Then Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."   
                                           (John 20:29 NIV)
 
Thomas was a disciple of Jesus whose faith was obscured by doubt -- temporarily. Thomas had followed Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. He had heard Him deliver life-changing teaching and perform miracles that proved He was who He said He was.
   
Thomas was there when Jesus said that He would die but would be raised from the dead three days later. Yet after Jesus had died so horribly on a wooden cross, Thomas went on, his heart heavy with crushing grief, as though he hadn't heard a word Jesus said. When the other disciples told him that Jesus was alive, his response was essentially, "I won't believe it until I see it!" 
   
Paul once wrote, "For we live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV). Nobody today has seen Jesus in the flesh, but we know by faith that He is our Lord and Savior. And because we believe, Jesus calls us "blessed" -- and we call Him "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).  
 
                      Jesus, thank You for opening my spiritual eyes of faith to see You as who You really are --my Lord and God. I have never physically seen You, but I still believe. I look forward with great anticipation to seeing you face-to-face as I someday begin eternity in my forever home in heaven with you. Amen. 
 
+++ We gather this Sunday for worship at 8:30am and 10:00am. This week we'll hear from Paul's letter to the Galatians and Luke's Gospel account. My message "One in Christ" will have me looking at what it is that gives us the freedom to be unified. Paul is pretty strong in his belief that the church of Christ is called to be unified and has some specific instructions for us to attain that goal. Join me as we think that through together! We will be "live-streaming" the worship service on the church's Facebook page at 10:00am and then "uploading" the completed worship to our YouTube channel, as usual.  
 
+++ This Sunday, June 22nd is also the last Sunday for both our Kidz Club program and Choir until after Labor Day.   
 
+++ Next Sunday, June 29th, we begin our summer worship schedule with one worship service at 9:00am in the Sanctuary each week.  Our "live-streaming" will also switch to 9:00am next Sunday, as well.  
 
+++ Vacation Bible School is coming in August!  We will gather each Wednesday night for dinner and a program!  Grab a flyer and invite your friends to join us for the excitement of VBS in August!  Click here for registration information.  
 
Make this day a great day and be blessed because you believe!   
​Pastor Jack 

Here are some words for us from the Old Testament book of 1 Kings...

                    "O, Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your hands you have fulfilled it today."     ( 1 Kings 8: 23-24   NLT) 

These words from today's scripture verses are a prelude to Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the just-finished temple. The king began by thanking God for keeping God's promises to King David, Solomon's father, and then recounted God's other promises.
   
And this prayer stands, I think, as an example of praying in faith --- believing God's promises and then humbly asking God to keep those promises. This is the prayer God delights in answering.  
   
The great nineteenth-century preacher Charles Spurgeon put it like this: "Nothing pleases God better than to see God's promises put in circulation; God loves his children to bring them up to him, and say, 'Lord, do as you have said.' And let me tell you that it glorifies God to use God's promises." 
   
Don't just read God's promises -- lay hold of them and believe God for the answer!   

   Lord, thank You for the many, many promises You've made to us in Your written Word. Remind us often to lay hold of those promises for ourselves as we come to You in prayer. Amen. 

+++ We gather for worship on Sunday at 8:30am and 10:00am. This week the services will be quite different. At 8:30am we will be celebrating Trinity Sunday and I will be thinking about how the gift of the Holy Trinity is "Received Without Payment." At 10:00am, we will celebrate Music Sunday as our choir offers us a few of their favorite anthems from this past season and we look at God's amazing gift of music and how it enhances our worship. We will be "live-streaming" on the church's Faceook page at 10:00am and then uploading the completed worship to our YouTube channel, as usual. We hope you can join us for worship on Sunday.... either in the Sanctuary or online!  

+++ This Sunday we also will receive our special Peace With Justice offering. This is one of our 6 general offerings throughout the year and these offerings are used to support the work of peace with justice in communities in the U.S. and around the world. Look for the special offering envelopes in the Narthex on Sunday.  

+++ Sunday is also the deadline for applying for camper scholarships for youth attending summer camping programs. Please let the office know so we can make sure the funds get to the camp location on time! 

+++ Committee and Team leaders please remember that the deadline for articles for the July/August edition of the church newsletter are due in the office on 6/20!  Thanks!    

+++ You will find the July/August edition of the Upper Room magazine in the rack in the Narthex. Make sure to pick up your copy today.  

+++ And please mark your calendars that our Summer Worship Schedule begins on June 29th!  Beginning on that day we will offer one worship service at 9:00am each week... through 8/31.  Those viewing on-line will also want to make sure that you log on to the Facebook "live stream" at 9:00am through the summer months!  

Make this day a great day and believe that God will fulfill God's promises!     
Pastor Jack 

Happy Friday, Friends!  

As we prepare for the weekend, here are some words from John's Gospel...
 
        "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, no more can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abides in Me, and I in them, the same brings forth much fruit. For without Me you can do nothing."   (John 15: 4-5 SKJV)    
 
You certainly don't need to be an accredited botanist to know that a vine that has been separated from a plant's main branch cannot produce flowers or fruit. On the contrary, that branch quickly withers and dies, never to produce anything again.
   
Jesus used the beautiful word picture in today's scripture verses to illustrate just how desperately we need to cling to Him --- to abide in Him --- if we desire to grow in our faith and produce good "fruit" for Him. There is truly no other way! 
   
Jesus truly is our True Vine. Everything we need to live a life that pleases God and to perform good works for Him flows outward from Jesus -- and ONLY from Jesus. No amount of self-effort or religious practices can take the place of doing what Jesus commanded His disciples to do: "Abide in Me." 
       
Jesus, I truly cannot produce the kind of spiritual fruit You call me to produce on my own. I need You, the Vine that nourishes and waters me so that I can do the things You call me to do.  Amen. 
 
+++ This Sunday is a BIG day here at Immanuel, as we celebrate PENTECOST SUNDAY. We gather for worship at 8:30am and 10:00am and we will hear the great story of Pentecost from the Book of Acts. At our 10:00am worship we will welcome some of our young people who will be helping to lead worship, as well! Join us as we celebrate KIDS DAY this week! And make sure to wear RED if your closet allows it! Following worship, we'll enjoy our annual Church Picnic and the kids will be washing cars for a donation to their mission project with the CNY Cat Coalition and Helping Hounds of CNY. If you can't be here in person for all the fun, look for us on the church's Facebook page for our "live-streaming" at 10:00am and then on our YouTube channel after worship is completed.  

+++The deadline for camperships is June 15. If you have a child or grandchild attending summer church camp, please let the church office know so we can assist with 50% of the tuition.
 
+++ Don't forget to return your completed pledge card for our M2 campaign which we heard about last week. These funds allow us to do needed maintenance and mission work all throughout the year. Thanks for prayerfully answering the call to continue supporting our M2 Tree!  
 
+++ Maybe you'd like to throw a lawn chair into the car for the picnic as well? We are thrilled with a wonderful number of people signing up to join us and we want to make sure we have comfortable seating for all. Thanks!    
 
+++ We will be delivering our Monthly Meal ministry meals following the picnic and if you know someone who could use a meal, please let Marilyn V. know soon!  
 
+++ Our Finance Team meets on Tuesday at 6:00pm and then the Administrative Council gathers at 6:45pm in the Fireside Room. 
 
+++ I'll be leading worship at Camillus Ridge Terrace on Wednesday June 11th at 11:00am.  
 
+++ Next Sunday, June 15th is our annual Peace with Justice Sunday offering. This church-wide offering advocates for Peace with Justice work in America and around the world. Look for the special offering envelopes next Sunday.
 
+++ The deadline for articles for our July/August edition of the church newsletter is coming up on June 20th. Please make sure all articles are in the church office by that date.   
 
Make this day a great day and continue to hold onto the True Vine every day!   
​Pastor Jack