Serving Communion

Serving Communion each Sunday has created a new opportunity to serve in the worship. Logistically we need to have two stations to keep the congregation moving (but not hurried) through the service. Each Sunday we need 3 volunteers to serve communion; one person to assist Rev. Rainey and two others to serve the bread and juice at a second station. I have begun to ask volunteers through word of mouth. I have received two types of reactions: 1) Yes, I would love to! Thanks for asking. and 2) Who me?

Yes you! My response fell into the second category. "Who me?"..."Why me?"... "I am not qualified?"... "Don't you have to go to seminary or something to serve communion?" I have come to find out what it takes to serve communion is an understanding and appreciation of the sacrament and a willingness to be in that moment with each person receiving it. A sacrament is an actual physical encounter, not only with the grace that comes from God, but with God. Jesus is the incarnation of God; He gave meat or physical substance to a God we cannot see or touch. The sacraments do the same for us today. They give physical substance to what it means to receive God’s grace through the sacrament.*

Having served communion these past few weeks I have come to enjoy the experience and to be with each person as they receive God's grace. It is an experience that I should not keep to myself. If you are interested in volunteering to serve communion please contact John McDaniel or Rev. Bob Rainey. It is the type of volunteering that you will want do again and again.

*before you go thinking "wow John's spiritual awareness really has sharpened lately". I lifted most of the second paragraph from Rev Rainey's serving communion reference write up. Which is available to each person to serves communion. :)

What is Grace?

It sounds like a simple question. "What is grace?" It was posed to us in our small group discussion on Sunday morning. Lynn Riley provided an answer that I was not expecting. I may be paraphrasing but she said "undeserving love from God". I guess I have never really studied it before so Monday and Tuesday I spent some time looking up "What is grace?"

I am starting to refer to Wikipedia more and more these days. I liked the definition of Divine Grace and the additional reference information posted. Granted Wikipedia provides a very technical definition but I am a technical kind of guy. A few of the excerpts from this site…

• divine grace refers to the sovereign favor of God for humankind — especially in regard to salvation — irrespective of actions ("deeds"), earned worth, or proven goodness.
• The New Testament exhibits a tension between two aspects of grace: the idea that grace is from God and sufficient to cover any sin, and the idea that grace does not free Man from his responsibility to behave rightly.

There are many resources for studying “What is grace? Just type in a Google search and see where it takes you. It leads to other definitions and comparisons...Grace, Love, Mercy, Kindness, Forgiveness….

So my questions are:

• We all can receive God’s grace but can we give grace to others? Perhaps we cannot give divine grace, (forgiveness of sins and the promise of salvation) but think about how you could show love to another irrespective of their actions or worth.
• Or is it Grace comes from God and how we can “show grace” in our lives is through the Fruits of the Spirit? Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.

john

Topics for Adult Classes this Spring/Summer

The adult small group that we started on Sunday mornings is off to a good start. The group is engaged in discussing Acts and applying our learning’s of the early church to our lives today at Good News UMC in Cedar Park/Leander.

We have been thinking about two additional small group sessions to offer this spring/summer.

• United Methodism 101 - This basic course is designed for new United Methodists and anyone wanting to know more about the denomination, as well as long-time United Methodists who would like to check their basic knowledge of the Church. This course not only provides a basic overview and understanding of United Methodism but will also inspire students to seek additional study.
• Financial Peace University - This is a course developed by Dave Ramsey. The course description is Financial Peace University is a life-changing program that teaches you how to make the right decisions with your money. You'll be empowered with the practical skills and confidence needed to achieve your financial goals and experience true financial peace. What could the People of God do for the Kingdom of God if they were DEBT FREE? This is a 13 week course and small group discussion. The course is taught by Dave Ramsey via DVD course materials, lead by a facilitator and discussed within a small group setting. The course materials are $100 per family attending the course.

Please reply to this blog and post your comments if you have an interest in either these two courses or if you have another idea for a small group discussion.

Temple District Laity Banquet

Attention Good News UMC Members and Visitors,

The Temple District Laity Banquet is Tuesday, March 4th @ 6:30 pm. The event will be held at the Mayborn Convention Center in Temple Texas. The Laity Banquet is an annual event for the churches of the UMC Central Conference, Temple District. It celebrates the many churches and its members and provides the opportunity to meet fellow church members and learn about the events throughout the district.

The banquet is catered by Clem Mikeska's BBQ and there will be a performance by the Children's Choir from the Methodist Children's Home. Tickets for the banquet are $10.00. Please contact John McDaniel (818 6726) if you are interested in attending. For Temple District meetings in the past we have had two meeting/caravan locations. We meet and leave from Holy Ground @ 5:15 or we meet and leave from restaurant parking lot in Georgetown off 35 @ 5:45 (specific details to follow).

I hope to see you there!

Stocking at HCCM - Good News Youth

Good News Youth spent part of their Saturday morning stocking shelves at Hill Country Community Ministries. This was an extension of mission work we did last week as part of Souper Bowl of Caring. Thanks to all who came and worked on filling shelves for our community. HCCM can really use the following items in addition to our regular peas and shampoo ---- canned fruit, breakfast cereal, personal hygiene items and laundry soap. If you can help, please bring your donations to church each Sunday and drop them off in the Giving Center basket.

Don't forget Good News Youth are hosting our first Second Sunday Breakfast tomorrow - bring your appetite and enjoy good food and fellowship at 10:30 am. Donations accepted benefiting our upcoming conference sponsored mission trip in Summer 2008. Thanks to UMW and youth parents for providing food.

Go to Serve!

Good News Youth walked a local neighborhood last Sunday afternoon and collected 287 items of canned food for Hill Country Community Ministries. Check out our experience in the slideshow above. On Saturday, February 9th, the youth will work at the food pantry of HCCM shelving what we gathered and performing other tasks as well. Way to go youth!