FROM YOUR PASTOR... "THE REAL THING"

READ: 73

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and with Him alone will I be satisfied."

The Coca-Cola Company advertises that their soft drinks are the "real thing". I don't know if that's true or not, but what I do know is that, when I am extremely thirsty, nothing satisfies my thirst like a Diet Coke. I enjoy a tall cold glass of ice tea, but it doesn't quench my thirst like a Diet Coke. Neither a glass of water that is chilled with crushed ice, nor even crunching on ice is an adequate substitute for a Diet Coke when I am thirsty. There just are no substitutes for the real thing.

The same thing is true in our spiritual lives. There is no substitute for the real thing... JESUS CHRIST! No one and nothing can ever possibly satisfy the soul like Jesus does. David knew that when he wrote in Psalm 63: "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

I know, sometimes, we don't know what we are thirsty for. Yearnings deep within drive us from one relationship, or one job to another, or from one thing to another, looking for fulfillment. Our desire sets us on edge, but we haven't a clue about what will satisfy us. The problem is, there are so many substitutes. If only we could find the real thing that our souls long for.

We can stop our search and find all that satisfies when we turn to Jesus Christ. All we have to do is turn to Him, tell Him we long to be filled with that which will truly satisfy us, and trust Him to be the One who will fill us. We won't be disappointed!!!

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" (Psalm 42:1-2) The answer is ANYTIME, ANYWHERE! Jesus Christ is the real thing! Try Him and you11 love Him!

Here are some suggestions for prayer and Bible study for the month of June. Take some time each day to he still and know God. God bless YOU as you do!

PERSONAL NOTES....

The deadline for the JULY/AUGUST Newsletter will be Sunday, June 22, 1997. Articles can be turned in to the church office. Thank you!

FOOD BANK

THE FOOD BANK ITEM FOR JUNE IS ORAL HYGIENE PRODUCTS. Your generosity is appreciated!

For the young people, summer begins the day school is over for the year. For the rest of us, summer officially begins June 22. As you plan your summer activities, please include worship at the top of your list. While being out-of-doors is an awesome way to appreciate God, it is no substitute for worship, so please plan to worship regularly during the summer. Here is the worship schedule for June:

• COMMUNION SUNDAY: We will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The message is titled: "Putting People in Their Place." The scripture lesson is from Luke 14:7-11.

• GRADUATE SUNDAY: We will recognize those persons in our church family who have graduated this spring. The message will be: "Whose Business Is It, Anyway?" and the scripture lesson comes from Colossians 3:23-24.

• FATHER'S DAY: Come and join us as we honor all the fathers in our church family. We will be led in worship by our male Lay Speakers, Don Redshaw, Bob Wilkinson, and Ivan Stiffler.

• "First Things First"
  Matthew 6:25-33

• The New Life Singers will lead us in worship on this day of praise and celebration.

The Youth Fellowship will sponsor a CAR WASH on Saturday, June 7, 1997 from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. The Car Wash is free (though they will gladly accept donations). All funds raised will help the youth support their various programs and ministries!

On Sunday, June 8, 1996, during the 10:45 am worship service, we will be honoring those persons in our church family who have graduated this year. In addition to the special recognition during worship, there will also be a reception following the service. We hope you will plan to join in this special celebration and help us rejoice with these young people! The 1997 graduates are from these schools:

The 1997 Session of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference will be held at Grove City College from June 13-15, 1997. Representing McMasters Church at this important meeting will be our pastor and our Lay Delegate, R Birchall. Also attending will be J Krantz, representing the District United Methodist Women, and M Smith, as an At-Large Delegate from the Pittsburgh East District. This is a very important meeting, so we ask that you be in prayer for the delegates and leaders of our Conference as they make decisions concerning the life and ministry of United Methodists in Western Pennsylvania and beyond.

On Sunday, May 18, 1997, members of the Confirmation Class confirmed their faith and were received into church membership. It was a wonderful celebration and we rejoice with four young women as they made this important commitment.

So we can chart our course in "Climbing the Ladder of Discipleship'' we will feature this special article in the newsletter. It will show you how we are keeping pace and what, if any, our financial needs might be. To calculate the amount required, we take our total budget amount for 1997 ($135,905.00), divide by 52 weeks ($2,614.00 needed per week) and multiply it by the number of weeks for the period under consideration. As of the printing of this edition of the newsletter, there have been 20 weeks in 1997 (January through May 18). Here is the financial update for the first 20 weeks of 1997:

During the summer months, young people who are in any of the scouting programs can work on their religious award. Scouts will work over the summer on their award, and if the work is completed, receive their award on Christian Education Sunday in September. There are different awards for different age groups.

If a scout wants to participate in one of these programs, please call the church office (823-1988), so materials can be ordered.

Thank you for your expressions of sympathy and the love and caring of Rev. Mattner. She was a source of great comfort to my Mom. I appreciate the several visits by the members of the Church.
R Walter
(M E Brobst Family)

Thank you to the members of the UMW for all their help and support for Todd & Heidi's wedding. I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks again!
R Smeltzer

The Care Team Does Work! We wish to thank the members of the Care Team who helped us over the snow days of this past winter. Gratefully,
H & By Michaels

I want to thank each and every one of you who sent me letters and cards and gifts for my 75th birthday. God's richest blessings on you all. To God Be the Glory.
Love,
V Skinner

Thank you to everyone who helped in any way on the Mother/Daughter Banquet. It was a great success!
Anonymous

We like living in a world that has people as thoughtful as you. We thank you for your contribution!
Pantry Network of the Eastern Suburbs

AN INVITATION

We are cordially inviting you to attend an Open House, Farewell Tea on Sunday, June 22nd. Come anytime from 12 and 2:30 p.m. to honor and visit with Rev. Dean and Jean Hughes. We are planning a program in the sanctuary at 1:00 p.m. So mark your calendars! We look forward to seeing you and have plans for a good time.

P.P.R.C.
Trinity United Methodist Church
Ridgway, PA

FLEA MARKET

The next Flea Market will be held on Saturday, June 7, 1997 from 8-2.

WANTED... Acolytes

If you would like to be a part of our Worship Service by lighting the candles, please contact the church office (823-1988). A brief training video is available to let you know what your job will be. We can use young ladies or gentlemen to do this valuable service.

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

Well, another successful month for the U.M. Women...The McMasters Women's Society has been honored with an award for being a 5 Star Unit, and we have 16 women who have completed the Reading Program.

We have more women participating in the Reading Program than any other unit. The Reading Program is open to anyone who wants to read! See F Brown, we have a great supply of books.

The Mother/Daughter Banquet was a great success. Thanks to the committee: C Blakley, A Kent, L Wilkinson, A Simpson, D Lewis and K Holt. I know that it was a trying time, a lot of work, and we want to thank you all for a job well done. And the models did a great job, too. The costumes were really great. The Dee Quintet was wonderful. And I want to thank Julie for a wonderful tribute to Mothers and Daughters.

Please remember our June 10th meeting at noon.

We are working on our Fall Craft Show. We meet every Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. in the social room. Come join us.

R Birchall, President

CALLING ALL TALENTED PEOPLE!

During the summer months the choir takes a hiatus. I am asking for anyone who sings or plays a musical instrument to sign up for summer music.

There will be a sign-up sheet in the choir room for you to sign up. Please let us hear your talents and brighten up our summer worship. God will surely bless you.

B Rudy, Chairperson Worship Committee

UMCOR RELIEF REQUEST

UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, issued a call on April 23 for volunteers to help flood victims in Minnesota, North and South Dakota. This was reported in the Western Pennsylvania United Methodist newsletter, "InterLink." April flooding had a devastating impact on the tri-state area where there are a total of 610 churches and 156,000 members.

Articles in the 4/25/97 and 5/9/97 issues of InterLink stressed the need for volunteers, donations of cleaning supplies, personal and nonperishable items. Clothing and furniture donations, although solely needed, were something for a later date. I know we would all like to physically give a hand in a time of need such as this, but that is geographically impossible. Cash donations are also welcome and are realistically the best help we could be to our Midwest brothers and sisters in Christ.

As a special need project, the Outreach Committee would like to make a flood relief collection to those flood victims in need in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Those of us not effected by flooding here in Pennsylvania were given a break with the mild winter we just passed through.

So, if there is a little extra left in your cold weather budget, we would appreciate your donating it to a special collection we are going to make on June 8, 1997. We are not going to come down the aisle or have a skit or a talk that day. There will be a special envelope in the bulletin on June 8th for your use in making a flood relief donation - please be generous.

As always - Thank you!

D Simmons, Chairman Outreach Committee

There is still an outstanding balance of $3,500 on the gas bill for the Church. It would be great if this could be paid in full by the end of the summer. If you would like to do your part by giving a special gift towards the gas bill, you can mark an envelope "Gas Bill" and put it in the offering plate or send it to the church office in the mail. Thank you!

S Glasser
Finance Chairperson

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