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?.
Tags: Bible, Christian Church, Christianity, disciples, Hanukkah, Jesus, John 20:28, Last Supper, Pentecost, Peter, Thomas, Trinity
This Sunday, May 8th, is Mother’s Day — Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers!
Please join us at our 8:15, 9:30, & 11:00 Services as Pastor Kenny and Pastor Dan preach on their final sermon in the “Heaven is for Real” sermon series: “Heaven is For Real…So What?” (Philippians 1:20-27)
So much of all the talk about heaven is focused on what happens after we die. But we believe the promise of heaven has impact in how we live today! Is it possible to bring a little bit of heaven to earth?
Bring some more friends for the conclusion of “Heaven is For Real!”
Listen to 278 past sermons by Pastors Kenny Newsome, Dan Elmore and others in the Pender Podcast.
What to expect at Pender UMC
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
Calendar of Events
Also Today:
Upcoming Events! Watch for more information:
Tags: Celebration Ringers, childcare, common ground, Dan Elmore, Heaven is For Real, Jesus Loves You, message, message series, Music Camp, New Directions Class, Nursery, Pender Podcast, Pender UMC, Pender Youth Orchestra, personal care products, Philippi Mission Trip, Philippians 1:20-27, Rev. Dan Elmore, sermon, sermon series, Sunday School, The Battle for Heaven, traditional service, Vacation Bible School, VBS, Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, WFCM, worship, Youth Choir, Youth Handbell Ensemble, Youth Handbells
Building in Faith for the Future Chili Cook Off and Performance by the Common Ground Praise Band
This Saturday, May 7; 5:00 p.m.
The chili cook-off is this Saturday! Learn more about the progress the Building Committee is making on the renovation plans and celebrate our building campaign.
This is a family-friendly event, with tailgate games, playground time, chili and fixings, music, and viewing of the Kentucky Derby. A panel of judges will choose the top three chilies, plus there will be a People’s Choice Award.
Food will be in Fellowship Hall; remember to bring a chair or blanket to enjoy the music outside (weather permitting).
If you are entering a chili, please have it there as close to 5 p.m. as possible, and bring it in a crock pot to keep it warm.
Sign up by emailing buildinginfaith@penderumc.org to attend and enter your chili.
Tags: Building in Faith for the Future, chili, chili cook off, common ground, praise band
All funds raised will be paid directly to Pender United Methodist Church for Funds will be used for our Building in Faith Capital Campaign.
Order your shirt in grey or mint green here: https://www.booster.com/pender-umc-building-in-faith-shirts
The deadline to place orders is April 30th. We are hoping everyone will wear their new shirts to our upcoming Pender fundraising events! (We had over 100 Pender people dine together at our fundraiser held at Jason’s Deli.)
We offered two colors and two styles (a unisex that goes from youth through adult and a ladies cut). We chose these colors based on recommended colors from the t-shirt designer, since colors we had originally selected would not have highlighted our logo as well once they were printed. And limiting it to two will allow us to better stand out as a group at these events.
Read more about the Building in Faith Campaign here: http://www.penderumc.org/buildinginfaith
Tags: Building in Faith for the Future, Fundraiser, Jason's Deli, Matthew 7:24, t-shirts
Please join us at our 8:15, 9:30, & 11:00 Services as Pastor Kenny and Pastor Dan continue their new sermon series entitled, “Heaven is for Real” and will be preaching on “The Battle for Heaven.” (Colossians 3:1-4)
Did you know that heaven is not guaranteed? In fact, we believe there are forces at work to knock us off our path and keep us from our intended destination. This is serious business, but victory can be ours! Make sure you’re among the victorious and join us today.
Listen to 278 past sermons by Pastors Kenny Newsome, Dan Elmore and others in the Pender Podcast.
What to expect at Pender UMC
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
Calendar of Events
Also Today:
Tags: Celebration Ringers, childcare, Colossians 3:1-4, common ground, Dan Elmore, Heaven is For Real, Jesus Loves You, message, message series, Music Camp, New Directions Class, Nursery, Pender Podcast, Pender UMC, Pender Youth Orchestra, Rev. Dan Elmore, sermon, sermon series, spring, Sunday School, The Battle for Heaven, The God We Can Know, traditional service, Vacation Bible School, VBS, Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, WFCM, worship, Youth Choir, Youth Handbell Ensemble, Youth Handbells
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