a caring community

Praise God for a wonderful Sunday at MPUMC! Sunday we were blessed to have great attendance in worship and over 300 for Sunday school! I have heard several positive comments about the job Ralph Skinner
did in bringing the message in the traditional services, and I felt that the Crossroads worship services were also a blessing yesterday. We were blessed to have Josh Fox and the 8:30 team lead worship along with Mike Mould who serves as the youth pastor at Asbury United Methodist in Greenville.

I was especially blessed yesterday by the sense of community I felt on a day when we were talking about the importance of community. I felt like what I was preaching about was the reality I saw and felt yesterday. I mentioned in my sermon that, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, we are all members of the Body of Christ with much to contribute. As members of the Body of Christ, we are all called to be involved in ministry, in caring for one another.

Related to our being called to care for one another, Paul tells us in Galatians 6.2, “Carry one another’s burdens, and in so doing you fulfill the law of Christ.” We are all called to care in this way and be there for one another. We will all have times in life when we will need our sisters and brothers to encourage and support us through difficulty, and so we also need to be willing to do the same for others among us who are
going through difficulty. God calls on all of us to pay attention to the needs of others and to reach out when others are hurting. God calls us to pay attention when folks are absent and follow up with them. Yesterday I mentioned that it takes all of us giving what we have to
give and caring as God calls us to care in order for God’s church to be what God wants us to be.

I want to make clear that what I said in my sermon yesterday does not imply at all that anything is wrong here at MPUMC, but my comments about all of us caring and being intentional about checking up on one
another was simply a call to action for us to continue growing in being the caring community God wants us to be. If we all do our part, more and more people will feel welcomed and feel connected to the community. As we welcome new people in, let’s also make sure to pay attention to the needs and concerns of those who have been connected to the community for some time who may need us to check up on them. MPUMC is already a great church, a caring church and a
welcoming place. Let’s just make sure we all to our part to ensure MPUMC continues to grow in becoming who God wants us to be! We all have a part to play in helping MPUMC become the best church it can be. I close with a passage that has been used a lot in January in our leadership meetings, with staff, CLC, SPR among other groups- let this passage guide us to have our focus where it needs to be:

2then make my joy complete by being like-minded,
having the same love, being one in spirit and of one
mind. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
4not looking to your own interests but each of
you to the interests of the others. 5In your relationships
with one another, have the same mindset as
Christ Jesus… -Philippians 2.2-5

~~Pastor Josh

 

New! New! New! We hope you enjoy the new banners that are hanging in the Sanctuary!! (They were purchased with the money made from the Cookie Swap that we had during the Christmas holidays.) And.. a NEW SOUND SYSTEM in both our worship spaces!! And... a NEW PHONE SYSTEM so that when you call our church office you will be greeted by a new voice system that will direct you to staff extensions and voice mail.

Habitat Blitz Day - Feb. 18th. Mark you calendar—our Habitat House Blitz day is Saturday February 18th! We will start the day with nothing but a concrete floor slab and assemble and put up the walls, roof rafters and roof decking with tar paper to get the house "in the dry." More details are available on our dedicated Habitat News page, and you can quickly and easily sign up online by clicking here!

LUNCH BUNCH will meet on Feb. 7 at the Red Lobster on Kingston Pike at 1pm for lunch and fellowship. Call Joyce Haas to make your reservation.

BOY SCOUT SUNDAY. February 5 Please welcome the Boy Scouts in our 11:00 Traditional worship service this Sunday. We are very proud of these young boys and their leaders.

IMPACTING MINISTRY. 2012 Sunday, Feb. 12 1:30 to 4pm Sponsored by Knoxville District

OPEN GYM STARTNG BACK. We will start back on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7 at 7:30AM! Join us for a little exercise to start your day!!

MISSION OPPORTUNITIES.

• We can give our used but unwanted items to any KARM store using the church name. Once $400 worth is accumulated, the church will be sent gift cards for people in need to shop at KARM.
• Clip coupons from Campbell soup cans and other products, place in the RED BIRD MISSION BOX in the hallway across from the FISH door.
• Check the bulletin board across the way from FISH for details.

Thank you for supporting these projects.

CHURCH SERVICES ARE RECORDED. You may contact the church office and request a copy of either the Traditional or Contemporary service at a cost of $1.00 for each CD. They can be picked up in the church office and you may leave your money in the basket.

Mini-Revival and Spiritual Growth Weekend. Join us on February 11 and 12 to hear Dr. Ellsworth Kalas—the former president of Asbury Theological Seminary, a well-known United Methodist preacher, and the author of more than 35 books and 13 adult study quarterlies. Read more about Dr. Kalas by clicking here!

On Saturday at 10:00 a.m., Dr. Kalas will be in the Family Life Center to deliver an inspiring address followed by a question and answer period. On Sunday, Dr. Kalas will be the guest preacher for the 8:30 a.m. Traditional Service (in the Sanctuary) and the 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Service (in the Family Life Center).

 

Looking for a small group? We are offering 6 small groups this Winter/Spring Season for spiritual growth and community. Please see the sign up sheets in the narthex or in the hallway outside the CWS service to reserve your place. Classes are offered Tuesday and Wednesday nights and most begin Jan. 17 and Jan. 18. Good and Beautiful Life: James Bryan Smith Eric and Marion Rieger, Ben and Mindy Savage Begins Wednesday, Jan. 18 6:30-8:00 p.m. (Historic Building) Description: “I have never met a person whose goal was to ruin his or her life. We all want to be happy, and we want it all of the time." So begins James Bryan Smith in The Good and Beautiful Life. The problem is, he tells us, we have bought into false notions of happiness and success. These self-centered decisions lead us further into the vices that cause ruin: anger, lust, lying, worry, and judging. Eventually we find ourselves living a beautifully packaged life of selfdestruction. Following the Sermon on the Mount, this follow-up to The Good and Beautiful God guides us to look behind these character flaws and to replace our false beliefs with Jesus' narratives about life in the kingdom of God. Good and Beautiful Community: James Bryan Smith Rev. Josh Kilbourne Begins Wed., Jan 18 6:30-8:00 p.m. (Historic Building) Description: In this third book in The Apprentice Series trilogy, James Bryan Smith helps us know how to live in relationship with others as apprentices of Jesus. “Apprentices of Jesus are not part-time do-gooders,” he writes. “They live in continuous contact with the kingdom of God, and are constantly men and women in whom Christ dwells. They do not sometimes tell the truth, sometimes live sacrificially or sometimes forgive. There are myriad opportunities for us to impact the world in which we live.”. Disciple 1: Becoming Disciples through Bible Study Phil Moore Will begin Tues., Jan 17 or Wed., Jan 18 depending on class need Description: This 34-week course is an overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This is the ideal core study to increase your competence, confidence, and love for God’s Word. In this course, you will read and discuss over 70% of the Bible. It is recommended that persons who have never participated in a DISCIPLE study begin with this course. Beth Moore Study on James Elaine McGinn Begins Thursday, Jan. 12 9:30 a.m. in Room 30 Beth Moore Wednesday Night Study Ann O'Connor Slimp Begins Wed., Jan 25 at 6:30 p.m. Women's Faith and Fellowship Callie Kilbourne Begins Tuesday, Jan 17 6 p.m.-7 p.m.; Room # TBA Short term study that will start Jan. 17 and run through Feb. 21 (when LENT study begins). We are going to be choosing scripture passages and spending time talking about how it applies to our lives as well as sharing what God has been doing lately in our hearts. We would like to invite all women of any age to join us.

 

FROM YOUR HEALTH MINISTRY. Perhaps the most important element of “good health” is our spiritual health. That’s why is it meaningful to most parents that their children begin to learn about God’s Word at a young age. However, many parents find it difficult to explain some of the most important aspects of their religious faith. What then do we say when our children ask such questions as “If God is so good, why doesn’t he make Grandma better?” “What does God look like?” “If God loves us, why did our puppy die?”

When responding to children’s questions about God, remember situations arise each day when we can point out how God is active and present in our lives. For example, when a kind neighbor shares a favorite dessert or helps us mow our grass, or when big brother ties a shoelace for a younger sibling.

Psychologists say that many children become concerned about death and dying beginning at ages four to seven. They may wonder is heaven is real. It may be reassuring to explain that God’s plan is for us to grow up and live to an old age and that by the time we die our parents are in heaven to greet us.

If you don’t have an immediate answer for your child, don’t be afraid to say: “I don’t know.” Then suggest that you discuss the question with your spouse or you and your child can try together to find the answer in the Bible or some other source.

Children who are listened to, responded to, and reassured by their parents will know what to expect from a God who is described as a heavenly Father or Mother. (Source: Abbey Press)