JANUARY 6 is Epiphany or Three Kings Day.  This is the day the church celebrates the three kings or wise men arriving to see Jesus; probably at his home and most definitely not at the manger since Jesus was almost two years old at this point.

No matter what the location or actual timeline the message is that people of all socioeconomic groups came to worship Jesus much like the church of 2016.    What we can learn from this is that the Magi did not come to Jesus to get something out of him or like us coming to church to get something out of church.  They came and we come to Worship Him!  I’m not saying that our visit to church on Sunday should not give us some spiritual renewal through songs, the spoken word or the Lord’s Supper but we should be coming to church Sunday morning to WORSHIP a Savior who gave all for us even as we are yet sinners.

This Sunday we continue to work on our fitness for 2016.  Last Sunday we discussed Spiritual Fitness.  Which of the 8 Spiritual Fitness workouts have you begun?  I know the handout didn’t get printed so I am going to try to remember to attach it to this newsletter so you can review it.  Also remember that the sermons are on the church websites.  In fact I saw someone shared the message on Facebook this week and called it a lesson not a sermon.  There is nothing in life that is done well without a little practice and certainly not without intent so what are you doing to improve your Spiritual Fitness.

Join us this week for Financial Fitness.  You may ask how that has anything to do with church?  Well, in the past months we have discussed Financial Wellness and found that finances are one of the main reasons our personal and social relationships struggle and if that is the case how can we be truly Fit for 2016 if our focus is on a negative relationship with our finances.

Join us and see what The Bible has to see about being Financially Fit.

See you in church!

Rick

As the world tries to tell us Christmas is over, remember: January 6 is Epiphany (or Three Kings Day) so the Christmas celebration continues!  However, time does move on, as do the Seasons of the Church, because in six weeks it will be Ash Wednesday and Lent will begin.

It has been a great Christmas season of worship and mission.  We fed over 100 people between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We provided Christmas gifts with the help of Solomon’s Masonic Lodge to over 30 kids and their families.  We continued to provide diapers and wipes through the Hungry Baby Mission and contributed to the United Methodist Board of Childcare through the Christmas Stocking Program.  UMW provided gifts and supplies to survivors of human trafficking through Howard County AGAST.  Combined Christmas Eve worship was over 140 and the Sunday after Christmas wasn’t too bad either.

On Sunday we begin a new sermon series entitled Get Fit!  Pretty appropriate for the New Year and considering your Pastor’s past career.  But this series is not limited to just the physical in fact this Sunday we are going to talk about getting Spiritually Fit followed by getting Financially Fit, then Physically Fit, and finally Relationally Fit.

Getting Fit Spiritually, Financially, Physically and Relationally is the perfect plan for the start of the new year especially since I believe our parish is sitting right on the edge of our next big growth step.  We have achieved a great mission ministry and now we need to grow ourselves and each other in all four of these fitness areas before we can jump to the next level of being the church of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Fitness or, as John Wesley called it, Discipline is essential to growing every other aspect of our lives.  When we grow spiritually our finances, self-image, and personal, family, church and community relations will also grow.  Make a resolution that THIS year you will read The Bible and join at least one study (not one day, one study) before June.

January 24 is leadership training night for the parish and will be held at Wesley Chapel, 6pm to 7:30pm.  This is required for all elected church leaders and is recommended for anyone interested in learning the leadership ministries and various opportunities in the church.

THIS SUNDAY is the Open House sponsored by the Pastor and Janet as a thank you for all the ministry support we have shared in the last year.  Oh yea and of course to continue the Christmas season all the way to Epiphany.  Please join us for at least a part of the time and bring your appetite!  1pm to 4pm.  Good news or bad news, depending on your view, there will be at least one wild game recipe.

See you at church!

Rick

It is almost hard to believe that it will be Christmas in 9 days.  I actually wish there was a little more time, not to shop, but to just be excited about the anticipation.  I mean watching the lights go up, lighting another candle every Sunday, listening to the music and looking at all the beautifully wrapped gifts.  Isn’t it interesting that most Christians don’t see the excitement in Advent and yet the prophet Micah prophesied the birth of the Savior to be born in Bethlehem 700 years before the actual birth of Christ.  Now that is a long Advent!

This past week the parish was really active.  Our children’s ministry team held a kids Christmas party on Saturday at Dorsey and that was a great success.  Sunday we celebrated worship together, sent a mission team to Our Daily Bread, went caroling at Frank’s Produce, and had a cookie exchange at Wesley Chapel.

This week we had our Tuesday Night Small Group Study and are preparing to finish our Angel Tree Shopping.  Solomon’s Masonic Lodge has given us $450 to purchase gifts for our Christmas Mission with Deep Run Elementary.  Stacy Dix has volunteered to do the remaining shopping for just a few angels not picked up by the church members.  Tonight I will be meeting with Howard County AGAST and delivering winter clothing for survivors thanks to our women’s ministry team.
This Sunday we will celebrate the last Sunday in Advent during morning worship by focusing on the shepherds and looking at how God is interrupting our lives this Christmas and every day.  How have you responded to God’s interruptions in your life?  Our response is what non-believers see as evidence that God is a loving God or not.

Join us for worship!
Rick

It is really hard to believe it is the third Sunday in Advent.  This Sunday we light the rose colored candle.  Check out the United Methodist website for details on the celebration of Advent using the wreath.

At the Dorsey/Wesley Parish we are going to continue our Series When God Interrupts by focusing on When Christmas Gets Messy – Ask Joseph.  This Sunday the choir will be singing at Dorsey and the Our Daily Bread Mission Team will be in Baltimore.

In addition to Our Daily Bread and Worship the parish Caroling Team- THAT’S YOU! – will be singing at Frank’s Produce on Old Waterloo Rd near Deep Run Elementary.  We will meet at Frank’s a little before 2 or you can meet at Wesley at 1:30 to car pool.  We will sing for about 30 minutes and then gather at Wesley Chapel for the Christmas Cookie Exchange at 3pm.  You may choose to take part in one event or both.  For the cookie exchange it is bring a dozen and take a dozen.  

On Saturday the kids have their day as Dorsey is sponsoring a kid’s Christmas Party 1-3pm.  All are invited.

Also this week we had a family related to Wesley Chapel and Solomon’s Masonic Lodge pay off a lay away account for our friend Jessica and her kids.  Our Angel Tree is almost empty but still time for you to take an angel and buy a gift for one of our Deep Run Elementary students.  We also could use donations to buy gift cards for families at Ducketts Lane Elementary and Karen Tavenner is taking those donations.

If you know a family that could use food this Christmas let Carolyn Brooks know.

I could not be more excited or proud of our parish the mission outreach we have accomplished:

• Hungry Baby Mission
• AOET sponsor Brian to attend University
• Our Daily Bread Mission Team
• UMW Pillow Case Dresses and flip flops
• UMW combats Human Trafficking
• Social Concerns feeds 70 plus at Thanksgiving
• Community Partnership with Solomon’s Masonic Lodge
• Transportation, food, bills paid, etc. for individual cases
• Imagine No Malaria
• Teacher Appreciation Dinner
• Board of Childcare
• Community Thanksgiving Dinner
• Facebook Ministry

  Join us as we demonstrate that knowing Christ means living and acting as Christ!

  See you in church…wherever church occurs!
  Rick

Advent Quiz

What favorite Christmas Carol was written by Charles Wesley?
___ White Christmas
___ Away in a Manger
___ Hark the Herald Angels Sing
___ I’ll Be Home for Christmas
___ Jingle Bells

 
The correct answer is… “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.”
Charles Wesley is said to have written more than 6500 hymns. The text for Hark! the Herald Angels Sing is based on Luke 2:8-14 and was set to a melody by German composer Felix Mendelssohn.

There is a different Advent question each day at www.umc.org and click Advent Quiz

This year our Advent/Christmas Sermon Series is based on the Biblical characters in the Bible and the series is entitled “When God Interrupts!”  Last Sunday Verna preached on Elizabeth and discussed the challenges faced by an older woman interrupted by God to have a child and then her husband Zechariah interrupted by God when he was told he could not choose the child’s name.  We know the child as John…The Baptist.
This Sunday we take a look at Mary and when Life Seems IMPOSSIBLE!  The next Sunday we look at Joseph When Life Gets Messy! The Final Sunday in Advent takes a look at the Shepherds and we look real close at “When God Interrupts!”  We also have a different family lighting the Advent Wreath each week and of course our chance to sing our favorite Christmas Carols.  Invite a guest and join us every Sunday.

THIS Sunday is a very busy day in the parish!

• Wesley Chapel worship at 10am
• Dorsey Emmanuel worship at 11am
• Lorien Worship at 2pm
• Blue Christmas Worship at Dorsey Emmanuel 6pm

Blue Christmas Worship is a special service that involves participation by everyone attending and focuses on the realization that the Christmas Season often brings some difficult memories and challenges.  Maybe your family is separated by miles or deployment.  Maybe your family is separated by divorce or death.  Maybe you and girlfriend or boyfriends are no longer together.  Maybe life just doesn’t seem to that Christmas Spirit This Year.  Whatever the reason you may feel a little “BLUE” this season join us as we acknowledge the reality of your feelings and hope to leave with a knowledge of God’s love that will get us through.

Join us this Christmas season when God interrupts us all and we decide to lead follow or get out of the way!  God already interrupted our Thanksgiving with 15 families in need of food and our parish responded by feeding them all, in excess of 70 people.  Our Angel Tree is already full of kids who need a Christmas and Solomon’s Masonic Lodge has decided to partner with our ministry again as they have our baby mission.  They have donated over $400 to bring Christmas to these kids.  Do you have a business or organization that would like to join us?  Ask!  All they can say is no.  Then what about each of us?  Will we respond to God’s interruption by choosing a name and buying things off their wish list?

See you in the Christmas Season!

This week, as I have a few other times, the newsletter is going to focus on an article found in Relevant Magazine which can be followed online. 

The author of the Article I am sharing is

Confirmation Classes Begin THIS Sunday at 6pm – 7:30 pm @ Dorsey
These are the classes that are designed for older elementary to high school age young folks to confirm their baptism and profess their faith in Jesus and become full members of the United Methodist Church. 
These are also the classes for the same age group that has not been baptized and desires to pursue baptism and full membership in the United Methodist Church.

Confirmation Classes meet 8 times and have a required overnight Retreat.  All class members are expected to be in worship on Sunday especially Easter Sunday when there is no class.

Adult Membership Class begins Sunday March 29 at 6pm to 7:30pm @ Dorsey
Class 2 – April 26
Class 3 – May 17
These classes are for adult aged folks who desire baptism, membership, and general knowledge of the theology of the United Methodist Church. 

Over the last few weeks I have been taking The Lenten Quiz here so I decided to share a few of the questions with you and let you see how you do.  I will send the answers later, if you remind me.

1. At the Last Supper the disciples would have been…
         – sitting
         – standing
         – kneeling
         – reclining
2. What snack food has significance during Lent?
         – Pretzels
         – Popcorn
         – Chocolate
         – all of the above
3. Why do some churches, like ours, hold Easter sunrise services?
         – Jesus is sometimes called the light of the world
         – the women are said to have come to the tomb in the early morning
         – Easter vigil prayers often ended as the sun rose
         – All of the above
         – None of the above
4. Why are eggs associated with Easter?
         – They symbolize New Life
         – They have a shell around a body inside just like the tomb was around Jesus body and was then cracked open.
         – They can be dyed pretty colors to represent joy, just like we have joy because Jesus is Risen
         – All of the above
         – None of the above
5. What does INRI mean on a crucifix?
         – Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Rome
         – Nazareth, Kingdom of Jesus
         – Sign of Cross
         – Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews
Good Luck!

Earlier today I received a Facebook message from our daughter Sabrina which I think is absolutely perfect for Lent.  It is a letter from the pastor of a Lutheran church in New Jersey and addresses so much of what we are carrying around that separates us from the relationship with Jesus for which we were created.  Lent can be a time of giving things up or taking things on to celebrate and glorify God but if it is not from our heart and not for the purpose of having a better relationship with Christ then it is simply a religious event which doesn’t often change our lives.  Lent is a time of repentance and reflection.

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The following is the letter:

Last week we talked about all the wrong and right reasons to fast for Lent. We are less than a week away from Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Many Christians “give something up” for Lent, but it usually has very little of impact on their life and walk with Christ. The reason is that we usually give stuff up for all the wrong reasons.

With that said, I want to offer up 20 things you might consider giving up this Lent. These are things to give up not just for Lent, but for the rest of your life.

• Guilt – I am loved by Jesus and he has forgiven my sins. Today is a new day and the past is behind.
• Fear – God is on my side. In him I am more than a conqueror. (see Romans 8)
• The need to please everyone – I can’t please everyone anyways. There is only one I need to strive to please.
• Envy – I am blessed. My value is not found in my possessions, but in my relationship with my Heavenly Father.
• Impatience – God’s timing is the perfect timing.
• Sense of entitlement – The world does not owe me anything. God does not owe me anything. I live in humility and grace.
• Bitterness and Resentment – The only person I am hurting by holding on to these is myself.
• Blame – I am not going to pass the buck. I will take responsibility for my actions.
• Gossip and Negativity – I will put the best construction on everything when it comes to other people. I will also minimize my contact with people who are negative and toxic bringing other people down.
• Comparison – I have my own unique contribution to make and there is no one else like me.
• Fear of failure – You don’t succeed without experiencing failure. Just make sure you fail forward.
• A spirit of poverty – Believe with God that there is always more than enough and never a lack
• Feelings of unworthiness – You are fearfully and wonderfully made by your creator. (see Psalm 139)
• Doubt – Believe God has a plan for you that is beyond anything you could imagine. The future is brighter than you could ever realize.
• Self-pity – God comforts us in our sorrow so that we can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
• Retirement – As long as you are still breathing, you are here for a reason. You have a purpose to influence others for Christ. That does not come to an end until the day we die.
• Excuses – A wise man once said, if you need an excuse, any excuse will do.
• Lack of counsel – Wise decisions are rarely made in a vacuum.
• Pride – Blessed are the humble.
• Worry – God is in control and worrying will not help.

God has so much more in store for you. But so many of these things above are holding you back from walking in the full destiny he has laid out for you. Today is a new day.

So there you have it. What else might you add to the list? Please share in the comments below.

God’s blessings,
Pastor Phil

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Confirmation Classes will begin Sunday March 1 at Dorsey At 6 pm.  Please mark this on your calendar NOW as all classes will be very important.  If you have not yet completed the request to attend classes please send me an email to let me know you are interested.  There is no age requirement in the United Methodist Church but the ability to make a decision for Jesus Christ is necessary.  The curriculum will be geared toward the upper elementary grades and above.