Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Campfire Stories

Sunday is Coming!

Summertime reminds me of some very formational moments from my youth. Maybe the same is true for you – What memories come to mind as summer rolls along? Maybe church camps, family vacations, slow days by the pool, or maybe working on the farm? What stories could you tell?

This month, we have been taking our own kids up and back to Camp YoliJwa, and it brings back many of my own fond memories, which I share with my kids—stories of catching snakes & newts around the lake, hiking to Flat Rock, and making new friends that would become lifelong family.

I also remember sitting around the Campfire feeling the conviction that faith was something I needed to make personal. While I was grateful for the influence of the faith of my parents and grandparents, one summer I gradually realized that I had to make it my own.

When I was a teenager and young adult, Summertime was full of opportunities to do exactly that, as I joined with other youth from around our denomination and from within our own church family here in Shippensburg First. I was able to experience a variety of things that helped my faith to grow and make it personal.

Things like Bible School and Summer Camp and Missions Trips and Bible Quizzing – these were things I experienced as a young person, and I am glad to say these are still vital parts of our church ministry today. These are the events that formed me into the person I am today, and what God has used to prepare me to be your pastor. We are going to highlight several of these things over the next few weeks as we pray for & report what God is doing.

As we Tell the Story of what God is currently doing in our church (and our community and our world), we will also reflect on some of the stories (or parables) that Jesus told in the New Testament, and also the Big Story that God is still telling through His Church both near and far, from generation to generation.

In the Bible we see that Jesus was a storyteller, and we are also called to be storytellers! And we have a great story to tell!

We will be reading mainly from Matthew 13 this month. In this chapter, Matthew shares a variety of Parables & Stories that Jesus told to his disciples and the crowds that followed him.

Jesus begins the chapter speaking from a boat on a lake. As it goes on, we can imagine Him talking as He walked with his disciples through the wilderness. We could even picture Him sitting around a campfire with His disciples, telling stories—Stories like these in Matthew 13:31-35—

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

Here Jesus tells some stories about Small Things that Grow. He says God’s Heavenly Kingdom is like these things— The Kingdom starts small, but it becomes big & powerful over time. Through the ministries of our church, and the little events of our personal lives, season after season, we can also see God’s Kingdom growing!

As we tell some of these stories this summer, my prayer is that we will see in a new way how God’s Heavenly Kingdom is indeed advancing little-by-little around us each and every day. Pull up a camp chair (or a log) and listen in to the Wonderful Story that God is telling!

This Sunday

Both services will include a special time of prayer and commissioning for our Serve Ship Youth Missions Team!

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.

621 Tell Me the Old, Old Story

295 Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

444 I Love to Tell the Story

184 Thy Word

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

Contemporary Spotify Playlist

From The Inside Out

A Thousand Shores

The Heart Of Worship

Blessed Be Your Name

Communion & Feetwashing

“Poured out for many”

This Sunday evening, July 12^th at 6:30, we will have a prayerful and worshipful evening as we remember The Lord’s Supper and the washing of the disciples’ feet. We observe these reminders of Jesus and His service and sacrifice in obedience to His directives found in Scripture. They are regular reminders of the True Story of God’s salvation plan for His creation, and the life of service into which He calls us to follow Him.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

-- Matthew 26:26-28

As part of our worship on Sunday evening, we will also collect an offering for our beneficent fund. This fund helps us to show the love of Jesus as we serve our church family and our neighbors. You may place your offerings in the plates that will be located near the doors as you leave the sanctuary that evening.

Serve Ship

Serve Ship is returning July 15-17!

Cookies, Baked Goods, & Flowers are Needed!

The Youth Group will be doing an “at-home” mission event next week!

Wednesday through Friday, the youth will be serving the local community by doing various service projects throughout the community. and hosting a free meal for the community on Thursday, July 16^th.

They are inviting you to be a part of this mission as they reach out to our community. Here are some ways you can help--

The youth need cookies & cupcakes for the community meal. They will need enough of these items to provide dessert for 500 people. You may drop off cookies and cupcakes on July 16th between Noon -3PM in the CRS kitchen.

The youth are also in need of flowers that can be put into flower arrangements to be shared with our friends at home. If you have fresh-cut flowers in your gardens that will hold up well in a flower arrangement, you can bring those to CRS on Thursday, July 16th also, to be distributed on Friday.

You may also use the white envelopes in the pews at any time to make a designated financial gift towards the event (write “Serve Ship” on the envelope). Thank you for giving as the Lord leads you!

Men’s Summer Bible Study

Jerry Underkoffler will once again be leading a Bible Study for all men on Wednesday mornings, 9:00 -10:15.

Dates: JULY 8 - AUGUST 26

Location: 23 Oak Lane, Shippensburg

Theme: "Thy Kingdom Come"

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

Shippensburg Community Fair Vespers

To begin Fair Week, our local churches collaborate to hold an evening worship service at the concert stage on Sunday, July 19th. The service starts at 7:30, but the town band will begin playing music at 7:00. Bring a lawn chair and a heart ready to praise the Lord alongside of other believers from our community!

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 savior together in the Sanctuary or Online this Sunday!

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org