All Saints Sunday

The first Sunday of November is a time in which many churches recognize those in their congregations that have passed away since the last All Saints.

In leading up to this celebration I preached a sermon based on Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18. I share a message emphasize that, in Christ, there is nothing that can stop us from the reward comes in HIM.

You'll notice there are some verses missing. Those who created the Revised Common Lectionary wanted to spare folks from the detailed descriptions of the beasts. Feel free to fill in gap in your own preparations. :-)

Stewardship Month -- "Earn, Save, Gain", Part IV

Focus text: Luke 19:1-10

As our stewardship series draws to a close, we will look at the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. It is a story of transformation. What does it look like to experience a transformation in how we view our financial resources, and how they might be best used for the sake of the Kingdom of God? What does it mean to "give all you can?"

Stewardship Month -- "Earn, Save, Gain", Part II

Focus texts: Proverbs 6:6-11 & Luke 16:1-13

In this second sermon of the series, we'll explore the very curious parable of a dishonest money manager that seems to be praised by Jesus! We'll spend some time exploring how John Wesley sent up parameters for earning money and how they still apply to us today!

Stewardship Month -- "Earn, Save, Gain", Part I

Focus texts: Proverbs 3:13-16 & 1 Kings 3:5-12

In this first sermon of the series, we'll explore how we define wisdom, why Solomon asked God for wisdom, and how wisdom plays a key role for us as we think about our own personal finances and how we view our wealth.

Part 2 of the "Welcoming" series.

In this sermon, Pastor Jim reviews the 5-10-Link process for meeting new folks who come into our sanctuary.

Next he'll share some of his own story about how a church changed his life and brought him back to God. He'll encourage you to remember your story of how the church helped you and think about how you might be able to share that story with others. Finally we'll look at what it means to have Yorkville UMC be a church that folks recommend to others.

Reaching -- Returning -- Recommending

Focus scriptures are: Romans 5:1-11 and 1 John 1:1-4

Part 3 of the "Welcoming" series.

Every church has a "Back to Egypt" committee that wants to keep the church where it is or tries to bring it back to the "good ol' days." We need to move beyond this mindset. We'll look at some of the missions of our nearby churches and reflect on our own. We'll explore an additional strategy to help guests of our church feel welcome.

Focus scriptures include: Romans 12:1-13 and Hebrews 10:19-25