Lunenburg United Methodist Charge

 

Antioch UMC                                                           Williams UMC

 

On our walk. . . . .                 

April 16, 2008

1 Peter 2:19-2:25

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.  But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?  But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.  "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

 When they hurled their insults at him he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.  For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd  and Overseer of your souls.

      We are not a very forgiving people anymore.  We don’t want to get mad.  We want to get even. This past week on the news, I saw a video of a teen beating up another.  They had lured the young woman by inviting her to a party.  When she got arrived they proceeded to beat her up while her friend videotaped the whole thing.  We teach the value of looking out for number one.  We use clichés like it’s just business.  Take what you can and give nothing back.

      Now compare that attitude to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus tells us that everyone is the same in the eyes of God.  And that the least of all is precious to Him and should be precious to us as well. Thou shall not lie?  Thou shall not commit adultery?  Thou shall have no other Gods before me?  Thou shall not covet?  We are to honor our parents?  Thou shall not kill?  No idols?  Why that is unAmerican!  Every one of these rules suggests that we need to put God’s will and purposes before our own.  And the thought of actually being held accountable for our actions --well many people just don’t want to hear it.  In fact, there are those who not only don’t want to hear the Gospel, but they don’t want anyone to tell it either.

     If you have a real relationship with Jesus Christ, then you will be compelled to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is commanded by Christ that we do so.  But the world will come against us.  Our families will come against us.  And there will be great pressure for you to give up -- to sit down and shut up.  And we must grin and bare it.  But I assure you that if you try to stand alone against this pressure, you will cave in!  It may break your heart but you will keep your mouth shut in order to keep peace.  Time and time again we hear that we can not fulfill the Great commission alone.  Jesus did not even send the disciples, those whom HE personally trained, out alone.  He sent them out two at a time. Yet we don’t share Christ because we have been beaten down so much that we are afraid of offending people.  So when we are rejected, we need to band together and face it.  We are not in it alone.  We may need to grin and bare it, but we never need to bare it alone. Jesus will be with us.  Go make disciples in Christ boldly!!

 

Have a blessed week      Rev. Ed



This Weeks Event:

 

Wednesday, April 16

      Prayer Meeting @ Williams @ 5:45 PM

      Choir Practice @ Williams @ 6:30 PM

Sunday, April 20

     Third Sunday Luncheon @ Williams @ 12;15

Monday, April 21

     Bible Study @ Antioch @ 7:00 PM

Tuesday, April 22

    Bible Study @ Audrey Smith’s @ 10:00 AM

     United Methodists Women @ Nancy Turner’s @ 8:00PM

 

 

 

Worship Events –April 13, 2008

 

 Service Theme: 5th Sunday of Easter

 This week’s reading will be: Sermon Text    Acts 2: 42-47

                                               Hebrew Text    Psalm 23

Pianists: Leigh Ann Bacon

Special Events: Communion

 

Walkathon May 3rd.

 The Antioch Mission Committee is looking for volunteers to take part in a Walkathon to take place on May 3rd.  Maybe you would like to form a team to do this walk. All pledges will be given to the Lunenberg Ministries to continue their work in our community.  Attached is a pledge form and additional information in you are interested.  Contact Brenda Barnes if more information is needed.

 

Sunday School is available each Sunday morning.  The importance of Sunday School is that, though you may think hearing the word will suffice for you, you really need to be in attendance at Sunday School to gather all the information that you can in an open discussion classroom.  Jesus’ word cannot be totally understood just by listening to a sermon.  You have to interact with it and with other Christians to learn what He was saying to us.  This is a life long study and you should take part.  There is a class for every age so please plan on joining us to learn more about our Lord, Jesus Christ.   Sunday School at Williams begins at 10:45 AM and at Antioch at 10:00 AM.

 

Evening Bible Study. Evening Bible study will continue on April 14 at 7:00PM at Antioch. We will be reviewing of 1 Samuel: 7-16. We will discuss the events depicted in the book. If you are looking for a study of God’s word join us not only for the study, but good fellowship.

 

Morning Bible Study. Morning Bible study will continue on April 15 at 10:00AM at Audrey Smith’s house. We will be reviewing the Book of Ruth and 1 Samuel: 1-6. We will discuss the events depicted in the book. If you are looking for a study of God’s word join us not only for the study, but good fellowship.

 

If you cannot reach Rev. Ed at the parsonage, you may call him on his cell phone:  252-532-0952.  He can also be reached via e-mail at revedumc@yahoo.com .   If you would like to receive e-mail messages from the pastor send an e-mail to him at revedumc@yahoo.com and we will add you to our list.

 

 

 

 

 

Please keep the following families in your prayers:

Marjorie Thompson

Christian Sutton

Bertha Arthur

Sarah Agnes Callis

Sheila Cage

Jeanette Smith

Kitty Matthews

Sara Sutton

Jeff Hendricks

Earl "Chucky” Barnes

Our Military

Nathan Hendricks

Edna & Wilson Bagley

Mae Overby

Maria Kay

Dorothy Shields

Joe Gunn

Frances Hawthorne

Ellen & John Gentry

Ashley Grant

Elizabeth Biggerstaff 

Becky Eades & boys

Gertrude Hite

Bernard Bottoms

Rev & Mrs Robert Day

Tommy Cage

Paul & Jing Turner

Howard G. Hendricks,Jr.

Tom Tanner

Harry Smith

Cephas &Alma Pennington

Grace DiStefano

Wanda Chumney

Margaret Smith

Joe Coleman

Alicia Clary

Family of Blanche Taylor

Dorothy Driskill

Layton Powell

Junior McHenry

Alyene Neal

Isaac Hite

CV & Agnes Thompson

Walter B. Moseley

Early Conner

Shelton Liles

Cynthia Peebles

Betty Reese

Jason Mc Reynolds

Virginia King

Allen Green

Family of Ellen Saunders

Thomas Clegg

James Saunders

Dorothy Ann Irby

Family of Megan Smith

Danny Horne

Dot Snead

Dawn Bacon

Alphus Wells

Wendy Ripberger

Jessie Driggs

Rosa Elliott

 

 

 

 

 

Just a note:

 

150th Anniversary Throws   Throws are still available.  The cost is $45.00 each.  Please call Jane DiStefano if you would like to order a throw or have any questions.  434-676-2314

 

Cookbooks are still available.

 

The cost is $10 each. . If you would like to purchase one, you may contact any member of Antioch Church, or call Earl or Barbara Callis at 676-3063.  

 
Prayer gram.
 
 Please, when putting somebody’s name on our prayer list, PRINT their names and addresses if you have them.  This will help us get the prayer grams out sooner and it will, also, make it easier to read during services.
 

The Methodist Way –  

 

       Methodist practice has varied over the years.  The Wesleys would have typically (but not always) followed the way of the Church of England in denying Communion to those not baptized.  Early American Methodism sometimes closed the Communion Table to those not in good spiritual standing within their societies.  Today a common pattern is to open the Table to anyone who has been baptized (because baptism is understood to mean initiation into the church membership).  For pastoral and evangelical reasons, Methodists in the United States today seldom turn away anyone who comes to the Table: “a converting ordinance.”  It is the Lord’s Table; we only seek to be good stewards of his invitation.

 

        The Communion service uses these phrases: “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.”  In truth, Methodists are not of one mind in interpreting this call to the Table.

        John Wesley called for Methodist people to have frequent Communion. He asked that no Methodist preaching be held at a time that conflicted with the Lord’s Supper at the parish of the Church of England.  He himself communed weekly, sometimes daily.  In American Methodism, the shortage of ordained clergy reduced the frequency of Communion.  The people were delighted to have the regional supervisor come for the quarterly conference; they used the term “presiding elder” for the person in that office, not because these pastors presided at a business meeting, but because they presided at the Lord’s Table.  (Today, now that more persons are authorized to preside at the Table, United Methodist call these supervisors “district superintendents.”

      Being Methodist in the Bible Belt” F. Belton Joyner, Jr.

 

 

Remember: God loves everyone, but he prefers “fruit of the spirit” over “religious nuts!”

 

 

Have a Blessed Week