Tomorrow!

Reminder, tomorrows service is at 10:00 AM! This will be an all church service meaning the 10:30 congregation and the 9:00 congregation will come together in one service. Next week we will resume to 9:00am service time.

Following the service everyone is invited to gather down stairs to a feast! Fried Chicken, Mostaccioli, and many other sides and goodies. Do you have a wonderful side dish you could bring and share? Bring it tomorrow.

Please prepare for tomorrows service. Here's how: The living God changes things and He does so through the power of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for me tonight, your pastor, that I may be empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring the message you need to hear from God tomorrow. Pray for the church and all who attend that God will move in our lives and make the changes that will bring us closer to Him.
Every Sunday that I come to church, I come  expecting God to do something huge in someones life. I expect Him to to change a circumstance, free someones hardened heart, to fix a problem, heal someone, bless someone, give hope to someone. He still does these things!  Come tomorrow and find out the power of God for your self. Getting into an intimate relationship with God is THE most important thing you can do for your life and for those you love!

See you tomorrow at 10:00AM!  Love, pastor kent

Big Reminder

This next Sunday August the 30th, we will be having an "all" church worship service at 10:00am! Following the service we will all be gathering in the fellowship hall to a grand feast of "DK's" fried chicken and mostaccioli!  PCF is providing the main course and bread and Immanuel Methodist congregation will be bringing sides and deserts. However, if you have a favorite desert and side you would like to bring and share, please feel free to do so!

I will be leading worship along with a combined PCF and Immanuel worship team. I am looking forward to a grand worship and fellowship time this coming Sunday. God is moving! Come be part of this movement.

Also on the horizon is a Glik Park Service scheduled for the second Sunday in September! That will be on September 13th weather permitting. Stay tuned for more on this Service.

See you soon. Love, pastor kent

This Sunday's Sermon!

Can you really know God's will?  Yes!
Can I really find The Peace of God in this Life?  Yes!
Will God really direct my steps? Yes!

Come join us this Sunday and begin a New way to live! Come prepared to be restored and refreshed.

I hope I will see many of you tomorrow morning at 8:00 am at Immanuel Methodist for the church work day. Don't worry, much of the hedge trimming has already been done. If we get a decent turnout I can guarantee that we won't be there more that 2 hours! Bring your gloves, a plastic trash can if you can get it in your car. Hedge trimmer, pruner, rake, anything else that might help in doing some landscape cleanup work! See you there.

See all of you Sunday at 9:00. Let's allow God to do His work in us and through us! Love, pastor kent

Special prayer request: My best friend growing up, Paul Gallina, has been diagnosed with spinal cancer. I will be praying for Gods hand of healing if you would please add Paul to your prayer list.

Important Dates

This Saturday at 8:00am we will have a work day at Immanuel Methodist church. We will be trimming shrubs, weeding and cleaning up the landscapes. Bring your gloves, rakes, trimmers.

This coming Sunday the 23rd I will be leading the service along with the PCF praise team. We will also be leading the service the next Sunday August 30th.

The August 30th service will be at 10:00am. This will be an all church service with a potluck lunch following the service.

September 13th, which is the second Sunday in September, we will be having our service at Glik Park. I will keep you posted on all these events as they approach.

Stay tuned. Love, pastor kent

What is your impact in this world for God?

Thought For the Day:

When I read the stories in the bible about people who have become part of scripture from Moses to the disciples I realize that, "The greater your surrender to God, the greater the impact your ministry will be!"

Announcement:  We will be having a PCF workday this coming Saturday the 22nd at 8:00AM. We will be weeding and trimming shrubs at the Methodist Church and parsonage. All helpers will be appreciated. If we have enough helpers this should be an easy two hour job to complete. Thank you in advance. Bring rakes, hedge trimmers, gloves garbage bags, blowers, etc…

Lets let the Immanuel Methodist church see our appreciation in action.

See you Sunday! Love, pastor kent

What About Malachi?

Some have asked me my thoughts on Malachi, the last book in the old testament that I assigned as a reading last Sunday. Last Sunday I said that when I finished reading this short book in the old testament that it spoke volumes to me. Let me give you the readers digest version of some of my thoughts.

Malachi means, "My Messenger" Like all the prophets who had a word from God, Malachi is a book that is reaching out to God's people. The emphasis of the book of Malachi is on the "attitude" of those who come to worship God. God is asking, "Where is your heart when you come into my temple to worship me?"

In the book of Leviticus one learns about "how" to worship God, in Malachi the focus is on the "heart" of those who come to worship God.  The people Malachi was trying to reach had become apathetic about their worship.  This is made profound in Malachi 1:2. God said to the people, "I have loved you." The response of the people was, "In what ways have you loved us?"

Imagine a father talking with his teenage son who he raised with much love, care and patience and his teenage son starts rebelling and not following the rules of the household. So dad decides to have a heart to heart talk with his son who he sees going down a dangerous, disastrous path. And the dad says to his son, "Son I love you, and have loved you since you were born," and the son responds by saying, "How have you loved me?"

When we decide to come to church to worship, there has to be reflection and heart preparation for the real reason we are taking the time to come to "WORSHIP!" I believe there are times when we become like the people of Malachi's day. We do not come to worship with a proper heart. We have become so distracted by the things of this life that we cannot focus on God. We are too busy, too tired, too angry, and really, "Does God really care if I spend time with him or not?" We are no different than the people of Malachi's time. They were all caught up in things of this life also. It is so easy to fall into that trap.

We come together to praise God and stand before Him asking for mercy, and thanking Him for all the good we do have in our life. We come before the King of all creation. Worship should be the most important time of your week. A time when we get to gather before the God of the universe and reach out to Him, thank Him, connect with Him.

See you Sunday! Love, pastor kent

Why Don't We Pray More?

I have found there were two main reasons that I lacked in my prayer life.

1.) I didn't believe that prayer had any real impact on results. (Which also meant my belief in a real living God was hard for me to grasp)!  …..and…...

2.) There are powers in this universe which do not want us to pray! Which may explain why I had the first reason. The bible puts it like this:

Ephesians 6:12-18New International Version (NIV)

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

"We have not yet begun to experience the infinite power and possibility that becomes available when we call on the name of the Lord in prayer"  Jim Cymbala

ANNOUNCEMENT: Our work day at the church will be August 22nd in the morning!

See you Sunday. Love, pastor kent

Here is what is Happening

This coming Sunday we will be distributing bibles to our youth Grade 3 and up. There will be a brunch following this service!

The church water woes should be fixed by Wednesday. The plumbers are still trying to find the leak which includes digging up the floor to find it but we are hopeful.

We will be scheduling a work day at the church soon I'll keep you posted on that as soon as we can confirm a date. It will consist of trimming shrubs, weeding, cleanup and possibly some painting on the Parsonage porch.

A reminder that we will be having an all church celebration coming up on August 30th. There will be one 10:00 AM service with a lunch to follow. I will be giving the message that Sunday. I will have more info coming on that also.

Stan is still at Edwardsville Care Center located at Route 143 and St. Mary's Drive. Please continue to pray for his healing.

Please pray for Butch and Sandy Peterson as they move forward after the death of their son Butch Jr.

Please continue to pray for God's leading for our church (His church)!

See you soon. Love, pastor kent

May I Suggest!

There is no formal worship today due to a broken waterline at church. But this morning I have read the book of Malachi, a short read in the old testament. It spoke volumes to me. I hope you will take the time to read this short book this morning. I was going to give commentary but I have decided to just assign this book to all my blog readers and allow the Holy Spirit to open your heart to what God is saying to you as you read this book.

God has so much for all of us but we prevent His blessings in so many ways!

See you soon. Love, pastor kent

NO CHURCH TOMORROW!

Please help get the word out. There will be no service tomorrow due to a water line break in the church basement. I have talked with Jackie and all water has been shut off o the church until a contractor can come in and assess the problem. Stay tuned for updates.

Sincerely, pastor kent

Floyd "Butch" Peterson Jr. Memorial service information

Butch	Floyd D. "Butch" Peterson Jr. Born on Jun. 3, 1961 Departed on Aug. 4, 2015 and resided in Collinsville, IL. . Memorial Gathering: Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm Service: Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015 5:00 pm Please click on the links above for locations, times, maps, and directions.
Floyd "Butch" D. Peterson, Jr., age 54, of Granite City, IL, passed away on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 in Maryville, IL. Butch was born on June 3, 1961 in Granite City, IL, a son to Floyd "Butch" D. Peterson, Sr. and Sandi (Smothers) Peterson of Collinsville, IL. Butch graduated from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, IL and then attended law school and Graduated from St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, with his law degree. Butch was a lawyer and had worked for various law firms in the metro area. He had umpired and refereed for basketball, baseball and football teams in the local area for many years. Butch enjoyed golfing and spending time with his family and friends. He loved life, he loved to laugh, but most of all he loved his family and friends. Butch will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him. In addition to his beloved parents, Butch is survived by his loving children, Cari (Marc) Novaria of Belleville, IL, Brian Peterson of Golden, CO and Kimi Peterson of St. Charles, MO; dear sister and brother, Chris Olden of Edwardsville, IL and Brad (Rena) Peterson of Webster Grove, MO; uncle, Jerry Smothers; faithful companion, Isaac; nieces, nephews, extended and many friends. In celebration of his life, a memorial gathering will be held from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a life celebration service at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 9, 2015 at Granite City Elks Lodge, 4801 Maryville Road in Granite City. Memorial donations may be given to the Granite City A.P.A. or the Disabled Athletes Sports Association and will be accepted at the memorial gathering. Condolences may be expressed tot the family online at www.irwinchapel.com.

You Cannot Experience The Power of God…Unless...

Todays religion will wear you out, break you down, chew you up and spit you out unless you receive the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the only way we can experience the living God today. Without the Holy Spirit living inside of you, God is just a concept and the bible is just another text book of history. The Holy Spirit brings life and most important POWER into a Christians life.

Pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit and become a powerful tool for Jesus and His Kingdom!

Luke 11:13 New International Version

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

John 14:16-17New International Version (NIV)

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

See you Sunday where we will be calling on the power of the Holy Spirit to fill us and change us!

Love, pastor kent

Sad News

I was just notified by Butch and Sandy Peterson that their oldest son, Butch Jr. passed away today of an apparent heart attack. Please lift Butch and Sandy and their family in prayers of comfort. I will be posting more information about arrangements as soon as I have them.

Sincerely, pastor kent

If I could talk with you Right Now!

It's just a blog. But if I could be with you right now 1:22pm Tuesday Aug the 4th 2015, I would tell you that no matter what you are dealing with at this moment, God desires to set you free!

The freedom I"m talking about is freedom from adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like!

Galatians 5:19-25New Life Version (NLV)

19 The things your sinful old self wants to do are: sex sins, sinful desires, wild living, 20 worshiping false gods, witchcraft, hating, fighting, being jealous, being angry, arguing, dividing into little groups and thinking the other groups are wrong, false teaching, 21 wanting something someone else has, killing other people, using strong drink, wild parties, and all things like these. I told you before and I am telling you again that those who do these things will have no place in the holy nation of God. 22 But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things. 24 Those of us who belong to Christ have nailed our sinful old selves on His cross. Our sinful desires are now dead.

25 If the Holy Spirit is living in us, let us be led by Him in all things.

God will put new desires in your heart and the desires He puts in your heart will not disappoint! He is REAL!

Looking forward to worshipping with you Sunday.

See you soon. Love, pastor kent

Do Not Ignore God's Spirit!

"The Holy Spirit of God should never be pushed away, ignored or rejected. If we would remember that the One who lives in us is God's own Spirit, we would be much more selective about what we think, read, watch, say, and do."  These are the commentary notes from my New King James Version bible from the book of Ephesians.

Learning to listen to Gods spirit will transform your life experience. When God puts something in your heart, act! This is not an option but the most important thing in your life. God is real and does communicate to us. We, like all humanity, must learn to know His voice. It comes by reading the bible, praying and seeking Him. What is God trying to tell you?

Ephesians 4:30-32New Living Translation (NLT)

30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[a] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

 See you soon. Love, pastor kent