LIVING and LOVING in LODI      October 25, 2020

from Pastor Pam…. 

Reformation Sunday
This Sunday we celebrate Reformation Sunday. On this day we remember the bravery of Martin Luther, Roman Catholic vowed religious and professor, who nailed his 95 critiques of church practice on the church door in Wittenberg in 1517. We also recall John Wesley, whose life spanned the 1700s; Founder of the movement, mocked as

 “Methodism” for its emphasis on accountable, and shall I say structured, intentional spiritual growth. Wesley invited the church of his day to recover its authentic zeal for The Gospel— he challenged his followers to live lives of true personal and social holiness. The outward forms of bland, conventional religion were no substitute for a real commitment to the journey of sanctification— becoming like Jesus!  Like Jesus, both of these men stood in protest against ways of being religious that were socially acceptable but not biblically faithful.   Throughout the ages there are those brave disciples who speak up for the Loving Way of God; they do so in public forums, workplaces, and family gatherings as well as churches and mission fields.  They speak with words or work or witness. I pray that individually and together as a church family, we will pray and work bravely to re-form the world in which we live each day in the image of Christ!

 

 

Weekly Scripture:     Matthew 22: 34-40    (NRSV)                                                           

The Greatest Commandment

³⁴ When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, ³⁵ and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” ³⁷ He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

 

Hymns   #384 “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”    (verses 1,2,4)  

               #393 “Spirit of the Living God”        

               #408 “The Gift of Love”     (verses 1,2,3)

 

Noteworthy News and Needs  

~Last Sunday's service was streamed live on Facebook, but was unable to be saved as a link to send out to everyone.  Again, we ask for your patience as all of this is a work in progress.  The service can still be viewed on the church's Facebook page. 

~We are back in the sanctuary, BUT still on Facebook AND YouTube!!!!  The link will come Sunday afternoon (after the service) in an e-mail. You MUST click the link to be able to watch the service as it is private on YouTube. 

Meeting:  November 1, there will be meeting after worship to begin praying and planning for our Lodi United Methodist Church 100 year celebration. Contact Rev. Pam or Larry Scott with any questions.

  ~United Methodist Women - All women are welcome; the group meets the second Saturday of the month at 9:30 in Fellowship Hall. Contact: Chris Sparr 

~Have you checked out the ramp project!  It will be finished before we know it!

 

Clothe My Sheep Recap – from Katrina Morgan:

What do you get when you mix thousands of items of clothing, hundreds of prayers, dozens of volunteers, and one empathetic and impassioned church? 

Answer: One very successful Clothe My Sheep!

You all touched the lives of many people last Saturday. Whether you donated items, volunteered your time (thank you, thank, you, thank you!), or prayed for the event, you had an impact. The overall number of visitors was down this year. We think we had a little under 60 walk through the door. Whether that was due to Covid, the time of year, or splitting the school supplies into a separate date, we will never know. 

However, each person spent a long time shopping. The majority were moms and grandmas shopping for kids and family, and they literally took out garbage bags full of clothing and coats.  We emptied 9 full tables of clothing, reduced what was hanging by half, and gave away 95% of the kids coats. That's a good day! Each shopper was so very grateful. 

There was a woman there with her son, but shopping for five children. She left with a bag for each of them. With tears in her eyes, she asked if we took donations. I said, "No, that's not necessary. We just want to help." She insisted and not knowing what else to do, I retrieved one of our offering boxes from the sanctuary and placed it on a table by the clothing.  I turned away, busy with other things and didn't think about it again until the end. 

Later, when I opened the box, there was a dollar bill and some change--a little over $2.00 total.   It brought tears to my eyes because I knew she gave everything she had at the time. And, so Lodi UMC, did you. 

It reminded me of the parable of the Widow's Offering...

Mark 12: 41-44 

  "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

 

Advent Booklet:    We still need a few articles.  PLEASE consider it!!!!  You can write it.  It can be a poem.  It can be a song. 

For your devotional article you will need: scripture, your article, a prayer

Nov. 29 - Dec. 5 - theme is HOPE                         Dec. 6 - Dec. 12 - theme is PEACE

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19 - theme is JOY  (all dates are taken)   Dec. 20 - Dec. 26 - theme is LOVE

If you are interested in sharing an article, please e-mail, text or call me with the date.  We have had such thoughtful booklets in the past - looking forward to doing it again this year!  Dottie

 

Got News or Needs or Prayer Concerns?  Please share them with Dottie or Pastor Pam so we can include them for learning and loving. 

                                                                 

The Lodi Tech Team:

We had our first meeting on October 2nd. Thank you Re. Donna Van Trees, Bob Wooley and Colin Laughlin for stepping up!  We will find ways to make our audio and video better, including PowerPoint, Testing Microphones, adding lighting, etc.  We’re thrilled to be reaching so many people virtually. Our World Communion Sunday Service had 78 views on Facebook and 30 views through our private site on YouTube! There are many ideas on how to better utilize these opportunities. We could use a few more members on our team! Text Katrina if interested or with ideas. (330-819-6890)

 

 A Race For Hope Sponsored By: The Firelands District Youth Council Enter to walk or run a virtual 5k/1Mile walk anytime between Halloween until Thanksgiving Sat. Oct. 31, 2020- Thurs. Nov. 21, 2020 @11:59pm in order to benefit the LaTannerie Methodist School in Haiti and the Manos Juntas Mission in Mexico!

The Basics: - This event is taking place virtually, so you can walk or run a 5k/1mile wherever you are!!! - The registration fee is $25 for virtual event participation and will include a t-shirt for everyone who signs up. You can also gather pledges or donations to go with your registration fee! - Mail your registration fee and donations to the Firelands District Office, 3 Stower Ln., Unit 5 Norwalk, OH 44857. Just be sure to include your name and intent to participate in the 5k/1Mile walk in the envelope! Make checks payable to the Firelands District and put 5K/1Mile walk on the memo line. - Email Blair Porter @ blairbear72320002@gmail.com with any questions.

https://www.eocumc.com/window/NovDec2020/Fall5Race4Hope.pdf

 

You can mail your offerings to:  Lodi UMC, PO Box 3, Lodi, OH  44254 

 

Rev. Pamela Buzalka       (216)-704-0307        pamelab23@hotmail.com