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June 12, 2007
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First
Presbyterian Church |
Newsletter "First Things": June 2007Contents...
Fellowship/Study Groups
From the Pastor's PenDear Members and Friends of First Church, As many of you are aware, the Session has claimed 2007 THE YEAR OF DISCIPLESHIP. The ministry teams of Acts 16:5, Christian Growth and Development and Long Range Planning have been discussing ways that we can encourage the congregation to consider our Christian walk and what it means to be a disciple for Jesus Christ. The meaning of Discipleship is really up for grabs today in the Christian Church. In reality the call from Christ to follow Him is not a request, but rather a command. We talk about Christ, we say we are a Christian but what does that mean? What does that look like? Webster's New World College Dictionary, fourth edition, defines DISCIPLESHIP as a pupil or follower of any teacher or school of religion, learning, art, etc. Christian discipleship means forsaking everything to follow Christ.
It is my firm belief that if we take the time to read the New Testament and apply it to our daily lives, our discipleship will be transformed. It will be lovingly radical for Jesus Christ. For we will see the true Jesus of the New Testament and this true Jesus will call us to follow Him to a life of discipleship. And when we do, we will feel the full impact of the challenge the New Testament presents and we will be changed, radically changed. Following Jesus involves four things: our heart, mind, soul and strength. I invite you to join me on Sundays this summer as we look at the theme: THE JESUS I WANT TO KNOW. May God bless you as we look to the warm, long days of summer and I earnestly do hope to see U in CH_RCH this summer. Mark From the Pulpit
Church NewsFord's FocusMessage Here is the big question that is being discussed in every major city of America. How do you see a community revitalized and transformed? To answer that question one has to ask a bigger question. What does revitalization and transformation mean in a community context? For some reason, it looks like new or refurbished houses or businesses with good paying jobs for the willing and able, drugs and crime on the decline. Often when indicators for community health and sustainability are identified, categories like education, economy, environment, and other factors are examined. One factor that is either barely mentioned or totally ignored is the Faith Community Factor. Yet faith and works are to be intertwined in our life's experiences. The uniting of the material and spiritual, the natural and supernatural, the work of man and the work of God is necessary for true success. Direction Here at Akron First Presbyterian we seek to integrate the two factors. How do we do this? By doing what we can and asking for God's divine help. I call this the prayer factor. Friends, I do not want to over simplify or over spiritualize the complexity of our community's condition. However, ever time the staff prays over the needs that are communicated on the prayer cards I am aware that there are some things only God can handle. They are too big for us. I am again asking for volunteers who will meet with me at 6:30 every Wednesday to pray for our community. We can only get real direction by watching and praying. We will being the first Wednesday to meet for prayer at the church. Sometimes we will pray at the church and sometimes we will go prayer walking. The bottom line, it is time to amp up the prayer factor. Focus For you who cannot come to the Wednesday prayer event; I am asking to pray sometime on this day for the following. Pray for wisdom and direction for the Community Development Team. Pray for the Summer's Best Two Weeks staff that is preparing for the Day camps scheduled for the last week in June and the first week in July. Pray for favor with the Foundations we have approached for funding. Just pray that God will help us to help those who live in our neighborhood. Just pray, pray, pray. The Year of Discipleship at F.P.C.
Who should we share with in telling this important story? It could be with family members, coworkers, club members, neighbors, hobby friends, casual acquaintances, persons met in business or the doctor's office, at those in trouble, in sorrow, in pain. Don't be reluctant to start a small group study (two or more). What is gained in a small group? There can be an increase of understanding in Jesus' ministry, of our personal ministry, of healing and of new fellowship. We and others can demonstrate in our conversation and actions that our faith can lead to becoming what we and others are meant to be and to the fulfillment of living with Christ. Where do we look for assertion in sharing His gift to us? Start with the Bible. John - where we learn about the miracles, and the faith and life resulting in faith from Jesus Christ. Acts - which records the Holy Spirit filling believers and making the difference with life and ministry as disciples. Luke - telling of Jesus who saved lost persons, healed others, identified faithfulness and ministries to all regardless of class or gender. James - who writes of obedience in working for God, and how to maintain relationships. Study groups and support groups are ongoing within our congregations. Women's groups (6) meet weekly, or monthly and men's groups meet weekly. These groups are open to all and schedules may be found on bulletin boards, in our weekly bulletin or in our newsletter First Things. In our church education program help is available in selective books and videos. Keith Morgenstern, Pat Franklin and Ann McCord (C.E. Director) will gladly assist, as well as Reverend Ruppert and Reverend Ford. There are many books in our church library that may be suitable for your personal interest and for reference or study. Consider, act and believe you can do it. In the words of a hymn we have learned to sing: "Now my heart's desire is to know you more, The Acts 16:5 Team
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Friends,
I truly believe that the more we look at Jesus, the more we will
want to love Him, worship Him and serve Him. But there is a
problem. Let me explain. Where I think the problem comes
in is that many people both inside and outside the church have
reinvented Jesus on our terms. And what happens is that our
reinvented Jesus makes very few demands on us. This reinvented
Jesus is the kind of Jesus who makes us feel happy but doesn't
challenge us. This Jesus doesn't move us in love and passion
to do something about the situation of the world in which we live.
You see, there was this real Jesus of Nazareth who had this habit of
challenging people, even making them feel uncomfortable to the point
that they were willing to see the world through His eyes and go out
and make a difference. And don't we really want to make a
difference in this world in which we live?
We
have been challenged that each of us became a disciple when we
accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our challenge
means re-examining our personal discipleship, our obedience, our
efforts to follow Christ and to help others to follow also. We
follow in a rich tradition. Disciples (assert, spread) has 21
references and apostles (messenger) has 15 references in the New
Testament. The references tell of experiences, one-on-one, in
meeting at meals with groups and gatherings. Word of mouth is
still the most effective way of winning others to an idea or a
connection.
