Blissfield Emmanuel UMC

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6

In January we spent some time looking at the beginning of Jesus’    ministry. We looked at the statements He made to His first disciples “Come and See” and “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” We also recognized that those statements made so long ago still apply to us today. Jesus is still in the disciple making business. He still has something to show each of us, somewhere for us to follow. Sometimes it is easy to let life step in and consume our time and focus. We all have plenty of things to keep us busy at work, at home, at school, with children or friends or family.

That is why I love Jesus’ statement in John, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” Too often we let the way of the world dictate our actions, we let the “truth” of the world become our truth, we seek the life that the world tells us we should seek. My hope for all of us as we continue through this season of Epiphany is that we take time to seek out Jesus amongst all the noise in the world around us.

Take time each day and dedicate it to the Lord. Read the Scriptures, follow a devotional, sing, or pray, whatever it is that allows you to seek Jesus. Jesus is still calling to us, “Come and See” what I have in store for you…”Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Jesus is the way, Jesus is the truth, Jesus is the life…Let us make it so in our lives this and every day.

God Bless, Pastor Devin

To read the rest of the February newsletter, click here: february-2017

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Luke 2:10-11

It’s that time of year, isn’t it? The time of year when the days never seem to have enough hours. The time of year when there is always more for us to do. The time of year when we have this party or that gathering to go to. The time of year when we sometimes wish we could just take a minute to breathe and relax.

As most of you know we were blessed with the arrival of our 3rd child on November 19th. The new addition has certainly brought new challenges to our household and made some things a little bit more hectic during these first couple of weeks. Taking a moment to breathe and relax just has not been in the cards much around our house.

But there is something else that I have discovered in this time of uncertainty and change.

It is the peace that can only come in having a tiny newborn child fast asleep on your chest.

Even as I write this letter my daughter has taken her perch upon my chest and from the sound of her breathing is catching quite a nap. It makes me stop and wonder how Mary and Joseph felt on that cold night so long ago. They were most definitely looking at an uncertain future before them. What did the birth of this child mean for them? What did it means for the world?

But I also believe that even with that uncertain future before them they also experienced the beautiful peace of their newborn child.

My hope for all of us is that we can experience some time there this Advent season. Take time to tune out the world and tune in to God. Remember that the birth of a child, in a simple manger, was a reason for great joy for ALL people. Let us all experience that peace and joy in our own lives this month.

God bless,

Pastor Devin.

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-Romans 8:38-39

What a whirlwind! If you are like me, you find it hard to believe that we are already coming up on the month of September. While this summer may have flown by, it has also reminded me of one thing: God is good. I have seen this time and again when those difficult situations arise for members of our church or members of our community. People stepping forward to

provide assistance when the call comes in. People stepping forward to share the love of God.

For all those ministries, all that activity, all of it would be in vain were it not for the love and grace of our heavenly Father. It is because of that love and grace that we are all called into service, in whatever manner it takes. When the request for help goes out people are there to respond. I want to encourage all of us to keep that spirit alive as we move into the fall season. It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the back-to-school activities, the changing weather, all the demands that are placed on our time.

Perhaps that is why Paul’s words to the Romans in chapter 8 stood out to me today. No matter what may come before us, what challenge, what barrier, what obstacle, there is NOTHING in this world, or any other, that can separate us from the never-ending love of God. Whatever you face this day, remember that you don’t face it alone, for those who love Christ with their whole hearts are never alone.

Thanks be to God! Praise be to God!

Pastor Devin.

“For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Luke 11:10

I found myself in a bit of a state of shock when the email arrived from Elizabeth stating that the August newsletter would be going to print and she needed articles submitted for it. How could it be August    already? While we have definitely enjoyed quite the heat wave here it still seems to me like Summer just began. I guess that is a testament to how busy our lives can get when we let them.

Throughout July we spent some time in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Paul’s letter was written to       encourage, motivate and offer hope to those new Christians in Colossae. As we find ourselves on the tail end of the “Dog Days of Summer” I encourage all of us to turn to those words of encouragement found in the Bible. Open up and read and remember the greatest story ever told. As we begin to gear up for a new school year and the end of summer let us all take time to focus on our own relationship with Christ and not just the never ending to­do list or calendar appointments. Make time this day to read your Bible, to spend time in prayer and to rejoice in the hope offered us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God Bless, Pastor Devin

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13

I had to do a double take when I looked at my calendar only to realize it was already July. I guess I should have realized it by the beautiful warm weather I have been out enjoying. But I think the reason it really caught me off guard is that it also marks my one year anniversary of being here at Emmanuel. Looking back I cannot believe how time has flown. It all seems like a bit of a whirlwind at this point.

I do want to thank all of you at Emmanuel who have graciously received me as I have taken on this new role. I have spent my whole life in the Church in some capacity or another but I was still in for a whole new education on what it really takes to make a Church run. I am thankful for all of those faithful      volunteers who have helped with our various ministries. I am also thankful for all your kind words as I have continued to work and grow as your pastor these past 12 months. I truly appreciate your words of encouragement but also your suggestions and ideas for improvements. I know that I am nowhere near a finished product in God’s eyes. I think that is part of the reason that the verse from Philippians stood out to me this month. It isn’t always an easy road before us, but we know the power of the one who is with us through all of life’s ups and downs. Our heavenly father loves us and strengthens us for the trials we will face. That unending love will continue to guide and strengthen each of us and our Church as we continue forward in ministry together.

Looking forward to another year in service to the King of Kings,

Pastor Devin

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! ­­Psalm 118:1

              As I reflected on the words of the psalmist, that will be our memory verse for the month of May, I found myself pulled to the phrase, “for he is good.”

I began wondering what does the goodness of God look like, how does it manifest in our lives today. Then I simply had to look out the window and I was given a great example. The sun was shining, birds chirping and kids were playing, the goodness of God is all around us, it is present in all of creation. We can see proof of the goodness of God in the life-sustaining provisions He supplies—from crops that provide food, to the very air we breathe. But we can also see it in the goodness in each one of us and the desire placed in each one of us to do good. True selfless, sacrificial goodness comes from the One who is perfectly good and wants good things for all people. The goodness of God is at the core of our Christian faith. It is because of His desire for our good that we were provided salvation through Jesus Christ. Our goal should be to show the goodness of God to others every day.

In this season of new life I encourage all of us to stop, take a moment, and rejoice in the goodness that God has placed in your own life. Remember that you are God’s child and God’s love for you is unfailing. I hope to see you Sunday morning, when we gather to celebrate and worship the goodness of our God.

God Bless,

Pastor Devin

If you are interested in joining us for our Christmas Eve service it will be held at 7:30pm.  It will be a service to celebrate the hope, love, joy and peace of this very special season.  We look forward to seeing you there!

God Bless,
Pastor Devin

We have been busy here at Emmanuel!

October saw us back into the full swing of our Wednesday night gatherings. If you have not joined us in the past we would love to have you! We start the

evening at 6pm each week with a community meal and then we divide into a number of classes for people of all ages, from the Preschool all the way up to Adult class. All are invited, so feel free to invite family or friends to join us.

On top of the Wednesday night program Judy Sampson has kept us all in the loop on the items that Syd & Liz Doyle are collecting to take to the Syrian

refugees. We have collected quite a few items and are always happy to add more to the pile. I look forward to continuing our momentum into November.

If you are interested in participating in this year’s Christmas program keep your eyes and ears peeled as Nicole Raker is just starting to put together the

beginning stages of this year’s program. There is room for people of all ages to participate so if you are interested let Pastor Devin or Nicole know.

As we continue to serve this month I encourage us to be mindful of Paul’s words to the Colossians.

Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Let us continue to shine Jesus’ light out to the world through both our actions and our words. Let us lift up those who hurt, those who need the love and

encouragement that can only be found in our Lord and Savior.

God Bless,

Pastor Devin

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

It is an exciting time at Emmanuel. As we begin a new month we have our Wednesday night    program getting back into full gear. We had a great kickoff with over fifty people enjoying good food, as well as fun times and fellowship. If you have never joined us before, we meet every Wednesday at 6:00 pm for a meal together, and then break into the different classes at 6:30.   Lawson will be leading the adult Wednesday night class through Believe which is a sort of follow up to The Story and the kids will be learning from a series called Deep Blue which looks to be a great adventure through the Bible. If you missed Mark’s announcement during service, the Adult Sunday School class that meets at 9:15 Sunday morning will also be starting a new book in      November. It sounds like the book will be a great jumping off point to take a deeper look at your faith and relationship with Christ. If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask Mark or   myself. Our other Sunday School classes have also started back up and it sounds like the youth are cooking something up and I am looking forward to seeing the final result in October. Lots of     exciting things are going on around here!

We closed out the book of James at the end of September and in the final chapter James spoke of the importance of prayer. This has been in my thoughts a great deal since reading that scripture. We speak of prayer often, we lift up the names of those who need prayer weekly during service, all of us are in need of prayer in our life. I want to continue to encourage all of us to be a people of prayer. Prayer is not just us talking to God, but it is also God responding back to us. There is power in prayer and as we move into this new month I would challenge us all to take Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians to heart and to, “Pray without ceasing.”

Blessings,

Pastor Devin

Is it really September already?  I’m sure I am not alone in saying that the summer just flew by way too fast.  It may have had something to do with that cheetah Checkers showing us all how to move fast during VBS a couple weeks back.  Speaking of VBS we had an awesome week learning about God through stories, games, crafts and music.  We had over 30 kids throughout the week with many of them scoring perfect attendance by coming every night!

As we move into the Fall season we expect lots of changes to take place.  The days get shorter, the weather changes, the leaves begin to change and our schedules change.  Kids are back to school and the calendar starts to fill up real fast with any number of events and responsibilities.  My challenge for all of us in this busy, hectic time is to make a point of finding time for God.  Whether it be in personal study or as part of one of the classes or groups offered at Emmanuel spend time worshiping and praying to our Lord.

Someone shared a quote with me recently, “When we wear out the hinges on the doors we will replace the hinges.”  That really struck a chord with me.  Let’s work on wearing those hinges out.  As we move into a season of change let’s work to identify needs in our community and our world and more importantly let’s work to meet those needs.  Let’s make Emmanuel a beacon of hope in the community, a place where people know they are cared for, a place that shares the love of our Lord and Savior.  May we work to show this community that we are God’s people and we want to share His    unconditional love with all.
God Bless,

Pastor Devin