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Worship Schedule Update

March 13, 2020

 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”—Isaiah 41:10

Dear Members and Friends of Armstrong Chapel,

 Due to the unprecedented nature of the Corona virus Pandemic, and the continuously changing situation, our highest priority must be the health and safety of our family and friends. Based on the recommendations of Governor DeWine and Bishop Palmer, the Leadership of Armstrong Chapel has decided to cancel all worship services for this Sunday, March 15 and March 22.  We will continue to review how and when we will resume normal worship services.

However, we have decided that we will continue our ministries and small group gatherings.  These decisions will be left up to individual leaders and their groups. If you have questions or individual needs, please contact your group leader directly. During this period, we will not share any food or beverages at Armstrong Chapel. Please note that the Wednesday Lenten gathering will still be held but without dinner.

 We strongly urge that individuals in high risk groups take all the necessary steps to protect themselves and avoid group gatherings.

 Because of the short notice, we ask that you reach out to family and friends to make sure they are aware of this announcement. Phone calls and word of mouth will guarantee that everyone is informed.

Over the next two weeks we will be providing spiritual resources and connections to one another. Should you have individual needs contact the church office and staff. Our prayers will continue. Thank you again for your understanding and patience during these trying times.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. David W. Brown
Lead Pastor    

Jay VanWinkle
Leadership Team Chair

 

 

Posted by David Brown with

United

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God calls the people of faith to live in unity with one another, so it is important to make every effort to live together in harmony with other fellow believers. Three key quotes from the New International Version of Scripture read:

1 Corinthians 1:10 
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

Ephesians 4:11-13
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Colossians 3:13-14
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Unity is more than a philosophy or a posture.  Unity, according to Jesus in John 17, is the reflection of the nature of the Father and the Son.  In Paul’s letters, he uses the illustration of the body: Romans 12:4, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,” and 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit...”

This unity is not something that we must work to achieve or attain. It already exists. It does not refer to organizational unity, but rather to the organic unity which the Holy Spirit produces when He baptizes us all into the one body of Christ through the new birth. Christ broke down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles and brought them together in the one new creation. Paul makes a bold declaration when he says: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus”—Galatians 3:28 (NRSV).

There will be much discussion about unity as we approach the Special Session of the General Conference to be held on February 23-26 in St. Louis. See more information of this gathering of the UMC.  My prayer is that we will not lose sight of the Biblical mandate of unity and the power such collective strength will reflect from the church to a world that is often fractured and easily divided. In Christ we are One!

 Grace and Peace,

David

Posted by David Brown with
in UMC

Moved to Pray - Our Response to God's Call Continues

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As the Special Session draws nearer (Feb. 23 - 26), you may have questions about what it all means. Understanding what's happening just became easier.

Get the Tools to Help

The Way Forward Report Summary

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What is a special session of General Conference?

The Council of Bishops (all active and retired United Methodist bishops) or General Conference itself may call a special session of the assembly to deal with a specific issue facing the church, be that missional, bureaucratic, theological or cultural (BOD ¶14). The special session may only deal with the business defined in the call unless two-thirds or more of the delegates vote to consider other matters. Most of the delegates to a special session will have served in the previous General Conference.

This particular special session will address the unity of the church and the theological impasse related to human sexuality specifically the church’s ministry with, by and for LGBTQ individuals. Delegates will receive the report of the Commission on the Way Forward, which the 2016 General Conference authorized. Pending a review by the Judicial Council — the denomination’s highest court – for constitutionality, three plans (submitted as petitions to change the Discipline) will presented in the report. The delegates, acting as a single legislative committee, will then discuss and discern which proposal they want to refine. The Judicial Council’s rulings are expected in late October.

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