Living Faith Baptist Church

Today we worshiped at Living Faith Baptist Church, 1718 Route 588, Fombell, PA 16123, 724.888.5177, www.lfbaptist.org, Pastor Mark Sentell.


Scripture – ESV

Daniel 3:15-28 –

Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?"

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." He answered and said, "But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods."

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.”

Colossians 3:1-17 –

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


Bob’s thoughts:

I passed this church some time ago and had been looking forward to a visit, so was glad God led us here today. Was blessed to have a little cutie to entertain (each other). She warmed up quickly and made me feel at home.

The sanctuary is a low-rise arch with white walls and ceiling and clear double-hung windows down either side. The back wall of the chancel is a modern stained-glass window with a large wooden cross. It all works well to draw the eyes to the cross.

We were early and sat to the back and got to enjoy the praise team practice. Not only did they sound great, to hear the small adjustments to get to the sound they wanted was special. When we were coming in there were smiles and waves from the band…talk about welcoming. The harmony was great and I really enjoyed the violin. One frequent complaint from me is how often contemporary worship songs repeat the same phrase over and over. This band sounded so good I never noticed repeats.

There were words on the projection screens but at one point early on there was no contrast and I could not read it.

The associate pastor delivered the message with plenty of Scripture references. The title might have been Power of Gratitude.

We profess our faith in God but are hesitant to turn over to Christ our fears, doubts, and burdens. There was a time I didn’t want to bother the Creator with my little problems, but around when our son was killed, it hit home that there are things we can’t bear without Christ. I urge you and Christ calls you to bring your burdens to Him.

I met a young man soon to be off to Marine Corps boot camp. I enjoyed the conversation with him, the pastors, and others and was glad to get a prayer request sheet to pray over.


Jan’s thoughts:

This church has been on our list for several years. Today was the day God sent us here and I was grateful He did.

We walked through the front door and immediately a member of the praise band waved hello to us. We were early and there was no one to chat with so we found seats. Soon I realized the reason we were extra early was so we could be treated to the band’s rehearsal; by the time they were finished we eagerly anticipated experiencing the music in the context of worship. The voices blended beautifully, the volume was excellent, and the violin added a special touch to the music.

A couple of the pastors and others greeted us, and we were blessed watching the little ones sitting in front of us.

An announcement about the Angel Tree was accompanied by a video; unfortunately, from where we were sitting in the far back, I was unable to read any of the words. Enough was said after that – and apparently everyone else present knew already – that I learned this Angel Tree benefits children whose parents are incarcerated, and it’s a “highlight of the year” for this exceptionally mission-minded congregation.

I had no trouble reading any of the words to the songs as they were large enough print on a black background.

The prayers of the people were slightly different in that the members who spoke the concerns also prayed the prayers, which were heartfelt and moving.

The message was given by an associate pastor and was called The Power of Gratitude. He opened with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace and asked, “What gave them that kind of faith?” He answered that question by stating that what mattered to these three men was that God was glorified even if it meant their death.

He said many people are just too blessed or too distracted to remember God, and that a life of love is a powerful life.

His conclusion was: gratitude gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to change our lives, both to the ones that express gratitude and to the ones that receive it.

We appreciated the pastors and worship leader taking time for extended conversations.


Our prayer for this church:
Lord, Your church has such a healthy grasp of what Your church should be that we know You are blessing their efforts. We pray You will continue to walk with and uphold each and every struggling person in this congregation. Help them remember Your faithfulness. Amen.

Zelienople Church of the Nazarene

Today we worshiped at Zelienople Church of the Nazarene, 115 Nazarene Court, Fombell, PA 16123, 724.452.9190, www.zelienaz.com, Scott McMahon, Pastor.

Scripture – Luke 13:31-35 NASB –

Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, "Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You." And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.' Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ' BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!' "

Bob’s thoughts:

This church was suggested to us several weeks ago and today God lead us here. We were welcomed by members, including the pastor who directed us to where to get a bulletin, the restrooms, and where to hang our coats. I enjoyed a pleasant conversation with an usher there.

I noticed no directional signage in the areas we saw. I was pleased to find a nice-sized cross in the sanctuary and noticed some upholstered chairs that matched the pews.

The sermon was developed around Luke 13, Christ’s completing His calling to go to Jerusalem. Maybe it was the early version of “fake news” when the Pharisees were warning Jesus not to come there.

The church seems to have a great location. I wondered what community outreach they might have besides VBS. There were a fair number of young people and one delightful baby to entertain me.

Jan’s thoughts:

We arrived with some time to wander around, but Sunday school classes were in session so our wandering was limited.

The people we encountered, including the pastor, were friendly and helpful, pointing out the location of coffee and donuts, the restrooms, and where to hang our wraps. Members continued to introduce themselves and extend warm welcomes even after worship.

The sanctuary is appealing, and I appreciated the plain, stained glass cross adorning each window.

The sermon from this Lenten series was called “Steadfast.” The big question it asked was, “What is the driving force of your life?” Is it Jesus’ agenda or some facet of the world?

A thoughtful question to ponder this week.

Our prayer for this church:

Father, we pray Your church continues to listen for Your call and that You bless the new pastor to Your purpose. Amen.

Camp Run Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Camp Run Presbyterian Church, PO Box 27, 489 Church Road, Fombell, PA 16123, 724.368.8446, Rev. Andy Shaffer, Pastor.


Bob’s thoughts:

Our directions to the church were good but when we realized how few road signs exist we realized we should have brought the GPS. As it was, we turned onto a road that had a Presbyterian Church marker and it turned out to be our original destination.

It is a little country church in a very “country” setting. The trees around the church in bright fall colors made a very welcoming appearance. We took a few minutes to tour the lower level and find the restrooms. It was not hard to find our way, but could benefit from some signage perhaps for the occasional visitor.

We were welcomed from when we reached the Sanctuary. There is a large central oak cross that matches the pews. It has the appearance of being massive and thick.

The time of welcome involved the whole church. I was disappointed that the offering was taken before the Word was preached. The pastor is receptive to change but I’m not too sure the congregation will be too willing. I sense they may be on the edge of making some decisions.

The message centered on our being rectified to God once by Christ’s sacrifice for us as our High Priest.

Jan’s thoughts:

We thought we were lost but then were found…

We thought we’d made a wrong turn, but then saw a sign pointing the way. The importance of signs down the street or a mile away can’t be overstated, whether the church is rural or urban. Today we were living proof that you never know when that one sign will be the only thing that gets a visitor to the door.

Fall is at its peak, and this quaint church was sitting there surrounded by God’s gorgeous handiwork.

The building itself is small – when we entered the Narthex and looked for a restroom it was quickly obvious we’d have to go downstairs as we could see most of the floor we were on. We went down the only stairs we could find and located the restrooms then looked around a bit. There were signs on the men’s and ladies room doors, but all other signs were of the handwritten “Please keep this door closed” variety. The building looked to be in good repair and well cared for. It has a definite “family” feel; it is obvious that everyone knows everyone else.

The pastor and several members greeted us prior to the service, and during the greeting time the rest of the congregation greeted us. We were thoroughly welcomed before, during, and after the service. Greeting time began first thing, even before the announcements, and took however long it took for everyone to greet everyone else.

The bulletin is well laid out and easy to read, with impressive use of varying fonts, typestyles, and white space. Also interesting to me was the liturgy written in the bulletin. The Call to Worship, Prayer of Confession, and Assurance of Pardon were almost childlike in their simple honesty. It was refreshing to hear a congregation confess “We talk about serving you, but we do not want the rank of servant. We have lots of ideas about what you might do to help the world and little commitment to what we might do in your name.” Thought-provoking words.

It also contained the most comprehensive and detailed sermon notes insert I’ve seen. Instead of “fill-in-the-blanks” it includes questions and Scripture references to locate the correct response so it can be used as a study guide throughout the week.

I was surprised when the pastor sat on a stool in front of a music stand, adjusted the microphone, and took off his wrist watch prior to beginning the message, but at this church it seemed more like a fireside chat. The message was called “Where is Our Place?” and he spoke of Jesus’ role as our high priest, as one to whom we can go when we feel discouraged and in need of strength and support.
Upon leaving we walked out to see the beautiful colors on the trees heightened by the sunshine. It truly ministered to my soul.