New Year's Resolutions!

Although there are many people in the world that think it is pointless to make New Year’s Resolutions, I’m not one of them. I’ve seen too many people finally put on their running shoes, lose that extra 50 pounds or even read the Bible for the first time to think that New Year’s Resolutions are pointless.  In fact a few years ago I made a New Year’s Resolution to start running again and 4 years later I’m still running.  What was my secret?  Accountability!  I shared my New Year’s Resolution with a church full of people and gained a couple of running partners along the way.  And without people to hold me accountable I don’t think I would still be running.  And so Shiloh I want to challenge you, not to put on your running shoes, but rather to read with Bible with me in 2013.  Maybe some of you have never read the Bible, maybe others just portions of it, but in 2013 I would like for everyone in our church to read the Bible from start to finish.   

We will begin on January 15, 2013 and finish January 14, 2014.  And to help with some accountability along the way, not only am I going to be preaching sermons about what we are reading (The Bible Reading Plan), but we also have a few ways for you to study the Bible this year in groups.  They include:

1. Disciple Bible Study- we have 2 Disciple Bible Study Classes taught on Monday and Thursday Nights at 7pm.  These are 32-34 week commitments and are incredible ways to really study God’s word in depth.  Disciple I is a course that is a overview of the whole Bible and Disciple IV focuses on parts of the New and Old Testament with a focus on John and Revelation.  
2. Mid-week Bible Study- if anyone grew up in a church that had a midweek service this is the kind of thing you are use to.  Mid-week Bible study will also happen on Thursday Nights in the Sanctuary at 7pm and we will be talking about the Bible Reading Plan we read throughout the week.  It’s a Large Group opportunity for you to hear a Bible teaching and ask questions about what you don’t understand.  This will run the entire year (we may take a slight break in the summer).  And you can come and go as your schedule allows.  
3. Life Groups- formerly known as Community Groups.  These groups will last throughout the year (taking breaks in the summer).  And they will focus on applying the weekly Bible Reading Plan to everyday life.  These groups are really focused on doing life together.  Most groups will meet in homes, other groups at the church.  If you are interested in leading a Life Group contact me at rachel@shilohumc.com or 451-3600 #105 

Reading through the Bible is a huge deal, not only is it a major accomplishment, but every time we read and meditate on God’s word we are bound to grow in our journey of faith.  So this year I want to encourage you to take up this resolution and Read the Bible in 2013!  

Blessings, 

Pastor Rachel 

Still Waiting

We have been waiting!  Some of us waiting to finish our Christmas shopping, waiting to send out those Christmas Cards, but all of us have been waiting throughout this Advent Season for the Coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  And we'll he is almost here!  And I am not talking about the end of the world!  Just around the corner we will gathering with friends and family, sharing some great food, and celebrating the birth of Jesus with an always moving candlelit "Silent Night."  Our wait till be over and all of the preparation for Advent and Christmas will be complete!  

But there are a few things we need not wait for: don't wait to invite your neighbors, friends, family and coworkers to one of our three Christmas Eve Services (7pm, 9pm, 11pm), don't wait to contribute to Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, and don't wait to enjoy the most wonderful time of of the year!  It amazing as I run into people at restaurants, in the grocery store, and even at doctors appointments people are looking for places to spend their Christmas Eve.  And if people are looking, well why not invite them to Shiloh?  

Advent is all about waiting: waiting for HIs presence, waiting for His birth, and waiting for Jesus Christ to come again.   And so as we wait we declare "Come Lord Jesus Come."

Blessings 

Pastor Rachel 

Children, Children, Children Everywhere

Upward registrations began this week and tons of kids streamed through the doors of Shiloh!  This year we have 54 additional basketball players and cheerleaders coming for the Upward basketball and cheerleading program: 120 basketball players and 22 cheerleaders will be not only learning the fundamentals of the game, but also they will be learning what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  This is an incredible opportunity for we as a church to reach children, parents, and families with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

This is where we need your help!  Whether you are interested in coaching, being a referee, or helping us share a Bible teaching during the halftime of ball games, we need lots of extra hands and hearts to help these young boys and girls experience the love God and the love of the game.  So maybe you aren’t the most experienced coach or perhaps you feel a little rusty when it comes to the fundamentals of Bible, well Upward does a great job of giving you the resources you need to feel confident with the information you are sharing with the kids.  If you are interested in helping contact Kathy Shea at kathy@shilohumc.com or 513-51-3600 #102 

Practices begin the week of January 14th so even if you are unable to coach or referee we ask everyone to pray.  Pray for the children, pray for the coaches, and pray for the families who are participating in Upward this year! 

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday

Just the other day I picked up an advertisement and began thumbing through the pages.  The pictures were enticing and the prices were “great deals” and before long I found myself saying, “I could use that.”  “It would be nice to have that,” and “I need that.”  The pull of the holiday season is upon us and whether it is an ad that comes in the mail or a commercial on TV we can easily fall to the temptation spending more, wanting more, and making Christmas something it was never intended to be, namely a birthday celebrating ourselves.  Throughout this Advent season I want to challenge us to begin thinking about what Christmas was really all about: the birth of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us!  Christmas is Not Our Birthday.  And I wonder if we could start thinking about the way we celebrate Christmas or even buy gifts at Christmas with the mindset that Christmas is not our Birthday.  With buying stuff: let’s say you spend $200 on your family, why not spend $200 on someone who goes without.  At Church we have numerous opprotunities to do just that, from the Angel Tree, the Giving Tree, and the Hums Tree.   If you aren’t the shopping type, just write a check and put in the memo line “Christmas Is Not Your Birthday.”   Half of what you give will go to help people directly here in Delhi and the other half to our neighbors in Pricehill. 

But Celebrating Christmas is not only about how we spend our money, it’s also about how we spend our time.  This Advent and Christmas season, I want to challenge you and I want to challenge me to relax, to enjoy your family, to talk with friends, to make this Advent and Christmas season the most transformational yet!  Whatever you do, enjoy this Advent and Christmas Season, because it really is the season that celebrates God’s plan to change the world! 

Pastor Rachel