Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Friday. Yesterday afternoon I drove around Tioga County, including parts of Nichols, Tioga Center, and Owego. The destruction and the disaster caused by the flood in these area is beyond belief. ( Please watch the video of the flood scenes enclosed herewith) At this time most of the residents finally have their power back. Praise the Lord for every one who is involved in ministering to these people. It is a blessing to see the work of the Kingdom by His people. May Jesus provoke us to love and care, and to come alongside those who are in need. Our Lord came not to be served but to serve.
Pray for our weekly TV outreach this evening on Time Warner Cable Channel 4 at 7 PM. I will be speaking from Psalm 46. "God is our Refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble".
Letters are interesting and amazing things. They have been the main form of communication between two people or groups of people who are some distance apart, longer than any other form of communication. With the invention of the telephone, there was some threat that written correspondence might pass by the wayside, but it didn’t. Ironically, with the invention of the computer - which has made it possible to do away with so many other outdated things - letter writing has returned in a new way and with its own language and format, that of email.
Letters have a great deal of power, though sometimes, we are unaware of their power. The power within them is controlled only by the depth of their content, and the courage of the writer to record his or her true thoughts and feelings. Often
letters are channels for expression of a person’s true nature that cannot be shared or expressed in any other way or to the same extent.
Letters are also great storytellers, or great catalysts for stories. Paul, one of the great apostles of Jesus, wrote letters, including those he wrote to his young friend and protege, Timothy. The content of these letters was to teach Timothy and other church leaders and pastors how to be faithful disciples and to lead others to faithful discipleship. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy to make sure Timothy and the Christians under his care and supervision pursued a spiritual journey, seeking a closer relationship with God. Paul included direction as to how people should live out their lives and conduct themselves as faithful followers of God. There is instruction provided concerning the habits of Christian households and how people should behave.
In this letter Paul wrote and talked about family, particularly home life and what life within the Christian family home should be like. Then it projected those family images onto the church. Paul referred to Christians as being the members in the “family of God.” In Hebrew culture, which was very much a part of the life of those early Christians, home was where faith began. Everything related to home life had a ritualistic, liturgical, worshipful experience about it. They literally lived out the relationship to God in mundane daily activities. They took that very experience with them when they went to worship at the temple.
Early Christianity was a home based faith. Paul instructed Timothy that the people Timothy serves should come together as a larger family, as brothers and sisters in Christ, in the same way they should be conducting themselves in their smaller family units. The letters written to Timothy were penned to provide loving guidance and instruction in the absence of the teacher to help people understand how to behave, how to be, as the family of God, and to provide guidance as to how to live out their witness as revealed to us in the event, of Jesus, his death and Resurrection, his teaching and ministry, and the mystery and wonder that surround him.
Our Lord is faithful and steadfast. For one thing, throughout these letters we find the consistent, unyielding, unchanging presence of Jesus. He is the theme in every scenario, the main character of every part. He is the reason for living and serving. He is the one who has made it possible for to have the life abundant and life Eternal. He is the one who has made it possible us to to enter the Eternal City. Blessed be His Name.
In Christ,
Brown
Binghamton Flood 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s0VYzmh96s
Please pray for our upcoming ministry events:
We will be back to our Wednesday schedule, including Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, starting September 14.2011.. We will meet with a meal at 6 PM, with the Bible study beginning at 6:30 PM. We will begin a 4 week study on the theme, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will", by Adam Hamilton. Topics include, "Why Do the Innocent Suffer?", Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?", "Why Can't I See God's Will for My Life?", and "Why God's Love Prevails". Following the completion of this study we will be using Rick Warren's study, "Forty Days of Love". This will lead us to the beginning of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. More information will follow in the church newsletter.
Please mark your calendar for our prayer conference, which will begin on Friday, October 14 and continue through Sunday morning, October 16.
The Key Note Speaker: Kelly Johnson from Memphis TN.
Prayer Team will include: Sunita and Andy, Rob and Jenn and Meredith from Washington DC.
The tentative schedule follows:
Friday, October 14 at 6 PM - opening session at Union Center UMC
Saturday, October 15, 9 AM - noon - concert of prayer at UCUMC
Prayer teams will be available to pray for people for salvation, restoration, healing, deliverance...
Saturday, 5:30 PM - banquet at First UMC, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott
6:30 PM worship service, including an open invitation to pray at the altar following the worship service. I invite you to be a part of the prayer team during that time.
Sunday morning worship at 8:30 and 11 AM. at UCUMC Kelly Johnson will be preaching. There will be a time for prayer / a concert of prayer
Our first Saturday evening service will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 6:30 PM (Coffee Fellowship at 6 PM) at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue in Endicott. Rev. Earle Cowden will be preaching, and Laureen Naik will be leading the worship. One of our ministry teams, led by Lynn Rosenbarker, will be preparing and serving a meal at noon on 9/17, as part of our outreach ministry.
Our youth will be attending the Word of Life Superbowl at the arena and other sites on November 4 & 5.
Our annual Thanksgiving Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 19.
The Russian Men's Ensemble will be in concert on December 3.
We are planning for a trip to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Extravaganza on December 6, leaving here at 6 AM, spending the day in NYC, and attending the show at 5 PM. There are optional sites to visit, including the Ground Zero 9/11 Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The trip costs $90 per person, including the bus ticket and a ticket to the show. Anyone who wants to reserve a spot on the bus should make their check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, memo "Radio City Christmas Extravaganza".
September 18, we will go back onto the regular schedule with services at both 8:30 and 11 AM and Sunday School at 9:50 AM. Wesley will resume meeting at 9:30 AM.
Here at Union Center- Wesley- Endicott, we focus on " World as our Parish"., We remind ourselves that we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle. Jesus Christ the Head of the Church is Faithful . We are invited to embrace 7 holy habits of Christian faithfulness. We are called to FOCUS on our prayer life, our relationship with Christ, reading the Bible, faithful worship attendance, financial gifts to Christ and His Church,, serving Jesus with our hands, and sharing the good news of His Great Redemption,with others. May Christ be praised.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 9-14-11
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. We will meet for our mid-week gathering this evening at 6 PM with a meal followed by Bible study at 6:30 PM. We are excited about this new short term study, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will". As in the days of Noah, the floods here have receded. The work of rescue and restoration has begun. Praise the Lord for every one who is willing to serve and give of themselves.
The great and beautiful salvation story and the event do not exclude the wilderness experience of the people of God. The people called by His name wandered. They rebelled against the Lord who loved them and who redeemed them. Life can be like a wilderness experience at times. Periods of our life can seem like such a struggle to survive. Sometimes it is a wilderness of our own making. Sometimes creating difficulty for ourselves is what we are about, only we cannot see it until we are surrounded with barren existence. Sometimes we do not realize we are in the wilderness, until we are there in the middle of it. At other times, it seems the whole world against us. We may not deserve what we have been dealt. We didn’t create the problems but, regardless, we find that we are in the wilderness. Sometimes, it even appears there is no way out of the wilderness.
In 1 Corinthians 10 we are reminded that there is nothing new about the trials and tribulations we face. They are the same ones people have faced down through time. They are the same ones our family, friends, and co-workers face today as well.
Through it all we are reminded that our Lord God is faithful. We are also reminded that God will not let us face anything beyond what we can bear. He also reminds us that in such times God will provide us a way out of our dilemma, or support us so that we can stand it.
John Short from the Interpreter’s Bible put it this way: “If sin is near, so is God.” Von Unruh, from his book “Finding Christ, Finding Life,” added, “When temptation draws near, God draws even nearer.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/RpRCClg8pEY
Please pray for our upcoming ministry events:
We will be back to our Wednesday schedule, including Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, starting TODAY.. We will meet with a meal at 6 PM, with the Bible study beginning at 6:30 PM. We will begin a 4 week study on the theme, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will", by Adam Hamilton. Topics include, "Why Do the Innocent Suffer?", Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?", "Why Can't I See God's Will for My Life?", and "Why God's Love Prevails". Following the completion of this study we will be using Rick Warren's study, "Forty Days of Love". This will lead us to the beginning of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. More information will follow in the church newsletter.
Please mark your calendar for our prayer conference, which will begin on Friday, October 14 and continue through Sunday morning, October 16.
The Key Note Speaker: Kelly Johnson from Memphis TN.
Prayer Team will include: Sunita and Andy, Rob and Jenn and Meredith from Washington DC.
The tentative schedule follows:
Friday, October 14 at 6 PM - opening session at Union Center UMC
Saturday, October 15, 9 AM - noon - concert of prayer at UCUMC
Prayer teams will be available to pray for people for salvation, restoration, healing, deliverance...
Saturday, 5:30 PM - banquet at First UMC, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott
6:30 PM worship service, including an open invitation to pray at the altar following the worship service. I invite you to be a part of the prayer team during that time.
Sunday morning worship at 8:30 and 11 AM. at UCUMC Kelly Johnson will be preaching. There will be a time for prayer / a concert of prayer
Our first Saturday evening service will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 6:30 PM (Coffee Fellowship at 6 PM) at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue in Endicott. Rev. Earle Cowden will be preaching, and Laureen Naik will be leading the worship. One of our ministry teams, led by Lynn Rosenbarker, will be preparing and serving a meal at noon on 9/17, as part of our outreach ministry.
Our youth will be attending the Word of Life Superbowl at the arena and other sites on November 4 & 5.
Our annual Thanksgiving Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 19.
The Russian Men's Ensemble will be in concert on December 3.
We are planning for a trip to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Extravaganza on December 6, leaving here at 6 AM, spending the day in NYC, and attending the show at 5 PM. There are optional sites to visit, including the Ground Zero 9/11 Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The trip costs $90 per person, including the bus ticket and a ticket to the show. Anyone who wants to reserve a spot on the bus should make their check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, memo "Radio City Christmas Extravaganza".
September 18, we will go back onto the regular schedule with services at both 8:30 and 11 AM and Sunday School at 9:50 AM. Wesley will resume meeting at 9:30 AM.
Here at Union Center- Wesley- Endicott, we focus on " World as our Parish"., We remind ourselves that we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle. Jesus Christ the Head of the Church is Faithful . We are invited to embrace 7 holy habits of Christian faithfulness. We are called to FOCUS on our prayer life, our relationship with Christ, reading the Bible, faithful worship attendance, financial gifts to Christ and His Church,, serving Jesus with our hands, and sharing the good news of His Great Redemption,with others. May Christ be praised.
A memo from our District Superintendent :
Friends,
Here is a brief update on the latest around the District. Thanks for your support and prayers.
Dave Masland
1. General Comments… bad news: We have 5-6 churches that have sustained MAJOR damage, and another 7-8 that have sustained significant damage. It is hard to think of a community in the District that does not have some families adversely effected by water and mud. In some towns (Owego, Westover, Tioga Center, Barton, etc) nearly 100% of the homes/families/businesses have been effected. The roadsides of these towns are piled 4-5 feet high with mud-covered belongings from every home. The odors of mud, oil, gasoline and sewage hangs everywhere. The thought I keep having is: "The loss for these folks is so huge… the most significant thing we can offer is a listening ear, and kindness."
2. General Comments… good news: After six days of difficult travel due to closed roads, today under God's warm sun, many bridges and roads were re-opened, making travel more possible. Fire companies from all over the Northeast are here pumping out people's basements. NYSEG workers from all over the state are here working non-stop to get people's gas and power back up and running. Representatives from dozens of church and secular organizations met this morning to do their best to coordinate relief and rebuilding efforts in the months to come… and came away with a plan. There are good people being kind neighbors in every corner. UM Church people are doing amazing things: Feeding people with free food every day. Collecting food. Building flood kits. Helping muck out, tear out and throw out wet things. Offering worship space to folks from flooded churches. Everywhere I go, I see people being kind… talking to strangers… offering thanks… showing patience. God is clearly here.
3. Specific Reports…
Owego UMC… Thanks to tireless firemen pumping water for two straight days, at 4 PM Monday the building was finally water free. Sadly, 10+ feet of water has left mud on everything. This church needs help NOW! PLEASE send people this week to help muck out, carry debris to the curb, and begin tearing out wall board so things can dry out. Hundreds of families in homes need similar help in this town!
Tioga Center UMC… Volunteers from the church and community have done a lot of work to pull out wet things. 30" of water in the sanctuary have created unique challenges. Power turned back on today brought new hope.
Nimmonsburg UMC… Volunteers have removed all wet items, and the work of tearing out wet wallboard has begun.
Westover UMC… The parsonage basement has been cleared and cleaned. Volunteers removed a bunch of items from the church today. Much more work needs to be done. They can use some help on Tuesday, if people want to come.
Lounsberry UMC… Water receded slowly. Mucking out and tearing out has been started.
Maine Federated Church… had a bunch of water in both of their buildings used for ministry. Volunteers removed wet items, drying out is well under way.
Barton UMC… had water that filled their basement. Volunteers have removed wet items. Work continues.
Vestal Center UMC… had water damage in both church and parsonage. Volunteers have removed all wet items, drying out has begun.
Nichols UMC… Parsonage and church both had significant water in basement. Volunteers have done much work to remove wet materials, and begin to dry out.
Jenksville UMC… took on water from the West branch of the Owego Creek. Work of cleaning out and drying out has begun.
Newark Valley UMC… Water in their lower level damaged Sunday School/Nursery School spaces. Volunteers have removed all wet items. Wall board needs to be removed.
Central Endicott UMC… For 3-4 days, ground water seeped up thru the lower floors of the church. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to stay ahead of the water, have torn up wet floor coverings, and seem to have finally won the battle. Through it all, ministry to others has continued.
Castle Creek UMC… had some water in their basement, but volunteers have cleaned it up, and drying out has occurred.
With the help of Greg Forrestor and Carl Chamberlain, we are setting up three sites where volunteer teams can gather, get trained, prepare food, get showers and sleep. While the mucking out of churches and homes is a short term project (most of it will be complete in the next week or so), the rebuilding after drying out will likely last for 2+ years. We are getting a system in place to receive people and send them where they are most needed. More details on who to contact to schedule a VIM trip here will be coming soon.
Praise the Lord for this new day. We will meet for our mid-week gathering this evening at 6 PM with a meal followed by Bible study at 6:30 PM. We are excited about this new short term study, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will". As in the days of Noah, the floods here have receded. The work of rescue and restoration has begun. Praise the Lord for every one who is willing to serve and give of themselves.
The great and beautiful salvation story and the event do not exclude the wilderness experience of the people of God. The people called by His name wandered. They rebelled against the Lord who loved them and who redeemed them. Life can be like a wilderness experience at times. Periods of our life can seem like such a struggle to survive. Sometimes it is a wilderness of our own making. Sometimes creating difficulty for ourselves is what we are about, only we cannot see it until we are surrounded with barren existence. Sometimes we do not realize we are in the wilderness, until we are there in the middle of it. At other times, it seems the whole world against us. We may not deserve what we have been dealt. We didn’t create the problems but, regardless, we find that we are in the wilderness. Sometimes, it even appears there is no way out of the wilderness.
In 1 Corinthians 10 we are reminded that there is nothing new about the trials and tribulations we face. They are the same ones people have faced down through time. They are the same ones our family, friends, and co-workers face today as well.
Through it all we are reminded that our Lord God is faithful. We are also reminded that God will not let us face anything beyond what we can bear. He also reminds us that in such times God will provide us a way out of our dilemma, or support us so that we can stand it.
John Short from the Interpreter’s Bible put it this way: “If sin is near, so is God.” Von Unruh, from his book “Finding Christ, Finding Life,” added, “When temptation draws near, God draws even nearer.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/RpRCClg8pEY
Please pray for our upcoming ministry events:
We will be back to our Wednesday schedule, including Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, starting TODAY.. We will meet with a meal at 6 PM, with the Bible study beginning at 6:30 PM. We will begin a 4 week study on the theme, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will", by Adam Hamilton. Topics include, "Why Do the Innocent Suffer?", Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?", "Why Can't I See God's Will for My Life?", and "Why God's Love Prevails". Following the completion of this study we will be using Rick Warren's study, "Forty Days of Love". This will lead us to the beginning of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. More information will follow in the church newsletter.
Please mark your calendar for our prayer conference, which will begin on Friday, October 14 and continue through Sunday morning, October 16.
The Key Note Speaker: Kelly Johnson from Memphis TN.
Prayer Team will include: Sunita and Andy, Rob and Jenn and Meredith from Washington DC.
The tentative schedule follows:
Friday, October 14 at 6 PM - opening session at Union Center UMC
Saturday, October 15, 9 AM - noon - concert of prayer at UCUMC
Prayer teams will be available to pray for people for salvation, restoration, healing, deliverance...
Saturday, 5:30 PM - banquet at First UMC, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott
6:30 PM worship service, including an open invitation to pray at the altar following the worship service. I invite you to be a part of the prayer team during that time.
Sunday morning worship at 8:30 and 11 AM. at UCUMC Kelly Johnson will be preaching. There will be a time for prayer / a concert of prayer
Our first Saturday evening service will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 6:30 PM (Coffee Fellowship at 6 PM) at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue in Endicott. Rev. Earle Cowden will be preaching, and Laureen Naik will be leading the worship. One of our ministry teams, led by Lynn Rosenbarker, will be preparing and serving a meal at noon on 9/17, as part of our outreach ministry.
Our youth will be attending the Word of Life Superbowl at the arena and other sites on November 4 & 5.
Our annual Thanksgiving Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 19.
The Russian Men's Ensemble will be in concert on December 3.
We are planning for a trip to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Extravaganza on December 6, leaving here at 6 AM, spending the day in NYC, and attending the show at 5 PM. There are optional sites to visit, including the Ground Zero 9/11 Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The trip costs $90 per person, including the bus ticket and a ticket to the show. Anyone who wants to reserve a spot on the bus should make their check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, memo "Radio City Christmas Extravaganza".
September 18, we will go back onto the regular schedule with services at both 8:30 and 11 AM and Sunday School at 9:50 AM. Wesley will resume meeting at 9:30 AM.
Here at Union Center- Wesley- Endicott, we focus on " World as our Parish"., We remind ourselves that we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle. Jesus Christ the Head of the Church is Faithful . We are invited to embrace 7 holy habits of Christian faithfulness. We are called to FOCUS on our prayer life, our relationship with Christ, reading the Bible, faithful worship attendance, financial gifts to Christ and His Church,, serving Jesus with our hands, and sharing the good news of His Great Redemption,with others. May Christ be praised.
A memo from our District Superintendent :
Friends,
Here is a brief update on the latest around the District. Thanks for your support and prayers.
Dave Masland
1. General Comments… bad news: We have 5-6 churches that have sustained MAJOR damage, and another 7-8 that have sustained significant damage. It is hard to think of a community in the District that does not have some families adversely effected by water and mud. In some towns (Owego, Westover, Tioga Center, Barton, etc) nearly 100% of the homes/families/businesses have been effected. The roadsides of these towns are piled 4-5 feet high with mud-covered belongings from every home. The odors of mud, oil, gasoline and sewage hangs everywhere. The thought I keep having is: "The loss for these folks is so huge… the most significant thing we can offer is a listening ear, and kindness."
2. General Comments… good news: After six days of difficult travel due to closed roads, today under God's warm sun, many bridges and roads were re-opened, making travel more possible. Fire companies from all over the Northeast are here pumping out people's basements. NYSEG workers from all over the state are here working non-stop to get people's gas and power back up and running. Representatives from dozens of church and secular organizations met this morning to do their best to coordinate relief and rebuilding efforts in the months to come… and came away with a plan. There are good people being kind neighbors in every corner. UM Church people are doing amazing things: Feeding people with free food every day. Collecting food. Building flood kits. Helping muck out, tear out and throw out wet things. Offering worship space to folks from flooded churches. Everywhere I go, I see people being kind… talking to strangers… offering thanks… showing patience. God is clearly here.
3. Specific Reports…
Owego UMC… Thanks to tireless firemen pumping water for two straight days, at 4 PM Monday the building was finally water free. Sadly, 10+ feet of water has left mud on everything. This church needs help NOW! PLEASE send people this week to help muck out, carry debris to the curb, and begin tearing out wall board so things can dry out. Hundreds of families in homes need similar help in this town!
Tioga Center UMC… Volunteers from the church and community have done a lot of work to pull out wet things. 30" of water in the sanctuary have created unique challenges. Power turned back on today brought new hope.
Nimmonsburg UMC… Volunteers have removed all wet items, and the work of tearing out wet wallboard has begun.
Westover UMC… The parsonage basement has been cleared and cleaned. Volunteers removed a bunch of items from the church today. Much more work needs to be done. They can use some help on Tuesday, if people want to come.
Lounsberry UMC… Water receded slowly. Mucking out and tearing out has been started.
Maine Federated Church… had a bunch of water in both of their buildings used for ministry. Volunteers removed wet items, drying out is well under way.
Barton UMC… had water that filled their basement. Volunteers have removed wet items. Work continues.
Vestal Center UMC… had water damage in both church and parsonage. Volunteers have removed all wet items, drying out has begun.
Nichols UMC… Parsonage and church both had significant water in basement. Volunteers have done much work to remove wet materials, and begin to dry out.
Jenksville UMC… took on water from the West branch of the Owego Creek. Work of cleaning out and drying out has begun.
Newark Valley UMC… Water in their lower level damaged Sunday School/Nursery School spaces. Volunteers have removed all wet items. Wall board needs to be removed.
Central Endicott UMC… For 3-4 days, ground water seeped up thru the lower floors of the church. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to stay ahead of the water, have torn up wet floor coverings, and seem to have finally won the battle. Through it all, ministry to others has continued.
Castle Creek UMC… had some water in their basement, but volunteers have cleaned it up, and drying out has occurred.
With the help of Greg Forrestor and Carl Chamberlain, we are setting up three sites where volunteer teams can gather, get trained, prepare food, get showers and sleep. While the mucking out of churches and homes is a short term project (most of it will be complete in the next week or so), the rebuilding after drying out will likely last for 2+ years. We are getting a system in place to receive people and send them where they are most needed. More details on who to contact to schedule a VIM trip here will be coming soon.
Brown's Daily Word 9-15-11
Good morning,
The Gospel Reading from last Sunday was taken from Mathew 18. Peter asked our Lord how often we should forgive. Should we forgive seven times seven?
Craig Barnes has a book called, "When God Interrupts". In his book, he talks about times in our life when things don’t go the way we planned or the way we want them to go. He’s not talking about life’s small disappointments but, rather, about catastrophic illness, divorce, death of a loved one. Craig is talking about life’s big disappointments. In his discussion, He addresses the danger of loving Jesus. He indicates that Jesus has a tendency to lead us away from places we would rather be and then lead us to places we would rather not go. The story of Jonah is a great illustration of this point. God called Jonah to go to a town called Nineveh.
Craig describes Nineveh this way: “Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the enemy of God’s people. It was a strong city that had grown sick and decadent and needed to turn toward the grace of God. Nineveh illustrates what is wrong with the world, and what is oppressive to the church. Nineveh doesn’t care about our Savior. Nineveh hurts us all the time.”
When God called Jonah, he had a choice to make. He could not stay where he was. Rather, he either had to follow where God led, or turn and go the other way.
We, as Christians, are faced with the same decision when we hear the Good News of God’s love - respond or turn away. God called to Jonah, and told him to go to Nineveh and tell the people there about God, but Jonah had a different idea. Jonah didn’t like the idea of going to Nineveh because Ninevites were evil people who didn’t care for God. Jonah decided that he would rather go to the city of Tarshish.
“Tarshish was a far-off idealized port city, a kind of ancient Shangri-La. Solomon’s fleet went there to get gold, silver, ivory and peacocks.”
It was a great city, an enjoyable place. It was a good neighborhood with a low crime rate. Most everybody got along. Most everybody tried to be good citizens. Most everybody was fairly well off and had very little needs. It was kind of like a paradise. Jonah could be happy in Tarshish. Jonah really had Tarshish more in mind when God called him to Nineveh.
The problem is when we respond to God’s call on our life most of us really have the “Shangri-la Christianity” in mind. Often, as Christians we want to ask God, ‘Do you really want me to go to Nineveh, because I had Tarshish more in mind. They need good Christians in Tarshish. Can’t I go to Tarshish instead?’
“No,” God responds to us, I want you to go to Nineveh.”
“But God, the people there - they don’t believe in you. And they don’t follow you. God, the people of Nineveh are mean and hateful. We don’t get along. Who could get along with the people of Nineveh? What am I suppose to do? They don’t like me and I don’t like them. How am I suppose to cope with these people?”
God calls us first to pray for them, and especially to pray for God's blessing for them. His desire is that we care for them, and then to celebrate what they have to be happy about. We must be concerned about their troubles, and do everything we can to live in peace with them.”
It is hard to keep at a distance and be at odds with someone whom we are genuinely praying for. In Romans12, Paul tells us to ask for God’s blessing on our enemy when we’d rather curse them. When we truly pray for someone’s well-being, when we care about their needs, when we celebrate their joys, they really can’t keep being our enemies.
Our Lord declared to us as it is recorded in Mathew, "You have heard that it was said, ’You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/ZIUCRXMM4pE
Please pray for our upcoming ministry events:
We will be back to our Wednesday schedule, including Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, starting September 14.2011.. We will meet with a meal at 6 PM, with the Bible study beginning at 6:30 PM. We will begin a 4 week study on the theme, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will", by Adam Hamilton. Topics include, "Why Do the Innocent Suffer?", Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?", "Why Can't I See God's Will for My Life?", and "Why God's Love Prevails". Following the completion of this study we will be using Rick Warren's study, "Forty Days of Love". This will lead us to the beginning of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. More information will follow in the church newsletter.
Please mark your calendar for our prayer conference, which will begin on Friday, October 14 and continue through Sunday morning, October 16.
The Key Note Speaker: Kelly Johnson from Memphis TN.
Prayer Team will include: Sunita and Andy, Rob and Jenn and Meredith from Washington DC.
The tentative schedule follows:
Friday, October 14 at 6 PM - opening session at Union Center UMC
Saturday, October 15, 9 AM - noon - concert of prayer at UCUMC
Prayer teams will be available to pray for people for salvation, restoration, healing, deliverance...
Saturday, 5:30 PM - banquet at First UMC, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott
6:30 PM worship service, including an open invitation to pray at the altar following the worship service. I invite you to be a part of the prayer team during that time.
Sunday morning worship at 8:30 and 11 AM. at UCUMC Kelly Johnson will be preaching. There will be a time for prayer / a concert of prayer
Our first Saturday evening service will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 6:30 PM (Coffee Fellowship at 6 PM) at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue in Endicott. Rev. Earle Cowden will be preaching, and Laureen Naik will be leading the worship. One of our ministry teams, led by Lynn Rosenbarker, will be preparing and serving a meal at noon on 9/17, as part of our outreach ministry.
Our youth will be attending the Word of Life Superbowl at the arena and other sites on November 4 & 5.
Our annual Thanksgiving Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 19.
The Russian Men's Ensemble will be in concert on December 3.
We are planning for a trip to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Extravaganza on December 6, leaving here at 6 AM, spending the day in NYC, and attending the show at 5 PM. There are optional sites to visit, including the Ground Zero 9/11 Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The trip costs $90 per person, including the bus ticket and a ticket to the show. Anyone who wants to reserve a spot on the bus should make their check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, memo "Radio City Christmas Extravaganza".
September 18, we will go back onto the regular schedule with services at both 8:30 and 11 AM and Sunday School at 9:50 AM. Wesley will resume meeting at 9:30 AM.
Here at Union Center- Wesley- Endicott, we focus on " World as our Parish"., We remind ourselves that we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle. Jesus Christ the Head of the Church is Faithful . We are invited to embrace 7 holy habits of Christian faithfulness. We are called to FOCUS on our prayer life, our relationship with Christ, reading the Bible, faithful worship attendance, financial gifts to Christ and His Church,, serving Jesus with our hands, and sharing the good news of His Great Redemption,with others. May Christ be praised.
The Gospel Reading from last Sunday was taken from Mathew 18. Peter asked our Lord how often we should forgive. Should we forgive seven times seven?
Craig Barnes has a book called, "When God Interrupts". In his book, he talks about times in our life when things don’t go the way we planned or the way we want them to go. He’s not talking about life’s small disappointments but, rather, about catastrophic illness, divorce, death of a loved one. Craig is talking about life’s big disappointments. In his discussion, He addresses the danger of loving Jesus. He indicates that Jesus has a tendency to lead us away from places we would rather be and then lead us to places we would rather not go. The story of Jonah is a great illustration of this point. God called Jonah to go to a town called Nineveh.
Craig describes Nineveh this way: “Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the enemy of God’s people. It was a strong city that had grown sick and decadent and needed to turn toward the grace of God. Nineveh illustrates what is wrong with the world, and what is oppressive to the church. Nineveh doesn’t care about our Savior. Nineveh hurts us all the time.”
When God called Jonah, he had a choice to make. He could not stay where he was. Rather, he either had to follow where God led, or turn and go the other way.
We, as Christians, are faced with the same decision when we hear the Good News of God’s love - respond or turn away. God called to Jonah, and told him to go to Nineveh and tell the people there about God, but Jonah had a different idea. Jonah didn’t like the idea of going to Nineveh because Ninevites were evil people who didn’t care for God. Jonah decided that he would rather go to the city of Tarshish.
“Tarshish was a far-off idealized port city, a kind of ancient Shangri-La. Solomon’s fleet went there to get gold, silver, ivory and peacocks.”
It was a great city, an enjoyable place. It was a good neighborhood with a low crime rate. Most everybody got along. Most everybody tried to be good citizens. Most everybody was fairly well off and had very little needs. It was kind of like a paradise. Jonah could be happy in Tarshish. Jonah really had Tarshish more in mind when God called him to Nineveh.
The problem is when we respond to God’s call on our life most of us really have the “Shangri-la Christianity” in mind. Often, as Christians we want to ask God, ‘Do you really want me to go to Nineveh, because I had Tarshish more in mind. They need good Christians in Tarshish. Can’t I go to Tarshish instead?’
“No,” God responds to us, I want you to go to Nineveh.”
“But God, the people there - they don’t believe in you. And they don’t follow you. God, the people of Nineveh are mean and hateful. We don’t get along. Who could get along with the people of Nineveh? What am I suppose to do? They don’t like me and I don’t like them. How am I suppose to cope with these people?”
God calls us first to pray for them, and especially to pray for God's blessing for them. His desire is that we care for them, and then to celebrate what they have to be happy about. We must be concerned about their troubles, and do everything we can to live in peace with them.”
It is hard to keep at a distance and be at odds with someone whom we are genuinely praying for. In Romans12, Paul tells us to ask for God’s blessing on our enemy when we’d rather curse them. When we truly pray for someone’s well-being, when we care about their needs, when we celebrate their joys, they really can’t keep being our enemies.
Our Lord declared to us as it is recorded in Mathew, "You have heard that it was said, ’You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/ZIUCRXMM4pE
Please pray for our upcoming ministry events:
We will be back to our Wednesday schedule, including Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, starting September 14.2011.. We will meet with a meal at 6 PM, with the Bible study beginning at 6:30 PM. We will begin a 4 week study on the theme, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will", by Adam Hamilton. Topics include, "Why Do the Innocent Suffer?", Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?", "Why Can't I See God's Will for My Life?", and "Why God's Love Prevails". Following the completion of this study we will be using Rick Warren's study, "Forty Days of Love". This will lead us to the beginning of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. More information will follow in the church newsletter.
Please mark your calendar for our prayer conference, which will begin on Friday, October 14 and continue through Sunday morning, October 16.
The Key Note Speaker: Kelly Johnson from Memphis TN.
Prayer Team will include: Sunita and Andy, Rob and Jenn and Meredith from Washington DC.
The tentative schedule follows:
Friday, October 14 at 6 PM - opening session at Union Center UMC
Saturday, October 15, 9 AM - noon - concert of prayer at UCUMC
Prayer teams will be available to pray for people for salvation, restoration, healing, deliverance...
Saturday, 5:30 PM - banquet at First UMC, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott
6:30 PM worship service, including an open invitation to pray at the altar following the worship service. I invite you to be a part of the prayer team during that time.
Sunday morning worship at 8:30 and 11 AM. at UCUMC Kelly Johnson will be preaching. There will be a time for prayer / a concert of prayer
Our first Saturday evening service will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 6:30 PM (Coffee Fellowship at 6 PM) at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue in Endicott. Rev. Earle Cowden will be preaching, and Laureen Naik will be leading the worship. One of our ministry teams, led by Lynn Rosenbarker, will be preparing and serving a meal at noon on 9/17, as part of our outreach ministry.
Our youth will be attending the Word of Life Superbowl at the arena and other sites on November 4 & 5.
Our annual Thanksgiving Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 19.
The Russian Men's Ensemble will be in concert on December 3.
We are planning for a trip to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Extravaganza on December 6, leaving here at 6 AM, spending the day in NYC, and attending the show at 5 PM. There are optional sites to visit, including the Ground Zero 9/11 Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The trip costs $90 per person, including the bus ticket and a ticket to the show. Anyone who wants to reserve a spot on the bus should make their check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, memo "Radio City Christmas Extravaganza".
September 18, we will go back onto the regular schedule with services at both 8:30 and 11 AM and Sunday School at 9:50 AM. Wesley will resume meeting at 9:30 AM.
Here at Union Center- Wesley- Endicott, we focus on " World as our Parish"., We remind ourselves that we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle. Jesus Christ the Head of the Church is Faithful . We are invited to embrace 7 holy habits of Christian faithfulness. We are called to FOCUS on our prayer life, our relationship with Christ, reading the Bible, faithful worship attendance, financial gifts to Christ and His Church,, serving Jesus with our hands, and sharing the good news of His Great Redemption,with others. May Christ be praised.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 9-13-11
Good morning,
Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon, and Ada spent the weekend with us. It was a great treat and thrill for us. They are planning to move toward Corning, NY area. They are in the midst of buying a house there and selling their home in Boston. Our Janice celebrates her birthday today. We praise the Lord for her life. We are so blessed.
We as a nation observed the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy and disaster this weekend. Last week, our region suffered one of the worst floods since records have been kept. Alice did not get home last Wednesday night because of the floods; all the roads leading to the house were closed. Some strangers welcomed her and offered her shelter. She was able to drive later in the evening to Binghamton, where she stayed with Laureen. We were so blessed in so many ways, including the fact that we did not lose any power. There is very little water damage in the basement. There was some minimal water damage in the church basement, but it has been cleaned up. We were able to hold worship last Sunday.
Many of our neighboring Churches were flooded and suffered extensive damage. In fact, many churches were closed last Sunday.
Praise the Lord that He is able to bring out the best in all of us. In times of crises and disasters, the Lord opens doors for us to serve Him, to become His hands, feet, and heart, reaching out to those around us. We prepared meals which were served Saturday noon and Sunday after morning worship, and also delivered meals various families on Sunday afternoon. Our sister church, Central United Methodist Church, is one of the Red Cross designated shelters for many of the flood victims. One of our neighbors stopped by yesterday brought to us a huge watermelon and huge cantaloupe grown in his garden. They are so big that I thought they must have been grown in the south. People are out there tirelessly and selflessly serving and caring for others. Our daughter, Laureen, is on 12 hour nursing duty today at the temporary shelter at BU Events Center.
In the midst of trials and tragedies we turn to the Lord who is our refuge and strength. As the Scripture says, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8). Our security in an unsafe world comes from several truths which the Scriptures teach us. The first truth we need to have planted deeply in our lives is that our security is in God, not in the things of this world. The Bible says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm” (Psalm 20:7-8). Our faith is not in our military power, our intelligence network, our economy and financial institutions, the power of our foreign alliances; our hope is in the Lord our God. The Bible says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).
Our security is in our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whom we live, move, and have our being. Security is not about safety. It is about faith and courage. There are those in our culture who live in great safety and prosperity, yet their lives are consumed with worry and fear. On the other hand, there are those in the world who live in very difficult and dangerous places who have security, because they are full of faith and hope. We want to be safe, but it is more important for us to be secure in our faith and find our courage in God. The Bible says, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever” (Psalm 125:1). Security is not the absence of trouble, but confidence and courage in the midst of trouble that comes from our faith.
We know that, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands” (Acts 17:24). He is everywhere, for he has said, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). It is this faith that gives us the courage to say, we “will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day” (Psalm 91:5). Our confidence cannot be shaken, because we have a God who is in complete control of the Universe. The earth may crumble and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, but we know that God is unchanged, and his love will see us through. We say, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8). We say with the Psalmist, “I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).
We have courage because our Lord Jesus the christ, has said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). We are secure in an unsafe world because the Bible says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Hebrews 12:28-29). We have courage, not because we are strong, but because we have a God who is powerful beyond words and rules over all.
When we are grounded in eternity our lives are built on a foundation that cannot be shaken. The Bible says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). God works in all the situations of our lives to bring about his good. He does not cause every situation, but He does use them. Our confidence does not go up and down with the stock market. Our security is not in how good the news is on television. Our confidence is not shaken even though the earth burns and its smoke rises. For the Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).
An Invitation to care and share:
We have ample room at the parsonage. It is available for any one for temporary housing. A family that suffered a flood damage spent a day and a night with us. Several families have offered their homes for the flood victims for temporary housing. If you know any one needing temporary housing please call the church office at 607-748-6329.
We will have a full and hot meal served this Wednesday at 6 PM at the Church Fellowship Hall. Our team will be preparing and serving a hot meal this Saturday at noon at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave, Endicott. Many of our men and women have gone out in ministering to people. They are available for ministering and serving in a variety of ways. The Boy Scout group led by Chris Seavey and Eric Crouse is also available to minister to people and serve them.
Those of you who would like to minister to people in need by giving of your time and talent and treasure please call the church office.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/SEXRgkW8oh8
Please pray for our upcoming ministry events:
We will be back to our Wednesday schedule, including Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, starting tomorrow, 6/7. We will meet with a meal at 6 PM, with the Bible study beginning at 6:30 PM. We will begin a 4 week study on the theme, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will", by Adam Hamilton. Topics include, "Why Do the Innocent Suffer?", Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?", "Why Can't I See God's Will for My Life?", and "Why God's Love Prevails". Following the completion of this study we will be using Rick Warren's study, "Forty Days of Love". This will lead us to the beginning of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. More information will follow in the church newsletter.
Please mark your calendar for our prayer conference, which will begin on Friday, October 14 and continue through Sunday morning, October 16.
The Key Note Speaker: Kelly Johnson from Memphis TN.
Prayer Team will include: Sunita and Andy, Rob and Jenn and Meredith from Washington DC.
The tentative schedule follows:
Friday, October 14 at 6 PM - opening session at Union Center UMC
Saturday, October 15, 9 AM - noon - concert of prayer at UCUMC
Prayer teams will be available to pray for people for salvation, restoration, healing, deliverance...
Saturday, 5:30 PM - banquet at First UMC, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott
6:30 PM worship service, including an open invitation to pray at the altar following the worship service. I invite you to be a part of the prayer team during that time.
Sunday morning worship at 8:30 and 11 AM. at UCUMC Kelly Johnson will be preaching. There will be a time for prayer / a concert of prayer
Our first Saturday evening service will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 6:30 PM (Coffee Fellowship at 6 PM) at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue in Endicott. Rev. Earle Cowden will be preaching, and Laureen Naik will be leading the worship. One of our ministry teams, led by Lynn Rosenbarker, will be preparing and serving a meal at noon on 9/17, as part of our outreach ministry.
Our youth will be attending the Word of Life Superbowl at the arena and other sites on November 4 & 5.
Our annual Thanksgiving Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 19.
The Russian Men's Ensemble will be in concert on December 3.
We are planning for a trip to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Extravaganza on December 6, leaving here at 6 AM, spending the day in NYC, and attending the show at 5 PM. There are optional sites to visit, including the Ground Zero 9/11 Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The trip costs $90 per person, including the bus ticket and a ticket to the show. Anyone who wants to reserve a spot on the bus should make their check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, memo "Radio City Christmas Extravaganza".
September 18, we will go back onto the regular schedule with services at both 8:30 and 11 AM and Sunday School at 9:50 AM. Wesley will resume meeting at 9:30 AM.
Here at Union Center- Wesley- Endicott, we focus on " World as our Parish"., We remind ourselves that we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle. Jesus Christ the Head of the Church is Faithful . We are invited to embrace 7 holy habits of Christian faithfulness. We are called to FOCUS on our prayer life, our relationship with Christ, reading the Bible, faithful worship attendance, financial gifts to Christ and His Church,, serving Jesus with our hands, and sharing the good news of His Great Redemption,with others. May Christ be praised.
A memo from our District Superintendent :
Friends,
Here is a brief update on the latest around the District. Thanks for your support and prayers.
Dave Masland
1. General Comments… bad news: We have 5-6 churches that have sustained MAJOR damage, and another 7-8 that have sustained significant damage. It is hard to think of a community in the District that does not have some families adversely effected by water and mud. In some towns (Owego, Westover, Tioga Center, Barton, etc) nearly 100% of the homes/families/businesses have been effected. The roadsides of these towns are piled 4-5 feet high with mud-covered belongings from every home. The odors of mud, oil, gasoline and sewage hangs everywhere. The thought I keep having is: "The loss for these folks is so huge… the most significant thing we can offer is a listening ear, and kindness."
2. General Comments… good news: After six days of difficult travel due to closed roads, today under God's warm sun, many bridges and roads were re-opened, making travel more possible. Fire companies from all over the Northeast are here pumping out people's basements. NYSEG workers from all over the state are here working non-stop to get people's gas and power back up and running. Representatives from dozens of church and secular organizations met this morning to do their best to coordinate relief and rebuilding efforts in the months to come… and came away with a plan. There are good people being kind neighbors in every corner. UM Church people are doing amazing things: Feeding people with free food every day. Collecting food. Building flood kits. Helping muck out, tear out and throw out wet things. Offering worship space to folks from flooded churches. Everywhere I go, I see people being kind… talking to strangers… offering thanks… showing patience. God is clearly here.
3. Specific Reports…
Owego UMC… Thanks to tireless firemen pumping water for two straight days, at 4 PM Monday the building was finally water free. Sadly, 10+ feet of water has left mud on everything. This church needs help NOW! PLEASE send people this week to help muck out, carry debris to the curb, and begin tearing out wall board so things can dry out. Hundreds of families in homes need similar help in this town!
Tioga Center UMC… Volunteers from the church and community have done a lot of work to pull out wet things. 30" of water in the sanctuary have created unique challenges. Power turned back on today brought new hope.
Nimmonsburg UMC… Volunteers have removed all wet items, and the work of tearing out wet wallboard has begun.
Westover UMC… The parsonage basement has been cleared and cleaned. Volunteers removed a bunch of items from the church today. Much more work needs to be done. They can use some help on Tuesday, if people want to come.
Lounsberry UMC… Water receded slowly. Mucking out and tearing out has been started.
Maine Federated Church… had a bunch of water in both of their buildings used for ministry. Volunteers removed wet items, drying out is well under way.
Barton UMC… had water that filled their basement. Volunteers have removed wet items. Work continues.
Vestal Center UMC… had water damage in both church and parsonage. Volunteers have removed all wet items, drying out has begun.
Nichols UMC… Parsonage and church both had significant water in basement. Volunteers have done much work to remove wet materials, and begin to dry out.
Jenksville UMC… took on water from the West branch of the Owego Creek. Work of cleaning out and drying out has begun.
Newark Valley UMC… Water in their lower level damaged Sunday School/Nursery School spaces. Volunteers have removed all wet items. Wall board needs to be removed.
Central Endicott UMC… For 3-4 days, ground water seeped up thru the lower floors of the church. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to stay ahead of the water, have torn up wet floor coverings, and seem to have finally won the battle. Through it all, ministry to others has continued.
Castle Creek UMC… had some water in their basement, but volunteers have cleaned it up, and drying out has occurred.
With the help of Greg Forrestor and Carl Chamberlain, we are setting up three sites where volunteer teams can gather, get trained, prepare food, get showers and sleep. While the mucking out of churches and homes is a short term project (most of it will be complete in the next week or so), the rebuilding after drying out will likely last for 2+ years. We are getting a system in place to receive people and send them where they are most needed. More details on who to contact to schedule a VIM trip here will be coming soon.
Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon, and Ada spent the weekend with us. It was a great treat and thrill for us. They are planning to move toward Corning, NY area. They are in the midst of buying a house there and selling their home in Boston. Our Janice celebrates her birthday today. We praise the Lord for her life. We are so blessed.
We as a nation observed the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy and disaster this weekend. Last week, our region suffered one of the worst floods since records have been kept. Alice did not get home last Wednesday night because of the floods; all the roads leading to the house were closed. Some strangers welcomed her and offered her shelter. She was able to drive later in the evening to Binghamton, where she stayed with Laureen. We were so blessed in so many ways, including the fact that we did not lose any power. There is very little water damage in the basement. There was some minimal water damage in the church basement, but it has been cleaned up. We were able to hold worship last Sunday.
Many of our neighboring Churches were flooded and suffered extensive damage. In fact, many churches were closed last Sunday.
Praise the Lord that He is able to bring out the best in all of us. In times of crises and disasters, the Lord opens doors for us to serve Him, to become His hands, feet, and heart, reaching out to those around us. We prepared meals which were served Saturday noon and Sunday after morning worship, and also delivered meals various families on Sunday afternoon. Our sister church, Central United Methodist Church, is one of the Red Cross designated shelters for many of the flood victims. One of our neighbors stopped by yesterday brought to us a huge watermelon and huge cantaloupe grown in his garden. They are so big that I thought they must have been grown in the south. People are out there tirelessly and selflessly serving and caring for others. Our daughter, Laureen, is on 12 hour nursing duty today at the temporary shelter at BU Events Center.
In the midst of trials and tragedies we turn to the Lord who is our refuge and strength. As the Scripture says, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8). Our security in an unsafe world comes from several truths which the Scriptures teach us. The first truth we need to have planted deeply in our lives is that our security is in God, not in the things of this world. The Bible says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm” (Psalm 20:7-8). Our faith is not in our military power, our intelligence network, our economy and financial institutions, the power of our foreign alliances; our hope is in the Lord our God. The Bible says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).
Our security is in our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whom we live, move, and have our being. Security is not about safety. It is about faith and courage. There are those in our culture who live in great safety and prosperity, yet their lives are consumed with worry and fear. On the other hand, there are those in the world who live in very difficult and dangerous places who have security, because they are full of faith and hope. We want to be safe, but it is more important for us to be secure in our faith and find our courage in God. The Bible says, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever” (Psalm 125:1). Security is not the absence of trouble, but confidence and courage in the midst of trouble that comes from our faith.
We know that, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands” (Acts 17:24). He is everywhere, for he has said, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). It is this faith that gives us the courage to say, we “will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day” (Psalm 91:5). Our confidence cannot be shaken, because we have a God who is in complete control of the Universe. The earth may crumble and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, but we know that God is unchanged, and his love will see us through. We say, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8). We say with the Psalmist, “I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).
We have courage because our Lord Jesus the christ, has said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). We are secure in an unsafe world because the Bible says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Hebrews 12:28-29). We have courage, not because we are strong, but because we have a God who is powerful beyond words and rules over all.
When we are grounded in eternity our lives are built on a foundation that cannot be shaken. The Bible says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). God works in all the situations of our lives to bring about his good. He does not cause every situation, but He does use them. Our confidence does not go up and down with the stock market. Our security is not in how good the news is on television. Our confidence is not shaken even though the earth burns and its smoke rises. For the Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).
An Invitation to care and share:
We have ample room at the parsonage. It is available for any one for temporary housing. A family that suffered a flood damage spent a day and a night with us. Several families have offered their homes for the flood victims for temporary housing. If you know any one needing temporary housing please call the church office at 607-748-6329.
We will have a full and hot meal served this Wednesday at 6 PM at the Church Fellowship Hall. Our team will be preparing and serving a hot meal this Saturday at noon at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave, Endicott. Many of our men and women have gone out in ministering to people. They are available for ministering and serving in a variety of ways. The Boy Scout group led by Chris Seavey and Eric Crouse is also available to minister to people and serve them.
Those of you who would like to minister to people in need by giving of your time and talent and treasure please call the church office.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/SEXRgkW8oh8
Please pray for our upcoming ministry events:
We will be back to our Wednesday schedule, including Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, starting tomorrow, 6/7. We will meet with a meal at 6 PM, with the Bible study beginning at 6:30 PM. We will begin a 4 week study on the theme, "Why? Making Sense of God's Will", by Adam Hamilton. Topics include, "Why Do the Innocent Suffer?", Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?", "Why Can't I See God's Will for My Life?", and "Why God's Love Prevails". Following the completion of this study we will be using Rick Warren's study, "Forty Days of Love". This will lead us to the beginning of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. More information will follow in the church newsletter.
Please mark your calendar for our prayer conference, which will begin on Friday, October 14 and continue through Sunday morning, October 16.
The Key Note Speaker: Kelly Johnson from Memphis TN.
Prayer Team will include: Sunita and Andy, Rob and Jenn and Meredith from Washington DC.
The tentative schedule follows:
Friday, October 14 at 6 PM - opening session at Union Center UMC
Saturday, October 15, 9 AM - noon - concert of prayer at UCUMC
Prayer teams will be available to pray for people for salvation, restoration, healing, deliverance...
Saturday, 5:30 PM - banquet at First UMC, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott
6:30 PM worship service, including an open invitation to pray at the altar following the worship service. I invite you to be a part of the prayer team during that time.
Sunday morning worship at 8:30 and 11 AM. at UCUMC Kelly Johnson will be preaching. There will be a time for prayer / a concert of prayer
Our first Saturday evening service will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 6:30 PM (Coffee Fellowship at 6 PM) at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue in Endicott. Rev. Earle Cowden will be preaching, and Laureen Naik will be leading the worship. One of our ministry teams, led by Lynn Rosenbarker, will be preparing and serving a meal at noon on 9/17, as part of our outreach ministry.
Our youth will be attending the Word of Life Superbowl at the arena and other sites on November 4 & 5.
Our annual Thanksgiving Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 19.
The Russian Men's Ensemble will be in concert on December 3.
We are planning for a trip to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Extravaganza on December 6, leaving here at 6 AM, spending the day in NYC, and attending the show at 5 PM. There are optional sites to visit, including the Ground Zero 9/11 Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The trip costs $90 per person, including the bus ticket and a ticket to the show. Anyone who wants to reserve a spot on the bus should make their check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, memo "Radio City Christmas Extravaganza".
September 18, we will go back onto the regular schedule with services at both 8:30 and 11 AM and Sunday School at 9:50 AM. Wesley will resume meeting at 9:30 AM.
Here at Union Center- Wesley- Endicott, we focus on " World as our Parish"., We remind ourselves that we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle. Jesus Christ the Head of the Church is Faithful . We are invited to embrace 7 holy habits of Christian faithfulness. We are called to FOCUS on our prayer life, our relationship with Christ, reading the Bible, faithful worship attendance, financial gifts to Christ and His Church,, serving Jesus with our hands, and sharing the good news of His Great Redemption,with others. May Christ be praised.
A memo from our District Superintendent :
Friends,
Here is a brief update on the latest around the District. Thanks for your support and prayers.
Dave Masland
1. General Comments… bad news: We have 5-6 churches that have sustained MAJOR damage, and another 7-8 that have sustained significant damage. It is hard to think of a community in the District that does not have some families adversely effected by water and mud. In some towns (Owego, Westover, Tioga Center, Barton, etc) nearly 100% of the homes/families/businesses have been effected. The roadsides of these towns are piled 4-5 feet high with mud-covered belongings from every home. The odors of mud, oil, gasoline and sewage hangs everywhere. The thought I keep having is: "The loss for these folks is so huge… the most significant thing we can offer is a listening ear, and kindness."
2. General Comments… good news: After six days of difficult travel due to closed roads, today under God's warm sun, many bridges and roads were re-opened, making travel more possible. Fire companies from all over the Northeast are here pumping out people's basements. NYSEG workers from all over the state are here working non-stop to get people's gas and power back up and running. Representatives from dozens of church and secular organizations met this morning to do their best to coordinate relief and rebuilding efforts in the months to come… and came away with a plan. There are good people being kind neighbors in every corner. UM Church people are doing amazing things: Feeding people with free food every day. Collecting food. Building flood kits. Helping muck out, tear out and throw out wet things. Offering worship space to folks from flooded churches. Everywhere I go, I see people being kind… talking to strangers… offering thanks… showing patience. God is clearly here.
3. Specific Reports…
Owego UMC… Thanks to tireless firemen pumping water for two straight days, at 4 PM Monday the building was finally water free. Sadly, 10+ feet of water has left mud on everything. This church needs help NOW! PLEASE send people this week to help muck out, carry debris to the curb, and begin tearing out wall board so things can dry out. Hundreds of families in homes need similar help in this town!
Tioga Center UMC… Volunteers from the church and community have done a lot of work to pull out wet things. 30" of water in the sanctuary have created unique challenges. Power turned back on today brought new hope.
Nimmonsburg UMC… Volunteers have removed all wet items, and the work of tearing out wet wallboard has begun.
Westover UMC… The parsonage basement has been cleared and cleaned. Volunteers removed a bunch of items from the church today. Much more work needs to be done. They can use some help on Tuesday, if people want to come.
Lounsberry UMC… Water receded slowly. Mucking out and tearing out has been started.
Maine Federated Church… had a bunch of water in both of their buildings used for ministry. Volunteers removed wet items, drying out is well under way.
Barton UMC… had water that filled their basement. Volunteers have removed wet items. Work continues.
Vestal Center UMC… had water damage in both church and parsonage. Volunteers have removed all wet items, drying out has begun.
Nichols UMC… Parsonage and church both had significant water in basement. Volunteers have done much work to remove wet materials, and begin to dry out.
Jenksville UMC… took on water from the West branch of the Owego Creek. Work of cleaning out and drying out has begun.
Newark Valley UMC… Water in their lower level damaged Sunday School/Nursery School spaces. Volunteers have removed all wet items. Wall board needs to be removed.
Central Endicott UMC… For 3-4 days, ground water seeped up thru the lower floors of the church. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to stay ahead of the water, have torn up wet floor coverings, and seem to have finally won the battle. Through it all, ministry to others has continued.
Castle Creek UMC… had some water in their basement, but volunteers have cleaned it up, and drying out has occurred.
With the help of Greg Forrestor and Carl Chamberlain, we are setting up three sites where volunteer teams can gather, get trained, prepare food, get showers and sleep. While the mucking out of churches and homes is a short term project (most of it will be complete in the next week or so), the rebuilding after drying out will likely last for 2+ years. We are getting a system in place to receive people and send them where they are most needed. More details on who to contact to schedule a VIM trip here will be coming soon.
Brown's Daily Word 9-10-11
Good evening dear friends,
I did not have Internet connection the past few days, which is why I have not written. We praise the Lord, who is our shelter in time of the storm. "He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble." Many of our friends and neighbors have suffered loss in the past few days since the storm. We are praying with you for the Lord's comfort and His sheltering love. Praise the Lord for those who are working relentlessly, caring for those in need. May the Lord grant them His grace and compassion and sustaining strength.
We lift up the following special needs:
Evvie Binder, who has been transferred from Vestal Nursing Center to Susquehanna Nursing Home
Juna Tinkham, who has lost power, along with all of her neighbors in the Owego area- Juna has gone to Syracuse to stay with some relatives.
Jen Blackman, who was evacuated from her house and is staying with her sister in Vestal. Jen Blackman lost all of her belongings in the flood.
Mike and Shannan Meilunas were evacuated, but are back home and thankfully, their home was untouched by the flood waters.
Etta Schaffer has moved to one of her children's homes.
Glen and Claudia Godoy have been evacuated and are living with Claudia's parents.
Deanna Caeti and her family were evacuated and lost many of their belongings that were in the basement.
My brother, David, lost everything in his house.
Grayson Burlingame and family, and others who live on Cary Anne Dr., have been cut off from everything after the bridge there was washed out.
Dave Ring, along with all other first responders, who have been working so hard.
Rex and Karen Rosenbarker, whose home suffered damage in the flood.
Sadie Rivera also had damage to her home.
We were blessed to have a family stay with us overnight who was evacuated from their home.
Some of our church family came to labor to help remove things from basements of various family's homes.
We will meet for worship tomorrow morning at 10:15 with Sunday School at 9:00. Wesley service is at 9:30am. Make time to come and join us for worship.
Also, after service we will have Hot meals available to give to neighbors and friends in need and to offer to those public service workers who are giving of themselves so freely.
"O most loving God, who in the Person of Thy Son Jesus Christ didst manifest Thy love to man be relieving all manner of suffering an healing all manner of disease, grant Thy blessing, I pray, to all who in any corner of the world are serving in Christ's name:
All ministers of the gospel of Christ:
All social workers:
All missionary workers abroad:
All doctors and nurses who faithfully tend the sick. Accomplish through them Thy great purpose of goodwill to men, and grant them in their own hearts the joy of Christ's most real presence.
And to me also, as I lie down, grant, O gracoius Father, the joy of a life surrendered to Christ's service and the peace of sin forgiven through the power of His Cross. Amen"
~John Baillie
See you in church.
Brown
I did not have Internet connection the past few days, which is why I have not written. We praise the Lord, who is our shelter in time of the storm. "He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble." Many of our friends and neighbors have suffered loss in the past few days since the storm. We are praying with you for the Lord's comfort and His sheltering love. Praise the Lord for those who are working relentlessly, caring for those in need. May the Lord grant them His grace and compassion and sustaining strength.
We lift up the following special needs:
Evvie Binder, who has been transferred from Vestal Nursing Center to Susquehanna Nursing Home
Juna Tinkham, who has lost power, along with all of her neighbors in the Owego area- Juna has gone to Syracuse to stay with some relatives.
Jen Blackman, who was evacuated from her house and is staying with her sister in Vestal. Jen Blackman lost all of her belongings in the flood.
Mike and Shannan Meilunas were evacuated, but are back home and thankfully, their home was untouched by the flood waters.
Etta Schaffer has moved to one of her children's homes.
Glen and Claudia Godoy have been evacuated and are living with Claudia's parents.
Deanna Caeti and her family were evacuated and lost many of their belongings that were in the basement.
My brother, David, lost everything in his house.
Grayson Burlingame and family, and others who live on Cary Anne Dr., have been cut off from everything after the bridge there was washed out.
Dave Ring, along with all other first responders, who have been working so hard.
Rex and Karen Rosenbarker, whose home suffered damage in the flood.
Sadie Rivera also had damage to her home.
We were blessed to have a family stay with us overnight who was evacuated from their home.
Some of our church family came to labor to help remove things from basements of various family's homes.
We will meet for worship tomorrow morning at 10:15 with Sunday School at 9:00. Wesley service is at 9:30am. Make time to come and join us for worship.
Also, after service we will have Hot meals available to give to neighbors and friends in need and to offer to those public service workers who are giving of themselves so freely.
"O most loving God, who in the Person of Thy Son Jesus Christ didst manifest Thy love to man be relieving all manner of suffering an healing all manner of disease, grant Thy blessing, I pray, to all who in any corner of the world are serving in Christ's name:
All ministers of the gospel of Christ:
All social workers:
All missionary workers abroad:
All doctors and nurses who faithfully tend the sick. Accomplish through them Thy great purpose of goodwill to men, and grant them in their own hearts the joy of Christ's most real presence.
And to me also, as I lie down, grant, O gracoius Father, the joy of a life surrendered to Christ's service and the peace of sin forgiven through the power of His Cross. Amen"
~John Baillie
See you in church.
Brown
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