June 5, 2017 - Sunday is the beginning of a new quarter and new study books for our Sunday school class. Our lesson came from early in the Hebrew Scriptures, which put us non-Jews at a disadvantage. We don’t know the national history of Israel very well, and some of the events and people sound so foreign. But taking that into consideration, there is wisdom to be gained from these ancient words. We are introduced to a hero of the Jewish nation, the prophet Deborah, respected and loved by the many tribes. She goes with General Barak into battle, and the enemy is defeated. Although women were held in low status at the time, Deborah was—and is—an inspiration to all.
Traditionally, June is when Methodist ministers who are changing churches move. I think now they wait until closer to July. I came to Paxton on the first Sunday in June in 2010. I was also the pastor at First United Methodist Church in Joaquin. I have really enjoyed my years at Paxton just as I did serving the other churches I preached at.
Summer will officially be here in a few short weeks. Living in East Texas means that we will have high temperatures and high humidity. At least the rain has been nice. In the month of June, Paxton Methodist will collect paper towels and toilet paper for Community Christian Services. On Monday we will venture to Focused Care of Center, AKA Green Acres. Our ministry there starts at 2PM; everyone is invited to visit, share stories, and sing a few songs.
It was great to see Keith this morning. Congratulations to Vera for another successful school year! We were in double digits this morning, making it a red-letter day. Cynthia came once again to play the piano for us—so nice of her to add us to her already crowded schedule. Plus, we sound lots better! Joy talked to Hilda this week. It was lovely to have Mrs. Hilda with us last week, but she knows her first priority should be to rest and recover.
“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.
