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Measuring Mission

Apr 18
Love0

2019-04-18 Message- Living Life Feet First

By Sermons

Jesus used foot washing to show several lessons: Hospitality and serving is a mission of Jesus’ followers. The faith community, the host: 1. must take care of their guests. 2. Always serve. Serve others in worship, teaching, dinners, teams, groups, and every interaction with the community. 3. When we serve, our feet will get dirty.

The only way our feet will be dirty is if we go somewhere! So let’s get our feet, and our hands, dirty in serving our community generously! Then, we will look most like Jesus who came to seek and to save everyone who has lost their way.

Where will your feet take you today in service to others?!

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15).

Mar 10
Love0

2019-03-10 Message- The Call of the Wild

By Sermons

Why do so many Biblical hero’s end up in the wilderness? While Adam started in a garden, he and Eve ended up in the wild. Jacob, Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul, to name a few, had wilderness experiences, too. Oh, and of course, Jesus! This week we will meet Jesus where the wild things are. And we will discover that God is present with us when resources run out and unexpected challenges make the way unbearable. God provides a way where there is no way. Do you ever feel you’re in the wilderness? Sure, we all do, at least from time to time. This Sunday, find wilderness tools for the Lenten journey. There is a place for you, here! (If you’re new to our church, discover more about what we believe and why we do what we do by visiting a special Welcome First-Time Guests page on our website.)

Mar 01
Love0

Are You Ready For Greater Things

By Intersections

”Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).

On a sunny day in March, just before Easter, a new church was starting. Energy and anticipation were running high. Over two hundred people signed the charter documents and publicly pledged their resources of mind, body, and spirit to achieve the mission of the new congregation. Neighbors got together and agreed that God has challenged them to make a positive difference in their community. They were committed to each other and their town. Denominational leaders, community leaders, supporters, and neighbors crowded the site as ceremonial shovels were placed into the soil. The founding pastor read scripture and preached the first sermon. Afterward, the celebration continued in songs and stories of faith. For years to come, the community was blessed because of the great things God did in their midst!

The beginning of Cold Spring Presbyterian Church was a bit like the church, above. For 305 years, we stillare: In the community. With the community. For the community.As we continue our transformational journey, we are re-doubling our commitment to deliver needed spiritual resources in the name of Jesus Christ, in new and effective ways, right here in greater Cape May. What an exciting journey! And, what’s more, you have an important and unique part to play adding your gifts, time, energy, attention and wonderful songs and stories of faith!

March is a great month to be moved by the winds of the Spirit! There are many ways to participate as a faith community this month. I am sure you will want to invite friends and family, too! I have included a few very special events, below:

Sunday, March 3, afterour 10:30 AM worship celebration in the red brick church, join us for Lunch and Conversations at the Back Bay Bistro. (RSVP to Lenore Bowne.)

Wednesday, March 6, we gather in Price Hall for our third annual Ash Wednesday Service. This year we have invited our friends from First Presbyterian in Cape May to join us. After a meaningful service, stay for a complimentary lunch. It’s the perfect start to your Lenten Journey!

Friday, March 29at 5:00 PM, you will enjoy our Spring Fling Roast Pork Dinner. Details are in this issue of the Brickette, or online. Visit bit.ly/CSPCSpringFlingfor details and to make your reservations.

Sunday, March 31from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, we are invited to join with the entire West Jersey Presbytery in this year’s Congregational Life Sundayat the Hammonton Presbyterian Church. Rides are provided. Its a great afternoon to learn and grow with others who want to make a difference in their community, too! (See details and RSVP online at coldspringchurch.com.)

Palm Sunday is April 14!You will want to join in this important worship celebration as we enjoy special music and experience the Gospel recalling Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem at our 10:30 AM service in the red brick church.

Maundy Thursday is 6:00 PM, April 18  Plan to attend this meaningful communion service in the red brick church at 6:00 PM. All are invited. Invite your neighbors to gather at the Table with Jesus as we remember the Last Supper.

Easter Sunrise at Sunset Beach begins at 6:15 AMThe third annual Easter service on the beach promises to be another energizing event! Details online. Complimentary coffee, tea, and breakfast treats. Come as you are and enjoy great music and an inspiring telling of the Good News that He Is Risen! Listen with neighbors and friends to the Cape May Point beach sounds of waves and seagulls as the sun rises!

Easter Worship Celebration, 10:30 AMA beautifully decorated sanctuary, special music, interactive message for kids, and inspiring message from God’s word await you as we retell the Greatest Story Ever Told. You and your family will want to arrive ready for what could be a life-transforming experience of hope!

God with usis the core motivation for our church’s mission. The motives of nonprofit and charitable organizations are fundamentally different from their for-profit counterparts. Charities, foundations, fraternal and affinity groups, and faith communities such as churches, are all driven by their motivations to benefit the community at large. Nonprofits are established to serve a socially valuable purpose for the public good. But, in addition, our church is established to serve a spiritually  valuable purpose, too, for the the public good. Though the interests of the public change over time based on shifting contexts and community needs, the motives of a worshipping and witnessing community should be clear even during tumultuous and disruptive change, and transformational journeys. Can a congregation fall in love with its neighborhood? Oh, absolutely! We have, and that’s our continuing job to do.

Our faith community is deeply rooted in the places and the people that call it home. How will they know God’s love and the forgiveness and hope Jesus provides if they don’t experience it here? How will those who struggle with the challenges of daily life find the resources they need if they don’t find those resources here? Are you looking for hope? Find it here! Do you want to live your very best life, the abundant life? Meet the God who loves you, here!

Show God’s abundant and unconditional love to neighbors, friends, family, strangers, and visitors this month because we are:

In the community.

With the community.

For the community.

Thank you for sharing and choosing to be an important part of our future. Jesus said, “Greater things you will do!” And we are!

Dec 01
Love0

The ADVENTure of Grace and Gratitude Is Measured By Our Faith In Action

By Intersections

“The Word became flesh and blood,

and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish” (John 1:14).

Hello. The month of December marks the season of Advent, the four Sundays prior to Christmas. Advent is designed to bring the community of faith on a adventure of faith… It starts with the promises foretold and then builds each week toward the mystery and celebration of God becoming human when Jesus moved into our neighborhood! This year could be the beginning of a new family tradition for you. As you read these words, let’s consider how Advent can be a truly remarkable and life-changing ADVENTure of faith. It all starts with…

Grace and gratitude. Yes, Grace and Gratitude are two essential attributes of a thriving community of faith. In fact, more than attendance, giving, and budget, the measure of a thriving community of faith is the measure of:

1) How God’s Grace impacts the community of faith, and

2) How the congregation’s Gratitude impacts the community at large.

Measure these impacts, and you can determine if a community of faith is thriving, or barely surviving, or even dying.

Each day offers ample evidence of God’s abundant blessings. You represent one of those blessings, too! I hope you enjoy the holiday season ahead. We recognize that many of us, along with our families, neighbors, and communities, face challenges and stresses, especially during the holidays. I hope you utilize your networks of connections that ensure your safety, wellness, and vitality. Pray for, and check-in on, neighbors. Give generously to community projects. Invite others to share hospitality at your table, or invite them to worship, or an event. Consider ways to remind others they are not alone this holiday season.

Two Christmas Eve Services— This Christmas, we have two inspiring Christmas Eve services, both held in our Worship Center. Plan to attend with your family and friends. At 10:30 a.m., you are invited to participate in our Morning Christmas Eve Service for the entire family. At 5:00 p.m., join us for our beautiful Candlelight Christmas Eve Worship Service. Experience your favorite Christmas music, Scripture readings, and a message about Jesus’ incarnation. Find out how our live’s can be more energized and purposeful through fresh expressions of the familiar Christmas Story.

As we celebrate 303 years of mission, we continue to learn and grow and make new connections with neighbors of every age. Thank you for the ways you help God’s Grace have impact in your life, and how you express Gratitude with impact on the community! Thank you for your continued support of Cold Spring Church through your participation in worship, prayer and financial gifts, volunteering in mission, and serving in leadership, What you do matters as together we see God do even more amazing things beyond our wildest imaginations! Impact, not effort, matters most.

Caring Compassion— From time to time, we face adversities of health, finance, relationships, crises, and pain. Across the street, across the nation, and around the world, poverty, injustice, violence, abuse, bad behaviors, and persistent oppression affects millions of people. I am grateful for the gifts that our community of faith represents that expresses God’s love and abundance. I celebrate the ways we are working to address our communities’ challenges with more and more of what I call Farming Events— transformational events that are designed to create connections between the community of faith and the community at large. Our hospitality, generosity, worship, witness, and collaborative community work have planted seeds and increased our capacity to show God’s love. Thank you!

Merry Christmas From Our Team—Along with our staff (Jayne, Judy, Scott, Chris, and Bob), our leadership team (session), and our caring team (deacons), I thank you for the privilege of serving greater Cape May with you. We are committed to surprising and delighting you with the spiritual and community resources you need to be a blessing With impact where God sends you every day. I offer prayers of gratitude for you, your families, and the communities we serve all year long.

May you experience God’s Grace, and express Gratitude this Advent and Christmas season!

On the ADVENTure with you,

Pastor Kevin

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