The Happenings. At Pittman Park. Wesley Covenant Prayer

Transcription

1 The Happenings At Pittman Park MONTHLY NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2019 Wesley Covenant Prayer I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen. i We say goodbye to 2018, and hello to At the beginning of the new year, congregations of the Wesleyan/Methodist family renew their covenant with God using the traditional Covenant Service. A piece of this important part of our tradition is the Covenant Prayer (above). John Wesley adapted this prayer from the Puritan tradition that was so important to his parents, Samuel and Suzannah, and life in the Epworth rectory. It informed his theology and preaching. He expected the people called Methodists to pray this prayer at the beginning of each new year as a way of remembering and renewing their baptismal covenant. The prayer describes the life of a participant with Christ in his mission. It is a practical description of what Jesus was talking about when he said, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). Baptism marks the beginning of life in Christ and his ecclesia, a people who profess to pursue holiness of heart and life; universal love filling the heart and governing the life. The Covenant prayer helps us remember what this Jesus-way of life looks like and what loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind and loving our neighbor as ourself requires of us. When we pray this prayer we remember that we are baptized. We renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of our sin. We accept the freedom and power God gives to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. We confess Jesus Christ as our Savior, trust wholeheartedly in his grace, and promise to serve him as Lord, in union with the church. And we renew our promise to live as faithful members of Christ s church and serve as his representatives in the world.

2 The Covenant Prayer describes missional life devoted to following Jesus and serving as Christ s representative in the world he loves and is working to redeem. It tells us that being a Christian is more a way of life than a system of beliefs. The Covenant Prayer describes the Jesus way of self-giving and self-emptying love. This way of living and loving is possible only in a community centered in the life and mission of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Wesley and the early Methodists annually prayed the Covenant Prayer presuming everyone was part of a class meeting or band that met weekly for accountability and support for living this prayer. And everyone had a discipleship coach in their class leader who encouraged and prayed for them. The Covenant Renewal Service and Covenant Prayer are important and powerful Wesleyan/Methodist traditions. They remind us who and whose we are. This makes them a great way to begin each new year as Christ s representatives in the world that needs to know and see his love and justice. These next 40 days Pittman Park will be in a time of intentional prayer. Please see your weekly bulletins or the Weekly Announcements which are ed out for our prayer guide. Join with us in prayer as we seek God and God s direction for us at Pittman Park. Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, Our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. Bridging the Gap Dine and Dialogue January 13, 2019 Hurricane Relief MISSION TRIP Jan Starting at 4:00 pm, Sunday, January 13, Pittman Park UMC will partner with First Methodist to host a dine and dialogue session on issues of gender and sexuality. As the UMC grapples with this issue on the global stage, this is an opportunity for our local church to come together to begin a genuine conversation. This event will be facilitated by Bulloch County s Beloved Community, a local, grassroots community-academic partnership which aims to build empathy across areas of difference. Founded in 2015, the Beloved Community is a nonpartisan, apolitical group. They have sponsored a series of Bridging the Gap events on a variety of topics, and will be facilitating this event at PPUMC. Beloved Community s Bridging the Gap events are designed to provide meaningful, structured opportunities for community members to engage in conversation around social issues. The events are designed to promote both awareness and reflection, with panel discussions, smallgroup activities, and keynote speakers introducing us to the topic, and time set aside for participants to share their experiences and learn about the experiences of others through the use of facilitated group listening (FGL) methodology. We hope that you will be able to join us for this important event! Because we will provide a meal at this event, please help us know how many to expect. RSVP by the following link or call Church Office (912) Dine and Dialogue We are getting excited about our upcoming Mission Trip to Wilmington, NC site of impact of Hurricane Florence, with flooding. Flooding is now over, hurricane damage still there. We are sending a team to work with the Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry. We are looking for a few good volunteers for our Pittman Park mission team. Our Mission Team will work to rebuild Wilmington from Jan , Our team will be hosted by fellow Methodists at Pine Valley UMC. Plans are to arrive on afternoon of Jan. 14 to Pine Valley UMC, Wilmington, NC. We will work each day, Jan Spend night of Jan. 18 at PVUMC and depart Saturday morning of Jan. 19 for Statesboro, GA. Call Dan Hagan at or Barrie Bloser if you have any questions about this mission opportunity.

3 Park KIDS January 2019 Life App: Self-Control Choosing to do what you should even when you don t want to. Morning Before leaving for the day, write or tell your child, "Update your operating system today by praying and remember that everyone benefits when we practice self-control." Meal Time Q&A for KIDS: What s your favorite food? Do you ever lose self-control when you re eating it? Q&A for PARENTS: Do you find it harder to have self-control when it comes to your words, your food, or your attitude? Drive Time Ask your child, What is something you just can t get enough of? The ask, If you don t practice self-control in that area, what do you think would happen? Give you child some tips on how to know when to stop with something they really love. Bed Time Read Proverbs 25:28. Does your family have any special rules? Sometimes rules can be frustrating and hard to understand. Your parents set rules to keep you safe and help you develop the control that will help you make wise choices as you get older. Ask God to give each of you the power to control yourself so you can show love to God and to others. Week One: Proverbs 25:28 City with Broken Walls Say this: Doing what you should can keep you safe. Week Two: Proverbs 16:32 Slow to Anger Say this: Think before you lose your temper. Week Three: Proverbs 12:18 Choose Your Words Carefully Say This: Choose your words carefully. Week Four: Proverbs 25:16 Too Much of a Good Thing Say This: Know when to stop. MEMORY VERSE: God s power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. 2 Peter 1:3a NIrV

4 Park STUDENTS - January Series Activate Science is fascinating. Even if you hate science class, you have to admit that the idea of conducting experiments is cool. It s amazing how adding just a few drops of one chemical can create a reaction, adding a few drops of another can stop or deactivate the same reaction and adding a few drips of a third chemical can make the first two glow in the dark or it can make them explode! What s crazy is that you can t tell by looking at something what reaction it will cause. Maybe it s an activator. Maybe it s a deactivator. Maybe it s neither. The only way to know is to keep testing it out and see what happens. Believe it or not, this is something faith and science have in common. We all experience moments that have the potential to activate or deactivate our faith, and it s hard to tell at first glance which is happening. This was especially true in the life of one of Jesus followers and dear friends, Peter. As we take a closer look at his ups and downs, we ll discover how sometimes the very experiences that threaten to destroy our faith are the ones that can activate it in a whole new way. Thank You! Thank you to all the Park STUDENTS who helped with Jingle Jam! You each played such an important part of this fun family events.

5 Join Us for a DR Fundraiser Dinner & Dance Lessons February 1, 5:30pm Partnering with America s Second Harvest Most of the food for Pittman Park s food ministries is purchased from America s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia in Savannah. This food bank distribution center is part of a nationwide network called Feeding America. Through this connection, Backpack Buddies and the Food Pantry are able to purchase food at a steep discount. Michael Moore is one of the church members authorized to pick up for Pittman Park, and he will tell you that visiting the volunteer-run warehouse on President Street is an experience like no other. Pittman Park s Food Pantry still depends on donations of food from the Church to supplement what they are able to procure from Second Harvest. There will be a canned food collection on Sunday, February 4, or SOUP-er Bowl Sunday. To participate regularly with Pittman Park s Food Ministries, contact Megan Hopkins at Family-friendly and retiree-friendly jobs are available.

6 January 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 HAPPY NEW YEAR! Office Closed am Rebecca s Café 6:30pm Girls Scout Leaders pm North Carolina Mission Meeting 5pm Trustees 7 12pm Men s Devotion 6pm Girl Scouts 8 10am New Morning UMW 9 6:30pm Small s Private Birthday Party 9:00am AKA Sorority 13 4pm Bulloch County Beloved Community Meeting 14 12pm Men s Devotion 5:30pm Staff Parish 6pm Girl Scouts 15 9:30am Sewing For Missions 10am District Meeting 11:30am Susannah Wesley UMW 5pm Cancer Support Grp 7pm CRU 16 6:30pm Small s 17 10am District Meeting 10am Amazing Grace am Pinewood Derby Office Closed MLK Day of Service 22 10am Rebecca s Café 6:30pm Finance 7pm CRU 23 6:30pm Small s Private Event Set Up 26 9am Private Event 27 2:30pm Special Needs Task Force 28 11:30pm Historical Society 12pm Men s Devotion 6pm Girl Scouts 29 1pm City of Statesboro Community Meeting 7pm CRU 30 6:30pm Small s 6:30pm Church Council 31