September 3, 2013

September Greetings,
I enjoyed the Labor Day holiday yesterday (Went to my first ever Spin (Stationary Bicycle Exercise) Class, did some gardening with my Beloved and finished reading “In the Garden of Beasts,” the September LABC Reads selection. However, the downside to the holiday is that I am now a day behind and need to get this week’s message posted.
In short, Sunday September 8 is Homecoming Sunday. The Voices of Lakeshore return to worship (Yes!)  and there will be a luncheon and congregational meeting following worship. The Daisy Funderburk Award, as will as this year’s Scholarship Recipients, will be presented at the Luncheon.
My sermon is titled “Things Change.” Our Scripture will be Paul’s letter to Philemon.  In this text Paul sends Onesimus, an escaped slave, back to Philemon, one who was converted to Christianity under Paul’s teaching, with the appeal “welcome him as you would welcome me.” Paul’s letter is clear evidence that the ethical teaching of the church has changed, and continues to change, over the centuries. The question we face is, “on what legitimate basis is Christian teaching changed?” The answer is, “Jesus. He keeps showing up.”
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Jim H.

Prayers of the Congregation

• Thanksgiving with Steve Reimer for the progress his son Greg continues to make one year after his accident
• Tyrone Mack – eye injury
• Alice Butler for her neighbor and family
• Charlotte Myers for her sister as she recuperates from surgery
• The Wilkinson family as they continue to mourn the tragedy in their family
• Thanksgiving for the success of our “Teacher Match” program
• Sheila Sims as she recuperates from surgery
• Virginia Cheatham – health concerns
• Virginia Damretzky – health concerns
• Joan Thatcher – health concerns
• The American Baptist Seminary of the West as the academic year begins
• Robert Wilkins as he preaches at Faith Presbyterian Church
• Max Powers
• Kay Baxter for her family
• Cecil White for his brother who is hospitalized in St. Louis
• The Evans family
• The Leichter family
• Mary Lee
• George and Sylvia Lee
• All our teens
• Don Johnson and all who serve their country
• Michelle Sampson – Thanksgiving that she is recovering well from illness
• Syria, Mali, Sudan and South Sudan, Somalia, Central African Republic. These countries were listed in the September 2, 2013 Christian Science Monitor as the current five most urgent humanitarian crises in the world.