October 10, 2016 - Sunday was the 21st Sunday after Pentecost. This Sunday was Gideons International Sunday at Paxton. In the past, Paxton Methodist had several members who were Gideons, and our congregation supports their efforts. Our guest speaker, Cliff Hickman, came from Henderson to join us for both Sunday School and church. Cliff shared moving testimonies about people who came across a Gideon Bible and also explained the work and goals of the Gideons International. Paxton Methodist budgets money each year for the Gideons. Fannie is involved and helps with the Pastors’ Appreciation Dinner and the Sunday morning breakfast for the Gideons.
We were in double digits, which is an exciting thing at Paxton. Cherie and Robert were up from Houston, visiting Cherie’s folks—Joy and Gene. It is always great to see them. I forgot that this was a long weekend (Columbus Day tomorrow) and they get to spend an extra day.
The Old Testament and Gospel Lesson for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost were about truly living. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles telling them they needed not to dwell on the past but look to the future and live! They needed to plant gardens, marry off their children, and be good neighbors. It wasn’t exactly the message the exile community expected. It would be several generations before the exiles had the opportunity to return to Judah and Israel ; when the time came, most stayed in their new communities and country. The Luke Gospel was about the ten lepers that Jesus healed and focused not so much on the healing but that the fact that only one leper returned to thank Jesus.
Last week volunteers went to Green Acres for a singing. Pastor Matt from Tenaha and Timpson Methodist led the program, joined by Nora and Jo, Fannie, Victor Crawford, and Larry Terry. I had cataract surgery that day, so Sue (my driver) and I were out of pocket. Carolyn also had cataract surgery that same week, and I hope she is feeling as good as I am. This past Saturday was the “50 miles of treasures” from Stonewall to Joaquin. The Joaquin Senior Center had a big garage sale. The Center doesn’t have a garage, but they had every room in the Joaquin Community Center filled with slightly used (and some brand-new) treasures. All the proceeds go to the Senior Center and its nutrition programs.
In my weekly email to church members and others, I put information about how to donate to Methodist Relief, which is helping victims of Hurricane Matthew. Interested folks can donate to either the domestic or international responses. A good thing about Methodist Relief, or UMCOR, is that administrative costs are borne by churches in their yearly pledges, allowing ALL donations to go directly to disaster relief.
During October Paxton Methodist will be collecting peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services. On Tuesday, October 19th we will head to Holiday Nursing Center and on Thursday, October 27th we will head to Lakeside Village . Both of these ministries start at 2:00.
“Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here.” Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist you can send me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed!
