Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Happy Endings--SFCOG Updates for July 23

Sunday is Coming, and so is a Happy Ending!

Everyone is hoping for a happy ending! At the end of a summer day, we all love a beautiful sunset, or a campfire in the evening with friends and family, or a good book or a movie… But what do we do when we get to the end of the day and instead, we just feel exhausted or anxious?

What do we do when we find ourselves in the middle of an uncertain story that isn’t over yet? What do we do when our lives don’t go “according to plan?” How do we continue to be faithful and hold on to hope?

Given the persecution and struggle and changing plans that the Apostle Paul experienced in his own life, it may feel surprising to realize that one of the major themes that Paul was inspired to write about was Joy & Rejoicing. By my count, in all of his letters, he mentions the topic of Joy or Rejoicing 44 times. Compare this to sorrow, which he only mentions 12 times.

Out of these many passages where Paul talks about Joy, we will read from two of those this weekend (1 Thessalonians 5:16-28 - Rejoice always, pray continually…& Philippians 4:4-9 - Rejoice in the Lord always…). What we will see is that an attitude of Joy, rooted in prayer and thanksgiving, can also prepare us to engage an uncertain world with a gentle and steady Faith, as we follow Christ, the source of our Joy and Faith.

As the writer of Hebrews has said in Hebrews 12:2—

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

A few upcoming things to highlight this week:

Sunday evening is the Community Vespers service that begins the Annual Shippensburg Fair Week Festivities. Several Pastors from our community (including myself) will be taking part in this worship opportunity that brings together the whole family of God for this special occasion. The Vespers service begins at 7:30, but the Community Band will be sharing a concert of music beginning at 7:00.

Our Outreach team has been organizing a series of Summer Hikes. This Saturday, they will be meeting up at Ricketts Glen, and on August 5 there will be a trip to see the Abandoned Turnpike Tunnels. You can see the Gathering Place for more information, or feel free to reply to this email.

We will be hosting a Seminar for all Youth, Parents, and ministry volunteers who serve Children & Youth. It will focus on the Biblical View of Identity. This will be Sunday, August 13 beginning at 2:00 PM in the Sanctuary. There will be a similar session for youth during their Sunday School time that morning. More information has been put into church mailboxes and distributed by our Youth Ministry to parents.

On August 27th, we will include Child Dedication as part of our morning worship. If you would like to have any children in your family presented before the church as a part of this special time of prayer, please contact me for more information, or sign up in the Gathering Place.

Some Ministry Updates-

Our Youth Missions Team had a successful trip and a safe journey to and from Kentucky!

15 team members completed a construction project and conducted a Bible School in a community park. We will hear a report from them in a few weeks, but here are just a couple photos—

The Men’s Alliance ministry has been going strong all summer, with about 20 men each week coming together to challenge each other physically and spiritually! Feel free to join in every Saturday at 7:00 am at the American Legion in Shippensburg. Men of all backgrounds and skill levels can participate in this unique work out and Bible Study around the fire!

The Cross Roads Station Project has been moving forward! Work continued this week on some significant upgrades to the utilities and improvement of the recreational space. The floor in the multipurpose ministry area has also been improved and leveled, and the new kitchen is in progress. We can’t wait to see what God will do through these spaces! You can continue to financially support the project utilizing the green envelopes located in the pew racks in the sanctuary. Continue to pray for the Lord’s Leading in how we use this building to enhance God’s Kingdom!

Be sure to check out the Gathering Place and the bulletin boards around the church building which are being updated to include more information about things happening in our ministries and in our community. There are lots of ways you can be involved! You can always feel free to reply to this email for more information as well.

Have a great week, and see you soon!

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org