God for All Seasons (2/13/14)
It’s the day before Valentine’s Day. We think of special times together- a stroll through the park, a walk on the beach,times where human love and God’s presence meld together. But today is not a day to be outside. The streets are coated with 6″ of snow. It is sleeting. It is cold. Places which hold special moments in the sunshine are now places to be avoided. But yet, we’re reminded that God is still there. In other seasons He warmed our hearts as we...
Read MoreUMM Gathering with Pastor Larry (2/8/14)
We held our monthly gathering on Saturday February 8 and had a special “guest speaker”- our own Sr. Pastor, the Rev. Larry Potts! This year we’ve been looking at different Old Testament characters and trying to learn life lessons from their experiences. Pastor Larry built on our theme by discussing the story of Daniel with us. Actually, the book of Daniel contains six stories (and four visions). We started with the opening chapters and discovered that Daniel was a man of...
Read MoreUnited Methodist Men’s Gathering (1/11/14)
The United Methodist Men held our monthly “gathering” on Saturday January 11 in the Potter’s Hand room Our gatherings start at 7:30 AM, but starting the day with friends and the Word is always a great way to “wake up” (coffee doesn’t hurt either…”) Our speaker was the Rev. Michael Smith, pastor of the Tabernacle United Methodist Church in Erma NJ. Pastor Mike had to travel a bit of a distance in the early morning to meet with us, so we...
Read MoreUrban Promise Visits PUMC (1/5/14)
Dr. Bruce Main, president of Urban Promise delivered the message this morning during both services. Dr. Main spoke on Colossians 3:15-7 using the Soren Kierkagaard quote, “What’s important is not the road you travel, but the way you travel the road you’re on” (or something like that…). Our surroundings may not look very good. We may want to be on another “road”. We may be tempted to keep saying, “One day I’ll ___”. But our...
Read MoreSeason’s First Snow! (12/15/13)
Praise the Lord! Make that phrase more than just a cliche… We are constantly blessed by the beautiful Stained Glass Windows that line the upper walls of our sanctuary. At ground level, near the staircase, we also have clear windows that let in natural lighting. During the 11:00 service on Sunday Dec. 8, these plain clear windows reminded us of God’s majesty in a way that the Stained Glass windows never could. About half way through the service, we were treated to a view of the...
Read MoreMagnificant Bulletin Cover (12/8/13)
During the Advent Season, our bulletins have been featuring artwork created by members of our congregation. The December 8 cover depicts the passage in the Bible known as the Magnificat. Mary’s story begins as one of faith and obedience as we read Luke 1:35-38. But the reality of her situation would be disgrace, abandonment and hopelessness. (see outside border art). Early Christian art used symbolism to convey meaning to an illustration. (See center art) As Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s...
Read MoreAdded Blessing at Our Father’s House
Our Father’s House (our church’s pre-school), warmly gives many kinds of blessings to the families in the school and to our church. One of these blessings is Yogi, our “crossing guard”. Yogi is at the church every morning to greet the children with a warm welcome and to make sure they’re safe as they move from the parking lot into the building. On the last day of school before the Thanksgiving break, Yogi greeted the kids wearing his (now) famous turkey...
Read MoreScott Rambo Meets with Men’s Group (11/24/13)
Scott Rambo, who with his wife Meg has been serving as a missionary in Uganda. During a visit to the States, he gave an update during the worship services, and then he met with the Men’s Group after the 11:00 service. Scott and Meg are affiliated with World Gospel Mission. They have been training pastors in Uganda. When they return to Africa, they will be going to Congo to set up a similar training program. During his meeting with the UMM, Scott related the need to teach the Bible...
Read MoreBishop Schol Visits PUMC (11/17/13)
We were honored to have Bishop John Schol join us in worship yesterday and to preach the Word to us. Bishop Schol is the presiding bishop of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference (which includes over 60 churches). The bishop spoke on Ephesians 2:11-13. Using the illustration of an airline’s “Preferred Status” frequent flyer program, Bishop Schol challenged us to “turn our church inside out;” to gear everything we do towards breaking down our man-made divisions...
Read MoreSunset- God’s Sky Painting (10/8/13)
How Great Thou Art! During tonight’s “Tuesday Series” dinner, we were treated to a view of a gorgeous sunset through the windows in the Fellowship Hall. Many of us couldn’t help but to put the deserts aside, pick up our cameras & smart phones, and go outside to view the awesome sunset. The picture below doesn’t do it justice.
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