On our walk. . . . .                 June 4, 2007

 

Pastor’s Message –

Luke 7: 11-17

 

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.  As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out.  He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.  When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”  Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still.  And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!”  The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!”  This word about him spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

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Early in Dwight L. Moody’s ministry, he was called upon to conduct his first funeral.  Mr. Moody, desiring to do things correctly, went to the Bible to consider how Jesus would have done it.  He found an amazing truth.  Jesus didn’t hold any funeral services!  In fact, the New Testament tells us that whenever Jesus came into contact with those who were dead He gave them life!  He raised three people from the dead: Lazarus, Jarius’ daughter, and the widow’s son.  Look at the scene before us.  Jesus was on his way to the city of Nain when He came upon a very sad procession.  Sickness had visited a widow’s home and her only son had died.  Now they’re on their way to the cemetery.  The poor mother had looked for the last time into the face of her son.  But look at the reaction of Jesus.  When anyone suffered, He suffered with them!  He still does!  He couldn’t stand in the presence of sorrow without being touched in His spirit. So He went up to the woman and said, “Don’t cry.”  But why shouldn’t she cry?  Her only son is gone. Part of her heart has been taken away.  Jesus stopped the procession and said to the dead son, “Get up young man.”  And he got up and began to talk.  What do you suppose he said?  How happy his mother must have been.  I’m sure she thanked Jesus, the Lord of Life with all of her heart.


What a powerful passage of Scripture!  Do you know the power of love today?  Are you motivated by His love for you?  Are you moved with compassion because of your love for those without Christ?  Have you lost the power of tears?  Do you weep?  God, give us hearts of compassion.

There is an old story of a man who had been seriously ill, far from home. When he felt that he was able to make the trip, he wired his family that he would be home on a certain train and asked for them to meet him.  But it was snowing and the wires were down and the message never got through.  When he arrived it was like a blizzard.  He staggered through the snow and soon his strength gave out.  He finally fell in the snow and died right there of exposure.  The next morning they found his body in sight of his house. He was almost home.

 

 


I hope you have made it all the way to the Father; because if you haven’t, you will die in your sin.  He’s calling for you today.  He loves you.  He wants you to be His and to know the forgiveness of all your sin and have the hope of heaven.

God Bless

 

 

Upcoming Events – June 4- June 10

 

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

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

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

   Prayer Meeting @ Williams @ 5:45 PM

   Choir Practice @ Williams @ 6:30 PM

Saturday June 9, 2007

 150th clean up and planting day at Antioch at 8:00Am

  Men’s Breakfast at Williams at 8:00 AM

  Youth Meeting at Williams at 3:00 PM

Sunday June 10, 2007

 Annual Conference Offering will take place as a second offering during services

 

 

 

150th Anniversary, Antioch

 

There will be a meeting on Saturday, June 9 @ 8:00AM at Antioch.  The meeting will be a day of cleaning and planting so we can be ready for this wonderful celebration.  Please bring yard tools and cleaning items, if you have any.  Many hands will help the work to go quickly so please join us.

 

Cookbooks are still available.  If you would like to purchase one, please contact Susan Moseley at 676-2081, Gayle Grant at 676-3531, or Trudy Wilkins at 676-4458.  The committee has decided to order 300 more copies so we will have many more available to sell and as soon as they arrive we’ll let you know.  

 

The Auction scheduled for Saturday, June 23rd is looking for items to be auctioned off.  If you have anything you would like to donate please contact Earl Callis at 676-3063.  We need a list of as many of these items as soon as possible so they can be listed in our advertising.

 

150th Anniversary Throws are now available for ordering.  If you would like to order one please let Jane DiStefano know as soon as possible so the order can go in.  You can leave your order on the phone at the Parsonage, 676-2314, or via my e-mail at revedumc@yahoo.com.   The cost of the throws is $45.00.  A sample of the throw can be seen at Antioch in the sanctuary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Bible Study. The response has been overwhelming. I will be preparing for the start of our week night Bible study and will contact those who have shown an interest in learning more about God and His word and what it means in today’s world.  Please watch for more information as we draw closer to August.

 

Mission Team.  Just in case you haven’t heard, Brenda Barnes has again been wandering in the Gulf States with hammer in hand.  And I understand that Tom spent Memorial Day weekend with hand tools in his hands doing mission work in West Virginia.  Seriously, Brenda has recently returned from another mission trip to Mississippi where she was working to help restore homes for victims of Katrina and she and Tom helped Brenda’s family work on her parents’ property.  I have been approached about our churches forming a mission team. If you have any ideas in this line of thought send them to me or give them to Brenda.  Reaching out to our neighbors can be a rewarding experience that we all should take part in.

 

The Methodist Way

 

Each church or charge shall have an organized unit of the United Methodist Men chartered and annually renewed through the General Commission on United Methodist Men.  Membership shall be open to any man who indicates his desire to belong and participate in the ministry of the church through United Methodist Men.

                                                                            Book of Discipline 2004

 

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

 

Rev Ed will be out of town from Sunday afternoon June 10th through Saturday June 16th. He will be attending Annual Conference in Roanoke, VA.  If you need him in an emergency please call him on his cell number.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

                                          LIFT OFF!                                                                                                          

 

Vacation Bible School  A Vacation Bible School entitled “Lift Off” will take place in the Lunenburg Charge. It is scheduled for August 6 – 10 at Williams UMC.  Have your children become “Sky Scouts.” Let them take off on each day at 9:00 AM and land at 1:00 PM knowing more about God’s love.  There will be a special meeting on Wednesday, June 6 at 5:00 PM for planning.  We are still in need of many volunteers.

 

 

 

Please keep the following families in your prayers:

Marjorie Thompson

Alice Wright

Bertha Arthur

Frances Hawthorne

Lona Parham

Jeffrey Hendricks

Earl "Chuckie” Barnes

Sara Agnes Callis

Peggy Stone

Family of Lucy Gay Nash

Audrey Smith

Edna Bagley

Wilson Bagley

Ann Heffner

Maria Kay

Family of Floyd Avery

Erin Pearce

Paul Turner

Marvin L. Crutchfield

Nell Judd

Grace DiStefano

“B” & Teewah Hayes

Christian Sutton

Adam Hooper

Elizabeth Biggerstaff

Sheila Cage

Tommy Cage

Kenny Cassada

Sara Sutton

Gertrude Hite

Willie Doty

Jean Parham

 

 

 

In the Library:

 

More Stories for the Heart- over 100 stories to warm you heart- by Billy Graham, Max Lucado, James Dobson, Chuck Swindoll, Ruth Graham, Erma Bombeck, Paul Harvey and more…complied  by Alice Gray

 

Remember:

 

We envision churches where all God’s people are welcomed at the table and are nurtured and transformed to be Christ to others in the world.

                                                                                              The Virginia Annual Conference

 

Have a Blessed Week