News - Springfield Wesleyan Church

There is a fifth Sunday in August 2008.

We are getting together on August 31st at 6pm. This time it will be at the Ellington Wesleyan Church. Call the Springfield Wesleyan Church for more information

All are welcome. Anyone who wants to recite a poem, sing a song, play an instrument, do magic or anything else is welcome. See Pastor Larry or Laurie.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL AUGUST 4-8 2008

FROM 6pm to 8:30pm

Marriage Enrichment class starting March 16 and going for four plus weeks.

Contact Pastor Larry lcfair@pcnet.com.

An unusual approach to a biblical story

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this....

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved.

She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!' Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side

Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to-do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'. But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because.......... The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'

He is Coming Back!

National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is September 8-14, 2008. Nearly 1 in 2 people have a chronic illness. If it's not you, it's someone you love. Visit http://www.invisibleillness.com for ways to encourage those you care about.

For information on a local group of Hopekeepers e-mail maishere3@aol.com

Finding Purpose in the Pain

If only God would explain His plan to me I would feel so much better," shared Kathy. "it’s not that I don’t trust Him, but if I knew the reason for the pain, it would be so much easier to cope with." Kathy’s is not alone in her feelings. Pain without purpose threatens to deplete us of our joy, hope and sometimes even our trust in God.

Our world is full of sin and we cannot change that. Since Adam took the bite of the apple, we became susceptible to sin and difficulties in our lifetime. For many of us, although we hope for healing, either through a miracle or a new medication, we have grown to accept that perhaps our illness is "our thorn." "Lord, Lord," we cry, "Please take this away!" and God responds, "My grace is sufficient..."

If we are going to live with pain, however, the only way to come to a peace about it is to let God use it in our lives in any way that He sees fit. We rest and wait for the purpose to be revealed. Each of us can find a purpose in the pain.

If you have recently been diagnosed with an illness, this may seem like a tall order. "What! Find purpose in the pain! I refuse to because that is accepting the fact that it’s never going to go away." Your feelings are natural and you have a certain amount of grieving to experience. Accepting the pain may seem like you are telling God, "It’s okay that I am in pain. I don’t need a healing." But God knows your heart and will bring you to a place where you desire His will, whatever it is, rather than a comfortable life.

Pain with purpose is naturally, easier to cope with. As the founder of Rest Ministries, I have found a joy beyond description in being able to use my earthly weaknesses towards God’s greater good. Even when I mess up, I am able to share my struggles with all of you, and then I receive letters from you saying, "That is exactly how I felt too and your article really helped." When we open ourselves up to God’s plan, the pain becomes bearable. In his book Finding the Purpose in Pain, V. Gilbert Beers writes, "My tears must not prevent me from serving but rather grace my serving, making me a more effective servant, a more understanding servant."

Is this what Paul meant when he wrote 2 Corinthians 1:4? "He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort that we have received from God." I believe so. Pain is undeniable. We will all suffer in this world. But we have the choice to use it for God’s glory or to sit in a dark room and be depressed about it. We have each been given the opportunity to become a "wounded healer" and reach out to others who are in pain, who feel alone, isolated, and abandoned.

Each day Rest Ministries’ email support list, Share & Prayer, is filled with people who are becoming wounded healers. I am overwhelmed at the unconditional love, sensitivity, understanding, and depth of friendships. The moment a new person joins the Share & Prayer family they feel the acceptance and comfort of the others and Jesus Christ.

There are so many ways to reach out to others. Perhaps your neighbor is going through a difficult time and you offer her prayer. Maybe you are interested in finding a pen pal through our Friend Indeed program and consistently encouraging someone in their spiritual walk and chronic illness journey. Maybe you are considering starting a HopeKeepers [TM] group to reach out to others.

Our society is built upon the premise that you put others down and build up yourself. Jesus tells us to put ourselves last, and build others up with encouragement and love. By using your pain for God’s glory, you will begin to focus on Christ and others, and the pain will become more of a tool and less of a thorn.

"When we’re hurt we want to seek the counsel of someone who also has been hurt," writes Beers. "We don’t want to talk to someone who has merely reach about hurt or has heard about it only from others. No, the wounded gravitate to other wounded people for counsel and encouragement. Is it the weak searching for the weak? I think not. I think it is those with recognized weakness seeking those with recognized strength born of weakness. The weakness of the woundedness becomes a strength in the eyes of other wounded people." Gilbert Beers, Finding Purpose in the Pain.

Lisa Copen is the founder and director of Rest Ministries. She lives with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia and is the author of When Chronic Illness Enters Your Life Bible Study.

Would you like to see more articles like the above? Let us know at maishere3@aol.com.

CONGRATULATIONS

Larry C. Fair, the pastor of the Springfield Wesleyan Church in Springfield, MA since March 2000, was ordained into the Wesleyan Church on June 23, 2005.

He started taking courses in 1980 and finished in 1985 with a Local Preachers License. He started studying for ordination in May of 2000 and met the requirements for ordination in February of 2005. He has met those requirements through Ministerial Classes held at the District Center, Houghton College in NY and FLAME Courses at Stroudsburg, PA and Asheboro, NC.

Rev. Fair retired from Connecticut Light and Power with almost 32 years of service. He served four years in the US Air force as a crew chief on the F4 fighter bomber and is a Vietnam Vet. He and his wife Leona have been married for 43 years and have three grown children, Kim, Steven and Karen. Kim is married to John Cheman and they have three children, Evan, Timothy and Hannah. Steven is married to Jennifer and Karen is single.