YOU are invited to a Resiliency and Prayer Study!

Please consider participating in Pastor Cindy’s Resiliency and Prayer Study.     For completion of the Doctorate in Ministry program in Science & Theology, Pastor Cindy is analyzing the effect of prayer on resiliency. Join us on Saturday, November 3^rd, from 3-5pm in the Parlor of the Parish House and you will receive prayer bead training. This is a “new ancient” way of prayer using prayer beads. The training includes creating your own personal string of beads similar to the image below. A brief resiliency survey will be given at the first meeting and again on December 15^th after 6 weeks of daily personal prayer.
 

  A brief history of Prayer Beads: Christian prayer beads can be useful to focus the mind and heart on prayer. Since the late 1980’s many Protestant churches have begun using a set of 33 beads to represent the years of Christ’s life on earth. Ancient faith practices included the use of prayer beads more than 2000 years ago. Now ecumenical prayer beads have been developed to deepen prayer life for many faith traditions. The beads encourage meditating on God’s love and what Jesus has done for us as our Lord and Savior. This way of prayer may help to remove oneself from distractions in a busy world and focus on prayer that invites the presence of the Holy Spirit into our lives.

Please join us for this study of a “new ancient” way of praying.

For more information email: calloway@pcmorristown.org or call: 973-538-1776.

You are invited to see the movie "I Am!"

I love this movie/documentary so much I am inviting all to come to our Faith on Film event for a free showing at our church Parish House this Sunday, October 28th at 4pm.  We will also have pizza and birthday cake to celebrate another one of my 39th birthdays! Yay!

Plan to join us at 65 South Street, Morristown this Sunday. Here is the trailer to the movie to preview it: http://t.co/02B1JsiG
 

Noah’s Ark and Our Church, Examples of Life-Giving Sanctuaries

Last week I visited our PCUSA headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky for the first time. It is a huge office building and chapel. The atrium walls are lined with a series of amazing paintings telling the story of Creation by artist Maritza Morgan. This one in particular caught my eye.

The cramped quarters of Noah’s ark are portrayed with beautiful colors and block shaped images. Viewing this perspective caused me to realize how every inch of space on the ark was important, including the lap of Noah who is holding a dove. God instructed Noah to share his ark for the life of the world and he did with warm hospitality for the large and small in creation.

Thanks to successful stewardship campaigns year after year our church ark has stayed afloat ever since 1733. We have consistently heard and answered God’s call to share our church for the life of the world. PCM has a reputation in the community for being hospitable, like Noah, and for sharing the life-giving gifts we have been blessed with. Like the ark, our church is a holy refuge for healing and hope for all who need to get away from the chaos and storms of life.

The 2012 Stewardship campaign grand finale is on Thanksgiving Festival Sunday, November 18^th when we all bring food to share with some of our mission partners who feed the hungry in town. It will be a joyful way to connect our food and financial resources with those in need.

This year’s stewardship theme: “Creating Pathways to Giving” inspired each of us to pledge for our church’s future. Our pledges have provided not only funds for our church to thrive on, but also a blessed future for our children and grandchildren and all of creation to enjoy.  God is good!