Sunday January 2, 2011

Happy New Year! This week we celebrate the past year, look over what has been done and reflect on what we have learned. We also look forward to new beginnings, new resolutions, and a new year. At the beginning of anything there is always the hope of something great.

Do you have hope as you look forward to this new year? What are you looking forward to? What are you starting anew? I hope that as you look forward to this new year that you look forward in anticipation of what God can do in and through you.

~ Pastor Shannon

PS. What are your resolutions for this year?

Sunday December 26, 2010

Merry Christmas! I hope that you have a wonderful week celebrating with your friends and family. This is such a special week and so greatly anticipated. So what happens when the excitement is over, the season is done, the presents are unwrapped and the decorations are taken down? There is a sense, after a big event, of being lost. Where do we go from here? What now? These are a few of the questions I will be addressing this Sunday in the aftermath of Christmas.

I hope that you have a fabulous Christmas week and that whoever you are with, you can celebrate our Savior, our Prince of Peace, the one whom we worship and adore: Jesus Christ!

Blessings~
Pastor Shannon

Sunday December 19, 2010

Good morning! We have focused on other aspects of the Christmas story but this week is the big deal, the main focus of Christmas: the Christ-child. This Sunday I will preach about the love of Christmas, Jesus Christ, who was born as a human, and lived as a human, but was also divine. I will be preaching from Matthew 1:18-24.

Come and celebrate Christmas with us at 9am or 11am!

Hope to see you there~
Pastor Shannon

Sunday December 12, 2010

Good afternoon! We are smack in the middle of Advent and what a beautiful day it is! There is snow on the ground and the sun is shining. I hope that you are excited this week to be celebrating and anticipating Christmas.

We have been preaching this month on the cast of Christmas. The first Sunday of Advent I preached on Simeon and Anna (Luke 2: 25-40), last week Pastor Susan preached on the Angels and Shepherds from Luke 2:8-20. This week I am going to focus on Mary and Joseph in Luke 2:1-7. Mary and Joseph were obedient even though they didn't fully understand. Come and celebrate the joy of Christmas with us this week at 9am or 11am.

Also, if you are interested in helping, this Saturday at 10am, we will be cleaning our new unit.

~ Pastor Shannon

God Pie - Tithe

Sunday November 21

Hello! I hope that you are having a wonderful week. Last week we talked about stewardship as freedom, giving to God our time and talents and freeing our church and ourselves up for the ministry that God has for us. I talked about finding out what spiritual gifts God has given you, if you would like to take an online quiz here are a few options:

Spiritual Gifts Inventory

Spiritual Gifts Analysis

This week we are going to focus on stewardship in tithe and resources. How can we use our resources as thanksgiving to a God who has given us everything?

The holiday season is now upon us. This week we celebrate Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for? Count your blessings and be reminded that God, who loves you, has given you so much.

~ Pastor Shannon

Sunday November 14, 2010

Hello! My goodness, I'm so sorry for neglecting the blog. What a crazy few weeks it has been. I know that you have been praying for Isaac and the Pandrea's through this surgery ordeal. I hope that you will continue to pray for that little boy.

This week I will be preaching on "Freedom through Stewardship." It's easy to forget that when we give to God (our time, talents and tithe) we are really freeing ourselves for God's ministry. Let's get together Sunday and remember why we give.

Sermon October 17, 2010

Hello! What a beautiful week we are having here in North East Ohio! Have you been outside to admire the changing leaves? I just love the fall!

This Sunday I will be preaching from Galatians 5:13 and 6:2...as Christians we need to constantly remind ourselves "It's not all about me." This week we are going to talk about serving - both serving one another and serving others together. How can we best serve God?

This Saturday is our Harvest Party at the Robinson's, the party starts at 5pm!

Sermon October 10, 2010

This Sunday is a special day: 10-10-10. How fun! I hope that you are doing well this morning. Today is the first sunshine I've seen in a few days and it is beautiful.

This week I will be preaching from 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11. How can we help others to see what God has in store for them? What does our attitude and action have to do with the plan of salvation?

Want 5 minutes of worship right now? Check out this great song by the Dave Crowder Band, "O Praise Him!":

Sermon October 3, 2010

Good morning! I hope that you are having a wonderful week enjoying the warmish fall weather and the leaves starting to change.

We are in the midst of our 40 days of Community series and this week I will be preaching from Romans 12:1-8. What does being a body and working together have to do with reaching the community? Come and find out!

Sermon September 26, 2010

I hope that you are doing well this week. Have you been enjoying the beautiful fall days? We are now into our 40 days of Community full swing. I hope that the devotions are helping you, they are a great daily pick-me-up.

This week I will be preaching on Session 2 - Reaching Out Together, from Colossians 4:5-6. I'll be talking about our conduct and why it is important.

Remember we now have two services: 9am and 11 am with Children's Sunday School from 10:10-10:55. The fellowship between the services has been a nice break - have you been staying to enjoy the company of Harvest Pointers?

Sermon September 19, 2010

Good morning! I hope that you are doing well this week. Sunday we are starting the sermon series that goes along with your IOU groups (Inward Outward Upward). But don't worry - they will still be relevant even if you aren't part of a group!

If you are in a group be sure to be doing your devotionals and journals (the book with the red center) - Day 1 is September 15th!

I will be preaching from John 13:34-35. The beginning of serving together is loving one another. Come Sunday at 9:00 am or 11:00 am to one of our worship services.

Also remember, this week is Leah's last week with us - during the coffee and donuts fellowship hour (10-11am) we will be having a going away party for her.

Sermon September 12, 2010

This week we are starting our schedule of two services! Services will be at 9am and 11am with a coffee and donut fellowship in between.

This week I am preaching from Psalm 139:7-12. God is always there. It's a promise, but do you believe it?

I hope that you are having a wonderful week and I'll see you on Sunday!

Sermon September 5, 2010

Good evening! I hope that you are doing great today. Our Luau was a smashing success. We made contact with a lot of new people and had a great time doing it! Thank you so much for all your hard work and effort.

This week I am going to be preaching from John 3:16-17. This is probably one of the most well known verses in the Bible, but tremendously valuable. We are going to take a new look at the words written about Jesus.

Sunday August 29, 2010

Good afternoon! It's a beautiful week for a Luau!

When? Sunday August 29 from 12 noon-3pm
Where? Lordstown Founder's Park on the corner of Tod Ave. and Salt Springs Rd.
Cost? Free

This week we will not have regular Sunday service. For those of you who can, please be at the park by 8am to help set up for the Luau. Otherwise, please be there by 10 where we will have a short song and prayer service and get instructions for the day.

Thank you all so much for your help! Pray for this event, that we might reach people for Christ.

Sermon August 22, 2010

Hello! What a beautiful day it is today! Summer is winding down quickly isn't it?

This week I will be preaching on the woman at the well from John 4 (for real this week though!) This is our last Sunday before our big outreach event, the Lordstown Luau, so if you still want to make donations bring them in soon!

I hope that you will be in prayer about the Luau, that we can reach people and let the community know that we care about them.

Have a wonderful afternoon!
Pastor Shannon

Sermon August 15, 2010

Good afternoon! This Sunday will be very special indeed. We are focusing on our children in a special children's service this week. Our kids will be participating in the music, the prayer, the sermon and many other areas. You will not want to miss this special day. Brandt and I will be preaching on Evangelism: Building a Circle of Love.

Also, please remember that we are taking a special offering Sunday for the Luau. Bring your gifts in to support this outreach event.

Sermon August 8, 2010

Good evening! Today Pastor Susan preached about personal evangelism from the story of Philip and the Eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. I have already heard great things about it!

This coming week I will be preaching from John 4:1-42 about Jesus and the woman at the well. Read through it this week as we move towards Sunday. I hope that you are having a good week! We miss you but we are enjoying being at the ocean.

Sermon July 25, 2010

I'm constantly shocked by how quickly time goes by! As you are aware we are coming quickly upon the Luau on August 29th. Have you signed up yet to help? We need everyone's help to make this the outreach event that it can be. The Luau is a free event for the community where we will have food, games, face painting, a dunk tank, a bounce house, music and more!

In gearing up for the Luau and for small groups - we are going to be dealing with Evangelism for the rest of the summer. This week I will start the sermon series with Evangelism 101. What do you know about reaching out to the lost? What kind of things work? How can we better show God's love and light? We will be discussing all these things in the next few weeks.

Remember if you can't be at church on any given Sunday you can check out the CD of the sermon on the welcome table.

Another great announcement: We are starting two services on September 12! What an exciting time in the life of our church. I am so pleased to be a part of the work that God is doing in Lordstown. Please know that you are loved and that Pastor Susan and I are praying for you.

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon July 18, 2010

What a beautiful day we had yesterday for church in the park! It was so great to be outside in God's beautiful nature. I hope that you are doing well this week.

Sunday I am going to be preaching out of Genesis 22: 1-19, the story of Abraham and Isaac. This is the last week we will be dealing with sacrifice and risk and next week we will start into Evangelism.

Keep in mind that North East Ohio camp meeting starts this week. Sunday July 18 - Sunday July 25. If you need information please let me know!

Sermon July 11, 2010

Good afternoon! With a little bit of rain the temperature has dropped from high 90's to the mid 80's, whew!

This week we are going to be meeting in the park for church - we'll be in the pavilion right beside the fire station on Salt Springs Rd. Instead of a tradition sermon, we are going to be having some intergenerational discussion during church this Sunday.

After church we will head over to Art and Lin Robinson's for a picnic and swimming. Bring a dish to pass and a bathing suit.

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon July 4, 2010

Greetings from Anderson Camp Meeting (Or North American Convention of the Church of God). I hope that things are going well over there in Ohio. Want to check out some of the convention? Click here: NAC.

This Sunday I will preach on freedom that comes from sacrifice. I hope you enjoy the holiday weekend!

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon June 27, 2010

Good afternoon! This week Brett and I will be going to North American Convention - the annual convention of the Church of God. Want to check out the services or find out what's going on there? Go here: North American Convention. There are links to conferences, services and other things. The sermons are definitely worth checking out!


This week Pastor Susan will be getting us into our series on Risk and Sacrifice by preaching about having big faith from Matthew 17:20. Have a wonderful week and I will see you on the fourth of July.

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon June 20, 2010

This Sunday is Father's day, so to all you men out there we honor you. Whether you are a biological father, a step-father, an adoptive father or just a man who has loved someone and given them support, we are thankful for you.

This Sunday I will be preaching out of Acts 2:46-47, I will be discussing the importance of community and fellowship to the life and growth of the church.

If you haven't had time yet to read through Acts, do so this week. Next week Pastor Susan will be moving on in our summer series.

Sermon June 13, 2010

Good afternoon! I hope that you are doing well on this beautiful summer day. I for one am enjoying the sunshine.

This week I will be preaching out of Acts 10 and 11. I will be delving into the question "Who is worth saving?" Have you read through Acts yet to see how the book flows? This week pay special attention to chapters 10 and 11. I'll see you Sunday!

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon Sunday June 6, 2010

Last year on June 7, I preached my first sermon as the Senior Pastor of Harvest Point. What a fantastic year it has been! I hope that you are having a good week, we've had lots of sun...as well as some rain to keep the grass green!

This week I am preaching from Acts 1:8. We are going to be talking about the power that the Holy Spirit gives us. We are also going to talk about a fancy word: sanctification. It's not a very common word any more but in the early days of the Church of God it was pretty big. Come and see what it's all about!

~Pastor Shannon

Resource from May 30, 2010

Sermon Sunday May 30, 2010

Hello! I hope that everyone is having a great week. Last week we started our summer series by looking at how much God can do if we just realize our own potential and through that release God's power to work.

This week I will be preaching from Matthew 28:16-20 (The Great Commission). Before we get into the book of Acts, we need to know to what it is that the disciples (and us!) were called.

Remember that if you miss any Sunday you can find the sermons on our website (harvestpointcog.org) or you can ask for a CD.

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon May 23, 2010

Good afternoon church family! I hope that you are having a good week, with the Elders retreat last weekend and a coaching seminar Monday and Tuesday I am already feeling exhausted this week! Whew!

This Sunday we are changing our focus, I am going to preaching from Ephesians 3:20-21. Read through the chapter to prepare. Do we hold back God's mission? What can we do to release it?

Following church is the town hall meeting, please plan to stay. We are going to discuss some important issues. I want you to know that I pray for you, for our church and for direction in my ministry. I hope that you are praying also.

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon May 16, 2010

Good afternoon! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. This Sunday we have a special treat, Brett Spangler will be preaching on the ultimate Biblical Hero: Jesus.

Sermon May 9, 2010

Good afternoon! This Sunday is Mother's Day, what are you going to do to celebrate the wonderful women in your life (mother's or other's!)?

I will be preaching about Naomi and Ruth. For preparation you can read Ruth; it's a short book, read it as it was meant to be read - as a story. Read it out loud to someone else!

Remember that the church will be open for prayer all day Thursday (from 9am-6pm). Come in and pray, invite someone else.

~ Pastor Shannon

Sermon May 2, 2010

Good Afternoon! What a beautiful day it is. Things are starting to grow and get very colorful and I am hoping the weather warms up soon.

This week I am going to be preaching on Moses, for preparation you can skim through Exodus. What can we learn from this great man? Do you identify with him? How can you be like Moses?

Announcements:

* This Sunday we are going to McKinley Lanes in Niles to bowl! Meet us there from 4-6.

* Next Thursday May 6 we are hosting a prayer vigil. The prayer of the believers is important, sign up to pray for our country, our church, the lost, and your personal needs.

Sermon April 25, 2010

Good morning! I hope that you are doing well today. This week the sermon will be on King Hezekiah, Tom Arnold will be filling the pulpit, as Brett and I are in Indiana for his Master's hooding ceremony.

Keep in mind these dates:

May 2 - Bowling at McKinley Lanes 4-6

May 6 - National Day of Prayer, Prayer vigil 9am-6pm

May 23 - Town Hall Meeting, directly following church

Blessings~
Pastor Shannon

Sermon April 18, 2010

Good morning! I hope that you are having a delightful day. I enjoyed smelling fresh cut grass on the way to the church this morning, what a beautiful day the Lord has made!

This Sunday I am going to be preaching on Stephen: the first Christian martyr. What does it mean to truly give your life for the cause of Christ? You can read Acts 6 and 7 to get prepared for the message.

~ Pastor Shannon

That's My King - resource from Easter

Sermon April 11, 2010

Good afternoon! I hope that you are having a wonderful week, the weather is a strange thing; going from being 80 to 30 and sunshine to rain, I'm going to have to get used to Ohio in the spring I suppose.

This week Pastor Susan is preaching on Queen Esther. Come to find out about this faithful woman of the Old Testament.

Sermon, April 4, 2010

Good morning! I don't think there is any surprise about what the sermon will be this week. It's Easter and we will be celebrating Christ's victory over death!

I have many fond memories from Easter, what about you? It's a joyful time in the life of the church and I hope that you will come and celebrate with us at 8 or 10 am.

Also this week:

*April 1; Maundy Thursday: 6:30 pm communion and foot washing service, come casual and bring a towel.

*April 2; Good Friday: 7pm at the Christian Church, stay after for fellowship.

Resource for March 21, 2010 sermon

For those of you who are interested in the video that I played during the "Sloth" sermon: "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath:

Sermon March 28, 2010

Good afternoon! Remember that tomorrow night (Friday the 26th) at 6:30 we are having a movie night at the church, we are watching "Hoodwinked." Bring a two-liter, we'll provide the popcorn and snacks.

This Sunday, as you are aware I'm sure, is Palm Sunday. We are going to celebrate together and then move into Holy Week, where we ponder the events that took place in Christ's death and Resurrection. I hope that you will participate where you can:

March 28:
*10am Palm Sunday Service
*7pm Passion Play at Highway Tabernacle

April 1:
* 6:30pm Maundy Thursday Communion and Foot Washing

April 2:
* 7pm Ecumenical Good Friday Service at the Christian Church

Sermon March 21, 2010

This week is the last week of the Seven Deadly sins. On this last Sunday of the series we will be discussing Sloth. Moving into sloth, I want you to get out of your head the normal idea of sloth, the idea of a couch potato sitting there with nothing to do. I want you to get out of your head the normal idea of sloth being simple laziness so that we can discuss what sloth really is.

Remember that in two and a half weeks we will celebrate Easter, I want everyone to invite someone that does not have a church home. Be thinking about who you want to invite.

Sermon March 14, 2010

Good afternoon! What a beautiful day it is today, I hope that you can get out and enjoy the sunshine a little bit. This week we are continuing the series on the Seven Deadly Sins, we only have two more weeks! Anger is the subject for this week, anger and wrath.

Ephesians 4:26 says, "In your anger do not sin." I'll deal with a few questions that many of us have about anger. Hope to see you there.

~ PAstor Shannon

Sermon March 7, 2010

How in the world did it get to be March already? I feel dizzy with the pace the world is moving...we are now over halfway through our Seven Deadly Sins series (sigh of relief?). This week I am going to be preaching on Pride/Vanity.

God has been working on me through this series...I hope the sermons are helping you as well. I'm looking forward to seeing you this week.

Resources from Envy Sermon

Poem by Abby Smith - Church of God Missionary to Columbia

Behold the splendor of our God, rising from earth to scrape the Heavens.
The vista takes our breath away.
Behold the terror of our God, the whole earth shakes,
And the people tremble.
Little by little, we rebuild.
The earthquake drives the mountain toward the sky,
And the people stand in awe.
But we can’t have the mountain without the quake,
We can’t have the pleasure without the pain,
And the people ask why.
God is not gettable.

Everyone wants to climb the mountain,
But no one wants to feel the quake.
Still, it’s a path we all must travel.
Just and unjust, the same storm afflicts us all,
For too much sunshine makes a desert.
We can’t have life without the rain.
We can’t have the mountain without the tremor.
God is love, but God is holy,
And God is not gettable.

Behold the man upon the cross
Who climbed a mountain,
And the whole earth shakes.
We can’t have mercy without shed blood.
Without death, there is no life.
Fully human, yet wholly Divine,
Brought down to the pit but raised again.
This God is just not gettable.

Unworthy messengers, we proclaim the news
Of the Kingdom come already.
Still, we yearn for that which is not yet.
To live is Christ, to die is gain,
What then shall we choose?
Behold, that day when all shall be revealed!
The tears are dried, the heartaches cease,
And the finite disappears.
The people will rejoice.
We’ll rise to the mountain of our God,
And feel the Heavens shake before His throne.
Then we shall see Him face to face.
We will tremble,
And we will dance
Before a God who is not gettable

______________________________________

"The Lord is Blessing Me" Video

Resource from Greed Sermon

The website I used in the sermon, Seven Deadly Sins: Greed is a website called Global Rich List, where you can see just how rich you are compared to the rest of the world.

Access it here.

Sermon February 28, 2010

In continuing our series on the Seven Deadly Sins we are moving out of the category, "excessive love" and into the category of "perverted love." This week I will be preaching on Envy. Statistically this is the sin of the Seven that is the most difficult for women, although that is a generalization of course. We all have to work on this.

I hope that you are having a good week. I for one am glad the the snow has started melting....just in time for more probably!

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon February 21, 2010

Good afternoon! I hope that you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, and I hope that you know that you are loved!

This week I will preach on Greed: the third sin of excessive love (along with gluttony and lust). Read about greed here: Exodus 20:17, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Matthew 6:24 and Luke 12:15.

Sermon February 14, 2010

Good afternoon! Sorry about the late notice, this week in continuing the series in the Seven Deadly Sins, we will be discussing Lust. This is certainly not a comfortable or fun topic, but it definitely needs to be dealt with. If you'd like to read ahead, the scripture readings are from Matthew 5:27-30 and James 1:12-16.

Reminder: Lent starts this Wednesday, Feb. 17, Brett and I have decided to give up pop for Lent this year. What are you going to do?

Sermon February 7, 2010

Good morning! I hope that you are well this morning. Remember that this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday, come sporting a jersey, hat or other paraphernalia of your favorite team. Or support one of the teams going to the Super Bowl! This Sunday I am starting a series on the Seven Deadly Sins. We are starting with GLUTTONY!

Sermon January 31, 2010

Good Evening! This Sunday we will finish up talking about conflict resolution, I'm going to talk about when Christians get snippy, lippy, snarky and mean. We all do it sometimes, but when there isn't actual sin involved, how do we know how to deal with it? What does God say about conflict that is not sin?

I hope that you are having a wonderful week, I have been praying for each one of you this week and I hope that you will say a prayer for me.

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon January 24, 2010

Greetings! I hope that you are having a wonderful week so far. If you were in church Sunday you will know that I did not preach about forgiveness as I had intended to. As situations arise, we as the church must be able to move and adapt and talk about what needs to be talked about. I shared a few posts from Jessica Ackerman whose parents are career missionaries to Haiti. We talked about a good God in the face of this kind of tragedy. If you would like to read more from Jessica you may go here: Jessica's Blog.

This week I will go back to our series on conflict resolution and will be preaching on forgiveness from Matthew 18. I hope to see you there!

~Pastor Shannon

Sermon January 17, 2010

Good afternoon! I hope that you are well. I'm feeling cold constantly right now...winter, eh? This week we are moving to part two of our conflict resolution series. Did you get anything last week out of our study of Matthew 18? We'll be talking about the art of forgiveness: something with which I think we can all use some training.

I hope that you are keeping warm and healthy! Don't be afraid to wash those hands. Come Friday night for game night at the church. Bring your favorite game and a snack to share. Drinks will be provided.

Sermon January 10, 2010

Well the snow is finally coming! I've been waiting for it, I am looking out the window and everything is covered in a beautiful blanket of white. I am constantly amazed at the changing beauty of God's creation.

This week I am preaching from Matthew 18:15-20 about Conflict Resolution - no one likes conflict but there is a Biblical way to do it. Come as we discuss this aspect of our relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ.

~Pastor Shannon