Welcome to another week!
I saw Hank’s winter signs have been taken down. Whoo-hoo! Spring is coming.
Please remember that Daylight Savings Time begins on March 9 Man, losing that hour on Sunday morning is rough.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5. During Lent Christians reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross and prepare our hearts for Easter. Pastor Dave Bell will preach at 7 p.m. at Fallowfield United Methodist. Consider yourself invited to our service.
Lenten services will be at Fallowfield United Methodist at 7 p.m. on March 12, 19, 26, April 2 and 9.
There is a community breakfast at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2014, at Kennard United Methodist Church. Please come out for a delicious, hot breakfast and visit your neighbors.
Fallowfield United Methodist Women and volunteer cooks made 560 chicken pies on February 8 and 22. All proceeds go toward supporting missions.
I’ve lived in the Atlantic community my whole life with the exception of four years. From age 22-26 I lived in the Akron, Ohio, region.
Moving there was a culture shock. Everything I counted on as part of normal life was abnormal in the suburbs. I couldn’t take a walk along the roads. I couldn’t see my friends at church; couldn’t count on social activities at church.
It taught me something. The church is not the center of society now. Schools and sports games are where people meet each other. Education and sports draw people together nowadays.
When was the last time you heard of a couple who met at church? People usually meet at school, sports, or work.
H.H. Halley writes, “A Regularly Good Sunday Morning Church Service is unquestionably THE VERY GREATEST BLESSING A COMMUNITY CAN HAVE. It is not possible to exaggerate its importance” (825). By extension, I believe communities would be much stronger and happier if the church were at the center of our social lives.
There’s always hope, though. Take your children and grandchildren to church. Drag them if necessary. Make them go to youth group.
I hated youth, too. I didn’t want to be in church as a teen, but I went. I knew my parents expected it.
Let’s face it: Teens aren’t the world’s most faithful Christians. There are some who are very dedicated to Jesus, but many, including myself as a teen, aren’t.
But God is a God of second chances. The church and Christians in general can still have a second chance. Pray, pray, and pray again for a turnaround in our culture. God is still in control.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!
Halley, H.H. Halley’s Bible Handbook, 88th edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998. Book.