We begin our 7 week series on “”The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others” this month and everyone is invited to participate in one or more ways:

• worship with us on Sundays and hear the sermon series to begin your week;
• attend one of the small groups once a week for this time to hear Scot McKnight present a talk on that week’s topic and discuss it together;
• read the devotional guide “40 days Living the Jesus Creed” and commit to a daily time
• read The Jesus Creed (the book) and read it this month along with the series.

Orders for the materials will be taken Sept 4-15th.

Where did the summer go? It seems crazy that we are back into the school routine! A big thank you to all of you who were involved in Impact Appalachia! We have been learning about God’s purposes for our lives and scripture tells us that God has created us to serve others and that is exactly what you all did at The Joy Center. Served others. We’ll definitely do it again!
Speaking of serving others, we will travel to EDGE this month to sort shoes for their shoe ministry. Selling used shoes pays for clean water throughout the world! How amazing is that? Wear clothes that can get dirty and bring your servants heart.
Mark your calendars:
Sept 7 - Breath of Life(Goshen Store at 5:30)
Sept 14 - Soul Surfer Documentary
Sept 21 -Surprise Evening
Sept 28 - EDGE Outreach shoe sorting!(Goshen Store at 5:30)

Blessings, Pastor Susan, Joy and Sherry

Starting in September, Shiloh will be sponsoring 36 children at Liberty Elementary by supplying food for the weekend through Blessings in a Backpack. Volunteers will stuff backpacks. If you are able to volunteer for one month (or more), please let Pauline Moore know at pmoore2904@gmail.com.

If you are not able to serve with your time, there are several other ways to help with this mission. You can sponsor a child for one school year for $80 per child. There will be a box available each week where you can donate items that will be used to supplement the backpacks like soup, canned fruit or vegetables, beef jerky, peanut butter, crackers, and Easy Mac.

It’s July and Shiloh meets on the first Sunday to celebrate the 4th of July “on the grounds” and under the tent with worship and witness and the Word. Then, ‘cause we’re good Methodists, we’ll have one our justly famous breakfasts together. It’s good to celebrate after a month in which we have also ‘celebrated the life of’ two members of our congregation. In listening to all the stories that families and friends shared, I was struck anew how God is present in what seem to be small moments. And many of those moments are ones of comfort : in times of grief, loneliness, confusion. But we make God a god of small acts when we do not acknowledge that small moments also occur in which we are called to confront and to challenge as well as to comfort. And these are never small acts.

Jesus was not hesitant to confront the Pharisees who placed law above love and were quick to label as ‘unclean’ those too poor to meet their standards. Jesus would challenge those who were tepid in their commitment. We follow a savior who knew that the comforting side of our faith cannot exist apart from the challenging and confronting side. “One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine who have only interests” wrote Peter Marshall. What do you believe Jesus called you for?

When we, as a faith community, invest all our appetite for risk and challenge into our jobs we can find ourselves rolling into church on Sundays seeking only comfort. Where then do we find the strength to challenge the poverty that exists in our own state by getting our hands dirty? Where do we find the desire to risk feeling out of place to make a place for someone not knowing their reaction? How does your comfort fit into the hierarchy of ‘comfort, confront and challenge?’ We know where Jesus placed it.

Pastor Susan

How to Fundraise. We know that there are people outside our congregation that want to participate with us. These include companies with matching programs, scout troops, neighbors and friends. What to do. We have drafted an example letter that you can use to make it easier for people outside our congregation to join in this wonderful ministry. The letter is on our website in a downloadable form and is also in the narthex. If you would like a copy emailed, just let Pastor Susan know. What else to do. Take a backpack off our Blessings Tree in the sanctuary and fund a child for a year for $80. Make it a family project or a group effort or a gift honoring someone who once helped