The Third Sunday of Advent

(Edit, the video is now added, I hope you enjoy the sermon)

I haven't posted the video of the sermon from this past Sunday yet because, Youtube is having issues.  They are having trouble uploading videos (or at least some users are) and it's not just me because there are comments on the forums concerning the issue.

At any rate, once the video uploads I'll come back and edit this post.  For now I've included at the end of this post the reading for the Candle of "Joy".

We simply can't have 'joy' without already having 'hope' and 'peace' (the peace that God gives us in our hearts).  Joy is a remarkable thing in that true joy goes so very much deeper than just being happy.  Joy goes right down to our very hearts, our very souls.  To know joy is truly one of the most wonderful things we can know in life.  Short only to knowing genuine 'Love' in our lives.

Love of course is the theme for this coming weekends sermon.  Hopefully, Youtube will have their issues remedied soon and I won't have a problem getting that video up before Christmas Eve.

I need to run, may you all be richly blessed today!  And remember to be a blessing to someone today!

Roy 

Third Sunday in Advent: The candle of 'JOY' – December 13, 2015

Reader 1

Listen to the word of God from Isaiah:

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it,
and fools shall not err therein.

No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

(Isaiah 35:1-10 RSV)

Reader 2:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and return not thither but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

“For you shall go out in joy,
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off.”

(Isaiah 55: 10-13 RSV)

Candle-lighter: Light 3 candles (two blue and the pink, the pink candle should be the 3^rd one lit

then announce the Hymn to be sung and the verses to be performed)

Advent Hymn “One Candle Is Lit” No. 128, verses 1, 2 & 3

Reader 1:

As freedom can only be tasted in all its sweetness by those who know the feel of chains, so joy sings with its most full-throated glory only in spirits enlarged by the weight of despair and softened by the brine of tears. Pleasures float on the surface of life. Happiness flits across a moment or an hour. But joy springs from the depths.

Joy is new life beating in a heart that has been broken. Joy is awakening to a fair morning from a nightmare of reality. Joy is a flight sun-ward on wings you had forgotten you had. Joy is the sound of laughter erupting from a procession of grief. Joy is God’s melody amid the discord of life, a song carrying the rhythm of eternity and touching the chords of longing in our souls.

Reader 2: (read responsively)

Reader: Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD their God.

We give thanks to you, O God,

for the promise of full joy that this season brings to light.

People: Happy are those whose hope is the God of Jacob,

whose HOPE is in the LORD their God.

Reader: For all the troubles life can bring, in you we find peace,

your Love brings amazing possibilities that fill our hearts with joy.

People: Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose PEACE is in the LORD their God.

Reader: Renew in us this day your promise of light after darkness,

hope after despair, peace out of chaos, and joy from despair.

People: Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose JOY is in the LORD their God.

Amen.

Second Sunday of Advent - Lighting the Peace Candle

This past Sunday, December 6th, was the second Sunday of Advent and here at Woodlawn Christian we lit the 'Peace' Candle.  As I stated in the sermon, it almost seems ludicrous to talk of 'peace' with the violence going on all around the globe.  For us here in America this violence was so recently punctuated by the massacre in San Bernardino, CA just a few days ago.

The truth is that the world will always be a violent place and if we search for our 'peace' in the world we shall never find it.  It is only through our unfailing faith in our Lord that our souls will ever know peace on this side of life.  Thankfully, we as Christians have this faith and can find this peace.  We can as long as we don't allow the craziness of daily living get in the way, we can if we don't let the evil of mankind rob us of our belief that God loves not only ourselves but all of humanity.

Please take a listen to the sermon on the video below.  I've also included the text for the reading for the lighting celebration of the 'Peace Candle'.

May this blog post find you all loved, blessed and at peace with your Lord.

In His Love,
Roy

Advent 2 – Candle of Peace, December 6, 2015

Reader 1:

Listen to the Prophet Isaiah:

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Reader 2:

Advent is about peace. And we do so long for peace. We live in a world of chaos and discord.  The trademark of our time often seems to be turmoil.  For far too many, our streets are dangerous places, with shootings and violence forcing good people to stay away. Our civil dialogue has given way to abusive rhetoric, we have forgotten how to disagree without being disagreeable.  We hate others simply because they carry a different opinion or world view than our own. Our music and entertainment glorify violence and disrespect to others.  Our leaders divide us, rather than unit us in good.  Death, destruction, and terrorism are the topic of far too many stories in the nightly news.  In all of this hatred and violence, we the people of Christ long for peace.

The state of the world often mirrors the state of our minds. We juggle hyperactive schedules, fragmented and broken families, and hypertensive pressures. We worry about our children, we agonize over how to care for our aging parents, about our retirement, about health care, and no job seems secure any longer. Far too many have turned their backs on the church, they grasp for gurus and scan self-help books in spiraling confusion. Stress is the name of our days....  and we so long for peace.

Candle-lighter: Light 2 blue candles

Advent Hymn - "One Candle Is Lit,” Hymn #128 verses 1 & 2

Reader 3:

Surely the peace of our world starts with the peace of our hearts. We are reminded that there is a peace in God which surpasses all understanding. At the core of each of us, if we will only listen, there is a still, small voice which can and will calm our fears, quiet our lives, and dispel our desperation. At the heart of each of us, if we only seek it, there is a spirit that rests in the grace of God. An assurance at the center of our lives that can and will tame the chaos at the edges.

This spirit of God, this spirit found in the human heart, is also the hope of our world. As we await the Bringer of Peace, the peace of God is already with us, it resides in all souls filled with the spirit of our God.

Prepare the way! The promise has come!

The lion shall dwell with the lamb.

Prepare the way! The old with the young!

A child shall teach us to stand.

Prepare the way! Make the paths straight!

The Earth shall fill her deep valleys!

The Way of the Lamb is approaching... and peace is at hand!

Prepare the way! The promise has come!

November 29, 2015 - First Sunday of Advent, lighting the Hope Candle

This past Sunday (Nov. 29th) was the first Sunday of the Advent Season for 2015.  Here at Woodlawn Christian Church we lit the first of the four Advent Candles, the candle of Hope.  In my Children's Sermon, I discussed how the 'Hope' that we feel at this time of year is the coming celebration on Christmas of the birth of the Christ Child, as well as the awaited second arrival of Christ.  This 'Hope' that we all share isn't a wish or something we'd like to see happen, rather it is something that we are reassured by our faith is, in fact, going to happen.

Ryan Daisy and Emily Winker were home from college, and so I asked them to light our first candle.  The reading they did during the lighting ceremony is attached at the end of this blog post.

I've also attached the video of the sermon, I hope all who take the time to watch and listen enjoy what they hear.  May the all abiding and overwhelming Grace of our God fill your heart with hope, hope for the future, and hope in God's unending and undenied Love for you all.

In His Love, Grace & Hope!

Roy

First Sunday in Advent: The candle of 'Hope'

Reader 1

Listen to the prophet Isaiah:

In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!

Reader 2

The poet George Herbert once wrote: “He that believes in hope dances without music.”

This is a good picture for a life of faith. To hope in God’s grace is to move to a rhythm that other people may not hear. It is to act out a drama others cannot imagine. It is to glide through life guided by a tune that plays only in your own heart.

The hopes of our faith make no sense from the outside. It’s a rough world, with forces that try to dominate our lives. But we hope in a God of truth and justice to have the final word.

In a world where violence and force always seem to win the day, we hope in a force of love that is the supreme power. In a world where wealth and status seem to have the upper hand over desperate, needy people, we hope that poverty and innocence have God’s special blessing.

Candle-lighter: Lighting of the candle of 'Hope'

Advent Hymn One Candle Is Lit No. 128 (verse 1)

Reader 1

Having hope means constantly expecting a different kind of future, even when history seems to confirm our fears. Hope is for those who feel the pain of the world. Hope is for those who agonize at human cruelty. Hope is for those who hear the cries of homeless and hungry children, and cry along with them.

In a world where hope seems so far away, we are a people of hope. We listen for the voice of angels in the wind. We stretch to see the first light of a new day on the horizon. We long for a new birth of grace in every human heart. We wait. We listen. We hope.

Reader 2

Christ we sit in darkness, but you are our light. We long for your coming into our hearts, into our lives and into our world.

You are the One for whom all the peoples of the earth wait. Our world has been shaken by fire and earthquake and storm; Our security has been shaken by bombings and wars and uncertainty.

We wait in anticipation expecting God’s light to penetrate our darkness and radiate within us.

In the midst of our doubts and our insecurities we are reminded that you are never shaken. Your faithfulness reaches to the ends of the earth.

We watch and wait expecting new light to shine as the season of joy approaches.

You are our rock and our refuge, an ever present help in trouble. Come down, come in, walk with us so that we trust in you and not be shaken.

We wait in hope attentive to all the signs of Christ’s coming.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

God's blessings, grace and love to you all in this season of giving thanks to God for all He has provided for us.

In His Joy!
Roy

Giving Thanks, for all things. Sermon 11/22/15

This past Sunday my sermon (as many others around the Nation) focused on giving thanks.  There are just so very many things in our lives that we need to give thanks for that we could not possibly even begin to list them all.  Our mighty God provides for and guides us so untiringly and faithfully.

Now by now if you've followed my blog or watched any of my sermons I'm sure you realize that I am not of the persuasion that God causes bad things to happen to anyone.  But what I am a firm believer in is that God can gather up the pieces of all the awful things we and others bring into our world and make something good (or great) out of the wreckage.  This, however, is often predicated on us being open and willing to see and accept this blessing.  One of the things that I think we regularly fail to do is give thanks to a God that is so willing and adept at raising phoenixes out of the ashes of life that we leave behind.

I also believe that we fail all too often to give thanks for a persistent God that never stops tapping us on the shoulder and trying to guide us where we are called to be.  Thank you God Almighty, for never giving up on us who try so hard to ignore you and, in fact, run the other way.

In the sermon, I talk about how early in my life (I would have been 23) a minister asked if I had ever considered going to Seminary.  At that time, I certainly seemed to be the least likely candidate for such an endeavor.  But, I now often sit and wonder, was that God whispering in that old minister's ear... was that God trying to whisper into my ear through that minister's questioning?  I am left thanking and praising my God, a God that has never given up on me... even though I certainly wasn't responding.

I hope you enjoy the sermon if you decide to take a listen. Following the video, I have also attached a copy of my meanderings for the December Newsletter.

May this day find you well and richly blessed!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Absolute and Unyielding Grace!

Roy

Pastor's Report – December 2015

Well, what a wonderful weekend we just had!  We all woke up Saturday morning to snow covered sidewalks, a genuine winter wonderland!  I started out scooping the walks in preparation for the God's Portion Sale and eventually Scott DeVries and the Daisy clan showed up to help.  Lonnie started up the new snow blower and we made short work of the clean-up.

As most everyone should know by now the God's Portion Sale was a tremendous success!  With the proceeds from the lunch included we topped $ 9,000 for the event.  What a great turn out!  The meal that Donna Westcott prepared was fantastic especially considering all the stress she'd been through with dealing with Clyde's hip surgery just a few days before and only getting back to Lake City the afternoon before the event.  I was so very impressed with the Sale, and I am only sorry that Gail wasn't able to be with us, unfortunately on top of the weather she also fell ill the day before and wasn't up to traveling.  Thankfully though she will be with us all this coming weekend for the first Sunday of Advent.

I want to thank everyone who donated items to the auction, as well as all those who came and purchased items.  It takes both forms of contributions in order to make this a successful event.  Special thanks go out to Leon & Judy Hendricks and Clyde & Donna Westcott for agreeing to chair and manage the event.  You all did a fabulous job in putting together this wildly successful sale.  Thanks especially to Leon for all the hustling about and acquiring donations from local businesses!  A thanks to Jeff Frank for assembling the shelves and display for the Sale, Jeff came up and did this all by himself late one night.  I still can't believe he was able to pull that off alone, but he did it...

On Sunday, we had a great turn out for both the worship service and Thanksgiving dinner.  Thank you to both Brenda and Barb for preparing such a wonderful meal!  Thank you also to Linda Potts for getting a birthday cake for me, and a thank you to the entire congregation for all your well wishes and cards for my birthday.  You are all the very best and I do so appreciate you all!

The Community Thanksgiving Worship Service was held here at WCC that same afternoon and we had a great attendance there as well.  I'm very proud of the way that our membership turns out for these Community Services, we had a great representation at the event this last summer in the Square and we did so again this last weekend.  Thank you all!  Thank you also to Jodi for setting up snacks for after the service and also for setting up snacks for after the 'Hanging of the Greens' in the Sanctuary.  Which we did after our guests from the Community Service had left the Church.

Watching the Sanctuary being converted from its Fall trappings to its full blown Christmas attire was a magical experience.  Everyone was like a bunch of little bees going about setting up the decorations in the long tradition of Woodlawn Christian Church.  Many of these decorations have been here for many, many years and are a large part of the members experience of this most blessed Holiday Season.  What a wonderful thing to become a part of.  Thank you to all that helped out, though I could see that it was a labor of love and everyone was enjoying themselves tremendously.

This coming weekend is the first Sunday of Advent, the Sunday when we will be lighting the 'Hope' candle.  With all the uncertainty and senseless violence that we see in the World today, perhaps there has been no time in history when we needed to so fully place our 'Hope' in our Lord and Savior.  We place our 'Hope' in Christ, and we know that He will provide and guide us and the World through these perilous times.  Praise be to God!

Ryan Daisy and Emily Winker are back from school at UNI for this coming weekend and will kick off the Advent season for all of us here at WCC by lighting the candle of 'Hope'.  I sincerely, hope that you all will join us in this amazing time in the Church Calendar, the celebration of the Advent season and the expectation of the birth of the Christ-child.

God's Love to you all and remember always to, “be a blessing to someone today!”

Pastor Roy

A Wedding at Woodlawn Christian Church

,

This past Saturday I was able to perform my first wedding here at Woodlawn Christian Church.  The young couple Matt Weiss and Alicia Stonehocker, are a wonderful couple and I enjoyed going through the premarital counseling with them and the wedding went off without a hitch.  I am very confident that Matt and Alicia will enjoy a lifetime together as one, and I am extremely happy for them and proud of them.

I've attached below the script of the service.  Our wedding coordinator for the Church, Roxy Crandall told her husband that it was the best wedding service she'd seen.  I think that's likely an extreme stretch, but I'm thankful that it went over so well.

Thank you, Matt and Alicia and God's blessings on you both!

In His Grace,
Roy

Stonehocker / Weiss Wedding
Prelude

Processional

Bridal Processional

Introduction
When two hearts are bound together in the bonds of Christian matrimony, it is a blessed and sacred moment. We recognize that marriage is an important part of God’s plan for mankind. God Himself long ago ordained and instituted marriage, and it was He who performed the first wedding ceremony in the Garden of Eden.

When our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world He chose a wedding at Cana in Galilee to perform His mighty miracle. In order to achieve success in this, the highest of all human commitments, we must look to Gods’ Word for direction. The Bible says that you are to submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, you are to submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and He is the Savior of the body.

Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. A man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

The beautiful love you share with each other is described in 1st Corinthians 13. There the Bible says, “Love is ever patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost. You will always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand your ground in defending them. All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy, and speaking in unknown languages, and special knowledge— these gifts will disappear. There are three things that remain – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:4-9, 13, TLB).

Giving Away of the Bride
May the Lord bless you both as from this day forward you seek to carry out these scriptural ideals in your marriage.
In light of the serious approach the Scriptures take toward marriage, it should be entered into with sobriety and great reverence.  If any man can show just cause why this couple should not be joined together, let him speak now or else, hereafter and forevermore, hold his peace.
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Response: Her mother and I.

Prayer
LET US PRAY
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.

We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of a man and a woman in his Holy Name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man - Matthew, and this woman - Alicia.  Defend them from every enemy.  Lead them into all peace.  Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.  

Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Message

Vows
So, Matt and Alicia, you have come today signifying your desire to be formally united in the bonds of Christian matrimony.  Will you now please join both hands, remember always that the closer you keep Christ in the center of your life, the greater your love will be for the other.

Matt in taking Alicia to be your lawful and wedded wife, before God and these witnesses present, you must promise to love her, to honor and cherish her, and leaving all others, to cleave only to her and be to her in all things the true and faithful husband so long as you both shall live. Do you so promise?

Response: I do.

Alicia in taking Matt to be your lawful and wedded husband, before God and these witnesses present, you must promise to love him, to honor and cherish him and leaving all others, to cleave only to him and be to him in all things the true and faithful wife so long as you both shall live. Do you so promise?

Response: I do.

Then, you are each given one to the other. In times of happiness and in times of sorrow; in times of plenty and in times of poverty; in times of sickness and in times of well-being; to love and enjoy till death shall separate you.

Exchange of Rings
May I have the rings?

Throughout all time the ring has been used to seal this most important of all human commitments. The ring is a beautiful symbol of your love, in that it is an unending circle symbolizing the eternity of your love, and the purity of gold in the ring symbolizes the purity of your love and marriage in God’s eyes.

Matt, will you take this ring which is a beautiful symbol and meaningful token of your love for Alicia and place it on the ring finger of her left hand while holding it in place repeat these words to her? “With this ring I thee wed, with loyal love thee endow, and all my worldly goods with thee I share, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen”

Alicia, this ring is a beautiful symbol and meaningful token of your love for Matt. Will you now place it on the ring finger of his left hand while holding it in place repeat these words to him? “With this ring I thee wed, with loyal love thee endow, and all my worldly goods with thee I share, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen”

The pouring of the Unity Sand
“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). God created you as an individual, perfect by His glory and love. But God also said that it was not good for man to be alone, and so he created woman to be his partner and helper. Today as you have made a sacred covenant before God joining in marriage, you now become one flesh. You have chosen to symbolize that union with a sand ceremony.

First, I will pour in the TAN sand, representing your faith in God as the foundation of who you are as individuals. 

Now ALICIA, pour some of your sand, representing yourself as an individual before you came to this union. 

Now MATT, also pour some of your sand, representing yourself as an individual before you came to this union. 

I will next pour some more TAN sand, representing your faith in God as the foundation of your marriage.

Now, MATT and ALICIA pour your remaining sand together to represent your joining as one in marriage completely and eternally.

Lastly, I pour a final layer of TAN sand to represent God watching over you and protecting you with his everlasting love.

May God bless this marriage so that you are as inseparable as these grains of sand. Amen.

Signing of the Marriage Certificate

Pronouncement
Now, having pledged your eternal faith in each other, and your undying love for each other, having entered into a convent agreement with God, and having sealed that pledge and covenant through the symbolic union of your lives through the enactment of the unity sand, by the exchange of these holy and blessed rings, and by your solemn vows to each other before and with God, I, acting in the authority vested in me as a minister of the Gospel, and looking to God for his divine approval upon your lives, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:9).

Introduction of Couple
I present to you all Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Weiss.
Matt, you may now kiss your bride...

Benediction
May the God of peace who raised Christ from the dead strengthen your inner being for every good work, and may the blessing of God Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit Rest upon you both and dwell within you this day and forevermore. 
Amen. 

Recessional

Sermons for November 1st and 8th

It's been a bit crazy the last two weeks.  Last week due to preparing for the wedding that we performed here at the Church on Saturday.  I was back into Lake City on Friday afternoon rather than on Saturday evening as I generally am.  My time in Omaha was cut very short this week with leaving Lake City late Wednesday night and then getting back here about 4 pm.

I discovered that we had several members with health issues while I was gone and on Monday morning one of them passed away.  Unfortunately, I had not learned that she was ill until Sunday evening and I went up to the hospital to see her Monday morning only to find that she had passed before I got to the hospital.  Shirley Winter passed away that morning and honestly I feel awful as I had been to the hospital on Sunday afternoon visiting another member and had I known that Shirley was there also I would have stopped in and seen her.

All of our prayers are with the Winter family as they go through this time of mourning the loss of their mother and grandmother.  May God's comforting hand guide them through these days of grief.

I will put up another post concerning the wedding later but for now I wanted to get up the videos for the last two Sunday's sermons.

May God bless you all!

In His Grace & Care,

Pastor Roy

Sermon given November 8th, 2015

Sermon given November 1st, 2015