THIS THING CALLED FAITH

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1 the newsletter of Community United Methodist Church Glorify God Encourage One Another Share Jesus THIS THING CALLED FAITH July 2014 Dr. Scott McMurray In February of 1738 a slightly built young Englishman wandered the chilly streets of London. He had never felt more dejected or alone. John Wesley had grown up in a large family with loving parents and siblings. From an early age he wanted to be a priest in the Church of England like his father. After sowing a few wild oats in college he became very serious about his calling. Upon his ordination he volunteered for the most challenging assignment he could find, that of being a missionary to the colonies in North America. But Wesley s experience in America was just one disaster after another. Coming home, his ship was buffeted by storms. He feared for his life. At the same time he noticed a group of German Moravian Christians and how serene and prayerful they were. Wesley saw that they had an assurance and faith he knew nothing about despite his theological training and dedication to Christian service. He cried out in his journal, I went to America to convert the Indians; but O! Who shall convert me? Who shall deliver me from this evil heart of unbelief? Faith in God is at once starkly simple and endlessly complex. It is scoffed at by those who prize rationalism and believe all our thinking and feelings are due to chemical reactions in the brain, conditioned response, and impersonal natural selection over long periods of evolutionary development. Others seek faith with all their hearts, trying what amounts to one magical formula after another, as if faith was a commodity that can be worked for or bought and sold on the open market. In a skeptical age where nothing is real unless it can be measured and quantified, examined and put in a test tube, faith receives short shrift. And yet, like hope and love, who of us could really live a day without some sort of faith in something, if nothing else than faith that the sun will come up in the east? But godly faith has a life of its own. Like Jesus says of the Holy Spirit, it is like the wind. It comes as it wills and you recognize its presences through the results it produces. In the meantime we can only create the conditions which invite faith s presence. Other religions have similar teachings. But in the Christian worldview, these conditions are practicing love for God and neighbor and becoming willing appendices to Jesus, being careful to emulate all that we see him doing in the gospel accounts. Those who seek to understand and appropriate spiritual experience will be forever frustrated if they only rely upon a rational approach. In addition, it must be understood that faith and doubt are opposite sides of the same coin. You can t have one without the other. Francis Bacon writes in De Augmentis, If we begin with certainties, we will end in doubt. But if we begin with doubts and bear them patiently, we may end in certainty. The anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing writes, By love God may be gotten and holden, but by thought or understanding, never. Faith, hope, love, not necessarily intellectual answers. John Wesley discovered faith for the first time while attending a home Bible study on Aldersgate street in May of He recorded in his journal: About a quarter before nine, while the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death. Genuine faith is always revealed by the actions of those who claim to have experienced it. In Wesley s case he launched a Christian renewal that swept England and North America. Many historians credit the Wesleyan revival for saving Great Britain from the social upheaval and violence that convulsed revolutionary France at the time. Many decades later, as he lay dying, Wesley wrote one of his last letters, to William Wilberforce, encouraging him to persevere in his struggle to end slavery in the British Empire. And that too eventually happened, peacefully and without the tragedy of civil war. Faith is a strange thing. It is at once so gossamer and hidden that we sometimes wonder if it is nothing more than wishful thinking. But then again faith is so strong and substantial that a mustard seed amount of it can move mountains. For those of us who have experienced at least a bit of it, we have found that faith in God soon becomes the one indispensable ingredient to a life well lived.

Youth WiReD Summer Schedule July 9~Lifest stuff drop off 6-8 in the youth room Bring everything that you ll be bringing with you so we can get a head start on packing the van! 10-13~Lifest!

23~Bonfire/Movie Night 6-9 bring a chair or blanket and a snackto share or chocolate for Brooke and Krystal 27-31~VBS set up week. Come and help and get your volunteer hours!

4 Youth WiReD Summer Schedule July 9~Lifest stuff drop off 6-8 in the youth room Bring everything that you ll be bringing with you so we can get a head start on packing the van! 10-13~Lifest!!! 19~Fundraiser at balloon fest! We will need everyone to help so we can make lots of $$$ Keep your eye out for a sign up! 23~Bonfire/Movie Night 6-9 bring a chair or blanket and a snackto share or chocolate for Brooke and Krystal 27-31~VBS set up week. Come and help and get your volunteer hours! We will be at Lifest July 10-13! Please pray for us as we camp, Worship and fellowship together! No phones or other electronic devices are allowed. In an emergency you may call Krystal ( ) or Brooke ( ). However, it is hard to keep a phone charged, so please use this for emergency only. This is gonna be GREAT! Krystal Richmond August 4-7~VBS 7~5TH-7TH Grade lock in, we need high school students to come and Help chaperon to show these kids how AWESOME WiReD is! 17~Corn Roast after 10:45 service 20~Movie Night! 6-9 in the youth room. **some of these dates/times may change, so please keep an eye out for the remind101 messages, and you can always find out what s going on by liking the WiReD youth or Community United Methodist Church facebook pages! Or contact Krystal ( ) Brooke ( ) or at cumcyouth@hotmail.com*** Pre-Teen Lock-In Entering Grades 5-7 More food, fun and friendship Begins immediately following our VBS Closing Celebration on Thursday, August 7th Ends Friday, August 8th at 8:00 AM This overnight event is sponsored by WiReD, the youth ministry of Community UMC. It s a sneak-peak at youth group for tweens!

Let s show our support for the Koehler family while Jeff is deployed to Afghanistan!

the welcome counter or the church office anytime. Packages will be mailed periodically.

Amazon gift cards for books and movies. Healthy (and unhealthy) snacks. Mio FIT Water enhancer. Any Christian books would be great.

Please keep Jeff in your prayers, as well as his wife Jamie and their two boys Isaac & Zac during this long year of separation.

5 Let s show our support for the Koehler family while Jeff is deployed to Afghanistan! Here is Jeff s address where you can send letters and cards of encouragement: 1LT JEFFERY KOEHLER 877 EN BN 829 EN CO APO AE If you would like to purchase items for Jeff and drop them off at the welcome counter or the church office anytime. Packages will be mailed periodically. Here is a list of things we know are needed so far (we will update as this changes) Toiletries such as, body wash, toothpaste, razors (Gillette fusion), shaving cream, and deodorant. Amazon gift cards for books and movies. Healthy (and unhealthy) snacks. Mio FIT Water enhancer. Any Christian books would be great. (Jeff s Company commander is currently finishing reading the bible, so he can share the books with him and others in the company.) Cash donations to help with postage. Please keep Jeff in your prayers, as well as his wife Jamie and their two boys Isaac & Zac during this long year of separation. (Connecting with Jamie and the boys to support and encourage them would be appreciated by Jeff too!) July Noisy Can Shepherds Ministries in Union Grove Shepherds Ministries, a nationally recognized organization founded on Jeremiah 23:4, provides compassionate Christian care, vocational education and job opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities, helping them attain Appropriate Independence with fulfilling jobs and lives, while also providing for their spiritual development. For more information on the many ministries at Shepherd s go to The Landing - for Students The Newsletter is available by and on the website at If you would like to stop receiving the newsletter by mail contact the office at or office@extremefaith.org to let us know. Tuesday evenings at A structured as an ongoing 52-week program based on the beatitudes where Jesus laid out principles for happiness in the sermon on the mount for teenagers who are struggling to live their lives in a healthy, God-honing way. The Landing is a safe, healing place where teenagers can live a freer, healthier, and more God-centered life. Prayer Sunday July 6th 9:00-9:30 AM & 12:00-12:30 PM Meets every Tuesday evening at, in room 13 on the lower level here at CUMC. My Grace is Sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness 2 Corinthians 1:9 Do you know someone who needs prayer? Invite them to prayer Sunday! Teams of prayer warriors are ready and willing to pray for those who need it for many different concerns. Bring your need before our Mighty God!

6 July Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 Prayer Sunday following both services 13 Pastor Scott s First Sunday 10:45 Service Kids Church Praise & Healing Service 20

7 6 July Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Prayer Sunday following both services 13 Pastor Scott s First Sunday 10:45 Service Kids Church Praise & Healing Service 20 Noisy Can - Children s Bibles 27 10:45 Service Kids Church 7 8 7:00 PM Trustees Meeting Glory Singers Practice Prayer Gathering 4-5:45 PM Food Pantry 9 10 Alzheimer Caregiver Support Group : 3 0 S u m m e r C a m p s SPRC Meeting Glory Singers Practice :45 PM Food Pantry Finance Meeting Happy 4th of July! : 3 0 S u m m e r C a m p s 28 VBS Set-up- Prayer Gathering Glory Singers Practice 29 Glory Singers Practice 30 VBS Training Praise and Healing Service Sunday, July 13, 2014 at Join us in the sanctuary as we gather together to pray for your healing. Come and see: Our group may be small, but we will pray to our Mighty God for your physical, emotional, financial and spiritual healing. Come and see: As we commemorate Jesus triumphal journey from Bethphage and Bethany to the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. Come and see: His destination and destiny as five days later He was crucified. It wasn t the nails that held Him to the cross. It was His great love for your that held Him there. Jesus is the great Miracle Worker- Come and see! :00 AM Step Study Groups 9-11:00 AM Step Study Groups 9-11:00 AM Step Study Groups 9-11:00 AM Step Study Groups

8 Community United Methodist Church 455 S. Jefferson St. Waterford, WI Sign up to come... Sign up to help!

SUNDAY MORNING DRAMA

the newsletter of Community United Methodist Church Glorify God August 2014 SUNDAY MORNING DRAMA Due to the eight-o-clock first service, on Sunday mornings I have to hurriedly give the dog her morning