Sunday is Coming!
Beginnings are important…
Today our Shippensburg Area School District is beginning a new school year! Students often give a lot of thought to their “back to school” first day outfits in order to make a good first impression. This might even call for a new pair of shoes…
One of our children found a super-bright-neon-orange pair of shoes this year! That’s one way to make an individualistic first impression. Fortunately, the SASD Dress Code has no prohibitions against brightly colored footwear…
Whether you are a student or not, perhaps you’ve experienced the tension that exists in our society between individuality & conformity.
We are told that we are free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness in whatever manner we deem appropriate… and yet we are also mindful that there are certain expectations and even some constraints that come with these shared freedoms.
• Students going back to school are issued a student handbook, and have to agree to a certain code of conduct.
• When you start a new job, your employee handbook tells you what is expected of you in your new role. You may be told certain values or visions that you are meant to share.
• When you turn on the news from your chosen media source, the “talking heads” speak to you about other ways to identify yourself. They tell you what causes or concerns you should be interested in or passionate about. The headlines tell you what to think about each world event, or what to be outraged about this week…
• When you go online, influencers tell us, “Follow me as I get ready to go out – don’t you want to look like me?” Or “Follow me as I speed run through this video game – don’t you wish you were as tech-savvy as I am?”
All of these various sources tell us something about who we are or who we are supposed to be.
At the center of it all is a simple question that we wrestle with throughout our lives – “Who Am I?”
…but sometimes it can be overwhelming to answer this question!
This gets even harder in certain circumstances – when things that you previously used to define yourself have changed…
Who are you when you begin a new chapter of life (new job, new school, etc.)?
Who are you when you lose someone close to you?
Who are you when someone makes you feel like you’re not measuring up to their expectations?
It can be even more confusing when we come together as a community and attempt to ask this question together – “Who are WE?”
Whether as a family, a church, as citizens of this country, or as one human race, we may all have different answers to this question.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had some sort of handbook or manual that answered this question for us? Some “instructions” perhaps that specified our identity and our purpose? I’m sure you may know where I’m going with this… Every teacher or professor has probably had the experience of being asked by a student a question that clearly had an answer spelled out in the syllabus…
**Fortunately, we DO have something kind of like a syllabus or instruction manual or handbook we can turn to in order to answer these questions of identity—but we do need to read it!
One of the functions of our Bible is that it helps us to answer the question—“Who are we?”
But it does so in light of an even bigger question – “Who is God?”
How we answer the “Who is God” question shapes the answer to questions about our own identity.
The entire collection of our scriptures helps us to fully answer these questions, but there is one particular part which really builds a foundation for us, and that is the Pentateuch—the first 5 books in the Old Testament, AKA the Torah. This will be the focus of a new series to begin this new fall season as we “Begin at the Beginning.”
The Torah consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Tradition says that they were originally written or compiled by Moses and in many ways, they are meant to inform the identity of all those who call on the name of the Lord. These books give us a shared story to understand who we are and where we came from.
Fast Forwarding to The New Testament, we see that now through Jesus, the One who fulfilled the Law of Moses and the promises of the First Covenant, all who believe in Jesus can share this common story and this common identity. We are “People of the Book” (as Bryce Pelow shared last week), so it’s important to know what it says.
To answer the “who are we” question, Genesis gives us 2 important things to know:
1)We are Made in God’s Image (“So God created mankind in his own image” --Genesis 1:27)
2) God calls us “Good” (“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” --Genesis 1:31)
May this lift your spirits today!
But perhaps more important than what these books tell us about ourselves, is what they tell us about God! Over the next few weeks, we will study all that together, beginning this week, as we see that our God is a Good Creator!
I hope you’ll join us as we Seek Him and Worship Him together!
This Sunday
8:25 Traditional Worship
We will share our welcome and announcements at 8:25, followed by a musical prelude for a time of quiet reflection.
I Sing the Mighty Power of God #128
All Creatures Of Our God And King #63
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty #3
Great is Thy Faithfulness #139
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty #3
9:45 Sunday School for all ages.
Check out our Care Groups & Sunday School Classes on our website, or visit the welcome desk to learn more.
11:00 Contemporary Worship
King Of My Heart
No Longer Slaves
Revelation Song
Glorious Day
Community Night is Resuming Soon!
Our Wednesday Night ministries will be resuming in about 1 month on September 2. There is something for all ages at Community Night including:
- Children’s Ministry – AWANA
- Teenagers – Youth Group
- Young Adults – “Foundations of our Faith”
- Kinetics – The Continuing Adventures of the Apostles in Acts
- Fresh Start – He Speaks to Me by Priscilla Shirer, Focusing on Prayer
- Ladies in Step – The Gospel in Hard Times by Joni Eareckson Tada
Learn More:
Shippensburg First Church of God | Wednesday Community Night
The Next Generation Needs You!
*We are currently seeking team members to serve in AWANA with our Children’s Ministry!*
This is a fun and rewarding way to invest time & talents in the Next Generation! Responsibilities include showing God’s Love to Children, encouraging them to Learn God’s Word as they memorize verses, and working as a team with other caring adults to create a positive learning environment for these young learners.
One volunteer who began serving with AWANA last fall said it was the best part of her year!
Contact our Children’s Ministry leaders (or reply to the email) to learn more.
Bible Adventure is also Seeking a CDL Driver and other helpers.
Let the little children come - to Bible Adventure, formerly known as Bible Released Time.
Established in 1980 by Children's Bible Mission, it has been known as Joy-el Ministry since 2004.
The Shippensburg Bible Adventure ministered to over 50 children every Thursday morning last year and is in desperate need of volunteers who love children and who are willing to help them find and memorize verses of scripture. A CDL bus driver with a passenger endorsement is also needed.
Bible Meets at our Shippensburg First Church of God On Thursday mornings 8:30 to 10 and/or 10 to 11 During the school year, starting October 1 Serving:
· James Burd Elementary
· Nancy Grayson Elementary
· Shippensburg Intermediate
Please consider volunteering! To learn more, contact Carol Hunsberger, coordinator, at 223-205-8369.
Young Adult Fellowship Meals
We are excited to share that our Friday Night young adult fellowship meals will be resuming on September 4th. 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.
New this year, we are also planning to host a special Sunday Dinner for our college students and all other young adults on September 20th. 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 )
Grief Share Training
We are hosting a special round of Grief Share that will focus on training participants to provide care and encouragement to others who are experiencing loss. Many of us know people who have lost loved ones, and we desire to support them as best as we can, but we may not always be sure how. This class will equip you to serve others as Christ-like care-givers to comfort those in times of grief. The class will begin on Tuesday, September 8th, and will meet every Tuesday morning at 10:00-12:30 in room 108, until October 20th. To learn more, contact Visitation Director Jessie Duggan. (visitationdirector@shipfcog.org )
Church Picnic
You are invited to our annual Church Picnic!
The Picnic will be on Sunday, September 13th at Memorial Park. It begins at 10:00 am with a combined worship service, followed by a meal together, and some activities, games, and fellowship.
We will once again be organizing a cornhole tournament. Teams, please sign up by 9/6.
See the sign-up sheets in your Sunday School Classroom or in the Gathering Place to learn more and to RSVP, and to register your team for the cornhole tournament. There is also more info in this month’s edition of the FYI Newsletter.
Bible Quiz Team
Join the Team!
Our quizzers recently concluded a successful season with top ranked finishes at the national competition, and now they are looking forward to next season studying the Gospel of John! Teenagers grade 6-12 are encouraged to join in this fun way to learn the Scriptures and meet other young believers. Practice for Jr/Sr High will resume on August 23rd and any interested teens are encouraged to check it out. Final commitments for the season are needed by September 8th. The first quiz of the new season will be October 4th at Camp YoliJwa. To learn more, reply to this email or contact coach Nancy Morton.
There is also a Little League division for grades 3-5. Reply to this email or contact coach Jennifer Bistline to learn more.
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
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 months 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 can begin learning more and start exploring it by visiting this page on our website to create your own log-in:
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
Helpful Links:
Online Messages (shipfcog.org)
Our Activities Calendar & Events
Care Groups & Sunday School Classes
Shippensburg First Church of God | Church Center
Weekly Bulletin (updated over the weekend)
shipfcog.net/site/shipfcog/shipnews/index.html
