Weight loss surgery support

Are you looking for a support group to attend before and after having your weight loss surgery? We have a friendly, peer led support group that meets the necessary reporting procedures for your surgeon. Come and join us on the 1st and 3rd Thurs. of each month,  6:30 to 8pm; Lakewood United Methodist Church, 164 Shadyside Ave. Lakewood (corner of Shadyside and Summit St.)
If you had attended the Jamestown support group at Kidder Church which is no longer meeting, we invite you to join us, talk to your old friends and make new friends!
For information, phone 763-9345 or 485-8172

AWANA Soccer

Quick! register your child (ages 5 to 10) to play soccer in an encouraging, uplifting, Christian environment for the week of August 17 to 21, 2009.  Deadline for registration is July 26th!!

Cost for the 1st child is $35, and each child thereafter from the same family is $25.  For the registration fee, each child will receive an Awana soccer T-shirt, soccer ball, water bottle and book.

There will be soccer, Bible verses to learn, snacks and fun, fun, FUN!

The program starts at 6pm and concludes at 8:30pm.  Parents are invited to stay and encourage their youngsters as they play or to lend a hand!

Place: Lakewood United Methodist Church – 164 Shadyside Ave.  Lakewood NY.  (corner of Shadyside Ave and Summit St.)   Phone 716-763-9345 for information.

Following God

Many books, speakers and programs talk about our relationship to God as though we are or can become through various meditations gods within ourselves.

While many people are able to meditate on God and feel closer to God, the bottom line is that God is the one true Creator God.

God created humans to live upon the earth (not excluding space of course), care for the earth, have a relationship of oneness with a spouse, love others as they love themselves and to love God above all else.

God is one God in three parts, the Holy Trinity: The Holy Spirit, Jesus the Son and God. All were present and took part in creation. God is the author of our life, Creator “Father” (having no gender) all knowing, ever present, God.

The Holy Spirit gives us counsel, guides us and works in us to bring us into relationship with Jesus.

Jesus the Christ, is the Son of God, who by the Grace of God came to earth in human form with one purpose. That purpose is to reconcile all of God’s children to God. This was done through Christ’s teachings and ultimately, finally through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of human sin. His death and resurrection gives us the assurance of this.

Sin is what separates us from God. God wants us to be in relationship with him. Remembering that God sent a part of himself to be sacrificed on that cross in such a horrendous manner allows us to know just how much God cares for us, and wants us to be in relationship with him.

The one thing we all need to remember is that we were not created to try to become little gods within ourselves. That is the fallacy that many religious practices would have us believe.

When we become one with God, it is God abiding, dwelling, living in us. So if the practice that you are interested in abides with that thought, you would be ok to explore it. It would not be wise to explore religious thought that tries to elevate the human to be a god within themselves.

Following God means that we realize there is another entity who would like us to follow “him” (again no gender implied).  We know from Biblical records that this is satan, who has been present in the world since God created Adam and Eve.  Satan tempts us to “explore” other faith or religious practices that are in the guise of worship, but not worship of the one true God, his son, Jesus Christ our Lord and his spirit – the Holy Spirit.  

When trials come – and they will, remember that Jesus was able to stand firm in God and not succumb to satan’s temptations.  We are given that power as well. Turn to God in Jesus Christ, who has assured us that he will walk with us and help us carry our burden, whatever it may be. 

Blessings on your day!  Pastor Vi

God is an awesome God!

God is an awesome God! 

I received information that I may need heart surgery and that I may have a tumor in my breast. 

I have had the appropriate tests for the heart and the mammogram.

 

The results are: my heart is only slightly different from the 2006 catherization (when nothing needed to be done and they called it a false positive) – so – the only thing I need to do is to increase my lipitor.  Praise God!  No catherization, no operation as had been suggested.

 

The mammogram came out completley negative!!! The radiologist had several extra views taken and said he could find nothing!!

 

I can not thank you enough for your prayers!  I know that it is the power of prayer that makes the difference!

 

I also want to share with you about my brother Fred.  As you know, he had quadruple heart bypass on Monday.  It was a long day and the surgeon was concerned with Fred’s lung damage from 50 years of smoking. 

Prior to the surgery, Fred planned his funeral with me.  Prior to leaving, I of course prayed for Jesus to heal Fred’s body.

Last night I called to see how he was doing.  The report is – The surgeon is amazed.  Fred went to rehab, they saw how much he was able to do and said Ok, you’ve graduated – you don’t need us at all.  The nurse said if all continues this way, he may go home today.

Then Fred said he didn’t know if he could “get through it, but he had to tell me this.  He said “You know when you prayed for me the other night?  Well, when you were praying, I felt a tingling from the top of my head to my toes.  I knew then that I was going to be all right.” 

I told him that even though he always says he doesn’t really believe in that “God stuff”, it was God that healed him.  That the feeling was the Holy Spirit going through his body and the healing touch of Jesus Christ.  I also said even though you say you don’t believe, God is working in you. 

Fred said, “Well I believe in God, I just don’t like church.”

 

The power of healing through prayer is an ongoing blessing from God to Christ’s church!  This is the third time I have had incidents that caused me to have to go for the second diagnostic testing and each time, the results have been either completely negative or no change.  The healing of my brother, the healing of Bob Holmes, the healing for Donna Flinchbaugh, and so many others – all of That is the power of prayer!!  Praise be to God

 

—

The power of the Holy Spirit, through the grace of God, pulls at each person, drawing them closer to God until they realize they need God.

 

They (many of the people we know who don’t go to  church) just don’t like the way the church has become – institutionalized, dogmatic, too formal.

 

Christ was not formal.  Christ met people where they are at.  In their home, in their workplace, at rest, wherever people were, that is where Christ went.

 

We are the hands and feet of Christ.  We need to be where the people are.  People like my brother, just may go to a church, but probably will not.  How would Christ handle that?  Christ would go to him.

 

How can we do that in our community?  God has gifted you to do ministry – ministry that builds God’s Kingdom here on earth.  What are you doing to accomplish your God – given goal in our community?  What can we do together for God’s Kingdom?

 

This is not a rhetorical question.  It is one I want you to think about, pray about and ACT on!!!

 

In Christ’s service, Pastor Vi

bariatrics

Hello everyone!  All who have had or have just decided to have bariatric surgery to improve their health are welcome to respond to this post with your story! 

I have just begun the process and for my insurance company, they require a 6 month time frame prior to the surgery during which you are monitored by your primary care physician and set up for tests by the bariatric surgeon’s office. 

Tests include Xrays, EKG, Stress tests, blood work up, nutrition couseling and pyschiatric counseling before approval is given, as well as attendance at support groups. 

What’s your story? 

One thing I know is that Jesus will walk with each of us along this path to better health! 

geneology-Violet

What is in a name?  There are many things that your name may tell you about who you are. For instance, your name may tell you that you are the son or daughter of a certain person or that you belong to a certain family.  Names are especially important if you are doing genealogy research to fine our who your ancestors are.

I have done some research to try to find out who my ancestors were, as I have no information about my natural father.  I did find some interesting facts about people I don’t even know or know if they are actually related to me. 

I also found out that it doesn’t really matter who your natural parents are or if you knew them well, or not at all.  What (you might wonder) is the reasoning behind that statement?

We all essentially have the same parents Adam and Eve were the first parents ever recorded - their parent, is none other than our Creator God – Yaweh. This is the mame the Israelites used for God.   

I know it is easy to dismiss our Creator God as just another one of those “Christian” things you may have heard from your family or friends but don’t really believe. 

God, you see does not demand that we worship him.  What God does is to give each one of us free will.  We are free to choose our path in this life.  As you are making your choice, remember this – What you choose today may well decide where your soul will spend all the rest of your eternal life. 

People may have told you that we are just going to lie in a grave when we die.  It is true that in some form, the matter that combines to make our bodies will be put, (bodily intact or in the form of ashes)into a grave, an urn or perhaps spread out in some fashion over the earth and sea.

Our soul, however is another thing.  The Lord tells us that we need to love him with all of our heart and soul, that we may live, (Duet. 4:29; 10:12;13:3; 30:6).