Remembered In Prayer

Our hearts and prayers are with the families who have lost children and loved ones in the Conn school shooting on Dec. 14th 2012

 

This poem seems to capture the heart of many in regards to this incident

 

 

 

twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the airr.
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

Christmas Service Sunday Dec 16th

The Blue and The Gray Christmas

Sunday Dec. 16th   2012  

6 P.M. 

Larry Johnson Jr. receives RN recognition

Larry Johnson Jr. was recently recognized with the "Daisy Award" This is an exclusive recognition for an RN in the US for outstanding performance. Larry was chosen over 6,000 nominees for this award. I took a few moments in a sunday service to share the accomplishment with our congregation. On the lighter side of things I presented him with a boquet of daisies and a can of cashews. We gathered at the altar to pray over Larry as he works at the hospital.

Home Coming Services with Guest Speaker Rev. Eric Himelick

:CANCELED: 

September 28 - 30  2012

Fri. - 7: 00 P.M. 

Sat. - 7: 00 P.M. 

Sun. - 11:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. 

Guest Speaker - Rev. Eric Himelick

Ground Zero

I took this picture about a year after the Towers were down. 

I was able to get an angle of the Pedestrian Crossing sign that made it look like you are walking to the Cross.  

We Remember

Opportunity

Happy 50th !!!!

Carl (Buck) and Beth Ann Johnson 

celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary 

on Sat. Sept  1st 

Congratulations!!!

Hobe Sound Bible College

The Hobe Sound Bible College group - Reflection

will present a service of music on

Sunday July 22nd 2012

11:00 A.M.

Lunch will follow the service

                                           

Is Patriotism Christian?

What is Patriotism?

What is Patriotism? Where does this leave patriotism? It all depends. If patriotism is love of one's country, it depends on the nature of that country. Most nations today are tied to a land and a race, though somewhat less so than 100 years ago. This is true of Europe and Asia. Patriotism is bound up in "blood and soil." Italians, Russians, Chinese, and Indians love their nation, its race(s), its location, its land, and its history. If they are Christians, they can legitimately appreciate the providence of God in their nation's history and admire their nation to the extent that it follows - or followed - God's truth.

Compounding matters, however, is the fact that most nations are tied up intimately with civil governments (though it doesn't have to be this way): to speak of the nation of France implies not just the French people, but the political state that governs French territory. This is the problem of patriotism. You love your country, but you may just mistrust your government. Still, you can love and appreciate your country and its heritage as a precious gift from God.
This is true even of Christian citizens in very evil regimes. Christian North Koreans can be patriotic, even though they despise their atheistic, idolatrous civil government. Korea has a great heritage and great customs and many great people. Christian North Koreans can be patriotic on that basis, if no other.

Our Unique United States

Now the United States poses a unique problem. It does not easily follow the pattern of nations noted above. Blood and soil mean much less here than ideas. Not race or place, but ideas, have always been at the root of what it means to be an American.
In this, it is helpful to note a striking Biblical teaching:

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.... (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

This Bible text does not prescribe the ideal civil government, but the minimal features of a civil government acceptable to Christians committed to living and spreading their Faith.
It means: pray that the civil magistrate leaves you alone so you can train your children in the Faith and you can live to please God and churches can preach the gospel. When Paul wrote this, the despotic Roman Empire was not in the habit of acting so honorably, and it got worse as time went by. So our Christian forebears in the early church sorely needed this prayer.
But the United States is a very different case. The U. S., it just so happens, was founded largely to fulfil just the sort of pro-liberty, non-interventionist role the Bible envisions. The founders, whatever their flaws, were to the man, dogged defenders of religious liberty. Most were professing Christians. This is why they did not establish a national church - they did not want to disturb the various states' established Christian churches. This is why they produced a federal Constitution, which elaborately checked sinful men's insatiable lust for power, including the sinners who happened to be politicians. This is why they drafted a Bill of Rights, which jealously guarded religious liberty. This is why they wrote that one of the nation's great objectives is "to provide for the common defense." As Eric Hoffer once said, this nation was founded by people who basically wanted to be left alone. This just happens to be the sort of civil government the Bible demands we pray for.

The Great American Experiment

We live in a truly amazing - and wildly successful - experiment in civil government that carried on many of the best features of the Christian commonwealth idea of medieval and Reformation Europe - and jettisoned most of their worst features. Ours is a Constitutional democracy. We believe in a federal expression of majority rule that is hedged in by the guarantees of a constitution that is very hard to change. This allows for peaceful dissent. We have a republic, not a direct democracy. We don't trust fickle majorities any more than we trust fickle kings and aristocrats. We elect representatives who vote on major issues facing the nation, and we can vote them out of office. This means that, unlike many other countries even today, we don't need a blood-bathing military coup every time we need political change. We can have peaceful political revolutions. We enjoy wide freedom of religion and freedom of the press. If you think we don't, try living in Saudi Arabia, Cuba, China or Iraq for a while.

As Christians, all this means that it's likely that the civil magistrate will leave us alone to believe and practice our Faith, the very thing that the Bible says we should be praying for in a civil magistrate. Sure, there's some encroachment on our liberties, and we should be vigilant in protecting them. But we have a great Constitution that we can resort to in cases of grievance, and a political system that gives recourse to those dissatisfied with the status quo.

This is why an American Christian may - and in my view, must - be a patriot.
Christian patriotism in the United States is necessary because it cultivates and defends the sort of minimal civil government that the Bible requires. We are patriots not because we have a love affair with the United States as such; we are patriots because the principles on which the nation were founded allow Christianity to flourish.

The United States is first about ideas, and those ideas are, for the most part, Christian ideas. On this basis, we can join the flag-waving.

This surely does not pre-commit us to any action the civil government may take. It pre-commits us to the form of government that protects the liberties of Christians (and others) and stays out of everybody's way. The great thing about the United States is that you can loudly criticize Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and still be a great patriotic American. You can hate abortion and pornography and homosexuality and Hollywood and public education and racism and materialism and Darwinism while wildly waving the Stars and Stripes.

Christians should defend the nation that defends Christians' liberty to embrace and propagate their Faith. If that nation is their own, they should be doubly defensive - and grateful.
Hand me another flag.

excerpt from:

http://chalcedon.edu/research/articles/christian-patriotism/

Welcome Landon Grant Mills

Upcoming Events

The summer is always promising of so many great things to do.  Vacations, reunions, home improvements etc.... 

Here is a list of events about our church that you may want to be involved in and put on your calendar.

June 16 - Singpiration and Potluck
at the home of Rev. John Kennedy

5:00 P.M.

June 17 - Fathers Day

June 20  - 1st day of Summer

June 26 - 29 - Rock Lake Youth Camp
click on link for info
http://www.biblemethodist.org/great-lakes/youth.htm

July 4 - Independence Day

July 6-7 - Port Huron Cruise Night
(this is not a church event but great to go to!!!)

July 11 - 2nd Qtr. Business Mtg.

July 13 - Bible Methodist Conference

July 13 - 22 Rock Lake Family Camp
http://www.biblemethodist.org/great-lakes/rock-lake-camp.htm
click on link for info

July - 18 - 22  Athens Youth Camp
http://athensyouthcamp.blogspot.com/

July  20 - 29 Remus Camp


July 22 - Hobe Sound Bible College
Mixed Quartet - Reflection
11:00 a.m. service

http://www.hsbc.edu/
Lunch will be served after the service

Aug. 2 - 12  Lower Lights Camp Meeting
Aug. 18 - Canoe Trip - Black River   Aug. 25 - raindate

Sept 3 - Labor Day

Sept 11 - Patriot Day

Sept 22 - 1st day of Fall

Sept 28 -30 Harvest Homecoming Services 

Speaker - Rev. Erick Himelick

Director of Victory Inner City Ministries

http://www.facebook.com/#!/victory.innercity

Oct. 8 - Columbus Day

             Oct. ??? Family night                   

 Oct 16 - Boss Day

Oct 20 - Sweetest Day

Oct 24 - 3rd Qtr Business Mtg.

Oct 28 - Communion

Oct 25 - 27 - Youth Challenge

Nov. 4 - D. S. T. Begins

Nov 6  - Election Day

Nov. 11 - Veterans Day

Nov. 22 - Thanksgiving

Dec. 9 - Hanukkah

Dec. 16 ??? - Church Christmas Program

Dec. 22 - 1st day of Winter

Dec. 25 - Christmas (Tuesday

In celebration of Pentecost

This sunday night (May 27th 2012) at 6 p.m.

We are going to have combined service.

The Dawn Valley Bible Methodist Church will be joining us for a Singspiration.A time of fellowship will follow at the back yard of the parsonage. Bring a friend, your singing voices, and a snack to share!

here are pics to show how it turned out!

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