Glenwillard United Methodist Church

Today we worshiped at Glenwillard United Methodist Church, 1328 Main Street, Crescent Township, PA 15046, 724.457.62325, www.glenwillardumc.org, Dennis L. Bouch, Pastor.

Scripture – Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.’’

Bob’s thoughts:

Today God led us to worship at a sister church of one we had visited recently.

The rear chancel wall has two larger crosses on the wing walls made with holes drilled in the knotty pine panels. When I first looked, they blended with the paneling. After the service we went forward to look more closely at an excellent nativity scene and got a close up glimpse at the crosses. I thought maybe there was a light behind the holes, but a member told us her relative had drilled the holes for ventilation when the wall was paneled.

I had been looking forward to visiting this church because we were told a number of Marines worshiped there, and they were quick to welcome me/us. The pastor is also a Marine and I love his welcome to the worshipers: “Good morning, sinners.”

He told us of his week deer hunting, how when it rained on Wednesday it was very clear but each time the rain quit, everything was obscured by fog. We think of the sun coming out and burning off the fog, but for him the clarity came with the rain.

Hunting is a lot of sitting still and he put that time to good use praying for his congregations.

They got a lot of anthem out of a small choir. I like when the pastor offered prayer over the ushers when they brought the offering forward.

A highlight for me was a young blond boy who crawled under the pews and made multiple trips to the chancel, especially chasing up the aisle after a cute young girl who was also traveling. This brought such pleasant memories of our late son in church, and pointedly the following after a cute girl.

In the message the pastor explained that John the Baptist’s call in Luke 3:1-6 would have been a common call of preparation for kings, with John’s clarification to Christ added.

We tend to think of Caesar as being a named person, not a title, like Christ. Like Easter, we should be preparing for Christmas by repenting.

What spoke to me the clearest was, “don’t look at what you don’t have but thank God for answered prayers.”

This week we were blessed to be able to visit Treasure House Fashions, a women’s clothing ministry on McKnight Road. Much like the Center for Hope in Ambridge, I look forward to visiting to see how God has blessed them. They tell me of needs and plans, hopes and expectations, and I get to rejoice how God continues to bless them beyond any needs or requests.

Communion was offered verbally by the pastor and we had the joy of presenting the elements to him. This was something God knows was special to me and I really miss, and I thank God for that opportunity today.

This is a family of worshipers, much like the Marines, a strong brotherhood in Christ.

Jan’s thoughts:

This church is yoked with Shannopin Methodist Church nearby, and when we visited Shannopin, we were invited to visit Glenwillard.

We entered on the lower level and did not even need to look for signage to locate the rest room as we walked right past it on our way toward the steps. The usher greeted us warmly as we reached the sanctuary at the top of the steps. We had been sitting for less than a minute when the several Marine members came by to greet Bob with a hearty “Semper Fi, Brother!”

The pastor entered from the rear of the sanctuary and as he made his way to the front he greeted and shook the hand of everyone present. Then as the service got underway, he opened with, “Good morning, sinners.” I found that so touching.

The atmosphere in this church is relaxed, sincere, and very much like a family that enjoys being together and truly knows and cares for each other.

The joys and concerns took some time, but everyone who had something to say was given time to speak and individual affirmation was generously given to many by pastor and members alike.

The message, entitled “Thanks be to God,” was summed up by the one question: when will we quit whining and start saying thank You? We are so richly blessed and we take much for granted. We should be expressing overflowing gratitude to God instead of complaining.

I have been working on remembering to thank God for the challenges in life and not just the blessings. It’s not always easy to remember, but it surely gives me a different perspective when I do.

Communion was served by intinction, and I was delighted to participate. When Bob asked the usher nearby if someone serves the pastor and was told no, we arranged to be last in the line and after the pastor served us, we were humbled to serve him. Years ago I served Communion almost weekly but I cannot recall the last time I did, so this was incredibly meaningful for me.

Our prayer for this church:

Father, we pray for Your continued strength and guidance for this congregation as they prepare to welcome the King. Amen.