Traces of Grace
Thoughts from Pastor Scott
Arise, my soul, arise;
Shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice
In my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.
He ever lives above,
For me to intercede;
His all-redeeming love,
His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.
Five bleeding wounds He bears,
Received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers;
They strongly plead for me:
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die!"
The Father hears Him pray,
His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away
The presence of His Son:
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.
My God is reconciled;
His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child;
I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And "Father, Abba, Father," cry.
If "And Can It Be" is my favorite Charles Wesley hymn, and it is, "Arise, My Soul, Arise" is definitely a close second. I love the flow of Charles' thought as the verses progress.
- He starts with Jesus; crucified, resurrected, and exalted. Standing before the throne of God on behalf of us, whose names are known and written on his nail-pierced hands.
- In verse 2, the focus stays on Jesus, but shifts to what Christ has done for us and is doing for us now. His blood was the only and all-sufficient sacrifice that was needed for our redemption and atonement; our being set free and our being made right with God.
- The third verse points to Jesus' five wounds (2 hands, 2 feet, and his side) and how they are the basis from which Jesus intercedes for us.
- We then see the mystery of the Trinity at work as the Father receives those prayers, the unity between the Father and the Son, and the Spirit applying the blood of Jesus to our hearts and giving us assurance of our salvation.
- In the final verse Wesley goes on to describe the implications of all that has gone before on the relationship that we are now enabled to have with God. We are His children and we can draw close to Him with the confidence of a child to their papa.
This hymn is such a beautiful and poetic picture of the grace of God at work on our behalf. This is the God who loved us enough to sacrifice Himself in our place, who pleads our case continually, and has adopted us into the very life of His family.
Grace & Peace,
-Pastor Scott
TODAY: Informational Meeting - Mission Team
This summer, our church is taking a mission team to La Pamilla, Mexico. Pastor Jeremy has had a long-term connection with this village and has helped lead teams down to build the sanctuary at the local Methodist church.
We will hold an informational meeting after the 10:30am service THIS SUNDAY, January 15, to talk about the details of the trip, provide a tentative timeline, and discuss the team expectations. If you are interested in joining this team for a ~ 10-day trip at the end of July/early August, please join us; attendance at the meeting is not a commitment to go on the trip. No construction skills needed.
Offering Envelopes
Our offering envelope order still has not been received. We learned this week that our supplier was dealing with a supply-chain issue that set back their work. They are working to catch up and hope to have our envelopes delivered before the end of January.
In the meantime, you can continue to give in-person by using one of the general offering envelopes in the seat-back pockets of the pews in the sanctuary; just write your name on the envelope and it will be credited to your giving record. Online giving continues to be an option and is unaffected by our missing envelopes.
Want to become a member of First Methodist?r Congregation
Are you interested in becoming a member of our congregation? We are in the process of organizing new members and confirmation classes. If you are interested or want to hear more about either of these opportunities, please fill out the linked form. Feel free to reach out to Pastor Scott if you have any questions. Thank you!
Wee Soccer is Back in February!
Does your child need to burn some energy? Our "indoor" Wee Soccer Program takes place each Saturday in February (4th, 11th, 18th and 25th). K-3, $10.00 per child which includes a shirt for girls or boys. If interested, please call the church office to register (856) 858-1186 from 9am-1pm, Monday through Thurs. Or you may register in person on January 21st, 12pm-2pm. If anyone is interested in helping, please contact Pat Gunning.
Don't forget about the Podcast
Don't forget that you are able to tune in to our podcast, Beyond the Sermon, featuring Pastors Jeremy and Scott. Two episodes are posted each week; the sermon on Monday and the conversation about the sermon on Wednesday. This week we talked about the young adult trip to the Passion conference, pastor origin stories, and taking verses out of context AND we also passed 1,000 listens!
Available where you listen to podcasts:
"Moses" - Sight and Sound"
There are four tickets left for the Moses show at Sight and Sound on Tuesday, May 10, 2023, in Lancaster, PA. The cost of the show and the meal at Shady Maple is $130.00 (cash or check). The remaining cost of $100.00 is due. Please make checks out to Pat Gunning. Thank you.
Women's Winter Walks in the Woods
Women’s Winter Walks in the Woods - Second Saturday Series
Meet @ 9:15, hike 9:30-11:00 - routes will be determined by pace and time available.
January 14 – Smith’s Woods – 39 E. Railroad Ave., Eastampton, NJ - 2nd Parking Lot
February 11 – Long Bridge Park – 895 Deacon Rd., Hainesport, NJ
March 11 – Amico Island - 81 Norman Ave., Delran, NJ 08075
hiking is weather permitting - we will hike in drizzle/mist and cold
Please contact Nicole Meyers for more information:
609-519-1283 or woodstreamdream@gmail.com. This event is for
women ages 18 and up, it is time set aside for women’s fellowship.
St. Paul's Food Pantry
The St. Paul's Food Pantry assists individuals in Collingswood and surrounding communities who face food insecurity, as well as those who occasionally need help when faced with illness or loss of income. The food items needed are:
- Coffee - Regular
- Cookies/Snacks
- Vegetable Oil
- Dish and Laundry Detergent
- Small 2-3 pound bags of sugar
- Body soap and Shampoo
- Chips
- Household Cleaners (like "Lysol")
- Mayonnaise and Ketchup
Any questions, you can contact Connie Cline @ 609-230-3084.
Donations for the Collingswood food pantry should be put in the usual collection bins. Thank you for your generosity!
Upcoming Events
Our Traditional Sunday Morning Worship Service begins at 9am in our sanctuary. This service incorporates the great hymns of our faith, creeds, responsive readings, prayers, Scripture readings, and a sermon, among other things.
During the 9:00 hour, we also have Sunday school available for children, youth, and adults.
Sunday school classes are available for
Kids K-2nd
Kids 3rd-5th
Youth (6th-12th)
Young Adults
"Kids & Careers" (Adults)
"Together in Christ" (Adults)
"God's Special Children" (Those with special needs, begins at 9:15am)
Our Contemporary Sunday Morning Worship Service begins at 10:30am in our sanctuary. This service incorporates new and old songs, most often led on guitar, as well as Scripture readings, prayers, and other worship elements. Nursery is available during the 10:30 service for children birth-Kindergarten and all children are welcome in the worship service. There is also an adult Sunday school class that meets in the parlor during the 10:30 time slot. Our 10:30 service will also be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in-person. Anyone can access this livestream, but if you'd like to chat with others throughout the service, you must have a Faithlife account and become of member of our Faithlife Group. If you aren't already a member of our group, and would like to become one, please email the church office at office@fumccollingswood.org and we will reply with an invitation.
Here are all the links you'll need for the full Sunday Morning experience...
Join our Live Stream Service - https://www.faithlife.com/fumccollingswood/livestream
Access our Digital Bulletin - https://fumccollingswood.org/bulletins Online Giving - https://fumccollingswood.org/giving
All of our past morning worship services can be viewed on our website by visiting https://fumccollingswood.org.
You can also view the services on our YouTube Channel.
An adult Sunday school class is available at 10:30am for those who attend traditional worship at 9:00am
Our Young Adults group regularly meets upstairs between the youth rooms on Sunday mornings at 9am and on Monday nights at 7pm for study and fellowship. Please contact Pastor Jeremy if you would like to receive regular updates for our gatherings at jeremy@fumccollingswood.org
Verse of the Month
Praises!
We praise God and thank Him for all the prayers that have been answered throughout this challenging time and also:
- For all God is doing, even in the smallest of details!
- For our freedom to worship together in person.
- For members of our church family who have recovered from surgeries, treatments and illnesses.
Prayer Requests
-Mark 11:24
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
Please continue to pray for...our homebound members; our church members who are in need of spiritual, emotional and financial care; any families and relationships that have been strained during this time, our Troops and our Missionaries. The list is long, but God is BIG!
Please pray for the following:
- Pastor Scott & Meg - for grace to trust God and lead our congregation faithfully and well. Full recovery from shoulder surgery for Pastor Scott.
- Pastor Jeremy & Rebecca - as they continue to figure out life in this new season.
- Steve Bottiglieri's father Vincent - heart
- The Berryhill's friend Melinda Johnson diagnosed with brain cancer
- Kathy & Phil Boswell (Phil - recovery from surgery) health problems & medical concerns
- Connie Cline's longtime friend - new chemo treatments - needs to get into a relationship with God.
- The Cluelow's - Jenn's medical & Bri's family medical
- Shauna Coffey - beginning another series of cancer treatments for cancer no longer in remission
- The family of Jim Craig who passed away
- Susan Dallegro - friend Jennifer sick on ventilator and her mother Maryann
- The Imm's Family, friends of Dotti Escuti
- Dick, Peggy and Janel Esher
- The family of Charlie Ferrara who passed away
- Ken Franck's cousin Regina Gebka - Cancer is gone! Thanks so much for all of your prayers!
- Pat Gunning's niece Marsha - Leukemia
- Jeremy F. Hagan - for the salvation of Uncle Charles [Hagan] and Brian Byus.
- Klimczak's daughter Kim - hit by a car at high speed - suffered many injuries
- Dick McCloy - permanent remission from months of chemo treatments
- Mary Ann McCloy - continued recovery - heart
- Nicole Meyer's parents' medical concerns
- Dawn Molloy's lifelong friend Ellen - Asking for continued prayer for good results regarding continued medical testing and increased memory skills. Thank you all.
- Mondatsos' daughter Anna
- Sherry Rappe's granddaughters' best friend Francesca - continued healing
- Kay Shannon's husband's cousin Lynne - cancer and pneumonia
- Mark Skrobanek's mom, Carol - May God give her clarity for treatment after medical testing
- Joan Stecher's friends Denise Young and Danielle Catling
- Joan and Ken Steward's granddaughter Katelyn - continued healing
- Margie Underwood - upcoming knee surgery
- Bill Walters - Healing from the flu so he can travel back home.
- Margaret Ward - son-in-law Andy released from the hospital, recuperating at home - heart
- Ruthmarie Weinberg - Medical tests
- Our Missionaries
Remember, you are loved!
In His Grace,
The FUMC Staff
