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July Message by
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"Let my people go, so that they may worship me."
Exodus 8:1
My Dear Friends,
As a congregation we have very much for which to be grateful to God. I trust you were as deeply moved as I was by the wonderful Homecoming Weekend and the celebration of 50 years in the Central Church building last month. How thankful we are for the freedom our forefathers and foremothers found in Penn's Woods back in the 1730's. As a nation we pause to thank God for the freedom we gained as we became the United States of America on July 4, 1776.
Today everyone wants freedom. Freedom is defined in a myriad of ways. Some of us struggle to be rid of an abusive past. Others look for an end to the need for stimulants. Others seek freedom from a need for things. Still, others seek desperately for freedom from pain, suffering, and feelings of grief. Jesus reminded us in the Gospel of John that "he whom the Son sets free is free indeed." Ultimate freedom for our sinful condition is found in a dynamic relationship with Jesus.
The loss of freedom takes many forms today. Some experience the sting of social embarrassment because of their low position in the social spectrum which mankind has erected. Others experience a loss of freedom due to a hardening of the attitudes and the inability to accept others as brothers and sisters and equal partners in living. Still others lose their true freedom because their God is too small and they cannot see that the family of God includes all people who accept Him by faith in His Son.
The living Christ gives freedom by His death on the cross. The story is told of a golfer who teed the ball on a back fairway, swung for a long drive but missed the ball entirely. Not only did he miss once; he missed the ball three times. Dirt and ants were catapulted several feet in the air. One ant looked at another and said, "You know, if we don't get on the ball, we ain't got a chance."
Forty-plus of our young people and their adult advisors have "got on the ball" and will leave for the Christian Endeavor work camp in North Carolina this month. These people have discovered the freedom that comes from serving the needs of others. Please keep them in your prayers.
Soon, many of our church members and friends will find freedom to move about the entire church building for the first time because a new elevator is being installed and will provide this freedom.
In closing, I wish to thank all the people - teachers, students and administrators who gave our young people and a few adults the freedom of a wonderful Vacation Bible School. May each of you find true freedom through your faith in the living Christ.
Sincerely,
Jack R. Rothenberger, Executive Minister