Memorial Day Theme - Sacrifice as a Gift of Love
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This week's message:Sacrifice
Memorial Day is a special time to honor those who have given their lives for a noble cause. In the US it is officially designated as a day for remembering and honoring people who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. One such young person is honored with a plaque in Sunrise Chapel's Memorial Garden. He died in the arms of a medic while serving in the Korean War. The medic is a former member of Sunrise Chapel, George Reynolds. For 65 years, though George did not
ever know the name of the soldier (he referred to him as Dave), he mourned his death and his inability to save him from his fate. Since George died in March, 2016, I picture the Lord blessing their reunion in the spiritual world. It must have been a very meaningful and therapeutic re-connection.
This Memorial Day weekend, we thank you, Dave, for your sacrifice and your service. And we also thank you, George, for your service and especially for so deeply honoring the lives of young people, including Dave, who gave their lives for the cause of freedom.
Afterthoughts about last week's message on Loneliness
By the responses from a variety of people last week, our service on loneliness seemed very useful to many. It's the first time I've preached on that topic specifically, and I felt honored to share a perspective on it from John 15. Afterwards, I got a little more clarity about the 3 tools I was referring to, so I'm sharing them here. These are based on what the Lord taught about "going to prepare a place for you," then "coming back to receive you," and finally "I am the way." So here are the
3 steps:
#1 Open a place in your heart... to prepare for a connection with God or another person
#2 Open your calendar or planner... to actually schedule an appointment to connect
#3 Pray and be open to the Lord... to show you the way to connect and lead you out of loneliness
May we all be blessed by our efforts!
A Few Upcoming Special Items
1) On Sunday June 2, please welcome Jeremy Rose as our guest preacher. Although he is not an ordained minister, he is co-author of a book about preaching, and he is a regular lay preacher at a Swedenborgian Church where he lives in
Minnesota.
2) Sunday June 9, during the luncheon, we will hold our Annual Church Meeting (see below).
Our Annual Church Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 9
Please see more details below. Consider coming and participating in this important meeting during the luncheon after the church service on Sunday, June 9.
I will be looking into the option of live streaming this meeting so that folks can participate remotely. More information to come.
Please Consider a Fiscal-Year-End Donation to Sunrise Chapel's General Fund
As the end of our fiscal year draws near (June 30), our treasurer, Bill Smith, is crunching numbers to provide a report at the upcoming Annual Meeting on June 9. Sunrise Chapel receives generous grants from various places for various specific projects, but the bottom line is that Sunrise Chapel's General
Fund must cover the difference between the grants we receive and our expenses. The General Fund needs your financial support, especially before the end of June. Any additional donations actually will make a difference.
You can make a PayPal donation anytime from our website page: sunrisechapel.org/donate/
Feel free to speak to Bill directly or any Board member for more information.
Thank you for your dedication and support of Sunrise Chapel's many uses.
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Home for Sale in Kempton, Pennsylvania
Carolyn Casertano, a member of Sunrise Chapel, has information for anyone interested about the sale of the home and farmland of her father, Chris, and his wife, Heather Smith who are moving to Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. The address of the property they are selling is 741 Old Philly Pike, Kempton, PA 19529. If you know anyone interested, contact Carolyn locally, or call the
Smiths at 610-756-4050.
With love and respect,
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THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
11 am Worship Service - Memorial Day Theme
12 noon LUNCHEON
MONDAY 5/27/2018
No Tai Chi class today (Basic)
6:30 pm Bereavement Support Group
WEDNESDAY 5/29/2019
11 am Tai Chi (Yang 24)
7 pm Women's Group - Contact Elise Gladish for details
11 am Worship Service - Guest Preacher Jeremy Rose
12 pm Luncheon
Introducing a new
song this Sunday
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For our Memorial Day worship service this Sunday, our musicians will be introducing a song that is new to us. It's called "Instruments of Your Peace" with words and music by Kirk Dearman and Deby Dearman.
If you want to listen to a version of it ahead of time, just look up the information on YouTube. Or here’s a link to one rendition, including lyrics.
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Annual Church
Meeting - Sunday June 9 at 12:15 pm
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This is the bell in our Chapel that reminds us and our neighbors that our Sunday worship service is beginning. By gathering together to worship the Lord and by welcoming more people to be involved, we bring
the Lord's church to life.
THANK YOU for sharing your love, your friendship, your creativity and talents, your interest in spiritual growth, and your willingness to support the variety of activities that happen in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the sake of His church on earth.
Annual "Church" Meeting
Each year the legal By-Laws of the church as a non-profit corporation require us to hold an Annual Congregational Meeting with a quorum of members. This year our meeting will be Sunday, June 9 starting at 12:15 pm, during the luncheon. There are two main items of business: 1) Election of officers and
trustees and 2) Approval of the coming year's budget. There will also be a few reports on progress as well as explanations of plans for the coming year.
I hope you can participate and that you will consider it time well spent as we consider, together, how to implement the Lord's will for the growth of His church in our hearts, minds, and lives.
With love and respect,
Nathan
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Arizona Mountain
Camp - July 9-14
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This summer, our beloved family summer camp will be held at the same place as last year, 40 miles north of Globe, AZ, in the mountains just northeast of Lake Roosevelt. This camp has good creature-comforts for all ages, and it is very affordable. There will also be some
financial assistance for those who need it. We don’t want money to keep anyone away.
The site is owned and managed by the Arizona Elks Lodge to benefit children. Last year was our first time there, and people loved it.
Anyone is invited to be part of the planning team. Linda Waddell and Christine Morey have once again offered to organize meal planning and preparation. Yay! There will be opportunities for worship, small groups, and plenty of down time to enjoy friendships in the peace and quiet of this lovely mountain
forest.
We expect to welcome friends from our sister church in Phoenix this year!
SCHEDULE: The first full day of camp will be Wednesday, July 10 and the final day will be Sunday, July 14. (Tuesday, July 9 will be the set-up day.)
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A Reading for
this Sunday's 11 am Worship Service
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Jesus Puts into Perspective the Ancient Practice of Sacrifices
Mark 12:28-34
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
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Your church home for partnering with the Lord and each other in the practice of cultivating spiritual growth and choosing heavenly joy www.sunrisechapel.org nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245 |
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