Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Small Potatoes & Goofy Gourds

Sunday is Coming!

This year, the only thing my garden produced was a few small potatoes and one goofy gourd…

Every year, we always ‘dabble’ in backyard gardening, more so for fun and learning, and with very low expectations about harvesting a big crop. But in 2020, since we had a little more time at home, I decided to really give it an effort. I expanded our garden patch, cleared things out, turned over the soil, added compost, and even put a net fence around it to keep out rabbits! However, after all of that hard work, I still did not have much success… the bunnies still got in, the weeds still grew up, and we did not harvest very much good produce.

So now we do something different: we participate in a Perry County Farm Share, investing a little bit into an expert local farm which always gives us way more than enough! (though we still ‘dabble’ just for fun in our own backyard)

Sometimes in life we need to try something different. We need to humbly take a new approach. Even God in Heaven, who does not change, says this to His People through His prophet, Isaiah:

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

—Isaiah 43:19

This weekend we will ask ourselves if we are humble enough to try new things? Or have our hearts become hardened or crowded by the weeds and worries of the world?

We will continue our series making some connections between the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and how our Rabbi, our Savior & Lord, Jesus, opens our eyes to truth in the Gospel of Luke.

In Isaiah and Luke, we can compare two approaches to farming. We will read about an unproductive vineyard in Isaiah 5, where despite the farmer’s best efforts to plant and protect the vineyard, the vines only produced “bad fruit.” Consequently, the vineyard was trampled into a wasteland full of thorns.

In Luke 8, Jesus tells a familiar parable about a generous farmer who spreads seeds abundantly all over the place! Jesus reveals that the seed that grows in the good soil produces a crop 100 times more than what may have been “wasted” in the thorns and stony ground.

If we have “eyes to see,” these two stories offer insight into the Spiritual transformation of reality that Jesus has begun–the “New Thing” that God has done which brings abundant streams of life in the wasteland!

Do you find yourself stranded in the wasteland today? Lost in the wilderness? Jesus wants to show you the Way to New and Abundant Life! Jesus wants to open the Secrets of Heaven to us!

…if we have Eyes and Ears to Understand.

In Luke 8:10, Jesus says—

“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’”

Isaiah reminds us that a key factor is to stay humble before God, and keep the soil of our hearts soft and teachable, to receive the Word of the Lord and allow it to grow and make us fruitful. Jesus reminds us that our God is a God of Abundance, and the Hope of the Harvest far exceeds the troubles of stony ground or thorns of the world that often distract us from God’s Goodness!

As we also consider the waters of baptism and the new life that this represents, let us celebrate the “New Things” that God can do in each of our hearts!

Consider the words of Isaiah 43:19 once more:

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Do you perceive it? Prepare your hearts once more to get a glimpse of Heaven this weekend!

This Sunday

We will praise God and celebrate with 6 individuals who are choosing to be baptized during the contemporary service. The baptisms will take place at the very beginning of the 11:00 service if anyone from early service and Sunday school would like to stay to watch. Let us all look forward to celebrating these public declarations of the inward change that God has done!

8:30 Traditional Worship

There will be pre-service music featuring harp and violin, beginning at 8:15.

We will share our welcome and announcements slightly before 8:30, and highlight the prelude as a time of quiet reflection before our opening prayer.

Come into His Presence #171

Jesus Calls Us #592

Jesus, I Come #491

Lord, I'm Coming Home

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing #11

9:45 Sunday School for all ages

Check out our Sunday School classes and other Care Group ministries on our website, or visit the welcome desk to learn more.

11:00 Contemporary Worship

Baptism

Reckless Love

How He Loves

Open The Eyes Of My Heart

You Are My Vision

Contemporary Spotify Playlist

Congregational Meeting

Our Fall Congregation meeting is November 2. It will feature elections for council positions for 2026, and ministry reports.

This Sunday, October 12^th, is the deadline to submit topics to our Council President if you would like them to be considered for discussion at the meeting, so that the council can consider the requests if needed and so dockets can be prepared and made available by October 19^th, 2 weeks prior to the meeting.

Beneficent Fund Collection

Last week after communion, we had a special collection for the beneficent fund, as is our custom. This fund helps to meet unexpected financial needs for individuals in our church and our community. $1282 was received on Sunday, and several additional designated gifts were received prior to Sunday. Praise God for your generosity and His faithful provision! The needs of our community have been increasing, so if you feel led to continue to give towards this special fund, you can used the envelopes in the backs of the pew to designate your offerings. We will also do another special collection the next time we have communion, which will be on the first Sunday of January.

Ministry Fair Recap

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

--I Peter 4:10

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Ministry Fair last week! Let us continue to praise God together for what He is doing through you all!

Over the next several weeks we will be highlighting some of our ministries by posting their display boards in the Gathering Place.

We encourage you to take a look at the displays each week, and if you are interested in serving, there are sign-up sheets for you to express your interest.

GriefShare

There is one particular serving opportunity that we want to highlight: We are asking God to raise up a co-facilitator for our GriefShare Ministry. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Pastor Gary.

Peace, Prayer and Presence

The Eastern Region of our CGGC Denomination is calling for a Day of Prayer this Saturday, October 11, 2025, and we will be a host site for worshippers to gather in prayer. Join us from 9:00a-11:00a at Crossroads Station. Pastor Gary and Pastor Rodney, will be guiding the event along with other ERC leaders.

The entire Region is invited to attend a meaningful morning of engagement through prayer. There are also other locations spread across the Region (you may choose to attend any location). Come prepared to receive a deeper connection to the Father.

Pre-registration will be helpful for planning, but is not required. You can register at the following link:

https://forms.gle/AbVyHqbhzkWoohTE7

Please prayerfully prioritize this event in your fall calendar. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Colleen Shank at 717.951.9714 or by email, colleen@erccog.org.

Christmas Cantata Practice

Practices have begun for the 11:00 pm Christmas Eve Cantata. Anyone is welcome to participate in the Cantata (even in you don’t normally sing with the choir). Practice is at 6:00pm every Sunday Evening in the Sanctuary until Christmas. See Wayne Brubaker for more information.

Community Harvest Party

On October 24^th, we will be joining with Grand Point Shippensburg, the Love Our Town initiative, and several other area churches to bless our community with a Harvest Party Outreach event.

The event will run from 4-8PM at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds (10131 Possum Hollow Rd, Shippensburg) and you are welcome to come & go as you please.

The main event is free and open to the public—invite your friends & neighbors! To help us with planning and estimating, we do encourage you to RSVP on the clipboards in Sunday School Classes or the Gathering place, although preregistration is not required.

What to Expect:

Chili Cook-Off ($10 to enter; click here to sign up)
Chili Tasting & Voting ($10/person age 13 & over; $5/person age 5-12, free for ages 4 & under – cash or check collected at the event) – voting ends at 7PM
Free games, bounce houses, hotdogs & drinks (while supplies last), a bonfire, and lots of family-friendly fun.
All proceeds from the chili cook-off will be donated directly to a local non-profit, Wheels for Women.

Chili Cook-Off Details

$10/entry – click here to sign up

Amount to bring – Full crock pot (6 to 8 quarts) at the minimum

Chili is to be cooked before the event

Items needed – extension cord & a serving spoon (not a ladle) to distribute samples.

Provided – Sample cups & spoons for admissions.

Display Area – 48 inches x 30 inches (1/2 of an 8 ft rectangle table)

There are lots of other ways to help and participate, such as making and serving snacks, helping with set up & clean up, and welcoming our neighbors who come to enjoy the activities. To get involved, reply to this email!

Learn More: Shippensburg Community Harvest Party

Communications Updates

*Be sure to check out our Activities Calendar and the Events page on our website to learn about more upcoming opportunities!

The October edition of our “FYI” Newsletter is available in the Gathering Place or the center section of the Sanctuary. The FYI contains information about upcoming events, care group opportunities, giving and attendance information, and more.

If you have information you would like to communicate, communication request forms are available from the church office, in the Gathering Place, or online.

Looking forward to worshipping with you in the Sanctuary or Online this Sunday!

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org