Cross-Eyed People Have the Best Vision!
“Cross-Eyed People Have the Best Vision.” Our signboard message challenges you to consider your Vision for life.
Read MorePastor’s Ponderings: Time to Sharpen Your Blade?
Is your Christian life a burden? Shouldn’t it be a Joy to follow and serve Christ?!? If life is a burden, maybe you need to “sharpen your blades” and re-connect with God.
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 MorePastors 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 MoreDoublin’ Down with Job!
When someone we love dies, do we really loose them??? You’re probably familiar with the story of Job; He’s a rich landowner who lived sometime around the time of Abram. There’s this strange conversation in heaven, and the next thing you know he’s lost all of his possessions and his children. But some of the fine print details that we tend to skip over in a passage like this need to be noticed. Here’s what it says in Job 1:1-2… There once was a man named...
Read MoreLife After the Born-Again Birth (6/5/16)
There is life after death, and so it’s critically important to prepare for that life. To enter that life, we must be forgiven and to be “in Christ”… in other words, we must be Born Again. But what happens between that salvation experience and eternity? Is there life after birth???
Read MoreA Rock ‘n Roll Resurrection! (3/27/16)
Christ our Lord is Risen Today! This is not only a historical event, but a reality that should shake our being on each and every breath we take. Pastor Jim’s Easter Sermon encouraged us to Experience the Resurrection; not just to commemorate it once a year. Click the below “Play” button and scroll down to follow along (the recording is from the 11:00 service)… The scripture was Matthew 28:1-10. Click the following Drop Down box to follow along. Pastor Jim...
Read MoreExperience the Sonrise Every Day!
Just before Easter Sunday 2016, the following message was posted on our Church’s Signboard: Experience the Sonrise Every Day! Sunrise… If it’s a clear morning, we might be able to experience the Sun Rise, but the Son of God is risen every day! Have you ever seen a sunrise, or sunset, or rainbow, or some other view of God’s beautiful creation without “Experiencing” it? Can you see a sunrise and just walk away without noticing? Revelations...
Read MoreFor Lent, Let’s Lose a Bad Habit (2/28/16)
We are now into a season of preparation for the passion and resurrection of our Lord. This preparation- which we call Lent- involves reevaluating our Walk and then getting rid of anything that’s getting in the way. Last Week, Pastor Jim showed us how to give up the “bad attitude” of being judgmental. This week, we continued the series of “Bad things” by focusing on Bad Habits. Click the below “Play” button and scroll down to follow along (the...
Read MoreWhat Gift Shall I Bring? (1/3/16)
This message is the first in a three part series called “Three Men and a Baby.” As we look at the arrival of the “Wisemen” and the Epiphany, let’s also look for way Jesus was manifested as the Christ, the Son of God, and Savior of all. AND… look for ways that Christ can be seen or manifested in our lives so that the world can see Christ in us and in the Church. Click the below “Play” button and scroll down to follow along (the recording is from...
Read MoreNew Early Bird Bible Study on Tuesday Nights (11/4/14)
On Tuesdays, our church dives into The Word with several small group Bible studies which come before and after a dinner. One of these studies has been called the “Early Bird” Bible Study class because it meets at 5:00 before the dinner. Other classes meet after the dinner. The Early Bird study is led by Pastor Glenn Chaplin (who also serves as the pastor of the Downer UMC). They have recently concluded a study on Heaven, and now they’ve started a new study looking at what it...
Read MoreWhat are You Following?
Today (August 14, 2014), the following message was posted on our church signboard: FOLLOW US @PITMANUMC FOLLOW GOD @PRAYER OK. Admittedly, this might be a shameless attempt to bring in more followers to our church Twitter account. People follow Twitter accounts to read Tweets- short comments about whatever’s on the tweeter’s mind. Even if you’re not into Twitter, aren’t we all “Following” something throughout the day? When somebody cuts you off, an...
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 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 MorePUMC Celebrates the Life of Dr. Ed Blackman (5/7/14)
Our church lost one of it’s “pillars” when Ed Blackman went home to be with his Lord on Friday May 2 (obituary). He is survived by his wife Marge. Ed and his wife Marge were long time members of our church and led in many capacities over the years. They have led not only in official office capacities and in organized ministries, but both of them have and continue to touch the lives of so many of our members. Most of us carry memories of Ed’s witness and...
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 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...
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 MoreEaster Message from Bishop Schol (4/20/14)
Bishop John Schol, the bishop of our Greater New Jersey Annual Conference recently released the following open letter to all “Easter People”… To an Easter people who have everything to live for Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for. –1Peter 1:3, The Message The Familiar Becomes Fuzzy Resurrection sometimes feels rare during times of great challenge. We are living in some of the most challenging times...
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