April 17th, 2018

Everything You Do

There are a lot of great things happening at Port Church! We have completed the repair of our back steps that has made our social hall entrance more accessible. We have had a great session of Wednesday of the Port filled with faith, fun, and friends. We are gearing up for a great "Shipwrecked" Vacation Bible School this summer! We are supporting the work of our church around the world to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and have a team preparing for AVA Care's Move 4 Life this week.

You make all of this possible! Through your generosity, we are able to do these and many other great things together. When you give of your blessings in worship, you are changing the lives of those who are in our community and in our world. Thank you for everything you do! May God bless the work of our hands and our hearts to be a blessing to others!

Blessings on the journey, Jim

Sunday's Sermon Snippet

Character: The Love of God (1 John 4:7-10)
Have you ever seen one of those trees hanging impossibly over the river bank? The current has long along eroded away the dirt that once held the tree in place, and now only thing keeps it suspended above the flowing water: its deep roots. When the winds gust and the waters floods, the tree stands tall because it is rooted deeply into the earth. The same can be true of us. If we have deep roots, we can stand firm in the storms of life. Those roots are our character - the essential part of our nature that makes us who we are at our core. What are the roots of a disciple that allows them to weather the storms of life?

We begin with a root that is unsurprising: the love of God. After all, Jesus told us that the greatest commandment was to love God with all that we are. A disciple has an abiding love for God. But what is this kind of love? John wrote in his first letter that love is this: not that we loved God but that God first loved us enough to send his one and only son for us. This is interesting. For John, the love of God is not just about our love for God but even more so about God's love for us. In his gospel, John wrote about himself as the beloved disciple - a name meant not to convey that he was more special than the other disciples but rather his amazement at being loved by Jesus. The most important thing about him - what defined who he was - was not his name, his job, his family, or his power and status but rather one simple fact: he was loved by Jesus! God loves him! Jesus chose to love him even though Jesus knew his failings and his weaknesses. God had every reason not to love him and yet still did in an amazingly deep way - a way that would define the rest of his life.

The most important thing about our lives is this: God loves us! It makes all the difference when things get difficult. I remember sitting beside a man at the hospital as he was preparing to die. A dedicated disciple, he still wondered about his salvation as he lay there waiting remembering a lifetime of failings. A little surprised, I asked, "Do you believe God loves you?" "Yes, sure, I do!" he replied. "Why do you think God would not take care you now just as God has all these years?" "Well, I guess that's that!" he said as the burden lifted from his weakened frame. That's the difference that just remembering that we are loved can make. It gives us the strength to face the future unafraid because we know the grace and strength of the One who loves us.

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Living in Community

Thank you, Lauren, Davida, Keith, Baylor, Brad, Becca, Mark, Susie, Dave, Perry, Randy, Bob, Will, Jason, Tina, Henry, Katie, and Charlotte
for helping out at our Clean-up Day this past weekend!
The church grounds look wonderful!

Prayer of Christian sympathy to Bob and Dianna
on the passing of his Uncle Lawrence.

Prayers of Christian sympathy to Bill and Vera and Joe and Jean 
on the passing of their sister-in-law Pat.

Susie is giving out our quarterly contribution statements.
If you have any questions, please see her.
Thank you, Susie, for your diligence in taking care of our offerings!

This Week at Port Church

Wednesday, April 11
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
Thursday, April 12
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
​Sunday, April 15
9:30 am - Worship: "Character: The Roots of a Disciple"
​11:00 am - Sunday School

Looking Ahead

Paint Night - April 27, 6-9 pm
VBS Training - May 20, 12 noon
VBS tentatively scheduled for June 25-29