7/30/2018 July 30th, 2018Sign Up for Upcoming EventsPlease remember to let Linda know if you are interested in singing in a Christmas Cantata this year, let Pastor Jim know if you are interested in a class on what it means to be a United Methodist, and let Lee know if you are interested in our upcoming Paint Night on August 10th (cost of $25 due by 8/5). Sunday's Sermon SnippetClutter: Busyness (Haggai 1) Clutter - whether it is physical stuff, our worries, or our shame - is not something we are proud of. It is something we try our best to hide. Yet there is one kind of clutter we have that we make widely known and even take pride in - our busyness. Being busy, in our culture, is a badge of honor. It means we are important, needed, and hard-working. To not be busy invites the accusation of being lazy. Yet our Scriptures do not seem to think that being busy is an inherently good thing. In the days of the prophet Haggai, God's people had returned from their exile in Babylon. When they came back after generations away, they found their homes, markets, walls, fields, and temple in ruin. They set about the work of rebuilding homes, markets, fields - the essentials. Yet all their work did not prosper them. So they busied themselves even more but to no avail. No matter how busy they were trying to rebuild their own lives and homes, it was never enough. God spoke through Haggai that they were missing one important thing: making room for God. The Temple still lay in ruins after many years. Who could blame them though? Who has time for God when they are barely hanging on in life anyway? When they had barely enough food to merely survive, how could they take the time and effort to rebuild a magnificent house for God? When we are just trying to make ends meet and get everyone where they are supposed to be, where is our time for God? Yet God told them and tells us that all this busyness amounts to nothing if we do not attend to the important, life-giving relationships with God and each other. Our busyness is not inherently good. In fact, we forget that often the word busy is a bad thing. A busy pattern on clothing or wallpaper has a little too much going on and needs a little less - same with our lives. A busybody is worried about things that do not concern them - often true with our busyness as well. Looking back, to be busy meant to be anxious. Isn't our busyness often rooted in an anxiety to grasp control over our lives and to change how others perceive us? God made us to need relationships and rest - there is nothing wrong with engaging in these instead of keeping always busy. How do we clean up the clutter of busyness? Just like physical stuff, we have to go through our lives and figure out what is worth keeping and what needs to go. We need to decide what we need to say "no" to so that we can create time and space for God and each other. We have to be vigilant to protect that uncluttered time, because, just like stuff, busyness has a way of filling even empty space in our lives. This week's challenge: What things keep you busy and yet are proving fruitless? What space do you need to create for more fruitful, abundant life? What time do you need to empty so that God may fill it? Set aside time this week to do something life-giving that you had not planned to do, even if it is nothing. Living in CommunityPlease be in prayer for Pastor Jim and his family as they travel to see family in Georgia this week. Prayers of Christian sympathy for Dorcy and Pat on the passing of their sister-in-law, Patsy. Upcoming Weeks at Port ChurchWednesday, August 1 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Thursday, August 2 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Sunday, August 5 9:30 am - Worship: "Nevertheless" 11:00 am - Sunday School Wednesday, August 8 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Thursday, August 9 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Thursday, August 10 6:00 pm - Paint Night Sunday, August 12 9:30 am - Worship: "Clutter: A New Kind of Clutter" 11:00 am - Sunday School 12:00 noon - Back-to-School Bingo Looking AheadBlessing of the Backpacks - August 19
Communion Server Training - August 26 and September 9 Wednesday at the Port - September 12 Potato Drop to benefit local hunger ministries - September 15 225th Anniversary Celebration - September 29 Nativity Workday - October 6 7/24/2018 July 24th, 2018Learning and GrowingThe school year is fast approaching as teachers are preparing for a new year of helping our children continue to learn and grow. Here at Port Church, we are making plans as well for opportunities for children of all ages to learn and grow in faith. Beginning in late August, I will offer a five-week class on Sunday evenings on "United Methodism 101" in which we will explore the heritage, distinctive beliefs, and ministries of our church. We will learn about the life of John Wesley who went out to the fields and coal mines to bring the gospel to the poor, the early circuit riders who endured harsh conditions to help the frontier people of America, the way that grace brings our love to perfection, and how we are connected to other churches to do great works across the world. Whether you are newer to our congregation or a life-long member, you are sure to learn something and grow in faith. If you are interested, please let me know so that we can order materials and schedule a time on Sundays to meet. Beginning September 9th, Dinah will lead an adult Sunday School on a part of the Bible that has been transformational for her life - Paul's Letter to the Philippians. All adults are encouraged to join us for what promises to be an amazing class! Look for more details as we get closer to the start of the class. Wednesday at the Port resumes September 12th! We will continue with our wonderful, home-cooked meals open to all followed by classes for elementary school kids, middle schoolers, and high school youth. Come learn and grow with us this new school year! Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon SnippetClutter: Shame (John 8:2-11) Jesus' encounter with the Pharisees and scribes who brought a woman caught in adultery to be judged is a familiar one and one seemingly with a happy ending. The authorities come trying to trap Jesus and willing to sacrifice this woman on the altar of their hatred of him. "The law says she should be stoned to death. What do you say, Jesus?" Jesus begins writing in the dirt - we don't know what. As they continue to push their case, he says for any one who is without sin to be the first to throw a stone. As he returns to writing on the ground, they leave, having been trapped themselves between lying about their own perfection or admitting their faults. Jesus then tells the woman he does not condemn her and commands her to go and leave her life of sin behind. Can you imagine being this woman? She is guilty, ashamed, and publicly humiliated as her sins are aired for her neighbors to see. She stands in fear and trembling as her fate rests in Jesus' hands. She leaves relieved that her life has been spared. Can you imagine the joy she must have felt? Of course, we should, for that is all us - everyone of us who has been pardoned and rescued by Jesus. After all, isn't that Jesus' point to the authorities? They have sinned as well yet their shame and guilt has not been put on public display. They have not endured the punishment for how they have sinned. While they leave humbled by Jesus' turn of the trap onto them, he has rescued even them in this encounter, saving them from themselves. They have not committed an atrocity against this woman. They have not condemned themselves as murderous hypocrites. For this woman, this seems to be a happy ending. Yet it is a hard one as well. Go and leave your life of sin behind, Jesus had told her. That is hard! It requires change. It requires true repentance. It requires letting go of the shame and guilt that had risen up in her public humiliation and accepting the fullness of Jesus' forgiveness. This is not a simple thing to do. How often do we hold on the feelings of shame and guilt even after we have received forgiveness? We still feel bad about what we have done. We question how someone could forgive us or love us again. We hold onto our shame and accuse ourselves of being bad, unworthy people. Yet God created us and called us very good. Jesus, the only one without sin - the one entitled to cast the first stone, chose forgiveness and love. Indeed he chose the cross to remove our guilt and share in our shame. Still we have the audacity to accuse ourselves over and over again and call ourselves bad. It ought not be so. As C.S. Lewis once wrote, "I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than him." If we are to live up to the hard command of going and sinning no more, we have to let go of our shame. Just as stuff clutters our homes and worry, our minds, the shame we hold onto gets in the way of faith lives and hides the forgiveness and love we should focus on. This week, consider what you feel shame over, and pray for God to help lift that burden of shame from you. May God give you the strength to clean up the clutter of shame in your heart and soul! Summer Bible Reading PlanDay 43 - Matthew 27 - No Justice Day 44 - Mark 15 - Removing the Barrier Day 45 - Matthew 28 - A Rumor of Life Day 46 - John 20 - The Rumor Spreads Day 47 - Luke 24 - The Final Link Day 48 - Acts 9 - The Conversion of Saul Day 49 - Acts 16 - Jailbreak This week's readings continue the story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection and begin the story of how Paul became the greatest missionary of the Christian gospel. Living in CommunityThanks to the Praise Band for leading awesome music each week in worship! They will be taking a break for the next month, and we will be singing favorite hymns. Pray for their rest and renewal so that they can continue to lead us in the praise of God! Reminder: if you are interested in singing in a Christmas cantata this year, please talk with Linda as soon as you can. This Week at Port ChurchWednesday, July 25 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Thursday, July 26 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 7:00 pm - Finance Committee Sunday, July 29 9:30 am - Worship: "Clutter: Busyness" 11:00 am - Sunday School Looking AheadPaint Night - August 10, 6-9 pm
Back-to-School Bingo - August 12, 12-1 pm Blessing of the Backpacks - August 19 Communion Server Training - August 26 and September 9 Wednesday at the Port - September 12 Potato Drop to benefit local hunger ministries - September 15 225th Anniversary Celebration - September 29 Nativity Workday - October 6 7/18/2018 July 18th, 2018225 Years and Counting!This year marks the 225th anniversary for Port Church! It is hard to imagine how much life has changed and how much the church has developed over the years. Two things have remained constant for those two and a quarter centuries: that God has loved and called the generations who have called Port Church their home and that those folks have sought to live faithfully and serve God. As we mark this anniversary, we are making plans for a fun time of celebration! On September 29th, we will host a festival in Bradburn Park (we are working on alternatives in the case of bad weather). We have plans for fantastic food, a silent auction to benefit youth missions, games for kids, a cornhole tournament, live music, an art contest, and a revival service in the evening to wrap it all up. Mark your calendars and plan us to join us for the afternoon! As we celebrate our heritage, we want to invite you to share your stories of Port Church. What has this church meant to you and your family? What stories about our church stand out in your memory? What stories about generations past at our church need to be told? Whether you are newer to our community or have roots that go back generations, we want to hear your story. Submit your stories (typed up and emailed, if possible; handwritten and/or printed out, if necessary) to the church office by August 15th. If you have photos of special memories, please share those as well by emailing a scanned copy or bringing a copy by for us to borrow. We look forward to celebrating with you! Blessings on the journey, Jim Calling All SingersWe are exploring the possibility of preparing a Christmas cantata this year. Practices would likely be held on Wednesday evenings starting in September. If you would like to be part of a choir for this, please let Linda know as soon as you can so that we can gauge the level of interest. Back-to-School Bingo and Blessings!The beginning of the new school year is still a little over a month away, but it will soon be time to get ready for a new start to a great year! We will play Back-to-School Bingo with the elementary-school kids on Sunday, August 12, from noon to 1 pm. Lunch will be provided, and kids will be able to win prizes of school supplies to help them get ready! On Sunday, August 19, all kids are invited to bring their backpack to worship as we have a Blessing of the Backpacks - a time of prayer for the school year. Each child will receive a special reminder that God's got their back whenever they go to school! Summer Bible Reading PlanDay 36 - Matthew 13 - Kingdom Tales Day 37 - Luke 16 - Of Two Worlds Day 38 - John 14 - One Final Meal Together Day 39 - John 15 - Vital Link Day 40 - John 16 - Grief into Joy Day 41 - John 17 - Commissioning Day 42 - Matthew 26 - Appointment with Destiny This week's readings focus on Jesus' continuing ministry and his journey towards the cross. As he spends one final meal with his disciples, he teaches them one last lesson and prepares them to carry on his ministry in his absence. Living in CommunityThanks to Olivia and her InMotion Praise Dance Team for a wonderful message about the Parable of the Prodigal Son this past Sunday! Thank you, Liz and Adam, for arranging the group to join us and setting up the space for them! Mark your calendars for our Nativity Workday on Saturday, October 6. We will be repairing sets to be used in our Drive-thru Nativity on December 14-15. This Week at Port ChurchWednesday, July 18 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Thursday, July 19 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Sunday, July 22 9:30 am - Worship: "Clutter: Shame" 11:00 am - Sunday School Looking AheadPaint Night - August 10, 6-9 pm
Back-to-School Bingo - August 12, 12-1 pm Blessing of the Backpacks - August 19 Wednesday at the Port - September 12 Potato Drop to benefit local hunger ministries - September 15 225th Anniversary Celebration - September 29 Nativity Workday - October 6 7/11/2018 July 11th, 2018Praise Dance This SundayWe have a very special worship service planned for this Sunday. The InMotion Praise Dance Team - including our own Olivia - will be joining us and presenting an interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son. As we want to encourage all of our kids to experience this program led by other children, we will not have children's church this week. Invite a neighbor and join us for this wonderful day of worship! Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon SnippetClutter: Worry (Luke 12:22-34) We all have clutter in our lives - stuff that gets in the way of other things, that we have to step over or move out of the way, that keeps us from knowing exactly what we have - but not all clutter is physical stuff. We have other kinds of clutter as well in other parts of our lives. Worry, for instance, can clutter our minds. Just like physical stuff, it gets in the way of our getting to more important stuff, we have to put it aside to focus our attention on other things, and it hides what is really important to us out of sight. We worry about our family, friends, finances, and health - all important things. Yet does that worry do us any good? Jesus says no! Do not worry, he says, about what you will eat or what you will wear. Consider the ravens that do not plant fields or store crops yet eat what God provides. Consider the lilies that do not spin fiber or sew clothes and yet adorn the grass in a garment more beautiful than anything we make. We worry so much over things, and it yields very little. We cannot add a day to our lives by worrying over things we have no control over. So does this mean that we should just sit back and wait for God to take of everything? I don't think that is what Jesus intends either. The ravens may not raise and store crops, but when God provides food they go and eat it. The lilies cannot make the sun shine or the rain fall, but they do not waste the rain and sun they receive. They grow. Consider the raven and lilies: they do try to do what is beyond their control, but when God provides something for them they do what they were created to do. They work with God and use what God provides. We were made to love God and love our neighbor. There are things we will not be able to control no matter how much we worry, but that does not mean that we just sit back and leave everything up to God. What our Creator provides for us we should use to love God and one another. That is why we need to clear our minds of the clutter of worry. Worry left to pile up turns to fear, and fear is the opposite of love. If we don't clean up our worries and toss them out, we cannot love - we cannot live out our purpose for which we were made. How do we clean up the clutter of worries? It is not as easy as sorting through our physical stuff, holding a yard sale, and making a run to the dump. We have to grow into it by practicing the choice of love over fear. Your challenge for this week is this: when you feel worry welling up inside, ask yourself how you can show love to someone in that moment. It does not even have to be anyone related to your worry. Simply make a choice of love over worry and fear. Living in CommunityThank you to all of our seniors who came out for our lunch and bingo on Sunday! Thanks to Melissa for putting together a great VBS slideshow! This Week at Port ChurchWednesday, July 11 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Thursday, July 12 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Sunday, July 15 9:30 am - Worship with Praise Dance: "The Prodigal" 11:00 am - Sunday School 2:00 pm - Welcome for the New District Superintendent, Dayton UMC Looking AheadBack-to-School Bingo - August 12
Wednesday at the Port - September 12 Potato Drop to benefit local hunger ministries - September 15 225th Anniversary Celebration - September 29 Nativity Workday - October 6 |
News and UpdatesFind out what is going on at Port Republic UMC this week and in weeks to come! Archives
January 2019
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8525 Water Street
PO Box 116
Port Republic, VA 24471
540-249-4111