June 27th, 2017

VBS Is Here!

After months of hard work, prayer, and planning, Vacation Bible School is finally here! Our week is off to an incredible start. Over 120 folks joined us for the Maker Fun Fest kickoff party on Saturday, and over 190 kids were in attendance on our first night!

Last night, we learned about how God made us. Wow, God! Throughout the rest of the week, we will learn that God is with us, God is for us, God loves us, and God made us for a purpose. Wow, God!

​Throughout the week, the kids will be collecting money for our mission project - providing clean drinking water for kids in Peru. Each $5 donation can supply clean water for a child for an entire year. Our goal is to raise $1,000 - enough to provide 200 kids with water. In support of this mission, the senior high youth will be holding a freewill donation carwash at Shreckhise Nursery on Forest Ave tonight (Tuesday) from 5:45 to 8:00 pm. Come get your car clean, and provide clean water for a child in need!

God is up to something amazing this week! Thank for being a part of it!

​Blessings on the journey, Jim

Sunday's Sermon Snippet

Fearfully and Wonderfully (Psalm 139:14, Isaiah 64:8)
​​What does it mean when we say we were made by God? The psalmist tells us that we were fearfully and wonderfully made by God's own hand, and that makes us special and precious to God. Across the Bible, the image of a potter shaping the clay is used to help us understand the relationship between God and us. Our guest potter, Barbara Chalfant, shared with us a few thoughts from her experience to help us understand what this image means. The potter digs up clay from the riverbank, but it isn't ready immediately. The potter would bury the clay in the ground - in the Potter's Field - and let it rest for a generation as molds grew in it and made it more elastic. The potter is patient and takes time to prepare the clay for becoming what it is to be. The potter takes the clay that is ready and centers it on the wheel. Until it is centered by the potter, the clay just wobbles around. It takes the potter's hands to center the clay. Then the potter applies some pressure both on the inside and outside of the clay to tell it what to become. The pressure on the inside is like the prayer time in which God pushes us out, and the pressure on the outside is like the community of faith supporting and helping us to grow. The potter never throws anything away. If the clay becomes misshapen, the potter simply reworks it and begins again. If pot breaks or is cracked, the potter puts the broken pieces on a pile in the field and waits for it to break down to dust that can be added to fresh clay to make it stronger. The broken pieces are what makes the new creation stronger. The only thing that limits what a piece of clay can become is the skill of the potter, and God is an amazing potter. When a piece of clay becomes something both useful and beautiful, the potter's heart is filled with joy! God is our potter, and we are the clay. God has patiently, intentionally, wonderfully, fearfully made us for a purpose in the world, and God redeems the brokenness of our lives so that we can make the world a more beautiful place!

Living in Community

Thanks, Melissa and Lee, for putting together an incredible VBS Kickoff Party!
​Thank you to all the folks who helped make it happen!
​A special thanks to Barbara Chalfant who shared powerful messages
from her experience as a potter both Saturday evening and Sunday morning!

This Week at Port Church

Monday - Friday
6:00 - 8:30 - Vacation Bible School at South River
​​
Tuesday, June 27
​9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours

Thursday, June 29
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
​​​
Sunday, July 2
9:30 am - Worship with VBS Musical Celebration - "Good News for Hagar"
​11:00 am - Sunday School

Looking Ahead

July 9 - VBS Slideshow in Worship
​July 9, 3-6 pm - Olde Time Revival hosted by Verona UMC, Bishop Lewis preaching