Friday, January 20, 2023

​As we approach another weekend, I wanted to share with you that I read this article not long ago that informed me that during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the British government ran low on the silver they used to make their coins. Lord Cromwell sent his men to a local cathedral in search of silver. They reported, "The only silver we could find is in the statues of the saints standing in the corners." "Good!" replied Cromwell, "We'll melt down the saints and put them into circulation."

Circulating melted-down saints? It's an unusual metaphor but good theology! God never intended for us to be silver-plated, highly polished ornaments, solely for liturgical use. God intends for us to be living, breathing people, working together to accomplish God's purposes in our lives.

God doesn't care about our money; God has all of that God needs. God doesn't care about our religious words or actions. God is more interested in the genuine good that flows from our hearts. God doesn't care about our social prowess; God is interested in our willingness to come humbly with our prayers and petitions. 

Has your relationship with God been just for show? If so, it's time to shed the unnecessary trappings that have kept you standing in the corner accomplishing nothing. God is waiting, always ready to help you become all that God intended for you to be. 

   I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  (2 Timothy 4:7)

1. We worship at 8:30am and 10:00am this weekend and we'll hear from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians and Matthew's gospel. My message is entitled, "Living and Singing in Perfect Harmony" and I am thinking about some sage advice given me by my high school chorus teacher a few years ago! Join us for worship and hear all about Mrs. Green's recommendations! If you can't be here in the Sanctuary you can join us on our Facebook page at 10:00am for the "live-stream" or watch the recorded service on our YouTube channel afterwards. And however you watch... Please leave us a comment saying "Hi"!   

2. You can now check out our Staff page to learn more about our new Kidz Club Coordinator, Alex. Alex can be reached at her new email address: Kidzclub@churchofthebells.org. There is always lots happening for the young people here each week so make sure to bring the kids along for the fun!

3. Team Leaders please remember that your annual reports are due in the church office on February 1st. This allows us to put together the report booklets in a timely fashion. Thanks for your help in meeting our deadlines!   

4. See Shelley after worship this week to get your 2022 Annual Giving Statements. Every one that gets picked up helps us save on postage! Thanks for all your gifts and for grabbing your reports!   

5. We heard from our supplier that our 2023 General Fund giving envelopes have been delayed due to problems with the suppliers manufacturing abilities. It is likely that we will not receive the envelopes for another few weeks.  In the meantime, your help in using a plain envelope, clearly marked GF (for General Fund) or M2 (for M squared) is really appreciated. We're sorry for the inconvenience for us all... but we are unable to do much except react to the supplier's problems at this point! Thanks! 

6. And don't forget to sign up for our February Dinner and Movie night on Saturday, February 11th.  We will be joining for a pot-luck dinner (I believe that might be a Methodist sacrament!!!) and watching the movie "The Shack".  But we are limited to the number of people we can accommodate so sign up soon outside the Fireside Room!  

I can't wait to see you in worship this Sunday!   
​Pastor Jack