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Intersections

Cold Spring Church has been at the crossroads of our community for more than 300 years, and Intersections is our blog of engaging ideas designed to get you connected to what matters to you!

Feb 02
Love0

2020-02-02 Message- Neighbor-Words Bless Neighborhoods

By Intersections, Sermons

“Words to live by”… Whenever we hear this phrase our ears perk up, hoping that what’s spoken next will benefit us, or bless us. This week during worship in the Red Brick Church, we will hear what many consider to be Jesus’ most famous “words to live by” from Matthew 5:1-12 and Micah 6:8. As we will discover in Pastor Kevin’s message, Neighbor-words Bless Our Neighborhoods, blessings are the results of corresponding actions, not words alone. It is not what Jesus said but what he did (words into action) that brought about the reconciliation of the world. Jesus didn’t just change the world, but saved the world. Each of us can turn words of blessing into actions that bless our neighborhoods.

‘The influence of good people makes a city great.

    But the wicked can destroy it with their words’ (Proverbs 11:11 ICB).

This Week’s Actionables:

  1. When have you felt blessed by God? Why? What did that look and feel like? What changes did that blessing bring?
  2. What does it mean to you to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God? (All tangible actions.)
  3. What influence will you exercise in your life that will comfort others? Provide mercy? Include the “outsider”? Help someone experience God’s love in their life?

This is a great week to invite a friend or neighbor to worship with you. Once we were strangers, now we are neighbors and friends!

Feb 02
Love0

2020-02-02 Message for Kids- Words Have Power

By Intersections, Sermons

What we say, our words, really matter. When someone says something kid or welcoming to us we feel accepted, respected, and really good inside. Of course, words that are mean, judging, or unkind have an effect, too. It brings people down. It causes pain. So we want to be people of good words, because good words lead to good deeds. We want our words and our actions to build people up! Words have power. Use your power this week for good!

Feb 01
Love0

Next Brickette Issue March 2020

By Intersections, Newsletters

Next Brickette issue will be March 2020, expanded edition

Our weekly Connections emailed newsletter (which is also available online) is read by more and more subscribers every week. It provides relevant, timely information and better integration with our website, social media, and worship bulletin. Connections keeps us and our community better connected and engaged.

To complement the weekly Connections, and to reduce redundancy and production costs, we are experimenting with distributing a more comprehensive edition of the Brickette fewer times each year. In 2020, the Brickette will be published in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter; the first of March, June, September, and December. Special editions may also be added.

We look forward to receiving your feedback on our new publication schedule this year. Send your comments to hello@coldspringchurch.com, attention Publications.

Jan 26
Love0

2020-01-26 Message- Neighborhood Free For All

By Intersections, Sermons

How much does it cost? We ask that question a lot. Of all the prices to be considered, $10.99, 2 for $5, $30/week, even 1 million dollars, the price that is uniquely preferred to any other is FREE! Everybody likes free!

A lot of the online services you probably use are free. Gmail is free. Facebook is free. Yahoo News is free. Buy one and get one free. Food delivery can be free. But increasingly, companies are trying to figure out how to start charging, at least for some services, some of the time. But once free is the norm, its hard to accept when its not. Researcher Russ Roberts of George Mason University found out how upset WWII vets remain with the Red Cross when they stopped offering donuts for free! Get the rest of the story, find out what free really costs, and how we can bravely follow Jesus in Pastor Kevin’s message from Luke 17:11-19, Neighborhood Free for All. What’s free may be worth everything to you, and certainly to our neighbors!

Jan 12
Love0

2020-01-12 Message- Good News Expressions, Soggy or Fresh?

By Intersections, Sermons

How do you like your French fries? Hot and fresh, right? Sure! But you better eat them fast because it only takes a few minutes for those fresh fries to get soggy and absolutely inedible! This week at Cold Spring Church, we will discover that the only thing more challenging than delivering hot, fresh fries is delivering fresh expressions about Jesus (our mission). Pastor Kevin will introduce us to the challenges facing today’s on-demand services like Grubhub and Uber Eats in this week’s message titled: “Expressing the Good News…Soggy or Fresh?” from Acts 10:34-43. We’ll find out what Thomas Jefferson, drive-thru’s, and Grubhub have in common with our mission to deliver fresh expressions of the Gospel so that our neighbors get it’s spiritual nourishment hot and fresh!

In 1802, the first batch of French fries were made in America for Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States. He discovered the French way of deep frying cut, raw, potatoes when he was a diplomat to France years earlier. French fries remained an uncommon chef’s delicacy for a hundred years until drive-ins introduced the easy to handle French fries became a staple of the growing mobile lifestyle in the 1930’s. By the 1950’s perfectly hot, fresh French fries were enjoyed by families dining-in or in their car. Today’s drive-thru’s deliver fries fast enough to gobble down in minutes. Your Grubhub delivery guy may take upwards of 30 minutes to arrive at your house, and by that time, your French fries have morphed from super fresh to soggy! And there’s no more challenging food to deliver hot and fresh than humble French fries.

Jan 12
Love0

2020-01-12 Message for Kids- Sharable’s Are For Sharing!

By Intersections, Sermons

Of all the great things we do, there is something that we have that will never run out. What is that? It’s you! Your presence. Participation. Engagement. When you set your devices down for a minute and look up, the person you’re with is the most important person in the world…to you! Being with others is a fantastic way to learn, grow, and serve. Sure, we can do lots of things solo. But when we are together, spending time with God, reading the Bible, working on a project, sharing our thoughts and feelings, can create amazing memories that are shared, and shared again, and on and one. Let’s be brave this year and remember we are sharable’s!

Jan 05
Love0

2020-01-05 Message- Star Words, Following The Jesus Star For Your Brave New Year

By Intersections, Sermons

How many times already this year (or Decade! Wow, can you believe it?!) have you shared good wishes of Happy New Year? Lots of times, I bet. Well, at Cold Spring Church, we are transforming a mere Happy into something amazing! For 2020, let’s embrace a Brave New Year! Why? Because we know that the Light of the World is shining brightly and God invites us into a new future, something much more than the ordinary, in 2020. This Sunday, January 5th, start 2020 with a welcoming, energizing worship.

Pastor Kevin’s message, Star Words, takes us on a journey to connect with Jesus, the Light of the World, as we join a brave team of individuals we refer to as the Three Wise Men. They, like us today, will follow the Jesus Star to inspire our brave new year ahead.

What has God revealed to you in your life in the light of Jesus Christ? Ther are possibilities ahead. New opportunities to grow. Learn. Share. Serve. Star Words this Sunday at Cold Spring Church… where an ordinary Happy New Year is transformed into a spiritual force-filled Brave New Year! (Read more about your Brave New Year- click here!)

Jan 05
Love0

2020-01-05 Message for Kids- Like the Wise Men, You Are An Amazing Gift!

By Intersections, Sermons

When the Wise men visited Jesus they brought gifts worth giving: Gold, frankincense and myrrh. As cool as those gifts were, they aren’t nearly as important as the individuals themselves. Each of us have value way beyond what we do. Exceeding things we give. Just you being you. Whoa! What a gift! You are the gift worth giving! We can learn a lot from the wise men who knew Jesus was the King! Let’s give gifts like the wise men today. Would you help me give away some real frankincense and myrrh this morning? Great. Here, take some for yourselves and meet me as people are sent out today! Thank you for being amazing gifts!

Dec 30
Love0

Start Your Brave New Year Here!

By Intersections

“Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus” (Philippians 3:13).

Happy Brave New Year!

2020 looks to be a significant year. Why? The start of every new year holds promise, but 2020? It’s the start of a new decade! Take a moment and re-read the verse above from Philippians.

For Paul, being a follower of Jesus Christ meant that he was paying attention to the signs Christ had placed before him. He was connected to spiritual energy moving him forward to the future. Like Jesus, he didn’t spend all of his time in religious assemblies, but out and about in the public square, in the neighborhood, with people from every walk of life, from every country, with diverse ideas and experiences. (Compare John 1:14 and Acts 17.)

The Mission Study Team and the session have invested a great deal of prayerful work over the past two years listening to the Spirit and the many voices in the congregation. Our congregational Focus Your Vision event and surveys last year were especially meaningful as we began to design our future-looking mission. All these inputs and discernment have produced clarity about our mission.

When we speak of “our mission,” we refer to our purpose put into action. Put into action that can be appreciated, accessed, and experienced by those we love and serve- our community of faith and the community at large. In other words, the measure of our success in fulfilling our mission is what our entire community says it is. We care about what our neighbors experience and we want them to experience God’s abundance and grace in 2020!

Every church of Jesus Christ can be assumed to worship Christ, proclaim the Bible, and serve others. But each of us, and each congregation, has a unique mission, a special call, as well. Why is Cold Spring Presbyterian Church at the corner of Seashore and Academy roads?

What has God called us to focus on in 2020?

We can’t do everything, because if everything is our priority, then nothing is a priority. If we focus on doing it all, we end up doing nothing at all. So our mission is what God has called us to do as a unique community of faith right now. For such a time as this, God has called Cold Spring Presbyterian Church, and all those participating in its worship and work, (thats you and me!) to celebrate, communicate, engage with, and promote our mission.

Similarly, when we refer to vision, we mean the imagined future we seek to see. Our vision describes the outcomes accomplished by God’s empowerment and grace.

VISION: Cold Spring Presbyterian Church

We believe that everyone deserves to experience God’s love in relevant and authentic ways. Our thriving faith community energizes spirits and transforms lives by putting God’s love into action to help make greater Cape May a better place. We invite others to join with us as we joyfully love and serve God and our neighbors through the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ.

MISSION: Cold Spring Presbyterian Church

Cold Spring Presbyterian Church delivers spiritual resources and experiences that are centered in God’s love. We enthusiastically proclaim the abundant life through Jesus Christ. Our mission is to improve the spiritual vitality and wellness of our congregation and community throughout the Cape May region through inspiring worship, practical teaching from God’s word, innovative programs, and community-focused events and ministry.

You will find our vision and mission statements on our website, in each Connections and Brickette issue, in our weekly bulletin. Our mission helps us tell our story! Our clear vision helps us know when to say yes or no. Our clear mission guides every decision the session makes about by our resources, priorities, and values as we listen to God’s Spirit. Our mission informs our teams, committees, and all our work across our congregation. Even more, our compelling vision and mission will attract new individuals, families, resources, partnerships and opportunities!

We are beginning our 306th year of ministry! And you are an important part of its success! Member, friend, neighbor… you have a place at Cold Spring Church in 2020!

Join us on Sunday, January 26th, after worship in Price Hall when we hold our 2020 Annual Congregational Meeting. We will celebrate all that God has done in our midst in 2019! You are invited to participate and be energized during this very special gathering.

What’s ahead in 2020? With the apostle Paul, we know three important things about the future:

  1. We are learning and growing as we follow Jesus.
  2. We have a mission.
  3. God is calling us all to bravely fulfill our mission and move forward into the future.

Thank you for all you do…praying and supporting, engaging, and serving… in the name of Jesus Christ!

Let’s expect a brave new year in 2020 as we experience God’s abundance and grace, working together to achieve our mission in God’s emerging, hopeful future! That’s why we can confidently say, “Happy Brave New Year!”

Sincerely,

Pastor Kevin

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