Dansville Community Center - by Diane Lantzy

I was privileged to visit the Dansville Community Center a few weeks ago.  As many of you may already know, Redeemer’s Thanksgiving Offering will be given to support this Center.   I was not aware of the need in this area prior to my visit – nearly 40% of the people in the Dansville area live at, or below, the poverty level.  So, the needs that this Community Center serves are real and pressing.  It is a real world demonstration of faith in action as James 1:27 instructs us “to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”  The prayer is that those who are touched by this generosity will someday have an open heart for learning about our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pastor Jeremy Wicks is the Pastor of Millville United Methodist Church and is spearheading this initiative.  He was formerly the pastor of Dansville United Methodist Church – his first appointment and at the time of his appointment, he knew that the Dansville UMC would be closed.  Subsequently, he was appointed to Millville United Methodist Church seven miles away that was also a small, struggling church.

Jeremy shared a huge, seemingly impossible, vision with this small congregation.  Convert an empty church building into a community center to serve their needs and as Jeremy said “Just love on that community.”  He knew this would take a huge step of faith and commitment from every member of this small congregation.  And they rose to the challenge and have made it happen.

What is particularly uplifting is that this generosity of time, talent and gifts that the Millville UMC church family has shown has revitalized their own spirituality.  This is demonstrated by a story that Jeremy related to me. They were preparing to open for their first morning of their Coffee Lounge and a member of the Millville United Methodist Church stopped by.  She didn’t stop by to get in the way, to interfere or because she was curious; she stopped by because she wanted to pray for the people who would arrive in a few hours.  She spent almost 30 minutes praying for those she did not know and might not ever meet.  That and other similar stories made it clear to me that this growing generosity of spirit is impacting the spiritual walk of the Millville church family as much as, if not more than,  those who they are serving.

 My prayer is that the Redeemer church family here in DeWitt, will be generous with their Thanksgiving offering so that the Millville church family is encouraged and the Dansville Community Center can continue to move forward with their remarkable vision.  If you would like to make an donation, you can simply mark any envelope "Thanksgiving Offering" and place it in the offering plate or click here to give online.

 

 

Gratitude - by Ron Bekkering

Gratitude means being thankful, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means being aware on an everyday basis of how much you’ve been given. Gratitude shifts our focus from what our life doesn't have to the abundance that is already present. This past week I've had the opportunity to work with high school students, share in training with our senior staff, and spend time with family and friends. 

I for months have been thinking about the word Gratitude and how much I have to be thankful for. My wife has been given the 4 year clear on the cancer that invaded her body. My daughters have both had successful starts to the school year. Redeemer UMC has continued to grow with visitors being seen and talked to each and every week.

I think the thing that I have the most gratitude for is that Jesus continues to make blessings flow over each of us. He gives us breath, allows us to make choices, forgives us when we fall away, and comforts us when we feel loss or struggle. Jesus tells us "In this world we will have troubles, but don't stress because He has overcome this world" and for that I am grateful. So in all this friends I give God praise.

When we get so busy in life with our schedules and life I hope during this time we can take a moment to thank God for all He has done. As a matter of fact “If the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart

So take a moment and be grateful, show some gratitude for all we have been given. 

God Rocks and We Roll,
Ron 

PEACE - by Sue Campbell

For the past few months I’ve been using a 1-year daily devotional for women – ‘becoming a woman at peace.’  I’ve tried in the past and not succeeded in making a regular habit of devotional time – but this book seems to be working for me.  It’s a page-a-day book beginning with a Bible verse and ending with a couple of lines of prayer.  In between, the author uses an anecdotal story – from her own life or someone else’s - and draws some insights from it.  The common thread woven throughout is working to have more peace. 

As I was reflecting after reading one day, I came up with my own acronym about peace.  Let me share what I’m trying to focus on:

 

                P – I’m a planner, but I know I gain peace when I’m prayerful 

                E – I want to be aware of the effect of my words and actions

                A – I want to affect others for good and for God

                C – Life goes better when I realize what I can control and what I can’t

                E – I have more daily peace when I focus on eternity

In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul writes:  “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Paul’s words are encouraging – if we’re obedient in telling God what we need and thankful for what He’s done, Paul says we’ll experience peace.  He doesn’t say that every problem will be solved, every plan will be put into play, every broken thing will be fixed…but we still will have peace. 

I can’t explain how that works – that’s the wonderful mystery of our God.  But I know I’ve experienced it and I’ll continue to strive for more of it each day. 

Golden Rule - by Sandy Hrostowski

My mother and father taught us the “Golden Rule” to do unto others as we would like done unto us. So I’ve been reading the New Testament, from The Message Bible, I Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 12-18.  The words from the Bible touched my heart so deeply that I want to share with you. 

And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience.  Over-whelm them with appreciation and love.

Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part.  Our counsel is that you warn the freeloader to get a move on.  Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet.  Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs.  And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other.  Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out. 

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens.  This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

I encourage you to take a day and really live the way He wants you to live.  Encourage others and be patient with them.  Look for ways to lift the exhausted.  Take a moment with each person you encounter and tell them something good about themselves. You may just find that it will lift your spirits too.