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ABOUT VALLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Message from Pastor

February 6, 2012

Holiday Schedule

Palm Sunday -

8:30 am and 11 am services

Maundy Thursday Service

7:00 pm

Good Friday service -

7:00 pm

EASTER WORSHIP

Youth Led Service

7:00 am

"Traditional" worship

8:30 am

"Praise" Worship

11:00 am

CORNERSTONE "Traditional" SERVICE

8:30 A.M.

COFFEE AND FELLOWSHIP

9:30 A.M.

SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR ALL AGES

9:45 A.M.

BEACON "Contemporary" SERVICE

11:00 A.M.

***

New Member Classes

normally start the

first of each month

***

Ongoing

Disciple Classes

Message from the Pastor

Welcome to

VALLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

My Friends,

Well, how are you doing today? As I write this down a storm has just passed through the area. The T.V. had warned us of high winds, damaging hail, strong side winds and tornadoes. Somewhat typical for Iowa in early spring to spring. Cold fronts and warm fronts coming together and creating a disturbance. Which not surprisingly triggered a thought related to last month’s letter.

As you may recall I ended last month with a quote from John Wesley in which he wrote: “He (God) has written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it; here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri.” (man of one book).

This “one book” which John Wesley refers to is of course the Bible. It was Wesley’s belief that to find the acorn, the beginning of the growth of our faith, we must start with revelation of scripture.

Once we found the living core of our faith revealed in scripture, we were to also be open to the illumination of tradition, vivified in personal experience and confirmed by reason. This is what we refer to as the quadrilateral in the Wesleyan tradition. It is the methodology for theological reflection credited to John Wesley. Now at the point I want to get back to: the word vivified. That is to be vivified in personal experience. It is not a word we use daily. (most of us, that is).

Although we may not speak it daily, we use it and see it nevertheless. To vivify something is essentially to bring it life or to restore it to a life lost or off course.

Now, let’s back pedal a moment to the beginning of this little letter. Cold fronts and warm fronts colliding to create a disturbance. There are times, like last night, that I feel the fronts are colliding and I am at a loss. What do I do? Where do I go?

It is precisely then I seek to remember and hold onto my roots. Roots that seek to remain nourished in and through one book; helped along the way by corporate and personal experiences, tradition and reason. But always and everywhere grounded in one main book: the Bible.

Shalom, Pastor Ken

“A loving

heart

is the

truest

wisdom.”

Charles

Dickens

Pastor Ken's

contact information:

kferguson@valleyumc.org

office

225-8128

cell

712/790-9738

You are invited

CORNERSTONE "Traditional" SERVICE

8:30 A.M.

COFFEE AND FELLOWSHIP

9:30 A.M.

SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR ALL AGES

9:45 A.M.

BEACON "Contemporary" SERVICE

11:00 A.M.

***

New Member Classes

normally start the

first of each month

***

Ongoing

Disciple Classes