Pastor s Column: Ten Little Christians. Ten Little Christians came to church all the time; One fell out with the preacher, then there were nine.

Transcription

1 Sep 22 Oct 6, 2016 Cornerstone News Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord Romans 12:11 Pastor s Column: Ten Little Christians Ten Little Christians came to church all the time; One fell out with the preacher, then there were nine. Nine Little Christians stayed up late; One overslept on Sunday, then there were eight. Eight Little Christians on their way to Heaven; One took the low road, then there were seven. Seven Little Christians, chirping like chicks; One didn't like the singing, then there were six. Six Little Christians seemed very much alive; One took a vacation, then there were five. Five Little Christians pulling for Heaven s shore; One stopped to take a rest, then there were four. Four Little Christians each as busy as a bee; One had his feelings hurt, then there were three. Three Little Christians couldn't decide what to do; One couldn't have his way, then there were two. Two Little Christians each won one more; Now don't you see, two plus two equals four. Four Little Christians worked early and late; Each brought one, now there were eight. Eight Little Christians if they double as before; In just seven Sundays, we have one thousand twenty four. In this jingle there is a lesson true; You belong either to the building, or to the wrecking crew. - Author Unknown Continued on Next Page...

2 Friends, as we kick off our fall together, we want to encourage everyone to prioritize Sunday Worship. The past two Sundays have been big: two weeks ago, with our Ministry Fair and Fall Kick-off, and then last Sunday with the beginning of our fall series, Jesus for King! That was a fantastic Sunday of praise together. So what might keep you away from Worship? There are lots of standard reasons, many unavoidable: illness, work, kids illness, travel, vacation, and the unexpected. Often there are details in our lives that are beyond our control. But so too can there be other reasons, maybe lesser reasons: football is on tv. I m tired. I don t feel like it. Kids sports. I didn t like the last sermon I heard. A Church member rubbed me the wrong way. No one will notice if I m not there. The truth is, we do notice. This summer was a huge season for Cornerstone, with lots going on, lots of service, lots of fellowship, and some particularly great Worship highlighted by the testimonies from many of our Church members. But we also had families, singles and couples we did not see over those months. At the beginning of the summer I was talking with a longtime family of our Church, who explained that during their growing up years they were good Methodists who always took the summertime off from attending Worship. It was intended as a joke (although the absences were real), but it certainly missed the heart of Methodism. We re Methodists because we have a method and that method is to meet weekly; yes for Worship, but also for service, for fellowship, for education, and just to be together as the family of God. Because it s tough to be a family who doesn t gather regularly. That s why this summer we did everything from eat together after worship, to hike together, to go on retreat at Lazy F together, to serve homeless families together, to even have kids play dates together. It s when we start seeing each other only once a month, or maybe once a quarter, that it becomes tough to know each other well, let alone feel like a family. Families eat together. They play together. They learn together. They work together. And certainly, Christian families worship God together! So you are encouraged: make Sunday mornings a priority. We ve returned to our normal two service schedule at 9:00 and 10:45 am. Our praise band continues to shine Jesus light bright. Children s Ministries is churning their way into new curriculum and Children s Church during both services. Club 56 just kicked off, with weekly classes and some social events coming up. But most of all, there is that desire to affirm the goodness of God together, with songs and prayers, Scriptures and reflections. Let us join together this fall, and fill God s house! See you Sunday morning! Pastor James Murphy

3 Jesus for King 2016 Here at Cornerstone United Methodist Church, during a divisive election year, we are putting the focus on our true authority: Jesus the Christ, the King of all creation! You are invited to join us on Sunday mornings all fall for this special Worship series, Jesus for King, where we are reflecting on who Jesus is as the humble King who died to save us, on living out His Kingdom in this world, and on who we are invited to be as we follow after Him! Join us Sundays at either 9:00 or 10:45 am for uplifting worship, sharing and prayer, Scripture and message! This is a 10 week series, running from September 18 th through November 20 th. All are welcome! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Luke 19:38

4 Questions & Answers I saw one of your Jesus for King signs around town. Is this a political campaign? Are you asking voters to vote for Jesus in November? No, this is not a political series. We are using the election season to reflect upon Jesus invitation to know Him and find new life in Him, and what it means to have Jesus as our real authority. I saw one of your Jesus for King signs mixed in with political signs for a particular party. Does your Church side with a specific political party? No. Cornerstone is a diverse congregation, with peoples who side with Democrats and Republicans, as well as independents. We have encouraged our people to post these signs in their yards, at their businesses, or wherever people are erecting political signage. We believe including the name of Jesus in the midst of these political signs will help our community see the bigger picture of God s Kingdom beyond this particular election year. What do you mean by Jesus for King? Isn t He already the King of kings? Yes, Jesus is the eternal King of all creation. While no one elects Jesus, our Lord does invite everyone to respond to Him, placing our trust in His life, death and resurrection, and choosing to live for Him and in Him. Throughout this series we are emphasizing the life-giving choice of choosing to accept Jesus as your Lord, Friend, Savior and King! I would like to hear more. Am I welcome at your Church? All are welcome in our services and in the life of our congregation. Cornerstone is a faith community dedicated to making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. From nursery care, Children s Church, youth programs for Middle School and High School, into adult programs, service projects, community outreach, and fellowship gatherings, all are welcome at Cornerstone! I have missed some of these messages. Where can I hear them? You can hear past sermons here on our website, at this LINK Or you can hear sermons through our Church smartphone app, available through your app store by searching for Cornerstone UMC. The app and sermons are all free!

5 Worship Schedule September 18 th Message: Orientation: From Israel s Kings to the King of Kings Primary Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:1-22 September 25th Message: Parables: A King Reflected by His Kingdom Primary Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9, October 2 nd Message: Jesus our Antithetical King Primary Scripture: John 13:1-17 October 9 th Message: Jesus our Gracious King Primary Scripture: Mark 14:3-9 October 16 th Message: Jesus our Sacrificial King Primary Scripture: Luke 23:33-43 October 23 rd Message: Jesus our Eternal King Primary Scripture: Revelation 1:10-18 October 30 th Message: Following Our King Standing Opposite the World Primary Scripture: Mark 10:35-45 November 6 th Message: Following Our King Being Grace-Filled Primary Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35 November 13 th Message: Following Our King A Sacrificial Life Primary Scripture: November 20 th Message: Following Our King Living Eternally Primary Scripture: John 11:1-44

6 Believe! WHERE HAVE YOU SHARED JESUS FOR KING? #jesusforking16

7 Praying and Community Support Prayers for the Groby family on the loss of Chris brother Colin. Service Saturday Sept. 24th at 11 am Prayers for Lynne Inouye recovering from surgery. Prayers for Ski Segi facing neck surgery Sept. 29th Congratulations to Mark and Maggie, who married in a family service at Cornerstone on September 18 th. They will be hosting a larger gathering in the spring of further celebration! May God bind them in love for all their years! Prayers for Jay Ball, in treatment. Continued prayers for the Schmitt family after the passing of Karen Schmitt. Prayer request for Aiga I'a, finishing treatment, in her last weeks. Prayers for Pastor Joseph and his congregation in northern India, as they face persecution for their faith. Prayers for our schools and all the students, teachers, coaches, support staff and Administrators. Prayers for our Fall programs, including Children's ministries, youth groups, women's studies. Prayers for those fighting illnesses, or preparing or recovering for surgery. Local homeless men and women, and all those looking for work and for better lives. Our law enforcement, fire fighters and first responders, whenever they put themselves in harm's way. The lament of loss of life among minorities in our country. The men and women of our armed forces, at home and abroad, and their families. Christians and missionaries working among the poor in our world, and those who are persecuted for their faith. For God's guidance and grace with fall elections. Have something to submit for Prayer Chain or want to be part of our Prayer Chain prayer team? the Prayer Chain at prayer@buildingonjesus.org Download the Cornerstone UMC App and submit prayer requests under the Connect Icon. Or you can call the church office at during office hours or after hours contact Amy Konvalin

8 Connecting at Cornerstone! Silver Servants October 13th 12:00 PM His Place Potluck CHOIR INFORMATIONAL MEETING SEPTEMBER 29TH 6:00 PM SANCTUARY

9 Connecting at Cornerstone!

10 Youth Connecting at Cornerstone!

11 Ways to Serve To attend as a guest at a hosted table, contact Sue Jones,

12 Sharing our Tithes and Offering! 2016 Finance Report August 2016 Total Offering: $26,422 Total Income: $26,922 Total Expense: $35,692 $50,000 $46,077 $45,000 $44,786 $45,471 $46,209 $39,166 $40,000 $39,119 $37,420 $37,258 $35,944 $35,361 $34,608 $36,250 $35,000 $33,531 $30,000 $29,626 $35,692 $26,922 $25,000 $20,000 $15,000 $10,000 $5,000 Income Expenses MONEY COUNTERS I would like to say that the Finance Committee is looking for (3-4) counters for offerings following Church Services. The job typically takes about ten minutes after each Church Service. Please contact Mike Morris (Finance Chair at keystone@sosnet.net) or Willard Nielsen (Finance Secretary at wniel@comcast.net) if you would be interested in helping. $0 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16

13 Sep/Oct Birthdays! Kimberley Lackey Sep. 22 Amy Kliskey Sep. 27 Evan Walker Sep. 27 Bella Walker Sep. 27 Damion Daily Sep. 28 Claire Burnett Sep. 30 Martha Daigbe Oct. 1 Tanya Wunschel Oct. 2 Diane Culp Oct. 3 Bryan Thueringer Oct. 5 CHURCH EVENTS Oct Birthdays! Terry Thomas Oct. 6 Chuck Buser Oct. 6 Patty Osthus Oct. 7 Kent Bradley Oct. 13 Magnolia Schenk Oct. 13 William Fairchild Oct. 13 Emily Lombard Oct.14 Jimmy Creek Oct. 17 Christy Lane Oct. 17 Katie Strous Oct. 18 October Birthdays! Kirsten Strous Oct. 18 Alyssa Scott Oct. 19 Oliver Wunschel Oct. 20 Ramie Cooney Oct. 21 Kelsi Griffin Oct. 24 Grant Wunschel Oct. 25 William Schmitt Oct. 25 Leslie Connell Oct. 26 Karen Strous Oct. 28

14 Leaders & Servants at Cornerstone Committee Chairs & Lay Leadership Leadership Chair Lay Leader Men s Ministry Leader Roger Sargent/Bob Allen Brian Heineman Scott Hurter SPR Chair Finance Chair Trustees Chair Nominations Chair Mike Morris Dennis McClellan/Tyler Elliott James Murphy Discipleship Chairs Believe Team Chair Phil Rodocker Connect Team Chair Serve Team Chair Share Team Chair Peggy Kessel Judy Franklin Cornerstone Staff Pastor Children s Ministry Leader Youth Ministry Leader Middle School Ministries Coordinator Worship Director Admin. Assistant Custodial Music James Murphy Christine Girard Ashley Creek Maria Vachlon Amy Bjorn Kimberley Lackey Lorena Saxton Chuck Buser Contact Us Cornerstone United Methodist Church Rev. James Murphy, Senior Pastor SE 272nd Street, Covington, WA P: (425) Fax: (425) Office office@buildingonjesus.org Pastor's pastor@buildingonjesus.org Visit our web page at: