I don’t
know about you, but I am notorious about picking up coins I see on the ground,
even pennies. Having said that, I have never really seen them as a communication from
God. But I will
from now on after reading the following meditation. Hopefully you will
do the same!
Several years ago a woman and her husband were invited to spend the
weekend at the husband’s employer’s home.
The boss was very wealthy with a fine home and cars costing more than
the house in which this couple lived. So, the woman was thrilled to have a peek into how the very
wealthy lived. The husband’s employer
was very generous and took them to all the finest restaurants
and indulged them in all kinds of extravagance.
Well one evening
when they were about to enter an exclusive restaurant the
boss, walking slightly ahead of the couple, stopped and looked silently down
toward the ground. There was
nothing there but a few cigarette butts and one dark penny. Still silent, the man reached down and picked
up the penny. He held it up and smiled and put it in his pocket as if he had found a
great treasure. Surely
this man had no need for one penny. Why
would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout the dinner this question nagged at the woman. So, finally she
casually mentioned that her daughter had a penny collection, and she asked if
the penny he had found was valuable.
A smile crept across
the boss’s face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for
her to see. “Look at it “ he said. “Read what
it says.” She read the words: “
The boss explained,
“If I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin
I see that inscription. It is written on every single
I think it is God’s way of starting
a conversation with me. Lucky for me,
God is patient and pennies are plentiful!”
So the next time you
find a penny on the ground take stock of what you are worrying about in that
moment, pick up the penny and read the words about trusting in God and see if
you get God’s message!
Blessings to you in June,
Wanda
Teaching the
Word...
June LECTIONARY TEXTS
Here are the
Lectionary texts for the month of June.
Rev. Mello’s preaching texts are in Bold print. You are invited to
read the texts ahead of each Sunday service as you prepare to hear God’s
word. These texts are also the texts
that are studied in our Wednesday morning Bible Study
to which everyone is invited.
June 1, 2008
Psalm 46
Genesis 6:9-22, 7:24 & 8:14-19
Romans 6:12-23
Matthew 10:40-42
WORSHIP
READERS NEEDED…
We are in need of our worship readers for the month of July and August. If you are interested in serving as a worship reader please sign up on the sheets in the Social Hall or speak to Rev. Mello. May you be blessed as you read God’s word in worship.
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY
We will be
taking a summer break from our weekly bible study sessions. When we return in September
we will be changing our meeting times to Friday
mornings at 9:30 AM. We will begin our new schedule on Friday,
September 5, 2008.
Touching
the World...
Any or all of the items on the list that
follows will be welcome additions to our food pantry. Your gifts to replenish the food pantry are greatly appreciated.
Please remember, if you can’t get out to
purchase any of the things on the list, cash donations are also accepted so
that the necessary items may be purchased.
Please DO NOT bring PREVIOUSLY OPENED SPICES OR
FOOD ITEMS! We cannot give those out to people as we don’t know their safety.
Thanks!
Rice
Canned Meat
Canned Tomato Sauce
Spaghetti Sauce
Macaroni & Cheese Boxed Dinners
You are invited to give a gift for mission to our Assistance
Fund. Thanks so much for your continued
support of this fund! Your gifts to this
fund do indeed help those in our community who are in need!
SPECIAL NEEDS
FOR JOEZER HOME
We have received
word that there are some special needs for the Joezer
Home for pregnant teens. At the moment there is a great need for all kinds of
cleaning products. This includes window
cleaners, floor cleaners, bathroom cleaners, etc. If you would like to donate some new,
unopened cleaners, please place them in the big box in the Narthex.
Also
the girls must have at least 10 servings of fruit daily, so there is a great
need for fruit of all kinds. If you wish
to donate fruit, please speak to Kathy Brand.
Monetary gifts are always appreciated if you do not wish to shop for fruit
or cleaning products. Please mark any
checks, “Joezer Home”. Thanks!
For the next
three months we will be taking a break from our
monthly meetings of the Church Cabinet.
Our next monthly Church Cabinet meeting will be on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 7:00 PM in the lounge. All Cabinet members are urged to attend.
WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP NEWS
The Women’s Fellowship would like to remind
you to continue to save
2008 CHURCH SCHOLARSHIP
The church awarded two $500.00 scholarships
this year to two
REMEMBER YOU CAN FIND ALL OF
OUR NEWS ON OUR WEBSITE: www.arvinucc.org
Check it out!
SPECIAL OFFERING FOR
We are
happy to report that our congregation has gracious gifted the
Rescue Mission of Bakersfield with $2200.00 through our special offering
that was taken during the month of April.
The money will be much appreciated as the
mission struggles to stay afloat and serve the homeless of our area.
FATHER’S
DAY TOOL OFFERING
During the month of June
we will be collecting monetary gifts in honor of our fathers and men who have
been like fathers to us. As we have done
in the past, these gifts will be sent to Church World
Service to purchase tools of all kinds for people in need all around the
world. We ask that you fill out a coupon
with the shovel printed on it with the name of the men you wish to honor and
add $5.00 for each man on each coupon.
Shovel coupons will be available in the church office, in our regular
Sunday bulletins, and there is one here in our newsletter for you to use. We will display the coupons in honor of our
fathers in the social hall throughout the month of June. Please prayerfully consider honoring your
father and other men who are special to you in this beneficial way.
If
you send us a check, please be sure to mark it “Father’s Day Tools”.
BRING
A FRIEND SUNDAY
We were pleased with our turn out for our
Bring a Friend Sunday that we celebrated in worship on May 4. We counted over 50 people in church including
several visitors and guests. We had a
great time of fellowship and food after the worship service as well. Thanks to the Diaconate and everyone who
helped to make this day so special.
Church Family
News…
As our world remains
in a time of war, we ask that you continue to remember in your prayers all of
our young people serving our country all over the world. Especially pray for Jason Brand, John &
David Phillips, Isaac Philips, Josh Francis, and Tracey Farris.
Please keep our homebound, and nursing home members in your thoughts and
prayers. They are Mildred Holbert in the nursing home; and
Lucille Barkley at home.
Our sympathy goes to the Mello and Wieting families as they mourn the loss of Ralph Wieting, Wanda’s Uncle, who passed away on May 12. Wanda and Rodger will be traveling to
Please keep the Mellos
in your prayers as they return to court on June 3 and then await the decision
regarding Rodger’s court case to keep his job.
REV. MELLO VACATION
Rev. Mello and Rodger will be attending a
Smoker Jumpers’ Reunion in