Sunday in Iraan

July came to a close today in Iraan, and it was a blessing to share this day with everyone at the First UMC! During our worship service, we blessed some of the nice hand-held crosses which will be shared with the family of Charles Rogers tomorrow.

July 31, 1744

(Cape Cornwall)

The following is the entry in the journal of Charles Wesley for this date in 1744: "I rode to St. Just. I climbed up and down Cape Cornwall with my brother Meriton [a Methodist lay preacher], to the needless hazard of our necks. I preached in the afternoon to a larger congregation than ever, and continued my discourse till night from Luke xxi 34. The Spirit of love was poured out abundantly, and great grace was upon all. I walked to the Society; stood upon the hill, and sang, and prayed, and rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. I concluded the day and month as I would wish to conclude my life."

Passing of Charles Rogers

Charles Rogers, a long-time resident of Iraan and a retired biology teacher at the Iraan-Sheffield schools, passed away on Thursday (July 28th) at the McCamey Convalescent Center. Funeral arrangements are pending with Shaffer-Nicholls (we anticipate the service will be at First Baptist Church).

This morning at the MCC

We had a good time this morning at the McCamey Convalescent Center at the Thursday morning "coffee & donuts" gathering. The home-made goodies were a big hit and really lent to the lively conversations taking place around the community room. Prayers are being asked for Charles Rogers and his family as together they face issues around his declining health.

Prayer request

Prayers are asked by the family of Charles Rogers, a long-time teacher at Iraan High School, now a resident of the McCamey Convalescent Center.

Scripture lesson for July 31

(The Apostle Paul, mosaic in the Cathedral of Monreale, Sicily, Italy)

This week's sermon scripture lesson continues our reading from Paul in Romans 9:1-5. This lesson finds Paul sharing his desire for his people (Paul emerged from the Pharisee tradition of Judaism) to share in the knowledge of Christ. This passage has been used to show how God has turned God's back on the Jewish people but this is not Paul's intention. Come to worship on Sunday and hear for yourself what it means to be confirmed by the Spirit.

Lunch & Flowers in Iraan

What fun it is to go to the Iraan Senior Center each week for lunch! The center, which serves lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, is the place to see and be seen in Iraan!

This morning the staff was surprised by a boquet of flowers from the children of Lee & Dottie Mann. The flowers were in appreciation of the hard work and generous spirits of those who provide for the Mann's parents (and so many others).

Prayer for Norway

Please visit the General Board of Discipleship website to join your prayers for the people of Norway following last week's attacks on its citizens.

Joys & Concerns from July 24th

JOYS

+Peaceful transition for the people celebrating the birth of their new country: The South Sudan.

+Healing mercies for Sheila H. (Belinda's mother) and Edd C.

+Vehicles that work!

+The Bolen family pew this week.

+Bolen's grandsons, Tavin and Trace who served as ushers.

+1-year anniversary of the McCamey Wellness Center.

+Wellness Center's success stories for James and Deanna J.

+Last Friday's successful bake sale/fundraiser for the family of Ronnie Ward's grandson, Colton's medical bills; over $5,000 was raised.

+Recent improvements at the church: James fixed the broken window and installed new hand rails in the men's restroom; Deanna weeded the flowerbed.

+Air conditioning.

+Travelling mercies for Brian, Jess, Ayden and Logan G. as they travelled home to Minnesota this past week.

+Some rain fell in the area.

CONCERNS

+We continue to need rain.

+Request for guidance from God as we age.

+Prayers for healing for: Tommy Dale King B., Eddy C., Jonnie D. (Wanda M.'s sister), Greg H., Billie M., Kathy P., Helen R., Neil S., Colton W.

+Comfort for the families and friends of the shooting/bombing victims in Norway and those killed in the shooting in Grand Prairie, Texas.

+Continued flooding up north.

+Travelling mercies for family and friends.

Many blessings today in Iraan

Our hearts (and bodies) were filled with good things this morning in Iraan! A small but appreciative group gathered in the fellowship hall for our monthly breakfast potluck. Deanna Jordan wowed the group with a breakfast dessert that was out of this world!!!

Our worship service was a blessing too with two young ushers lending a hand. As part of his sermon (Romans 8:26-39), Pastor Charles shared the conclusion of John Wesley's sermon, "On Predestination" - "What is it, the, that we learn from this whole account? It is this, and no more: (1) God knows all believers; (2) wills that they should be saved from sin; (3) to that end, justifies them; (4) sanctifies and (5) takes them to glory. O that men would praise the Lord for this his goodness; and that they would be content with this plain account of it, and not endeavor to wade into those mysteries which are too deep for angels to fathom."

This afternoon at the McCamey convalescent center, a large group worshipped together in loving example of Christian community. What a blessing it is to come each week and be blessed by these senior members of our faith community!

Dedication of Wellness Center Fountain

Yesterday was a special day as the Wellness Center in McCamey celebrated its one-year anniversary. A central feature of the celebration was the dedication of an outdoor fountain. This is in honor of Justin Lester and Amy (Lester) Grey, children of FUMC-McCamey members Bill & Bobbie Lester and another McCamey family, the Shipman family.

Pastor Charles offered the invocation and used the words from our baptism liturgy (The Book of Worship, p. 90) as the basis for this prayer:
"Eternal Father, When nothing existed but chaos, you swept over the dark waters and brought forth light. In the days of Noah you saved those on the ark through water. After the flood you set in the clouds a rainbow.

When you saw your people as slaves in Egypt, you led them to freedom through the Jordan to the land which you promised.
In the fullness of time you sent Jesus, nurtured in the water of a womb. He was baptized by John and anointed by your Spirit. He called his disciples to share in the baptism of his death and resurrection and to make disciple of all nations.

Pour out your Holy Spirit, to bless this gift of living water and those who witness it may know of your gift that is our life. May this living water serve as a reminder of that love which prompted the gift of this fountain. May this fountain be a blessing to this community. And may your Spirit guide us to you. Amen."

Happy birthday, Georgia Moss!

In addition to the regular gathering this morning for coffee & treats at the convalescent center, everyone sang happy birthday to Georgia Moss who turns 87 this week! Thanks to Verla Flading and Alice Kephart for sharing in this morning's gathering with the residents.

Scripture Lesson for July 24th

(The Apostle Paul in Prison (1627), Rembrandt van Rijn)

The scripture lesson for Sunday (July 24) that Pastor Charles will be preaching from is Romans 8:26-39.

"Paul dealt in very succinct, even lyrical, sentences with several subjects of utmost significance: prayer, the assurance of salvation, predestination, the sovereignty of divine love, the unbreakable spiritual bond between the believer and God. The whole reading should be approached not as systematic theology but as the experience of profound faith by one who knew whereof he spoke." - David Sherman (Midrash)

Joys & concerns from July 17

Joys:
+People celebrating the birth of a new country: The South Sudan. The first week of independence was peaceful.
+Healing prayers for Sheila H. (Belinda's mother), Maxine H. (Deanna's mother), Edd C., Alfred Lee T., Shane M., Colton W.
+Those traveling this weekend.
+Good meeting at the Ad Board last week.
+Work being done to improve the church: James fixed a broken window and installed handrails in a bathroom, Deanna weeded the front flower bed.
+Air conditioning.
+The bake sale being planned to support treatment of Colton W. (this coming Friday at 9:00 a.m. in front of the supermarket).
+A rescued horned frog (found by the church office).

Concerns:
+People struggling to establish the world's newest country: The South Sudan.
+Prayers go with Jess, Ayden and Logan as they return home to Minnesota this coming week.
+Prayers for healing: Tommy Dale King B., Eddy C., Jonnie D. (Wanda M.'s sister), Greg H., Billie M., Kathy P., Helen R., Neil S., Colton W.
+Family of Lee Kofstead - he died this past week in Minnesota at the age of 37 (friend of the Gustafsen family).
+Our church - our schools - teachers/students - athletes/coaches - our country and its leaders - our military/and their families - countries fighting for freedom - unspoken prayer requests.

Today in Iraan

We had a wonderful time today in God's house! What a blessing it is to have such a joy-filled faith community to share each week with! We learned today that Jess, Ayden and Logan will be leaving this week to return to their home in Minnesota. Brian will remain in Iraan and will continue to worship with us!

A surprise before worship was the discovery of a horned frog in the hallway outside the church office. Pastor Charles was able to catch the lizard in a cup and relocate it outside to enjoy another day in God's creation!

Thought for Sunday, July 17

(the bridge at Plessey, Northumberland, England)

"I preached (as I had done the Wednesday before) to my favourite congregation at Plessey, on 'His hath God exalted with his own right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour.' [Acts 5:31] I then joined a little company of them together, who desire 'repentence and remission of sins.'" - The Rev'd. John Wesley [from his journal]

Sunday's Scripture Lesson

("St. Paul healing the cripple" by Karel Dujarden, 1600's)

Sunday's scripture lesson comes to us from Romans 8:12-25.

"Many people still believe that Paul is to blame for separating the concepts of flesh and spirit because he was a Jew who had been greatly influenced by Greek philosophy. It would be better if we regarded his separation of the two metaphorically as representing two ways of living. He frequently used the term flesh to describe unredeemed human nature, meaning nothing more or less than our physical existence without Christ." - David Sherman

Today at the Convalescent Center!

The Thursday morning coffee & donuts time at the McCamey convalescent center was a fun time today! It is an important outreach of our church to share in this ministry. Pastor Charles is there each week to bring word from Iraan to the residents. Thanks to the FUMC for taking part in this manner.

Joys & Concerns from July 10th

Joys:

+Those celebrating the birth of a new country, The Republic of South Sudan.

+Edd & Wanda Carpenter's youngest son's visit last week.

+Evans T.'s return from a family reunion in NM - a fun 67-person camp out!

+Air conditioning.

+Trained people who stand ready to help those in need.

+Healing mercies for: Lawrence S., Sheila H. (Belinda's mom), Maxine H. (Deanna's mom).

Concerns:

+People struggling to establish the world's newest country, the South Sudan.

+Rain is needed.

+The on-going drought in Texas and the flooding up north.

+Prayers for healing: Tommy Dale King B., Edd C., Eddy C's upcoming 8-10 hour surgery, Jonnie D. (Wanda M.'s sister), Greg H., Billie M., Shane M., Kathy P., Helen R., Neil S., Alfred Lee T., Ronnie W.'s 6-month old grandson, Colton undergoing chemotherapy.

+Comfort for the family of Lee Kofstead who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 37 (friend of the Gustafson family from Minnesota).

+Those traveling this week.

Blessings today in Iraan

We were really blessed today in Iraan with fellowship and worship filled with God's presence! Many of the church family who had been away last week were back which made for a lively morning!

Collect for July 10

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of Your people who call upon You, and grant that they may know and understand the things they ought to do, and also may have the grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

(The earliest occurrence of this collect is in the Gregorian Sacramentary for a Sunday after Christmas (786 A.D.), and in the supplement for the first Sunday after Epiphany (1096).

Prayers for a new nation

Today saw the birth of a new nation, the Republic of South Sudan. In a region ravaged by a civil war that has raged off and on since 1956 and in the deaths of millions, peace is a difficult concept to realize.

This note was posted on the General Board of Global Ministries: "Please join Global Ministries in praying for our brothers and sisters in Sudan. May there be peace and healing as South Sudan begins building a new nation. We lift up all of the people in the region and pray that God's love will lead and protect them."

Convalescent Center Fun!

Each Thursday morning Pastor Charles and other United Methodists come to the convalescent center and share some fun with the residents. Come and see for yourself what all the fuss is about!

Scripture Lesson for July 10th

(St. Paul preaching on the ruins, Giovanni Paolo Pannini, 1744)

This week's scripture reading is Romans 8:1-11:

"Complex as it is, its essential message of this passage remains clear: The Spirit gives life. Paul gave explicit detail of how this came about: God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world as an ordinary human being. Jesus' God-given mission was to deal with human sin and the alienation from God which sin causes. He did this by living our human life and meeting every requirement of the law.

The Spirit of God which was in Jesus now dwells in us so that we may too may life as He lived in fellowship with God. The power of God that raised Jesus from the dead now gives us spiritual life. Mortal though we still are, the Spirit will ultimately deliver us from spiritual death." - David Sherman on Midrash

Joys & Concerns from July 3rd

Joys:
The freedoms we enjoy.
Visiting family members and friends.
Our church.

Concerns:
We need rain.
Healing for - Tommy Dale King B.; Edd C., Eddy C., Jonnie D., Greg H., Maxine H., Billie M., Shane M., Kathy P., Helen R., Lawrence S., Neil S., Alfred Lee T., Colton (Ronnie W.'s 6-month old grandson).
Comfort for the families of Al Alexander, Russell Morris and Diana McAnally.
Wildfires, especially the one near Los Alamos, NM.
Those involved in firefighting.
Flooding up north (folks expecting to be dealing with this for the next month).
Travelling mercies and friends... some of whom are in Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico and parts of Texas.
Our church.
The youth.
Teachers/students, athletes/coaches of Iraan High School.
Our country, its leaders, our servicemen and women (and their families).
Those countries fighting for freedom.
Unspoken prayer requests.

Praise God!

We had a wonderful time together in fellowship and worship at the First UMC in Iraan and again at the McCamey Convalescent Center. It is a blessing to have such a community of faith in which to share our journey with each week.