St. John's United Methodist Church of Ivyland, PA

Off to Annual Conference….

CarolynMooney — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:23:50 +0000

Well, it’s here again. Annual Conference week. Time to meet with fellow clergy and lay delegates to do the work of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference for the year to come. On Thursday through Saturday, our lay delegate (Ron Oedemann), along with all of the other delegates, will gather at the Expo Center in Oaks for several long days of presentations, resolutions, voting, worship, and the ordination of our new clergy.

Even though it’s nice to see and visit with some of my fellow clergy who I often see only this one time a year, I admit that I never really look forward to Conference. I suppose the reason for that is that there is fair amount of politics involved – and I never care for politics. On the other hand, I truly value the ability to work together as part of what we Methodists call “the Connection.”

What does “the Connection” mean? It means that all United Methodist churches are connected together for the common goal of reaching the world for Christ. It means that we support one another, we work with one another, and we pray for one another. It also means that we pool our resources and so, together, we can do much more to change the world than we could ever do as one congregation.

So … as I once again try to clear up some of the work on my desk, and as I prepare to board the dogs, and all the other fun stuff that goes along with Annual Conference … keep me and Ron in your thoughts and prayers. In fact, keep the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church in your prayers. The challenges are great and the struggles are many. And trust me, I will be so looking forward to the barbecued chicken on Saturday afternoon!!!

Pastor Janice

Chicken BBQ – This Sat. May 19th

CarolynMooney — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:21:45 +0000

They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

AlisonBeal — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:59:48 +0000

Listen to Pastor Janice’s sermon message from May 13, 2012. To hear the sermon audio, click on “Read More”.

PART 1

PART 2

Patience is a Virtue

CarolynMooney — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:45:55 +0000

Something I struggle with on a regular basis is PATIENCE – when God was giving out various virtues, he obviously skipped right over me with that one. It’s almost against my very nature to remain cool, calm, and collected when forced into “waiting” mode.

If I know there’s some issue that needs to be dealt with, it’s extremely hard for me to focus on anything else until it’s resolved. My natural tendency at a time like that is NOT to step back and spend time in prayer or reflection, and it’s not to carefully weigh the pros and cons of my actions – instead, I want to take care of the issue RIGHT NOW and get it checked off my list.

The same is true of anything in my life that requires me to sit back and wait. For instance, I needed to have a routine medical test last week – one that usually causes me anxiety as I wait for results. This time, though, I tried to convince myself that I was going to chill out and wait patiently. I wasn’t going to stress over it, and I DEFINITELY wasn’t going to jump- every time the phone rang figuring it must be the doctor calling with bad news. Did my tactic work? No way.

Perhaps some of my impatience really IS a gift from God. It helps me get things done, and it helps me to not procrastinate. So … thank you, Lord (I think)!

However, there is a line that needs to be drawn between the healthy kind of impatience and the unhealthy kind – the kind that causes us anxiety and stress and worry and sleepless nights, rather than the calm assurance that God is in control of all things, not us – and sometimes, we need to patiently wait for God to do his work.

If you also find yourself in need of a good dose of patience now and then, I suggest that we spend time praying for each other this week. Let’s pray that the God who is always so patient with US will teach us His ways and bring peace to our hearts.

Pastor Janice

Who Pushes YOUR Buttons?

CarolynMooney — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:30:44 +0000

I suppose we all have someone (or several someone’s) who we find especially hard to deal with. There is just some aspect of their personality that really rubs us the wrong way – we feel they are domineering, abrasive, bossy, judgmental, loud, opinionated, or whatever. Regardless of the issue or issues involved, we find it really hard to be in their company,
Most people who know me are well aware of an elderly aunt (she has now passed away) who, for years, had a way of getting under my skin. For all of the above reasons (and more), she had managed to alienate just about every family member. We would all cringe at the thought of holiday gatherings because we knew the challenges that lie ahead. Even seeing her name on Caller ID would make our hearts sink because we knew we were about to be reamed out for something. Of course, now that my aunt has passed away, some of her “quirks” have magically become a little endearing. Imagine that!
Just like with so many other things, it’s not easy to see God at work in our lives when we are in the midst of dealing with something or someone who just plain pushes our buttons. We are just so absolutely positive that THEY are the problem, and until THEY change, we hope to have as little interaction as possible.
Well, there’s no doubt that some people are more easy-going than others, or more positive-thinking than others, or have more pleasant personalities than others. Those types of people are always EASY to be around – we seek them out, we enjoy their company – it’s uplifting to speak with them and we look FORWARD to being with them.
But then there are others – like my aunt – who have, shall we say, a more challenging personality. Yet we know that God has made us to be relational beings, and in fact, has commanded us to love one another. No exceptions.
I believe that the challenge God puts before us as we struggle sometimes with “loving one another,” goes beyond learning to be compassionate and tolerant. It even goes beyond learning how to not blow our stacks, or how to engage in “avoidance” tactics when our buttons get pushed one time too many.
In God’s eyes, the challenge is to learn how to accept others for who they are, knowing full well the irritations and frustrations they present to us. In fact, God’s challenge goes even beyond accepting others – God is hoping that, through prayer and discernment, we will step back and take a long, godly look at our OWN thoughts and reactions and then try, as best we can, to find effective ways that WE can change and grow – and, hopefully, bring a positive influence to the whole situation.
I’ll be sure to pray for each of you and your relationships, and I hope you’ll remember to pray for me as we continue to navigate our way through life!
Pastor Janice

Reconnecting With God

CarolynMooney — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:04:56 +0000

My afternoon project today was to make a decision about where to spend my “planning retreat” this summer. Each summer, I spend five days (usually Monday through Friday) ALONE planning out my sermons for the whole year (what a job!) as well as spending some “quality” time with God.

The issue is this: it is completely out of character and, in fact, fairly uncomfortable for me to be completely alone for five full days – no one to talk to; no one to listen to – no one at all! Not even my dogs! It’s a very quiet and reflective five days – I try to alternate my time between working on sermon planning and simply being in God’s presence.

There’s one thing I know for sure. Being alone and being quiet for more than half a day is not really ME. I like to be around people! I especially dislike being away in a place where I know absolutely NO ONE. I even have to go out to eat by myself! As you can see, I don’t quite know what to do with my own company after so long!!

Which is exactly why I “force” myself to take this personal retreat time each summer. I admit that I never really look forward to it; I admit that I rather dread doing it. But, even in my discomfort, I know there is something extremely valuable to be gained – something that I cannot do without – something that slows me down and helps me reconnect to God in a way that I would never do in my own, everyday environment.

So this year, I’m going to Lancaster County – I just reserved a room with a balcony overlooking a very pretty pond.

So the challenge of the day is this one: where and how will you reconnect to God and nourish your soul this year? Maybe you can’t get away alone for five days, but maybe you CAN get away to a special spot for a few hours, or for an afternoon, a few times this spring or summer. I hope so!

Pastor Janice

CABIN BUILDING AT CAMP INNABAH – APRIL 23-27, 2012

AlisonBeal — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:17:55 +0000

There’s Something About Dogs…

CarolynMooney — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:45:43 +0000

There’s something about dogs that absolutely fascinates me. Which is a very good thing, since I live with two of them! Yes – they’re furry. Yes – they’re cute. But that’s not exactly what the big attraction is for me. It’s more about the relationship that I believe humans are capable of having with their pets – there’s something very special and very precious about it. Don’t laugh.

For instance, my dogs have a way of knowing when I’m having a good day or when I’m far too stressed out. And they act accordingly. If I’m upset, they know to be just a little quieter and “sweeter” than usual. On the other hand, if I’m in an especially good mood, so are they – and they are ready to play.

And – no matter what – my two “boys” are always SO THRILLED to see me walk through the door. There are never any agendas involved, never any disagreements or arguing, no hurt feelings – they are just so happy for my company. Period.

Not that I prefer the company of pets over the company of real human people – I don’t! But, you know, sometimes the simplicity of my relationship with my dogs is refreshing – there’s nothing complicated at all about it – what you see is what you get.

Most of us know first-hand how hard human relationships can be – they are always complicated, never simple. I have a few broken and/or uneasy relationships in MY life – I suppose most of us do. But the fact is that God CREATED us for the PURPOSE of being in relationship with one another and with Him. We say life is a journey, and it is – it’s a journey of relationships meant to help us grow in love and compassion. I suppose that’s why relationships aren’t easy – we’re meant to learn from one another.

Relationships can be hard – but God is always there to guide us. Although I must admit – sometimes it’s awfully nice to just curl up on my recliner with two dogs (!!!!) on my lap – maybe that’s why God invented pets!

Pastor Janice

Chicken BBQ – May 19th

CarolynMooney — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:02:57 +0000

Trivia Night & Silent Auction – April 29th

CarolynMooney — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:19:45 +0000