Let Catacomb Praise Recharge Your Week!
Each week, Pastor Mike posts a short musical and Biblical reflection called “Catacomb Praise” on Facebook. If you don’t “do Facebook” or if you missed an episode, you can now view them on our church website.
Read MoreFor Unto YOU (Christmas Eve, 2019)
Our 2019 Christmas Eve service was marked by tradition, familiar music, and familiar Bible readings. But the key verse from the sermon challenged us to awaken from the familiar and consider how deeply our Creator-God loves each one of us. “For unto ME is born a Savior…”
Read MorePress Report from Bethlehem! (12/22/19)
In what is becoming a Sunday before Christmas tradition, Rev. Jim Hughes visited PUMC and gave us a first hand account of what happened on that First Christmas. This year, he appeared as Amos, a newspaper reporter who happened to be covering the beat in Bethlehem on that wondrous night. Amos challenged us to go beyond being a casual and impartial observer of Jesus. Become part of the story.
Read MoreWhy Are We Talkin’ Baseball instead of Jesus? (Camp Meeting, 8/25/19)
Former PUMC’er Pastor Bret Walker was the speaker at the 8/25/19 Camp Meeting service. Pastor Bret and his ukulele led us in music, and he challenged us with his message: Why do we talk more about trivial stuff than we do about Jesus?
Read MoreChoirs Lead Celebration of “Jesus: No Other Name” Cantata (12/16/18)
Our choirs presented our annual Christmas Cantata on Sunday 12/16/18. The cantata is a Christmas tradition, but the experience led us to worship- Jesus: No Other Name.
Read MoreElvis Could Sing, But Jesus is King!
“Elvis could sing, but Jesus is King!” What’s it mean to be “king”? How is it that the “king of rock ‘n roll” doesn’t measure up to the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”???
Read MoreOur Beautiful Savior is Willing And Able (Camp Meeting, 8/5/18)
Oh the beauty of this Man Jesus! During his 8/5/18 Camp Meeting message, Jeff Crispin challenged us to go deeper than the snapshots of beautiful experiences. We need to trace it all beck to Jesus!
Read MorePUMC’ers See Jesus! (4/11/18)
A bus full of about 60 people saw Jesus on April 11! Well, in many ways we always see Jesus. Technically speaking, on this day we saw “Jesus”; the current production at the Sight and Sound theater in Lancaster PA. The performances at Sight and Sound are legendary (if there ever was such a thing); live animals, computer graphics, and talented actors surround the audience in a way that brings everyone back to first century Israel. Angels drop from the ceiling, raindrops fall, and...
Read MoreWhat Exactly Did Horton Hear? (7/17/16)
Dr. Seuss may have written a series of “Children’s Books,” but he usually packed a message that spoke to us too. In the immediate aftermath of World War 2, Dr. Seuss wrote a book expressing his personal challenge of accepting the Japanese as fellow humans instead of evil enemies.
In the divided atmosphere of today, how does this speak to us now? How can we listen and hear the cries of others? How can we be like Isaiah who said “Here am I. Send me.”??? How can we BE the answer???
Read MoreChoirs set to Lead Palm Sunday Worship (3/20/16)
Can it be Palm Sunday already? Didn’t we just celebrate or Lord’s birth??? Yes- we’re there. The Lord is coming! On Sunday March 20, we will “sing hosanna” to our Savior by worshiping in music. During both services, our Choirs and Praise Team will lead a musical journey through Holy Week. Traditional hymns and contemporary praise music will be sung by the choirs. The music to be “presented” will be familiar to most of the congregation, so sing...
Read MoreIt’s All About Jesus!
On December 26 the signboard said: IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS! ‘Twas the Day after Christmas, And all through the house. All the creatures were stirring, scampering like a mouse… There’s stuff under the tree, wrapping paper laying around, cookie crumbs on the dining room table. All sorts of new “Things” to play with, new clothes to wear, fresh things to look at. And there are a lot of new items added to the “To Do List”… gifts to be...
Read MoreThe Supremacy of Christ- Part 3 (10/11/15)
Pastor Jim is preaching a three part series on a look at our Lord and Savior- Jesus the Christ. He is above all others, all other things, and He’s all we need. In this morning’s sermon, we concluded our look at Colossians chapter 1. Click the “Play” button to start the recording, then scroll down to follow along. The scripture was from Colossians 1:15-20. Open the below drop down box to read along with Pastor Jim… and the congregation. We read from the New...
Read MoreThe Supremacy of Christ- Part 2 (10/4/15)
Pastor Jim is preaching a three part series on a look at our Lord and Savior- Jesus the Christ. He is above all others, all other things, and He’s all we need. In this morning’s sermon, we continued our look at Colossians chapter 1 and considered that Jesus is the Word that created the world. And not only that, He is actively involved in the details of our lives and He continues to sustain all of creation. Click the “Play” button to start the recording, then scroll...
Read MoreThe Supremacy of Christ- Part 1 (9/27/15)
Pastor Jim is beginning a three part series on a look at our Lord and Savior- Jesus the Christ. He is above all others, all other things, and He’s all we need. This is so important; we need to wrap our heads and hearts around this if we’re going to have an abundant and fruitful bearing life. Click the “Play” button to start the recording, then scroll down to follow along. The scripture was from Colossians 1:15-20. Open the below drop down box to read along...
Read MoreSongs for the Road (8/9/15)
Are you on a trip somewhere? Looking forward to where you’re going but wondering how to occupy your time in the long car drive? Our sermon on August 9 2015 was given by Larry Bakely (PUMC Lay Leader). Click on the below “Play” button, then scroll down to follow along. Note that the recording begins immediately with the scripture reading, starting with Psalm 130:1… The scripture reading was from Psalm 130, one of the “Songs of Ascents.” Click the...
Read More2015 Vacation Bible School Goes to Nazareth! (6/22-26)
Our Vaction Bible School in June of 2015 took over 100 kids on a trip back in time to see what Jesus was like as a child. We went to Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, and visited with his mom, Mary. We also went into the market place and made some crafts, ate some authentic food, and talked to people who may not have always believed in Jesus. There were fun and games to play as well, one of our favorites was to crush “grapes” (water balloons) with our feet just like how they made wine and olive...
Read MoreVacation Bible School is Moooooovin’ to Nazareth! (6/22/15)
Let’s Get Mooooovin’ to Nazareth! This year’s Vacation Bible School is underway! We’re on our way to Nazareth to see what it was like for Jesus growing up. Dates: Monday June 22 through Friday June 26. Time: 6:00 to 8:00 PM, opening with a time of worship. Place: At our church (older kids will move to an offsite pool). Friday will feature an Ice Cream social following the closing program. Here are a few glimpses of our first night… The Bible...
Read MoreMens Fellowship Strives to Treasure Jesus in 2015 (1/10/15)
The United Methodist Men’s Fellowship held our monthly gathering on Saturday January 10. Yep- it was a cold and early morning at 7:30 AM, but the warm coffee and fellowship is always a great thing. Our guest speaker was Chris Johnson, a missionary who has a heart for the people in Mexico who don’t know Christ. Chris and His wife Michele have been planting churches in Mexico, but are currently “home” in New Jersey. Chris’ theme was “Treasuring Jesus in...
Read MoreA Wonder-Filled Night (12/24/14)
Our Christmas Eve Service in 2014 opened our eyes to the “Wow!” of Christmas, and challenged us to keep the wonder and awesomeness of The Birth throughout the year.
Read MorePastor’s Ponderings: By Being Born, He Let Love Into the World
The following devotional was submitted by Pastor Jim on December 18…Greetings Friends; PLEASE READ: John 1:1-5, 10-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it…. He was in the world, and though the world...
Read MoreWhat Are You Giving to Jesus?
A new message was posted on our signboard on Thanksgiving Day (11/27/14): WHAT ARE YOU GIVING TO JESUS? This question looks towards “Black Friday” and the crazy pre-Christmas shopping season. We all have a list of people we want to please on Christmas morning, and we’re all busy trying to write possible gifts next to these names and then to brave the malls and Internet to purchase the gifts. But Christmas (“Celebration of Christ”) is a birthday. Jesus Birthday!...
Read MoreCount Your Blessings: Meaningless Cliche or Powerful Truth?
The signboard message posted on October 25, 2014 said the following: WANT TO FEEL RICH? COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS! Probably most grown ups (and maybe even many kids), grown when they hear the phrase “Count Your Blessings!” The Sunday School song “Count your blessings name them one by one…” probably pops into mind. We’ve heard it all before. And probably when someone tries to cheer us up by suggesting blessings they start rattling off things like family,...
Read MoreJesus is the Answer to the Pop Quiz (10/5/14)
Pastor Jim’s sermon on October 5 continued our at Jesus as our Messiah, Glorious King, and Provider. This morning, we looked at Jesus as our Shepherd who protects us through all of life’s storms. A recording of the sermon from the 11AM service is below. Click the “Play” button, scroll down, and follow along as you listen. This morning’s Scripture was from John 6:15-21. Open the following drop down to follow along… John 6:16-21...
Read MoreStand in Awe of the One Who Gave His All!
The signboard message posted on October 7, 2014 said: STAND IN AWE! GOD GAVE HIS ALL. When you think of the greatness of God, you can’t help but stand in Awe. Marvel. Be humbled. Realize that He is God, this is His world, He’s in charge and you are not. Righteousness… One of the most awesome things about God is how righteous He is. We compromise. We tell “white lies.” We cut corners and look out for ourselves first. We fall short of God’s mark (in...
Read MoreOur Glorious Messiah! (9/21/14)
In his sermons, Pastor Jim has been focusing on the attributes of God: His touch, awesomeness, goodness, holiness, His word. In the next few weeks the focus moves to Jesus: Our Savior and Messiah.This Sunday (September 21, 2014) we looked at the glory of the risen Lord, as described in the opening chapter of Revelation. Click below to play the recording of the sermon (from the 11AM service), then scroll down to follow along… The sermon was based on Revelation 1:9-19. ...
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 MoreCommunity Sunrise Easter Service (4/20/14)
Many in our community began their Easter Sundays by attending the community Sunrise Service which was held at the Alcyon Lake Park Pavilion. This year’s service was coordinated by the First Presbyterian Church of Pitman, and the service was led by their pastor, Rev. Pat Weikart. Several other local pastors took part in the reading of litany and scripture. The Presbyterian Church’s bell choir led the music. The scripture readings focused on God’s protective and life giving...
Read MoreSignboard: For God so Loved the World… (4/19/14)
For God So Loved the World… John 3:16 is a familiar passage; maybe one of the most frequently quoted ones in the Bible. We even see it at sporting events where people simply hold up signs saying nothing more than “3:16.” But have you ever considered what it REALLY means that “God so loved the world”??? Do we just chalk it up to some kind of 1960s hippy flower power sentiment, or can it be true that our infinite Creator who is holy and righteous, actually loves...
Read MorePalm Sunday 2014- Grace Present, Past, and Future (3/13/14)
Abounding Grace… The choirs presented an entire musical service for Palm Sunday (April 20, 2014). The service opened with the traditional singing of “The Palms”, as children weaved between the pews to welcome the Savior into our midst. As we’ve seen in our recent Lenten devotional series, we are surrounded by God’s grace; unmerited favor. Grace that draws us near to God, grace that leads us to accept God, grace that makes us more like Him. The musical...
Read MoreFriend Request from Jesus!
Anyone who uses Facebook is familiar with the message saying: New Friend Request from ___. Confirm Not Now You have to make a choice. You have to click either “Confirm” or “Not Now.” Do you know this person? Do you want to know more about him? Do you want to share your posts with him or her? Do you want to have a relationship with this person? One of life’s greatest mysteries is that Jesus- the one and only Son of God- wants to have a...
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