Author Archives: Pastor Steve

Changes…

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It was my eight grade life sciences teachers who said it to me first: Everything changes. Chances are you have different friends today than you had a decade ago. Even if you do still have the same job you had twenty years ago, I am sure there have been many changes in your specific job. Families change. Health changes. Even you change — you are not the same person you were yesterday.

In spite of its relentlessness, for the most part, people resist change.

But the changes we’ve been seeing lately are changes of heart. Changes from feeling casual about one’s relationship with God, to being on fire for God. Changes from engaging in addictive destructive lifestyles, to finding freedom from bondage in Christ. Changes from “doing church” to “being church.”

Gotta love those kinds of changes.

Got a Vibe…

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It’s been a while since I posted anything here. That’s kind of sad because there have been great things to post.

A woman who has been attending church regularly for a year or so said something like this to a group of us on Monday night, “When you go to a church, you can get a vibe. You can tell if there is love there. You can tell if God is there. I got that vibe the first time I came to Curwensville Alliance Church and it hasn’t gone away.” Praise God for how he’s worked in our church to show us how to love him with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. Pray for those who don’t sense the love of God — that we would be agents of love, even renewal, in their lives.

Attendance was excellent at church Sunday despite the great weather and a few families needing to be away. One man spoke to me on the telephone later in the week and said, “I need to make Jesus the boss in my life.”

In the evening, we had a baptism service where nine people were baptized. The youngest was fresh out of high school and the oldest was long-since retired. Several people said the service was one of the most moving baptism services they had witnessed. A visitor, who has been attending church for all of his 84 years, remarked with tears in his eyes, “That was the most awesome thing I have ever seen in a church service.” When you go to prayer, remember those baptized — that they would continue to grow in their faith.

It’s good to know that Vern is out of the hospital and that Janet is feeling better. When I spoke to her, she said she should be well enough to be in church Sunday.

Pray for a young man I am counseling — that he would be able to follow closely to God regardless of his circumstances. And that God would grant him the holy desires of his heart.

Today will be a day of sermon construction. I always hope for your prayers as I consider what God has to say to us.

~Pastor Steve

And I think to myself — what a wonderful world…

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Any time I hear of God using human beings to better this world, I am amazed and delighted. Over the past couple of days, I have seen that a lot.

Sunday morning, when Rick came to the front of the church to pray, I knew he had important business to do with God. And I knew he wanted to share his experience with the congregation. Those present saw God work in ways that we generally don’t get to experience. It was a wonderful thing to be a part of. And Curwensville Alliance was a part of what happened in Rick’s life — through prayers and interaction with Rick. God has done some awesome things. Pray for Rick and all those who were influenced by his testimony.

On Monday evening, the Genesis Bible study was missing one of the regulars. Janet was home, recovering from her surgery. The study went very well and afterward, Russ and I did some work on the sound system. Remember Janet in your prayers. Her participation in small groups is a great joy to her and those in the groups.

Tuesday I did some visiting. It was nice to get to know some of the new people at Curwensville Alliance.  They are clearly enjoying the Spirit of Christ in our presence.

Today — Wednesday — I took a trip to Mahaffey Camp to provide some counsel and to cut the grass at our cottage. Esther is enjoying her ministry there and was pleased to lead one of her campers to Christ. Always remember the year-round ministry of Mahaffey Camp in your prayers.

This afternoon, I am off to make some visits. Then off to Prayer Meeting tonight at church at 7:00!

Too Busy to Not Post an Entry…

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It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to have no food. And it’s hard to think of someone like that living in our own community. But early in my day, Tuesday, Pastor George called and told me of a woman who called needing food. We’ve help this person before with heat — she was heating her home with an electric oven because she had no money to buy fuel. We know her situation and know the needs are legitimate. What a blessing it is to be part of a Christian Community of Churches that cooperate together to help in these situations. Please pray for the needy in Curwensville — that as the churches help them, they will see the love of God and find faith in Christ.

My chaplain, Jim Vandervort, stopped by and took me to lunch yesterday. He grew up in Bradford, so we had lots to talk about. It was great hearing his stories and knowing that he was praying for me and the other pastors in his care. Rev. Vandervort has been having some physical problems, so if you would, pray that God will help him as he continues to minister in this important position.

I stopped by the nursing home for a visit and then spent some time in reading, listening to podcasts, and researching some doctrinal issues online. In the evening, I spend a couple of hours teaching the Baptism Bible Study to some baptism candidates. Ah — what a joy that is! Pray for those getting baptized at the end of the month — that this will be a significant milestone in their lives.

The rest of this week is swamped for me. I need to complete the minutes from the LOCC meeting last week. I’ll be helping Laurel with the technical end of preparation for the Women’s Retreat. I’ve some visits to make to some new people. I will be helping out with the seminar on Knowing God’s Will at the A Day Awaits Lock-in. And I’ll be making normal preparation for Wednesday and Sunday services. Having that kind of schedule ahead of me, I thought about not posting anything here. And then I realized — Hey, this is a prayer blog! I should post this so that people will pray. Being too busy to post an entry to a prayer blog…. wow — that’s almost as bad as being too busy to pray!

So please do — please remember all these things when you go to the Lord in prayer. Thanks!

~Pastor Steve

What a Great Lord’s Day!

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Yesterday — the Lord’s Day at Curwensville Alliance Church was incredible. It began with a good Sunday School class taught by Matt McCracken. He’s doing a great job detailing the material in The Search for Significance. I enjoyed looking over the book and spending time being part of Matt’s class. Pray for each Sunday School class — that they will be marked by consistent attendance, personal growth, and numeric increase.

The Baptism Service is coming up at the end of the month. This week I have a couple more students who want to go through the material. I love teaching them the meaning of baptism so that their own experience of baptism is significant. Pray for those who are considering baptism — that they will understand the concept and obey.

The Morning Worship Service was a good time of looking at Jesus’ words to the Sadducees concerning their failure to know God’s word and God’s power. To my delight, when I arrived home in the evening, there was a message from someone whose husband said, “Man — Pastor Steve was talking straight to me today! I want to come to the Genesis Bible Study!” We all know it wasn’t “Pastor Steve” talking. It was God, through his Spirit, speaking in the message. It’s amazing to me that God uses this vehicle of preaching to communicate his truth. Pray that he will continue to work in the lives of those who hear God’s word proclaimed.

Many in the church family enjoyed a pleasant luncheon together and afterward, Laurel and I made a quick trip to see my mother in the rehabilitation home. Her arm looks much better, but she’s having trouble finding hope that she will get back to the room she had been in before she fell. While there, we received the prayer-line message concerning Bev being in DRMC. Laurel and I made it to DRMC just moments after Bev had been transferred to Pittsburgh, but I was able to speak to her father. He brought me up to date on Bev and promised to let her know Curwensville Alliance would be praying for her. Please remember Bev in prayer as her liver is not performing the proper function at this time.

The Outreach Committee had a good meeting, finalizing details for the Fishers of Men Tournament Trail. Dave Clark will be speaking at that event. If you can help with anything, speak to Tim Smay. Among other items discussed was the need to help A Day Awaits with the lock-in this weekend. If you can help with that, please contact Brennan Bell as soon as possible. The committee noted there were lots of empty spaces on the sign-up sheets. And please remember to pray concerning the lock-in.

Thanks for praying regarding the ministry of your church, Curwensville Alliance.

~Pastor Steve