Under-inflated footballs have been big news of late, ever since it was discovered that the New England Patriots were using them in their game with the Indianapolis Colts. Because the under-inflated balls are thought by some to provide a slight edge to the team on offense and using such is a violation of NFL rules, it’s assumed that the balls in question were deliberately deflated. This has led to still-unproven claims that the Patriots were cheating. While not assuming anyone’s guilt, the news does give us an opportunity to talk about how we convince ourselves that cheating (or almost any other wrongdoing) is okay. That is, assuming we accept basic morality to begin with – and surely most Christians do – how do we give ourselves permission to do something that is not acceptable according to our moral code? That will be the topic of this week’s Wired Word lesson. Join us in Fellowship Hall at 9:00 a.m. this Sunday for coffee, scriptures and discussion.
Worship Service for Sunday, February 1st :
Handbell Choir will be ringing the Prelude – “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High”
Children’s Moment
Hymns – Breathe on Me, Breath of God and Take Time to Be Holy
Choir Anthem – Just A Closer Walk With Thee
Scripture: James 3:1-17
Pastor Mike’s sermon title: No Man Can Tame the Tongue
Celebration of Holy Communion by intinction at the front of the church
Olga’s selections – Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
I’ll Praise Your Name, Lord
Liturgist – Dave Landis
Following the worship service, please join us in Fellowship Hall for a time of light refreshments and conversation. Cindy Box and Penny Greenlese will be your hosts during the month of February.
Olga’s classical music CD may be purchased after church during Fellowship Hour. It includes songs from Bach, Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Samuel Barber. The cost is $15.00. She is donating a portion of each sale to the church. We also have a few to sell in the Church Office. (Florida congregation members – if any of you would like a CD, I’m sure we could arrange a special delivery by one of our Snow Birds that will be leaving here soon!)
Our mission focus for the month of February will be the S.O.W.E.R. Project (Sharing Our Witness – Enriching Relationships). The 2015 SOWER Team is in the planning stages for constructing the 15th home for a family near Frakes, Kentucky (the Cumberland Gap area). The cost of materials to build one of the 28’ x 28’ or 28’ x 32’ houses from the ground up is approximately $43,000 to $47,000 The project is in need of both funding to cover material costs and volunteers for the six week building process. For more information, you may visit www.hendersonsettlement.com and http://www.westohioumc.org. If you are interested in working on the construction phase, you will find the SOWER build schedule and the registration forms on the shelf outside the church office. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to Pastor Mike or Dave and myself about our experiences at the site during August 2014. Mission envelopes are located in the pew racks for your financial gifts.
Ted Myers was in the office yesterday and showed me the newest church website that he has been working hard on. All I can say is WOW!! It should be rolling out in the next few weeks. I will be sure and keep you updated as to when it is ready to roll.
Theatre-for-the-World will take place on Friday, March 13th, Saturday, March 14th and Sunday, March 15th. Friday and Saturday’s shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday show will start at 1:30 p.m. This year’s production is FOOLS, a family-friendly comedy by Neil Simon. Watch for a sign-up sheet to be posted soon on the bulletin board near the office for Volunteers to help with this endeavor. (Also, be sure and read the article about this year’s production in the February issue of The Ambassador that was sent earlier this week.)
Stephanie Shelton has placed sign-up sheets on the bulletin board for reservations for the Youth Lasagna Dinner on the Saturday evening before the Theatre-for-the-World performance on March 14th. She is also in need of lasagna makers and dessert bakers for that evening.
As usual, we wish to have lilies in the Chancel Area on Easter Sunday. To help save on the cost of the paper by placing order forms in the church bulletins for several weeks and the printing costs, we would like to try something different this year. If you would like to order a flower or make a donation to our Building Fund, please use the envelopes that can be found on the bulletin board outside Pastor Mike’s office. Write your information on the outside of the envelope and place your money inside the envelope. You may either place them in the offering plate or drop them off in the office. We will be taking orders from Sunday, February 1st to Sunday, March 15th. The cost of each lily is $8.00. There is also a link to order your Easter lily in the February issue of The Ambassador – you will just fill out the form online and send it to the office. (You will then send us a check or place your money in the offering plate – we will not be asking for any credit card information.)
Construction on the storage area in Fellowship Hall will continue next week on Tuesday, February 3rd.
The weather forecast for Sunday looks a little snowy. Please be aware, that with the freezing rain we had on Thursday, that there are still icy areas in the parking lot and sidewalks. Jerry Robinson was at the church this morning and put salt down on the sidewalks and walkways, but because of the cold temperatures expected over the next week, we are unsure of how much melting will take place. Please, please, please be careful on Sunday morning on those areas!!!