God is Moving!

Greetings Church,

Pentecost and Bring a Tithe Sunday are coming this Sunday. It will be a day of celebrating the birthday of the Church as the Holy Spirit came to the first disciples. Bring a Tithe Sunday gives us the opportunity to give a birthday present to the ministries of Christ through the Church. It is our opportunity to share our generosity by giving a full tithe (10% of our weekly income) to the ministries of Stonebridge UMC. Some may already be tithing, so this is our opportunity to “open the windows of heaven” (Malachi 3:8-10) with an over-and-above offering. 

God continues to shower down blessings on Stonebridge UMC!

Last Sunday we received the profession of faith in Christ from several students. I must admit that when the confirmation class joins the church, I get rather emotional. To see those young people commit their lives to Christ and His church touches me in the deepest part of my soul. This past Sunday, I could see the excitement in their eyes as we laid hands on them. It was glorious! I am sure that heaven was having a party!

God continues to bless Stonebridge UMC with new vitality and opportunities to reach people. At the car show, I had several people, when they noticed my pastor name tag, ask me about the church. I probably gushed too much about how great things are, but I can’t help it. I love this church and the people in this church. Sunday, one of my mentors came to worship. I greeted him before the worship service and asked him what brought him to Stonebridge UMC. He said, “Are you kidding me, everyone is talking about Stonebridge. I had to come see what all the buzz is about.” 

Best of all, we got the following note through our website from a regular attender.

Worship was absolutely GLORIOUS! To have a young lady sing the song "Let me tell you about MY Jesus" - just to have someone so young in life with the strength of spirit to speak that phrase - and to lead it in worship - Wow! Just wow! It’s easy to carry that message through my week! Please, please, pass this along to the young lady who shared that song at The Bridge worship service. Thank you to the worship leader who selected the song and put it in her hands to present...

God is good! God is moving! God is making all things new! 

One more thing… Pentecost is the day that Peter preached the first sermon about the salvation of Jesus. On that day 3000 people came to Christ. I believe that a new Pentecost is coming. My sermon is on Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 5:14-16, and Acts 2:1-4; 41-42. What will the Lord require of us in this new Pentecost? In this new day of multiplying disciples? In this new day of the Kingdom of God on earth? 

See you Sunday. Bring someone with you. They will be glad you did. 

Pastor John Allen

P. S. Reserve your spot for the Summer Listening Tour – Making Stonebridge Unstoppable at https://www.mysumc.org/listening. Don’t get left out. It’s filling up fast.