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Centre UMC Newsletter, Vol. II, Issue 8
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CentreNews Rev. Mark Gorman, Pastor
Looking for Jesus
If you wanted to find Jesus today, where would you look for him? How would you know it if you found him?
Jesus himself gives us some pretty good clues in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. These “Blessed are” statements aren’t just new commandments for the disciples, and they aren’t merely really good ideas. To be blessed, to be happy, is to be as close to God as possible for creatures. And no one is closer to God than Jesus. Jesus is fully God, even as he is fully human.
So the Beatitudes are Jesus’ way of saying, “If you want to find me, look for me among the blessed. And the blessed look like this…” The blessed, the happy, are poor in spirit, mourners, meek, hungry and thirsty for justice, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted for the sake of justice, and slandered for the sake of Christ.
Where will we find the blessed? In church? With the anger and hatred that many so-called Christians spew on television and social media, it;s easy to understand why many people believe that church is the last place to find Jesus. And it’s just as easy for churches that do bear Jesus’ blessing to be overlooked; it’s pretty hard to be poor in spirit while tooting your own horn.
Following Jesus is more than figuring out “What would Jesus do?” It’s looking for Jesus, keeping an eye out for him among people who look like the blessed, and staying as close to them as possible. And proclaiming Jesus is more than giving people useful information about the Bible, sin, heaven, or Christ. It’s about living the life of the blessed, so that others will want to draw closer to us in order to be closer to Jesus. (By the way, it’s a real shame that we tend to say, “I’m blessed,” to mean, “I have a bounty of material possessions” or “Life is going pretty well for me right now,” instead of, “I’m poor in spirit; I’m merciful; I’m a peacemaker.”)
So maybe the question isn’t just, “Where would you look for Jesus?” Maybe it’s, “If someone was looking for Jesus, would they find him at Centre? Would they find him in you?” Are we blessed?
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Mark
In Brief…
*We will have worship, an intergenerational Sunday School class, and the church picnic at Friends Park on August 30, starting at 9:30 a.m.
*We need Sunday School teachers! Contact Libby Gorman if you would like to serve.
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Announcements
Monthly Prayer: Please make Centre’s monthly prayer part of your daily devotional time. This month, you are asked to pray for the start of the new school year. Pray that Centre may be a good neighbor to the students, teachers, and families of Forest Hill Elementary School.
Sunday, August 30, will be a special day of worship, education, and fellowship. Weather permitting, we will meet at Friends Park at 9:30 a.m. for worship. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for you and your family to sit on during the service. Then, immediately after worship, our Fifth Sundays Series will continue with a Sunday School class for all ages, led by Pastor Mark. Finally, we will have our church picnic right after Sunday School. The church will provide hot dogs and hamburgers. Please bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share.
Thank you to everyone who has helped with summer Sunday school! Sunday school is much more meaningful when the whole body of the church raises our children in the faith together. As we get ready for the new school year, please contact Libby Gorman if you are interested in teaching Sunday school once or twice a month during the school year. You can either e-mail ** libby.gorman@gmail.com (mailto:libby.gorman@gmail.com)
or call ** 571-236-9679 (tel:571-236-9679)
. Please also indicate if you are willing to be a lead teacher (who will plan the lesson), a helper, or both, and if you have specific dates on which you know you are not available. Please contact Libby by Sunday, August 16.
The Wednesday Morning Bible Study with Pastor Mark starts up again on August 5, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. In August we will be doing a study based on the guide At Table with Jesus by John Gooch. Come learn about Jesus as a guest and host who shares his meals with people of many different backgrounds.
Communion servers for August and September are needed. Please contact Nancy Martin if you would be willing to serve communion either month.
Our food pantry supplies are dwindling. Please make a habit of buying one or two small items every week to bring for the pantry; that provides a reliable basis for us to continue operating. Canned tuna, soups, fruits, and vegetables as well as other nonperishable items like pasta, cereal, and boxed mashed potatoes are always needed.
The Fellowship Lunch Workgroup will meet next on August 6. We will meet at 11:30 in the fellowship hall to enjoy meal and fellowship together. Following lunch we will work on small projects around the church. All are welcome! Please contact Sandy Barthel or Pastor Mark for more details.
If you have a youth in middle or high school who has not yet been confirmed, please contact Pastor Mark by August 1 about confirmation class for 2015-2016.
Pastor Mark will be out of town Monday, August 10, through Friday, August 14.
The September Newsletter Deadline is July 23.
Finance Committee Report
Totals are through July 19. Totals also include directed giving, which does not always impact the budget.
July Budget: $11,451.64
July Giving: $8,921.49
Over/(Under): ($2530.15)
Annual Budget: $137,419.68
January-June Giving: $87,408.14
Over/(Under): ($50,011.54)
If you have questions about financial stewardship at Centre or about Centre’s budget, please speak to John Griffin, Finance Chair, or to Pastor Mark.
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