Happy New Year Reminder

Tomorrow there will be only one service at 10:00am!
It will be a service lead by "Darla McFadden,"  musician songwriter.

Looking forward to an amazing year.

See you all soon. Love pastor kent and pastor jackie

Every New Beginning.....

One of my favorite lines in a song comes from the song "Closing Time" by Semisonic. 

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end!"

That is where we find ourselves this time of year, closing out the past year and ushering in the new. But those lyrics are true throughout our lives. In this life, things have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Our life and the lives of all our loved ones and friends, Marriages either because of "till death do us part, or divorce, Our careers, The Holiday's, Our Youth, Vacations, Family gatherings, every thing has a beginning a middle and an end except for one thing, God's love for us! 

You have heard it said, "You only live once!"  That saying has two different meanings depending if you are a believer in Jesus. If you are without faith, then yes, you only live once. It is here and now! You better make the most of it!  But, if you have faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, the saying, "You only live once!" takes on a whole new meaning. Yes we only live once,  and it is forever! 

You may say, but what about death? Yes, we will experience death, but to the followers of Jesus, death is a transition not an end. We worship a God of restoration. Jesus came to give us a glimpse of what that restoration will be like. He came and healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the crippled whole, and even raised people from the dead. So, as you face things in this world which will come to an end, here are some words from the creator and the restorer of all things!

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Psalm 56:3-4  

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am working on a big idea for our church. I'll have more to come soon! 

2017 Calendar

• January 1 One Service Darla McFadden in Concert 10:00am

• January 8             PCF
• January 15           IUMC
• January 22           PCF
• January 29           One Service IUMC
•  February 5           PCF
• February 12        IUMC
• February 19        PCF
• February 26        IUMC

Hope to see you all soon! Love pastor kent

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is a chance to reconnect to your innermost craving, to begin or to deepen your relationship with Jesus. He is the real deal! 

This Saturday at 6:30pm PCF will lead worship Christmas Eve. Music, candles, love, warmth of friends and family. It will all be here at 800 North Main Street Edwardsville. Come experience Christmas in the 2nd oldest church in Edwardsville. It is a post card perfect little brick church just like you would see on a Christmas Card. 

We are very informal. You don't need to dress up, but you can if you like. It's come as you are. 

Let the magic of Christmas be born again into your life. 

Christmas Service Schedule

• Christmas Eve Contemporary service lead by Praise Community Fellowship at 6:30PM.
• Christmas Eve Traditional Service lead by Immanuel Methodist at 11:00PM.
• Christmas Day Traditional Service lead by Immanuel Methodist at 10:00AM. 

Hope to see you! Love, pastor kent 

Service Cancelled Tomorrow

Due to the winter weather advisory, the 8:45am service is cancelled tomorrow (12/18). Jackie will still have the 10:45am traditional service.

This Sunday!

Christmas is about Hope, Peace and Love. This Sunday PCF will be leading the service. We have new music planned, and I think the sermon will warm your heart on an expected cold day. 

Listen, I don't care who you are or what your circumstances are, my message to you is, "There is Hope for a better tomorrow!"  I know that for some of you reading this, that these are only words, You don't feel the Hope, you have lost your Joy, and you are seeking Peace. 

Do yourself and maybe a friend or family member a favor and get up, put some very warm clothes on, and come join us this Sunday at 8:45am at 800 North main Street Edwardsville. We are informal, but we are welcoming and want you to meet the living Jesus. He can lead you to the Hope, Peace, and Love that may seem so illusive to you now.

The reason I pastor, is because I know what it is to have God's peace. There is nothing like it. The bible is full of stories of ordinary people just like you and me, who lived through many circumstances. The one dominating message in all these stories is, no matter what it is you are facing, the only way you can have peace is with God as your compass. Let Him point you to true north. 

So here is your invitation. 

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!

Love, Jesus!

Consider that your invitation to a new life of Hope, Joy, and Peace! 

See you Sunday! Love pastor kent and pastor jackie

Announcements: 

We will be accepting children Hats to be donated locally to children in need. 

Bring you Beverly farm Christmas gifts this Sunday if possible.

Christmas Eve schedule: 6:30pm,  PCF will lead worship.  11:00pm, Immanuel Methodist will lead service. 

Where Have I Been?

I know that my blogs have been few and far between the past few weeks. The above picture is why. I have been rehabbing a house in Alton for our youngest son Brett, who is moving back from Mobile Alabama. He just graduated and is heading back home to start his adult life. 

I think the above picture is representative of many of our lives, "Under Construction!"

There is so much to do! 

It's a mess!

Will it ever come together?

I keep running into unplanned obstacles!

Time is running short!

It's life! It's like becoming a Christian. You have an idea of what it is all about, you think you are on track, and then bang, there is a setback. How will this mess ever be a nice living space?

One hour at a time. Step by step. Getting frustrated and nervous and worrying does not help. I rely on the expertise of my contractor, youtube leaning videos, and trial and error. 

I hope I will see you at church this Sunday. There will be special music, a special message that will include more about all this, and most important there will be all of us coming together to help one another with our projects. The project of life. There are a lot of experts at our wonderful little church. We have members who have been through what you are going through. They know what it is like no matter what it is you are facing. Come and get some advice and love.  You are welcome here! Jesus is our contractor. He knows what and how. He has seen it all. Your project is not going to surprise him!

Praise Community Fellowship will be leading worship this Sunday. Come and see what this crazy loving family is all about. Two churches coming together under one roof to share the love and message of Jesus! 8:45am located at 800 North Main Street Edwardsville. 

Praise Community Fellowship and Immanuel Methodist.  Pastor kent and pastor jackie.

Hope to see you! Bring your project!

Love pastor kent

Only One Service This Sunday!

Important! This Sunday , December 11th, there is only one service to be held at 10:00am. This will be the children's program with a breakfast with Santa immediately following the service. Please get the word out to anyone who may not be connected to the blog.

God's peace to everyone. See you soon! Love, pastor kent

Thoughts on this past Sunday's Service

Sunday's service was very special for me. I had the privilege of dedicating Caden Keller into the Christian faith. As I was holding Caden he looked right into my eyes as I was speaking. It was a wonderful experience. It confirmed that I am where I am supposed to be at this time in my life. 

Sunday I spoke about how Christianity is the only place to get the answer to man's oldest question. What is my purpose?   

If you know the answer to that question, then no matter what circumstances you find yourself in or how lost you may feel, you have a compass to true north. The answer to that question is, "To Glorify God!" 

If you make anything other than Glorifying God as your primary purpose for your life, you are going to live a life with emptiness and longing no matter how much worldly success you may achieve.

All of us "drift" from our primary purpose. Being a pastor, one might think that pastors would be exempt from this drifting from our primary purpose. Not true! I can drift away from true north just as easy as anyone. It is part of our fallen human nature. When you find yourself getting lost, drifting from your primary purpose of glorifying God, it is time to go to the compass and check the map to find out how far off the path you have wondered. The compass is the Holy Spirit and the map is the bible.

When I find myself feeling distant and/or disengaged from God, I know it is time for me to go to God's word and prayer. I must get back to my primary purpose. Then and only then do begin enjoying God's peace and presence.

The way we Glorify God is by applying the teachings of Jesus. To love others as much as we love ourselves. To put others first. To be honest, fair, and trustworthy. To have a servants heart. 

This Christmas, make it the best Christmas you have ever had by Glorifying God in all that you do! 

Announcements:

We need names and addresses for all of you who attend Praise Community Fellowship for the directory. Please call Anita in the church office with your information. The phone # 618-656-4648.

Christmas Eve services will be held at 6:30pm and 11:00pm.
Pastor kent will be leading the 6:30 service and pastor jackie will be leading the 11:00pm service.

Do you know of someone who has a need this Christmas? Contact the church to let pastor Jackie or myself know.

Past sermons can be listened to by going to www.praisecommunityfellowship.com and clicking on Sermon Replay. Click Here to go to sermons.

Praise Community Fellowship and Immanuel Methodist Church coming together as one church family to demonstrate love in the community. Located at 800 North Main Street Edwardsville. Service times 8:45am Sunday mornings.

See you soon. Love, pastor kent