Sunday is Coming!
Have you ever been “caught in the middle” of a conflict?
This fall at some High School football & field hockey games on cold nights, some unspecified members of my family had a few “tug-of-war” conflicts over who got to sit under the cozy blankets. I think I started out in the middle, but ended up on the outside. It seems there’s never enough blanket to go around, so as dad, I usually “tough it out” in the cold to keep the peace.
Before we became parents with multiple children, I remember talking to a more seasoned father who had several kids. I asked him if it was hard to handle the conflict between multiple children (We only had 2 at the time). He said that usually his 4 children would “govern” themselves and sort out their own disputes and manage their sibling system of justice among one another… until they needed to appeal to a “higher power,” in which case, then they’d go to their parents.
Even as children, they knew they needed to appeal to a “higher power” for Justice to peacefully resolve some conflicts. (I’ll leave my own kids out of this and won’t venture to say whether this is the case for the Bistline children).
As we return to the book of Jeremiah, Strength & Justice will be our focus this weekend, and we will find that this is intertwined with the topics of Peace & Comfort. All of these big ideas could all be heaped together under the topic of CONFLICT.
Conflict is all around us… We face many sorts of conflicts throughout our lives, and we can often feel caught in the middle of things. We long for peace, but it’s hard to find… so we hope someone stronger or wiser will come along and fix things for us.
How about you? Have you ever felt caught in the middle? As a parent mediating between siblings? Or with your own siblings? Or between friends at school or at your job? Maybe as you try to make informed voting decisions? Maybe this election season or other changes in the world have had you feeling internally conflicted. Maybe as you anticipate family get-togethers, you expect some arguments over this or other matters. Maybe you’re tempted to avoid holiday gatherings to isolate yourself from conflict…
Whatever the case may be, we are not alone in these “power struggles” … and God’s Word can guide us in this.
In the Days of the Prophet Jeremiah, Jerusalem was caught in the middle of the waring powers of Egypt & Babylon (See Jeremiah 2). Rather than trust in God and follow His Ways, the kings and rulers of Israel tried to “play politics” and form alliances with these pagan worldly powers– they put their trust in the wrong source of power which gave them a false sense of security. Jeremiah called them out on this: “’Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” --Jeremiah 8:11
We might say the policy of "peace through strength” backfired and failed them.
In the end, their alliance with Egypt failed, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people were taken captive to Babylon.
In reply to these failed attempts to find peace and strength through worldly power, God directed His people instead to earnestly seek a more complete understanding of Himself and His ways. Today let us also remember that God is the only true source of wisdom, strength, & wealth, and He demonstrates this through kindness, justice, & righteousness.
We will continue to highlight these themes over the next few weeks, based on a key passage in Jeremiah 9:23-24--
23 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.
Notice how the wisdom, strength, & riches of the world can be put into contrast with the kindness, justice, & righteousness of God.
-Kindness must inform our Wisdom
-Justice must guide our Strength
-Righteousness must direct how we use Wealth
When we get caught up in conflict, or the “tug-of-war” between fear and other unbridled emotions, God’s Word points us to something better—The Bible tells us not to engage in the “power struggles” of the world, but instead to look to God and delight in Justice, even as the world around us is changing and struggling through many conflicts.
In this series, I hope we will see that if we put our trust in our own human knowledge, power, or wealth, it will lead to despair. However, if we strive for the Kindness, Justice, & Righteousness in which God delights, it leads us to have better understanding of God Himself, the source of these things, where our own peace and comfort may be found.
When the strength of Egypt was failing them, and Jerusalem stood trembling in the path of the powerful armies of Babylon, Jeremiah personally set his eyes on God himself. Jeremiah prays to God in 8:18, saying,
“You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.”
Maybe this fall you’re feeling the sorrow of shorter days and colder temperatures, or relationship tension and political stress, and you just want to put on your comfy, cozy clothes and snuggle under a blanket and avoid the world… the Comfort of God is even greater than this!
Consider also the words of Jesus in John 14:15-17--
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforter who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”
Jesus promises the coming of His Holy Spirit, which is in part a fulfilment of the prophetic desire for both Justice and Comfort as seen in Jeremiah. Notice that Jesus makes a connection between loving Him and obeying His commandments, and this is also connected to the comfort of the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth. It’s all connected.
Today, Jesus also sees our conflict and our suffering, and through the strength of His Holy Spirit, Jesus joins us in the struggle, while challenging us to work for justice in His Name. In our own day, as in the days of Jeremiah, the weak are often overlooked by those who boast about power & strength. Let us instead delight in justice when strength fails, and seek the Lord, the one true source of Comfort & Peace!
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.
Blessed Be The Lord God Almighty #62
All Creatures Of Our God And King #63
All Praise To Our Redeeming Lord #221
Lord, We Praise You #222
To God Be the Glory #56
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
Day by Day
Grace Like Rain
Lead Me to the Cross
Scandal of Grace
Fall Congregation Meeting
Our Fall Congregation Meeting took place last Sunday evening. Thank you to everyone who came out to hear reports from our ministry leaders and to vote for new officers for the 2027 council.
Those newly elected (or re-elected) to council are as follows:
Elder: John Morton
Deacon: Darryl Dubbs
Trustee: Herb Bowers, Denny Fleagle
Deaconess: Karyn Brunaker, Bridgette Gettel
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
--Romans 12:4-6
Fall Fest
The Community Fall Fest is THIS SATURDAY, November 7th!
Like last year, we are partnering together with several other churches in our Shippensburg Community to host a fun filled evening of fall activities at the Shippensburg Fair Grounds. Featuring live music, games, free food, activities for kids, food trucks, and a cozy bonfire, this event is designed to bring us together for a memorable evening with our friends and neighbors. We will also have a Soup & Chili Cook-Off which will benefit a local ministry called “Passing the Love”!
There are a lot of ways that you can be part of this special event! Visit the link to learn about how to get involved:
CommUNITY Fall Fest Volunteer Sign Up
***More Volunteers are Welcome!
And click here to sign up for the soup & chili cook-off:
shipfcog.net/site/shipfcog/bonfire/
***More Entries are Welcome! Come one and all to participate in the cook-off!
Prayer Ministry
We want to remind you that anyone can submit prayer requests to be shared with the congregation. This is a wonderful opportunity to partner together to care for one another! You can contact our Visitation Director, Jessie Duggan, to have these requests shared: visitationdirector@shipfcog.org.
Please note that we do strive to have the personal consent from individuals & families whose needs are being shared. We will also do our best to send these requests in a timely manner, while also avoiding multiple emails being sent in one day. In general, Prayer request received by 4 pm will be announced the same day. Prayer request received after 4 pm will be shared the next day by 4 pm.
Additionally, there is a box located on the welcome desk where you can submit prayer requests which will be prayed for privately by our prayer team, which generally meets on Wednesdays at 11:00 in the prayer room.
Young Adult Care Packages
Let’s work together to Send some Love!
We have many young people who are away from home for college, or serving in the military or in ministry. We want to show them a little love from all of us back home!
Thanks to everyone who has donated items so far! We will be packing these up soon, but you can still participate by going to the Gathering Place to pick up a shopping list of suggested items (or see the list below) and then bringing these items to the big red box in the side vestibule. If you’d like to learn more, or are interested in becoming part of the packing team, see Jennifer Bistline.
Young Adult Care Package Needs:
--Snacks: Granola Bars, Small chip bags, Gum, Candy
--School Supplies: Sticky Notes, Pens, Highlighters, Index Cards
--Hygiene Products: small hand sanitizer, small tissue packs, chap stick, toothbrushes & toothpaste
Operation Christmas Child 2026
Next Sunday, November 15, is the last day to bring your Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to the sanctuary. National collection week is November 16-23, and our Annex is once again a local drop off location. You can also support this effort by making a donation towards shipping costs. Use the white envelopes and designated it towards OCC. This ministry is a wonderful opportunity to work together locally to make a Gospel impact in the lives of Children globally. Please see the display in the gathering place to learn more. We have over 300 boxes, but we hope to double that number to 600 by the time of collection week. Will you join us in packing a shoebox this year?
Take a look at this video to learn more: operation-christmas-child-2026-promo
Grief Share Surviving the Holidays
Losing a loved one is always difficult, and the grief we experience goes with us year-round. But holidays have a way of bringing that loss to the forefront of our minds. We don’t have to face this alone. “Surviving the Holidays” is a special ministry of Grief Share, a Christ-centered counseling ministry. This is a one-time event featuring video teaching, discussion, and prayer to help you navigate the bittersweet parts of the holidays.
We will be offering this program at two different dates & times to accommodate various schedules:
- Friday, November 13 at 6:30 pm in Room 108
- Saturday, November 14 at 10:30 am in the Annex
Learn more or pre-register by visiting the website: Find a Group - GriefShare
Online Apparel Shop
Need a unique gift idea? Consider SFCOG logo wear!
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
New Facebook Page
We have launched an updated version of our SFCOG Facebook page which will allow us to better utilize this tool for communicating with our friends and neighbors (the old page will eventually be deactivated). Feel free to follow us there: SFCOG Facebook
And don’t forget, we are also on Instagram and YouTube as well: SFCOG Instagram SFCOG YouTube
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 with an invitation 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 be phased out on November 1 as we make the change to the new system)
- You may have also received some “Donation Receipt” emails or may receive them in the coming days as we begin entering weekly tithes & offerings into the database. You can access your records online and adjust your preferences regarding these emails.
You can learn 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
Helpful Links:
SFCOG Facebook – NEW Page!
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
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