KIDS ADVENTURE WEEK WILL BE FROM JUNE 12TH - 16TH
FATHER'S DAY IS jUNE 18TH
APOSTLE BUILD (HABITAT FOR hUMANITY) jULY 20, 21, 22
Letter from the Pastor
May 30, 2023
Well, Memorial weekend has come and gone, and the unofficial beginning of summer is here. I pray you all had a good, relaxing holiday weekend and that somewhere along the line you took a few minutes to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day. It isn’t about picnics and BBQs, although those are great opportunities for connection and fellowship. It isn’t about camping and swimming, although those are great family activities that will create memories. It is about remembering the many men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the freedoms that we enjoy in this great country will continue on for generation after generation.
These brave men and women didn’t stop to decide whether the people they fought for were worth the risk, they knew in their hearts that not everyone was, but they fought anyway. They didn’t give themselves for only a few of their fellow countrymen but for all those who are citizens of the United States. A great number of our service men and women fought and died in foreign countries, fighting for liberty and freedom there to help ensure that our liberties and our freedoms were not threatened here. It was a weight they carried, this caring for others, this self-sacrifice, this love for our country. We owe them a debt that we can never truly repay, but at least we can set aside a day to remember them, to honor them, to offer our prayers of thanks for their service and their sacrifice.
Paul reminds us in his letter to the Roman church that, “Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8). Like the soldiers we honored this weekend, Jesus Christ never asked whether anyone was worthy of dying for. In fact, Jesus knew there was not one person who was good, yet he loved us enough to bear our sins and die for us on that cross so that we would not have to die in our own sins.
Think about it – the one person who never sinned took on all the sins of all the people of all time – just to save us from paying the penalty of those sins which is death. It’s pretty remarkable and very humbling to think that Jesus would do that for us. We didn’t deserve it, we didn’t earn it, and we could never save up enough to buy it – that is why it is called the Gift of Grace.
You may have heard this quote, “Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.” This weekend, we remembered our fallen heroes, those who fought for our freedom – our earthly freedom - and paid for those freedoms with their very lives. Every day we remember Jesus, the one who came to earth with one mission – to die for God’s people for the express purpose of saving souls and winning for us our true freedom, from the moment we accept him as our Lord and Savior, and through all of eternity.
To both of these forces we owe a debt that can never be fully repaid, but for which we are eternally grateful. So, we say thank you to our fallen heroes, soldiers of all branches, for the freedoms we enjoy every day as citizens of the greatest country in the world. And we say thank you to Jesus Christ, our Risen Hero for buying our freedom from sin and gaining us everlasting life with him in Heaven. To God be the Glory for his perfect love brought to fruition in his perfect Son.
God Bless you all, Pastor Donna
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Morning education classes
Classes for Pre K- Adults of all ages are meeting from, 9:30 am to 10:30 am.
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Young ones (Birth - Pre-K) - the nursery
*Pre-K - 1st Grade - downstairs with Ms Connie *2nd - 5th Grade - downstairs with Ms Roberta 6th - 8th Grade - choir room with Ms Pat |
9th - 12th Grade - downstairs with Mr Chris
Young Adult/College & Career - in the library Russ Bowman's Class for adults - at Dunkin' Donuts Alpha and Omega for adults -in the Fellowship Hall |
Watch previous week's messAGES FROM pASTOR dONNA (AND OTHERS) ON OUR worship services PAGE OR ON OUR fACEBOOK PAGE (@ROOTSTOWNUNITEDMETHODISTCHURCH)
For more news, updates and info, check out our News page!
Habitat of portage county Apostles Build
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Apostles Build Story: The project that was started in July 2019 has been completed! The Hummel-Tucker family were presented with their home on April 25th at 2 pm! Blessings to the family as they begin to move in and get comfortable! Thank you to all who helped, prayed for, donated to this project!
United Methodist Church Updates:
Below is a link to information about the proposed split in the United Methodist Church which will be acted on in September 2024. We will not know how this effects our church until after General Conference. Use this link to stay informed on the proposal and process. United Methodist Church announces plan to split over same-sex marriage
You can also visit www.eocumc.com for our East Ohio Conference to learn more.
You can also visit www.eocumc.com for our East Ohio Conference to learn more.
