Grace United Methodist Church

children in ministry

admin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:42:51 +0000

Hey gang!
On her birthday, children were bringing gifts to their teacher. The
florist’s son brought the teacher a bouquet. The candy storeowner’s son
brought the teacher a pretty box of candy. Then the liquor storeowner’s son
brought a big, heavy box. The teacher lifted it up and noticed that it was
leaking a bit. She touched a drop of liquid with her finger and tasted it.
“Is it wine?’ she guessed.
“No” said the boy, “guess again!”
She tasted another drop, “Champagne?” “
“No,” said the little boy. “It’s a puppy!”

Children are almost always full of surprises, and are very giving (as
well as receiving). We have several exciting ministry opportunities here
at Grace Church for our children… inlcuding Sunday Schoool for all ages.
One of our children’s mininistries is our Care with Grace Daycare,
currently with some openings. We have had a number of children age out of
our Daycare program (went into Kindergarten) and some that lost state
subsidies that helped to pay their fees. Please call the church office at
723-9440, ext.18, if you are interested (or know anyone) in daycare for your
children (aged 2 until Kindergarten).
And, of course, our Sunday School is available for all ages at 9:30 on
Sunday mornings (we begin in the Sanctuary with all ages at the start of the
9:30 worship service). Nursery is available during both the 9:30 and 11:00
hours.
Let us help our children grow in faith and also approach God’s Kingdom
as His children as well!
Rev Kev

Prayer addition from Lisa Brown:
Monday night there were five young boys in an accident on Cobham Park Road.
One of them is the nephew of a former coworker of mine. Last I knew two of
the boys are still in ICU in Erie, one in a regular room and two home.
Would you please put these boys and their families on the prayer list?

New Look

admin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:45:58 +0000

We’ve been having a little trouble with Rev Kev’s blog lately, it seems to have been corrupted. The blog. Not the pastor.

In any case, I hope you enjoy the new look of RevKev’s blog….. 2.0. It includes the latest version of our blogging software and a spiffy new theme.

God bless,
Rob Pearce

permission to enter

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:54:05 +0000

Hey gang!
An elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French
Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on. “You
have been to France before, monsieur?” the customs officer asked
sarcastically. The man admitted that he had been to France previously. The
officer then said, “Then you should know enough to have your passport
ready.”
The American said, “The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.”
The officer said, “Impossible. Americans always have to show their
passports on arrival in France!”
The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he
quietly explained, ”Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in
1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchmen to
show a passport to!”
When Jesus comes into our life, He asks “permission to enter,” never
forcing Himself into our hearts or lives. Yet we should welcome Him with
open arms and open hearts, not questioning His authority or credentials. He
is the King of kings and Lord of lords, after all.
Embrace grace!
Rev Kev

Prayer updates: Dick Risinger has moved to a regular room at Hamot and is
recovering well.
LuAnn Munksgard’s surgery also went well and was scheduled to return home
last evening.
My appointment for my knee discovered that I am not a candidate for
arthroscopic surgery due to several complications with my system; however,
they gave me an injection to lubricate the joint and hopefully ease the
pain. I have another appointment in 3 weeks to see if this works and to
explore other options.

following

RevKev — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:49:53 +0000

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Hey gang!
The story is told of a young woman wh=
o wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the questi=
on on the application blank that asked, “Are you a leader?” =
; Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, “No,” and returned t=
he application, expecting the worst.
To her surprise, she received this letter from the c=
ollege:

“Dea=
r Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year o=
ur college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you bec=
ause we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower.”

Too many people=
want to lead in this world of ours, and many of them will lead us astr=
ay. If you want to be a true leader, follow Jesus–allow His lead=
ing to guide you as you may seek to guide others.

Embrace grace!
Rev Kev

plenty of seeds

RevKev — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:32:06 +0000

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Hey gang!
A man took his four-year-old son, Jos=
h, out to McDonald’s for dinner one evening for a “guys night o=
ut.” As they were eating their hamburgers, Josh asked, “D=
addy, what are these little things on the hamburger buns?”

He explained that =
they were tiny seeds and that they were OK to eat.

The boy was quiet for a couple of minutes an=
d the father could tell he was in deep thought. Finally, =
Josh looked up and said, “Dad, if we go home and plant these se=
eds in our backyard, we will have enough hamburgers to last for=
ever!”

=
One day in their mutual ministry, the disciples asked Jesus for more fa=
ith–in order that they could do much more. Jesus said that if you=
had faith as small as a mustard seed, you could move mountains. &=
nbsp; It is not a matter of how large your faith really is, but rather,=
how you use your faith in God (or that you actually use it at all).

   Use your =
faith, plant some real seeds of faith in the lives of others, and see w=
hat God can do with your faith in Him! And if by chance you are i=
nterested in having a hamburger for lunch, give me a call and I’ll join=
you–and we’ll talk about faith over a burger!
   Embrace grace!
   Rev Kev

future news

RevKev — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:50:55 +0000

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Hey gang!
   Headlines today seem rather depress=
ing: riots in London, stock market woes, continued fighting in Afg=
hanistan, etc.   Yet despite these rather dismal news stories,=
there is hope–true hope–in the God who created this universe and each=
one of us. God promises a future that is His–a Kingdom that will=
not end, where wars will cease, pain and sickness are gone, and there w=
ill be no more tears.   In Habakkuk 2:3, we read, “For the rev=
elation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prov=
e false. Though it may linger, wait for it; it will certainly come=
and will not delay.”

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!&n=
bsp; And in the meantime, thanks for being here with us, Lord, through t=
his wild ride called life!

Embrace grace!
&nbs=
p; Rev Kev

dirty laundry

RevKev — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:26:47 +0000

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Hey gang!

A young couple moved into =
a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eati=
ng breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash =
outside. “That laundry is not very clean,” she said.&nbs=
p; “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she n=
eeds better laundry soap.”

Her husband =
looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would han=
g her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments=
.

About one month later, the woman was=
surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her=
husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I=
wonder who finally taught her this?”

The husband said, “I got up early this morning and clean=
ed our windows.”

Far t=
oo often, we look at the world from a tainted perspective–the proverbi=
al “log in our own eye while seeing a speck in someone else’s eye).&nbs=
p; Let us seek to look through the eyes of Jesus, see the world and its=
need for Him, and offer them Christ.

&=
nbsp; Embrace grace!
Rev Kev

Monday morning

RevKev — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:09:08 +0000

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Hey gang!

Many things to praise in wor=
ship yesterday: Bishop John Okinda (wife Pamela) here from Kenya, =
sharing the Word and the work of his orphanage; the safe return fo=
r our Jamaica mission team; the commissioning and sending of our H=
aiti mission team; the celebration of 50 years of marriage for Pet=
e and Marge Smith (congratulations!)

This is the =
day that the Lord has made (even though it IS a Monday!); let us rejoice=
and be glad in it!

Here are this week’s blessing=
s and concerns for your weekly prayer list–and embrace grace!

Rev Kev

PRAYER REQUESTS Week of August 7, 2011 =

Aaren, Alex, Amy Huber & family, Bill C, Bill=
P, Bob & Pat, Bob & Ruth Higginbotham, Buck & Linda, Carol,=
Corey, Dave & Terri Kifer, Dorman & Betty Swanson, Emilie Ander=
son, Eva Brown, Evie Jones, Fred, Gary, Jim & Bev, Jonathan, Kathy &=
amp; family, Lloyd Riggle, Marilyn & family, Nancy, Pam, Paul Duliba=
, Rev Kev & family, Samuel Lindell, Sarah & George, Steve, Steve=
& Lori Smith, Tim Strohmeyer & family, Tracy, Vickie

·      =
;   Addy Mal=
ak—9-yr-old undergoing chemo treatments

·   =
;      Aging parents

·      &n=
bsp; All those a=
ffected by the heat

·       &n=
bsp; Bishop John &=
Pamela Okinda—praise for their presence with us in worship!

=
&=
middot;         Comfort & prayers for those grieving =
loss of loved ones

·       &n=
bsp; Deployed in our m=
ilitary—Austin Linn, Brandon Lord

·    =
;     Dinese Dorrian—cancer treatments

·   &=
nbsp;     Drought in Texas

·    =
;     Elishia Wurst—tonsils out on 8/10

·   &=
nbsp;     Family health concerns

·     &=
nbsp;   Fami=
ly of Larry Boardman—died 7/30

·    &n=
bsp;    Family relationships

·      &nbs=
p; Gabby—9=
-yr-old with kidney disease

·     &nbs=
p;   Grandch=
ildren

·         Haiti mission team—safe travels on 8/8; power for t=
heir witness/work!

·       &n=
bsp; Job opportunities=

·         John Feeny—cancer treatment =

·         Linda—cancer treatments

=
·         Mike Kinslow’s parents—both =
with cancer

·         Military and their fami=
lies—prayers for safety

·     &n=
bsp;   Nancy=
Nichols—son’s medical tests on 8/8; employment for a brothe=
r

·         Pat Jensen—Pete Smith&rsquo=
;s sister; lung cancer

·      &nb=
sp; Pete & M=
arge Smith—praise for our 50 years of marriage!
· &nbs=
p;       Prayers for all those who need to come to know Christ

·         Russ—stage 4 cancer

&middo=
t;&=
nbsp;        Shirley Shafer—praise God for my cancer =
being in remission!

·       &n=
bsp; Sterl Tuller&mdas=
h;transitional care at WGH

·      =
   Terri Gru=
ver—wife of Pastor Steve Gruver; chemotherapy

·  =
;       Thanks for the return of the Jamaica missi=
on team!

·         Travel mercies

·=
;&n=
bsp;        Victoria Phillips—11-yr-old with a brain =
tumor

·         Work relationships

do it anyway

RevKev — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:18:46 +0000

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Hey gang!
   Someone recently shared with the a=
pparent futility in sharing the Christian faith in any form, feeling th=
at the world no longer wanted to hear things of Jesus. I disagree=
d, and shared with them the following that I had learned years ago:
   People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-ce=
ntered.   Forgive them anyway.
   If you are kin=
d, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind any=
way.
   If you are successful, you will win some false fri=
ends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.
   If yo=
u are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank =
anyway.
   What you spend years building, someone could de=
stroy overnight. Build anyway.
   If you find sereni=
ty and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
=
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. D=
o good anyway.
   Give the world the best you have, and it=
may never be enough. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

And I would add to that:

   Share Jesus’ love peo=
ple and they might misunderstand you, disagree with you, or hate you for=
it. Share Jesus’ love anyway.

Embrace grace!
Rev Ke=
v

great things

RevKev — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:32:40 +0000

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Hey gang!
   We never know what each day holds =
in store, do we? Oh sure, we have our calendars and agendas, but =
God is not limited to those. He has wonderful things in store for=
us each day, countless blessings–so many that we often overlook most =
of them.

   The prophet Jeremiah knew this and was c=
onfident to share it: “This is what the Lord says, He who=
made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it–the Lord is=
His name: ‘Call to Me and I will answer You, and tell you great and un=
searchable things you do not know.’” ~Jeremiah 33:2-3
   Be open to experience those great things today–and =
embrace grace!
   Rev Kev