The
Messenger
The Newsletter of the Saugerties United Methodist Church
Church Office # 845-246-7802 Dr. Buddle’s Cell Phone # 1-845-706-0418
“...hold fast to what is good.” I Thessalonians 5: 20b
“HANG IN THERE!”
Have you ever said or have said to you the phrase “hang in there”? I have used it many times and yes people have said it to me. What do we mean when we say “hang in there”? I guess what we are saying is... don’t give up but keep trying.
Have you ever wanted to give up? I have millions of times when I become discouraged, I just don’t want to go on. I am sure that in this feeling I am not alone. We all share in the human condition and there are many things that take place in our lives that make “hanging in there” difficult. But then NOBODY EVER SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY. Do we want life to be easy without its challenges? You bet we do but we need to hold fast to what is good (Paul’s advice).
One of the things that makes “hanging in there” possible is how important something is to us. If something is very important, then we will hang in there as long as necessary. If something is not, then our will is not as strong and if our will is weak we just surrender completely and no longer try.
If something is important to us, then it is a priority. We set up in our daily schedule the things that must be done as compared to the things that we like doing. Sometimes we have been blessed when these coincide. What’s your priority? What comes first in your life? What comes second? What comes third?
We, as Christians, believe we need to put God before all other aspects of our Life. (For you shall worship no other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God) Exodus 34: 14. Setting God ahead and at the center of our lives will allow us to live a more abundant life and to “hang in there” when life gets rough.
Duane D. Buddle, Pastor
Sermon Snapshots
October 8th - “Closing the Gap” Luke 16: 19-31
On today’s gospel lesson, Jesus is telling us to be different. Living as we do in an overwhelmingly materialistic society, Jesus commands us to be different. Today we will look at the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is self-centered, vain and gluttonous. He lives the good life. Lazarus, on the other hand, is in a bad way. He has no money, no resources. He has sores all over his body and he must beg for his food. Does anyone want to be Lazarus? It certainly doesn’t sound very attractive, does it? In scene two of the parable we are in Hades where Lazarus is on the good side and the rich man is calling out in need. In scene three, the rich man, acknowledging his own final defeat, expresses concern for his five brothers who are still living. In other words the characters of the rich man and Lazarus are fixed, but what is not fixed is the fate of the brothers. Their possibilities are open based on their ability to change.
Where are we in the parable? Where do you see yourself? I believe that we are in the role of the brothers who have an opportunity to change, to reorder our priorities, to rise above modern society’s materialistic standards. Jesus comes to close the gap that exists between human beings bringing us all closer to him.
October 22nd - “The Insiders and the Outsiders”
Luke 6: 27-49
The blessed are those who are unable to give themselves anything, because they are poor, hungry, mourning for others, persecuted for righteousness sake. They have given up everything. How much can God ask of people? To be completely defenseless and vulnerable, to live without pride is completely contrary to our very nature as human beings. Nevertheless, we in the church see ourselves as the kind of people who are righteous because we are on the inside of things and all others are on the outside. There are the good (us), then there are the bad (them... those who are outside the church). Is that what is all about? Or are we all called, as sinners, to serve the Lord and accept those who, like us, stand in need of God’s love and forgiveness? Jesus reminds us not to judge lest we be judged, but that is a very difficult thing for us to do in reality. “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you?”
Christ confronts us at the point where our beliefs must come together with our actions. He did what He said. He did what He believed.
October 29th - “Commitment” Malachi 3: 6-12, Matthew 6: 24-34
The sermon today is a sermon concerning the meaning of commitment to God. First of all to be:
1. Truly happy you must commit yourself to God’s way. When you take a good honest look at Jesus, you discover that he is a strange man and does not fit very well onto our society. And yet, the gospel proclaims that YOU will not be truly happy without a relationship to this Jesus; but neirther will you be happy with this Jesus unless you make a complete commitment of your life to him.
2. To be truly happy you must make only one primary commitment.
In Matthew 6: 24 there are two statements which plainly show that we cannot expect happiness if we make more than one primary commitment. The first statement, “No one can be a slave to two masters,” is based on a custom practiced in Jesus’ time. In those days a slave could belong to two masters at the same time. This practice was legally possible, it just was not practical. Jesus is saying here that if you are going to receive happiness through a commitment to God, then you must not commit your life to anyone or anything else.
The second statement in Matthew 6:24 shows that we cannot expect happiness if we make more than one commitment, actually elaborates on the first. The statement “you cannot have both God and wealth as your master: specifically pinpoints money and possessions as the chief competitor of Christ for people’s commitment.
3. A commitment to God demands a financial commitment. No commitment to God is complete without a concrete financial commitment to God’s work. A person who has not made a financial commitment to God’s work has not made a commitment to God at all and cannot expect His happiness.
We welcome into
our church membership Mrs. Barbara
Hammerstone on letter of
transfer from the First Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) in Endicott, N.Y. and
Dr. Charles Allen Johnson from the McClure United
Methodist Church in
McClure, Ohio.
Stewardship
Try to imagine
life without all your church family surrounding you in life’s ups and downs,
sorrows, and joys.
Try to imagine the loss of all the fun you have in fellowship as we
gather together to celebrate, to work, and to
worship. Try to imagine not being able to reach out in unity to help
those in need. Try to imagine not having that
place to worship where we pray for strength and help in our time of
need and likewise praise our Lord for all that
we have been given by his grace. Wouldn’t there be a void in
your life?
Now when you think of our
church “IMAGINE” all of those things and
more, going beyond paying the bills, but
reaching out to those in need, from those in our own congregation to
our community to the entire world,
reaching and sacrificing more for HE who sacrificed HIS life for us. All the
ministries our church provides were
once only “IMAGINED” by those who went before
us and built the dream. When we stop to think about how
God has blessed us in the past, is it not hard to “IMAGINE” the future?
We need to “IMAGINE” all the things that we
can do, “IMAGINE” beyond and reach beyond
our stewardship
goal. As John Lennon said in his song, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” I can’t
“IMAGINE” us not doing it together!
Deb Bazzani
Stewardship
Committee
“Holiday in the Village”
is Coming in November
Our church fair, “Holiday in the Village,” is scheduled for Friday, November 17th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The fair will include crafts, jewelry, trash and treasures, used electronics, books, nuts, baked goods and other homemade food items, used toys, and silent auction items. There will be unique items from around the world which we will offer for sale through SERRV. We are also open to any new ideas that anyone has. The kitchen will sell food both Friday evening and Saturday. A children’s activity room will provide entertainment and child care services for young children. Anyone interested in helping with the fair can speak with Marilyn, Diane or Joan. Anyone who is working on crafts to donate or would like to work with the craft group should see Myrna Jones, Mary Pardonner or Marilyn Bucher. Anyone with used items to donate may leave them in the basement in the back of the Boy Scout area.
Marilyn Bucher, Diane Lisle and Joan Robinson
Youth Ministry
Missions Project
Our youth ministry programs will be starting a new missions project this year. In conjunction with the Pound Ridge and Mt. Kisco UMCs, we will be collecting used comforters that will be used to create cost free sleeping bags rolls for the homeless. These rolls will be distributed in NYC during future “Midnight Runs.”
Midnight Run: In over 900 relief missions per year, Midnight Run volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.
Help us successfully aid the homeless this year by donating your old comforters. See Karin Squires (246-8944) or one of the teens in our church.
Charge Conference-October 30th
Our Charge Conference will be held this
year at St. James UMC in
Kingston,
N.Y. Monday, October 30th at 7:00 p.m. Our church officers
are
encouraged to attend this important meeting. The reports for the
booklet are
due the
first week of October and officers are asked to get them in so the
booklet can be composed.
Adult Membership Class
Several people have expressed an interest in becoming members of the church. I have a three, one hour class on United Methodist History, Beliefs and polity. If you are interested, please let the pastor know and we will schedule it when the majority can attend.
October 28th