Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Our Vision
To challenge and encourage everyone in our congregation to
know and follow Christ by:
Growing as disciples through Christs teachings
Connecting with one another in Christian community
Serving Christ by serving others
Praising God as we worship Christ
Sunday Services
Traditional 8:30 am
Contemporary 10:45 am
Sunday School/Discipleship Classes 9:45 am
overnight.
Pastors Corner
Last Sunday, you will remember, we needed to close the church for all activities on
Sunday, including both worship services. Had the snow stopped earlier and not been as
much, we would have proceeded as scheduled, but there was no guarantee that we
could get near enough snow cleared from parking lots, steps, and sidewalks in time for
both services, or that you would be safe on the roadways getting here. This was not an
easy decision to make, and in making the decision, we knew some would be missed and
show up for church anyway. Sure enough, there were some who were seen by our
sexton and facilities manager trying to get into the locked church. For those who made
the effort to come and hadn't "gotten the memo," I am truly sorry and I appreciate your commitment to
your faith and our church. In the future, we will strive to be open each and every Sunday.
We learned some important lessons from this experience. First, we learned that getting the message out
through Facebook, email, the website, all three major TV stations in Wilkes Barre/Scranton, and the
Pocono Record was still not enough for total coverage of our members and friends. There were two
missing pieces: a special recording on our outgoing voicemail message, and signs on the main doors
stating that worship was called off. We realized too late that someone needed to be onsite to change the
voicemail, and we now will have that ability so it can be done remotely. If this happens again in the future,
we'll have signs to put up in the main entrances.
Second, we learned we need more volunteer snow removal personnel. There were only two persons who
signed up to help through our stewardship of time and talent cards from the commitment campaign. Both
of them came, and there were more who simply showed up. A great big "thank-you" to all who came to
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help clear snow! Still, we need to have a more extensive list of persons
wishing to help in future storms. If our facilities manager, Bill Mack, does
not currently know of your interest in helping, please email him
(wmack@esumc.net) at your earliest convenience to let him know, and
also to give him the best approximate times for you to help clear snow. A
snowfall is never convenient for the work of the church; however, I do
believe God moves on the hearts of people to pitch in and help out at just
the right times!
The loss of a Sunday in our worship schedule has caused a few
challenges both for music and for the sermon series. However, those
involved in worship have been in communication with each other this
week, and we believe we have planned a powerful conclusion to the
series, Where is God When it Hurts? The healing and anointing which was
to take place last Sunday will now occur this Sunday at both services. I
look forward to seeing you this Sunday!
Pastor Jim
Its amazing to me how our program of reading the Bible in a Year has brought back
so many great memories of our 2010 trip to Israel and Egypt. This trip to the Holy Land
helped answer a number of questions that I had about scripture as we traveled some of
the same places where Jesus actually walked. But I believe there is no better place to
get the big picture of Jesus public ministry than the area around Galilee. It gives rise
to the question of how we can combine scripture, archeology, science, and historical
facts with our personal faith beliefs. Here are three things to consider:
1) How could so many thousands of people actually hear Jesus messages
without the use of modern technology? In Galilee, we traveled to the Bay of
Parables, where Biblical scholars believe that a good many Gospel passages actually
took place. Near the shoreline there is a naturally occurring amphitheater, where the
unique acoustics of the site made it easier for the large crowds of people to hear Jesus.
At one time in Lukes Gospel Jesus is so hemmed in by crowds that he climbs aboard a
boat and asks Peter to row Him a short way out from shore. It is a scientific fact that the
refraction of sound waves over water can carry sound great distances allowing Jesus
voice to be heard by all. Neat stuff huh!
2) How could a storm come up so fast on the Sea of Galilee? We took a boat tour
on Galilee and it was so calm I couldnt understand how the weather could change as
suddenly as described in Matthew 8:24 and 14:28. The famous picture Christ in the
Storm, painted by Rembrandt in 1633, depicts a fishing boat threatened by such a
storm. When I asked this question of our captain, he said that the winds come from a
deep valley to the west of the lake, called the Valley of the Doves or the Valley of the
Winds. (This valley was the main 40 mile trail from Nazareth to Capernaum that Jesus
walked many times.) We hiked part of this trail on our tour and we were told that when
the wind blows west off of the Mediterranean Sea, it gets funneled into the valley in a
way that turns this lake into a turbulent sea. Unlike our tour boat, which was very stable,
a type of boat that Jesus and his disciples might have used was found in 1986 in a mud
bank on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee. After seeing this ancient boat, I can
understand why the disciples feared for their lives. Their lack of faith reminds us that
even those who lived and walked with Jesus, who saw His miracles, and heard His
message still found it difficult to be 100 percent sure of their faith. In that way, the
disciples were a lot like us. And if Jesus was able to rescue the apostles from the storm,
He also is able to rescue us from the storms that we face in our lives.
3) How could a city on the hill be seen and not hidden? Hippos was an ancient
city which belonged to a league of 10 Greek cities called the Decapolis. It stood across
from the Mount of Beatitudes on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, perched on a
thousand foot cliff. Biblical scholars believe this is the best candidate for the city Jesus
used as an example in Matthew 5:14. We had a difficult time seeing the ruins from our
boat when our guide tried to point it out. So why is Jesus talking about something we
couldnt see. Here is the clincher: the buildings of this ancient city were made of white
limestone and marble. The city would have gleamed, beckoning to anyone standing on
the western side of the Sea of Galilee, especially as the afternoon sun dipped down
towards the Mediterranean. And so Jesus tells us thats the way the light of our faith is
to shine so everyone can see it:
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives
light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that
they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
So let your light shine and read on!
Photo Caption
Stephen Ministry
Support is Here!
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. Philippians
4:6
Grief comes in many forms: loss of a
loved one, job or personal
independence; empty nest, loneliness,
and illness. Stephen Ministers are
taught how to provide care in
circumstances of grief. With guidance
from God and a willingness to share
their own personal stories of grief,
Stephen Ministers are able to support
those who are experiencing the pain
of loss.
For further information on Stephen
Ministry, contact Peggy Strack,
570-421-3280, ext. 1023
Members of ESUMC who are unable
to attend church, always enjoy
hearing from you! Cards and notes of
encouragement may be sent to:
Ed Hendricks
69 Grandview St.
East Stroudsburg, PA 18301
Hearing Assistance
Devices are Here!
Church-Wide Study
SINGING VALENTINES
Music Information
Events
Contact Us
Tuesday, February 2 to pack food boxes for low income Seniors at the
Second Harvest Food Bank warehouse in Nazareth. Work starts at 8:30 and
continues till all 2,000 boxes are finished, usually by 2:00. Car pool will be
provided. Contact Pat Braun at 570- 269-5043.
Volunteer Needed
We are in need of a volunteer to manage the Holy Grounds Cafe. The volunteer
coordinator would work with the Food and Hospitality committee to assure the all
Sundays are covered with volunteers for coffee and snacks.
Currently Mary Schneider has agreed to take care of the 1st and 3rd Sundays and
Sue Werkheiser is willing to make coffee on most Sundays. If you are interested in
this volunteer opportunity please contact:
Ray Moeller, 570-369-3131, Food and Hospitality Chair.
Church Office
(570) 421-3280
church@esumc.net
Hours: 9 am to 3 pm
Mon thru Fri
Pastor
Jim Todd
jtodd@esumc.net
Ext. 1014
Secretary
Maria Ragonese
mragonese@esumc.net
Ext. 1010
Congregational Care
Peggy Strack
pstrack@esumc.net
Ext. 1023
Youth Ministries
Scott Kuhnle
skuhnle@esumc.net
Ext. 1013
Childrens Ministries
Erica Dorsch
edorsch@esumc.net
Ext. 1017
at 9AM in the Bridal Lounge. All women of the church are invited. The goal of
UMW is to enrich the lives of women and children locally and globally. We will
determine where our funds will go and finalize our calendar for 2016.I hope to see
you all there. Linda Drake-570-424-6038.
an item for $1.00 or less (each family member) for local and international
missions. Put it in the box in Oberholtzer Hall. Get a checklist with items needed
each month and the missions it supports. January is non-perishable food items
for the Salvation army and Community Meals. February will be household items
for PATH. All items can be bought at the Dollar Tree. Take a cheap family
shopping trip and see what a dollar can buy.
The OKS will meet Feb. 10, 2016 at ll:30 am for pizza and a movie- weather
Finances
Sue Mertz
smertz@esumc.net
Ext. 1015
Financial Secretary
Cyndie Faunce
cfaunce@esumc.net
Ext. 1025
Organist/Traditional Music
Pauline Fox
foxes@esumc.net
NA MEETINGS Monday through Saturday 12:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. Just for
Today
(Womens Group)
New Beginnings
AA MEETINGS Thursday & Saturday 8:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Keep It Simple
Maintenance
William Mack
wmack@esumc.net
Ext. 1018
Audio/Visual
Joe Dorsch
josephdorsch@gmail.com
Contemporary Music
Doug Malefyt
dmalefyt@esumc.net
Technology Support
Michael Corey
mcorey@esumc.net
Ext. 1012