Thursday, October 5, 2023

www.unyumc.org/resources/together-in-prayerHappy Thursday, Friends!

   Chimings comes to you one day earlier this week! Here are some words from the prophet Nehemiah...
 
                  "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
                                          (Nehemiah 8:10 NASB)
 
What more can you do after you've done everything? You've prayed, believed, confessed God's promises, and stood strong. What more can you do to exercise your faith during a difficult situation? The circumstances just don't seem to be changing. You feel stuck in the mire of your problem with your light and hope rapidly dimming and your faith weakening.
   
In the midst of a crisis, the last thing you feel like doing is rejoicing. But perhaps joy is like a bucket that we can use to draw answers from the wells of salvation. We are literally commanded to rejoice throughout the Old and New Testaments regardless of our circumstances. Could I suggest that you might try to reach deep within yourself to tap into the deposit of joy God has placed in your heart? When you came to the Lord He put His joy, peace, and love there. That can be the source of your strength. I have some personal experience with this, as you know. As opposite as it sounds, in the midst of crisis try renewing your strength by rejoicing.    
   
So pray, Your joy, Lord, is my strength, when all seems lost and when you have done everything you know to do! Your joy, Lord, is my strength.
 
+++ Sunday's worship is at 8:30am and 10:00am. Our 8:30am congregation seems to enjoy being back in the Fireside Room and at 10:00am you will find us in our beautiful Sanctuary! This week I am thinking about "Balancing Grace and the Law '' as we hear again the Ten Commandments and then hear Jesus explaining about the grace of God. Where is the balance between the law and grace? Join with me Sunday as I try to figure that out! Look for our "live-stream" on the church's Facebook page at 10:00am and then the "uploaded" recorded version of the worship service on YouTube later in the day.  

+++ Following the 10:00am worship on Sunday we celebrate another "Second Sunday Lunch"! This month it is our annual Chili/Chowder/Soup cookoff. Lots of great recipes will be sampled and we will get to vote on the winning entries. We hope you have signed up to be a part of this fun annual event here at Immanuel!

+++ The church office will be closed on Monday in celebration of the holiday and will reopen on Tuesday morning at 9:00am.
    
+++ On Tuesday, there are a couple of important meetings for our teams to attend...

• Finance meets at 6:00pm in the Fireside Room 
• Administrative Council meets at 6:45pm in the Fireside Room

+++ I will be offering worship at Camillus Ridge Terrace at 11:00am on Tuesday, as well. You are invited to join me there for worship time.

+++ For Administrative Council members.... Please note our annual Charge Conference will be here at Immanuel on Wednesday night, October 25th at 7:00pm. We are hosting 8 other congregations that evening, as well as our new District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood. We hope to see all of the members of our Administrative Council for this important annual meeting.
 
+++ I have signed up to join our new Bishop in a 12-month Together in Prayer program. You can find information about this opportunity here  or the website of our Annual Conference ( www.unyumc.org/resources/together-in-prayer). Will you make the commitment to join us in prayer? John Wesley described prayer as one of the most powerful ways to develop our personal connection with God. It's easy to sign up today and be a part of this exciting journey!   
 
Make this day a great day and remember always to pray... Your joy, Lord, is my strength.   
​Pastor Jack