October 27, 2015

Honoring the Saints

​As most of us know, this weekend we celebrate two major things: Halloween on Saturday and the end of Daylight Savings Time with that blessed extra hour of sleep on Saturday night/Sunday morning! This Sunday, we are also celebrating one of the holy days of the church calendar in All Saints' Day. As United Methodists, we do not speak of the saints nearly as often as our Catholic and Episcopal brothers and sisters. Yet we still recognize the importance of those people of faith who have gone before us, those who shaped the faith we hold centuries before we were born and those who taught us through their lives and words what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ. On All Saints' Day - celebrated each year on November 1st - we remember and honor all the saints. Instead of focusing on the famous people of faith - the apostles Peter and Paul and pillars of the faith like Patrick of such renown in Ireland and Francis of Assissi, for example - we remember all the countless, everyday faithful people of God who in their own small ways have made our world and faith what it is today. There are so many people in our lives who have helped shape who we have become as people of faith: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, neighbors, teachers, and so many more. So we remember and honor them on All Saints' Day. We especially remember those saints who have passed away in the last year as we honor their joining the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us even now.

May you remember with fondness and thanksgiving the saints of your life, and may God grant us the grace that those who follow us may find us to be just as faithful as those who went before us!

Blessings on the journey, Jim

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This Week in Worship: Weathering the Storm

Like all of God's churches, we at Port Church are called to worship and serve in the name of Jesus Christ. But just as no two people are exactly alike, neither are any two churches. No two churches are called to worship and serve in exactly the same ways. The ways in which we are called to worship and serve are as unique as the history which has shaped who we have become as a church. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at some of things that have shaped who we are as God's people, what we are called to do, and how we live out that calling. This week, in keeping with our celebration of All Saints' Day and those who have gone before us, we will look at the ways our fore-fathers and -mothers weathered the storms and the literal floods that challenged their calling as a village church with a mission to the world. Join us this Sunday as we explore our special heritage of "Weathering the Storms" of life!

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Free Checking

This past Sunday, we finished up our look at the theme of stewardship in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians and learned about a fourth thing to do to give well.  

Sermon Snippet: A Harvest Bigger than Our Sowing (2 Cor. 9:6-15)
For Paul, giving well does not end with the actual act of giving. Giving generously to the needs that God calls us to meet in the world leads to overflowing thanksgivings. As we give thanks for what God has given us that we can in turn give to others and for the opportunity to give, those who benefit from our giving also give thanks to God. Through giving thanks to God, we are brought together in a harvest of righteousness that provides seed for more acts of generosity that grow the harvest further. When we give thanks in all our giving and receiving, the harvest grows exponentially bigger than what we have sown. 

Over the last few weeks, we have learned from Paul four things we need to do to give well and experience the joy that God wants us to have in giving: 1) Ask for an opportunity to give that is inspiring, 2) keep our focus who Jesus is to us and who we are to Jesus, 3) prepare financially to give by saving to give or giving as we have extra, and 4) give thanks as we give money.

This Week's Challenge
Which of these four things do you fall short on? Make a plan to give well by doing all four of these steps. (For instance, we heard from someone who decided to open a special savings account to put away extra money each month above and beyond their tithe in order to have money on hand to give for special offerings and charities as they feel led.)

Operation Christmas Child Packing Party

Demonstrate God’s LOVE in a tangible way to needy children around the world through a simple gift! Join in our church-wide Operation Christmas Child packing party on Sunday, Nov. 8th. The gift items have been donated and are ready to be packed. Come to the Fellowship Hall after Worship Service and pack a box for a girl, a boy, or both! We have 175 boxes to fill. The boxes will be dedicated the following Sunday, Nov. 15th. You can also pack boxes as families or individuals and bring them by Nov. 15th. Boxes are available in the sanctuary. We hope to have at least 225 boxes total!

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Living in Community

• Christian sympathy to Poodle Coffman on the passing of her brother last month.
• Congratulations to Mark and Dinah for passing their CDL test required to drive the new bus! We are proud of your hard work and dedication.
• Prayers of comfort and healing for Susan, our neighbor in the village (she owns the field on Port Road) who lives in California, in the midst of her cancer. 

This Week at Port Church

Wednesday, October 28
9:30 am - 2 pm - Office Hours
6 pm - Wednesday at the Port

Thursday, October 29
9:30 am - 12 pm - Office Hours
10:30 am - Prayer Time

Sunday, November 1
Daylight Savings Ends - Remember to fall back and reset your clocks!
9:30 am - Worship with Communion - All Saints' Day:
"Weathering the Storm"
11 am - Sunday School

​Looking Ahead

• Saturday, November 7 - Fill the Field - District Youth Hunger/Homelessness Awareness Event
• Sunday, November 8 - Church-wide Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Party
• Tuesday, November 10 - Charge Conference
• Sunday, December 13 - Christmas Program
  
• Thursday, December 24 - Christmas Eve Dinner (5:30 pm) and Worship Service (7 pm)