Grace UM Church Staff Members
Pastor: Rev. Nelson T. Thayer

Director of Lay Ministries:  Barb Dittman

Secretary: Brittany Adams

Finance Secretary: Eva Palmer
Custodian: Bill Lamberton
Organist: Joseph Emanuele

Services are available on YouTube and our website www.graceoilcity.org

https://www.graceoilcity.org/worship-service-recordings.html

Sunday 8/4/2024 Sunday School @ 9:00 AM

Sunday 8/4/2024 Service @ 10:00AM

Rev. Nelson T. Thayer

Ordinary Time

Sermon: Eat What’s Put Before You
Scripture: John 6: 24-35  NRSV

Ushers: Tom Peebles and Judy Guyton

Greeter: Barb Hayes

* Hymns:

      “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” #127

            Psalter: “Psalm 51: 1-12”  # 785

Sunday School for Adults: New Space

You are invited to the 9:00 Adult Sunday School Class which will now meet in a more convenient space: the former Kindergarten room in the hallway off the sanctuary and just beyond the “Pastor’s Office.”

Looking Ahead

Wednesday July 31

4-7 pm

T.O.P.S. meets in church basement

Thursday August 1

11 am – 1 pm

HOPE 21 open

Sunday August 4

10 am

Morning Worship

Coming Up: Communion on Sunday, August 11

ATTENTION:  Adult Sunday School on summer break.

** Lost: Woman's silver cross shaped ring with blue stones.

If found please return to or call the church office. Thank you.

PREPARING FOR SUNDAY’S MESSAGE

Worship in person or online!

“Eat What’s Put Before You” – August 4

Ordinary Time

This week’s Sunday worship will be held at the church beginning at 10:00 am (summer hours)

Preaching Text: John 6: 24-35

²⁶Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” ( NRSV)

Shortly after the “sign” (John’s word) that Jesus performed when He multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed a large crowd, Jesus and the disciples got into boats and crossed a corner of Lake Galilee to Capernaum. When the crowd realized that Jesus & Company had left, the people also got into boats and went to Capernaum searching for Jesus.

Jesus’ reaction to the crowd’s arrival in Capernaum seems harsh by modern standards of etiquette.

They have sought Him out – going through no small amount of trouble to find Him. They wanted to hear more of His teaching – maybe even become His followers. Most of today’s would-be Messiahs would be overjoyed to find such enthusiastic “seekers.” These are the folks that you add to your mailing lists so that you can hit them up for donations later on. These are the folks that you treat kindly so that they’ll keep coming back to your rallies and help you out when you need them.

But Jesus immediately confronts and challenges the seeking crowd. He questions the seekers’ motives: “You just want Me to give you more food.” He diagnoses their condition in terms that are less than complimentary: “All you want to do is meet the basic need of life: food, clothing and shelter.”  There’s a rebuke in the tone of His words. It’s almost as if He doesn’t care whether they follow Him or not. But there’s a time when we who seek God need to be challenged rather than coddled.

The crowd at Capernaum is asking too little from God. The LORD seeks to give them a new life: an inner nourishment that will set them free from their pursuit of security, comfort and ease. God through Jesus is offering them a chance to be citizens in the Kingdom of God and to be filled with a wisdom and Grace that will transform the world. Wanting the next “free lunch” simple isn’t good enough for a person truly seeking to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Bread of Life (verse 35). He is the One sent from heaven to be the “spiritual food” that’s greater than the manna sent in Moses’ time. The meal has been set by God. We need to “eat what has been set before us.”

Hungrily,

Nelson

Happy Birthday & Anniversary to our Grace Family this week! Although some of these members may have been absent from our lives for a while, let us take a moment to stop and remember them in prayer on their special day.

August 4

Ian/Erica Sterling

Mike Huey

Kelsey Ziegler

August 5

Jennifer Buchholz

Chelsey O’Neil

Wayne/Jane Britton

August 6

Vic Bowser

August 7

Beth Simpson

August 8

Doug/Mike Webber

Dave Henderson

Jeremy Hoyle

August 9

Doug Eberle

Jadie Taft

August 10

Brandon/Jennifer Davis

Jim Hepler

Nancy Mansfield

Pastor’s Message

The little church I grew up in – Mt. Hope (then Methodist) Church in Crawford County – was tight-knit community of people who worked well together and provided much needed support to those in need. There weren’t many of us, but the involvement in each other’s life was profound.

One of my earliest memories of “church” involves a women’s class meeting held at my parents’ home. It was an old house and the “central heating” consisted of a coal furnace in the basement with an open register in the living room directly above it. My bedroom was above that, and there was a hole in the ceiling of the living room (my bedroom floor) with a grate to let the “warm” air rise to the second story. The only duct work that carried heat ran to the kitchen. Because of this arrangement, I had the ability to “listen in” to anything going on in the living room – without being observed.

The Philathea Class (feminine form for “Lover of God” in Greek) only met at the Thayer house a couple of times when I was a child. But I distinctly remember one meeting. About six or seven women attended. There was my mother, the hostess, who had experience in raising five children – one of whom was severely disabled physically and mentally and died before I was born – in addition to her job as an instructor of dietetics and chemistry to student nurses at Spencer Hospital in Meadville. One of her good friends at that meeting had just lost her 12-year-old son to brain cancer. Another friend – a nurse mom knew from the hospital as well as church – was caring for an adolescent son who had Down Syndrome (like my deceased brother) and wondering whether he needed to be institutionalized. All of them were “economically challenged”  and overlooked by society – the “treats” were sugar cookies and iced tea.

My mother certainly knew that I was listening to that conversation (“from above”) – and others probably did as well. But they also knew that a serious young boy should be exposed to the realities of life – and to hear the words of encouragement, care, and spiritual guidance that faithful women can offer each other when the going is tough. I learned a lot that evening about what the Church really is – a place where believers gather to pray and trust God… to “lift each other up”… and to simply enjoy a moment of peace in the company of like-minded sisters (or brothers).

A friend of mine - a UM Deacon who works as a Therapist – once said to me, “You have such a peaceful, non-threatening presence.” I was deeply humbled and pleased by that assessment. But, then I thought to myself, “How else could I be?” I have been to Church all my life. Inner peace, and the encouragement of others, and the acceptance of God’s children for who they are – these are lessons I learned firsthand from Masters of the Faith.

I can only hope and pray that we who continue to be the Church at Grace UM: Oil City, who have also known Masters of the Faith… I can only pray that we use the opportunities we have to share “the peace of God which passes knowledge” to all we encounter.  After all, if we are faithful to our LORD, “How else can we be?”

Nelson

BarB's Blurbs!

Prayers of Joy and Concern

Health concerns:

Rev. Joe Martin

Amy, Judy Hards’ sister  

Matt Henderson

Jan Angrove

Josh Keebler

Blaine Beers

Bette Magness

Tom Boocks, Gale Boocks' cousin

David Miller

Jason Cox

Deb Rae Miller

Anita Eberle

Josie McMullen

Don and Sherry Emick

Cork and Carol Nelms

Carson Fennick

Chip & Peggy Nunemaker

Rev. Mark and Vickie Fisher

Bonnie Rihel, Marcia Campbell’s sister

Kathy Flockerzi

Kate Shaffer

Sandra Gagolloti and her sister, Laurie

Gracie Singleton

Sandra Gagolloti’s pregnant niece

Ginny Taylor

Marcia Hannan, sister of Rita Hale

Jim Whaley

Lily Williams

Grieving:

Other:

Adrianna – HS student at crossroads.

Praise/Announcements of JOY:

Andy, Judy Hards’ nephew is cancer free.

Ministries:  

The ministry of Grace Church in our community and around the world.

Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and incoming Bishop Sandra Steiner-Ball

District Superintendent Rev. Deborah Ackley-Killian