Author: Church Office

As we enter November, gratitude becomes a natural theme woven into our lives. Surrounded by the beauty of fall, we’re reminded of the many blessings God provides daily, both seen and unseen. Gratitude is not just a feeling but a choice we make to see God’s hand in every part of our journey.

This month, we’re reflecting on what it means to live with a heart of gratitude. Gratitude invites us to find joy in small moments, to recognize the strength we gain from challenges, and to see each person in our lives as a gift. Ephesians 5:20 reminds us to “give thanks always and for everything to God the Father.” When we cultivate gratitude, we grow closer to God and are better equipped to share His love with others.

Our church community has several opportunities this month to express and live out gratitude. Join us for our next Second Sunday event. We will be expressing our gratitude to our service members by taking up a collection of care items for patients at the Lebanon VA hospital. We are also putting our Help Thy Neighbor Fund to use with a donation to the Food Hub. The Food Hub along with area congregations are working on addressing the acute homelessness issue in downtown Lancaster. Some of these funds will be used to connect our houseless neighbors to much needed resources such as porta potties as we wait for the shelter construction at Otterbein Methodist Church to be finished. I am grateful for your generosity and the ability we have to be able to respond to urgent needs such as this.

Gratitude is contagious—it lifts us, strengthens us, and brings us closer to one another and to God. Let us carry this heart of gratitude into every day, allowing it to transform the way we live, give, and worship.

The Church office is planning to update our directory of Congregation members. Please fill out the form with your contact info. If you prefer to submit your own photo (either as individuals or as a family), please include one here. If you have questions, please contact Tim Brixius at brix11@gmail.com.
We will be offering to take photos after upcoming services on Nov. 17.

Picture Directory Form

Second Sunday Donations

For November 10^th’s Second Sunday event we will be collecting items for the Lebanon Veterans Hospital.  You can place your items on the collection table in the Narthex or bring them to Second Sunday. A list of items is attached below

There are seasons of our collective lives when we realize that it is all just a bit too much.  Right now, there is a bit too much stress, there is a bit too much negativity, there is a bit too much polarization. And surely, this is a product of our life politic. We are surrounded by messages telling us we must think in a certain way. It tells us who we should be mad at, what we should be afraid of, and who then we should put into power.

If we live our lives oriented towards the Holy Spirit, we will recognize that fear and manipulation are tools of the very power structure that Jesus came to flip on its head. We are looking for the fruits of the Spirit, in our actions, and in the actions of those we wish to align ourselves with. And what are those? From Galatians 5:22-23 the list says they are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To cultivate these fruits this season, you may need to do a few things, like muting the commercials and turning off the 24-hour news cycle.  And recognize that you may be feeling some kind of way about the state of the world, about your own life, your own health, your relationships. But rather than giving in to the pain, rather than surrendering yourself and handing your power over to the pain, become a revolutionary. Joy can be a revolutionary act in the face of despair. Give yourself permission to recognize its fingerprints and hold onto it, even if it’s momentary.

When you finally realize that joy

is less fireworks

more firefly

less orchestra

more birdsong

she will come back much more often

for joy will not fight

with the fast pace of this life

she is not in the shiny or the new

she breathes in the basic

shimmers in the simple

and dances in the daily to and fro

joy has been beckoning you

for many a year my friend

you were just too busy doing, to see

the very next time joy wraps

her quiet warmth around you

as the garden embraces your weary body

in its wildness

tip her a nod

you cannot force her to stay

but if you are a gracious host

joy comes back.

Donna Ashworth