Lunenburg United Methodist Charge

 

Antioch UMC                                                           Williams UMC

 

On our walk. . . . .                 

January 9, 2008

Pastor’s Message –

John 3: 5 – 6

Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can come into the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s continuing presence on earth, the church is to be the community of the new covenant.  In this community baptism is by water and the Spirit.  The Baptismal Covenant is found in both the Old and New Testaments.  God entered into a covenant relationship with his people.  He instituted a special ceremony in the Old Testament to identify this covenant.  The sign that came from this ritual was circumcision.  In the New Testament, his sign of the new covenant is baptism.  We are baptized in the water and the Spirit.  We believe in only one baptism and that the baptizing of our infants, adults, both male and female is a sign of this covenant.  Baptism is a sign of regeneration or new birth.  This week let us remember our baptisms.  It is in our baptism that we have been able to join the in the covenant that God has made with us.  Let us remember He loves us so much that he made this covenant.  He will hold up His part.  Will we hold up our part?

   God bless

Upcoming Events – January 9, 2008

 

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

   Prayer Meeting @ Williams @ 5:45 PM

   William’s Celebration Choir practice @ Williams @ 6:00 PM

 

Saturday, January 12, 2008

                Men’s Breakfast @ Williams @ 8:00 AM

                Youth Group @ Williams @ 3:00 PM

 

 Monday, January 14, 2008

    Evening Bible Study @ Antioch @ 7:00 PM

 

Tuesday, January 15, 2008  

   Bible Study@ Audrey Smith’s @ 10:00 AM

   Evangelism Committee Meeting @ Antioch@ 7:00 PM

 

Worship Events --January 13, 2008 – Baptism of Jesus

  Service Theme: Jesus’ Baptism

 This week’s reading will be: Sermon Text     Matthew 3: 13-17

                                               Hebrew Text      Isaiah 42: 1-9

Pianists:      Nancy Turner

 

 

Williams Youth Group to go on Beach Picnic

 

On Saturday, January 12, the Williams Youth Group will be going on a beach picnic. Though they won’t leave the church they will be on the beach for the afternoon. There will be beach activties as well as picnic food. It should be fun for all. Please bring the children and let them join in remembering what the beach is like during the summer. They are meeting at 3:00 pm 

 

Ladies Tea

On January 26 Williams UMC Monthly Ladies Tea will meet at 10:00am. This month they are going to make soup to take to the shut in our community. If you would like to join them please bring ingredients for the soups and help the ladies prepare the soups and deliver them. While you are doing this soup prep enjoy a fresh brewed cup of tea with refreshments and fellowship. If you plan to join in the fun please contact Ida Bowen for the ingredients for the soups.

 

150th Anniversary Throws   Throws are still available. These beautiful throws will make a great present for a family member. Our supply is running low – about 5-6 left.  The cost is $45.00 each.  Please call Jane DiStefano if you would like to order a throw or have any questions.  434-676-2314

 

Cookbooks are still available.  The Administrative Board has authorized the Cookbook Committee to order an additional 400 copies.  If you would like to obtain copies for the upcoming Christmas Season please contact Susan Moseley at 676-2081, Gayle Grant at 676-3531, Trudy Wilkins at 676-4458, or anyone at Antioch.  Any church member can get a copy to you for $10 each.

 

Prayer Gram Initiated.  The Antioch Evangelism Committee with the assistance of Williams has started a prayer gram. The note is signed by all who are in attendance on Sunday morning and it is mailed to all those who are on our prayer list. This week we mailed 25 letters to those on our prayer list and we had 61 signatures. Imagine how you would feel if you were sick or house bound and couldn’t get to church and you received a letter signed by 50 to 70 members saying they had prayed for you that week. It can be an awesome experience.

 

 

Sunday School is available each Sunday morning.  The importance of Sunday School is that, though you may think hearing the word will suffice for you, you really need to be in attendance at Sunday School to gather all the information that you can in an open discussion classroom.  Jesus’ word cannot be totally understood just by listening to a sermon.  You have to interact with it and with other Christians to learn what He was saying to us.  This is a life long study and you should take part.  There is a class for every age so please plan on joining us to learn more about our Lord, Jesus Christ.   Sunday School at Williams begins at 10:45 AM and at Antioch at 10:00 AM.

 

Evening Bible Study. Evening Bible study will continue on January 14 at 7:00PM at Antioch. We will be continuing our study of Numbers. We will focus on chapters 11-21 this week. If you are looking for a study of God’s word join us not only for the study, but good fellowship.

 

Morning Bible Study. Morning Bible study will continue on January 15 at 10:00AM at Audrey Smith’s. We will continue our study of Numbers. We will focus on chapters 21-30 this week. If you are looking for a study of God’s word join us not only for the study, but good fellowship.

 

 

The Methodist Way

                 The Start

Scene One: The congregation chuckles as an embarrassed mother and father bring their screaming baby to the pastor. Quiet decorum is no match for the new set of lungs. Finally, after leading the way through the stories of God's saving work, assurance of church support, and promises of Christian intent, the pastor dips his hand into a small bowl of water and says, "Louise Antoinette, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Then, the pastor turns to the congregation; lifts up the child and says, "Here, my brothers and sisters, is the world's newest Christian!'''

Scene Two: It had sounded like a good plan: Easter Sunday morning at Lake Hopatcong, Now on the chilly late March morning, everyone remembered that Easter came early this year! Breeze blew in off the lake and the gathered congregation shivered, but Pastor Diane Greenwood knew she would proceed as planned. "Easter," she said, "is not about spring flowers and warm weather. It is about new life in Jesus Christ." Then, she stepped out into the lake with Julio and 'Marcella Gomez. One after the other, she lowered them three times under the water, saying, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Scene Three: Jeffrey Johnson knelt and bowed his head. This was the moment toward which the recent year of his sixteen-:'year-old life had pointed. The Reverend Mr. Merritt completed the prayer of thanksgiving and then poured a large flow of water over Jeff's head. The water splashed loudly into a brass basin. With water trickling past his ears, running down his neck, and thoroughly wetting his hair, Jeff heard, "Jeffrey Richard. I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen," Some of the moisture in the basin now came from Jeff’s tears of joy.

Scene Four: For years, the Happy Helpers Sunday' School class had dreamed of going together on a trip to the Holy Lands, After fund-raisers and many special offerings and personal savings, twelve members of the class stood on the banks of the Jordan River. “Maybe our Lord Jesus was baptized here or in a place very much like this," their guide said. Class pres­ident Mildred Shuler turned to Pastor Graham. "It would mean so much to me and probably to all of us, if you could baptize us again here in the Jordan River! I would remember it forever!" The pastor rubbed his hand under his chin and said, “Let me tell you why I could not baptize a second time, here or anywhere else.”

 

Any of these four scenes could have occurred among Methodist people. Baptism includes infants, teens, and adults.  Baptism can be by sprinkling a little water, pouring a lot of water, or even immersing the candidate totally in water. Baptism is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And baptism is done only once.

 

        Baptism is about the activity of God, (It is done in the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.) Baptism is a statement and an enactment and the fulfillment of God's promise of grace. God does not go back on God’s promises; that is why Methodists do not baptize persons more than once. To baptize someone a second time is to say that God did not keep God's promise of grace. Of course, we human beings slip and slide in our efforts to keep our end of the agreement with God, but God is steadfast and faithful.

            Baptism is having “property of God” stamped on one’s life, and that claim by God cannot be erased. It is the sacrament of Christian initiation offered, both, to those who come to faith and repent (Acts 2:38; 8: 13; 9: 18; 22: 16) and to those who arc born - into the household of faith (Acts 16: 15; 16:33; Matt. 19: 13- 15).

Many traditions within the Bible Belt practice only "believer’s baptism," '(This means that persons are baptized only when they can make a meaningful confession of Christian faith.) Methodists, on the other hand, have seen infant baptism as normative. Although in today's culture many' persons are adults before they have their first personal relationship with the community of faith. The baptism of babies makes sense only in the context of a covenant community that can nurture and bring the child to a profes­sion of faith. Methodists, therefore, arc giving renewed consideration to the practice of baptizing of persons who are new to the fait community as adults, because many in today’s culture do not grow up within the family of faith.

Can a person be saved without being baptized? Yes. But the ordinary means by which God incorporates persons into the faith is baptism. Baptism itself is “a means of justification and regeneration, that is, that those who have been baptized have been justified and born again.

 

                                      “Being Methodist in the Bible Belt” F. Belton Joyner, Jr.

 

 

                             

If you cannot reach Rev. Ed at the parsonage, you may call him on his cell phone:  252-532-0952.  He can also be reached via e-mail at revedumc@yahoo.com .   If you would like to receive e-mail messages from the pastor send an e-mail to him at revedumc@yahoo.com and we will add you to our list.

 

Please keep the following families in your prayers:

Marjorie Thompson

Christian Sutton

Bertha Arthur

Sarah Agnes Callis

Sheila Cage

Paul & Argy Turner

Bobby & Virginia Overby

Sara Sutton

Jeff Hendricks

Earl "Chuckie” Barnes

Our Military

Nathan Hendricks

Edna & Wilson Bagley

Nancy Grant

Maria Kay

Phyllis Goin

Allen Green

Frances Hawthorne

“B” & Teewah Hayes

Gayle Grant

 Elizabeth Biggerstaff 

Becky Eades & boys

Elsie Pennington

Bernard Bottoms

Sue Barnes (unspoken)

Gertrude Hite

Dorothy Driskill

Virginia (Feety) Featherston

Susan Moseley

Dorothy Shields

Family of Ron Halbrook

Tommy Cage

Dorothy Ann Irby

Yvette Morris & family

Nick Holden

 Alicia Clary

Harry & Margaret Smith

Grace DiStefano

Walter Hill Moseley

Marvin L. Crutchfield

 

Walter B. Moseley

If you have anyone who is in need of prayer, please place their names on the Prayer List and lift up their names in prayer during worship service and throughout the week.

 

 

In the Library

 

Psalm 23: The Song Of A Passionate Heart- Hope and Rest From the Shepherd by David Roper

 

The Unlimited Power of Prayer a Guidepost Anthology featuring 60 inspiring, personal stories, prayers, how to spiritual workshops to strengthen your prayer life.

 

Help! I’m Laughing and I Can’t Get Up by Liz Curtis Higgs

 Fall down funny stories to fill your hear and  lift your spirit

 

 

The Walk to Emmaus

 

This week we continue our new series about “The Walk to Emmaus”.  The following information comes from “What Is Emmaus?” We hope you find it informative and we hope it clears up any misconception there may be about the Walk to Emmaus

Rev Ed

 

 

People continue to return from the Walks with their sleeves rolled up and asking "Where can we help?"

 

-Layperson in Texas

       Every church revitalization or church growth plan acknowledges the priority of spiritual renewal. To this end, Emmaus, provides a means by which people gain a lively overview of Christian faith, encounter the risen Christ in Christian community, and experience a rekindling of the gift of God's love in their hearts. A plan of disciplined follow through for developing a lifestyle of discipleship and for being a vital member of the body of Christ supports this fresh grounding of the faith. Emmaus is proving to be an effective means by which God changes church members into effective Disciples of Christ and plants seeds of renewal in congregations.

         Emmaus is not the only route to church renewal, nor does it stand alone. Emmaus does, however, infuse new ·levels of energy, vision, and commitment into congregations through those who participate. Congregational leaders observe effects such as these:

·increased giving,

·persons' willingness to serve as teachers and leaders,

·deepened hunger for regular Holy Communion,

·increased participation in Bible studies and other sources of

spiritual nurture,

·stronger spiritual discipline,

·openness to faith sharing and witnessing to Jesus Christ,

·intensified eagerness for evangelism and mission.

When Emmaus participants return with this openness and willing­ness to serve, leaders must be ready with ways to enable people to invest themselves in Christ and his mission. An Ohio laywoman, reporting on the fruit of Emmaus in her large church, wrote:

 

Emmaus graduates are well represented in the church as Sunday school teachers, project leaders, and missional volunteers. Not only does their commitment to Christ ensure that the job gets done, but their personal faith influences many more! Also, the many Emmaus community acts of service in sponsoring needy families, offering time for the elderly, or starting ministries in the prisons can be mentioned. The one thing all these acts have in common is love for Christ, and fervent hearts that feel the need to share the good news. More than anything, it's the continued joy we share as we seek to know, and serve the Lord.

 

Emmaus has a leavening effect in congregations. The leavening effect does 'not depend on congregation-wide participation but on the impact of a few lively, committed persons in the total chemistry of the church. For this reason, Emmaus becomes effective as an avenue toward renewal when church leaders participate at the outset and encourage other active members whose presence and influence in the congregation is positive. But Emmaus can prove ineffective in moving a congregation forward ­and in some cases actually has proved problematic-when leaders are not supportive and when the influence of those members who do participate is narrow or negative.

 

Congregations can sustain the leavening effect of Emmaus by encouraging participants, immediately after their Emmaus experience, to band together into the weekly follow-up groups or group reunions. These little face-to-face groups become dependable centers of life, spir­itual discipline, and commitment within the larger fellowship. They also prove to be significant bases of support and inspiration for mission and outreach. Group members help one another maintain regular contact with Christ. They hold one another accountable to living a daily life of vital piety, study, and action.

 

Linking Emmaus with other complementary emphases, such as Disciple Bible Study, Covenant Discipleship, Basic Christianity, gifts dis­covery classes, Volunteers in Mission, or a variety of other spiritual for­mation and missional engagements can enhance Emmaus's effectiveness. An overall system of intersecting pathways to growth in discipleship pro­vides avenues of continuing development and challenge for those who attend. In addition, people naturally resist and resent the implication that Emmaus is "the only way" to spiritual renewal, which is the unintended message in churches that do not offer a variety of opportunities for spir­itual formation and service.

 

Finally, Emmaus's effectiveness for the congregation increases when the congregation publicly affirms those who attend and acknowledges the value of their involvement both personally and for the strengthen­ing of the church. The church communicates with the membership about Emmaus-related activities (such as dates for Walks, meeting times for group reunions and gatherings). The church office may establish contact persons who provide more information about upcoming Walks. This openness eliminates any impression that Emmaus activities are different, exclusive or secret.

 

One pastor's report of Emmaus in the church relates how Emmaus call be a quiet leavening inf1uence in the life of the whole congregation. He writes,

Before Emmaus, these persons served as Sunday school teachers, committee and board members in the church, and were regular workshop attendees. After Emmaus, they continued to serve but did so with enthusiasm and a quiet, but noticeable inner peace. Then, tactfully and politely they began inviting others in the community to attend worship services and go to on Emmaus Walks

As a staff-parish relations chairperson put it, "Emmaus is not the only reason, but it is the major influence in turning our church around. There's a new spirit of willingness on the part of the people to try what was once considered to be impossible."

 

 

 

Remember: Do the math ----Count your blessings!

 

Have a Blessed Week