Christmas Eve, Sabbath Sunday, Congrats to Pastor Jade & more!
Dear Church Family,
Here is today’s Advent Devotional written by Pat Eyler:
JOY
2 S A M U E L 6 : 1 - 1 1
When I was a young girl, I remember that many times as I would leave our home, my mother would say," Remember, you carry your dad's name." I knew what that meant and how important it was to honor my dad's name.
The Israelites were God's chosen people and they carried God's name. They also carried his presence in the Ark of the Covenant. He had given them specific instructions on how the ark was to be moved from place to place (Numbers 4:15, Numbers 7:9, Exodus 25:10-15). No matter how innocently it was done, touching the ark was in direct violation of God's law and was to result in death. This was a means of preserving the sense of God's holiness.
The Ark had been taken away from Israel and now David wanted to bring it back. It seemed the right thing to do, but David did things his own way rather than God's way. He might have been caught up in the excitement of planning to bring the ark back to Israel. Or maybe he just forgot what God had told Moses?
As the ark was being transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and a man named Uzzah took hold of the Ark. God struck Uzzah down, and he died. This was tragic, and David feared the Lord. That ended his plans for the Ark and his joyous rejoicing that day.
We may question how could such a thing happen. Uzzah was from a Levite family and should have known God's instructions. One thing we learned from this passage is God is holy, and it is important to honor his name and obey him.
Today, having Jesus in your heart is God's presence in your life. Do you know you have God's presence in your life? (1 John 5:13).
Watch the Sunday Family Christmas Program(Dec 17) Services
Stillmeadow Lane Campus —Pastor Josh Kleinfeld
York City Campus — Pastor Isabell Clark
Merry Christmas Eve! Join us for our last Advent Sunday service at Stillmeadow Lane at 9AM and our Candlelight Christmas Eve service at 9PM. Or join us for our last Advent Sunday service at York City Campus at 11AM or our Candlelight Christmas Eve service at 4:30.
Between December 25 and January 1, we are giving our volunteers and staff a sabbath, including Sunday December 31. Our offices will be closed and our service will be online at 10AM. So join us online from wherever you are on New Years Eve!
Congratulations to Pastor Jade Frederick
After serving our city campus for 3 years in a part-time capacity, we are pleased to announce that Pastor Jade Frederick will be serving in a full-time capacity beginning January 1. Jade exemplifies Christian leadership with a servant heart and humble walk and we are looking forward to God’s continued work in and through him.
Grow with us
No one matures alone. Check out our listing of other groups and let us know if you’re interested in one. If you’d like help, you can contact Karon Kagan (kkagan@stillnaz.com) or Pastor Tabitha Martin (pastortabitha@stillnaz.com).
The King is Coming-A look at prophecy, current events and how to live in preparation for the return of our Lord. This class is taught by Wayne Sechrist and meets Sunday at 10:30AM in the second floor large conference room at Sprenkle House
Saturday Morning Prayer-This group prays for what will take place Sunday and throughout the week. Led by Jeff Callender, this group meets Saturday morning at 8AM.
Serve with us
You have been gifted and we’d be honored to serve with you. We’d love to have you serve on our Worship/Media Team. And click the “Serve” button below for more opportunities.
Praise Team/Media Tech-if you are interested in serving on the Praise Team or Media Tech Team please contact pastorjohn@stillnaz.com or sign up below. No experience needed to serve in Media. Training will be provided.
Pray with us
You can find a guide to prayer and submit a prayer request at www.stillnaz.com/pray. This week, let us pray for…
All who work in the manufacturing industry in York. The police, fire, and rescue workers. The courts. The Foster Care system: families and children. All young people. All who hurt, need inner healing, or are unable to love.
And let’s pray for our Missions Prayer Requests at www.stillnaz.com/harvestprayer.
Give with us
God has given each of us gifts for us to share. In addition to giving a regular tithe, consider giving to our Disaster Response Team.
Disaster Response
Funds given to this allow us to send teams in response to natural disasters. You can select “Disaster Response” in the online giving options or write “Disaster Response” in the memo line of your check.
Condolences
To the Family of Myrna Francis. Myrna passed away December 10th.
To the Family of Mel Stiffler, wife Esther Stiffler. Mel passed away December 4th.
To the Family of Ted Brown, wife Marilyn and daughter Chris Deibert. Ted passed away November 25th.
I conclude this message with the theme verse for our Advent series.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
Isaiah 64:4
We’re praying for you. Will you pray for us?
Pastor Josh and the Stillmeadow Team