Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Signs of Life - SFCOG council highlights and updates for 2/18

Sunday is coming, and there are many Signs of Life to Celebrate!

This week as I was walking through my snowy backyard, I noticed that even in the wintry cold, I could tell new life was getting ready to emerge. There are buds on the trees. The green tips of the perennial flowers are starting to work their way up out of the frozen ground. The days are even getting longer. The hope of New Life in spring is unstoppable and lifts the spirits!

What makes you feel alive? What gives you hope and makes you feel energized? What makes you want to celebrate? What makes you to say, “it’s a good day!” What causes you to Praise the Lord?

Maybe…

-Time w/ family & friends?

-Completing a project?

-Recognition?

-Seeing someone else accomplish something?

-Time in nature?

-Getting away by yourself?

-A favorite hobbies?

-Helping someone else?

All of those things might be cause for celebration! These are “signs of life” and “Fruitfulness.”

We have much to Celebrate as a church family! This weekend we are welcoming new members, and we are dedicating CRS to the service of the Lord. We will spend time thanking God for what he has done in and through many different people! Next weekend we will observe Baptism. Each week, children and youth and adults are learning about how to live for Jesus. We are beginning new ministries and Bible Studies, and planning new opportunities to Love God, Love His Family, and Love our Neighbors.

All of these “signs of life” find their source in Jesus, the “True Vine” and creator of life!

This month, we are considering what it means to Remain in Jesus, the True Vine.

In John 15:1-8, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Growing “new life” and “fruit” takes time and care. It requires submission to the gardener. Sometimes pruning is required in our own lives to help bring about the healthiest fruit possible. As we celebrate what God is doing in our church family, we will also consider all of these ideas on a personal level this weekend. How do you remain connected to Jesus so that you may bear fruit?

It is my prayer that we will continue to abide in Jesus, growing more and more “to the Father’s glory” so that we may “bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be disciples of Jesus.”

February Council Meeting Highlights

The SFCOG Council gathered on Tuesday evening for the monthly meeting. Several ministry opportunities were discussed. Here are a few highlights to share with you:

Prospective New Members were approved by the council prior to formal installation this Sunday.
The Personnel Committee has finished revising and updating job descriptions for all current committees and leadership roles, and they have been approved by Council.
An updated committee list was discussed and approved for 2024.
Further updates were shared regarding Cross Roads Station financing, and usage guidelines and procedures for the new facility were discussed.
Some upcoming special events and ministry strategies were discussed, including community outreaches, church fellowship possibilities, and appreciation opportunities.

Cross Roads Station Celebrations!

This Sunday (1/18) at 9:45, we will devote our full Sunday School hour for a time of celebration and prayer to give thanks and dedicate Cross Roads Station to the Lord’s Service! Our hope is to have as many people together as possible for this time of prayer, from both services and from all age groups. Prayer and praise will be the main focus, but we will also share some details about the project, some stories, and some financial updates. There will be time for fellowship before and after as well.

Families with children, we encourage you to sit together (please note, there will be no separate Children & Youth Sunday School classes so that we can all be present for this milestone). Please enter through the front doors if possible, to prevent congestion at the rear entrance and prioritize that entryway for people with mobility difficulties (all doorways are ADA handicap accessible).

Outreach Opportunities

Our Outreach Committee is considering hosting a Wild Game Dinner this Spring and would like to gauge your interest. There will be sign-up sheets in the Sunday School classes and the Gathering Place where you can indicate if you would attend, and also if you would like to help with planning or maybe even provide wild game meat for the cause!

We are still collecting donations for the Circle of Love ministry. They are in need of any size of these items:

shampoo
body wash
conditioner
shaving cream
ladies' deodorant
toothpaste (please note: NO TOOTHBRUSHES are needed at this time)

Collecting will continue through this month in a container in the vestibule of the Sanctuary, closest to Cross Roads Station.

Men’s Alliance Update

Men’s Alliance will be starting a more in-depth Weekly Bible Study on Monday evenings at 6:30 beginning on February 26^thin the Annex. All men are welcome to attend (even if they are not involved on Saturdays). The first series will feature the book No More Excuses: Be the Man God Made You to Be by Tony Evans. The study book can be purchased at this link: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/no-more-excuses-bible-study-book-with-video-access-P005843170

Our Keel Tribe Men’s Alliance group has helped to launch two new tribes in our local area! Pray for these new groups now meeting in Scotland & Chambersburg, and praise the Lord for this growing ministry! All men are welcome to come on Saturdays at 7:00 behind the American Legion in Shippensburg for a work out and time of Bible Study.

Senior Ministry Highlights

This Saturday, February 17, there will be a special brunch for Widows, Widowers, & Singles (age 50+) at 10:30 in the Annex. Come join in for some food and fellowship!

The annual Good Friday Luncheon provided to Senior Citizens (60+) by the Busch Trust Fund will be taking place in the Cross Roads Station fellowship hall on March 29 at Noon. Sign-up sheets will be located in the Sunday School classes. Please Register in advance for planning purposes.

Prayer Update

Please keep Amy Culbertson’s family in prayer, as they are mourning the unexpected loss of Amy’s cousin, Mark Weaver, who passed away while shoveling snow this past week.

Let us live to the Glory of God the Father, bearing much fruit, and showing ourselves to be Disciples of Jesus!

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org