June 2025 - Fellowship Report

Overall, our efforts regarding Fellowship remain strong. We continue to see over 80% of our attending congregation coming to Faith Hall after every Sunday service to enjoy a beverage, snack and pleasant conversations. Thank you to everyone that has signed up to handle the month of May. Your efforts are much appreciated.

Our next evening event is planned for Friday, May 16, starting at 6pm. This event will include sandwiches, a veggie tray, soda and water and a night of Jeopardy with 50 questions ranging for animals and Hollywood to the 4 Gospels and cooking. Everyone is invited, including friends and family.

Currently we have our June event planned for Friday, June 13. We are looking at offering a movie night (and unfortunately NO, Pastor Mike won’t let us show “Friday the 13th”). We have a large blowup screen we will be using, so bring a friend. If you have movie suggestions, reach out to me or Judy.

Take care.

- Tom & Judy

June 2025 - Moderator's Report

First off, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who takes time from their busy schedule to volunteer - providing their experience, talents and time to help make our community strong, efficient and an effective force in supporting the opening statement on our new website: “No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”

Regarding our website, special thanks from all of us to Candice for our new website! It is extremely well done and does an excellent job representing who we are and what we stand for to the surrounding community and to the entire globe. Words cannot properly express my appreciation. And thank you to Jade as well, who helped make this possible and has agreed to maintain our website going forward.

Even though we have seen the conclusion of another season, attendance, both in the sanctuary on Sunday’s and watching remotely, continues to be strong. It was truly amazing to hear that our newest visitors last Sunday discovered us through our new website. It is my hope that we will continue to spread our message to the outside world – so in these times of stress, pain, anger and hate, we can offer a shining light to those that are lost, hurting or simply looking for a new way forward.

More to come…

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” - Winston Churchill

Thank you and may God Bless.

- Tom Cartwright

June 2025 - From The Pastor's Desk

“They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love”

Several weeks ago, we encountered John 13:31-35. It is the portion of John’s Gospel that contains the New Commandment, “to love one another as I have loved you.” We were treated to that same passage during our Maundy Thursday worship service. Jesus is sitting with his disciples, preparing for them to live without his physical presence. He is going deep into the teachings that will sustain them in those times.

As I was preaching from this text, I referenced a very old hymn, that probably most of us know at least one verse by heart, “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love”, written in 1925 by Peter Scholtes. The first line goes, “We are One in the Spirit, we are One in the Lord, We are One in the Spirit, we are One in the Lord, and we pray that all unity may one day be restored: And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Now try to get the tune out of your head 😊!

The hymn is based on a quote of John 13:35. Verse 34-35 actually reads, “ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (NRSVUE). Did you catch it? There is a subtle, but so very important change of the passage from John. What this hymn has been teaching congregations since 1922 is that people will be able to identify us as Christians by how we love. Though that is not a bad intent, it isn’t what Jesus said.

There is a big problem in biblical accuracy in this beloved hymn. You see, Jesus was not a Christian. The first Apostles were not Christian. The Chrisitan church would not be until late in the first, early into the second century C.E. What the text ACTUALLY says is, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus wasn’t trying to establish a new religion. He was trying to get his followers then and now to be identified by HOW we love and how it is different than how the “world” loves. Jesus’ teachings are the guiding principles that lead us to offer the love of God in Christ Jesus to not only those in the pews with us, but those beyond the pews. Jesus didn’t differentiate between those in the church and those outside it when it came to loving. Jesus practiced unconditional love (agape, God’s love) with all whom He came into contact. This is one of the essential teachings of the Followers of the Way, the first incarnation of what would become the Chrisitan tradition some one hundred years later.

Not that I am a hard line traditionalist, but should the hymn be sung as, We are One In The Spirit, We are One in the Lord, We are One in the Spirit, We are One in the Lord, And we pray that all unity may one day be restored, An they’ll know we’re disciples by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we’re disciples by our love.” Kind of changes the meaning, doesn’t it? Rather than insisting the title of Christian, we are defined by love, as Christ’s disciples.

For another day is how we are known by the love with which we treat others 😉 Blessings!