Monday, April 29, 2013

OUR WEEK —  
MAY 5TH TO MAY 11TH

REMINDERS —
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 1ST —
ADAIR U.M.W. AT 9 A.M.

SMALL GROUP STUDY—
IN CASEY U.M.C. @ 5:30 P.M.

“YES LORD, I HAVE SINNED . . . BUT I HAVE
SEVERAL EXCELLENT EXCUSES” - AT 5:30 P.M.
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SUNDAY, MAY 5 —
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

COLOR: WHITE

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR RECOGNITION DURING
AND FOLLOWING WORSHIP - AT CASEY U.M.C.

SCRIPTURE READINGS —
This week, the Scriptures build around the
common theme of "Guided by the Holy Spirit.”
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ACTS 16:9-15
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Paul responds to a vision to go to Macedonia.
Paul led his traveling companions on a journey
that ended in Philippi.  The travelers "hung out"
there a few days, long enough to get the lay of
the land and to discover where a group of
Jewish women normally met for Sabbath prayers
just outside the city walls.  There they find
opportunities for witness and a leader (Lydia)
ready to begin a congregation in her house.
The Holy Spirit may close some doors and then 

open others.

The city of Philippi was located in northern
Greece near the city of Macedon, approximately
ten miles from the port city of Neapolis.  The city
had a rather eventful history. Founded in 359 B.C.
by the Orator Callistratus, who along with a few
colonists started it as a Greek colony.  But then
Philip II came from the nearby city of Macedon
and seized the city and it's abundant gold mines.
He then proceeded to fortify the city walls, and
drain the nearby marshes. He advanced the city
in many other ways, and then renamed it after
himself, Philippi.  When Philip II’s son came to
power, “Alexander the Great”, he used Philippi
as headquarters for his conquest of the world.

The second century B.C. brought a dramatic shift
in the balance of power in the Grecian world with
the invasion of the Romans. With their capture of
the province of Macedonia, Philippi became an
important Roman outpost.

The meager church that Paul found at Philippi
was founded by converts from his first mission
journey through that region. Upon his arrival he
located no synagogue, but only a place of prayer
with a few women who called on the name of the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Paul quickly
began his work in the city, with the conversion
of Lydia, and her household. It was with her that
they stayed during their visit to that city. • • •


ACTS 16:9-15
9-10 That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian
stood on the far shore and called across the sea,
"Come over to Macedonia and help us!" The
dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at
once getting things ready to cross over to
Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We
knew now for sure that God had called us to
preach the good news to the Europeans.

11-12 Putting out from the harbor at Troas, we
made a straight run for Samothrace. The next
day we tied up at New City and walked from
there to Philippi, the main city in that part of
Macedonia and, even more importantly, a Roman
colony. We lingered there several days.

13-14 On the Sabbath, we left the city and went
down along the river where we had heard there
was to be a prayer meeting. We took our place
with the women who had gathered there and
talked with them. One woman, Lydia, was from
Thyatira and a dealer in expensive textiles,
known to be a God-fearing woman. She listened
with intensity to what was being said, and the 
Master gave her a trusting heart
—and she believed!

15 After she was baptized, along with everyone in
her household, she said in a surge of hospitality,
"If you're confident that I'm in this with you and
believe in the Master truly, come home with me
and be my guests." We hesitated, but she
wouldn't take no for an answer.
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PSALM 67 (UMH 791)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)

God's way made known in all nations.
    God, mark us with grace and blessing! Smile!
   The whole country will see how you work,
      all the godless nations see how you save.
   God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
      Let all people thank and enjoy you.
   Let all far-flung people become happy
      and shout their happiness because
   You judge them fair and square,
      you tend the far-flung peoples.
   God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
      Let all people thank and enjoy you.
   Earth, display your exuberance!
      You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.
   You mark us with blessing, O God.
      Earth's four corners—honor him!
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REVELATION 21:10, 22–22:5
THE MESSAGE (MSG)

In the Spirit, John sees a vision of the New
Jerusalem and the way the whole world works in
the fullness of God's kingdom.  A renewed world
order in which dishonor and falsehood are
thoroughly driven out and security and shalom
abounds for all.

REVELATION 21:9-12
9-12 Written in Koine Greek, its title is derived from
the first word of the text, apokalypsis, meaning
"unveiling" or "revelation". The author of the
work identifies himself in the text as "John" and
says that he was on Patmos, an island in the
Aegean Sea, when he "heard a great voice"
instructing him to write the book. This John is
traditionally supposed to be John the Apostle.
One of the Seven Angels who had carried the
bowls filled with the seven final disasters spoke
to me: "Come here. I'll show you the Bride, the
Wife of the Lamb." He took me away in the Spirit
to an enormous, high mountain and showed me
Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from
God, resplendent in the bright glory of God.
REVELATION 22
1-5 Then the Angel showed me Water-of-Life
River, crystal bright.
It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb,
right down the middle of the street. The Tree of
Life was planted on each side of the River,
producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each
month.
The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations.
Never again will anything be cursed.
The Throne of God and the Lamb is at the center.
His servants will offer God service—worshiping,
they'll look on his face, their foreheads mirroring God.
Never again will there be any night. No one will need
lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master,
is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with
him age after age after age.
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JOHN 14:23-29
THE MESSAGE (MSG)

Jesus teaches that the Holy Spirit will guide his
disciples to understand, remember, and live out
his teaching in all Truth.  If we love Jesus, we
keep his commandment to love one another as
he loves us.  The Spirit is empowering, powerful,
and demanding, continually driving us to do
things we could not have imagined that we could
ever have done.

23-24 "Because a loveless world," said Jesus,
"is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will
carefully keep my word and my Father will love
him—we'll move right into the neighborhood!
Not loving me means not keeping my words. The
message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the
message of the Father who sent me.

25-27 "I'm telling you these things while I'm still
living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom
the Father will send at my request, will make
everything plain to you. He will remind you of all
the things I have told you. I'm leaving you well
and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I
don't leave you the way you're used to being left
—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset.
Don't be distraught.

28 "You've heard me tell you, 'I'm going away,
and I'm coming back.' If you loved me, you would
be glad that I'm on my way to the Father because
the Father is the goal and purpose of my life.

29-31 "I've told you this ahead of time, before it
happens, so that when it does happen, the
confirmation will deepen your belief in me. I'll not
be talking with you much more like this because
the chief of this godless world is about to attack.
But don't worry—he has nothing on me, no claim
on me. But so the world might know how thoroughly
I love the Father, I am carrying out my Father's
instructions right down to the last detail.

"Get up. Let's go. It's time to leave here."
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MONDAY, MAY 6TH —
The office is closed today.

MAY 6, 1960 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower 
signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960.  It introduced 
penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's 
attempt to register to vote.
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TUESDAY, MAY 7TH —
May 7, 558 — The dome of the church of
St. Sophia in Constantinople collapsed.
The Christian emperor of the Roman Empire,
Justinian ordered the immediate rebuilding.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 8TH —
SMALL GROUP STUDY—
IN CASEY U.M.C. @ 5:30 P.M.

“Yes Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Have Several 
Excellent Excuses” - at 5:30 P.M.
• SPRC MEETING IN CASEY U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.
MAY 8, 1541 — Hernando de Soto of Spain,
discovered the Mississippi River and named it:
Rio de Espiritu Santo. (River of the Holy Spirit)
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THURSDAY, MAY 9TH —
MAY 9, 1502 - Christopher Columbus leaves
Spain on his final trip to New World.
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FRIDAY, MAY 10TH —
MAY 10, 1773 — British Parliament passed the
Tea Act, taxing all tea in the American colonies,
to keep the troubled East India Company afloat,
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FUTURE FOCUS —
SUNDAY, MAY 12TH —
MOTHER'S DAY and
FESTIVAL OF THE CHRISTIAN HOME ARE
CELEBRATED TODAY.
This is also Ascension Sunday and The Seventh
Sunday of Easter.
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 15TH —
DORCAS-RUTH CIRCLE @ 1:30 P.M. IN ADAIR 

U.M.C.

SMALL GROUP STUDY—

“Yes Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Have Several 
Excellent Excuses”  
 at 5:30 P.M. IN CASEY U.M.C.

MARTHA CIRCLE AT 7 P.M. IN CASEY U.M.C.
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THURSDAY, MAY 16TH —
DEBORAH AND MARY CIRCLE AT 2 P. M. IN 

CASEY U.M.C.
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SUNDAY, MAY 19TH —
SENIOR RECOGNITION AT ADAIR U.M.C. PRIOR
AND DURING WORSHIP

THIS IS A - C GRADUATION DAY
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The Administrative Councils of the Casey United 
Methodist Church and the Adair United 
Methodist Church approved a joint food pantry 
ministry to those in need in the A-C Community 
School District.
The first item needed, however, is a place in 
which to house the food pantry, and it has been 
recommended by the Casey United Methodist 
Church Administrative Council that the extra 
classroom, also known as the quilt room, be 
used for this ministry.  This room would fill 
both the spatial and structural needs for this 
kind of ministry.  Adequate and acceptable 
building space is very difficult to find in this 
community.

Many of the local citizens have not considered 
this to be a needed addition to the community 
but our last Food Bank day was attended by 
over 200 people. This indicates a need.  If you 
have any questions, or thoughts that you would 
like to share, please feel free to contact me
(Pastor Melodee), Peg Snyder, or Jeff Larson.
Thank you for your ideas and views on this 
project.

God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Melodee