march 2019

Dear Friends,

If we are to believe Punxsutawney Phil, winter should be over soon!  I, for one, would love to believe that famous weather prognosticator this year!  We actually had to cancel church one Sunday in January due to a storm hitting at just the right (or should I say wrong?) time leaving us buried in new snow on Sunday morning.  We heavily rely on our automatic call system that we use for prayer chain calls/texts to notify you if we ever have something like that come up.  I would strongly encourage you to notify Ruth Steinheiser at 814-756-0443 if you are not currently receiving notifications through Call Multiplier.  While it is rare that we need to contact you for such a time critical announcement, the prayer requests that go out are extremely important and your prayers do make a difference!

In my letter last month, I shared with you that we will be having a class to prepare people for church membership called “Nazarene Essentials” that will be taught during the Sunday School hour beginning March 3rd.  So far, we have so much interest from our younger teen class that their teacher, Dana Young, will be teaching the material to the whole class and then they and their parents can decide if they are ready to come into church membership.  It is exciting to have at least 8 teens who are interested in taking the class and pursuing what it means to be a member of their local church and of the International Church of the Nazarene. 

Older teens and adults, please contact Pastor Connie Young or myself to express your interest in taking the Nazarene Essentials class.  We will have a good time learning and growing together. 
Here is what we will be looking at:           

March 3:  The Basics—A Brief History and Our Core Values
March 10: Worship and Theology
March 17: Evangelism and Discipleship
March 24: Leading and Serving
March 31: A Closer Look at Wesleyan Theology
April 7:  A Closer Look at Polity and any other topics that we need to cover in more depth

On Sunday, April 21st we will be taking in new members during the morning service so that they will be eligible to vote in our Annual Meeting the following Sunday.

The church seems to be enjoying and benefiting from the current sermon series, “Ancient Words—Ever True” as we are looking at the lessons we can learn from our favorite Old Testament stories.  During March, we will be looking at the 10 Commandments, Gideon, Samson, Ruth & Naomi, and David & Goliath. 

Congratulations to my wife on her retirement from the Erie County Department of Health where she has worked for over 25 years.  She has invested in the lives of numerous families through her dedication to educating parents on how to have healthy children.  For a number of those years she was working especially in West County based in the two elementary schools that are a part of Northwestern School District.  Some of you have been able to assist her client families by providing transportation to appointments, moving of furniture, etc. Carol has passionately poured herself into her work and we look forward to what God has in store for her in retirement.  WELL DONE, CAROL!!!
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We all make a difference in the lives we come into contact with through our employment, neighbors, network of friends, and community members.  Be sure that you are leaving a positive impact for Christ on everyone you come into contact with.  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Wayne