Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Individuals are Important! SFCOG Updates for 9/13

The Church PICNIC is Coming!

We hope that each and every one of you can join us for the Picnic if possible!

Always remember that each person matters to God! Individuals are important! YOU are important!

On a more solemn note: each year when we remember 9/11, all around the country, the names of 2,977 individual victims are often read out loud. Tomorrow will mark the 25^th anniversary since that tragic day, and we will take a moment together to remember the 30 names from Pennsylvania this Sunday. (If you’d like to remember this day in another meaningful way, our brothers and sisters at the Newville First Church of God will be hosting a special remembrance service on Sunday evening at 7, with pre-service music starting at 6 performed by the Town Band).

Yes, individual people are important – especially in the eyes of their Creator!

In a world of over 8 Billion People, God knows each one. God Cares about each one.

And we believe God desires to Bless each one!

In God’s orderly way, He wants to ensure that we care about each other, too, as we “Love His Family” in accordance with our SFCOG Mission Statement!

We will observe that in a unique way this weekend as we picnic together out in God’s Creation and study the 4^th book of the Old Testament Torah—Numbers.

The Book of Numbers tells the ongoing story of the Israelites after God rescued them from Egypt and set them apart in the wilderness. It seems fitting that we will all together as One Church Family this weekend, and also sitting outside in the “wilderness,” because the book of Numbers contains detailed records about the Israelite families as they proceeded through the wilderness after God delivered them from Egypt. The Hebrew Title of this book, “Be-mid-bar,” actually means “In the Wilderness.”

Out there in the wilderness, God told all His People to arrange themselves in an orderly way and to take a census and count every individual person, family, and tribe. One major reason God did this appears to be so that he could systematically and uniformly bless them all, desiring that no one would be overlooked or left out of the blessing!

Hear the words of this familiar blessing found in Numbers 6:22-27--

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

“‘“The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

According to the Aaronic Blessing, God’s Blessings include His protection & favor, in the form of Grace & Peace.

If we are called by the name of our God who was fully revealed in Jesus Christ, we can also receive these things from YHWH & enjoy them with Him today!

Scripture reminds us that we can experience these blessings inwardly, even if our external circumstances don’t match up.

Remember the Israelites were sitting in the wilderness when this Blessing was First Proclaimed… They were waiting outside the promised land, not there yet. But God’s grace & peace were still upon them in the period of waiting and hoping for something greater.

It’s also Important to note that the Torah shows us from the very beginning, when God blesses people (like Abraham) God’s intention is for that Blessing to overflow to others— as God told Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

As we gather together “in the wilderness” this weekend, let’s remember that we are known and loved by our creator, and He desires to bless us with grace and peace that will overflow to the Family of God with us, and to the world around us! Let’s join in the blessings together as we worship, fellowship, and share a meal together! There will be some special things for the kids, and a cornhole tournament also!

Bring a lawn chair and a side dish (or 2) to share as we “count ourselves” blessed by God together!

This Sunday

10:00 Combined Worship and Church Picnic at Memorial Park

Preservice Music (Anita & Kristin on Harp & Violin)

Welcome & Announcements

Traditional Style Worship Set

-How Great Thou Art

-For The Beauty Of The Earth

Offertory & Offering Collection (Music by Anita & Kristin)

Sermon

Contemporary Style Worship Set

-'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

-It is Well With My Soul

Closing Prayer and instructions for Serving Meal

Meal & Fellowship

(Chicken, Ham, Drinks & Paper Products provided, please bring side dishes to share).

Special Events

Table Setting Giveaways

Children’s Candy Scramble

Cornhole Tournament

Please note, there will be no live stream this Sunday, but all of our previous services can be viewed on our SFCOG YouTube channel or our website: Online Messages (shipfcog.org)

September 11^th Remembrance Service

All are invited to join together for a “25th Remembrance Service for 9/11” on Sunday evening, September 13^th, hosted by the Newville First Church of God.

From Pastor Wayne Good:

We would be honored to have you, your church family, organization, and community join us for this special evening of remembrance and reflection.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:

•6:00 PM – The Shippensburg Town Band will present a patriotic concert.

•7:00 PM – Patriotic gathering music in our sanctuary.

•7:15 PM – A service of remembrance and reflection, honoring those who lost their lives, those who risked their lives to rescue others, and the many men and women who have continued to serve our communities as First Responders. The TCP Choir will be providing songs of reflection.

This evening is more than simply remembering an event from our nation's past. It is an opportunity for our community to come together, to honor sacrifice, to express our gratitude to those who serve, and to reflect on our need for God’s grace and mercy in a broken world.

Please join us—and encourage the people of your church or organization to attend. We would love to see churches, civic organizations, First Responders, veterans, families, and friends from throughout our community come together for this important evening.

See the Poster at the end of this Email for more Info.

Spiritual Growth & Commitment Opportunities:

No matter what your situation or what phase of life you are in right now, we have some opportunities for you to grow in your faith together as a church family. Here are a few of them that are coming up soon:

Membership Class

If you would like to learn more about our church, and to consider if church membership is a good next step for you on your faith journey, plan ahead to attend our Membership Class which we are offering on September 27th at 9:45. You can sign up in advance on the clip board in the gathering place if you have not already done so.

Child Dedication

On October 4th, we will be including child dedication as a part of our morning worship. If you have a new baby or a young child you would like to present before the congregation for dedication in this special way, please speak with Pastor Rodney or sign up on the clipboard in the Gathering Place

Weekend to Remember Discount Sale

Married couples, we want to let you know that Family Life is offering a special discount sale on tickets for Weekend to Remember. Now through September 21st, you can save 50% on the registration cost of this meaningful couple’s getaway that happens in February. Use our church code when registering to be sure to be counted towards our group—“shippensburgfirstchurchofgod” (no spaces). Scholarships are available. Learn more and Register here:

Weekend to Remember: Faith-Based Marriage Retreat

Young Adult Fellowship Meals

Our Friday Night young adult fellowship meals have returned! All young adults (college students, recent grads, career focused, etc.) are invited to come out to the Annex on Friday evenings at 5:00 throughout the semester to enjoy a meal and a time of socializing.

We are also planning to host a special Sunday Dinner for our college students and all other young adults in Crossroads Station.

**However, this meal has been postponed until October 4th. We had originally planned it for next week (September 20th) but decided to reschedule so we will not conflict with another young adult Disciple Makers ministry event that is happening on the same day at one of our partner churches.

We will still be looking for cooks and servers and deserts for October 4th! If you would like to help prepare or serve for this special event, please contact our Discipleship & Next Gen. Ministry Director, Troy Shively (troy.shively@shipfcog.org ).

Online Apparel Shop

Represent SFCOG at work or in the community!

We have partnered with Creative Engravings here in Shippensburg to set up an online apparel shop—you can custom order various shirts with our church logo embroidered on them. Select from 4 different styles (polo, t-shirt, long-sleeve t-shirt & sweatshirt) and several different colors. Items can be purchased online and picked up right here in Shippensburg at the Creative Engravings shop, or you may also reach out to us if you would like us to pick it up and deliver it to your church mailbox for you (select “Store Pick Up” and let us know when you receive notice that it is ready).

Visit the store:

Creative Engraving Plus, LLC| Ship First Church of God | CreativeEng&Apparel

Church Center Update

We have been gradually rolling out a new database tool called “Church Center.” It will be utilized for scheduling, record-keeping, giving, and many other ministry functions. You will be hearing more about it in the coming weeks as we implement new aspects of this resource, such as:

a directory feature,
an online giving option,
and upcoming changes to our Children’s Ministry check-in system.

You may have already received an email inviting you to join the Church Center Directory or to update your information. This is a great tool to enable ongoing connections, communication, and support for one another if you would like to “opt in” to this feature. It is up to each person & family to choose what information they wish to share with others within our church database. This information is secure and only accessible by others who are part of the directory.

(please note that our current “Instant Church Directory” app will eventually be phased out as we make the change to the new system)

You can begin learning more and start exploring Church Center by visiting this page on our website to create your own log-in or update your information.

Shippensburg First Church of God | Church Center

Communications Updates

Bulletins and newsletters are available for you as you enter for worship—you can find them right outside the main doorways into the sanctuary on a table or stand for easy access. Some are usually available at our welcome desk also, but we encourage you to keep access to our welcome desk (and our handicapped accessible seating) open and available for those who may need it.

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

*If you or your small groups, committees, etc., are planning special events involving the facilities, please be sure to communicate with the church office so we can best accommodate your needs and coordinate planning details between various ministries—Thank You!

The latest monthly edition of our “FYI” Newsletter is available in the Gathering Place or as you enter into the Sanctuary. The FYI contains information about upcoming events, care group opportunities, giving and attendance information, and more.

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

Let us continue to worship our Good Creator together in the Sanctuary or Online this Sunday!

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org