Greetings, Friends!

As we move closer to the end of this month of October, my reading takes me into Luke's Gospel account where Jesus offers us this very wise advice...

              "Forgive, and you will be forgiven."   (Luke 6:37  NIV)

I think that forgiveness can be the most challenging... yet powerful tool we have in our spiritual tool belts. And being quick to forgive is like turbo-charging that tool! Over time, we usually "get over it," completely forget, or just manage to get an offense off our chests in one way or another. We can then say that we have forgiven the "past" wrong -- but by then the forgiveness is long overdue. I think we must learn to forgive in the present moment.
   
Being quick to forgive requires that we forgive as soon as the opportunity to get offended presents itself -- or that we don't embrace the offenses in the first place. Don't reach for it, but deal with it before it can roost in your mind and build a wall of offense. The best way to keep the hurts from planting themselves like stubborn weeds in your soul is to be quick to forgive. That's why a speedy forgiveness is the ultimate power tool to clear a path to the fullness of God's grace and mercy.  
   
So when someone is rude on the phone, or people speak negatively about you or the nice things you do go unnoticed, join me in praying:
 
                          May I be quick to forgive, O Lord. Amen. 

+++ The great Fall Craft Show begins today at 4:00pm! You'll find some beautiful items for your holiday shopping needs and you can shop from 4:00-8:00pm today and from 9:00am - 3:00pm tomorrow! Come check out the many beautiful treasures you will find!

+++ On Sunday we worship at 8:30am and 10:00am as we celebrate the 24th Sunday after Pentecost! Only a few more "after Pentecost" Sundays left before we start a new church lectionary year on the First Sunday of Advent! This week we find Jesus encountering a blind man named Bartimaeus and wait until you hear his message! Bartimaeus offers each of us a prayer that I think will help us cover all our bases! Come and think this through with me! If you can't be in the Sanctuary in person.... check out our Facebook page for the weekly "live-stream" at 10:00am (or the recorded version after 11:00am) or our YouTube channel for the recorded worship after it is completed. You never have to miss a week of worship through the wonders of technology!

+++ Following either worship service on Sunday, you can purchase pre-sale tickets for our upcoming Election Day Turkey Dinner! Our signup list is filling up nicely (THANK YOU ALL) and I'm looking forward to continuing this long-running church tradition on November 5th!

+++ On Tuesday, 10/29 St. Michael's Lutheran Church on West Genesee Street will be offering another "Grab and Go" Dinner. Serving starts at 5:00pm and ends when the meals run out a short time later. And, our own Sam Paventi, is a key part of this ministry effort! Thanks, Sam!

+++ Also on 10/29 our annual Charge Conference will be held at 7:00pm in our Sanctuary. We'll welcome our District Superintendent, Rev. Sherri Rood and sisters and brothers from 8 other churches in our area to this time of doing the Administrative business of our churches. Administrative Council members please plan to attend this important meeting! 

+++ Next Sunday two important events occur during worship.... we celebrate All Saints Day when we remember the saints of Immanuel whom God has called home during this past year. You can also bring a candle from home to add to our altar as we celebrate the lives of those each of us would call "saints". We will also be starting our fall Stewardship campaign called "Treasures" during worship next Sunday. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." During November, we will look at what we want to be investing our life in and what we actually are investing in. I think for many the answers might just be quite different. We hope you'll try to join us each week for these important thoughts!  

Make this day a great day, plan to visit the Craft Show and always remember to pray with me, May I be quick to forgive, O Lord. Amen.     
​Pastor Jack  

Happy Friday, my friends! As the weather takes a pleasant turn back toward Indian summer, make sure you take some time to get outside to enjoy the beauty of God's creation. Then... make sure you are here to join us for worship on Sunday, of course! My reading today took me into the Old Testament book of the prophet Micah. Here are the words of the prophet...

        "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to 
                   love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
                                          (Micah 6:8  NIV) 

I think that for those of us raised in the church, understanding God's covenant promises and the authority we have in Christ comes naturally and sometimes it is easy to fall prey to spiritual arrogance. We might take God's goodness for granted; God's sweet fellowship might become overly familiar. We might consider God's blessings a right... rather than a privilege. We can lose sight of the sacred, forget the esteem of the holy, and often lack reverence when we come boldly to the throne of grace.  
   
Yes, we are God's beloved children; God is our affectionate Father. But we are also told that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The prophet Micah reminds us what the Lord really requires of us is to love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly before God. Yes, God's mercies are new every morning and God's lovingkindness never ends. Yet, we must also remember to walk reverently before the Lord, worshipfully, and humbly, not lightly esteeming the sacrifice Christ made for our redemption. Holy is the Lord. 
   
So before you open your mouth to speak, or do something you think might grieve God, or sit down to eat... join me in praying, Help me to walk humbly before you, Lord.  Amen.  

+++ We gather on Sunday at 8:30am and 10:00am for worship. It's the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost and we will be blessed to welcome new members at each of our worship services! Come and join these new sisters and brothers as they take their membership vows and unite with our church family. Our scripture will introduce us once again to brothers James and John and hear their amazing request of Jesus for seats of honor at God's banquet table! My message, "At God's Right Hand" has me looking at their request... as I wonder how much of their audacity we each have inside us. Amazing special music, a great choir anthem that we all get to join in on, and a time of morning prayer will round out our plans for Sunday. And we'll be saving a seat just for you! If you can't be in the Sanctuary, join us on the church's Facebook page at 10:00am for our "live-streaming" or later for the recorded worship... on either our Facebook or YouTube channel! However you are able, we can't wait to "see you" in worship on Sunday!

+++ Committee Chairs and church staff please remember the deadline for our newsletter articles for the November/December edition of the church newsletter are due in the office by Sunday! Thanks! 

+++ Look for the November/December edition of The Upper Room magazine on the counter in the Narthex!  

+++ We will be placing an order for church name tags for our new members on October 25th so... if you need a new name tag, please send an email to the church office before we place the order! 

+++ The great Immanuel Fall Craft Show is coming up next weekend... October 25th and 26th. Make sure it's on your calendar and stop in to see all the beautiful artworks as you think about your Christmas shopping gift list! There will also be great food available and you'll meet some of the nicest people here for the big event!  

+++ Administrative Council members please remember we need you here for our annual Charge Conference on Tuesday night, October 29th at 7:00pm. Thanks! 

+++ Our All Saints celebration will be held on Sunday, November 3rd. If you have the name of a saint who went home this past year to be remembered, please get the name to the church office and bring a candle from home to adorn the altar at this very special worship service!  

+++ The sign-up sheets for our upcoming Election Day Turkey Dinner are up and beginning to fill up! Thanks to those who have already signed up and make sure you sign up this week to be a part of this wonderful time of fellowship and service to our community.  

Enjoy the beauty of God's creation and remember to join me in praying, Help me to walk humbly before you, Lord. Amen.   
​Pastor Jack

As the Covid virus tries to make a return to our community, I read these words from the prophet Jeremiah.....

                             "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed."
                                          (Jeremiah 17: 14 KJV)

Ugh... you feel awful. Your head throbs, your muscles ache, and you feel weak. How can you ever do all that you are supposed to do today? You wonder if you should call in sick and cancel all your appointments. You wonder, "Can I ask God to heal me?"  
   
Yes, you can! James 5: 14-15 invites the church to pray for their sick. This passage also promises inner healing along with physical healing. Jesus himself welcomed individuals to approach Him with their requests for healing. You too can come to Him today. God told the Israelites that He is "The Lord, who heals you" (Exodus 15:26  NIV). And Peter quoted Isaiah, saying by Jesus' wounds we were healed. (See Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24.) Take heart, believe what the Bible says, and ask God to heal you.  
   
So when your heart is broken or you're not feeling well or you don't understand the cause of your symptoms, join me in praying, Heal me, O Lord. Amen. 

+++ This Sunday, October 13th, we gather for worship at 8:30am and 10:00am. We will be celebrating the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost and I am using Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler to think about us being asked to "Come and Follow Me". How are we doing at this call to follow? Maybe I need to spend some time rethinking my "following ability"! You can join us in the Fireside Room or Sanctuary for worship or on the church Facebook page for our 10:00am "live-stream". And, following worship, we will "upload" the completed worship service to our YouTube channel, as well. So you have many ways to be a part of our worshipping family on Sunday!  

+++ Following worship we will enjoy our Second Sunday Luncheon in the Fellowship Hall! Thanks to all who cook, set up and prepare this wonderful time of food and fellowship for us! 

+++ Our church office will be closed on Monday, October 14.  

+++ Remember that the deadline for articles for the November/December edition of our church newsletter are due in the office by October 20th! Thanks for helping us maintain our publishing schedule by getting your articles in on time! 

+++ Administrative Council members... Please remember to be here for our annual Charge Conference on Tuesday, October 29th at 7:00pm. Many hands make for a lighter workload and we are so blessed with such a dedicated team of church leaders!  

Make this day a great day and always invite God to help you by praying, Heal Me, O Lord. Amen.   
​Pastor Jack 

As we enjoyed this extended period of "Indian Summer" here in central NY, I have been re-reading the Book of Isaiah. Hear these words from the prophet...

               "If you willingly obey me, the best crops in the land will
                               be yours."      (Isaiah 1:19 CEV) 

Many things can cause us to harden our hearts. It can be a mood we're in or a prejudice we have. Our own circumstances might cause us to become bitter or to feel that we are not in any position to serve others. But daily you and I are presented with opportunities to be a blessing to someone. Often we are not even aware of those cues --- maybe because we are often asleep in our own concerns.
   
Ephesians 5:14 calls sleepers to awake and rise from the dead. We are told that in so doing, Christ would give us light in order that we might live purposefully and accurately --- we are urged to make the most of every opportunity, submitting ourselves one to another in reverence for Christ. (See Ephesians 5: 15-20.) In verse 9 of the same chapter it tells us that the "fruit of the Light consists in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life" (AMP). Showing kindness and mercy is how we turn our hearts upward, rather than inward. An "upright heart" is a willing heart.  
   
So I try to pray, Give me a willing heart, O God, when I don't know what I should do, or when I'm having a difficult time dealing with people... or when I feel like I just can't get out of bed! Will you join me in that prayer?  

+++ Join us for worship on Sunday at either 8:30am or 10:00am! We'll save you a seat as we celebrate the 21st Sunday after Pentecost and World Communion Sunday. On this day, when Christians around the world are united at the Lord's table, we will receive one of our special church-wide offerings for World Communion Sunday. This special offering supports ethnic scholarships in our country and around the world. Look for the special offering envelopes on Sunday! My message, "Not For Angels", will see me thinking about how commitments made between two loving people should never be broken. If you can't be here in person for worship, join us on the church's Facebook page for our "live-stream" at 10:00am. And, of course, we will upload the completed worship to our YouTube channel after it is completed. We can't wait to see you in worship this Sunday!

+++ Do you still remember the 4 items on our memory buster quiz? Look for the donation table in the Narthex and thanks for feeding the hungry! 

+++ Remember to sign up for next Sunday's Second Sunday Luncheon after worship. The signup sheet is outside the Fireside Room! 

+++ Following worship on Sunday lots of things will be happening...

• Deliveries of our monthly Shut-in meal ministry will take place! Thanks to all who cook, coordinate, and deliver these wonderful reminders about how we love and miss those who are unable to attend  worship regularly!      
• Our CROP WALK walkers will be heading off to Onondaga Lake Park for CROP WALK 2024. You can still make a donation to supporting the hungry in our area by supporting a walker on Sunday!
• New members will gather for an informational time around lunch as we talk about church membership. We hope you have signed up for lunch and the class that starts at about 11:45!

+++ Tuesday is our meeting night for October! Finance and SPRC are each meeting at 6:00pm that evening and then our Administrative Council will meet at 6:45pm. Members, please try to be here for these important meetings as we prepare for Charge Conference 2024. Our Charge Conference for Administrative Council members is being held on Tuesday, October 29th at 7:00pm here at Immanuel. We are blessed to welcome 8 other congregations that night for this group Charge Conference program.  

+++ On Wednesday our Church Trustees will meet at 4:00pm in the Fireside Room to conduct their important business.  

+++ The deadline for the November/December edition of our church newsletter is coming up on October 20th. Please try to have all articles into the office by that date so we can keep our publication deadline. Thanks!

+++ The great Fall Craft Show is coming up on October 25th and 26th right here at Immanuel! Check with Betty as there are still a few spaces for crafters for this show. And plan to join us for a wonderful shopping experience those days! 

+++ Many of you are asking about donations to UMCOR to help with hurricane relief in the southeastern US. The best and most efficient way to do that is click the red button right on the homepage of our website. You will be directed to the letter which contains the link to UMCOR and you can make your donations right there! It is a secure and simple way to help in this important cleanup work... and have your gift get to the affected people much more quickly than it would through our church checkbook. Should this present a problem, please speak to one of our Finance Team (or the church office) to help! Thanks for your generosity!  

Make this day a great day and keep praying with me, Give me a willing heart, O God!    Pastor Jack