April 23, 2018 - Sunday was the Fourth Sunday of Easter. We had a small crowd at worship today. We all hope that Joy gets to feeling better real soon. Joe, Fannie, and Gene went last Saturday to the dedication of the Spanish-language church that used to meet after us at the Paxton Church. All three had a good time and were really impressed by how pretty the new sanctuary was. I know they’re pleased with their new space!
The Epistle Lesson was 1 John 3: 16-24. The letters of John were very important to the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, because of the emphasis on faith leading to action. Love of God and love of neighbor are the essentials of Wesleyan thought: A faith that did not lead to serving others was a faith that was not living. The United Methodist Church was formed when two Wesleyan denominations—The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church—joined together in April of 1968. Although Methodism dates back to the 1700s, this is the fiftieth year of the United Methodist denomination.
Our Sunday school lesson was written to help recognize the power of symbols in ritual and worship. The scripture was Revelation 4: 1-6, 8-11. Revelation is full of symbols, and because it was written so long ago and was a dream or vision, the book is very difficult for us to understand. A great book that explains Revelation is Breaking the Code.
Last week was our monthly ministry to Holiday Nursing Home. Minnie, Hilda, Fannie, Jo, and Sue led the program of reading, singing, and discussion—with lots of participation from the residents and Heather, the Activity Director. This coming Thursday at 2PM we’re scheduled to be at Lakeside Assisted Living for a similar celebration.
All the month of April Paxton Methodist has been collecting toothbrushes and toothpaste for Community Christian Services. In May we will collect cans of fruit. In April we had several birthdays—Evie, Carolyn, Fannie, and our dear friend Margaret Freeman. Happy Birthday! Also in April, Vera and Keith Knight had an anniversary. Happy Anniversary! We will celebrate Holy Communion on May 6th –the first Sunday of the month. All are welcome to join us for communion as we celebrate an open table.
“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. Godspeed.
Randy & Sue Smith
Paxton Methodist Church
