Men Prepare to Retreat (2/9/24)
Why are we here? What is our purpose in life? To dive into that question, the Men of PUMC and of our community are set to gather at the Black Rock Retreat Center for a weekend of learning, worship, and growth.
Read MorePastor’s Ponderings: What’s it Mean to “Bear Fruit”?
In this excerpt from “Cultivating Fruitfulness,” Bishop Schnase reminds us that purpose and life come when the church turns outward to serve the community. When it turns inward, the church gets weaker and looses purpose.
Read MoreShare a Burden or Carry a Grudge?
We carry a lot of things. Sometimes we carry a grudge against someone; we just don’t like them because of something they did long ago. But we can also carry a burden for someone; we share their burden and show them love because God loves us. What are you carrying?
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 MoreMen Retreat to Strengthen their Mission (3/17/17)
The Mens Fellowship group followed a tradition this year; we went on a retreat to Black Rock. This was our 16th annual retreat. Routine? Not really! Every time you open yourself up for an encounter with God, something different is likely to happen. The topic of this year’s retreat was “Being a Man with a Mission”, and we explored how our “mission” plays out in our personal, family and church lives. Retreats aren’t just “book learning” or...
Read MoreMen’s Fellowship Retreats and Grows into Leadership (3/11/16)
Sometimes it’s really helpful to shift your focus from the daily routine, and get away to spend some time with friends around a time of learning, worship, and fellowship. And that’s exactly what a retreat is! For the 15th year in a row, our Men’s Fellowship group took a weekend apart and traveled to the Black Rock Retreat Center in Quaryville, PA. It’s a familiar place for us, but each weekend has its own character and its own take-aways of growth and learning. This...
Read MorePlaying on God’s Super Team (2/7/16)
Super Bowl Sunday! The day of the Big Game! In a few hours the Denver Broncos would battle the Carolina Panthers; each team trying to reach the endzone and to win the Super Bowl prize. Both teams taking their turns making mistakes (fumbles and turnovers). During our worship service we observed this “special day” by dressing down and wearing our favorite team jerseys. Our goal wasn’t to worship Sports; our goal was to learn whatever spiritual lessons we could from this...
Read MoreMen’s Fellowship Gathers with Pastor Chris Heckert (1/8/16)
The Men’s Fellowship group held their monthly gathering on Saturday January 8. The gathering took place in a brand new year, but our speaker was a familiar face. Joining us was Rev. Chris Heckert, who is now serving as the senior pastor in the Haddonfield United Methodist Church. Pastor Chris was our associate pastor between 2004 and 2006 (during our “tabernacling days” after the fire while we met in the downtown storefront). During his time here he blessed us with...
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 MoreLifelong Questions (2/12/12)
On February 12, 2012, Rev. John Groth (retired military chaplain) visited our church and gave the sermon during both worship services. After the 2nd service he stuck around and met with the Men’s Fellowship group. Notes on his sermon were recently discovered, so the below post was written. Rev. Groth’s message was on 2 Corinthians 8:1-8. Rev. Groth noted six “Lifelong Questions” that this passage brings out. Below is the text of 2 Corinthians 8:1-8 (using Eugene...
Read MoreThe Signs of the Times: The Tribe of Issachar (2/15/15)
Would you go to that church?Change won’t come from Washington. Change won’t come from Trenton.Does Any Body Know What Time it Is? Does Anybody Really Care??? Pastor Jim’s sermon on Sunday February 15 2015 focused on a short verse in 1 Chronicles. The Tribe of Issachar recognized the signs of the times and they decided to support David instead of Saul as king. Click the following “Play” button to start the sermon, scroll down, and learn more about the...
Read MorePastor’s Ponderings: Jesus Never Had Ulcers!
Pastor Jim submitted the following on January 25… Greetings Friends: 11 months from today is Christmas!!!! PLEASE READ: Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and...
Read MoreFully Alive (1/18/15)
The sermon on January 18 was given by Marcus Bell, who is the director of the Spirit Camp after school program at Urban Promise. (Camden, NJ). Marcus shared his experience and challenged us to gain a fuller life by giving and serving. His scripture was on James 1:26-27. Click the “Play” button to begin listening to the sermon, then scroll down to follow along… (Note: The scripture was read by Pastor Jim) James 1:26-27 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious,...
Read MoreToday is a Gift!
The signboard message posted on December 27, 2014 read: LIFE IS A GIFT. THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE PRESENT. OK. Maybe a cheep pun. Maybe cliche. Whenever we think of someone who survived a serious disease or somehow dodged a life threatening accident, a string of sayings pops into mind to remind us that life is indeed fragile. Whenever some unusual event threatens our lives, we are able to see life as a gift from God. But what about during normal times? What if you’re...
Read MoreCelebrating the Life & Music of Fanny Crosby (8/31/14)
Pastor Jim’s sermon on August 31 took on a bit of a different format. This week, we looked not only at God’s Word as text in the Bible, but also as the expression of God’s word in the music and lyrics of Fanny Crosby. Click on the “Play” button below to listen to the sermon (this is from the 9:30 AM service). Scroll down, open the scripture readings, and follow along. Click on the “down arrow” to open up the Scripture...
Read MoreGod is Good (8/24/14)
Pastor Jim’s sermon on August 24 continued our look at the Attributes of God. So far we’ve seen that God is Awesome, Holy, and Faithful. This morning we looked at God’s Goodness.Click on the “Play” button below, then scroll down to follow along… The text for the sermon came from Psalm 86:1-13 and Nahum 1:7. Click on the arrow to open up the scripture… Scripture Readings Ps 86:1-13 Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. ...
Read MoreClimates for Spiritual Growth (6/29/14)
The sermon on June 29 was given by Larry Bakely, our church’s lay leader. The message was entitled, “Climates for Spiritual Growth,” and the scripture was the entire first chapter of the book of 1 Samuel. Click Here to read the story of Samuel’s birth, as told in 1 Samuel 1… The Challange… In the April edition of the conference newspaper (“The Methodist Relay”) Bishop John Schol wrote an article on Church Vitality. In his article, the bishop...
Read MoreMens Fellowship Gathers with John Abramovich (5/9/14)
Our United Methodist Men’s Fellowship group gathered this morning (Saturday 5/10) to hear the teaching of John Abramovich. John and his wife Dasia are serving the Lord in Poland by organizing youth camps and by leading Bible Studies. We have been supporting them for years and are blessed through our connection with the Abramovichs. John and Daisa have been in the US for the past few months, but will soon return to Poland. This morning, we were blessed to learn from John’s Bible...
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...
Read MoreUMM Gathering with Mike Denelsbeck (4/12/14)
The United Methodist Men held our monthly gathering this morning (Saturday April 12). Our guest speaker was Mike Denelsbeck. Mike has an interesting story. From working as a prison guard, to being a Lay Director of the Garden State Walk to Emmaus Community, to his current ministry as a local pastor (of the Rosenhayne UMC), he has led a life of growth and commitment to our Lord. Mike has a passion for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. The following shares the message that Mike shared...
Read MoreFruitful Living (3 of 5): “Intentional Faith Development” (3/23/14)
The sermon on Sunday March 23 introduced practice #3 of our five part series on the “Five Practices of Fruitful Living” During this season of Lent, we are following the companion devotional guide by Robert Schanase entitled in “Forty Days of Fruitful Living.” The sermons introduce the week’s topic, and we discuss and study these topics during our small group meetings that week. Intentional Faith Development This week’s “practice of fruitful living” is entitled...
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