July 29, 2015
“Now
learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender
and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. Matthew 24:32
Hi Church Family,
It is a wonderful thing, this Catskill Mountain Christian
Center, and I am glad to be a part of it with you. Every day at CMCC we are
lifting up Jesus before our families, our community and the heavens, rejoicing
in His presence, power and love. Who would ever have thought that God Almighty
would care so deeply and unfold such magnificent plans for our humble mountain
community? Praise the Lord! His mercy endures forever as He has dealt with us
bountifully!
I love the way Jesus loved people. I mean, take any text and
think about the message of God’s love through His son, Jesus. A sickly woman
pushes her way through a crowd just to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and:
BAM… healed! A crooked tax collector climbs a tree just to get a glimpse of the
Savior and: BAM… a brand new heart! A career fisherman sees Jesus walking on
the water and asks to join Him and: BAM… Peter walks upon the water. A military
officer asks Jesus to heal his servant and: BAM… long-distance healing
achieved. We can go on and on! I can only hope that when we appear before Him
one day soon in eternity we will be acknowledged as a group that kept Jesus’
testimony alive and believed that what He did for the people in the Bible, He
would do for us!
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. (Matthew
11:28) This is the Jesus we preach at Catskill Mountain Christian
Center. There is no hole too deep, no sin so egregious, no failure so great, no
habit so powerful, no memory so bad, no trauma so devastating that the Lord
Jesus Christ cannot find you, redeem you, heal you and multiply blessings to
you! BAM… that’s the word of God to the members of CMCC and all who will hope
for His best!
As usual we will take a break from many of our regular
ministry activities throughout August. This is our way of showing our gratitude
for your hard work and hopefully allowing some more free time to enjoy our
glorious summer in the Catskills! Sunday services will continue as usual and
the Family Table will be open but most other activities will cease for the
month. There is a also youth event/concert event scheduled with details
forthcoming.
Just to bring you up
to date on recent happenings here at CMCC:
Our Spanish service
is changing time from Saturday evening at 6:00 PM to Sunday afternoons at 1:00
PM. We have discussed this for some time and our hope is that Sunday might be
more convenient for folks. We have grown as a ministry team to a place where I
believe we are ready for multiplication to occur. If you have not experienced
one of our Spanish services yet, come check it out sometime! You’ll be glad you
did. Thanks to all who are sacrificing time and talent to make this outreach
possible. For God is
not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward
His name, in that you have
ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Hebrews 6:10)
In June, Pastor Bob
Engelhardt attended The Future Conference in San Diego, CA. Many national frontline leaders shared their stories and strategies for
bringing the cause of Christ to bear in our generation. There were over three
thousand in attendance. The governing council (of which Pastor Bob is a member)
of the United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (USCAL) also met during
this conference with Joseph Mattera articulating the Four R Vision of USCAL:
Revival, Restoration, Reformation and Reconciliation. This is a very exciting vision
and will have an impact on our bright future!
Also in June, Nancy Engelhardt
was keynote speaker at City of Refuge Church in San Antonio, TX. She
presented her insightful teaching on Malachi 3 (as she recently preached here
at CMCC) with amazing results. It is always wonderful to see chains fall off
under the liberating Word of God!
On June 19 Catskill
Mountain Christian Academy held its annual year-end awards, recognition and
celebration program. This marked the completion of twenty years of scholastic excellence
and faithfulness to God as students received awards for academic achievement,
character development and spiritual life. The evening was highlighted by
musical performances of various student string ensembles under the direction of
CMCA music teacher Mrs. Marie Tucker.
On June 20-21 we
hosted a ministry weekend with Pastor John and Cecilia Bennedetti from
Mexico. Activities included a men’s meeting on Saturday, Sunday morning
message, and a woman’s meeting with Cecilia on Sunday evening.
Our Bluegrass Concert
Series is in full swing each Wednesday evening throughout the summer. In
partnership with CitiHope International, this is the fourth summer we’ve hosted
live music in our front lawn gazebo. Various bluegrass bands from throughout
the greater region are on deck to entertain, so bring your lawn chairs and toes
for tapping! Arts and crafts are offered for children and you’ll feel like
you’ve stepped back in time to taste a piece of good old American pie.
John Kelly, head of
the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (ICAL) was in town for a
series of meetings from July 1-8. Apostle Kelly is an old friend of CMCC and
very important church leader having come to Margaretville after preaching at a
conference in Brazil before 120,000 people. He preached at CMCC Sunday morning and
taught a series for our FaithConnect pastors and leaders group. Kelly and
Pastor Bob are writing a book together this coming year.
On Sunday July 5 CMCC
hosted our annual summer family picnic. Our own CMCC lawn was the venue
this year with a dining tent providing shelter from the sun. Lots of good food
and good fellowship with good friends provided the perfect recipe for a real good
day!
A group of seventeen
CMCC youth plus chaperones drove to Mars, PA to attend summer camp,
Uncommon Faith, hosted by Church at the Heights in Pittsburgh. Organized and
led on our side by Sheila Spaulding, the kids were blessed beyond measure with
fun, games, worship and relevant teaching. Thanks to all who helped and
financially supported this major operation. Apart from a few minor bumps and
scrapes everyone was delivered home happier, healthier and (most of all)
holier!
Pastor Stas Karpenko
was our guest minister on Sunday, July 26. He leads Ufa Bible Ministry in Bashkortostan, Russia.
Ufa is a predominantly Muslim city of one million people in the Ural Mountains
region of that country. He and his wife, Lilly, also operate an ESL (English as
a second language) school in their city. As usual, the CMCC family gave
generously in an offering to support the Karpenko’s work. Thank you all for
your giving hearts!
Finally, from my
poetic side:
The Shell Game Swindler
He runs the shell game for your
soul
Distracts you with the latest
poll
Just take a pill then rock and
roll
Mass confusion is the goal
The news keeps driving figure
eights
And handling life is spinning
plates
But deep within your conscience
grates
Thoughts about eternal fates
You cannot be so sure they say
Time moves too fast anyway
Besides we need our fun and play
We won’t accept your judgment day
And all the people watch their
shows
But where the prize is no one
knows
And life as rushing water flows
The end reveals the cup you chose
Come now all you slow of heart
One cup is stable from the
start
The cross and empty grave impart
How the swindler to outsmart
-Robert Engelhardt
