Category: Upcoming Event

Posted on

“First Steps,” by Rev. Dr. Shane Green, November 11, 2024

November 11, 2024

In November, I always set aside time to reflect and take stock of my life.  I want to recall God’s faithfulness over the past year.  The Psalm understood this exercise, for Psalm 100 reminds us that “His love endures forever, and His faithfulness continues through all generations.”  When we take stock of our lives, we acknowledge not only where we are now, but also how far God has brought us.  These are two things I want to remember.  

Take a moment to think back over this past year.  There were challenges faced, difficult seasons, and uncertainties.  Yet, you are still standing.  Can you see God’s hand amid the struggle?  In addition, this past year was also filled with laughter, love, fun, and joy.  Can you see God’s hand within the blessings?

Taking stock is not about perfection, but about the process.  Life is filled with both the highs and the lows, yet God is part of it all.  The key is to see His hand in the journey of things.  Maturity has more to do with gratitude in all things, not just the things we like.  Thanksgiving is meant to be shared.  It is the giving and receiving of blessings that we find contentment in all things.  

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your faithfulness and goodness in our lives.  Help us to cultivate hearts of gratitude, to reflect on your blessings, and to live out that thanksgiving in how we love and serve others.  As we take stock of our lives, guide us by your Spirit, that we may continue to grow closer to you and be a reflection of your life to those around us.  Amen.

Things to Pray About:

  • Pray for our Veteran’s.
  • Pray for spiritual maturity.
  • Our unwillingly absent members and shut-ins.
  • Pray for comfort for those who are grieving.
  • Wisdom for our church leaders, local leaders, and world leaders. 
  • Family restoration through forgiveness.
  • Continued growth of the faith of the people.
  • Pray for understanding.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

Posted on

“First Steps,” by Rev. Dr. Shane Green, October 21, 2024

October 21, 2024

In the first half of Ephesians 4, Paul focuses on Christian maturity and how it creates unity in the Body of Christ.  In verse 15 Paul mentioned, “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is Christ.”  

The association of truth and love in this clause is a significant one.  Any claim of loyalty to truth (which results in lack of love) stands as much condemned as any claim to an all-embracing love (which is indifferent to truth).  They are not competing as if to say there is a balance that is unachieved.  It is a lifestyle that is embodied.  The Church is seen as the witness to this lifestyle.  Both truth and love should flow freely and in lockstep with each other.

How great it would be for Christians to reclaim this understanding of maturity.  We are called to grow, develop, blossom, and mature.  It is this level of faith-living that is the most effective witness in the world.  Truth without love can be brutally legalistic, hyper-critical, and overly harsh.  Love without truth is empty sentimentality.  

We do both. 

This Week’s Readings:

We are reading the Bible in just a little over a year!  We are now finishing the reading of Leviticus and we are starting Numbers. You may join anytime.  Just mark your Bible on the chapter you started and keep up with the weekly readings.

Things to Pray About:

  • Pray for our country and the 2024 Presidential Election
  • Pray for spiritual maturity.
  • Our unwillingly absent members and shut-ins.
  • Pray for comfort for those who are grieving.
  • Wisdom for our church leaders, local leaders, and world leaders. 
  • Family restoration through forgiveness.
  • Continued growth of the faith of the people.
  • Pray for understanding.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

Posted on

Chopped! – October 9, 2024

For Wednesday Night Family Supper we enjoyed a fun and energetic presentation of “Chopped” with Jim Rumph and Sally Watkins as our top chefs! With the objective of creating a dessert, our chefs had a limited time to bring their culinary delights to the judges. In the end, Sally’s dessert was chosen and Jim was chopped! However, everyone enjoyed the antics during the cooking process–especially the children!

Posted on

“First Steps” by Rev. Dr. Shane Green, September 30, 2024

September 30, 2024

Why is it that we are really proficient in compartmentalization?  For Christians, there is the uncanny ability to separate the secular from the sacred.  Peter Scazzero, a pastor in New York, summed up this problem by quoting a question asked by a church member, “Why is it that so many Christians make such lousy human beings?  In a word, compartmentalization.  We divide our lives into categories:  Over here belongs to God…over there belongs to me.  

For some, there is weekly attendance in worship on Sundays but no evidence of it from Monday to Saturday.  For another, the berating of a family member for their lack of spiritual maturity, all under the banner of defending God.  Finally, one can be lost in the joy of worship of God only to complain, gossip, and blame others.  

How shocking it is to read that there is no noticeable difference between the way evangelical church goers live, and non-church goers live when compared to divorce rates, giving patterns, sexual promiscuity and cohabitation, and racism (See Ron Sider’s The Scandal of Evangelical Conscience for statical data). 

Spiritual maturity is more than what one believes.  It equally involves how one lives.  Orthodoxy and orthopraxis must align.  When there are disconnects, where one compartmentalizes the spiritual and the secular, there will always be problems.  A life with God is one of unity (body, mind, and soul)—all of it is spiritual and sacred.  Everything that we are and everything that we do is connected to God.  The work of God’s Spirit is to bring wholeness.  Therefore, we can segment our lives so that what we do on Sundays and what we do the rest of the week aligns—everyday is Sunday for that matter. 

This Week’s Readings:

We are reading the Bible in just a little over a year!  We are now reading Leviticus. You may join anytime.  Just mark your Bible on the chapter you started and keep up with the weekly readings.

Things to Pray About:

  • Pray for our country and the 2024 Presidential Election.
  • Pray for spiritual maturity.
  • Our unwillingly absent members and shut-ins.
  • Pray for comfort for those who are grieving.
  • Wisdom for our church leaders, local leaders, and world leaders. 
  • Family restoration through forgiveness.
  • Continued growth of the faith of the people.
  • Pray for understanding.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

Posted on

Countdown to St Paul for All

Registration may be closed, but there’s still a chance to serve at St Paul for All! We have openings during our third shift at 11:00 AM.

  • Please arrive 10 minutes early to ensure everything runs smoothly.
  • Where to meet: The Large Room in the Youth Building (enter through the double doors under the banner).
  • Dress Code: Wear your St Paul for All shirt with jeans or khakis and comfortable shoes. If you didn’t get your shirt, you can pick one up before your shift at the church.
  • Family-Friendly: Children 4 and older are welcome to serve alongside you. Consider serving as an individual or bring your family to make it a special day of giving back together!

Let’s make a difference together!

Posted on

“First Steps” by Rev. Dr. Shane Green – July 29, 2024

This summer, Dr. Green wanted to share some of his favorite First Steps from previous years.

I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect.” This adage holds much truth and wisdom. The idea is if I do something over and over again, then I will achieve whatever goal I set out to reach. This modern proverb wasn’t lost on the early church fathers and mothers. One father linked time in mediation with immediate action so that nothing was lost. He wrote:

“After a time of meditation, immediately begin to put into practice the resolutions you have made. Don’t wait another day to get started. Without this application, meditation may be useless or even detrimental. Meditate on a virtue without practicing it, and you will mislead yourself into believing that you have actually become someone you are not. If I have resolved to win the heart of my enemy by being gentle toward that person, I will try to find a way this very day to be friendly to him. If I am not able to see that person face to face, I will at least pray for him.”

Living as a Christian is practicing our faith. The more we do it, the more mature we become which yields greater affinity with Christ. The practicing requires both meditation (reflection) AND follow-through (action). Begin this week! Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you during your prayers and to help you follow through as you walk with Him.

This Week’s Readings:
Monday – Exodus 6
Tuesday – Exodus 7
Wednesday – Exodus 8
Thursday – Exodus 9
Friday – Exodus 10

We are reading the Bible in just a little over a year!  We have completed Genesis and are now reading Exodus. You may join anytime.  Just mark your Bible on the chapter you started and keep up with the weekly readings.

Things to Pray About:
Pray for those affected by natural disasters.
Pray for words of kindness, to you and from you.
Pray for guidance, protection, healing, strength, courage, and faith. 
Our unwillingly absent members and shut-ins.
Comfort those who are grieving.
Wisdom for our church leaders (especially through the special called Church Conference), local leaders, and world leaders. 
Family restoration through forgiveness.
Continued growth of the faith of the people.
Pray for inner peace. 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6
Proudly powered by WordPress