You are welcome to join us for in person worship at Faith UMC in Spring Mills at 8:30am with Randy Muthersbaugh or join Edie Hertzog filling in for Pastor Theresa at Trinity UMC in Woodward at 8:30am, St. James UMC in Coburn at 9:45am and Sprucetown UMC in Potters Mills at 11am. Listen to the most recent message by phone anytime at 814-422-6238.
Pastor Theresa is on respite. This week’s online message premiered Feb 14, 2021 and is a resource prepared prayerfully to provide pastors with Sabbath rest and renewal. May the music, scripture and the message about the Good Samaritan refresh you. You may download the order of worship by clicking here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
July 25-29 – VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL will be offered nightly at 6pm at the Centre Hall Lion’s Club Pavilion. VBS is hosted by the Centre Hall Council of Churches and geared for ages 3 through 5th grade. The Quest for the King’s Armor at the Knights of North Castle Vacation Bible School is a wonderful adventure! Masks will be required and no food will be provided this year. Learn more online at https://2020.cokesburyvbs.com/CentreHallVBS and we hope to see you there!
August 3 – You’re invited to join Gary Shockley on Tuesday, August 3, as he discusses the topic of “Managing Loss and Change for Such A Time as This”. Because of the pandemic our church communities have experienced multiple layers of loss this past year. Even without a pandemic life can be hard and losses of any kind can make life even more difficult. With loss comes a multitude of emotions and behaviors. When we fail to see the connections between these and the losses we have experienced, in ourselves and in the church, we can respond in unhelpful ways. How do we help ourselves and our people navigate the challenges of loss and transition? Rev. Gary Alan Shockley, our conference Director of Equipping Vital Congregations and Certified Grief Counselor and Spiritual Director, invites you to attend this important webinar that will identify the many challenges that come with loss and the transitions that follow in our personal lives AND in the corporate life of the church. Gary will give leaders guidance in understanding and exercising their unique role in helping congregants, and the church, navigate change to embrace the new beginnings just on the horizon. REGISTER TODAY
August 5 – Ladies’ Coffee and Conversation 9:30am at St. James UMC, 501 Main Street, Coburn. All ladies in the area are invited to sit, sip coffee, enjoy a treat and casual conversation.
August 7 – Discerning God’s Call Event and Training for Leadership Called to Recognized the Called. Join us to explore God’s call and learn about various pastoral ministry paths. You are invited to a Zoom call: Saturday, August 7, 2021from 9 AM to 1:30 PM This summer, we’ll celebrate how God is calling you. This event will also include leadership training that you can take back to your churches to help others with their calls too. Check out our video on more reasons to attend the next God’s Calling Workshop and use our registration form to sign up by August 1. We look forward to seeing you online!
SAVE THE DATES: August 18 or 19 – Mission InSite Training for Clergy and Laity: And who is my neighbor? One of the skills we seemed to have lost in the past few decades is the ability to connect with our neighbors. As a culture, we have moved from a front porch presence where we nightly greeted people as they passed (or stopped by), to a culture of back deck occupancy, designed for solitude. According to the Pew Research Center, 66% of Americans report they do not know their neighbors. The impact on the church is reflected in our statistics. More and more, we have relied on excellent programs to do the work of connecting the church with people. We have lost the art of building relationships with those outside our circle of church friends and family. Yet, Jesus calls us to make disciples of all nations. It is time to relearn the art of being a neighbor. A training will be offered online August 18th at 1p.m., and again on August 19th at 6:30 p.m. This training is mandatory for all our pastors and will be recorded for those unable to attend. If you miss the training, it will be your responsibility to view the recording at your own convenience, and enough time to engage with your leaders in preparation for your charge conference. To learn more click here.