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This Thursday our Pastor Brad Leight is, with his colleagues at the Board of Ordained Ministry, interviewing candidates for ordained ministry. Please join us in praying for the candidates and the clergy who are gathered: 

 May God make God’s will known among you, as you seek to listen and discern true Calling, during this vital period for our Church. 

Amen.

Do you feel that you are carrying too much weight? Do you find that you do not possess the strength, flexibility or endurance that you used to? Wait; don’t stop reading! This is not a late night infomercial playing on your anxieties, or a radio spot for a fitness club looking to monetize your New Year’s resolution. These are questions the Apostle Paul was trying to work through with Timothy, a minister in the early Church.  First Timothy finds Paul seeking to motivate Timothy - and through him, the church - as the Ephesians battled everything from being beholden to old traditions to embracing false teachings as they sought to hear God’s voice and move according to God’s will.

Paul encourages Timothy to “Fight the good fight of faith (I Tim 6:12)”; but more than that, Paul recognizes that in order to lead the charge, Timothy has to be in good spiritual shape and that strengthening the spirit, like strengthening the body, is achieved through discipline and spiritual exercise (I Tim 4:7-8). I cannot eat birthday cake and ice cream every day, snap my fingers and be fit, any more than I can expect to ignore the ways God gives me to be in relationship with God and expect to be fortified on my Christian journey. 

Like Timothy, as believers we find ourselves fighting the good fight of faith at times in our lives. God enables us to worship, to pray, to serve, to study, to give, to spend time in devotion and so much more - because God understands that faith is like a muscle, if we don’t use it, we lose it. If we don’t work to strengthen our hope that God is greater than our situations, we ought not be surprised when it feels like our hope is failing.

St. John’s Ivyland has been an answer to my family’s prayers. I found St. John’s to be a place to use my gifts and live into my calling, and our family has been welcomed with love and warmth. Two Sundays ago, our youth (and their parents!) celebrated my birthday with fun, games and the aforementioned birthday cake during our Sunday Night fellowship. My family thanks God for St. John’s and for the spiritual strength to trust in God. Before we arrived here, we worshiped, read God’s word, prayed, and put our faith in God’s will - whatever it would be. I am so happy to say that God is blessing us - and that if God can do it for us, God can do it for you! 

~

St. John’s Ivyland is a loving, caring and committed congregation and there are myriad ways for you to be involved. I encourage you as you look through this week’s Cornerstone to ask God where you can be pushed, tested and strengthened spiritually, by responding to 1) God’s call on your heart and 2) the encouragement we all receive from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy.  

In Christ,

~jt

John-Thomas Crockett

Dir. of Youth & Family Ministries

Please click below to read the latest Congregational Update regarding COVID-19 measures:

This service can be viewed LIVE through

St. John's YouTube Channel

or on our homepage:

www.stjohnsivyland.com

Past worship service videos can also be found:

https://www.stjohnsivyland.com/videoarchive

Auto-generated closed captions are usually provided by YouTube about a week after the service has posted for the hearing impaired.

The Grace Cafe is Open!

Stop by between services for a freshly brewed cup of Warrior Coffee, a sweet treat, and fellowship with your St. John's family.

MOBILE GIVING

• Just go to our website stjohnsivyland.com
• Click on the 'Give' button in red, Donate Any Amount and register.

Once you've registered, you can either make donations by debit or credit. Lenten Offerings may also be received through our website.

 TEXT GIVING 

Simply text the amount you wish to give to 877-960-2396.

You will immediately receive a one-time registration link, then just follow the prompts to complete your donation!

You may also send your tithes and offerings to the church office:

820 Almshouse Road, Ivyland, PA 18974

If you have any questions about mobile or text giving,

email Lou Lescas at stjohns820@gmail.com

Be a part of a vibrant, growing ministry at St. John's UMC Ivyland as Director of Children's Ministries. Introduce and guide children from toddlers through 6th graders to the love of God through relationship with Jesus Christ. Provide programming leadership and direction to Sunday School teachers, coordinate the annual one-week Vacation Bible School, and work with families and their children to establish solid foundations to Christian life.

This part-time, 20 to 25 hours/week staff position requires all background clearances and Safe Sanctuary Training be completed prior to employment. A heart for Jesus, a love of children, and effective communication and delegation skills are essential. A bachelor's degree or background in education and/or ministry is strongly desired.



Please send application or resume to Staff-Parish Relations Committee, St. John's United Methodist Church, 820 Almshouse Road, Ivyland PA 18974 or email to office.stjumc@gmail.com

UWF - Souper Bowl Sundays

Singers & Ringers Needed

St. John’s Ivyland offers a wide variety of Musical opportunities. Children and adults are invited to participate in musical groups of varying styles and skill levels, or provide support to help and serve the Music Ministry.

For more information about our Music Ministries, or to get involved, visit our website or send an email to Roy Nelson.

Pre-K - Grade 6

Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

We often think about respect in terms of relationships we have with others—respect for parents, teachers, and people in authority. Those are important, but equally important are the relationships we have with people, like siblings, friends, and even people we may not get along with. This idea of valuing others and having mutual respect is seen all throughout Scripture, and is a necessary way to communicate with others and demonstrate God’s love with them.

This month we will talk about how God values us, and wants a forever relationship with us. God sent Jesus to make that possible, and we follow God’s example when we show others that they have value too.

Youth Ministry

Ping Pong League

Hi Christian Church Neighbor,

Any interest in joining an inter-church Ping Pong league?

I'm a member of Advent Lutheran church in Richboro. Last year we started playing Ping Pong regularly at our church. The activity was a success, so we thought we would take the next step and extend an invitation to play other churches in our area.

League play will begin in February (when its cold and miserable and nothing else to do) and end in Spring. Each team has 4 to 8 players. A match between churches consists of 4 single games and 2 doubles games.

An activity like this is good for all our churches. It opens up communication between congregations so that we can better serve our communities as Christ wants us to do.

Please call if there is interest in starting a Ping Pong league.

Ray Heiss

215-530-1647

All women are invited to participate in these programs. If you are interested in joining a St. John’s UWF circle, being placed on the general membership or just want more information about United Women in Faith, please contact Linda Barr @ 215-773-9865. 

Women of St. John’s - “Mark Your Calendars”

The St. John’s UWF Mission Team met on Sunday, January 22nd, & firmed up the following dates for upcoming programs & mission projects: 



Soup-er-Bowl Sundays:

January 22nd - February 12th

Collection barrel is under the bulletin boards. Donations of non-perishable food (i.e. soup, veggies, fruits) will be taken to the Jesus Focus Ministry Food Pantry.

Sock It To Me Sundays:

March 5th - April 2nd

Collection barrel will be under the bulletin boards. Donations of new clothes items will go to the United Methodist Neighborhood Services.

UWF Communion Breakfast:

Saturday, March 25th, 10:00am - Fellowship Hall 

Program: Women will prepare a Seder sampling and explain the Passover ritual feast commemorating the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

UWF Spring Banquet:

Wednesday, May 3rd, 6:30pm - Fellowship Hall 

All women are invited to enjoy a dinner provided by the UWF circles with the program following.  

A freewill offering will be taken. 

Program: “Elizabeth II” presented by Alisa Dupuy 

All women are invited to participate in these programs. If you are interested in joining a St. John’s UWF circle, being placed on the general membership or just want more information about United Women in Faith, please contact Linda Barr @ 215-773-9865. 

Started with a great crew in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

Business Meeting:

• Mr. Richard Prim gave a great presentation on the history and the new camera’s that support the internet/filming of St John’s message to the christian community. 
• Pastor Brad, described the importance of this mission to invite new members to our community of christians.
• Mr. Prim also made an appeal for volunteers to run this equipment on Sunday. No takers at the moment, but if we could put together 3 or 4 teams of two it would distribute responsibility to one service a month.
• Stew Horton and Rick Poll gave a report on the current Red Bird Trailer Mission. Like all that we do this Mission needs commitment.

The Next Breakfast, February 18th, 9AM

Fellowship Hall

Paul Henry will be Announcing The Speakers Program.

Come and enjoy the fellowship and the Holy Spirit within The United Methodist Men.

Stay Well!

- Jack Donovan, Church Member

Wednesdays from 6:30 pm -8:30 pm

March 1, 2023 – May 24, 2023

GriefShare is a support group that meets weekly.

You will find it to be a warm, caring environment;

 and you will come to see your group as an

“oasis” on your journey through grief.

You may register online at griefshare.org. 

There is a $20 fee for materials.

 For further information

 contact Carol Campbell

 eccampbell@aol.com  215-364-0942

 or go to griefshare.org.

Recycling Event

to benefit Bright Futures Academy

(and our Planet Earth)

Through a program with the Trex Corporation, we are collecting clean and dry soft plastic bags (examples in flyer). Bags should be brought to St. John's and placed in the large white container in the Narthex. Upon collecting 500 lbs of material, Trex will provide us with a brand-new bench (can receive 1 bench every six months). Our first bench will be sent to the Bright Futures Academy for their new playground. This project is organized by two of our Youth Stars, Nicole & Melissa McDevitt. Click below for acceptable plastics to be recycled.

St. John's Book Club

We will meet on Wednesday. March 1, at 10:00 AM in the Grace Cafe.

Everyone is welcome. No sign up necessary.

Leaders are Barbara Schneider and Carol Campbell

The Book of Longings

By

Sue Monk Kidd

An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny.

Thank you.

Disciple III FastTrack study guides on The Prophets and Letters of Paul can be purchased online from The Well Bookstore, UM Church of the Resurrection

Tuesday Morning Zoom Bible Study at 11:00 AM

February 07, 2023

Join us for our Zoom Class which will study Disobedience and Anger – Why doesn’t God see it my way?

Discussion Sources: Jonah & the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

Prayer requests can be submitted

online (click here).or through the church email at

prayer.stjumc@gmail.com. 

Prayer requests are reviewed

Monday-Friday AM.

All "Ongoing Prayer Concerns"

will be listed for two weeks.

 Please submit a new prayer request

if you desire to renew the listing for 2 additional weeks.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY

Meets the 2nd Tuesday of the Month

10 AM in the Parlor.

Come join us in knitting/crocheting various items for those in need.

Contact Carol Rice for more information.

Requests for prayer shawls or lap robes to comfort those experiencing serious illness, bereavement, or other major life issues may be made through the prayer request form on the church website, or by contacting the church office

at 215-357-6998 or office.stjumc@gmail.com. 

WHAT'S HAPPENING!



The latest Devotionals, News and Worship Videos can be be accessed below, as well as, under the

"What's Happening"tab on our website.

www.stjohnsivyland.com

St. John's Ivyland UMC

820 Almshouse Road

Ivyland, PA 18974

215-357-6998/office.stjumc@gmail.com

stjohnsivyland.com

Rev. Brad Leight, Sr. Pastor

Thank you to everyone who has followed us on Instagram! If you haven't yet, please do so! 

@stjohnsivyland



www.instagram.com/stjohnsivyland