Sammy Speaks
Essential Truths from God's Word from
Our Associate Pastor Sammy Hargrove
Sammy Speaks...
May 5, 2010
Do you have any good news? If
so, you need to share it with someone. With the oil spill,
attempted and real bombings, accidents, floods, and other
disasters, it seems we have had a preponderance of bad news
lately. Think back to what the early Christians were
hearing: persecutions, stonings, ship wrecks, and ultimately
the destruction of Jerusalem. However, through it all the
gospel continued to spread and the church grew. The good news
they proclaimed about the forgiveness of sins and the
assurance of resurrection was made real by the way they faced
their trials and maintained their peace and joy at the same
time.
We have the same good news
today. So many people who are overwhelmed and depressed live
without the confidence that we "have
a risen savior who's in the world today."
The mission of the church hasn't changed. It is still our job
to share the good news and let people around us know that
Jesus is the hope of the world. I appreciate folks like Lee
Voss and many others who can no longer get out and share the
gospel in person like they used to, but they use their
computer and the internet to share a message of hope.
How are you spreading the
word? Bad news may sell more newspapers, but good news
changes lives and is desperately needed in our world. The
word gospel means "good news." Let someone know!
New Ministry: Grief Share
January 11, 2010
I would like to share with you my brief
message to the Charge Conference last night: Barbara and I love
being here at FUMC Irving. I love the people here, I love what I
do, and I love the folks I get to work with. We're glad to be
here for another year to keep doing what we've been doing.
I do want to invite your participation in a
new ministry that will begin Wednesday, January 27, following
the Oasis dinner. The program is called Grief Share. It is a
video based curriculum and it will be led by Jimmy and Phyllis
Street, and I will be there to help out. This is for folks who
are struggling with feelings of grief and loss following the
death of a close friend or loved one. Workbooks will be
available but aren't required for participating in the course
which will last until May 5. Sign up by calling the church
office. If you want to know more, call Jimmy, Phyllis, or me.
Grandparents Day Super Sunday
September 13, 2009
Thanks to all who submitted pictures for
Grandparent’s Sunday! We had over 500 people for this very
special Sunday, and it was especially great for so many to have
their grandchildren here. I apologize to anyone who sent (or
tried to send) a picture which was not in the video. My mailbox
at the church overflowed and some emails didn’t come through. If
that happened, send it again to my email at home (sammyhargrove@sbcglobal.net),
and I will get the picture on the screen. All the special music
was great, and I have heard many people who shared that opinion.
The video, all the music, and the sermon are now on our
church
website. It was so interesting that both David and I (and our
wives) had a new grandbaby within a week of Grandparent’s
Sunday, and Ed and Jan Dame had one after us. Here is an
anonymous prayer for grandparents I found on the web:
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for the gift
of devoted grandparents. Thank you for their wisdom, love and
generosity. Thank you for the time they are willing to spend
with grandchildren in a world where many adults are in a hurry.
Thank you for making them a rock where their families find
security in a world of turmoil and change. Thank you for their
faith which has weathered life’s storms.
Help them when they face the difficulties of
old age and the “golden years” are not so golden. When their
strength fails, be the strength of their heart. As they have
been a refuge to many, be their refuge in life’s storms. Help us
to imitate their faith and to reach the goal of heaven where our
family will be reunited at the wedding feast of your dear Son,
our Savior, Jesus Christ, who died to give life to every
generation. Amen.
Our Church's Videos
June 22, 2009
This week I want to encourage you to take a
look at our new video web page. I know that not everyone has or
uses a computer, but if you do, go to our website at
www.fumcirving.org and
go down to the link on the right hand side which is labeled FUMCi Video. When you click there you will be
taken to our video page.
There are three options:; VIEW, LOG IN, and
UPLOAD. Initially, just click on VIEW and you will then see the
videos which have been uploaded. We are still in the early
stages of uploading video, but already there are a good many to
try.
In the search box at the top of the page type
in the word "liberty" and then click on "search." You will see a
video of the Chancel Choir that I uploaded that day, and you
will see a video of the same thing that was taken and uploaded
by Connie Riley. If you type in "VBS", you will see all the
videos that were taken at our awesome VBS last week. If you just
put a "7" in and search, you will see all the videos that have a
"7" in the title which would most mean they were taken in July.
The other major thing about this site is that
you can easily join as a member and upload your own videos. Just
click on LOG IN on the opening page and put in your email
address and choose a user name and a password. That’s all you
have to do. Just remember that the user name and password is
case sensitive.
After you have signed in, you can upload your
own videos, and we encourage you to do this. This is mostly for
church events, but if you have other video that you would like
to share with the congregation, give it a try. The video won't
appear on the web site until it has been approved by the video
administrator - currently yours truly.
We are doing this video project on a 2 month
trial basis. If not enough people use it to make it worthwhile,
it will not continue. Therefore, if you think this is
worthwhile, give it a try. Become a registered user (currently
we have 12) and watch some of the videos, or better yet, upload
something. Let me know what kind of videos you would like to see
on here. The plan is to put the praise music, the choir anthem,
and the sermon on the web site each week. Right now, they are
there only for July 5, but others are coming.
Blessings to you and happy viewing,
Sammy Hargrove, Associate Pastor
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