Climates for Spiritual Growth (6/29/14)
The sermon on June 29 was given by Larry Bakely, our church’s lay leader. The message was entitled, “Climates for Spiritual Growth,” and the scripture was the entire first chapter of the book of 1 Samuel. Click Here to read the story of Samuel’s birth, as told in 1 Samuel 1… The Challange… In the April edition of the conference newspaper (“The Methodist Relay”) Bishop John Schol wrote an article on Church Vitality. In his article, the bishop...
Read MoreCan You be Googled?
When designing a website, one of the first things you’ll hear about is “SEO”- Search Engine Optimization. One of the top goals of any website is to show up on the top of that first page when somebody does an Internet search. Search engine providers use things known as “crawlers” or “robots” which constantly search the Internet to build up their database of search terms and sites. If you’re managing a website, you want to use terms that these...
Read MoreDeclarations of Independence (7/4/14)
As we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July holiday, we express our thanks for the freedoms we are blessed with in this country. But God gives us more than civil freedoms. We’re surrounded by God’s grace and freedoms that are expressed in a variety of ways. Here are a few expressions of freedom… The US Declaration of Independence. The 4th of July holiday celebrates the reading of the Declaration of Independence. Click below to open up the entire text of the...
Read MoreWhy Go to Church???
Here’s an interesting thought from an email that’s been floating around lately… Why go to Church? If you’re spiritually alive, you’re going to love this! If you’re spiritually dead, you won’t want to read it. If you’re spiritually curious, there is still hope! Why Go To Church? A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. “I’ve gone for 30 years...
Read MoreBuilt to Serve (6/15/14)
Pastor Larry gave his final sermon at PUMC on June 15. The title was “Built to Serve” and the scripture was Galatians 5:1-13… Galatians 5:1-13 Gal 5:1-15… So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to...
Read MoreGrace Rains Down
“Don’t Put Up Umbrellas When Grace Rains Down” What is Grace? How’s it Rain Down??? Grace is when we get something that we don’t deserve. Mercy is when we DON’T get something that we DO deserve. Genesis chapter 3 tells us that there’s something messed up within humankind that makes us want to love ourselves more than God. Somehow wired within us is this pride that makes us want to try to get along without God, or even to think that we could do a...
Read MoreLife Filled with the Holy Spirit (6/8/14)
Sunday June 8 was a busy and special day in the life of our church. First of all, it was Pentecost Sunday! And, during both services we were able to participate in the confirmation of the nine youth who were in this year’s confirmation class. And in the evening, we celebrated the service of our pastors. But, Sunday morning also marked the last sermon preached by Pastor Kee in our church. Pastor Kee spoke on Acts 2:1-21, and the title of his sermon was “Life Filled with the Holy...
Read MoreChuck Knows Church
You may have noticed that our website contains numerous links to a video series called “Chuck Knows Church.” These videos are posted on YouTube and are produced by the United Methodist Church’s Global Board of Discipleship. They provide a light hearted yet informative look at some of the key elements of our faith. Nope- His Name’s not Really Chuck… It may be surprising to learn that the presenter in these videos isn’t actually named Chuck! ...
Read MorePay Phones are Gone, but Prayer Still Works!
With the universal use of cell phones, the pay phones which once dotted our downtown have all but vanished. Outside of the Jake’s on Broadway restaurant in Pitman, a former pay phone has taken on a new and creative purpose… Communication… The ways we communicate with each other have changed dramatically over the years. And, they will continue to change as technology advances. But the ways in which we communicate with God are time tested and dependable. We can communicate...
Read MoreRemembering Hazel Stiles and the “Stand at the Door” Window
As we enter a time of transition from one pastor to the next, we pause to reflect on the history of our church and on the heritage that God has supplied us with. In the chapel there is a stained glass window showing Jesus standing at the door and knocking. The window depicts Revelation 3:20 where Jesus tells the church in Laodicea, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”This window...
Read MoreFreedom isn’t Free!
EXERCISE YOUR FREEDOM OF RELIGION …THIS SUNDAY! Whenever a pastor’s family celebrates a wedding or a baptism, the congregation naturally asks the pastor if he is going to officiate or if he is going to defer to another pastor. A pastor announced that he was planning to travel to China to attend his son’s wedding. A parishioner asked the inevitable question… “are you going to officiate at your son’s wedding?”The question may not have been out of...
Read MoreIt is Well with My Soul!
It Is Belle With My Soul! During the worship services on Sunday May 18, the Alleluia Bell choir played an arrangement of the hymn “It is Well with My Soul.” The musical arrangement was was difficult to play but it was also very engaging. It incorporated many moving parts on top of the melody, and obviously took the Bell Choir many nights of rehearsal in order to play this piece. “Saved Alone… What Shall I Do?” This hymn was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873. ...
Read MoreBombshells and Candles
The “Morning and Evening” devotional by Charles Spurgeon had an interesting entry about Psalm 39:1 on March 14. This verse says, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.” Here are a few quotes from this devotional article… “Fellow Pilgrim, say not in your heart, I will go hither and thither and I shall not sin. For your are never so out of danger...
Read MoreMens Fellowship Gathers with John Abramovich (5/9/14)
Our United Methodist Men’s Fellowship group gathered this morning (Saturday 5/10) to hear the teaching of John Abramovich. John and his wife Dasia are serving the Lord in Poland by organizing youth camps and by leading Bible Studies. We have been supporting them for years and are blessed through our connection with the Abramovichs. John and Daisa have been in the US for the past few months, but will soon return to Poland. This morning, we were blessed to learn from John’s Bible...
Read MoreNew Life for the South Seaville United Methodist Church
One June 10, 2011, fire destroyed the South Seaville United Methodist church’s building. But after a period of transition, their new building is nearing completion. At PUMC we can identify with this story; our building burned down in 2003, and we moved into our current building in 2007. But as our pastor said during the night of the fire, “Our building may be burning down, but my church is standing behind me.” (or words to that effect…) A church is not a building;...
Read MoreWhat’s YOUR Easter Story? (4/27/14)
Our sermon during the services on Sunday April 27 was given by Kimberly Dybeck. Kim is a seminarian student who is serving an internship with PUMC. During her time with our church she has coordinated our small groups and has been a huge inspiration. In a few weeks, her education will take her to another internship assignment, but we will always be grateful that she became part of our family. We were also blessed that she had the opportunity to share her first sermon with us…...
Read MorePUMC Members Raise Awareness of Autism (4/27/14)
PUMC members John and Heidi Hoenge were both athletic growing up, and so when their son was born they expected that he would in some way excel in sports. But, their thinking was too small. God had plans that were bigger than football or basketball; their son was born with autism. April is National Autism Awareness month, and the Hoenges shared their story during the service on April 27. They reminded the congregation that we are all part of the big jigsaw puzzle of God’s creation. ...
Read MorePUMC History Re-visited
What we are doing TODAY is far more important than dwelling on the past, but it is helpful to remember the “cloud of witnesses” who preceded us. Knowing where we’ve been can help light to path forward to where God is calling us.
Read MorePUMC Gives Wings for Redbird (4/20/14)
Somebody Needs to Help These Poor People! Years ago, PUMC member Don Beckett and his wife were driving through the hill country of Appalachia. Surrounded by poverty, Mrs. Becket said “somebody needs to help these poor people!” Years later, Don had lost his wife, but he never lost his wife’s plea on behalf of the poor children in Eastern Kentucky. In 2013 a team from our church journeyed to Red Bird Mission, which is in the center of the Redbird Mission Conference of the...
Read MoreJesus Faced Down Death! (4/20/14)
Google can answer everything! Want to know how long a twinkie will last? Google it! Want to know whether it’s called Duct Tape or Duck Tape? Google it! But if you want to know anything about death and where someone goes when they die, you’ll get a 404 error- answer not found! But Google is actually trying to do something about that… what can we do to extend life and maybe even eliminate death itself? A 2013 article in Time Magazine reports that Google is working on a...
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