The Bible: Take it Personally!
The Bible is useless it brings you closer to God. In order for that to happen, you have to engage with the scripture; put yourself into the story and be willing to change.
Read MoreYou Were There! (Camp Meeting, 7/16/17)
Rev. Jim Hughes has a unique ministry where he dresses up as a Biblical character and gives a first person account of what he lived through; of how he saw God or walked with Jesus. Over the years at the Pitman Camp Meeting we’ve seen him portray characters such as Judas, Peter, and John. Some of those costumes were pretty heavy. And on a warm July night in the Grove Auditorium, they can be pretty uncomfortable. There have been evenings where his performance cost him 5-10 pounds from...
Read MoreFree of God, or Free in Christ?
The signboard message said “Freedom in Christ.” But don’t many people prefer their own notion of freedom; a freedom apart from Christ? A freedom FROM God? Some may not understand the freedom that God offers, and instead they might prefer to have freedom to ignore God. They might be more apt to ask the following and choose the second option: FREEDOM IN CHRIST OR FREEDOM FROM CHRIST? The “God Questions” Every human being eventually...
Read MoreEye Opening Experience! (Camp Meeting, 6/25/17)
Summer! When the end of May hits the calendar our senses are surrounded with a fresh set of experiences: The smell of burgers on the grill… The chlorine-laden breeze of a pool… The sights of sand and beach… The smell of sunblock lotion… The quiet splash of whirling lake water as you paddle a canoe. But to experience all of that, our senses must be open. The speaker at the first service of the 2017 Pitman Camp Meeting was Rev. Bill Wilson, and he focused on our sense...
Read MoreFive Finger Praying
How do you pray??? Do you use words? Do you just think of images knowing that God knows the rest? What do you say? Do you ask for stuff? Do you just confess and ask for forgiveness? Do you vent your frustrations??? Ever since the beginning of human existence- even after Jesus introduced His model prayer- people struggle with figuring out how to pray. Maybe you use the “A. C. T. S. ” Model: A- Adoration C- Confession T- Thanksgiving S- Supplication The Five Fingered...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: To Sing is to Pray Twice!
Our service on 6/25/17 didn’t have a sermon! Instead, we turned to Music to lead us to and through our time of worship as we celebrated God’s Grace.
Read MoreA Week of Strength
During her Mother’s Day sermon on 5/14/17, Stephanie Hogan invited us to (re-)consider the depth of God’s awesome love for YOU, how He chose you, and how He is with you constantly to guide and strengthen you. God wants to deepen your relationship with Him by molding you into the man or woman He wants you to be; the person He created you to be. The “scripture reading” for her sermon was a series of 7 passages which talked about God’s special personal relationship...
Read MoreWhat do You Know About Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day. It comes every year on the 2nd Sunday of May. How much do you really know about Mothers Day? First of all, is it “Mother’s Day”, “Mothers’ Day” or “Mothers Day”??? Where do you put the apostrophe? Or do you even use one? Google “Mothers Day” and you’ll see all three spellings. So is it: A day for your mother (Mother’s) A day for all mothers (Mothers’) Or a day just named after female...
Read MoreA Drop of Example, or a Gallon of Advice???
On May 10,2017 (several days before Mother’s Day), the following message was posted on our signboard: A DROP OF EXAMPLE IS WORTH MORE THAN A GALLON OF ADVICE As we approach Mother’s Day, think about it… What has left a deeper impression- what do yo remember most: The things your Mom said, or the things she did? Chances are, you probably remember some great advice that Mom gave. A host of sayings, scripture, music, or just plane home-spun wisdom constantly prod...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: A Divine Love Song
Pastor Jim submitted the following on April 5, 2017… Greetings Friends: PLEASE READ: 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (NASB). PLEASE READ: Hebrews 6:1-2 “Let us stop going over the same old ground again and again, always teaching those first lessons about Christ. Let us go on instead to other things and become mature in our understanding, as strong Christians ought to...
Read MoreSay a Nehemiah 2:4 Prayer!
Things are going along pretty well, then all of a sudden life throws you a curve and the steam of anger or fear starts to build. Or, all of a sudden you’re in a dire situation where you need to make a quick decision. What do you do?
Follow the example of Nehemiah and say a quick “Nehemiah 2:4 Prayer”!
Pastors Ponderings: Christ the Lord is Risen Today!
No Easter Sunday at PUMC would be complete without singing the hymn Christ the Lord is Risen Today. In this article (and in the corresponding podcast on the UMC website), Dr. Paul Chilcote guides us through this hymn’s verses and shows us how to take the Risen Christ into the other 364 days of the year.
Read MoreWhat Should We Pray For???
We hear a lot about prayer. Prayer is a big part of developing a relationship with God… it’s a huge part of being a Christian. But what do we pray for? Can we “bother” God with trivial requests like asking for a good parking spot? What about praying for someone’s health; maybe it’s God’s will that this person not get well. Should we pray anyway? Can we pray for ourselves? What can we pray for??? Some of these are difficult questions, and we...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: Dump it all In!
Pastor Jim submitted the following thoughts on 3/20/17 regarding our commitment. Do we trust God enough to follow His instructions to give our all? Or do we hold back and keep some for ourselves just in case God doesn’t come through? Greetings Friends: PLEASE READ: Isaiah 58:11 & 13a… “The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never...
Read MoreGod Reigns and the Son Shines!
Why do bad things happen to good people? Is God really in control? Does He care???
On March 24, 2017 our Signboard said: “Forecast- God Reigns, and the Son Shines!”
No matter what happens, God is still in control and Jesus is ready to shine into our lives… if we let Him…
Pastors Ponderings: Running into a Burning House!
Pastor Jim submitted the following thoughts on 3/18/17… Greetings Friends: PLEASE READ: Matthew 9:35-38 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: Who is St. Patrick?
Pastor Jim submitted the following on 3/17/17… Greetings Friends: A very Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all! Below is a brief yet informative article about Patrick and this day. I cannot take credit for it other than I received it from Christian History Institute, of whom I am a member. I hope you are blessed by this humble offering about a wonderful Saint of the Christian Church. Pastor Jim We all Know St. Partick’s Day… but what about St. Patrick Himself??? ON...
Read MoreGod’s Love Story (2/12/17)
Valentine’s Day! Love!!! What is Love? More importantly, what is God’s Love? In this sermon Pastor Jim took a look at the book of Hosea to see a demonstration of what God’s love looks like.
God is crazy in love with you. Will you return that love? Will you accept Him into your heart? He wants to forgive you and begin a relationship with you right now. What does this story in Hosea teach us about that love?
Everybody is a Player on God’s Super Team (2/5/17)
Super Bowl Sunday… Things were a little different in church on this particular sabbath. Pastor Jim wasn’t wearing his usual clergy robe. Instead he was trying to look like Jerry Rice with his red 49’ers jersey. The service listed in the bulletin looked a bit strange too: things like “The Huddle Up”, “A Time Out”, and the “Coin Toss” marked the schedule. We were surrounded by object lessons, and Pastor Jim’s sermon put them to use,...
Read MoreLenten Devotional for 2017
Members from four local churches have come together to produce a Daily Devotional for this year’s Lenten season. The booklets were published in hardcopy form and distributed within the participating churches, but electronic copies of the devotions are presented here. If you want a printed copy, visit or contact one of the participating churches: Evangelical UMC (Clarksboro) Zion Community Church (Clarksboro) Trinity United Methodist Church (Mullica Hill) and Pitman United Methodist...
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