The Salem UMC writing class will resume meetings on the first Tuesday in September (1st) at 5:15pm.

Anyone with a flair for and/or love of writing is invited to attend.  This is a very informal (and congenial) group that meets twice per month and each member prepares a writing based on an assigned topic.  Sometimes we’re serious, sometimes funny, at other times sentimental… or philosophical… or nostalgic… or inventive.

This is a fun way to learn how to express your thoughts without fear of criticism or embarrassment.  Come on in – YOU’LL LOVE IT!

ATTENTION ALL SALEM UMC MEMBERS:

Saturday morning, September 19th, there will be a Church Spectacular from 9am-12. (Snacks at 8:30!)

This is a going to be a sharing of ideas and information that will be critical to our church life and YOU are cordially invited.  There will be a 30-minute introduction, followed by small groups dealing with the Who, When, Where, and Why of your church board and pastor.

The scheduling will allow you to attend two of the four small group sessions.  PLEASE attend!

If you’ve been paying attention, Pastor Doug’s messages have drawn from Brian McLaren’s book “Everything must change.”

Here’s the link to the website: everythingmustchange.org Lots of good stuff there along the lines of the practical ministry we’ve been hearing about.

Enjoy!

The church library has been the recipient of a large number of Christian fiction books, as well as non-fiction.  Sara Pines was the generous donor (thanks!).  The books have all been processed and can be found in the first section of shelves in the door.   Come get some!!!

Today, we’re putting the spotlight on one of our Sunday morning Christian growth classes, the “Faithlink” group.

This class follows the Faithlink series, distributed by the United Methodist Church.  It focuses on current events that are in the news or are of concern to us Methodists.  Topics range from prayer to the environment to politics to pretty much anything you can think of!  It’s usually a pretty lively discussion. The idea is to learn to see these (sometimes touchy) topics through a Christian viewpoint.

Since this class has a different topic each week, you don’t have to worry about when to start – just come on in!  It meets in the last room on the right down the Education Hall.

If you have an idea for a “Spotlight on,” please send it to the Communications Team! (Use the form over there)

The Fourteenth Station: Jesus Is Laid In The Tomb.

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Story: They take the body of Jesus to its resting place. The huge stone over the tomb is the final sign of the permanence of death. In this final act of surrender, who would have imagined this tomb would soon be empty or that Jesus would show himself alive to his disciples, or that they would recognize him in the breaking of bread? Oh, that our hearts might burn within us, as we realize how he had to suffer and die so as to enter into his glory, for us.

Prayer: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Meditation: I pause to contemplate this act of closure on his life. In solidarity with all humanity, his body is taken to its grave.

I stand for a moment outside this tomb. This final journey of his life has shown me the meaning of his gift of himself for me. This tomb represents every tomb I stand before with fear, in defeat, struggling to believe it could ever be empty.

In the fullness of faith in the Risen One, given by his own Holy Spirit, I express my gratitude for this way of the cross. I ask Jesus, whose hands, feet and side still bear the signs of this journey, to grant me the graces I need to take up my cross to be a servant of his own mission.

The Thirteenth Station: Jesus Is Taken Down From The Cross.

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Story: What tender mourning! Jesus’ lifeless body lays in his mother’s arms. He has truly died. A profound sacrifice, complete.

Prayer: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Meditation: I behold this scene at the foot of the cross. I contemplate touching, caressing his body. I remember all his hands have touched, all who have been blessed by his warm embrace.
I pause to let it soak in. He knows the mystery of death. He has fallen into God’s hands.

For me. That I might love as I have been loved. I pour out my heart to the God of all mercies.

The Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies On The Cross.

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Story: Between two criminals, a mocking title above his head, with only Mary and John and Mary Magdalene to support him, Jesus surrenders his last breath: “Into your hands I commend my spirit.”

Prayer: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Meditation: I stand there, at the foot of the cross, side by side with all of humanity, and behold our salvation.
I carefully watch and listen to all that is said.
And then, I experience the one who gives life pass from life to death, for me. I console Mary and John and Mary. And let them console me.

This is the hour to express the deepest feelings within me.

The Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross.

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Story: Huge nails are hammered through his hands and feet to fix him on the cross. He is bleeding much more seriously now. As the cross is lifted up, the weight of his life hangs on those nails. Every time he struggles to pull himself up to breathe, his ability to cling to life slips away.

Prayer: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Meditation: I make myself watch the nails being driven through his flesh. And I watch his face.
I contemplate the completeness of his entry into our lives. Can there be any pain or agony he would not understand?

This is for me. Nailed to a cross to forever proclaim liberty to captives. What sorrow and gratitude fill my heart!

The Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped.

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Story: Part of the indignity is to be crucified naked. Jesus is completely stripped of any pride The wounds on his back are torn open again. He experiences the ultimate vulnerability of the defenseless. No shield or security protects him. As they stare at him, his eyes turn to heaven.

Prayer: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Meditation: I pause to watch the stripping. I contemplate all that is taken from him. And, how he faces his death with such nakedness.
I reflect upon how much of himself he has revealed to me. Holding nothing back.

As I look at him in his humility, I know that this is for me, and I share my feelings of gratitude.