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Who are you?

Who are you? A powerful and life changing question to pose to ourselves. We see a lot in our world today about identity. Many things compete to tell us which aspect of our lives should be the primary marker of our identity. Your career, your family, your interests, your skills, your school, your hobbies and many other countless things could be used by you and others to define who you are. None of the categories listed above can capture the entirety of who you are now or who you are meant to be in the future. Scripture tells us that all of the things we base our lives upon that are not ...

Local church briefs

Free ice cream BEECH CREEK — Beech Creek Wesleyan Church is having a Free Ice Cream Sunday. Stop by and get a free dish of ice cream, fellowship with the Church and our neighbors. Invite someone to come with you! Free Ice Cream Sunday will be held on Sunday, Sept. 17 from 4-6 p.m. Come and go as you can! Beech Creek Wesleyan Church is located at 217 Main St. in Beech Creek. Special concert Sugar Valley Church of the Brethren 2305 East Winter Road, Loganton, is inviting everyone to a special concert in the grove on Sunday, Sept. 17 starting at 3:30 p.m. Jeremy Goodling will be ...

The pattern for prayer that God wants to hear

Prayer is a fundamental component of every religion that recognizes a sovereign deity, including biblical Christianity. It is therefore no accident that Jesus gave prayer special emphasis when he instructed his disciples on worship that pleases God (See Matthew 6:1-18). This raises the question: What matters most in prayer? The answers to that question are found in the pattern for prayer, given by Jesus, and by the crucial explanation with which he concluded that pattern. This pattern, commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer” is found in Matthew 6:9-15 and Luke 11:2-4. In this ...

Local church briefs

Clothing Available Bargains and Blessings Community Closet’s mobile thrift store will be open on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the First Commonwealth Bank, Main Street, Beech Creek, weather permitting. Gently used clothing, shoes and accessories for the entire family are available in sizes from infants through 3X. There is an abundance of children’s clothing available. Items are priced at $5 per bag full and bags will be furnished. Bargains and Blessings Community Closet is an outreach ministry of Faith Chapel UMC that serves Beech Creek, ...

Sins commonly swept under the rug

Sadly, it is common for many of today’s Christians to sweep some sins under the rug. By rationalizing that the sin is “not that bad,” sins can easily be “swept away.” Even though it is common to sweep sins under the rug, we should not. God tells us to confess our sins and He will forgive us (1 John 1:9). Here are five sins some “Christians” may try to sweep under the rug: 1. Pride — The first sin that is common to sweep under the rug is pride. As a biblical definition, pride includes “ideas of arrogance, cynical insensitivity to the needs of others and presumption. ...

Local church briefs

Community worship/picnic LAMAR — St. Mark Lutheran Church (850 Snydertown Road, Howard) will be holding a community worship and picnic Sept. 10 at Porter Township Recreation Park, in Lamar. All are invited to attend. The worship and potluck picnic will be under Pavilion 1 at the park. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. with an informal worship service, followed by a potluck picnic and free time in the park. For those planning to attend, if you would like to bring food to share, that is welcome, but you do not need to bring food to attend the event. Anyone attending also is invited to ...