Not a Cold Day in November? Be Thankful Anyway!!!
The following message was posted on our signboard: DON’T WAIT UNTIL A COLD DAY IN NOVEMBER TO BE THANKFUL! Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18… Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Always? In ALL circumstances? This is August! It’s blazing hot and you can’t walk 10 feet without sweating to death. Joyful? Thankful?!? What if… The Mortgage is due and the money’s not there… You just had a car crash…...
read moreTime to Get Our Feet Wet! (7/30/17)
It was confirmation Sunday. A Group of wide-eyed teens stood at the front of the church to declare the faith that their parents had promised to nurture in them when when they stood at the same altar years earlier. These youth had “survived Pastor Jim’s Boot camp” in order to reach this special Sunday. But what’s next? Completing Middle School, entering High School, College, jobs, marriage, even having kids themselves? So much awaits. So much potential to fear and to become overwhelmed. Time to step out in...
read moreHis Love Makes no Sense!
Members of our BLAST Youth group recently returned from a week at Malaga Camp. The theme of the week was God’s love. How can God send His Son to dies for us and continue to love us even when we keep on rejecting Him and breaking away to do our own thing? One of the people attending the camp wrote the following… “His love makes no sense.” I turned to the woman next to me (who later would become a new friend) and cried, “Why does Jesus love me so much? I don’t deserve it!!!” She said, “Because that’s just who He is.”...
read moreThe 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 perspiration. But tonight, we couldn’t blame...
read moreBLAST Announces Summer 2017 Schedule
Our Youth Group (Big Loud Awesome Spiritual Time) normally meets on Sunday and Tuesday nights. But- this is the summer! Things aren’t “normal” during the summer. But, BLAST isn’t going “off the air” during the summer. Here are some of the activities we’re planning: Sunday July 9, 2017 (9:30 AM) Campers attending Malaga Camp will be joining Pitman United Methodist Communities on this Sunday for a prayer service that will bless the campers embarking on their weeks of camp to grow in their...
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 needs to come to grips with the “God...
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 of sight. Actually, our sense of Spiritual...
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 Prayer A recent article in Our Daily Bread...
read morePitman Camp Meeting Opens 2017 Season (6/25 – 8/27)
For 147 years, Christians have gathered in the “Pitman Grove” to hear the word of God and to worship our Creator and Savior. This year’s season of the Pitman Camp Meeting is already underway and will continue throughout the summer on Sunday evenings. The services are held at 7:30 p.m. in the William (Bud) Moore Auditorium located in the center of the Grove area, and are lead by various pastors and music teams from the Methodist Churches in the area. Here’s the schedule (all services start at 7:30 PM): June 25 Speaker: Rev. Dr. Bill...
read more