Focusing OUTWARD, Not Inward
On Thanksgiving Day, about 75 people shared Thanksgiving Dinner at the Carson Community Building. The day before Thanksgiving a Bible study formed at the Oakland Christian Church when people who stopped by the food pantry to pick up pies gathered around a table to study the Bible. There was the community workout at the Treynor gymnasium where 60 people from the surrounding communities, young and old alike, exercised to support the White family and Treynor community in memory of Tristan White.
These miracle moments happen over and over again; moments when we realize that we are meant to be part of a community and to care for each other. It takes getting outside of our own preferences and climbing out of our self-made shells. God loves us and sent Jesus Christ to save us from the sins that isolate us and turn us inward. Our response is to accept that love and begin to share it with others. We can’t do that by ourselves.
Which direction are you facing? Are you paying more attention to your own desires than the needs of others? We have convenient excuses for our isolation and selfishness. “I just want to mind my own business.” Or, “I don’t have anything to offer anyone else.” Or, “I can be a Christian by doing my own thing.” Even if there is an ounce of truth in those sayings, it isn’t the way God is calling us to be. Those are the ways we think we want life to be. We must ask ourselves if we are involved in Christian community or not.
Which direction are you facing? Do you wake up each day and ask God to empower you to show His love to someone else? When we are focused on serving others and not ourselves, we get involved! We don’t pry or want to know gossip. We want to genuinely pray for others, even if we don’t have the details. We will show up to support others. We will make life decisions with God’s coming Kingdom in mind instead of our selfish reality.
Our Advent small groups are all about turning from inward to outward. We want to learn about God and care of each other. That will inspire us to care for people in the community and world. Those Advent groups are not going to stop after Christmas. They are going to continue in their own unique ways because we are just getting a taste of what it means to see God’s love when we turn outside of ourselves. Jesus lived and died caring about us. So let’s care about others!
If you haven’t seen a miracle lately, ask yourself if you have MADE time to be a part of a Christian group. Get involved and get ready to see the miracles of God happening when we join a community. Our church is going to grow in the right ways when we all start noticing each other and working together for the Lord. It isn’t about us. We have one purpose: to make disciples of Jesus Christ and transform the world. We can’t do that looking inward, and we can’t do that without the Holy Spirit. -Pastor Brody
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING…From Harvest, Past Thanksgiving, and Into December
-Oct. 4: The charge of Hancock/Silver Creek/Shelby United Methodist Churches have a new pastor. Pastor Nathan Tabelisma and his wife arrived from the Philippines and many people from Carson UMC attended their welcome party at the Oakland Community Building.
-Oct. 10: An awesome and motivated group of church members from Carson UMC volunteered to attend the second Healthy Church Initiative session in Council Bluffs. If you want to be a part of helping this church vision its future, mark your calendar for January 9, 10am-3pm. This one will be at Carson UMC. Let Pastor Brody know if you want to be a part of this!
-Oct. 11: Mt. Hope UMC held another of their Mission Breakfasts, where money is raised to support our pledge to help Care and Share House in Council Bluffs. Everyone is welcomed to attend this potluck event.
+There was a special showing of War Room at the Dreamland Theater in Carson. After the movie, members of Carson UMC made a circle in the theater and prayed together. If you haven’t seen this movie, it is well worth your time.
- Oct. 21: The Carson Administrative Board met to prayerfully direct the ministry of our church.
-Oct. 22: The Suzanna Circle is a women’s group who meets monthly at Carson UMC. They are integral to the ministry of Carson UMC, as they coordinate ministries and help decorate the church. If you are interested in joining them, please talk to Pastor Brody or Karen Gravett.
-Oct. 30: For the second year in a row, Carson UMC had a Trick-or-Trunk and Soup Supper during the Carson Business Trick-or-Treating night. Almost 200 children came through the parking lot to get candy from the decorated trunks of cars in the parking lot. There was also chili and chicken noodle soup available inside the church or in to-go containers for parents to stay warm. We ran out of soup in the first hour and the event was one of the most fun ministries the church takes part in! It will be bigger and even more fun next year!
-Nov. 3: Charge Conference is a yearly meeting that each United Methodist Church takes part in. The District Superintendent and Field Outreach Minister lead us through the annual church business and visioning for our future. This year, we joined Oakland UMC and Hancock/Silver Creek/Shelby UMC at Macedonia UMC for a cluster charge conference. Our charge had around 14 people present.
-Nov. 14: Once again, the Healthy Church Initiative team attended the monthly session facilitated by Melissa Drake, our Field Outreach Coordinator in the Southwest District. They did a lot of exciting and blessed work for the future of God’s church. Don’t miss out on the next session; January 9 at Carson UMC from 10AM-3PM.
-Nov. 15: Bryce Gehrman’s family held a church-wide birthday party for him following worship. It was a great time for people to share in food and fellowship and let Bryce know how much he means to so many of us.
Nov. 22: An amazing thing took place in the Treynor gym on this Sunday afternoon. Around 60 people from Riverside, Treynor, and as far as Atlantic attended a workout in memory of Tristan White (nephew of Patrick and Becky White of Carson UMC). Tristan had been killed in an accident while running for wrestling practice the week before. It was inspiring to see people finding a healthy way to express their sorrow.
+The Riverside Church Association held their annual Thanksgiving Potluck at the Carson Community Building. God and Country, made up of members of the Carson Praise Band, provided worship songs for entertainment during the meal. Meat and potatoes were provided and there was all kinds of great food to eat. The free-will offering supports scholarships and Bibles for our graduating seniors. Over $1,000 was raised! Thank you to all who helped and attended.
-Nov. 24: The Suzanna Circle met and decorated Carson UMC for Christmas. It looks great and focuses on the birth of our Savior!
-Nov. 26: The Third Annual Community Thanksgiving Meal was held at the Carson Community Building on Thanksgiving Day. There was a good crowd with plenty of food to share. Thank you to everyone who helped create a place for people to share this holiday together.
Some Consistent Ministries
-We have Advent Small Groups meeting at seven different times through the week. If you haven’t been to a group yet, please find one! We had over 50 people attending in week one and we want all of us to be a part of this exciting time in which we prepare for the coming of Christ.
-Each Wednesday, servants from Carson UMC and the community read with first graders at the Riverside Elementary School. They help them with memory words, counting, and reading their books.
-Harmony Court is a duplex-style apartment complex in Oakland, complete with a club house. Every Wednesday evening at 5:30PM there is a Bible study in the club house. People from Carson UMC are welcomed to attend with many residents from the apartment complex.
-Carson Youth Group is meeting almost every Wednesday at 6:30PM. Thanks to all the volunteers who have made supper for the youth. If you have a youth, 7th-12th grade, encourage them to attend.
-Uplifting is a workout group that meets at Carson UMC. People of all ages and physical abilities come to support each other as we tend our physical and spiritual health. This group meets Wednesdays at 7:30PM and Sundays at 4:00PM in the fellowship hall at Carson UMC.
-There are Stephen’s Ministers in our congregation who have been trained to provide one-on-one Christian care to people going through difficult times in life. If you know someone in need of support, or would like to become a Stephen’s Minister, please talk to Pastor Brody, Jim Burns, or Becky Von Weihe.
New Year…Same Old You?
God has placed something on my heart and I can’t keep it quiet; no more getting distracted or sidetracked. There’s a message I want you to embrace in 2016. God loves the same old you but won’t leave you that way.
Has anyone told you that God loves you just as you are? We fall prey to all the glitz and glamour of beautiful, smart, funny, seemingly perfect people. And the result is that we begin to hate the same old us. It’s time we stop beating ourselves up and realize that God loves us; just as we are. That means God loves us, even if we drink too much. God loves us, even if we eat too much or not enough. God loves us even if we have debt and can’t stop spending or have a lot of money and can’t stop hoarding it. God loves you right now, so quit telling yourself and others how worthless you are.
Now, if God loves us as we are, then he loves us enough to make us something new. Maddie got a fish when she was in college named Lulu. Lulu was not the prettiest fish in the tank by any means, but Maddie decided to take Lulu home anyway. She cared for that fish and nursed her into a much healthier Lulu, who is still with us today. God has chosen you and is ready for you to be an even healthier child of God.
So, are we ready to be reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit? Are we ready to take our devotion to God to new heights this year? Are we ready to transform every part of our lives so that we are open to how God will use us? Nothing is off limits because God has great things in store if we open our lives to his transforming love.
There is more where this came from and you will hear it soon. In the meantime, take a look at yourself right now and embrace the fact that you are loved by God. By faith you will have eternal life! Now, what are you going to do with the life that you have? It’s time to turn it over to God; every ounce of it.