McMUM NEWS
"By standing firm you gain your soul"
Luke 21 19
What do you value most? What is your most valuable possession? Health? Family? Your home? Friends? Some piece of jewelry? Pictures and memorabilia you've accumulated over the years? A car? What???????
While these things are important, none of them can be the most important thing. There is only one answer to the question of what you value most. Jesus told us the answer when He said: "What can a person give in exchange for their soul?" The implied answer is "NOTHING! " Is your most valued possession your soul?
In this day and age, when our hearts and minds have become consumer oriented and technologically focused, the soul has fallen to neglect. We spend great time and money providing lawn care, maintenance contracts on our appliances, extended warranties on other items like cars, and we purchase insurance for those expensive items, as well as on our lives. While these kinds of things are responsible actions, why do we take such good care of all these matters and so little care for our most valued possession, our soul?!?
The soul is the sum total of our being. It involves the physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions of our lives. If we neglect anyone of these, we threaten the well-being of our souls --that vital link between us and our Creator God. The most important task in life is the maintenance and refinement of our souls. Charles Wesley expresses this in a hymn:
A charge to keep I have.
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.
Every day we must set our minds upon our souls and the God who made them. We must align our spirits with His Spirit. By doing this we suit ourselves not for this life alone, but for the next. To do this we must spend time every day in prayer, Bible study, and deeds of love and service. Regularly, with other soul brothers and sisters, we must worship God, study God's Word, be involved in activities which promote fellowship and service to others. Stand firm and be constant in these disciples and so gain your soul. There is no other way!
PRAYER: Loving Creator God, thank you for that breath of life which given us our souls. Because we came from you, we belong to you and we commit our lives to you. Shape and build our souls, O Lord, that we might be like you. AMEN!
PRAYER & BIBLE READING FOR SEPTEMBER
Here are suggestions for scripture reading and prayer for the month of September. Take some quiet time each
day to read the Bible and talk with God in prayer. It will restore your soul and give you strength for the day.
We hope you find these suggestions helpful!
| SCRIPTURE READING | PRAYER SUGGESTIONS | |
| 1. Psalm 84 | LABOR DAY: Pray that your labors will honor God. | |
| 2. Malachi 3:6-10 | What are you holding back from God? Ask God to help you to hold nothing back and give as generously as He does. | |
| 3. Psalm 36:5-12 | Praise God for His blessings | |
| 4. Revelation 21:1-8 | Pray for our Church as we prepare to enter the 21st Century. | |
| 5. Isaiah 43:8-12 | That you would be a bold witness for Jesus Christ. | |
| 6. Jeremiah 23:23-32 | For ministers of the gospel, especially for our pastor. | |
| 7. John 7:14-18 | RALLY DAY: Pray for the educational ministries of our Church, especially for the Sunday School and Youth Ministry. | |
| 8. Lamentations 3:19-23 | Pray for patience. | |
| 9. Matthew 9:18-31 | Pray for the sick and injured | |
| 10. Daniel 6:1-5 | Pray that you will be faithful in all things. | |
| 11. Luke 5: 17-26 | Pray for those in the healing professions. | |
| 12. Hebrews 11:1-6 | Pray for an increase of faith | |
| 13. Hebrews 11:32-40 | Pray that the faith of another person will increase, too. | |
| 14. James 2:1-9 | Pray that injustice and racism will be overcome in the world. | |
| 15. I Peter 5:1-11 | That you will serve God faithfully | |
| 16. Exodus 15:1-8 | Remember how good God is and give thanks for His goodness. | |
| 17. II Corinthians 1:19-20 | Thank God for keeping His promises and ask Him to help you keep your promises to Him and to others. | |
| 18 Deuteronomy 9:1-5 | Ask for help to overcome evil and temptation. | |
| 19. Deuteronomy 32:1-9 | That you will do the right/good thing | |
| 20. James 1: 19-21, 26 | Ask God to help you to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and even slower to become angry. | |
| 21. Psalm 106:1-12 | That you will love like God loves | |
| 22. Jeremiah 18:1-11 | That you will become what God intends for you to become. | |
| 23. Acts 14:1-7 | Pray for our missionaries | |
| 24. Acts 14:19-28 | Pray for our Superintendent and Bishop | |
| 25. Romans 5:1-5 | Pray for the Holy Spirit's work in our Church and the other Churches in the community. | |
| 26. Romans 5:12-21 | Ask for forgiveness | |
| 27. Galatians Chapter 1 | Thank God for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and ask that it will come more alive for you. | |
| 28. Ephesians 2:1-10 | Ask for growth in your relationship with Jesus Christ. | |
| 29. II Peter 1:1-11 | Thank God for our living hope and pray to be filled with it | |
| 30. Revelation 22:16-21 | That you will hear God call you and you will be responsive to that call. | |
"O Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.
Nothing is too hard for you." (Jeremiah 32:17)
"More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."
IN MEMORIAM
MAE ZUCKETT
Died August 21, 1997
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
The deadline for the OCTOBER Newsletter will be Sunday, September 21, 1997. Articles can be turned into the office. Thank you!
FOOD BANK
The Food Bank item for September / October is:
Laundry Products.
Your generosity is appreciated.
ASBESTOS REMOVAL
and
REINSTALL INSULATION PROJECT
Under the direction of the Board of Trustees, a major project is being done within the Church this summer. So that currant and future furnace work could be done, and insure a healthy environment in our Church, all of the asbestos around the heating pipes had to be removed. The pipes are now being reinsulated with fiberglass and the furnace work is being done.
The total cost of this project was $26,100.00. The funds used to finance it were borrowed from the Trustee Endowment Fund and an additional account held by the Trustees. Because this money was borrowed, it must be repaid. Everyone's help is needed for this to be done successfully.
Starting with the September offering envelopes, which you should have already received in the mail, you will receive a specially designated envelop which is titled "Asbestos/Reinsulation Project" printed across the top. This special envelop has a different colored stripe across the top so you can more easily distinguish it from your regular envelopes. We are asking every giving unit (a husband and wife, or an individual) to give a minimum of $10.00 a month, or $2.50 a week in addition to your regular weekly or monthly gift. With all of us participating in this repayment program, we can repay all the money we borrowed from the Endowment and the other Trustee account in 25 months.
Watch future newsletters for updates on the repayment as our Asbestos/Reinstallation Project funds continue to grow.
Thank you in advance for your continued and faithful support!
ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL UPDATE
As we head into the last four months of 1997, here is an update on how we are doing on our Mission Share Pledge for 1997. As of the middle of August we have paid $5,734.80 towards our pledge of $13,325.00. This leaves us with an outstanding balance of $7,590.20. We need to really work towards continuing with our consistent weekly or monthly offerings so that we can reach our goal, just as we did last year. Yes, there is a lot going on with the Asbestos/Reinsulation Project, as well as doing our best to keep up with all the other regular monthly bills, but paying our Mission Shares in full for 1997 is a top priority. With everyone's help and continued prayers, we will accomplish this challenge again this year,
NOTES OF THANKS
Thank you J Baxter, M & S Jones, J Conley, M Conway and L Baker for all their hard work in preparing the VBS play and Puppet Show It was a great success!
S & I Stiffler
Thank you so much for the gift and the graduation celebration you gave me. You kindness to me over the years has been wonderful and much appreciated.
J Glasser
Thank you for your contributions to our Food Bank.
Pantry Network of the Eastern Suburbs
Your cards, prayers and loving support was greatly appreciated during my illness and surgery. Thank you!
A Perazzi
On behalf of H and T Smeltzer, I would like to thank you for your thoughts, prayers and help during their time of need. Sincerely and God Bless,
R Smeltzer
Thank you to all who have been donating towards our activity bags for use by the children during worship. Your continued support would be greatly appreciated!
L Baxter
Thank you to everyone who covered for me in the church office while I was on vacation in Wyoming with the Girl Scouts. I had a wonderful time and was grateful to have such great fill ins.
P Aubele
RALLY DAY
FAMILY FUN NIGHT
Please call the church office at 823-1988 so that we will know how much food to prepare.
U.M. WOMEN
We had four representatives at the School of Mission at California State University: F Brown (this was her first time), J Krantz, M Smith and R Birchall. The weather was hot but the classrooms were air conditioned. We studied Brazil and J Krantz studied "Living as Christians in a Violent Society." It was a wonderful and interesting experience. School of Missions is open to anyone. If you are interested in attending next year, please see one of us.
Also, I have forms to sign up for the Day Apart at Jumonville on Thursday, September 18, 1997.
The Executive Committee is having a planning meeting on August 29 at 12:00 Noon. We will plan all the events for 1998. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please call me.
I want to thank again all the women who helped get the downstairs ready for the asbestos removal and all those who helped clean afterwards. We work hard but the fellowship is so wonderful. We also enjoyed peeling the peaches for the Peach Festival.
We are open for new members for the United Methodist Women. Come join our fun. We are getting ready for our Craft Show and Roast Beef Dinner in October.
R Birchall, UMW President
FLEA MARKET
The next Flea Market will be held on: Saturday, September 6, 1997 from 8:00am-2:00pm.
KINDERGARTEN CELEBRATION
If your child is beginning to attend kindergarten this year, please let the church office know as soon as possible. The Nurture & Membership Committee will be presenting a token gift to these children on Rally Day, September 7 during the 10:45 morning worship service.
YOUTH GROUP
The Youth Group showed their stuff during VBS by presenting a Puppet Show. They did a great job and had a lot of fun.
On August 24 the Youth Council met at Rev. Marti's house to begin planning for the new year. Here are just a few things that are upcoming:
If you have any questions, please call the church office at 823-1988.
AN INVITATION
A public forum on human cloning will be held on Thursday, September 18 at Calvary United Church of Christ. The featured speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Ronald Cole-Turner, who is on the faculty at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and pastor of Calvary Church.
Dr. Cole-Turner chairs the national United Church of Christ Committee on Genetics, which has issued a-statement in response to the cloning of Dolly the sheep.
At the forum, religious concerns and responses to cloning will be discussed. "Many religious people think it is probably alright to clone animals," Dr. Cole-Turner said, "but when it comes to human beings, serious problems come up."
For more information on this event, please contact Calvary United Church of Christ at 823-4347.
ELECTRIC HEIGHTS UMC
GOLF OUTING
Please join Electric Heights UMC for golfing at the Carradam Golf Club in North Huntingdon. Please bring a dollar for refreshment after nine, your clubs and greens fee. Call the church at 824-3303 to register. For directions to the golf course call them at 863-6860.
BIRTH
