As we approach another weekend of ministry and worship I read these words from Matthew's Gospel account...

                    "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called
                        the children of God."     (Matthew 5:9 KJV)

Tension. Hostility. Envy. Strife. The climate is heavy and oppressive. Negative feelings expand like clouds to fill the atmosphere. You feel a sense of hopeless frustration as communication breaks down and solutions seem nowhere in sight. No, it's not a gathering of your family.... but you still want to smooth things over but don't know how. 
   
Your heart longs for peace. You pray for just the right words to bring light to this dark situation. Nothing seems worth losing God's peace over -- certainly not "every evil thing" that strife will usher in (James 3:16 NASB). You propose to make peace. You find that peace in the desire of your heart - and those desires are God-given. God will fulfill that desire by making you a minister of God's grace. Speak words of peace, and you will see the strongholds of contention come crashing down.  
 
When the kids are fighting, or you have friends that can't get along or when there are rivalries at work or arguments between players in your recreational league.... join me in praying.... Make me Your peacemaker, O Lord. Amen. 

+++ Worship on Sunday is at 8:30am and 10:00am and we celebrate the Second Sunday of Lent this week. As we are Guided to the Cross my message is "Guided to Love". I am thinking this week about how we are called to show the type of love that Jesus did... but that's a tall order for sure! Our "live stream" of the worship service will be on the church's Facebook page at 10:00am and then we will "upload" the completed worship to our YouTube channel when it is completed. If you are joining us on Facebook live you can enter your prayer requests in the comments section of the page and we will make sure to add them to our prayer list during worship. We hope to be able to "see" all of you at worship this week!   

+++ The March/April edition of the Upper Room magazine is on the back table in the Narthex for your use!

+++ Please sign up for the Second Sunday Lunch, coming up on March 10th, following the 10:00am worship service. We are blessed to enjoy a wonderful meal and great fellowship each month during this luncheon time! 

+++ Worship at Summerfield Village will be on Thursday afternoon, at 1:00pm! You are invited to join us for worship!

+++ As we engage in our Lenten mission project to support the feeding program at University United Methodist Church in Syracuse, we have received a list of items needed that the church cannot purchase through the Food Bank of CNY. We've broken the list down so this week, if you are heading out for a shopping trip, maybe you would consider purchasing some extra quantities of canned tuna or canned salmon? We will highlight a couple of more items each week and donations can be left on the table in the Narthex all during Lent. Thanks for engaging in ministry and mission in this important program that feeds hundreds of people each week at one of our sister congregations! 
 
Make this day a great day and remember always to pray... Make me your peacemaker, O Lord.   
Pastor Jack


 

Good Friday to you, friends!  

This week I read some wonderful words from the prophet Hosea.....
 
                  "But you must return to your God; maintain love and
                              justice, and wait for your God always."
                                             (Hosea 12:6  NIV)

Consistency. Some of us stay the course most of the time, but most of us only some of the time. Some days we get it right, and some days we stumble a lot. Some days we might take time to pray but neglect an opportunity to give. And it's the little inconsistencies that really bring us down and wear us out. Maybe we'd grow less weary in our well-doing... if we were more consistent in doing well!
   
The Lord is consistent. The Bible tells us that the Lord is with us continually, that He guides us continually. God asks us to be steadfast, continuing daily in the faith. We are to set His commandments continually before us, not just sometimes. (See Proverbs 6:21) This is also our hope because in doing so we will have continual success. We can continually hope in Him even as David did when he proclaimed, "I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" (Psalm 16:8 AMP).
   
So join me in praying Help me be more consistent, when you're tempted to slip back into bad habits or self-discipline is a challenge. When people are relying on you to set an example or you don't always know what to do, pray Help me be more consistent. Amen.     

+++ We worship on Sunday at 8:30am and 10:00am and we have begun our Lenten emphasis, Guided to the Cross. On Wednesday night we looked at being Guided to Forgiveness and on Sunday we will check out being Guided to Hope. What does it mean to be guided by Hope and how could we ever find it at the cross of Jesus? Join us on Sunday and help me think this through. We will be "live streaming" on Facebook live at 10:00am and then we will "upload" the completed worship service to the church's YouTube page when it is completed.  However you worship this week, we look forward to "seeing you" on Sunday!

+++ On Sunday you can pick up your Lenten Devotional materials including coin boxes for your use as we seek to support the feeding programs at University United Methodist Church in Syracuse. Each week hundreds of people are fed at this amazing ministry and our support is critically needed as resources are stretched while the need increases. Thanks for being a part of this dynamic ministry at our sister church!

+++ The church office will be closed on Monday in observance of President's Day and will reopen on Tuesday morning at 9:15am.

+++ Tuesday is also the deadline for articles for our March/April edition of the church newsletter.  Please have your articles into the office on Tuesday so we can meet our publishing deadline.  

+++ Our Lenten Bible Study, based on being Guided to the Cross, meets again on Wednesday at 1:00pm in the Fireside Room. We have room for more friends to join us and you can get a book from me on Sunday! 

+++ Check out the new pictures of our latest Second Sunday Lunch on this website. I think we have a great website presence and we are doing lots of evangelism through this gift of technology!  

Make this day a great day and remember to pray, Help me be more consistent. 
​Pastor Jack   

As another work week comes to an end, we are getting ready to praise and worship God together on Sunday! Here is a text I came across this week from Psalm 103...

                    "Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your
                      personal age and situation] with good so that your youth,
                      renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming, soaring]!"
                                                (Psalm 103:5  AMP)

No matter what age you are, we all feel as if life is passing us by too fast. We may feel we're "old" at thirty or forty, fifty or sixty. Or we don't feel "old" at all but wonder how those wrinkles got so deep. We look at our lives, frustrated that we haven't been able to do more. What happened to all those dreams that got put on hold?
   
Young people are full of expectation. Their futures are wide open, and the whole world seems to be theirs for the taking. They start new schools, jobs, or projects with excitement and anticipation. Why should parents and grandparents be any less expectant? As parents our priorities naturally change from pursuing our own personal passions to helping our children discover and pursue theirs. But God has not withdrawn God's special dream for you. Renew your youth by reviving your dream. Stir up those latent desires tucked away in your heart. All things are possible with God!  
   
When you feel like you missed your chance, or you are feeling discontent and disinterested in your life, you can join me in praying, Renew my youth. Sometimes we just don't feel useful anymore or we have lost our sense of fun and adventure and that's when we need to ask God to Renew my youth.   

+++ On Sunday we celebrate Transfiguration Day, the day when Jesus' appearance was changed on the mountain while he was in the company of Peter, James, and John. And maybe we will all hear the voice of God imploring us to follow Jesus in our lives. We gather at 8:30am and 10:00am and we will, of course, live-stream worship at 10:00am on the church's Facebook page. Immediately following the service's completion, we "upload" the recording to our YouTube channel... but unfortunately, we are often at the mercy of YouTube in terms of when it becomes available on their platform. My message is "Life on a Mountain" and I am thinking about exactly what it takes to live on a mountain. First and foremost, I guess is climbing skills! Come and think this through with me!  

+++ Following the 10:00am worship we'll enjoy our 2nd Sunday Luncheon for February. This is a wonderful time of food and fellowship as we enjoy spending time with our sisters and brothers in Christ.

+++ Our SPRC will meet on Tuesday night at 6:00pm in the Fireside Room. 

+++ Lent begins with our Ash Wednesday worship service at 7:00pm on Wednesday night, February 14th. The choir will be leading us in worship, and we begin our Lenten theme, "Guided to the Cross". Each worship service will have us looking at the ways in which we are guided to the Cross of Christ on Easter morning. We have devotional reading materials for adults and kids to take home and use during these 40 days and our Lenten Bible Study begins on Wednesday afternoon at 1:00pm in the Fireside Room. We have the books on hand, (there is no charge for this Bible Study booklet) and I can get you one on Sunday to read for our first session. Please sign up in the Narthex.

+++ Our Lenten Mission emphasis will be to support the feeding ministry program at University UMC in Syracuse. Each week this church feeds several hundred people in downtown Syracuse and with funding cuts to several of their government resource programs, the church can use all the help we can provide. Look for Lenten coin boxes on Sunday! 
   
+++ Our deadline for newsletter articles for the March/April edition of the church newsletter is coming up on February 20th! Please make sure all articles are received in the church office by that date. Thanks!   

Make this day a great day and always remember to pray with me... Renew my youth, Lord.   
​Pastor Jack         

Happy February!

As we start this new month (one month closer to springtime, friends!), I read these words from Psalm 27...

                             "The Lord is the strength of my life."
                                          (Psalm 27:1 KJV)

From the very first moment when we open our eyes each morning until we close them again at night we must remind ourselves that the challenge is not what we can do for the Lord but what the Lord can do through us. There is so much to be done, so many people to reach, so many needs to be met. Sometimes we are asked to undertake a worthy objective, but feel so inadequate to achieve it.
   
Thankfully, our hope is not in our own personal abilities. We don't need to bear the burden of saving the world single-handedly. Our strength comes from the Lord, and we are only one small part of the great body fulfilling God's purpose in the earth. God not only promises to show himself strong where we are weak, but God will also give us the measure of faith we need to trust Him. The biggest challenge is learning not to try to rely on our own limited knowledge and personal strengths, but to rely on God's wisdom and strength working in us and through us. 
   
So join me in praying, You are my strength, O God, when you're asked to do something you've never done or your emotions are taking over. When your buttons are being pushed, or you feel inadequate or afraid, God offers you strength to make it through the crisis!  

+++ We have another wonderful day of worship planned for this coming Sunday! As we celebrate this 5th Sunday after the Epiphany, we will hear from Mark's Gospel where Jesus heals many at Simon Peter's house and then heads off for a preaching tour through Galilee. My message, "I Will Raise You Up" has me thinking about how even in the most difficult of times... God will not abandon God's promise to redeem and raise us up. We worship at 8:30am and 10:00am and, of course, we will be "live-streaming" on the church's Facebook page at 10:00am. Following worship we will upload the completed worship service to our YouTube channel, as well.  We will also celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion at each service on Sunday! 

+++ Following worship a dedicated group of volunteers will deliver this month's Meal Ministry meals and we will surpass the 600 mark for meals delivered in this wonderful ministry!  Thanks to Sam, Marilyn and all the drivers who continue to spread the love of God to our shut-ins each month!  

+++ Annual reports are completed and available for your use on the table in the Narthex.  Thanks to all our Team and Ministry leaders for all their efforts and for providing the reports for us!

+++ Don't forget to sign up this Sunday for next week's Second Sunday Luncheon after worship!  A delicious meal is planned and we need to know an accurate count for how many friends to expect to join us.  Thanks! 

+++ On Monday night you are invited to meet our new Bishop, Bishop Hector Burgos Nunez at the Fayetteville UMC.  The Bishop will be gathering with laity from 7:00pm-8:30pm to share some thoughts on our United Methodist Church and to worship and listen and learn.  All laity in the Crossroads District are invited to attend. 

+++ LENT BEGINS ON ASH WEDNESDAY, February 14th.    On that night we will gather in the Sanctuary at 7:00pm and begin our Lenten journey toward the cross.  Our theme for the journey this year is "Guided to the Cross" and at every worship service you will have a chance to bring elements of your life to the cross of Jesus.  You'll hear more about this on Sunday and we hope everyone in the congregation joins together for this year's Lenten journey!  

Make this day a great day and remember to pray, You are my strength, O God each and every day!   
Pastor Jack