McMUM NEWS
McMasters United Methodist Church
200 Church Street
Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania 15145
Office: (412) 823-1988 Parsonage: (412) 823-1018
October 1997
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a
participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the same
loaf."
I CORINTHIANS 10:16-17
Why did Jesus command us to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion? He did not give His disciples any other similar, specific instruction about divine worship. Why, then, did Jesus specifically command His disciples to continue this Holy Meal until He comes again?
Our two verses from I Corinthians gives us the answer to this question and it is specifically found. in the use of the phrase "the body of Christ. " There are two meanings to the phrase, "the body of Christ. " On the one hand it refers to the broken body of Jesus who died for us on the cross at Calvary. Christ's body was broken and His blood shed when He died to redeem us. But were we to only define the phrase "the body of Christ" in this way, the definition and the spiritual benefits gained, would be incomplete. For "the body of Christ" also means something else, as it is used in the New Testament. Throughout the New Testament, the phrase, "the body of Christ", also refers to the church. The church is the body of Christ because Christians are incorporated into the eternal Christ by faith and through the work of the Holy Spirit. So our two verses tell us that, we who are many are one body. We may be many, many different people, but there arises from all this diversity a unity, something whole and cohesive, kneaded together by Christ through His Spirit.
As we celebrate World Communion Sunday on October 5, 1997, we need to remember and celebrate our unity in Christ. This is a great miraculous thing that has been done. A miracle has taken place in that those people who formerly were their own lord and master, who not only have different opinions and attitudes, but even different cultures and languages, now are all ruled by the one and only Lord, Jesus Christ. From this hugely diverse group of individuals, each living and caring for themselves, there arises a unity, one body, of which each believer is a member and Jesus Christ is the Head, controlling and guiding all. In the eating of the bread and the drinking of the cup, Jesus Christ is present to every one of us, all over the world, and He unites us into one body which He controls and directs.
On this World Communion Sunday, I pray that each of us and all of us will allow ourselves to be made one in the Spirit and one in the Lord!
Here are some suggestions for daily Bible reading and prayer for the month of October. We hope you find these suggestions helpful! God bless you in your daily reading and praying!
| BIBLE READINGS | PRAYER SUGGESTIONS |
| 1: Genesis 11:1-9 | That you will put God first in your life and give Him your best, not leftovers. |
| 2: Deuteronomy 16:17 | What are you holding out from God? Ask God to show you what it is and help you give it to Him. |
| 3: Ruth 1:8-18 | Give thanks and pray for your family and friends |
| 4: 1 Kings 8:37-43 | Thank God for hearing and responding to our prayers. |
| 5: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 | WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY: Give thanks for Christ's great sacrifice on our behalf and ask Him to make us one with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. |
| 6: Isaiah 49:1-7 | That you and our Church might be a bold and faithful witness to Jesus Christ wherever you are. |
| 7: Micah 4:1-4 | Pray for peace and to be a peacemaker. |
| 8: Matthew 15:21-28 | Pray that you will see Christ in all people. |
| 9: Matthew 25:41-45 | Ask God to show you how to use your talents in service to Christ and the church. |
| 10: John 4:7-15 | Pray that you will always hunger and thirst for righteousness. |
| 11: Acts 13:44-52 | Pray for those who are persecuted for their faith. |
| 12: Romans 1:8-16 | Pray for our pastor. |
| 13: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 | Pray for our missionaries. |
| 14: 11 Corinthians 2:12-17 | Pray for Bishop George Bashore. |
| 15: Genesis 2:1-3 | Pray for help in keeping the Sabbath, |
| 16: II Corinthians 8:16-24 | Pray for our District Superintendent, Rev. J.L. Kincaid. |
| 17: Deuteronomy 11:1-25 | Ask for help to be obedient to God. |
| 18: I Kings 8:54-61 | Thank God for His presence and working in our lives, our Church, and the world. |
| 19: Psalm 15 | Ask God to help you embody the qualities found in this psalm. |
| 20: Psalm 138 | Praise God for His love and faithfulness. |
| 21: Isaiah 30:15-18 | Pray for an increase of faith and trust in God. |
| 22: Micah 5:1-9 | Pray for our nation and its leaders. |
| 23: Mark 6:30-44 | Pray for the hungry and the poor. |
| 24: John 8:12-20 | Like Jesus, pray to be a light in the world, beginning here. |
| 25: John 12:27-43 | Pray that our Church might glow bright with Christ's love. |
| 26: Acts 18:1-11 | Pray for those who are afraid. |
| 27: II Corinthians 4:1-6 | Pray that you will be a force for good. |
| 28: I Thessalonians 5:1-11 | Pray for someone who needs encouragement. |
| 29: Habakkuk 2:1-4 | Pray for the unsaved and ask God to help you witness to them. |
| 30: I John 2:1-6 | Seek forgiveness and thank God for it. |
| 31: I John 2:21-29 | Ask God to pour out His Holy Spirit on you, our Church and the world so that His will would be done by you, the Church and in the world. |
Iris Kelly-McGee Exec. Director
We have lost someone very special . . . Thank you for sharing our grief.
Zuckett Family
Thank you again for your kind support and contributions to our Food Bank.
Pantry Network of the Eastern Suburbs
I want to thank everyone for their calls, cards and prayers while I was in the hospital and especially to Marti for all her visits.
G Lewis
Thank you for giving me the Bible gifts for going to school. It's fun!
M Simmons
We wish to thank all of you "Our Church Family" for the wonderful honor we received on Rally Day. Your expression of love will never be forgotten. We enjoyed our many years of teaching and the children.
M Schoff
R Redshaw
I, along with my family, would like to thank all of the fine people that donated money to our church in memory of my dear wife S Adamson. This would have pleased her to no end, as McMasters played a great roll in her life. She was a member for around 58 years, was married here almost 55 years ago, and both of our children were baptized at McMasters. May God Bless all of you!
H Adamson
Thank you for the Bible you gave me. I like it a lot. I hope I can pass it down in the family for generations. From your friend,
M G Simmons
Thank you for the beautiful flowers, the delicious dinners, your get well wishes and prayers.
K Yanowich
GRANDPARENTS DAY will be held on October 26th. We will be celebrating with a breakfast at 9:30 a.m. and a special worship service at 10:45 a.m. Please call the church office so we'll know you are coming. We hope you will plan to participate in this very special celebration!
Mark your calendar for Sunday, November 2, 1997, as we welcome Mr. Fred Leasure to McMasters Church. Mr. Leasure is the director of the United Methodist Foundation. He will speak at both the 8:30 and 10:45 morning services on that Sunday . A soup and sandwich luncheon will follow the 10:45 service. You won't want to miss this worship opportunity as Mr. Leasure shares with us. See you on Sunday, November 2nd!
S Glasser, Chairperson
NURTURE & MEMBERSHIP
Nurture & Membership is seeking names and addresses of post-high school students. Care packages will be sent to them during exam time in December. Please send this information to the church office by October 31. Care packages include cookies, gum, candy, an Upper Room and other items useful to the students.
J Krantz
NEXT YEAR - DON'T MISS IT!
THE DISCIPLESHIP SERIES
The vision statement for McMasters Church says....
For the sake of transforming the world through Jesus Christ the vision of the McMasters United Methodist Church is: For each member to become a disciple who will go and make disciples through: Nurture Outreach Witness
In keeping with this vision, we are offering a series of Bible studies this fall and again after the first of the year. Recognizing that each person is in a different place in their spiritual journey and growth, we will have two tracks, if you will, from which persons can choose. These Bible studies are called "The Discipleship Series." These are innovative Bible studies created to teach the basics of faith. Consider each option and choose which track you'd like to take as you respond to God's call to become a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.
| BASIC TRACK: | |
| DISCIPLESHIP 101: For persons who consider themselves beginning disciples, or relatively new, or who want a refresher course in the basics of the faith. This study will focus on The Gospel of Mark, specifically chapters 1-8. This course will be offered this fall during October and November. | |
| DISCIPLESHIP 202: The next step in our growth in discipleship. It follows upon the "Discipleship 101" course by continuing the study of the Gospel of Mark, chapters 9-16. This Bible study will enable persons to explore deeper dimensions of our faith and Jesus' call to discipleship. This course will be offered after the first of the year, leading up to Easter. | |
| NEXT STEP TRACK: | |
| DISCIPLESHIP 303: This study will enable persons explore their faith and the meaning of discipleship by studying the Book of Acts. This study focuses on the history of the early church in Acts to explore the role of the church in the disciple's life. This course will be offered this fall during October and November. | |
| DISCIPLESHIP 404: The Letter to the Romans will be the focus of this study. It is designed to help the inquiring, growing disciple of Christ lay a foundation for faith, as well as provide guidance in thinking faithfully about one's life and experience. This course will be offered after the first of the year, leading up to Easter. | |
We hope you will plan to participate in the study you feel meets your spiritual needs at this point in time in your faith journey. All of the studies will be offered in dual sessions, day and evening. We are asking people to register so we can be prepared for your participation. Complete the form below and drop it in the offering plate or send it to the church.
BIBLE STUDY REGISTRATION
All studies begin the week of October 6th and conclude by Thanksgiving.
DISCIPLESHIP 101: Gospel of Mark
DISCIPLESHIP 303: Book of Acts
We worship every Sunday at 8:30 am and 10:45 am, so you have two opportunities from which to choose to worship God. We hope you will plan to join us as we celebrate our life in Christ!
5: WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY: We will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion with Christians all around the world. The message is titled: "When Everything Isn't Enough" The scripture lesson is from Mark 10: 17-2 1.
12: MEMBERSHIP SUNDAY: We will recognize those persons in our church family who have been members of the Church for 25, 50 and 75 years, in addition to receiving new members. The message for the day is titled, "Dying For Greatness" and the scripture lesson will be Mark 10:35-45.
19: LAITY SUNDAY: Our worship will be lead by our 8 lay speakers.
26: GRANDPARENTS' SUNDAY: We will honor all grandparents during this special celebration. The message is titled: "Life's Ultimate Hang-up" and the scripture lesson is from Mark 12:38-34.
A SPECIAL INVITATION FROM THE UNITED METHODIST MEN...
The October meeting of the U.M. Men will be held on Monday, October 6, 1997 at 6:00 pm. Following dinner, at approximately 7:00 pm, there will be a special program to which the entire congregation is invited. It will feature a speaker from the Duquesne Light Company who will talk about the deregulation of the utilities and how we, as consumers, can make informed choices about our utility service. These changes in regulations are confusing to most of us, so this program will be helpful. If you just want to come to hear the speaker and not dinner, feel free to attend just the program portion of the evening.
1997 CHURCH CONFERENCE
Our 1997 Church Conference will be held on Wednesday, October 29, 1997 at 7:30 pm. This very important gathering will be the time when we can celebrate the life and ministry of our church, as well as make decision concerning for 1998 and beyond. EVERY MEMBER is able to participate in these decisions and you are encouraged to come. Such matters as the election of officers, the setting of the goals for ministry and programming, the 1998 budget, and the approval for lay speakers and candidates for ministry will all be on our agenda. In addition to your attendance at this important gathering, we are also asking you to be in prayer for these important matters so we will make faithful decisions. Presiding over Church Conference will be our District Superintendent, the Rev Dr. J. LaVon Kincaid. In addition to celebration and decision making, we will also have a time of fellowship, so please plan to participate and share in this gathering.
CLERGY CHOIR CONCERT
You will have a wonderful opportunity to sing and celebrate on Tuesday, October 28, 1997 at 7:00 p.m. At that time the Clergywomen's Chorus of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference will be presenting a concert in our Church. This Choir is composed of women clergy from all over our Conference and they have been singing together for more than 2 years. They bring an interesting variety of music as they witness to the good news of Jesus Christ through that music. Our pastor is a member of this Choir and will serve as hostess for this event. We hope you will plan to share in this evening of music and celebration to the glory of God!
United Methodist Ministries & United Way
A Great Combination
The United Way Contributor Choice program enables donors to designate all or part of their contributions to specific nonprofit organizations.
Each year, more and more individuals are taking advantage of this special way to direct their gifts to United Methodist ministries. If you participate in the United Way campaign, please consider supporting the church's ministries.
The Contributor Choice code numbers for United Methodist health & welfare programs are listed below and descriptions of these ministries are provided on the back of this sheet:
| Asbury Foundation | #308 | |
| Bethany House Ministries | #2836 | |
| Bradley Center | #211 | |
| Methodist Union of Social Agencies (MUSA) | #81 | |
| Methouse | #482 | |
| United Methodist Church Union | #322 | |
| Ward Program Services | #306 | |
| Zoar Home | #355 |
To choose one of these ministries, simply write the code number in the appropriate space of Section D, part 3, of the Contributor Choice pledge form you receive from United Way. (Section D, part 3, is shown in the example above).
United Methodist Church Ministries you can support through United Way Contributor Choice:
#308 Asbury Foundation
#2836 Bethany House Ministries
#211 Bradley Center
#81 Methodist Union of Social Agencies (MUSA)
#482 Methouse
#322 United Methodist Church Union
#306 Ward Program Services
#355 Zoar Home
These United Methodist Ministries thank you for supporting them through United Way Contributor Choice.
H MICHAELS Died August 31, 1997
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
The deadline for the NOVEMBER Newsletter will be Sunday, October 19, 1997. Articles can be turned in to the church office. Thank you!
NURSERY HELP
Nursery Helpers are needed for October! Please call Linda Baxter or the church office to volunteer. Please help us! Thanks!
FOOD BANK
The food bank item for October is laundry products. Your generosity is appreciated!
October events:
The next Flea Market will be held on Saturday, November 8, 1997 from 8-2.
HOLY BAPTISM
K J Tibbens received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism on Sunday, September 14, 1997
MARRIAGE
J Haloda and J Mink were married in the sanctuary on September 13, 1997.
BIRTH
Congratulations to J Smeltzer on the birth of a son, J M Smeltzer, on Sept. 11, 1997.
Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday, October 26th.
Remember to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Sat., October 25th!
Craft show
Roast Beef dinner
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