MARK YOUR CALENDAR! July 20 Pie Auction Immediately following pot luck luncheon July 26 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Bake Sale booth at the Oakmont Street Sale July 28 - August 1 6:00 - 8:30 Vacation Bible School “ Christmas in July” August 15 8:00 pm Movie Night September 7 10:30 Combined Worship 11:30 Church Picnic Open hear t s Open minds Open door s JULY / AUGUST 2014 “Canadian Coins” Not long ago Michele was counting the money in the “Imagine No Malaria” collection containers. Among the other coins there she found several Canadian coins and a ‘K’ coin. She realized we couldn’t take them to the bank so she set them aside. The coins can be used – in Canada and at the correct Orthodontist’s office –just not at any local business or bank. It is likely that the coins got in the containers by accident – mixed in with other ‘pocket’ change. The coins made me think about the good things we do as Christians. On first glance actions may seem to be ‘good deeds’. And good deeds are what we are supposed to do. Sometimes our good deeds serve another purpose. Our motive may not be a good deed for the sake of helping another, it may be for another reason, masked by a good deed. Jesus addressed this in The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6) giving examples of prayer, and doing good, not to advance ourselves, but to show the love of God. Later in Matthew 23 he addresses the actions of religious leaders, They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, Matthew 23:5 (English Standard Version) He gives several examples in that chapter of doing good just for show and praise. The leaders wanted to look good, which was their motivation for their good works. One of several proverbs speaking about integrity is Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. (NRS) Integrity is what matches our motivation and our deeds to make sure they are honestly good deeds. As with coins, deeds with integrity are good to see and good in purpose. I bought one of the Canadian coins to serve as a reminder to myself to keep my deeds and motivation aligned, much like this proverb: “Better to be poor and walk in integrity than to be crooked in one's ways even though rich.” Proverbs 28:6 NRS Blessings, Pastor Linda
Oakmont United Methodist July August 2014 Newsletter
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
July 20
Pie Auction
Immediately following pot luck luncheon
July 26
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Bake Sale booth at the
Oakmont Street Sale
July 28 - August 1
6:00 - 8:30
Vacation Bible School
“ Christmas in July”
August 15
8:00 pm
Movie Night
September 7
10:30 Combined Worship
11:30 Church Picnic
Open hear t s Open minds
Open door s
JULY / AUGUST 2014
“Canadian Coins”
Not long ago Michele was counting the money in the “Imagine No Malaria” collection
containers. Among the other coins there she found several Canadian coins and a ‘K’ coin.
She realized we couldn’t take them to the bank so she set them aside. The coins can be
used – in Canada and at the correct Orthodontist’s office –just not at any local business or
bank. It is likely that the coins got in the containers by accident – mixed in with other
‘pocket’ change.
The coins made me think about the good things we do as Christians. On first glance
actions may seem to be ‘good deeds’. And good deeds are what we are supposed to do.
Sometimes our good deeds serve another purpose. Our motive may not be a good deed for
the sake of helping another, it may be for another reason, masked by a good deed.
Jesus addressed this in The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6) giving examples of
prayer, and doing good, not to advance ourselves, but to show the love of God. Later in
Matthew 23 he addresses the actions of religious leaders, They do all their deeds to be
seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, Matthew
23:5 (English Standard Version) He gives several examples in that chapter of doing good
just for show and praise. The leaders wanted to look good, which was their motivation for
their good works.
One of several proverbs speaking about integrity is Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the
upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.(NRS)
Integrity is what matches our motivation and our deeds to make sure they are honestly
good deeds. As with coins, deeds with integrity are good to see and good in purpose. I
bought one of the Canadian coins to serve as a reminder to myself to keep my deeds and
motivation aligned, much like this proverb:
“Better to be poor and walk in integrity than to be crooked in one's
ways even though rich.” Proverbs 28:6 NRS
Blessings,
Pastor Linda
.
HOPE CIRCLE
STAFF PARISH RELATIONS COMMITTEE NEWS:
Director of Children and Youth Ministries! Jessica Jacka has been
offered and has accepted the permanent, part-time position of Director
of Children and Youth Ministries. Please congratulate Jessica on this
new role.
Hope Circle will meet on Monday, July 14, at 7:00 P.M. in
the parlor to discuss Neil Gaiman's "The Ocean at the End of
the Lane". A real departure for the group, this tale of terror
and remembrance recalls the memories of a frightened 7 year
old boy and the girl who saved him. "A groundbreaking work
from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a
rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the
power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness
inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as deli-
cate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the
dark." (From the publisher.) At the August 11th meeting, we
will revisit a favorite author, the always thought provoking
Jodi Picoult. "The Storyteller" is a tale that forces a young
woman to struggle with a moral choice in order to help her
only friend. But when is it choice and when is an action a
moral imperative? To what length does one go to protect
family and keep the past from harming the future? And when
should punishment be replaced by forgiveness and mercy.
PRAYER CONCERNS
Please continue to pray for Frances Allison, Gillen Geary, Gen Hissem, Jane
McClelland, Joyce Miljanovich, Zola Stahley, Flo Thompson, and Nevin
Woodside who are recovering from recent hospitalizations or illnesses.
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