Today’s Bible Verse
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” –Psalm 33:12
Category Archives: The Holy Bible
Today’s Bible Verse ~ Psalm 33:12
Happy Father’s Day!
Please join us this Sunday, June 18th, at our 8:15, 9:30 & 11am Worship Services. It’s Father’s Day and our very own Tony Hines will be preaching at all 3 services on “As For Me and My House, We Will Serve the Lord” (Mark 5:21-42)
This Sunday is also Graduation Sunday and we will be honoring our high school and college graduates at our 11am Worship Service. Together we will celebrate this wonderful milestone in their lives! (All graduates are encouraged to wear their caps and gowns!)
Pender’s Vision Statement:
By following Jesus and reaching out to others, we seek God’s transformation of ourselves and our world.
Listen to past sermons by Pastors Kenny Newsome, Dan Elmore and others in the Pender Podcast.
Directions to Pender
Sunday Childcare
Wondering where to take your children on Sunday mornings? Below is a summary. More detailed information is available at the Welcome desk located in the main lobby and here.
- NURSERY CARE ~ Birth through 2 years, 9:30 am – 12:15 pm
- SUNDAY SCHOOL 1 ~ 2 yrs. – Adults, 9:30 am – 10:40 am
- SUNDAY SCHOOL 2 ~ Grades 4 – Adults, 10:45 am – 12:15 pm
- CHERUB CHURCH ~ 3 yrs.- Kindergarten, 10:45 am – 12:15 pm
- JUNIOR FELLOWSHIP ~ Grades 1-3, 10:45 am – 11:30 am
- JUNIOR CHURCH ~ Grades 1 – 5, 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Also Today:
Sunday June 4 is Pentecost
From a historical perspective, Christianity didn’t start with Jesus’ birth, his death or even his storied ascension to heaven. It started with Pentecost — the day the “Holy Spirit” entered a room holding Jesus’ apostles and entered each of them, an event which — as my minister uncle tells me — “makes the church the church.”
Although Pentecost is chock full of religious significance, it is a holiday not widely celebrated. Sort of the opposite of Hanukkah, which is widely celebrated but not religiously important. My uncle says Pentecost is a bigger deal in liturgical churches, which follow a formal, standardized order of events (like Catholics). “Non-liturgical” refers to churches whose services are unscripted (like Baptists).
Back Story: At his Last Supper, Jesus legendarily instructed his 12 disciples to go out into the world to minister and heal the sick on their own. It was at that point that they became “apostles.” Fifty days after Jesus’ death, as the story goes, the Holy Spirit (part of the Holy Trinitity — God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit ) descended onto the apostles, making them speak in foreign tongues. This “Pentecostal” experience allowed the apostles direct communication with God, which signaled a major shift in the religious landscape and laid the foundation for what would become Christianity. You’ll notice that the disciples are always depicted in artwork as regular-looking men while the apostles are depicted with halos around their heads. (Several other apostles came later — namely the famous Paul who is credited with writing much of the New Testament.)
Although all the original 12 apostles are important, some get top billing. Here’s why:
- Peter (also called Simon Peter) established the first church in Antioch and is regarded as the founding pope of the Catholic church. Instrumental in the spread of early Christianity, Peter was said to have walked on water, witnessed the “Transfiguration of Jesus” and denied Jesus (for which he repented and was forgiven.) The Gospel of Mark is ascribed to Peter, as Mark was Peter’s disciple and interpreter.
- John also is said to have witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus and went on to pen the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John and Book of Revelation. He died at age 94, having outlived the other apostles — all of whom, according to legend/history/whatever, were martyred. John is often described as “Jesus’ favorite” and depicted as the disciple sitting to Jesus’ right at the Last Supper.
- Thomas (“Doubting Thomas”) is best known for questioning Jesus’ resurrection when first told of it. According to the Bible, Thomas saw Jesus himself several days later and proclaimed “My Lord and my God,” to which Jesus famously responded: “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:28.)
via Pentecost is this Sunday. What the heck is Pentecost?.
Preaching on Sunday at Pender UMC
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Happy Mother’s Day!
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. ~ Proverbs 31:26
Statistics say that 20.7 billion dollars will be spent on moms in honor of the U.S. holiday that falls on the second Sunday in May: Mother’s Day. All that cash and commercialism goes against everything the women who originated the idea wanted.
In this video, meet the Methodist mother and daughter team who worked to create a day to honor a mother’s love and to emphasize how important a mother’s role is in building a peaceful world.
Why is the Easter season 50 days long?
Easter for Christians is not just one day, but rather a 50-day period. The season of Easter, or Eastertide, begins at sunset on the eve of Easter and ends on Pentecost, the day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church (see Acts 2).
Easter is also more than just an extended celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. In the early church, Lent was a season for new converts to learn about the faith and prepare for baptism on Easter Sunday. The initial purpose of the 50-day Easter season was to continue the faith formation of new Christians.
Today, this extended season gives us time to rejoice and experience what it means when we say Christ is risen. It’s the season when we remember our baptisms and how through this sacrament we are, according to the liturgy, “incorporated into Christ’s mighty acts of salvation.” As “Easter people,” we also celebrate and ponder the birth of the Church and gifts of the Spirit (Pentecost), and how we are to live as faithful disciples of Christ.
From http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/why-is-the-easter-season-fifty-days-long
Share Your God Moments During Lent!
God works in our lives in so many wonderful ways. As we spend time during the Lenten season focused on God’s presence, we would love to hear how you see God working in your lives or in the lives of others. We believe the more you see God, the more you SEE God! Share your God moments with us! Look for this box located in the Church Lobby and write down your God moments!
“Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” (Psalm 145:4-7)
