Skip to main content

Annual Report to the Congregations of the United Church of Christ, DuBois Charge





“We all change. When you think about it, we're all different people all through our lives, and that's okay, that's good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all people that you used to be.”  Doctor Who, “The Time of the Doctor”


Each New Year brings with it hope for change, that things will be different, better than the last year.  Change is what we hope for, but often fight against when it actually happens, because change is often messy, making the positive results hard to see.

Here are some of the changes that took place in our congregations last year:

·         St. Luke’s added presentation equipment to their toolbox for worship, allowing for additional creativity by adding PowerPoint presentation and Video capabilities to worship and Bible study and expanding the possibilities of enhancing and/or creating new activities in the future.
·         St. Peter’s has added a Children’s Church that meets in the basement on Sunday Mornings.

·         We created a weekly Bible Study schedule that will continue into 2014. 

·         We added a new song of the month that has expanded our hymn library and added songs to our favorites list.  

·         We extended our table through social media by redesigning our website and increasing our presence on Facebook and Twitter. 

 ·         We celebrated the lives of loved ones who passed; the joining of lives together in marriage; and children baptized into the care of the congregations. 


As we begin another year of worship and service in our congregations, we continue to look for ways to involve laity in worship and introducing different ways to celebrate the sacred and holy in our lives. I am excited about the work that we have accomplished and the opportunities to bring positive change to our congregations in this New Year.

The last twelve months have also been filled with opportunities for change and growth personally.  Last spring, I was asked to serve on the Conference Minister Search Committee.  It has been a long but rewarding process and we look forward to being able to begin the candidate interview process in early March.

In March, Tammy and I were introduced to a new grandchild, Aiden. 

In October I began a two year term as the President of the Clarion Association.  I am looking forward to working with those from churches in our association and with the leaders of Associations within the Penn West conference to strengthen our witness with our communities and the world.

Finally, this January, I started a new job with the Clearfield Hospital as a Systems Analyst for the Clear Med Providers.

“We all change. When you think about it, we're all different people all through our lives, and that's okay, that's good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all people that you used to be.” 

Change happens!  We can kick in our heels and fight it, or we can keep moving, learning, and growing.  Always remembering where we have come from and the One who enables, empowers and leads us into the “undiscovered country” that is our future.

I greatly appreciate your continued love and support as I continue to listen for God’s call. I ask for your continued prayers for our congregations as we follow God’s leading into new and greater discipleship.

In Christ,

Pastor Bob

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hard Words

The sixth chapter of the Gospel of John spends a lot of time dealing with bread and eating.  But it isn't till the end of this long chapter that Jesus gets to the meat of the lesson.  Everything is going along fairly smoothly, even if not fully understood. Then Jesus announces that his flesh and blood is the main ingredients of the saving meal. Jesus said, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."   John 6:56-59 NRSV This is one of the most difficult text to read.  It is disquieting, even gross.  No wonder many of those who were following Jesus at the time walked away. People walked away because they could not see beyond the hard words.  Up to this point, they enj...
Post a Comment
Read more

Favorite Bible Stories - Jonah

Sermon excerpts from Sunday, January 25, 2015 Last week I told you there were two topics that people don’t want to hear.  One was evangelism.  We discussed that last week.  This week we are going to look at that other subject – Stewardship.  Or for today message, using your talents as God desires. God came to a man named Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh, a wicked city, and “preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me.” In other words, his assigned task was to proclaim God’s judgment on Nineveh’s sins.   But Jonah  didn't  want to go to Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the historic enemy of Israel. In the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., the Assyrians plundered Palestine, looted and burned its cities and deported its inhabitants. In 722-721 B.C., it was Assyria that destroyed the Northern Kingdom.   Just like most of us, Jonah had his reasons for not wanting to use his talents as God wanted. We giv...
Post a Comment
Read more

Foolish Things - Excerpts from February 2, 2014 Sermon

Foolish Things: There are some very strange laws on the books concerning churches and here are just a few: young girls are never allowed to walk a tightrope in Wheeler, Mississippi, unless it’s in a church.  In Blackwater, Kentucky, tickling a woman under her chin with a feather duster while she’s in church service carries a penalty of $10.00 and one day in jail.  In Honey Creek, Iowa, no one is permitted to carry a slingshot to church except police.  No citizen in Leecreek, Arkansas, is allowed to attend church in any red-colored garment.  Swinging a yo-yo in church or anywhere in public on the Sabbath is prohibited in Studley, Virginia. And, finally, turtle races are not permitted within 100 yards of a local church at any time in Slaughter, Louisiana. (2) There is a lot of foolishness in the world—and that foolishness includes you and me. That’s right. Paul calls us foolish. He writes in I Corinthians 1: 26-29, “Brothers, think of what you were when yo...
Post a Comment
Read more