God loves you.Go share it with others.'"
"It took my father a long time to take this to heart," said the old woman."But just the next day he stayed in someone's house, he just couldn't bring himself to steal.Finally, he sold the silver and candlesticks, got an honest job, and never missed an opportunity to share the kindness that showed him a new path."
When she finished speaking, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.And it slowly dawned on us how radical it is to truly live a Christian life, even in this country.And we began to understand why God doesn't play favorites.To be a Christian is more important than any other label we put on ourselves; more important than how we vote or what country or state or county we live in.What keeps us together is the continuing transformation God brings to our lives.What pulls us apart is when we try to put human conditions on God’s love.
Does the same thing happen today?As far as church goes, when people who do things differently get involved in church, we risk losing the church as we have always known it.Maybe someone younger is taking a leadership role, and doesn't do things quite the way her parents did.Eventually, the whole congregation is different than it was before.
"That you love one another as I have loved you" is more than just a great statement; it is the way God operates in our world.It is the way God brings the good news to our world, so desperate in its search for meaning.But all too often it doesn’t carry over to the church.In our country, more than ninety percent of the people say they believe in God.But only around forty percent actually participate regularly in a church.Most of the other fifty percent believe in God but say that the church has little or no credibility because it doesn’t act as a very loving place.Perhaps the outsiders have a better view of the reality of the church than those of us who are insiders.So what can we do differently?Follow Jesus’ commandments.Look carefully at what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount.Look carefully at how Jesus treats the outsiders, the poor, the foreigners, the strangers.
Our souls have been bought for God.What are we going to do with it?They, the others, the outsiders, will measure what we do based on how we love one another.You know, loving one another may actually be harder than loving our enemies, because enemies go away eventually, but we are pretty much stuck with one another.But is our love for one another broad enough to embrace new people?That example about the young men tearing up our church may have been extreme, but anyone who has just moved to town, anyone who has never experienced God, needs to see how we treat one another.In a hate-filled world, that love is desperately needed, and it’s up to us to do our part to share it.
Jesus speaks again today: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”Go in joy and faithfulness, knowing that you, the chosen friends of Jesus, abide in Jesus’ love and bear the gift of this love to the world. Amen.
Today the children took part in our recognition of our mothers by carrying a rose and a Mother's Day card to each mother in the congregation.
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The children also collected everyone's loose change in their Thunder Sunday cans today. This change will be used for a mission trip to help people in eastern North Carolina who had flood and hurricane damage last year.
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Then Pastor Kirk closed by saying this prayer with the children -
We thank you God for your love. We thank you God for the generosity of your people here today. May this generosity and your love help the people of eastern North Carolina who had flood and hurricane damage. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
During the sharing of our joys and concerns, members of the congregation shared the following things that they appreciate about their mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, daughter, or daughter-in-law (the special women in their lives):
1. She took me to church and taught me the importance of having a church family.
2. She is a good listener and life coach.
3. She shows unconditional love.
4. She is a good cook.
5. She is always there for all the family every day.
6. She is always there in good and bad times with good advice.
7. She taught us the way to go in life.
8. She was a strong woman and taught us the value of hard work.
9. She taught us to care more about other people than ourselves.
10. She is still a part of my life.
11. She gave me grandchildren.
12. She has a beautiful smile.
13. She did a lot of good work for this church in her lifetime.
Today we want to talk about Mission work that is physical.People who do work with hammers, crow bars, and drills.But, I’m not talking 100% labor.Mission work is volunteers who are willing to take time out of their lives to work and to fellowship.It is telling the people who you are helping, “You are not forgotten.We are your brothers and sisters in Christ.”
The two ideas work together well.If we are to do God’s work and use our own talents and gifts, we have to do it with the compassion of Christ.I like to think of Christ being with us and cheering us on as we complete a task in the rebuilding of someone’s life.I can envision him using his hammer and skill as a carpenter. He would have been there to cook something for the workers to eat.I can also see him sitting on the grass in front of a ruined building - listening to the people talking about their pain.
So, I’m asking each and every one of you to consider a mission trip to Beaufort County to work with people who are looking for someone to remember them and share their pain.
We leave on Sunday, July 22 and return on Friday July 27.More details will be coming but for today, please sign your name if you are interested in hearing more.The sign-up sheet is on the table in the back of the sanctuary.Plans will be made for transportation, lodging and food, and I’ll communicate that information to you later.
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