02-09-20

I hope all members and friends will be able to attend worship this weekend to celebrate God’s goodness in guiding Eastminster through another excellent year of ministry.  Worship will be upbeat yet realistic, ending on Sunday at 11am with Eastminster’s Annual Congregational Meeting.  During worship, we will be looking at scripture texts which focus on the presence of God, even in the storms of life.

 

Indeed, God has been faithful!  The reality most followers of Jesus know is that God does not always remove us from life’s storms, but God is present in their midst. We sail on.

 

One of the best-known texts of the Bible is Psalm 46.  It begins:

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

 

The text asserts God’s presence in the storms and in the end, we hear God say “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10.)

 

Today’s scripture text is from Matthew 14:22-33 where Jesus calms a storm by saying, “Peace be still.”  The disciples sailing with him marvel that even the wind and waves obey him!

 

This text is the text I focused on when I preached before being voted by the congregation to be your pastor over six years ago.  Needless to say, there have been exciting times as we have journeyed from that point forward together.  There will be exciting times ahead as well.

 

Few would have guessed we would be where we are today.  That’s why we sail.  And as we sail, it is good to know that “calm seas do not make a skilled sailor.”  As we go through challenging times, know that God is with us and is cultivating in us the faith to sail well and help others to do the same.

 

As we look over the past and see where God has taken us, it is my prayer that we have faith, strength, courage, skill and each other to provide wisdom and experience to move forward with confidence, knowing “even the wind and waves obey him.”

 

Annual Reports will be available to tell the details of our church’s journey this year.  I hope and pray this is a good time for us all not only to celebrate, but also reorient our lives to God’s direction, knowing that to love God and serve on God’s “crew” is a privileged and blessed place to be in all times, seasons and conditions.  God indeed is our refuge and strength!

 

Blessings,

Pastor Tim

02-02-20

The older we get the wiser we get.  Right?  Hopefully we learn from experience. Last weekend I traveled to a church where I was a pastor 25 years ago.  Reflecting back over the years provided some insight.

 

One insight is that the people who are stronger spiritually are usually persons who participate beyond worship in community life.  Being active in a small group, participating in spiritual formation, hands-on mission, and fellowship activities really makes a difference.

 

In the coming weeks and years, I pray we grow spiritually mature as we grow older through “doing life together,” through being engaged together in worship and also in word (study/relationships) and deed (service).  The Vision Statement of Eastminster is:

Led by the Holy Spirit

Eastminster glorifies God by

Loving Christ and others

in worship, word and deed.

 

As we grow together in 2020 may we fulfill what Jesus calls the “Greatest Commandment” which is: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind’… and ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39).  This is keeping the “main thing” the Main Thing.

 

Perhaps the most natural opportunities to grow wiser beyond worship at this time are engaging in the FRED Talks immediately after worship during the four Sundays in February, participating on a committee, helping with the Rummage Sale or joining a Life Group.  Each of these involves study, relationship and service to varying degrees.

 

FRED Talks are held after worship on the four Sundays of February.  Participants will fellowship over a light lunch and learn more about Family, Relationships, Environment and Discipleship (FRED) in consecutive weeks.  A list of topics is in the February Newsletter available on the information station or in your weekly announcements.

 

Committee Night is Tuesday February 4 at 7:00.  All teams meet in the Fellowship Hall and then break up to plan and help implement the mission and ministry of Eastminster.  Creatives and detail drivers, thinkers and doers are all needed.  Come to worship, and I’ll help direct you to a place where your gifts and passions may be engaged.

 

The Rummage Sale will be held on Saturday February 22.  The proceeds will help youth and young adults engage in mission in Puerto Rico. Volunteers are needed, especially the week before the event to set up and also on the 22^nd to run the sale.  This is a great time to meet other people and engage in a cause with a purpose.  You may sign up to help after church.

 

Life Groups are small relational groups which enable people to connect.  They typically meet in member’s homes once to twice a month.  Contact Barbara Havens at barbarahavens7@gmail.com for more information.  There are groups meeting about every day of the week, so finding a good fit should be a snap.

 

I’m excited about loving Christ and others in worship word and deed with you this year!

Pastor Tim

01-19-20

Tim’s Tidings

 

It is great kicking off a new year with so many new members and friends at Eastminster.

 

If you are visiting, welcome.  Eastminster is an open and accepting congregation where many of the persons present have come in the last several years.  You will find a welcome here which is truly of God! 

 

One of the key ways people connect is through small groups.  Today all persons will find opportunities to engage in small group activities, even if you are here for the winter season, much less if you are a regular or even an “old timer.”  Survey sheets will be available to help you connect with the time and nature of a group which will meet your needs.  I encourage everyone not currently in a small group to consider giving one a try.

 

Another key way to connect is through before and after church activities. “Family EPiC” is a Third Saturday Potluck held at 5 p.m. before the 6 p.m. Engaging People In Christ (EPiC) contemporary worship service held in fellowship hall in the Christian Ministry Center.

 

Sundays, at present there are two opportunities for spiritual growth at 11:15 a.m. following the 10:00 a.m. traditional service of worship. One is Sermons, Soup and Sandwiches which is held in the library of the Christian Ministry Center.  Here the preaching pastor or invited guest will engage with those present expanding on the topic of the morning worship and answering any questions participants have. The second offering is a book study entitled “What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?” led by Jill Baker in the Heritage Room located on the second floor of the Christian Ministry Center.  Both opportunities have a light lunch for a suggested $2 donation.

 

One signature of Eastminster is serving homemade cookies following worship.  Please stay around for a cookie or two, a cup of Fair Trade coffee, and fellowship.  After being at Eastminster several months, colleagues asked me what I enjoyed most about my call.  My answer was invariably “the people.”  There are wonderful, interesting folks here that expand and enrich my life.  I hope you have the same pleasure as you meet those around you.

 

Finally, you are encouraged to attend the Eastminster Family breakfast on Saturday January 25 at 8:30 a.m.  Our own resident historian, Bruce Morgan, will make a case for the true landing point of explorer Ponce de Leon.  The results may surprise you, the food will delight you, and the fellowship will be suburb!

 

It’s exciting to start a new year of growth together!  Welcome newer and more established members.  My prayer is we grow in Christ, enhance the lives of one another and ultimately the community, nation and world.

Blessings,

Pastor Tim