Category Archives: Church Family

Pleasant Visits…

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On Tuesday, I hopped in the Tahoe and made a few of visits.

First I visited Anna. She had fallen a few weeks back at the airport in State College. The revolving door caught her and she went down. She doesn’t remember how she fell, but she really stoved her left side. We talked about what a blessing it was that nothing was broken. She has a family member who broke both legs recently, and, while we don’t generally think of being stiff and sore from a fall as a blessing, we agreed that it beats broken bones by a long shot. Anna is recovering well from her fall. Anna has such a heart for Jesus — she told me about her work to evangelize a family member. As I listened to her recount their conversation I thought to myself, “Man — Billy Graham couldn’t have done better.”

I also visited Gilda. I did a little work on her laptop to fix Windows and showed her and Matt Esther’s blog. They are such good people — appreciative of all that is done for them, and asking so little. Matt gave me two quarts of hot peppers. They were too hot for him to eat. I thought they were excellent — just right!

It’s easy to forget those who can’t attend church regularly. Easy for me, anyway. Please let me encourage you not to forget them, but to encourage them with a card or a visit.

~Pastor Steve

Spiritism, Anyone?

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Laurel was listening to The Family Life Network and they were talking about a rise in “Casual Spiritism” (my term, not theirs). I guess the speakers were saying that among teens, involvement in the spirit world is not seen as a problem or a “dark art” to be avoided.

I did some research and realized that I hadn’t addressed this issue from the pulpit in several years, so this Sunday I will be doing so. As such, I ask that you would do three things.

  1. Pray that I would be able to address the subject with biblical clarity.
  2. Pray that people who may be dabbling in such things would take note and separate themselves from that which God dislikes.
  3. Consider who you might invite to hear this message.

As always, thanks for your prayers.

~Pastor Steve

Waiting…

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Let me begin with some math.  The length of time between 5:20 a.m. and 11:20 p.m. is how many hours? Just enough, I think.

Yesterday Marilyn and Annie and I went down to Pittsburgh for Jack’s surgery. We left here at 5:20 and arrived in time to visit with Jack at the health center before they took him to the hospital in Oakland. The ambulance personnel were excellent — almost insisting that I follow them down, which I did. And while I know Pittsburgh well, for someone who hasn’t lived there for almost 30 years, I was glad I followed them. They knew some shortcuts.

We spent most of the day waiting. Waiting for them to do the prep work. Waiting for the surgery. Waiting for the surgery to be completed. Waiting to go in and see Jack. I took a brief walk down to Forbes Avenue to buy Tim lunch. It was great to see him. I offered to take Marilyn and Annie with me, but as I was walking back up Cardiac Hill to the hospital carrying my backpack, I realized they were the wiser — staying at the hospital. When I returned to the hospital, we waited some more — all afternoon. Finally, around supper time, we were able to speak to a doctor. While the surgery went well and the doctors were pleased with what they did, it was difficult to realize the challenges that are still ahead. After waiting more so that we could see Jack, we finally were able to do so. He looked good and seemed relatively comfortable.

Eighteen hours after we left Curwensville, we rounded the circle in front of the parsonage. Annie and Marilyn finished their journey to their homes.

Along with the many others connected with Curwensville Alliance, please pray for Jack and Marilyn — that the follow-up treatment will be effective and without significant discomfort.

~Pastor Steve

Experiencing Church…

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What does it mean to “experience church”? For some it means attending services. It can mean hearing a sermon and singing some songs. It can include visiting with friends and enjoying a meal in the Activities Center.

Monday night it meant more than that.

During our Genesis Bible Study we talked about Abraham and Isaac. If you know the story, you know that Abraham’s faith was tested. He was called upon by God to sacrifice something very near to him. As the story unfolded before us, the dozen or so present began to talk about ways in which God tests our faith. It’s tough to imagine God putting us through such things — or allowing us to be put through them — but either way, the Bible is clear that this is what happened to Abraham. He was asked to prove his love for God. And he did.

Such tests are not without pain. As different members of that small group shared their own trials and testings, one could see the Body of Christ caring for Herself. And one could sense God’ Spirit delivering healing and encouragement in the group. Afterward, no one wanted to leave, but chatted in Room 103 for several minutes. Then visited together more in the hallway. Then talked together in the brightly-lit parking lot. When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain. But we shall still be joined in heart and hope to meet again (John Fawcett).

There are lots of ways to “experience church.” One of my favorite ways is by participating in a healthy small group like the ones we have at Curwensville Alliance.

To God be the glory.

~Pastor Steve

100 Years…

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That’s how long it seems it’s been since I updated this blog. 100 years. Or more.  Lots has been happening, so proper prioritization places these updates at the end of the job queue.

Monday I went in to see Rick. He’s in good spirits and is looking better than he did last week. It’s great to see how well he communicates even though he’s not able to use speech. Don’t let the good report of his attitude and ability to communicate make you feel he’s without need for prayer. He’s still on a respirator and still in intensive care. Rick is very appreciative of the prayer support he receives from the church family. Thank you!

Tuesday, after meeting with the pastors in our community who cooperate together in the Ministerial Association, I took some time to deliver some BBQ CookOff tickets to some people in the area. They were received with gladness and it looks like they will be joining us for the CookOff. Pray that we will see a good turnout for this event. Later in the day I made a couple of visits.

There’s no cell phone service in our area today for Verizon customers. Believe it or not, that’s actually been a blessing for me. On my trip to see Gilda today, I was able to spend time alone with God, listening to great sermons on my iPod and speaking to him in prayer. Gilda is getting therapy in the State College area and is progressing quite nicely. She expects to be home in a couple of days. Praise God for the way she’s recovering.

In between times, I have been working on some small group discipleship, sermons, and some one-on-one discipleship. Each of these holds challenges and rewards. My one-on-one discipleship is pretty intense, so pray that I can dialogue well with those involved.

~Pastor Steve