Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Yesterday we worshiped at Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 60 Rochester Road, Freedom, PA 15042, 724.728.3881, www.princeofpeacefreedom.com, Pastor Michael Podeszwa.


Scripture – ESV

Psalm 37:1-5 –

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

Genesis 45:3-15 –

And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.' And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here." Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.

1 Corinthians 15:21-26 –

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

1 Corinthians 15:30-42 –

“Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals." Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.

Luke 6:27-38 –

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

"If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."


Bob’s thoughts:

I had often passed a sign at Prince of Peace Cemetery on Rochester Road and wondered how it could be so far from a Catholic church near us. When I caught sight of this church near the cemetery, we put it on our list.

We were welcomed by a number of people before the service, I was able to find the restroom easily, and best of all there is a large wooden cross. I was thanked for my service by a few people also.

It is always a little difficult for us to follow along in a Lutheran service but we were able to keep up in evangelical service.

In the message I heard something like “if we don’t forgive, we won’t be forgiven.” This is hard to swallow for most Christians.

A highlight for me was a greeting from a pastor’s young son and a girl of about the same age. Children are always good at welcoming strangers to their midst in church.

Thoughtfully, there were cups of grape juice along with the wine for Communion. Those who knew me before Christ claimed me would never believe I passed on any kind of alcohol.


Jan’s thoughts:

We were warmly welcomed, with members stopping to introduce themselves and welcome us throughout our visit.

The sanctuary is attractive with wood trim and a huge wooden cross in the front.

I was grateful the liturgy and the words to the songs were all displayed on the screens. The congregation sang all the music together but I was familiar with only the first song.

The pastor began his message by stating that the Gospel is not hard to keep…it is impossible. But Jesus lived the impossible life, loving His enemies and being kind to the evil and ungrateful. Therefore, when reading Scripture, we should always ask “Where is Jesus in this text?”

I appreciated being able to partake in Communion as well as being invited to join in the refreshments following worship.


Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray You will bless Your church with discernment that they may know Your direction. Amen.

New Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church

Today we worshiped at New Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, 200 2^nd Avenue, Freedom, PA 15042, 724.869.1187, www.newhopelutheranchurch.com, Rev. Martin J. Galbraith, Pastor.

Scripture –

Genesis 50:15-21 –

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Psalm 103:1-13 –

Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

Romans 14:1-12 –

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written:

“ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Matthew 18:21-35 –

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Bob’s thoughts:

We were warmly welcomed before the service, during the passing of Christ’s peace, and after worship. Some who talked to us as we entered stopped by after the service as well. Not a large complex but minimal signage that I noticed.

There is an exceptional carved wooden cross that includes the Communion elements. The wood paneling on the rear chancel wall is diagonal, highlighting the cross. The ceiling is a high arch with wood paneling worked well to draw focus to the cross. Some excellent banners adorn the sanctuary walls.

The children’s message was about Joseph forgiving his brothers, and the pastor told a personal story of forgiving a brother. This brought to mind a memory of mine: when I was walking with my brother to a birthday party and we were extremely angry with each other over some “unforgivable” sin. As we were walking up the hill through the woods to our friend’s house, a neighbor lady who was watching from her bay window perch exclaimed something about “brotherly love.” In that instant, we forgave each other and our anger was redirected to her. But we did forgive each other.

I was delighted that the children stayed for the service and found their smiles most welcoming.

The message started from Christ’s admonishment to Peter to forgive 77 times after Peter asked if seven was a limit. The pastor had a skillful explanation of numbers in Christ’s time on Earth: three, seven, and 40 were frequently numbers signifying completeness and a myriad was equivalent to our google (one with 100 zeros)…numbers so large it was beyond comprehension there could be a need for anything more.

Compared with the piano, the volume of the organ made it hard to keep track of where we were in the songs; it might be easier to hear when more people were singing.

We were grateful the pastor could spend so much time with us after the service.

Jan’s thoughts:

We were greeted warmly upon entering this pretty building and found seats five minutes before the service started. As the greeters realized we were first-time visitors, they handed us the bulletin and worship folder and briefly explained the service. Others welcomed us prior to worship and still others afterward.

The sanctuary is pleasant, with an unusual cross in the front and colorful banners on each wall. The high ceiling provided something of an echo, but I was still able to understand spoken words and music.

The pastor used his time with the children as a lead-in to the sermon, giving them an example from his childhood of how natural it is to find siblings annoying. Even the youth seemed to identify.

The untitled sermon was about forgiveness. The pastor began by considering how often our society would say we should forgive others, and estimated it at exactly zero. He stated that, in fact, many would be proud of their unforgiving attitudes. I wish I could argue that, but, unfortunately, I must agree.

He then entered a contemplation of the number of times one person should forgive another. In Jesus’ time, rabbis taught forgiveness should be extended as many as three times. However, seven was one of the numbers of completeness, so when Jesus was asked this question, He indicated 70 times 7 to denote the ultimate number of completion.

The pastor also spoke to the amounts and time periods in the parable of the unmerciful servant, stating one talent equaled 15 years of work, so the first servant owed his master 150,000 years of work. How obvious he would never be able to repay his master.

I am very far from being a number person, but somehow this numerical explanation made clear the magnitude of the debt we owe our Master but will never be able to repay and the degree of the wrong we do when we refuse to forgive someone who has wronged us.

As the pastor said, we owe God “complete completeness.”

Several members were kind enough to invite us to the fellowship time, but the pastor generously spent a good while with us in conversation, so we did not make it.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, Your church seems in a good location to minister to the lost sheep of this community, and we pray You bless their efforts. Amen.

Economy United Methodist Church

Today we worshiped at Economy United Methodist Church, 321 1^st Street, Freedom, PA 15042, 724.869.7366, Harriet Hutton, Pastor.

Scripture – 2 Samuel 9:1-13 NASB –

Then David said, "Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant." The king said, "Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet." So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar." Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, "Mephibosheth." And he said, "Here is your servant!" David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly." Again he prostrated himself and said, "What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?"

Then the king called Saul's servant Ziba and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall eat at my table regularly." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king's table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.

Bob’s thoughts:

This was one of the churches on our list that we had saved because of their early worship time.

I appreciated the striking cross. We were warmly greeted before the service and I believe everyone there came by to say hello during the greeting time.

Two women from the congregation relayed tales of recent scam IRS phone calls and the extent of the information the scammers had on them. It reminded me of my brother’s response when they told him he owed taxes on income from 2013. He replied that all his earnings for that year were from selling illegal drugs and all the money was spent on illicit endeavors, so he had no money to send them, so they hung up. Not that I recommend that course…

The sermon wove around David as a father, something he was poor at from what we know. But from Biblical accounts, he treated Mephibosheth well as an adopted son.

This is a small congregation, so I think it was particularly helpful that the pastor came down to their level to talk, like family.

Reference was made to David not being completely at fault because Bathsheba was bathing on the roof. This sounds off to current ears; however I believe this was the custom at that time.

The question raised was, how can David be a man after God’s own heart? We men must all look inside and ask how can He use a hopeless sinner such as I. We kneel broken in awe that He can and does, praise God. We are all like David somehow, still working though some part that may have been left out, kind of like being a screw loose for Christ.

Jan’s thoughts:

The moment we walked in the door, straight ahead up the center aisle, was a lovely chancel featuring a backlit cross accented by a white cloth. I can live without seeing a cross, but the beauty of that sight took me by surprise.

A few members stopped to introduce themselves before the service, then during the formal greeting time everyone present greeted everyone else there, including us.

The message was entitled “David, man of faith, man of faults.” The pastor began by re-telling the story of David from Goliath to Bathsheba and onward. She described David in his later years as a broken man with a dysfunctional family, but pointed out that God uses broken people.

She told the story of Chuck Colson, who was sentenced to seven months in prison for masterminding the Watergate affair. In the course of that relatively brief stay, however, Colson was born again, and when he emerged he was an entirely new person. She likened it to when a man takes apart a lawn mower, and when he puts it back together he may find he is left with an extra part. She affirmed that when we are broken and God puts us back together, He will leave out some pieces, too.

Knowing we are never too broken to be used by God gives me great hope…it also reminds me that we are all a work in progress.

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, dads-to-be, foster dads, and moms who do it all!

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray the eyes of this congregation are open to Your guidance and direction and that You bless and encourage them toward the vision You give. Amen.

Lighthouse Lutheran Church

Today we worshiped at Lighthouse Lutheran Church, 501 3^rd Avenue, Freedom, PA 15042, 724.544.7203, www.lightouselutheran.org, Dennis Whalen, Pastor.

Scripture – NLT

Philippians 3:17-21 –

“Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”

Matthew 22:15-22 –

Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

His reply amazed them, and they went away.

Bob’s thoughts:

We were warmly welcomed to this small A-frame style church beginning with our entrance on the first floor and all the way up into the sanctuary. I noticed no signage but we were offered directions to the sanctuary and to where we might hang our coats. The only crosses I saw were on the rear wall of the sanctuary and atop the flagstaffs.

Something I noticed that was different: during the responsive reading, the pastor read with the congregation. So often the people are weak in their response without a lead voice, but today they were strong.

In the sermon the pastor raised the question, “who do we want to fit in with?” He quoted some interesting statistics from Barna Research about the percentage of children who attend worship with both parents and then continue after maturity (76%) compared with those whose parents did not attend worship (6%). I’m glad we could invest that time in our children.

We have all been given worth by our creator, and it is not in the things that we have done. Be a living example of what you are in Christ.

A highlight for me was a family sitting in front of us. During the Lord’s Prayer, the older sister got down to the level of the younger girl to share the prayer in the bulletin with her. It was a powerful moment for me.

After the service we got to visit a bit with friends, the pastor, and his gracious wife. I learned that the pastor’s family had experiences similar to ours when visiting churches, and it was refreshing to visit with someone who understands some of what we have experienced in our visits.

I was thanked for my service by a few people; which is always humbling.

Jan’s thoughts:

This church is only about a 10-minute drive, and we had the pleasure of worshiping with some friends.

We entered through the door nearest where we parked, not knowing where that would bring us in. Some kind folks led the way to the cozy sanctuary and several people extended warm welcomes as we found seats.

I did not know what to expect, as we have experienced highly liturgical Lutheran services as well as the more relaxed variety; this was somewhere in between, with all the liturgy clearly printed in the bulletin, making it very easy to follow, for which I was grateful. The friendly, warm, relaxed atmosphere continued into the service.

Often in churches where the music is led by an organ, there is the thinking that the louder the organ, the better, which is not true in my opinion. Today the organ was well-played at the perfect volume to be able to hear the congregation sing, and I enjoyed it tremendously.

Because the bulletin contained all the liturgy along with many announcements it was six sheets of 8½ x 11 paper, which could have been a nightmare had they not been stapled in the center. Judging from the end product, a great deal of work was lovingly put into this effort.

Today I was blessed to attend a worship service that included a written prayer of confession that was honest, true, touching, and eye-opening. I clipped it to keep with my devotionals because it was truly food for thought.

The untitled sermon spoke about the difficulty and importance of living like we are different from the world because of the Kingdom to which we belong, about the impact of those we hang out with, and the mindset we carry by understanding Who it is who gives worth to our life.

We joined the time of fellowship between worship and Sunday School and enjoyed the conversations immensely.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we are grateful for Your presence in an uplifting worship experience today. We pray for Your continued presence and blessing on this church. Amen.

Family Bible Church

Today we worshiped at Family Bible Church, 325 Freedom Crider Road, Freedom, PA 15042, 724.774.2276, www.thefamilybiblechurch.org, Pastor Ed Bailey.

Scripture – King James Version

Revelation 14:13

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Revelation 22:12

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Bob’s thoughts:

We thought we were choosing a new place to worship when we tried to visit this church a few weeks back. A waitress at a pizza shop had recounted how much she enjoyed worship here, so I was curious what we would feel.

I had driven through on two occasions to find no one home, and was thinking this a last attempt. The real surprise was when we went downstairs while Sunday School was going on in the sanctuary and we both recognized the kitchen. Until then neither of us remembered visiting about a year and a half ago.

We were welcomed by, I believe, the entire congregation.

The sermon developed from part of an in depth study of Rev. Bailey’s which brought up the point that our deeds will follow us and our works will be judged in heaven.

Jan’s thoughts:

Neither Bob nor I had any memory of having visited this church before so I did not checked the blog to see if we had. We believed we were first-time visitors here until we went downstairs and saw the kitchen area and our memories were both jogged at the same time. It turns out we visited here 1 ½ years ago.

There may have been a few people there who did not greet us, but anyone anywhere near us came and introduced themselves.

This is a quaint, well-kept church that is off the beaten path, but one that seems to take their mission seriously. In the course of the service there were many references to answered prayers and some stories of presenting the Gospel to family members. It was good stuff.

Big Knob Fair is a good-sized annual event nearby where this church gives out candy to the kids along with tracts to both kids and adults; many present seemed to participate in some way or another.

Upon entering we were handed glossy, colorful 11” x 17” graphic representations depicting an interpretation of the events of Revelation, the topic of the pastor’s current sermon series.

A couple of points that caught my attention were what we do for the cause of Christ lasts forever and that in the end, even good works done with bad motives are bad works.

Last week, at another church, we heard a reminder that people from every nation will be saved, and we heard this again here this week. In the midst of all the upheaval around the world, this is something we all need to remember. Every human being, no matter their stance on any given issue, is created in God’s image, and this should make us think long and hard about every issue that comes to our awareness.

Our prayer for this church:

Father, we pray You continue to bless this church and continue to lead them to where they need to be. Amen.

Family Bible Church

Today we worshiped at Family Bible Church, 325 Freedom Crider Road, Freedom, PA 15042-0025, 724.774.2276, www.thefamilybiblechurch.org, Pastor Ed Bailey.

Scripture: King James Version

John 3:14-16 –

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 8:35-39 –

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bob’s thoughts:

We stopped first to hear a cantata in which our son-in-law was singing and then were led to this church. We were early and a woman greeted us and offered a number of options, including coffee. We opted for a self-guided tour and the coffee.

The Sunday school/social area was bright and cheerful and I noticed a lot of welcoming things about the kitchen area.

Two Marines and a Marine Mom stopped to chat and others introduced themselves before and after the service.

I noticed a cross in a high porthole window and when I turned to chat with one of those welcoming us I saw a large rustic cross on the rear wall. The windows were plain opaque glass with a cobalt blue surrounding strip; overall a warm feeling.

I was pleased there is a lot of emphasis on prayer, updates were given, and a prayer sheet was circulated through the congregation. When it was time to commission the next family going on a mission trip the offer was made for those who wanted to come forward for prayers to come up. I wish I would have realized that I might have been welcome to join them in prayer. I was sorry to have missed the opportunity but prayed for them and the church from the pew. Nevertheless I was happy to see the prayer ministry of this church and to hear of their mission involvement.

There was some Scripture quoted on the bulletin/newsletter handout but I don’t think it was in regard to the service.

The message seemed to be about God’s great love for us. I did miss some of it when there were people talking in the narthex. The pastor had a passion in his preaching and quoted numerous Scriptures.

I had a realization today that church congregations are fed in many ways; coming from a Presbyterian heritage I think I was narrow in my understanding of this. I have known some pastors whose spouses were the ones with the strong ministry, and likewise many who are nurtured by the songs or prayers or other aspects of the worship service. While we might tend to be judgmental and not realize how God can use any part of worship to get His message to believers. Looking back and remembering some of the most Spirit-filled moments I’ve had, they were not in church but happened outside the sanctuary, such as prayers in the parking lot.

Jan’s thoughts:

The care and attention showed at this well-kept church tucked back off the main road.

From the time we walked in, numerous people greeted us warmly, including several of Bob’s Marine brothers. It’s always a joy to encounter members of the Marine Corps family. While Bob talked with the men, I had the privilege of chatting with a woman who is the daughter of a Marine as well as the mother of one. I wished we had more time to talk, partly because of our shared Marine family connection, but also because she was one of those people who exuded joy. I have met a few people like that over the years, and their faces are indelibly imprinted in my mind. She is now there also, and I’m very grateful for our conversation.

This church calls themselves a “House of Prayer” and much prayer was accomplished this morning. Mission seems to be another core value, and this morning a fair amount of time was spent praying over a family that will leave this week on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

The untitled message was a reminder of God’s love for all His people, not just the saved. It was a call to believe and share God’s love with those who do not know Him, wherever they may be.

The Romans passage that was read is one of my favorites, and every time I hear it I think of Bible teacher Beth Moore’s comment regarding verse 37 about being “more than conquerors.” She says, “How can we be ‘more than conquerors’ unless we have something to conquer?” Remembering this truth has helped me more than a few times, and always makes me smile.

Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray You will continue to guide and encourage this congregation’s mission involvement and that they would always remember the importance of their prayer ministry. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The First Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at The First Presbyterian Church, 600 4th Avenue, Freedom, PA 15042, 724.775.7833, Rev. William Banks.


Bob’s thoughts:

Some churches are so welcoming that you feel like family when you visit there. First Presbyterian of Freedom is one of those churches. To be so welcomed without pressure is an art. The congregation was about 30 people, and I believe we talked to most of them.

The Chancel is paneled in darker wood with a large central curtain. In front of the curtain is a very tall cross, creating a very impressive focal point. The stained glass is rather unusual, and I found one large window in the rear particularly impressive. The interior works very well together, and feels welcoming, personal, like family.

The church could use signage. We were early and had time to look around, and I found the basement restrooms by chance. I had hoped to pray with and for the pastor before the service, but did not have the opportunity.

I was pleased that the offering was taken in response to the Word.

The sermon was on the subject of Revelation 3:14-22, referred to as the “Letters of Christ,” the chastisement of the Church at Laodicea for being on the fence akin to the Mugwump Party of the late 1800s. Christ calls for the Church to be on fire, but for most we sit lamenting the loss of how it was. A church, like a heart, that is not on fire for Christ is the Devil’s best friend. Find a way to relight the spark or last one alive turn the light out as you leave. There was a father in church with his young daughter – that’s something to build on.

Jan’s thoughts:

The front door was open when we arrived, so we entered and took our usual self-guided tour. Surprisingly, no one appeared till we’d been there for about 20 minutes and had seen the downstairs and the Sanctuary.

It’s a small but well-maintained church, and even before anyone arrived I could sense the family-type atmosphere. Interesting architecture in the Sanctuary and Chancel. The rear of the Chancel wall features a floor-to-ceiling drapery with lighting (looked like windows) behind it. In front of the drapery was a wooden cross nearly as tall. It was somewhat stylized, flaring at the four ends, and matched the organ thingies that stuck out from the sides toward the top of the Chancel. It gave it all an integrated feel.

Most of the members present today were retirement age or older, but there was a dad with his very cute little girl of about 3 who flirted outrageously with my husband. (He, of course, hates when this happens… J.) The people were quite friendly and talkative, warm and welcoming, and many invited us to return. My sense is that this is a

The bulletin contained an order of worship, some announcements, and prayer requests in good-sized, very bold type – obviously age-appropriate. In addition to requesting prayers for families and friends of the congregation, each week they ask members to pray for two churches within the Presbytery, listing them by name along with the name of their pastors.

When it comes to the order of worship, it’s usually Bob who comments; however, this time I have an observation also. I was impressed that the Prayer for Illumination came before the Scripture readings. Most churches that still include such a prayer will place it after the Scripture and before the Sermon. I was glad to see someone with them in what I believe to be the correct order.

The sermon was based on Revelation 3:14-22 and entitled “The Church at Laodicea.” Apparently the pastor is preaching a series on the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. This is the church that Christ says is neither hot nor cold and which He will spit from His mouth; the sermon warned against “fence-sitting” and stressed the importance of taking a stand for Christ.