A Note From Our Associate Pastor:Pastor Ruth J. Smith
 Lessons Learned from Nehemiah For the past several weeks we journeyed through a bible study entitled “Walking with Nehemiah – Your Community is Your Congregation” written by Joseph W. Daniels Jr. He used the book of Nehemiah as a model for writing this book. This pandemic has forced us to look beyond our next-door neighbor. It has forced us to look at a broader perspective of who our neighbors are. The story of Nehemiah gives us a perfect example of how the church is to connect with the communities it serves. The first lesson learned from Mr. Daniels’ book is that we must too have a burden for our troubled communities. Nehemiah’s heart became heavily burdened and he mourned for days when he was told that the city of Jerusalem was left in ruins and of the horrible condition the children of Israel who were left behind were facing (Nehemiah 1:4). The second lesson learned is that we must pray before taking any actions. After Nehemiah had finished mourning, he prayed and cried out to God asking for guidance (Nehemiah 1:4). The third lesson learned is that we must be willing to take a risk. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king. It could have been life-threatening going before the King with a sad face. It would have caused the King to become suspicious of his actions, but Nehemiah took a risk to show his emotions. God gave Nehemiah favor with the king. The king not only gave him permission to go, but gave him the resources he needed (Nehemiah 2:1-9). The fourth lesson learned is that we must remain silent until God shows us the need. We can’t share things right away because of naysayers and people who will kill the mission before it can take place. Nehemiah went out during the night so he could see the need. After he saw the need, he shared the mission (Nehemiah 2:10). The fifth lesson learned is once we see the need, we must be willing to commit all the way – “we must be all-in.” Nehemiah established a “oneness” with God and surrendered to God’s will. Now he is ready to begin the task at hand. We must become one with God and totally surrender to His will (Nehemiah 3). The sixth lesson learned is we should not do the work for them, but we should invite them to join us in doing the work. The last lesson learned I want to highlight is we must stay alert, focused, and determined to complete the task. Nehemiah had many distractions to deal with, but he remained committed to the task at hand. He held a sword in one hand and his tools in the other hand. He stayed ready to face any obstacle that came against him. There were so many lessons to be learned that I can’t share them all. I highly suggest you read the book. It is a very good tool to use when trying to connect/reconnect with the communities that you are serving. I want to thank our Associate Pastor, Marian Royston for being an excellent facilitator in leading us through this Bible Study. Ready to put the lessons learned into action! Your Associate Pastor Ruth Smith |
Worship Celebration
Oct 31, 2021
Join us for our Worship Celebration on Sunday at 9:31 a.m. via In-Person, or Facebook Live on the Center Grove United Methodist Church Facebook page.
You can also join our live streaming celebration via the following media outlets:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfMEFeWdt294sXw_EOH7jA
Church Website: https://centergroveumc.org/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/event/51681
Click the link below to access the 78th Harvest Ad Form. The ad deadline is Friday, November 5th, 2021. 78th Harvest Celebration
The Charge Conference of Center Grove UMC will meet on Sunday, November 14, 2021, 6:00-6:30 p.m. via Zoom. All members are invited to participate. To receive the login credentials in order to attend, please contact the church office no later than Tuesday, November 9th.
Remember The Sick & Home-bound
Mrs. Gladys Jacobs
Mrs. Madgie Jamar
Ms. Marjorie Ewing
Mrs. Cora King
Ms. Theresa Hope
Mrs. Zena Love Hill
Mr. Carl Bradley
Mrs. Barbara Baker
Mr. Bobby Readus
Mrs. Ollie Gilliam
Pastor Ruth J. Smith
Mrs. Carla Larry
Rev. Carolyn Hillard
Mr. Matthew Baker
Community Information
National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2021 Click the image below to read the article America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion published by the US Department of Labor.
Words of Encouragement
