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9/27/2017 0 Comments September 27th, 2017 Love Does As followers of Jesus, we are people of the Word. We read and quote the words of Scripture, pray with words to express our hearts, sing words of praise to God, hear words of encouragement and conviction. There are a lot of words to what we do in church. Sometimes we can lose sight of the fact that following Jesus is more than just reading, listening, and talking. There is also the whole "doing" thing! It is not enough to just think about or talk about what Jesus wants us to do - we actually need to do it! As Christian author Bob Goff says, "In the end, love doesn't just keep thinking about it or planning for it. Simply put: love does!" Starting October 8th, we are going to kick off a new worship series: "Come and See!" Over the course of six weeks, we will look at six simple things we are called to do to share our faith with others and invite them into a deeper relationship with God. In conjunction with that, I will be offering a study during Sunday School on Bob Goff's book "Love Does" - a wonderful collection of 31 stories from his life that illustrate how we can live a secretly incredible life in an ordinary world. We will read a story a day - a great addition to your devotional time - and discuss how the seven stories impact how we want to live and share our faith. Please let me know if you are interested in the book and would like us to order you a copy by this Sunday. Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon Snippet A Life-changing Gift: Reap What You Sow (2 Corinthians 9:6-11) "God loves a cheerful giver." It is a piece of Scripture that we have heard to guilt us into to having a good attitude about doing things we do not want to do. The implication is we need to be cheerful (or at least fake being happy) about what we give in order to earn God's love. That's not what the Apostle Paul was getting at when he first wrote these words to the faithful in Corinth almost 2,000 years ago. Over the last few weeks, we have seen how Paul sees joy as a fundamental part of what it means to give well. In this passage and with these words, he continues to build that case. We are to give, he says, what we have decided in our hearts to give and not out of compulsion - to give out of anything other than our hearts would deny the joy we should have in giving. Being cheerful in giving is not so much a command as it is a description that God takes joy in our cheerfulness. If this is the case, then why we would not want to be cheerful in our giving - an act of worship to God? So how can we grow in our joy in giving? Should we just fake being cheerful? To start with, we need to adjust our thinking about what happens when we give. We are often taught to think of things having to do with money - including giving - as being a zero-sum game. That is, for me to give to someone else means that now they have what I had and I have nothing. The grand total of what we have together cannot change. If I give $100 to someone who has nothing, then now they have $100 and I have nothing. This leads us to think that giving something good to someone else means that we will have less good in our lives. This is not how giving works in God's world. God doesn't add and subtract blessings when we give; God multiplies them! If I give $100 to someone who has nothing, I am not left with nothing myself. I have a joy that even $200 wouldn't be able to buy at the store! The recipient of the gift doesn't just have $100 - they have the joy of receiving a blessing joyfully given, and one day they may pay that joy and gift forward to another. God, who loves a cheerful giver, takes joy in the gift and pours out even more blessings upon both the giver and recipient. It doesn't take long for blessings cheerfully given to multiply beyond our understanding. Once we understand how God multiplies rather than adding and subtracting blessings, we can see how blessings are supposed to flow through our lives. We should not hold on to our blessings but pass them on. They are like a river that is best enjoyed flowing past us. If we dam up the flow of blessings into our lives so we can have them forever, they quickly flood us and start to cause problems. We can let these blessings flow through our lives because we can trust that more are coming our way from God just as a river brings more water. Paul tells us that God will increase our store of seed and the harvest of our righteousness. This is not a prosperity gospel that says God will reward my giving with a bigger gift to me that I can hold on to. Paul is saying that God will give us even greater gifts - both in terms of blessings we have and in opportunities to give. It is the harvest of righteousness - not a harvest of things - that will grow in our lives. God will give us more but will also give us more opportunities to give - what a blessing! But the key is we have to be willing to give and let God's blessings flow through us. As Paul says, we need to give what we have decided in our hearts to give, for God loves a cheerful giver. It is often said, "Give until it hurts." But I think Paul might say, "Give until it brings joy!" If we do not have joy in our giving, it is likely because we are not giving enough and we are missing out on one of God's greatest gifts to us. Hearing God's Promise AgainA word from Lee, one of our teachers for our Little Fishermen class: Wednesday night at Port Republic UMC, we talked about how God ALWAYS answers our prayers. He may say yes, no, or maybe. We had the children play a game, where they came up with things they could ask God for. Some kids asked for computers, cellphones, parents to stop fighting. They then drew a piece of paper out of a container that read yes, no, or maybe. After they had their answers, we asked them how it made them feel to get those answers. "I'm so excited I got a yes!" or "No's are never fun." or "Waiting is hard." So I've said all of this to say: It took a children's lesson to be reminded of one of God's promises. That He will always give us an answer. We may not like the answer He gives us, but He is always right. And waiting is hard. But man, is it worth the wait! Hurricane RecoveryThe recovery efforts from the recent hurricanes in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico as well as the earthquakes in Mexico continue as they will for years to come. Our United Methodist Committee on Relief will be working with local partners to help those affected rebuild their lives. Please pray for our brothers and sisters, and consider continuing your support of these recovery efforts. You can always find updates on what UMCOR is doing to help at umcor.org. Living in CommunityThank you to everyone who helped us put together our six cleaning buckets in support of the recovery efforts from recent hurricanes! Our district delivered over 400 kits to Richmond to be sent out with others from across our Virginia Conference. Almost 4,000 buckets were shipped out last week on their way to folks in need! Church office hours will now be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 - 11:45 am. This Week at Port ChurchMonday, September 25 9:30 - 11:45 am - John Bible Study at Dianna's Tuesday, September 26 7:00 - 8:15 pm - John Bible Study at Dianna's Wednesday, September 26 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port Thursday, September 27 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Sunday, October 1 9:30 am - Worship with Communion - "A Life-changing Gift: Saying Grace" 11:00 am - Sunday School 6:30 - 8:00 pm - Financial Peace University Class Looking AheadChili Cookoff & Silent Auction in support of Youth Missions - October 14th!
Charge Conference - November 29th
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9/19/2017 0 Comments September 19th, 2017 Prepared for the Future!This past Sunday in worship, we talked about the need to be prepared to give when the opportunity arises (see the Sermon Snippet below). This is true of our individual households, but it also holds for our church household as well. If we are prepared for the opportunities to give and serve that God will lay upon our path, then we can respond with joy and thanksgiving and without hesitation when the time comes. While we are doing an incredible amount of good here at Port Church, we are not ready for the new opportunities God is giving us and will continue to give us along the way. We envision a community where all children are safe, well-fed, nurtured, and loved unconditionally, but our resources to make that vision a reality are currently stretched thin. There is good we want to do that is left undone because we are not prepared for the opportunities God is giving us. How can we get ourselves prepared so we can do even more incredible work? We need to have an emergency reserve of at least three months of expenses (about $50,000) so that we can weather emergencies and fund time-critical opportunities. We need to establish an endowment and grow it to $100,000. Such an endowment could fund our yearly VBS or allow us to invest in children's ministry to same level that we do for youth ministry now. We also need to continue to maintain and update our facilities that have suffered in recent years by growing our Building Fund. This will, of course, not happen overnight, but if we work together, preparing ourselves to give and keeping our eyes on the vision we have for the future, we can do great things through the power of God's Spirit! This will also take a lot of work to do, and it will require all of us to participate. So how do we get started? First of all, we each need to be prepared as individual households to give regularly. We are offering Financial Peace University and Generation Change classes currently to help with this. It's not too late to take advantage of these opportunities! To establish and grow an endowment and our Building Fund, we need to consider whether we have received any blessings that we can make a one-time gift from to further God's work. If we have not already, we need to consider whether to support Port Church into the future through an estate gift. To include Port Church in your will, please feel free to talk with me. If you have already included Port Church in your will, please let us know so we can thank you now. We have a long journey ahead of us, but the destination is one well-worth the trip! Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon SnippetA Life-Changing Gift: Preparing to Give (2 Corinthians 9:1-5) Over the last few weeks, we have talked about how the opportunity to give is a life-changing gift from God. We can be a part of something greater and build a lasting legacy, become more like the giver that God is, and work for a worthy cause. If we see opportunities to give in such a light, what then would keep us from giving? One of the biggest things that holds back our generosity is not having (or feeling like we do not have) anything to give. It doesn't matter how much we want to give if we do not have anything to give to begin with. That's why we need to prepare to give! Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the need to be prepared when the time came to give. He knew their desire to give, and so he told them to go ahead and put aside what they would give when he came to gather the collection. This way, they could give as generously as they wanted to, and their gift would be one given out of generosity rather than our of compulsion or fear of embarrassment. This speaks to the joy we have in giving. If we are prepared to give, we can give generously and it is a pure joy. If we are not prepared, we may not give and then feel guilty or sadness that we could not help. Likewise, we may choose to give because we feel ought to, but we worry about whether we have enough left or we resent the one who asks us to give. Either, lack of preparation robs us of the joy God wants us to have in the act of giving. So how do we prepare to give then? First of all, our regular giving needs to be our first fruits and come off the top. That is, if the first thing we do with money we earn is to give a portion away, we do not feel the burden of only being able to give what is left in the end (if anything is left at all). Second, we need to put aside some of what we have for giving opportunities that may come up in the month or months ahead. Even if it is only $5, $10, or $20, putting aside a little bit means that we have something to contribute when a need arises during the month. We can give without having to worry about whether we have enough because we have already set it aside. If no need comes up during the month, we can roll it over to the next month and have even more to give then or we can sit down and decide where it would be fun to make a gift. This is some of the best money we can ever spend! The key to finding joy in giving is to be prepared to give when the opportunity arises. This Week at Port ChurchMonday, September 18 9:30 - 10:45 am - John Bible Study at Dianna's 7:00 - 8:15 pm - John Bible Study at Dianna's Wednesday, September 20 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port Menu includes Pork Tenderloin and Brown Beans! Thursday, September 21 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Friday, September 22 6:00 pm - Paint Night! Sunday, September 24 9:30 am - Worship - "A Life-changing Gift: Reap What You Sow" 11:00 am - Sunday School 6:30 - 8:00 pm - Financial Peace University Class Looking AheadChili Cookoff & Silent Auction in support of Youth Missions - October 14th!
Charge Conference - November 29th 9/12/2017 0 Comments September 12th, 2017 A Window into Time Last week, Mr. Bill shared this picture of our church taken by his grandmother with me. It was taken on July 23, 1916 - the Sunday that our current sanctuary was dedicated. In some ways, of course, little has changed. The church today looks much the same. Looking carefully, though, a few differences become obvious. The biggest is that there is only one stained glass window - the large central one. The others are ornate but regular windows. The picture windows we enjoy now were installed about thirty years later. The stained glass window seen in this picture - now a 101 years old - is the one we just restored and that was just reinstalled last week. If you haven't seen it yet, you owe it to yourself to make a special trip out this Sunday morning to do so. Seeing this picture makes me wonder what folks 101 years from now will see in the pictures we take today. What changes will happen in the next century? What will be the same? What will they think of the foundation we lay today for their future? One thing is certain: whatever may happen between now and then, whatever changes and whatever remains the same, God will be leading us and our children and grandchildren faithfully through it. The question is whether we will remain faithful in our following along the way. May those who come after us find us to have been faithful in our discipleship, stewardship, and vision! Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon SnippetA Life-Changing Gift: A Worthy Cause (2 Corinthians 8:16-24) The opportunity to give is a life-changing gift from God - because it gives meaning to our lives as we build a lasting legacy, and because giving is an essential part of what it means to be a human made in God's image. When we give, whether it is hurricane relief today or the collection Paul was gathering for the poor in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago, we want to give to something that will really make a difference in someone else's life. Being able to give in such an opportunity is truly a gift to us. Sometimes it is hard to see it that way because opportunities to give not only abound but overwhelm us on a daily basis. Whether it is appeal in the mail or on TV, the chance to add a dollar at the checkout counter, or fundraisers that our children bring home from school or their clubs, we have more opportunities to give than we can possibly do. So how do we choose what to give to? We want to know who is doing the most good, the kind of good we care about, the kind of good God cares about, an urgent good that cannot wait. We want a truly worthy cause to give to. The Corinthians two millennia ago were no different. Some of Paul's rivals had sown seeds of doubt about the collection for the Jerusalem poor so he addresses this concern. He tells the Corinthians that Titus, whom they respected, was in support of it and would be coming along with others chosen by the churches to oversee the contributions they had to give. "Is this collection the best way to participate in God's work?" the Corinthians seemed to have asked Paul. His answer is a resounding "Yes!" We might ask the same question of our giving to the church today. I once heard the story of a pastor and stewardship consultant who paid a visit to a lady they hoped would lead a financial campaign for the church. As they talked with her, she expressed her concern over the work (or lack thereof) that their church was doing, especially compared to other organizations. She asked her pastor this question, saying that if he did not believe that the church was the best place for her to give she could not lead the campaign with integrity. The pastor was shocked and had no answer for her. I feel sorry for that pastor and church member because I have been there, leading a church whose work made me question the wisdom of my own giving. That is one reason I am so thankful for the opportunity to give here at Port Church - a people that, as Paul puts it, "shows the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you." We envision a community where all children are safe, well-fed, nurtured, and love unconditionally, AND we are working hard to make that vision more of a reality every day! This is an important work, one I care about, one God cares about, and one that is definitely urgent. The lives of children and families hang in the balance. Thanks be to God for the opportunity we have to give to such a worthy cause! Wednesday at the Port Is Back!Come out this Wednesday for some good home-cooking whipped up by some of the best cooks in Rockingham County! This week's menu includes meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Classes for children and youth will follow. If you have not signed up to help serve or clean one week, please talk with Sue. There is no cost to the meal, but a donation of $5 or more will help cover the cost of your meal and help provide for the meals of hungry children and families in our community. Invite your friends and neighbors, and plan on joining us at 6 pm this Wednesday for Food, Friends, and Faith! You Can Have Financial Peace What if you could always buy what you need interest-free? What if you could actually keep a percentage of your paycheck? Guess what? You CAN! With Dave Ramsey’s class Financial Peace University, you CAN take control of your money. If you’re interested in learning more about the class, message Pastor Jim right now—because we’re offering it at Port Church just for you on Sundays starting September 17, 6:00-8:30 pm. Our class is open to anyone so pass along this invitation to your friends and family! Living in CommunityThanks to everyone who contributed for the window restoration project! Please pray for our cooks and teachers at Wednesday at the Port. May God make this our best season yet! Please pray for everyone affected by the recent hurricanes. This Week at Port ChurchMonday, September 11 9:30 - 10:45 am - John Bible Study at Dianna's Tuesday, September 12 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 7:00 - 8:15 pm - John Bible Study at Dianna's Wednesday, September 13 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port Menu includes Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes! Cleaning Kit supplies due! Thursday, September 14 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Sunday, September 17 9:30 am - Worship - "A Life-changing Gift: Prepared to Give" 11:00 am - Sunday School 6:30 - 8:00 pm - Financial Peace University Class Looking AheadChili Cookoff & Silent Auction in support of Youth Missions - October 14th!
Paint Night on Friday, September 22nd - Enjoy fellowship and fun painting a fall scene! See Lee for more details. Cost of $25 is due by 9/13. 9/6/2017 0 Comments September 06th, 2017Another StormAs the aftermath of Harvey fades into clean-up and recovery, another storm is on its way to the mainland threatening significant damage. Our United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is ready to assist our local churches and conferences in the recovery process there just as it has done in Texas and Louisiana. With two major storms back-to-back, it is more important than ever that we support the work of this vital organization. First, you can donate to UMCOR's relief efforts by making out a check to the church designated for hurricane relief. 100% of every dollar donated to UMCOR goes to actual relief work because administrative fees are already budgeted for through other sources. This means that more of your donation goes to where you want it to - people in need of help. UMCOR is always one of the highest rated charities. A second way to help is to put together cleaning buckets. We have folks signed up to bring items for three buckets, and others have decided to put together a bucket on their own. If you would like to create your own bucket, see the attached list. Items and buckets are due by September 13th. With this second storm, we may have another opportunity to put together more buckets in the near future. In addition, our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico have asked us for our prayers as they begin to assess the damage done by Irma. Thank you for the faithfulness you have shown to help our brothers and sisters in their time of need! Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon SnippetA Lasting Legacy: Overflowing Poverty (2 Corinthians 8:8-15) When we see suffering or need in the world - such as we have seen in the aftermath of Harvey - we often are naturally drawn to do something about it. We pray for those hurting and grieving, we give to groups doing good work, we bake a casserole for a struggling friend. We give of our time and treasure to bless those in need and do not give it a second thought. Yet when we consider giving on a regular basis to a charity or our church, the impulse is not as strong and we have doubts. What if we need that money at the end of the month? We can agree with all the sermons we have heard encouraging us to give - because we want to - but putting it into action is difficult because of the real-life implications; and they are real! Our "what ifs" are true concerns - not mere excuses. Paul must have encountered this problem as he encouraged the Corinthians to give to the collection for the poor in Jerusalem. While they have given well when they first heard of the need, their generosity had dwindled with time. So Paul reminds them that he is testing them against others who have given generously - the Macedonians to their north but also to Jesus himself. Jesus had impoverished himself and poured out all he had - even his very life - so that they could have the riches of eternal life. Jesus did this - in fact, God gave us Jesus - because God's essential nature is giving. God gives us life, an abundance of blessings, and the opportunity for eternal life. God is a giver! We were made in God's image - another gift - so it is a part of who we are to give as well. An essential part of being human is to give. When we let our concerns over security and safety hold us back, we miss out on one of the core parts of our lives. This is not to say that we should suffer so that others can prosper. As Paul writes, giving means that those who have much do not have too much and those who have little do not have too little. The point is that all have what they need in their time. At times our poverty may overflow with blessings for others, and at other times our poverty may be filled by the blessings of others. Be the giver that God has made you to be! Living in CommunityPlease pray for Landon and Mark & Susie as he recovers from his surgery. Thank you to Chris and Meg for sharing your experience in Financial Peace University! Thank you, Davida, Tony, and Michelle, for helping to serve communion on Sunday! This Week at Port ChurchTuesday, September 5 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Thursday, September 7 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Sunday, September 10 9:30 am - Worship - "A Life-changing Gift: A Worthy Cause" 11:00 am - Sunday School Looking AheadDianna's Bible Study on John begins next week!
Financial Classes start September 17th! Youth Generation Change Class starts September 24th! Wednesday at the Port resumes September 13! Chili Cookoff & Silent Auction in support of Youth Missions - October 14th! Paint Night on Friday, September 22nd - Enjoy fellowship and fun painting a fall scene! See Lee for more details. Cost of $25 is due by 9/13. |
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