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Family
The
Times
January 2009

The Family of God Lutheran Church
4770 Route 202
Buckingham, PA 18912
phone: 215.794.5973
Email: <familyofgodpa@yahoo.com>

From Pastor Kelly
Reflections

Well, it has been a year since I started as pastor at Family of
God. One year ago, we hardly knew each other; I was the new pas-
tor, and you were the new congregation. We are still getting to
know one another, but I believe we have built a strong foundation
for future ministry together. I look forward to all the ways God will
use us.

But before we look forward, it is sometimes helpful to look back and reflect on what we have learned; to think about where we have experienced God, and where God may have seemed to be absent. In this article, I take the opportunity to share some of my reflections; I would love to have you share yours.

Where have I seen God active in the last year? I have seen God
very active in so many ways there are too many to list. So, rather
than list them all, I have chosen some representative samples. First,
let me share where I have seen God active in unexpected blessings
by individuals: when I watched a brother comfort his sibling during
the opening activities of Sunday School; as I have listened to so
many of the prayers written and offered by our worship assistants;
when individuals have shared God-sightings, and their own insights
on discipleship, I have known God was present. When I have seen
adults go well above and beyond to make others feel welcome; the
times when I have seen people pray with and for others have been
countless acts of kindness and generosity. I have seen a commit-
ment to our mission that is quite humbling. I have witnessed an ac-
tive care and concern for others that is so touching, people reaching
out to support others in times of distress just because they care. I
have been personally touched by many acts of kindness, some
large, some small, all important. All for the sake of Christ. God is
present at Family of God.

But there are also so many times when I have seen us work as a family and glorify God. I am not just thinking about our corporate worship and our Sunday School, although certainly here, too, but I can think of so many times when we have made a communal wit- ness for Christ. Certainly the Soup & Sandwich ministry comes to mind. One person brings bologna and bread. Others gather to

Our Mission:
Hearing, Speaking, and
Doing God\u2019s Word.

Our Core Values:
Faith, Love, Family,
Prayer

STAFF MEMBERS
Pastor\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026...Rev. Bernard Kelly
Interim Dir.
Of Ensembles\u2026\u2026\u2026 .\u2026.Michael Hillegas
Dir. Of Youth Ministry...Scott Nugent
Admin. Assistant\u2026\u2026\u2026.Suzanne Fernandez
Family Times Editors\u2026..Michele Koch and

Katie Lekich

Congregational Officers
President\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026...Jane Ellen Nugent
Vice President\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..Glenn Gracey
Secretary\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026...Brett Hauber
Treasurer\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..Ken Canham
Financial Secretary\u2026\u2026..Dave Robertson

Council-Committee Liaison Assignments
Christian Ed\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.Nancy Routhier
Evangelization\u2026\u2026\u2026 \u2026.Maury Drum
Finance\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..Brett Hauber
Men\u2019s Ministry\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.Terry Andree
Mutual/Staff Support\u2026...Jane Ellen Nugent
Parish Life\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026Karen Skillman

and Terry Andree

Property\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026Glenn Gracey
Outreach Ministry\u2026\u2026...Nancy Routhier
Stewardship\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..Dawn Irwin
Women\u2019s Ministry\u2026\u2026...Jane Ellen Nugent
Worship and Music\u2026\u2026.Amy Fell
Youth\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026Karen Skillman

The Family Times
Family of God
Lutheran Church
Our Mission...
Hearing, Speaking,
And Doing God\u2019s Word
Our Core Values...
Faith, Love,
Family, and Prayer
Our Vision
for Mission...
We believe God is calling us
to be a church where:
\u2022Vital, vibrant worship in-
spires people to live out their
faith.
\u2022 People work together to meet
community needs in the
name of Jesus Christ.
\u2022People of all ages are
spiritually nurtured and grow
in the Word.
\u2022Youth are encouraged,
supported, challenged and
appreciated.
\u2022People joyfully invite others
to know the Lord and His
church.
\u2022People are open to the
stirrings of the Holy Spirit.
(continued from previous page)

assemble the sandwiches. Others still pack them all up and take them
to St. Mary\u2019s in Philadelphia to feed the homeless. Aid-for-Friends is
another group miracle. A group of folks get together (sometimes in
their own kitchens) and they prepare simple, healthy meals. We stick
them in the freezer in the boiler room. Then miraculously, off they
go to feed those who can no longer prepare their own meals. Cer-
tainly Workcamp and VBS fall into the category of sharing God in a
communal way. In order to make sure these ministries happen, per-
sons work throughout the year and then in one or two big weeks, it
all comes to fruition and lives are touched for the sake of Jesus. We
must also remember the scores of persons who gather in our home
each week to battle the evil of addiction: the seventy-something man
so tired of his wife\u2019s alcoholism; the thirty-something mother of two
who has been sober now for five years but every day remains a
struggle; the 20-something couple who committed to \u201cbeat speed\u201d
together. All these folks and more gather in God\u2019s house here in
Buckingham, because we invite them in for the sake of Jesus. God is
active at Family of God.

But, there are also times when God has seemed absent in our work
together. Times when we have been uncharitable with others. Times
when we have allowed the failings or faults of others to diminish our
relationship. Sometimes, this is most obvious when we say things
that are hurtful. More often than not, however, I observe this when
we are not direct with each other. When Leroy complains to Morris
about something that Penelope does. Or when Martha criticizes Jas-
per to the pastor, without telling Jasper to his face. There is certainly
nothing wrong with sharing our challenges with each other, and
seeking support, as long as we can also be direct in our conflicts and
disagreements. Sadly, I have seen this with children, youth and
adults. I know I have done this, too. God is not glorified in this. God
has seemed shut out to me when fear rules our hearts. When we feel
called to mission, but can only see the risks and so we don\u2019t move
forward, God is not glorified here. Finally, I don\u2019t believe God is
glorified when we allow ourselves to be complacent. Over and over I
have used the image of the church being a rescue boat, sent out to
help the ones who are drowning. Certainly, we have been able to
help those who \u201cswim to our boat,\u201d but I think we need to be more
proactive in rowing out to where others are. Our God is not a com-
placent God. Our God is an active, missional, on-the-move God.

Having said all this, there is no value in sitting with our chin in
our hands and lamenting that we are not perfect. Only Christ is.
There is no value in comparing ourselves to other congregations, or
to our own past. There is value, however, in actively deciding to
move forward to do more of the things that share God\u2019s presence and

January 2009
55+/- Gang

The 55+/- Gang will meet
on Wednesday, January 7th at
11:30 at the church. We will be
serving hot dogs, sauerkraut,
mashed potatoes, dessert, coffee
and tea at a cost of $2.50 per
person. Following lunch we
will play board games, so please
feel free to bring along your fa-
vorite game. For more informa-
tion call Karen Papandrea at
215-598-3457.

Prayer Chain

The Family of God Prayer
Chain invites your requests.
Praying for one another is a vi-
tal ministry of care and support.
To add a name or concern,
please contact Nancy Routhier
at 215.672.7919 or
routhier341@juno.com.

Worship Services in January

January 4
January 11
January 18
January 25Time for Children every Sunday at both services.

Invite friends and neighbors to worship with you at Family of God!
(continued from previous page)

less of the things that don\u2019t. Years ago, I decided to change counsel-
ors. I had been seeing one man for many years, but we both felt we
had gone about as far as we could. So, on a recommendation from a
close and faithful friend, I engaged Rev. Paul Brownback as my spiri-
tual guide. In our first encounter, I went into his office, introduced
myself, and sat down. He asked, \u201cSo, what do you want to talk
about?\u201d I responded with a twenty minute summary of all that I had
learned in my previous years of counseling: my relationship with my
parents; my relationship with Karen and Josh, and my siblings; my
shattered hopes and dreams; my frustrations and my hurts. When I
finally took a breath, he said, \u201cIf you want to come here each week
and talk about how you got to where you are, I am not interested in
that conversation. But, if you would like to talk about howgiven all
that, you can go forward as a Godly man, I would like to be a part of
that.\u201d I was awestruck.

I want to be a part of a God-bearing future with Family of God. I want us to recognize and celebrate our successes, and acknowledge and mourn our failures. But I want us to move forward being a place where people experience the transformative presence and power of God in Christ Jesus. Won\u2019t you join me?

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