When John D. Rockefeller was
asked, "What is enough?" he replied, "Just a little bit
more."
One of the struggles many of us
have is this desire for more. Even as we want more, though, we know that just
having more is not always better. In fact, sometimes the more we get, the less
happy we are.
How much is enough? How much is
too much? Where do we draw the line?
This Sunday, November 2nd, we
begin a four week series of messages intended to help us all become more free
and less controlled by the need for "just a little bit more."
You'll discover that this series
of messages is more than a verbal exercise or worship moment, but we'll be
talking about life change. Every week there will be a "TRY IT!"
element to the messages.
Nov 2nd the sermon is THE
TREADMILL, and you'll be challenged to spend the following week eating what you
already have in your house. Then, on Sunday the 9th, we're invited to bring
food for FUMCB/Open Door Food Pantry and fill the front of the
sanctuary/theater.
Nov 9th the message is YOU'RE
GOOD ENOUGH, and we'll invite you -during the following week- to go through your
closets. On the 16th bring all the clothes you haven't worn in a year as we
fill a truck with clothing we're not using, but someone else can! (A truck will
be parked at the Atrium Entrance before the 8:45 and 10 o'clock services. Bring
your clothing to the truck before worship, and then the truck will be moved
around to the front of the Buskirk in time for that congregation as people
arrive for worship.)
Nov 16th is ENOUGH TIME and we'll
talk about how we can give away one hour of time to someone else. You'll be
invited to give more than one hour away. Then, on the 23rd, bring the
equivalent of one hour of your weekly pay as a second mile gift to Africa
University Scholarships.
Finally, on our STEWARDSHIP
CELEBRATION WEEKEND of Nov 23rd, the message will be WHEN TOO MUCH IS JUST
RIGHT. Matthew 15:29-39 will help us frame our lives in terms of generosity and
freedom. Every friend or member of the church will be invited to bring their
Faith Promise towards our life with God in 2015 forward in a time of celebration.
Begin praying about this series
of messages. You might want to pick up a copy of the book, and invite a friend
to join you in worship. (Many of your neighbors and friends are struggling with
the need to have more, or they are being overwhelmed by a mountain of debt.)
The goal of all of this is to be
more free, more alive, and to live with less so we can give more away!
Jesus, when he sends out the
Twelve in Matthew 10, tells them not to fill their money belts, or take two
shirts, or a walking stick. What does that mean for us? I believe Jesus is
telling us that life is best when we travel light.
Traveling light is a good way to
live.
Generosity is the chance to
experience freedom in a world obsessed with gaining more.
See you Sunday as we begin this
journey towards a life that is more free and generous, celebrate Communion, and
rejoice in the lives of those saints who have died during the past year.
+++++
Please note on our web site, next
week, the full FCJ Consultation Report. You'll find printed copies at the
Welcome Desk in the Atrium or at the reception area in the church office if you
didn't get your copy last Sunday. Also, every household in the church with
email will receive an electronic copy of the report next week. Please read the
report carefully and prayerfully, jot down your questions, and then participate
in one of the upcoming Town Hall meetings designed to provide a forum where
your questions can be answered.
Our congregation -meeting in a
Church Conference- will vote on Monday, December 15th, at 6:30 p.m. in the
Great Hall. (You must be a church member to vote, and the vote will be to
either accept or reject the report in its entirety.)
Our congregation has responded
generously to the call to support the work of United Methodist Committee on
Relief in West Africa to fight the Ebola epidemic. You can still help! Go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=_or7k0WqSHk
to see about the United Methodist Committee on Relief's response to the Ebola
outbreak, and go to
http://www.umcor.org/umcor/donate/ebolaresponse to donate today if you
haven't yet given or feel called to give more.
God is good!
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark Fenstermacher
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