16 August 2020 Sunday Announcements

Sunday Morning Sermon:  Sunday's sermon is titled “Submit Yourselves …” and it is a review of I Peter. The Old Testament reading is Exodus 19:1-6, and the New Testament reading is Romans 13:1-7.

There will be only one  MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Live streamed Virtual Church (link) is available streaming at 9:00 AM. 

Virtual Foyer  on Zoom (link) at 10:15 AM.

The recorded services are also available on MCC YouTube Channel (link).

Week 23 of 52: Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson:: “nuach” = rest. In Matthew, chapter 11, Jesus said, 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Notice that the rest is not idleness. Jesus offers us his yoke, but he says it will be easy. His rest is not based upon inactivity, but rather it is based upon being settled in the Lord’s will.

MCC News: Last week we started a “virtual foyer” zoom meeting to give our remote congregation another opportunity to connect on Sundays. It will continue each Sunday after the live streamed worship service on Sunday, so it will start about 10:15 AM. It will be a zoom meeting hosted by Gina and me. Here is the link to that meeting (link).

For the next month or six weeks, our Wednesday evening Bible study will study II Peter led by our associate pastor, Jared Smith. It will be a zoom meeting at 6:30 PM.

On Wednesday I had a long conversation with our dear friends Chris and Sharon Struna. They are stuck in Argentina now, but they hope to return to Florida this fall, and then return to missions work in Honduras this winter. Please pray for protection and provision. I look forward to seeing Chris and Sharon at MCC when they are in town.

09 August 2020 Sunday Announcements

Sunday Morning Sermon:  Sunday's sermon is titled “Upon This Rock” from Matthew 16:17-19. The readings: Psalm 16:1-11 and Acts 10:34-43. There will be only one   MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Virtual Church (link) is available streaming at 9:00 AM.  Virtual Foyer on Zoom (link) at 10:15 AM. The recorded services are available on MCC YouTube Channel (link).

Week 23 of 52: Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson: “Kavanah” = ‘to be aware of God’s presence.` This word does not appear in the Bible, but it has been part of rabbinical teaching for thousands of years. The rabbis teach that the awareness of God is what brings passion to our prayers, worship and study.

MCC News: We will launch the “virtual foyer” zoom meeting to give our remote congregation another opportunity to connect on Sundays. It will be after the live streamed worship service on Sunday, so it will start about 10:15 AM. It will be a zoom meeting hosted by Gina and me.

Our Wednesday group finished the study on Unoffendable this week. Thank you to Dianne and Will Stephenson for leading us this summer. For the next month or six weeks, our Wednesday evening Bible study will study II Peter led by our associate pastor, Jared Smith. It will be a zoom meeting at 6:30 PM. Stay tuned for the details on how to join this study.

For those who like to read along before and during our Sunday morning sermon series, I have some recommendations for the new series. It's on the NT book of II Peter, and it will last 6 weeks. Week 1 starts with a bio of Simon Peter; Week 2 is a review of I Peter; then 4 weeks on II Peter, verse by verse. II Peter is only 3 chapters. So here's my reading plan, a bit ambitious at first, but easier later. To learn more about Simon Peter, read the Gospel of Mark (16 chapters) and Acts 1-10. For week 2, it's pretty obvious that the best way to prepare for a review of I Peter is to read it some way. I listened to I Peter (5 chapters) this morning on Bible Gateway, and it took 16 minutes at regular speed. Then starting in week 3 we will slow way down, covering 3 chapters over 4 weeks. As always, I recommend that you read II Peter all in one sitting once we get to it, but that shouldn't take long. I know that many in our congregation are struggling to keep up these day, so the optional background reading recommendations will not be much help to you. But I also know that many in our congregation treasure the study of Scripture, and some will have the time and inclination to dig deeper by doing the background reading and/or attending the new Wednesday evening study.

It's back to school time, and this year we will continue the MCC tradition of giving a new monogrammed Bible to all of our rising first graders. Please send a message to Anne Zidonis Straub or me with the correct spelling of your child's name as you would prefer for it to appear on the Bible. Remember that if you became a part of our congregation after your child completed first grade, we are always glad to offer age appropriate Bibles retroactively to kids of any age. 

Speaking of the return to school, please pray for the students, teachers and administrators in our congregation. We will not have a public back to school event this year, but we are still able and willing to help families with school supplies. Please let me know if you need help, and also let me know if you would like to help. I think I already know some of each.

One more thing for now: We are not scheduling a summer baptism beach party in August like we normally do, but please let me know if you would like to be baptized, and we can make arrangements for a smaller gathering.

02 August 2020 Sunday Announcements

We are not having a regular church service at the building this Sunday because of the approaching storm. We should be back to our new normal next Sunday.

Sunday Morning Sermon:  Sunday's sermon is titled “Churches Were Strengthened” from Acts 16:5. The readings: Genesis 12:1-7 and Matthew 16:13-20. There will be only one   MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Week 23 of 52: Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson: “Ananei HaKavod” = cloud of glory. For forty years between the Exodus and the Promised Land, God’s cloud of glory sheltered his people in the wilderness, reminding them of his presence and sustaining power. This weekend, as we watch the reports of an approaching storm, let the power of nature remind you of God’s presence and power.

MCC News: Breaking news! Because of the approaching hurricane we will not have an in-person service at our building this Sunday. We want our congregation and our production team to have one less responsibility this weekend. Because we progressed from live services to virtual services to live streaming, we will have the ability to have a virtual service Sunday morning. So please join us if you can while the power is still on. It seems like a good time to take a break from planning and preparation and focus on prayer. Also, please help spread the word that we are not meeting in person this Sunday.

While we have been struggling to meet the challenges of doing Sunday morning church lately, our Monday – Saturday church has been busy. Thank you to our do-gooders who worked behind the scenes this week and last – delivering, cleaning, cooking, looking for leaks. There is a meal signup link for the Czagas family elsewhere on the MCC Facebook page.

26 July 2020 Sunday Service Announcements

"Sunday Morning Sermon:  Sunday's sermon is titled “Strong and Courageous” from Deuteronomy 31-34. The readings: Exodus 15:1-18 and Acts 3:17-26. There will be only one   MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Virtual Church is available streaming at 9:00 AM.  The recorded services are available on YouTube.

MCC News:  Please join us for worship this Sunday at 9:00 AM. I am not urging you to accelerate your family’s timetable for attending church in person, but I do encourage you to join us one way or another. It is easy to join the service live on MCC’s YouTube channel. This Sunday’s message is the end of the Deuteronomy series. Coming soon: I hope that we can start a “virtual foyer” zoom meeting after church by the first Sunday in August. This will give our remote congregation another opportunity to connect on Sunday.

“I am grateful to you, God of the universe, for this new day. May your love and compassion be reflected in everything I do.”

Week 22 of 52: Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson: “brakah” = short prayer. The Pharisees took prayer so seriously that they developed a collection of short prayers, called brakah, that they could memorize and recite throughout the day. It is easy to imagine how this could have devolved into a legalistic chore, but reciting short prayers through the day could be a way for us to obey Paul’s direction to “pray without ceasing.” Here’s a nice brakah for starting the day. I’m going to try to remember to start this way for the next week and see what that does for my outlook.

19 July 2020 Sunday Service Announcements

"Sunday Morning Sermon:  Sunday's sermon is titled “Now Choose Life” from Deuteronomy 29-30. The readings: Ezekiel 36:22-28 and Romans 10:5-11. There will be only one   MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Virtual Church is available streaming at 9:00 AM.  The recorded services are available on youtube.

This week’s sermon –“Now Choose Life” – is the second to last one in our Deuteronomy series. It is the climactic message, one I will subtitle “The Gospel According to Moses.” If you have missed any of the weeks of this series, this Sunday’s message is the one that can catch you up.

Week 20 of 52: Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know: by Dave Adamson: “dabar” = “word”. This word occurs over 1400 times in the Bible. It is sometimes translated into English as “speak,” “commandment,” “promise” or “act.” So this word describes God acting to create the heavens and the earth, and it also describes the earth proclaiming the glory of God.

12 July 2020 Sunday Service

Sunday Morning Sermon:  Sunday's sermon is titled “Set Up These Stones” from Deuteronomy 27-28. The readings: Psalm 78:52-64 and Galatians 6:1-10. There will be only one  MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Virtual Church is available streaming at 9:00 AM.  The recorded services are available on youtube.

There are two more weeks of Deuteronomy, and then we'll start a series on II Peter.

Week 20 of 52: Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know: “Da lifnei mi attah omed” = Know
before whom you stand.” Because I used to be a language teacher, I quickly recognized this week’s word as an entire phrase rather than a mere word. What would motivate Dave Adamson, the author, to change his own standards for the book? This phrase would have been found on the front of a cabinet holding the Scriptures that was placed in the middle of ancient synagogues. The people attending the synagogue would sit or stand surrounding the platform containing the scrolls. The “Greek theatre” arrangement of Western churches (like MCC on a Sunday) is a later innovation. Placing the scrolls in the middle of the synagogue reminded ancient worshippers of the centrality of God’s Word in our worship. The words that were inscribed on the scroll cabinets of ancient synagogues reminded God’s people to be aware of his presence and enter worship reverently. We can still use these reminders today.

05 July 2020 Sunday Service In-Person and Virtual

Sunday Morning Sermon:  Sunday's sermon is titled “He Has Declared . . ." from Deuteronomy 21-26.  The readings: Isaiah 1:10-17 and Mark 10:1-9. There will be only one  MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Virtual Church is available streaming at 9:00 AM.  The recorded services are available on youtube.

The Hebrew word of the week is "kavod", which means "glory”.

Online Book Club: Our first online book club meets Tuesdays at 6:30 PM for an hour. We are reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and our group is led by Rick and Susan Krebs. For an invitation to the zoom meeting, email rsclrus@yahoo.com.

Wednesday Night Bible Study: Our Wednesday night Bible study group is an online book club for the summer that starts at 6:30 PM and meet for an hour. We are reading Unoffendable by Brant Hansen, and our group is led by Will and Dianne Stephenson. For an invitation to this zoom meeting, email wilhast@hotmail.com.

MCC Church Announcements for the Week of 14 June 2020

Sunday Morning Sermon: Sunday's sermon is titled "A Blessing and a Curse" from Deuteronomy 10:12-11:32. The readings are Micah 6:1-8 and Colossians 3:12-17. We are continuing our in person at MCC in this first phase. Virtual Church is also available streaming at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, or recorded version on youtube.

Online Book Club: Our first online book club started last month. It meets Tuesdays at 6:30 PM for an hour. We are reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and our group is led by Rick and Susan Krebs. Although we have been at if for a few weeks already. The chapters are pretty short, so it would not be too difficult to try to catch up and join us in progress. For an invitation to the zoom meeting, email rsclrus@yahoo.com.

Wednesday Night Bible Study: Our Wednesday night Bible study group is converting to an online book club for the summer. Our second online book club started Wednesday. We also start at 6:30 PM and meet for an hour. We are reading Unoffendable by Brant Hansen, and our group is led by Will and Dianne Stephenson. It would be easy to join this group now. We discussed chapters 2 and 3 for last week. For an invitation to this zoom meeting, email wilhast@hotmail.com.

Heart and Soul Quilting Circle: Our next Quilt Show is scheduled for October 10th. This year the show will benefit Project Linus, Samaritans Purse, and missionaries in Romania (Maurice and Joanne Sikes). Project Linus has a goal of collecting at least 35 quilts by the end of this year for children that are in Foster care in our area. (They have a shortage of quilts for boys.) We currently have 20 quilts ready. If you are interested in making a quilt and donating it to Project Linus please see Kathy Higley.

The Beach Walk Fellowship is currently on hold, but will resume soon.