Sermon January 3, 2010

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Do you have exciting plans for celebrating New Year's? This Sunday we will have a special guest, Ron Baker from Newton Falls is coming to talk about Children of Promise - a mission that helps children. Brett and I will be travelling and will not be there, but we support two children of promise, it's a great organization.

We will look forward to seeing you next week!

Happy New Year~
Pastor Shannon

Sermon December 27, 2009

Good Afternoon!

I hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas week. I pray that you will have a wonderful time with whatever you are doing and wherever you are. This Sunday we will be talking about what God has done for us in the past year...we're going to do some review and thank God for the blessings in 2009! Come ready to participate!

Also, this Thursday is our first Christmas Eve service as a church, how exciting! We understand that there are many family things going in this week, so we certainly understand if you cannot be there. For those who can, we will sing Christmas songs, take communion, hear the Christmas story and have a candlelit ending. It will be a lovely time.

Merry Christmas!
Pastor Shannon

Sermon December 20, 2009

This Sunday is Christmas Sunday! We will be worshiping through music, the Word and even a skit! I hope that you will join us this Sunday as we celebrate. I will be preaching on love - for God so loved the world He sent His one and only son - now that's love!

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon December 13, 2009

This week I saw some snow, very little, but it was there. Winter is upon us and we are only a few weeks from Christmas day!

Joy to the world! That's what I will preach on this week - the joy unspeakable that we have a Christians. Do you know the difference been joy and happiness? Come Sunday and find out. I look forward to seeing you there!

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon December 6, 2009

Good Afternoon! I continue to be amazed at the weather that we are having even now in the beginning of December! I know it won't last so I am enjoying it now.

Sunday is the second week of Advent, I will be talking about Peace. Peace on Earth - it's what we sing about every Christmas, it's what beauty queens wish for; but what is it really, what did Jesus have to say about it and how can we accomplish it? Come Sunday and find out!

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon November 29, 2009

Good afternoon! I hope that you are doing well on this chilly day. This week we get to celebrate Thanksgiving - a time for each one of us to remember all that God has given us. I am thankful for each one of you and for what your bring to our congregation.

This Sunday is the beginning of the Advent Season! What a wonderful time of year it is. I will be starting the Advent series: "All I want for Christmas is..." and this week I will preach on hope from John 1. We are a people who have hope, are we not? Then Sunday night we will have a special service - Hanging of the Green - starting at 4pm, bring a dessert and come ready to fellowship and do some Christmas caroling.

I hope that you have a delightful Thanksgiving in whatever you are doing. I will see you Sunday!

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon November 22, 2009

Good afternoon! I hope that you are enjoying the wonderful warm fall that we are having. I am delighted to see the sun shining today, how about you? This week we are going to talk about the Kingdom of God. I know this is a hard idea to grasp, but come Sunday and we will work on it together.

Also, remember that Sunday evening is the Lordstown community Thanksgiving service. This is a great time to connect with other Christians in the Lordstown area. We will be meeting at the Lordstown Lutheran Church at 7pm and your own Pastor Shannon will be preaching. Come for the service and stay for snacks afterwards.

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon November 15, 2009

Good afternoon! I hope that each one of you is doing well on this brisk fall day. This week we are going to be talking about the Aroma of Christ. I'll be preaching from 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 if you want to look ahead.

See the there!
Pastor Shannon

Sermon November 8, 2009

Hello! I hope that you are having a wonderful week. I want you to know that our trunks of treats event was wonderful! For those of you who helped, thank you so much. We had almost 50 kids and over 100 people that went through our doors! I'll be showing pictures at church this week.

This week's sermon will be about holiness. Did you know that the Church of God is a holiness movement? We're going to talk about that and about personal holiness. Can't wait to see you!

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon November 1, 2009

Hello! This week we are looking forward to our first Trunks of Treats outreach. We are hoping to have a great turnout. Be sure to get there at 4:30pm so that we can decorate our cars, pray together and make sure that everything is ready.

Also, this weekend is Daylight Savings Time. At 2 am on Sunday morning our clocks will "fall back." Be sure to change them before you go to sleep so that you get to church on time!

We started a discussion last Sunday in small group about human nature and salvation and will do it again Thursday if you want to come and dialogue with us. Then this week I will be preaching on Sin and Salvation. Hope to see you there!

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon October 25, 2009

We had a wonderful Sunday last week and I want to thank each one of you for your participation. On our all tithe Sunday, we recieved over $3,500; a $2,000 increase over our average Sunday offering. What a blessing! God's presence was truly made known. We have within us the potential for great things and I feel blessed to be a part of this.

This Sunday we are going to be talking about the names of God. There are so many aspects of God and each one is meaningful. During different periods of our life, the way we see God changes. How do you see God? What is God for you?

Looking forward to seeing you Sunday!

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon October 18th, 2009

Oh dear, it seems as though I missed a week, I am sorry for that! Last Sunday we continued our series on Holistic Stewardship and talked about our time and talents - how are you using yours?

This week we are concluding our series on stewardship. I will be preaching about tithes and offerings, if you want to read ahead check out Malachi 3:6-18.

This week is our all tithe Sunday, we are encouraging everyone to bring in their tithes so that we can see what Harvest Point's potential would be if everyone was tithing. I hope that you are having a good week and enjoying the blessing of fall - the leaves are changing!

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon October 4, 2009

This week has been very hard for several families in our church. Be praying for Brenda and her family in the loss of her husband Brian. Ruth is still in need of prayer and has been moved to a nursing home. Continue to remember Lin and her mother, and Cindy and her sister Vita.

Tom will be preaching this week from Matthew 6:25-34 that says Do not worry. What a great message for all of us! We will also be participating in world wide communion this Sunday. I will be praying for each one of you as I am away.

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon September 27, 2009

We are in the midst of our series on stewardship. This week we are going to be talking about holistic stewardship. Being good stewards isn't just about giving money. How else can we be good stewards? Come Sunday and find out!

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday for the meeting and then again Sunday.

~Pastor Shannon

Town Hall Meeting

When? This Saturday September 26, 10am

Where? At the church

Why? To vision together, and a chance to ask questions about what's going on and where we are going as a church.

There will be childcare. This is an important meeting for the life of the church, so we'd like for you all to be there!

Sermon September 20, 2009

This week is the Apple Cider Festival. Remember that our service is at 11am not 10am this week so that we can be there when the crafts open up. We will have coffee and donuts fellowship from 10am to 11am and service at 11am.

Leah is going to do some singing and we are hoping to see new faces. Please come dressed casually and ready to welcome new friends!

Resources for September 13

Enough: A book about generosity and simplicity - A great read for starting the process of financial peace.

Crown Financial Ministries: A website with all kinds of resources for dealing with financial issues; including budget worksheets, books, etc.

(Click on the names to go to the website)

Pastor's Ordination

Several of you have asked for the information for my ordination so I wanted to share that:

October 4, 2009
5:00 pm, Eastern Time
Church at the Crossing
9111 Haverstick Rd.
Indianapolis, IN

Sermon September 13, 2009

I hope that each one of you had a wonderful labor day in whatever you did!

This week I will be preaching on tithing. Do not be afraid! I hope that you will come and listen as we discuss what we can give God.

~Pastor Shannon

In Christ I Stand

Sermon September 6, 2009

Oh my, is it already September? How did this happen? Brett and I have now been here for a season (summer)! I recognize that this week is labor day and I know that many of you will be on your last trip before the summer really ends, we will miss you.

This week I will be preaching on service based on the ordinance of foot washing. I will discuss what foot washing is and why we do it.

Sunday August 30, 2009

Please feel free to dress down this week, Pastor Susan and I will be wearing jeans since we will be getting into the "baptismal" pool. Just wanted to share that with you, looking forward to a lovely Sunday!

Sermon August 30, 2009

This week will look a little different, but don't be afraid! We are going to start our worship at the church with a service of song. At about 10:30 we will move from the church to Art and Lin Robinson's home to continue worship with a baptismal service.

I will be teaching about baptism before the baptism. Then we will all rejoice together with a few more songs. This is bound to be a very special service and I want to encourage everyone to come and participate. Baptism is not just for the one being baptized and their families, it is a service of worship for all believers as we celebrate with the ones being baptized and as we remember our own baptism.

~Pastor Shannon

Resources Aug. 23, 2009 sermon

Prayer is FOUNDATIONAL for our faith life, this was our second week on prayer.

We dealt with a lot of scripture this week...because there are a lot of scriptures about prayer! Here are some of the scriptures I used in the sermon this week:

Lament:
Psalm 69: 1-3
Psalm 88: 1-7
Matthew 26:38 Jesus says, "I am deeply grieved, to the point of death."

Petition:
Philippians 4:6 "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Psalm 62:8 "Pour out your heart before [God]."

Meditation/Listening:
Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

How to pray:
Matthew 6:5-13 Pray secretly, sincerely, and specifically!

Does God answer prayer?
Yes, no, not yet....
* If the request is wrong - God says no
* If the timing is wrong - God says slow
* If you are wrong - God says grow
* If it's all right - God says go

Other scripture:
Matthew 5:23-24 "So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconcilled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift."

Jsames 4:3 "You ask and do not recieve, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures."

Proverbs 21:31 "If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you will cry and not be heard."

Lastly, 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you!"

Sermon August 23, 2009

We will be dealing with prayer again this week. Last week we talked about the Lord's Prayer and this week will be dealing with some hard questions: Does God answer prayer? Most of us wonder this at some point in our lives, and this week we will take a look at the answer to that and other questions.

I hope that you are doing well, I have prayed for each one of you this week and I'm looking forward to seeing you Sunday.

Announcement: Remember that the 30th we are having a baptismal service. If you would like to be baptized let me know as soon as possible.

~Pastor Shannon

Resources for August 16 sermon

Men's Ox Roast - Ohio State CHOG

An announcement from Ohio State ministries of the Church of God:

The annual Men's Ox Roast & Retreat on September 11 & 12 promises to be one of the best ever with the theme of Change. Chaplain Barry Black, chaplain to the United States Senate, will be the speaker and the music will be done by Colonial City Quartet.

There is an early bird rate of $45 with the cutoff for this rate being this Saturday, August 15. To make advance registration easier, you may go to the new men's site at http://www.ohiochogmen.org/. Please check it out. On the site you can go to the tab Events Registration to register. Please note the instruction that you will still need to send your payment to Phil Day whose address is noted. After August 15 the registration increases to $55 so please get online and register today.

Your registration feel includes retreat lodging, the Friday night evening meal, bonfire and hotdogs on Friday, breakfast on Saturday, the ox roast on Saturday afternoon, plus the Friday and Saturday worship experiences. Lodging, meals, great worship and great fellowship and all for only $45 if you register by the Saturday. This makes this event probably one of the best deals to be found anywhere.

Additional events that you can sign up for are as follows:

Friday Golf Tournament. Registration is $40. Registration and fee should be send to Les Bowers, 504 Quail Run Road, Middletown, OH 45042 or lbowers@cinci.rr.com. Tee time is 8:30 a.m.

Friday Fishing Tournament. Registration is $25 and may be sent in with your retreat registration. The tournament time is from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Friday Horseshoe Tournament. There is no registration fee and you may register by calling Jack Klinesmith at 740-944-1016. Registration starts at 11:00 a.m.

Paintball Games. Camp Marengo will kick off its paintball program at this year's ox roast. Games are $5.00 and includes 100 paintballs and full equipment. Game times are Friday 1:00 to 6:00 and Saturday 1:00 to 4:00.

Again you may register online at http://www.ohiochogmen.org/. Mail your retreat registration to Phil Day, 8888 Swisher Road, Newark, OH 43055. Make all checks payable to Ohio Church of God Men.

Sermon August 16, 2009

What a wonderful Installation service this past Sunday. It was so lovely and meaningful, thank you, each one of you for making it such a special day.

This week I will be preaching on Prayer - I know that sounds vague, but prayer is foundation to our faith life.

Remember that we are having a baptismal service August 30th, if you would like to be baptized please let me know as soon as possible.

~Pastor Shannon

August 9, 2009 Installation Sunday

This Sunday is a special Sunday, it is my installation service. I am very excited to have many family members and friends coming to share with us in this event. There will also be Church of God state and NEO disctrict representatives and maybe even some officials from Lordtown.

Preaching this week is one of my dear professors, Dr. James Lewis. You can check out his web page if you would like here. Brett and I like to say that Dr. Lewis has a black belt in preaching, we are so delighted to have him and we will certainly be blessed.

We hope to see you Sunday for this special event!

Announcements:
1) Remember that we are having a baptism on August 30, 2009. Please contact me if you would like to be baptized.

2) We are going to begin work for the Community Labor Day Luau. Please let me know if you'd like to be on the committee. We hope that everyone in the church will participate, but we need a committee to make some plans!

Thanks

Brett and I want to express our thanks for how loving and caring you all have been through my surgery and recovery. We want to thank Cindy English and those she asked to help with making meals. We want to thank you for the cards and for the prayers. We are so thankful for a loving and supportive group of people.

With love~
Pastor Shannon and Brett

Sermon August 2, 2009

Can you believe that it is almost August? Where has the year gone? Where has the summer gone? Life moves so fast, remember to slow yourself down and appreciate the blessings God has given you.

This week we are going to be studying Ephesians 5:21-33, submit to one another. This is a tricky text, one which is used many times out of context. Be sure to come Sunday as we work through it together.

In Christ~
Pastor Shannon

Sermon July 26, 2009

Because of my surgery we are going to continue our Ephesians series this week. I will be preaching from Ephesians 4:25-5:2. We will be talking about what it means to live in love in the way that we speak to one another.

Looking forward to seeing you Sunday morning for the service and then we will move on to Sam and Vera's for a picnic. Remember to bring a dish with you to share!

Pastor Shannon

Sermon July 19, 2009

This week Pastor Susan will be preaching from Ephesians 6 on the Armor of God. How can we gear up for God? Come Sunday and find out!

~Pastor Shannon

Resources for July 12 sermon

Sunday we dealt with managing stress and change. I was encouraged by the amount of discussion that perhaps this was a needed break from our regular Sunday routine. I wanted to give you the resources for your own use from Sunday.

Life Stress Questionnaire, used in the message on Sunday:
http://www.themetabolic-institute.com/secure/pdf/life%20Stress%20Questionnaire.pdf


Stress Management survey (now this is specifically for college students but can easily be used by anyone):
http://www.oakton.edu/learn/stressvy.htm


Serenity Prayer: by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.

The scriptures we looked at:
* Romans 8:18-27
* Philippians 4:10-14, 19
* James 1:2-4

Healthy ways to deal with stress/change:
1) Read your Bible, find a mantra. Mine is Psalm 42, find one that works for you or just read through Psalms. We can find comfort in knowing that we are not alone and reading the stories of those who came before us.
2) Recognize the aggravating aspects of your life: change the things you can change and accept the things you cannot.
3) Identify your level of stress, be self-aware. That is the first step to getting healthy.
4) Identify your emotional needs: be willing to meet those needs. Find friends that are willing to help and be willing to ask for help when you need it.
5) If you cannot get out of a winter season, be willing to look elsewhere for help. Your Pastors are always willing to listen and if you need more than that counselors (both Christian and non-Christian) are all around. Please let me know if you need help finding a counselor.
6) Pray - pray even when your heart isn't into it. Cry out to God, be open and honest, God can take it.

I want to reiterate this, get help when you need help. There is no shame in needing help, life is hard, we all go through rough times. I have been in counseling several times in my life and those persons have given me the tools to get up and keep going. Know that you are loved by myself and by God, you are not alone. Also, remember to pray for the persons in your group this week.


~Pastor Shannon

Sermon July 12, 2009

Ahh...well surgery took more out of me than I thought it would and I am just now getting back to feeling any sort of normal. I have lost most of my week to pain killers and sleep. I will be at church Sunday and will have something prepared, but it is still in the works.

I have missed Harvest Point and look forward to being home again.

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon June 28, 2009

Hello! This week I will be travelling for Anderson Camp Meeting (North American Convention). On Sunday Pastor Susan will be preaching from Ephesians 5:8-14 on being Children of Light.

Please check out the sermons from camp meeting here: North American Convention You can listen to them very soon after the service because of the wonder that is the internet. The speakers this year are Andy Stephenson, Bob Moss, Milfred Minatrea, Milton Grunnum, and Don Riley.

See you next week~
Pastor Shannon

Sermon June 21, 2009

Happy Father's day to all of you father's out there.

We are in week three of our Ephesians series and I will be preaching out of Epeshians 4:1-16.

Sermon June 14, 2009

This is week two of our Ephesians series, I will be preaching from Ephesians 3 and we will be discussing our commission.

Sermon June 7, 2009

For the next several weeks I will be preaching from Ephesians. Read the whole book in preperation, and for this week pay special attention to chapter 2.



~Pastor Shannon