Brown's Daily Word 3-30-12

Good morning,

Praise the Lord for this Friday before Palm Sunday. Let us plan to be in the Lord's House this coming Palm Sunday. Let us praise Him and proclaim His Majesty. Let us shout and sing. We live in a Good Friday World but we proclaim Palm Sunday faith. Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. Jesus is the victor. He reigns in triumph and glory. Even though the world scene is bleak and frightening we serve under a captain who has never lost a battle.

I recall a fascinating part of John Bunyan’s book Pilgrims Progress, where Interpreter leads Christian into a place where there is a perplexing sight. He sees a fire burning beside a wall. It continues to burn under extraordinary circumstances. Someone stands beside the fire, continually throwing water on it in an attempt to extinguish it, but instead of the fire going out, it only burns brighter and hotter. Then Interpreter takes Christian behind the wall and shows him what he could not see before. Behind the wall another man is continually feeding the fire with oil. Christian cannot understand the whole thing until Interpreter explains to him that the man putting water on the fire represents the devil. He is always trying to dampen and extinguish the work of God in the world, but what he and the others on that side of the wall cannot see is the man on the other side of the wall who represents Christ. He is continually fueling the fire with the oil of his Spirit, and the forces of evil can never put it out.

The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of what God had in mind, and the reality of what Christmas will mean in the end, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). In the end Jesus Christ will reign, and He will reconcile all things to Himself. God reveals his ultimate plan for us in the Scripture, saying, “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7). That is a wonderful end to a wonderful story — and nothing can stop it. All of us saw the incredible pictures of Saddam Hussein after he was taken from his hole in the ground. We were astounded to see this once powerful man who terrorized his own country and people throughout the world. Yet, he looked dazed and confused as he was deloused. He was filthy and his hair and beard were unkempt. He looked pitiful instead of powerful. The same thing happened with Osama bin Laden as he met his end. Somehow, I think that is going to be the way it is at the end of the world, when the final battle is over. We will look at our enemy, the devil, after he has been deposed and his power taken away and say, “That was who we were afraid of? That is the one who terrorized the world? The frightening serpent turned out to be only a worm.” Then he will be thrown back into his pit.

One of the readings for Palm Sunday is taken from Philippians 2, “Jesus. . . Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11). In the end, every knee will bow — the knees of those who despised him, rejected him, and ignored him, along with those who loved and served Him.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/E3jtHdaM2ew

Join us for our weekly television outreach tonight on Time Warner Cable Channel 4, at 7 PM.

http://youtu.be/pxTzXvS7bjA

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Binghamton House of Prayer team will lead in music and Word.

"The Binghamton House of Prayer" is an Interdenominational and international ministry of prayer that is engaged in prayer for our region. This group meets weekly for prayer ministry.

There will be a very special time for prayer for healing and blessing.

Special Music by Laureen Naik

This coming Sunday will be our Palm Sunday celebration. Come and join us. Invite your friends and family to join us in worship, praise, and celebration. Following the second service there will be an Easter egg hunt for the children, coordinated by Shannan Meilunas and Tegan Kraus. There will also be an Easter banquet for one and all, prepared with much love by Rodney Haines and Kathy Dence.

APRIL 5 at 6:30 PM there will be a Maundy Thursday foot washing and communion service. We will gather in the Fellowship Hall for this special service.
APRIL 6 at 6:30 PM there will be a Good Friday Service at Union Center UMC –
"Simon Peter" will be presented by our brother Jim Geer and the team. Join us for this very special presentation on the life and witness of Simon Peter.
APRIL 7 at 6:30 PM will be a very special Easter Eve celebration. This will be held at the First United Methodist Church, Endicott. The service of worship and praise will include Hymns and songs both classic and contemporary. We are blessed to have Aric Phinney at the Grand Piano, and Yancey Moore at the Pipe Organ, Dave Berry as the song leader and soloist, along with special musicians Winnie Allen and Emma Brunson. Come, Share, and Rejoice.
APRIL 8 at 6:30 AM A Sunrise service will be held at the pavilion at Union Center
Christian Church, 950 Boswell Hill Road. Rev. Marshall Sorber will be preaching. We will have special music. Mr. Katchudurian will be presenting special Easter Music on his trumpet.

You are all welcome back to the Union Center Church Fellowship Hall for a special Easter Morning breakfast prepared and served by Jim Holmes and the team.

We will gather for Special Easter Celebration and worship at 8:30 and 11:00 AM

at the Union Center UMC. The Youth and children will be presenting a very special song for Easter morning at both services. The Adult Choir will also be singing at both services. Sunday School will meet at 9:50 AM. We will gather for Easter Morning Worship At Wesley at 9:30 AM. We have so much to celebrate. We have so much to sing about. We have so much to rejoice in. It is all About Jesus, who came, who saw, and who conquered. He is upon the Throne.

Brown's Daily Word 3-29-12

Good morning,

Praise the Lord for this Thursday, one week before Maundy Thursday. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday Evening gathering for food, fellowship, and study in His Word. It is always a thrill to study the Word of the Lord in the setting of a group that is inquisitive participatory.

This morning I am looking at Luke 19. We have the record of our Lord's encounter with Zaccheus in Jericho , the oldest city on earth. Luke 19:1-10 "Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho." Everything Jesus did had a purpose, and in Luke 19, we will find that although Jesus was heading to the cross in Jerusalem, (Luke 18:36) He made a detour through Jericho, a longer route. In Joshua 6 we find that Jericho was the first city Israel came to after they crossed the River Jordan and entered the Promised Land.
Jericho was the gateway to Canaan or in New Testament terms the stronghold or things that hold us back from appropriating the promises of God! The people of Israel were given a set of instructions for following God in order to see the city fall. The obedience of Israel to follow those instructions and see this obstacle, Jericho, destroyed was an act of faith. Hebrews 11:30 "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days." Today our strongholds come down and the promises of God are appropriated when by faith we obey God's Word.
Jesus, our true Joshua, had to pass through Jericho because it represented Satan’s Stronghold of unbelief, disobedience, and doubt. Jesus had to see these spiritual walls demolished and prove that even in the midst of the situation there He could save the worst sinner.
To say that Zaccheus was not living by faith was a gross understatement. Our passage tells us he had a reputation of being a sinner and was, in fact, the Chief Tax Collector. He was one who impoverished the people, and who mistreated and stole from them as was the custom of the day. He worked for the Romans, who represent a type of the world. So our “son of faith” was not living by faith; he was living and controlled by his senses and as such was a prisoner of Satan. Jesus was on His way to His ultimate confrontation with Satan, on His way to destroy the kingdom of Satan.
Zaccheus, who had but one obsession in life, was moved by the Spirit of Jesus Christ to desire to see the Rabbi from Nazareth. Zaccheus chose a quiet spot above the people from which to observe the Lord more closely; he climbed that sycamore tree. When Jesus passed under the particular tree in which the curious tax collector was perched, He made a point of looking up and speaking to the man in the tree. Jesus knew where Zaccheus was, knew the man’s name, and knew that Zaccheus had a house. Jesus commanded: "Zaccheus make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." Jesus declares that it was necessary for Him to stay, and to spend time in this city of unbelief, in the house of Zaccheus the chief tax collector. He took that hardened sinner, Zaccheus, and rescued him from Satan’s clutches, and granted him new birth, new life. Luke 19:8-10, "Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.'"
And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Zacchaeus had strong walls that needed to come down in his life, much as we do ourselves. But rather than have us try to scale these walls ourselves, God has placed the victory before us in and through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:14, "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation."
We have plenty of walls in our lives: the wall of sin, the wall of unbelief, the wall of doubt, the wall of slavery to other things, the walls of rejection, the walls of apathy. In a way, we are living in Jericho. Many people, upon receiving Christ's salvation, destroy their walls of Jericho and start to walk in the promises of God, but over time tend to rebuild those walls again. It is then that we pause and wonder where our promise is. Let Jesus reenter our personal Jericho and pull those walls down once again.

In Christ,

Brown

Join us for our weekly television outreach on Friday evening, Time Warner Cable Channel 4, at 7 PM.

http://youtu.be/A8GfJwjGSlI

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Binghamton House of Prayer team will lead in music and Word.

"The Binghamton House of Prayer" is an Interdenominational and international ministry of prayer that is engaged in prayer for our region. This group meets weekly for prayer ministry.

There will be a very special time for prayer for healing and blessing.

Special Music by Laureen Naik

This coming Sunday will be our Palm Sunday celebration. Come and join us. Invite your friends and family to join us in worship, praise, and celebration. Following the second service there will be an Easter egg hunt for the children, coordinated by Shannan Meilunas and Tegan Kraus. There will also be an Easter banquet for one and all, prepared with much love by Rodney Haines and Kathy Dence.

APRIL 5 at 6:30 PM there will be a Maundy Thursday foot washing and communion service. We will gather in the Fellowship Hall for this special service.
APRIL 6 at 6:30 PM there will be a Good Friday Service at Union Center UMC –
"Simon Peter" will be presented by our brother Jim Geer and the team. Join us for this very special presentation on the life and witness of Simon Peter.
APRIL 7 at 6:30 PM will be a very special Easter Eve celebration. This will be held at the First United Methodist Church, Endicott. The service of worship and praise will include Hymns and songs both classic and contemporary. We are blessed to have Aric Phinney at the Grand Piano, and Yancey Moore at the Pipe Organ, Dave Berry as the song leader and soloist, along with special musicians Winnie Allen and Emma Brunson. Come, Share, and Rejoice.
APRIL 8 at 6:30 AM A Sunrise service will be held at the pavilion at Union Center
Christian Church, 950 Boswell Hill Road. Rev. Marshall Sorber will be preaching. We will have special music. Mr. Katchudurian will be presenting special Easter Music on his trumpet.

You are all welcome back to the Union Center Church Fellowship Hall for a special Easter Morning breakfast prepared and served by Jim Holmes and the team.

We will gather for Special Easter Celebration and worship at 8:30 and 11:00 AM

at the Union Center UMC. The Youth and children will be presenting a very special song for Easter morning at both services. The Adult Choir will also be singing at both services. Sunday School will meet at 9:50 AM. We will gather for Easter Morning Worship At Wesley at 9:30 AM. We have so much to celebrate. We have so much to sing about. We have so much to rejoice in. It is all About Jesus, who came, who saw, and who conquered. He is upon the Throne.

Brown's Daily Word 3-28-12

Good morning,

Praise the Lord for this new day. We will gather for our mid-week fellowship, Bible study and Choir practice today starting at 6 PM. As we get ready for Palm Sunday celebrations and he Holy Week services, may the Lord stir our hearts to love Him, to serve Him, and to worship Him. In John He declared that He leaves His peace with His own. He is the Way , the Truth and the Life. Those who have known the Truth in the Person of Jesus Christ are free indeed. They are fearless, brave, and courageous beyond belief.

I can still vividly remember the Mother Teresa's speech before the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994. She stood before national leaders, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, the most powerful couple in the world at the time, who were well-known advocates of abortion. You may recall that Clinton vetoed the ban on partial-birth abortions. Mother Teresa, with her small twisted body that was less than five feet tall, spoke to the large gathering of elegantly dressed dignitaries and said, “I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child — a direct killing of the innocent child — murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” Many of those present could not handle the truth.
A similar story happened in July of last year. The papers reported, “A New York town clerk announced her resignation in a letter saying that she would be compromising her ‘moral conscience’ if she signed marriage licenses between same-sex couples. Laura Fotusky said her decision was based strongly on her religious convictions and obeying the law of God over the law of men. 'The Bible clearly teaches that God created marriage between male and female as a divine gift that preserves families and cultures,' Fotusky wrote. 'Since I love and follow Him, I cannot put my signature on something that is against God.’” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo responded to Fotusky’s resignation, saying: “The law is the law, and when you enforce the laws of the state, you don’t get to pick and choose.” Actually you do, Mr. Cuomo, for as Fotusky simply said, “I had to obey God rather than men.” Many have rejected Chrst, leading to great confusion. A culture without Christ is confused, chaotic, and self destructive.
Here is the great truth in Scripture that is at the center of our faith, as well as the center of the universe itself: “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:13-17).
We live in a culture where it is considered more wrong to judge evil than to do evil. Tolerance is the great virtue of the day, and judgmentalism is the great sin. The Word of God says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).
As Jesus stood before Pilate, He said to him, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). Pilate’s languid response was, “What is truth?” That is the question the world is still asking today, and it still believes there is no real answer. The problem is that truth was standing directly in front of Pilate and he could not see it, just as the truth is standing before many today who cannot see it. Paul said, “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). This is why it is so important, as the Bible says, to: “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place” (Ephesians 6:13-14). May that be your armor today and always.

As we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week we praise the Lord for bringing us to participate in celebrating this Holy Season.

We will gather this Wednesday evening for a special meal at 6 PM, for Bible study and prayer starting at 6:30 PM, and for Choir practice beginning at 7:30 PM.

Join us for our weekly television outreach on Friday evening, Time Warner Cable Channel 4, at 7 PM.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/A8GfJwjGSlI

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Binghamton House of Prayer team will lead in music and Word.

"The Binhamton House of Prayer" is an Interdenominational and inernational ministry of prayer that is engaged in prayer for our region. This group meets weekly for prayer ministry.

There will be a very special time for prayer for healing and blessing.

Special Music by Laureen Naik

This coming Sunday will be our Palm Sunday celebration. Come and join us. Invite your friends and family to join us in worship, praise, and celebration. Following the second service there will be an Easter egg hunt for the children, coordinated by Shannan Meilunas and Tegan Kraus. There will also be an Easter banquet for one and all, prepared with much love by Rodney Haines and Kathy Dence.

APRIL 5 at 6:30 PM there will be a Maundy Thursday foot washing and communion service. We will gather in the Fellowship Hall for this special service.
APRIL 6 at 6:30 PM there will be a Good Friday Service at Union Center UMC –
"Simon Peter" will be presented by our brother Jim Geer and the team. Join us for this very special presentation on the life and witness of Simon Peter.
APRIL 7 at 6:30 PM will be a very special Easter Eve celebration. This will be held at the First United Methodist Church, Endicott. The service of worship and praise will include Hymns and songs both classic and contemporary. We are blessed to have Aric Phinney at the Grand Piano, and Yancey Moore at the Pipe Organ, Dave Berry as the song leader and soloist, along with special musicians Winnie Allen and Emma Brunson. Come, Share, and Rejoice.
APRIL 8 at 6:30 AM A Sunrise service will be held at the pavilion at Union Center
Christian Church, 950 Boswell Hill Road. Rev. Marshall Sorber will be preaching. We will have special music. Mr. Katchudurian will be presenting special Easter Music on his trumpet.

You are all welcome back to the Union Center Church Fellowship Hall for a special Easter Morning breakfast prepared and served by Jim Holmes and the team.

We will gather for Special Easter Celebration and worship at 8:30 and 11:00 AM

at the Union Center UMC. The Youth and children will be presenting a very special song for Easter morning at both services. The Adult Choir will also be singing at both services. Sunday School will meet at 9:50 AM. We will gather for Easter Morning Worship At Wesley at 9:30 AM. We have so much to celebrate. We have so much to sing about. We have so much to rejoice in. It is all About Jesus, who came, who saw, and who conquered. He is upon the Throne.

Brown's Daily Word 3-27-12

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. I shared in a service of death and Resurrection for Jack Chechia yesterday. Jack loved the Lord. He was 70 years old. He had spent some time with some of his friends a week before his death. He died in his sleep last week. Jack had no immediate family. His parents had died in a car accident on New Years eve 1973. His only son John, a Harvard University graduate, died at the age 31 a few years ago on Thanksgiving day.

Jack loved to sing. He sang "O holy Night" during Christmas Eve services. He used to pray, "Lord give us the faith of Abraham, the love of King David, the strength of Samson, and the boldness of Peter". I was saddened to know that Jack died alone. Then I was reminded that Jack did not die alone. Jesus, his Savior, was with him.

The service consisted of singing and thanksgiving. An accomplished Trumpet player showed up for the service. (He has played at the White House several times for various gatherings). He played "How Great Thou Art" and "In the Garden". At the grave side service he played "Nearer, My God, to Thee" and "The Lord's Prayer". After the service friends gathered for a sumptuous meal of Homemade Lasagna, rolls, and salads. It was day of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.

The Old Testament reading for last Sunday was taken from Jeremiah 31: 31 ff. The Jeremiah passage is a beautiful picture of God’s faithfulness. Our Lord God always keeps His promises.
I was reading about a Christian guy named Roger Simms, who was just discharged from the army and was hitchhiking his way back home. He was picked up by a guy driving a Cadillac. The driver said, "My name is Mr. Hanover. I’m headed to Chicago. I have a business there. Come on in."
After talking about many things, Roger felt led of the Spirit to share Christ with him. But he kept putting it off, until he realized he was just thirty minutes from home. It was now or never. So, Roger cleared his throat, "Mr. Hanover, I would like to talk to you about something very important." Then he shared the gospel. And he asked Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger’s surprise, the Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger thought "Oh boy, I’m about to get kicked out of the car." But the businessman bowed his head and received Christ right on the spot. And then he said, "Roger, this is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Thank you so much."
Five years went by, Roger married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Hanover had given him. In Chicago he looked up Hanover Enterprises. The receptionist said, "His wife is here." So she came out and extended her hand. "You knew my husband?" Roger told how her husband had given him a ride when hitchhiking home after the war. She asked, "Can you tell me when that was?" He said, "It was May 7, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army. I shared Christ with him. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ right on the spot." Then explosive sobs shook her body and she cried openly. She said, "I prayed for my husband’s salvation for years. I really believed God would save him." Roger said, "Where is your husband?" She said, "He’s dead. He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see-I thought God had not kept His promise." Sobbing uncontrollably, she added, "I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought He had not kept His word!"
Mrs. Hanover found out something that day. God ALWAYS keeps his word. Even when we can’t see it with our own eyes, God is working behind the scenes in people’s lives. He is faithful even when we are Unfaithful. Psalm 145:13 says that "The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all He has made."

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/Kg7aXEvCeXY

Friday March 30, 2012

Television Outreach

Time Warner Cable Channel 4

Time 7:00 PM

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Binghamton House of Prayer team will lead in music and Word.

"The Binghamton House of Prayer" is an Interdenominational and international ministry of prayer that is engaged in prayer for our region. This group meets weekly for prayer ministry.

There will be a very special time for prayer for healing and blessing.

Special Music by Laureen Naik

Prayer and Praise:

Praise the Lord for the wonderful and warm month of March which the Lord gave to us. Everywhere you look, there are flowers in full bloom. The daffodils and forsythias on the church grounds are in the abundant and colorful garb of spring. Praise the Lord for Ed Hower who, for so many years, cared for the flowers and plants with so much love.

The Lord blessed the Sunday worship services last Sunday, March 25.

Praise the Lord for the following, who celebrated birthdays over the past week: Donna Glover, Jack Black, Jim Holmes, Jean Warfield, Lois Holmes, Deborah Eckhardt, Ben Hettinger, Al Binder, Nola Rosenbarker (just turned 1), Marion Cameron (Linda Ayer's mom), and Jayne Flanagan. Jayne, who just turned 43, is still serving Christ joyfully in South Africa with her husband, Kirk, and 3 boys.

Praise the Lord for Rev. Earle Cowden, who had recent open heart surgery, who is regaining his strength. He even attended both morning and evening services yesterday. He has started walking 30 minutes a day.

Al Smith is also recovering from open heart surgery, and is back to teaching Sunday school.

Craig Sabin has returned to work part time, but needs continued prayer.

Jim French, recovering from knee and gall bladder surgeries.

Grayson Burlingame recently has surgery at Upstate Medical, and is at home recuperating.

Chris Haynes, who is recovering from eye surgery.

Praise the Lord that Jim Geer is again able to present the dramatic monologue, "Simon Peter", during this Lenten season.

Praise the Lord for the life and witness of Mari Hicks, a sweet servant of Jesus, who fought the good fight, and has now gone to be with her Lord.

Praise the Lord for the life of Don Simek, (Lynn Rosenbarker's uncle), aged 81. Pray for his family.

Praise the Lord for the life of Jack Checchia, who died in his sleep this past week at the age of 70. I was saddened to know that Jack died alone, but the Lord reminded me that He was with Jack. We had a beautiful service today in memory of Jack. Praise the Lord for those who came today to attend the service. Mary Haskell sang. Glenn Godoy shared some thoughts about Jack's life during the service. He had known Jack for many years. Mr. Katchedorian came and played hymns on his trumpet, including, "How Great Thou Art", and "In the Garden". At the graveside he played, "Nearer, My God, to Thee" and "The Lord's Prayer". It was a beautiful and sun-blessed service. Following the service friends gathered back at the church hall for a luncheon of homemade lasagna, rolls, and salad. I praise the Lord for so faithfully providing for his servants.

Jack's parents had died in 1973 as a result of a car accident on New Year's Eve. His only son, John, a Harvard graduate, had died several years ago at the age of 31. Jack had no family, but he had Jesus as his friend.

Praise the Lord for the youth sponsored Chicken Barbeque that was held on March 18.

Praise the Lord for a good week for Garry McFadden and Mariah McFadden.

Praise the Lord for the new addition that is just beginning. Loads of gravel have arrived, and ground should be broken in late April or early May.

Pray for the following:

Dusty Corwin, who had emergency surgery this week and is at Wilson. Also pray for Dusty and his wife, Sarah, as she recently miscarried.

Lee Sanford, who is battling cancer for the fourth time, with Leiomyo sarcoma, and will be having surgery at Lahey Clinic on April 5. A 7 hour surgery is projected.

Roger DuBois will be having hip replacement surgery on April 4 in Pittsburgh.

Judy Pflug, Karen Rosenbarker's sister and Donna Shultz's niece, will be having surgery at Cleveland Clinic this week.

Dr. Rodger Summers, who has a progressive neurological disorder.

Sandy Wingard, Mike Wingard's mother, is undergoing ongoing treatment for cancer.

Dave Fancher, who is very weak. Judy cares for him at home.

Geri Hall, mother of Sarah Hall (one of Sunita's best friends from high school), who has survived cancer for over 20 years.

Lucille Stasko, who is receiving hospice care.

Leo Cornett, who was recently hospitalized after a fall, but is at home and recovering. The Cornett's daughter, Nancy, came from Utah to spend several weeks caring for her mom and dad in their home. Presently they have home health care professionals assisting them by day and by night. They praise the Lord that they are able to live at home during this time. Their son, Dean, who lives in the area, visits them regularly and cares for many of their needs. Jean and Leo have been blessed to have 3 granddaughters. Now they have been blessed with 3 great-grandsons. The youngest was born prematurely, weighing in at about 2 pounds - now by God's amazing grace Nathan is about 10 pounds.

Continue to pray for Laureen. She is gaining from her back injury, but must still be extremely careful to avoid re-injury.

Pray for Carol Hartz, Lisa Babcock's mom, who was hospitalized recently.

Pray for Pastor Brown's mom, aged 84 (approx.), who is getting weaker, and has some form of dementia.

One of Pastor Brown's boyhood friends, Sushant, is very ill, and has a brain tumor. They were friends from 2nd grade through college.

Pray for Pastor Brown, as he is possibly starting the hormone treatment in mid-June.

Keep praying for Ben Rosenbarker and Justin Brown, both in jail.

Pray for Lila Burlingame, who suffers from Menier's disease. Allison, Jean and Leo Cornett's granddaughter also suffers from this condition.

Bud and Carol Lee.

Grant DeGaramo

Michelle Rucker, facing cancer treatment.

Sarah Deuel, facing possible further surgery.

Danielle DeGaramo, who suffers from ongoing seizures

Pray for Sunita and Andy, who will be leaving in Mid-May for Albania. They will be there for 6 weeks.

As we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week we praise the Lord for bringing us to participate in celebrating this Holy Season.

We will gather this Wednesday evening for a special meal at 6 PM, for Bible study and prayer starting at 6:30 PM, and for Choir practice beginning at 7:30 PM.

Join us for our weekly television outreach on Friday evening, Time Warner Cable Channel 4, at 7 PM.

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Binghamton House of Prayer team will lead in music and Word.

"The Binhamton House of Prayer" is an Interdenominational and inernational ministry of prayer that is engaged in prayer for our region. This group meets weekly for prayer ministry.

There will be a very special time for prayer for healing and blessing.

Special Music by Laureen Naik

This coming Sunday will be our Palm Sunday celebration. Come and join us. Invite your friends and family to join us in worship, praise, and celebration. Following the second service there will be an Easter egg hunt for the children, coordinated by Shannan Meilunas and Tegan Kraus. There will also be an Easter banquet for one and all, prepared with much love by Rodney Haines and Kathy Dence.

APRIL 5 at 6:30 PM there will be a Maundy Thursday foot washing and communion service. We will gather in the Fellowship Hall for this special service.
APRIL 6 at 6:30 PM there will be a Good Friday Service at Union Center UMC –
"Simon Peter" will be presented by our brother Jim Geer and the team. Join us for this very special presentation on the life and witness of Simon Peter.
APRIL 7 at 6:30 PM will be a very special Easter Eve celebration. This will be held at the First United Methodist Church, Endicott. The service of worship and praise will include Hymns and songs both classic and contemporary. We are blessed to have Aric Phinney at the Grand Piano, and Yancey Moore at the Pipe Organ, Dave Berry as the song leader and soloist, along with special musicians Winnie Allen and Emma Brunson. Come, Share, and Rejoice.
APRIL 8 at 6:30 AM A Sunrise service will be held at the pavilion at Union Center
Christian Church, 950 Boswell Hill Road. Rev. Marshall Sorber will be preaching. We will have special music. Mr. Katchudurian will be presenting special Easter Music on his trumpet.

You are all welcome back to the Union Center Church Fellowship Hall for a special Easter Morning breakfast prepared and served by Jim Holmes and the team.

We will gather for Special Easter Celebration and worship at 8:30 and 11:00 AM

at the Union Center UMC. The Youth and children will be presenting a very special song for Easter morning at both services. The Adult Choir will also be singing at both services. Sunday School will meet at 9:50 AM. We will gather for Easter Morning Worship At Wesley at 9:30 AM. We have so much to celebrate. We have so much to sing about. We have so much to rejoice in. It is all About Jesus, who came, who saw, and who conquered. He is upon the Throne.

Brown's Daily Word 3-26-12

Good morning,

Praise the Lord for this new day. He blessed us with a beautiful weekend of rest, renewal, worship and witness. We have a young woman in the church who reminds me from time to time, "I get to serve the Lord". Indeed we get to worship the Lord. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from John 12: 20 ff.

Our world is mesmerized by celebrities. We want to know what they wear, eat, do on vacation, whom they are marrying or divorcing. Maybe it's because we sometimes think celebrities are almost superhero. Many people go out of their way to get up close and personal with someone “famous.”

That’s what we see here in John 12:20-26. In this text Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. He had just raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. We read in verse 20 that some Greeks who were on their way to worship at the Feast came to Philip with a request, wanting to see Jesus. Philip told Andrew about the request, then both Philip and Andrew went to their Master with the request. Jesus did not give an outright answer, but He responded in a way that was much more significant than that. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

What Jesus meant was that the appropriate time had come for him to fulfill His mission. It was the opportune time because now the world (symbolized by the word “Greeks”) were ready to see him. Then in verse 24 He went on to say, “I tell you the truth…” (By the way, when Jesus says this you better be paying attention.) “…unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. . But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” A self-centered life, a self-seeking life, a selfish life is a lonely life. The Lord gave dire warning here that there is loneliness in selfishness. The man or woman who live immersed only in his or her own interests, ploys, plans, and pleasures are miserable in their selfishness.

Jesus made a profound statement about Himself and His purpose in using the illustration about the kernel of wheat. Unless His own body were to fall to the ground and die (and be buried) there is no way there will be a harvest. Unless He went to the cross, what these Greeks really needed could never be attained. His death produces a harvest of life, hope and purpose for us! Glory comes through death.
Jesus then turned from talking about Himself to talking about you and I. “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”
Verse 24 is about Jesus. Only His death is necessary and sufficient for us to be a part of His harvest, of His life. Only through death was Jesus truly glorified. Jesus is calling us to a certain death as well, but not necessarily a physical death. He calls us to death to business as usual. We must be grains of wheat that fall to the ground. We do that by being a follower/servant of Jesus Christ. We need to see our lives from a different perspective. “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Greatness for us is not found in titles, fancy cars, a lucrative career, or a beautiful spouse. When Jesus said we are to “hate our lives” we need to understand what He was saying.

On her way out yesterday, after worship, one woman who is very passionate about Christ shook me up by saying, "What does Jesus mean, when He says that one does need to hate his a her life?" He was NOT saying that we must have a literal, mean hate, despising our lives. Jesus was using a Hebraic expression that means “love less”. We are to keep our lives here in the right perspective. Our relationship to him is far more important than anything else. How do you find greatness or celebrity status in this world? We do this by becoming a servant. Verse 26 says “whoever serves me”. Those who love their lives think servanthood is beyond them. “There’s just things I’m not willing to do because I’m afraid of what people will think of me. I’m afraid it’s beyond me” — this is the attitude of those who loves their lives too much. A servant wants to serve. He or she wants to follow where Jesus would serve.

Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. By letting go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.”
It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to produce rain, broken grain to give bread and broken bread to give strength. It was a broken perfume box that gave off a fragrance one day in the life of Jesus. Our Lord specializes in using broken things, broken lives, broken vessels. He makes something beautiful out of the brokenness of our lives.

Blessed be His Name.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/E3jtHdaM2ew

Friday March 30, 2012

Television Outreach

Time Warner Cable Channel 4

Time 7:00 PM

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Binghamton House of Prayer team will lead in music and Word.

"The Binhamton House of Prayer" is an Interdenominational and inernational ministry of prayer that is engaged in prayer for our region. This group meets weekly for prayer ministry.

There will be a very special time for prayer for healing and blessing.

Special Music by Laureen Naik