Election Reflections

Here are five points of reflection on this week's elections:

1. CONGRATULATIONS
Since the first 20 African slaves were brought to Jamestown Colony in 1619, nearly 400 years have passed. From that time forward people of African ancestry in our country have struggled and faced injustice and unwarranted hatred on their painful road to the place we are today. That one of Africa’s progeny now holds the highest office in our nation marks a great day of victory for all Americans. I encourage everyone to consider the true-life message of freedom embodied in this moment and join me in congratulating all of our African-American fellow-citizens.

America is truly the greatest country in the world and on some level I feel we are suddenly a lot closer to the dream famously articulated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963. Following is an excerpt from that awesome speech:

“…And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring!”

Again, I whole-heartedly celebrate the accomplishment of those who have suffered to make this day possible and I offer my genuine heartfelt praise to God and good wishes to all who have longed for this moment in time. It is a wonderful statement of validation for our neighbors of color—you absolutely deserve this blessing.

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Acts 10:34-35

2. PRAY
We are instructed to pray for our governmental leaders. This is the sacred duty of Christians. The Church was born under Roman rule and Rome was neither sympathetic nor partial to Christianity. Under this hostile environment the following words were written by the Holy Spirit through Paul to Timothy: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4

As children of God we pray with the faith that ultimately God is in control. “that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.' Daniel 4:17

3. OBEY
We are to obey the law of the land. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.” Romans 13:1-7

4. HONOR
Again, remember that Roman rule was not sympathetic toward Christianity and yet the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter wrote: “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” 1 Peter 2:13-17

5. DEFEND
In the Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln identified our country as having a government, ‘of the people, by the people and for the people.’ This reveals that in America, we have the unique governmental form that is designed to be guided by the vigorous involvement of her citizens. As Americans, therefore, it is both our privilege and our duty to passionately engage government to influence policy with righteous values and ideals, especially when we perceive error. And, regarding the prevailing political views reflected in our recent presidential elections, we have much work ahead.

It is, therefore the American responsibility to stay active, as guided by conscience; influencing, informing, complaining, peacefully protesting and broadcasting the views and values which will hold our nation accountable to God’s morality. In addition, for people of faith, it is our biblical mandate to vigorously oppose unrighteousness and defend the innocent in every arena of life. The Bible teaches the following:

“Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

“Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalms 82:3-4.

There are many issues sure to be forwarded by our new government that will require our spirited dissent. Whereas the former administration had sensitivity towards issues important to conservative Christians, the new administration has a troubling track record. This, in combination with a liberal congress creates a potential perfect-storm of anti traditional-Christian sentiment in coming years.

Furthermore, our responsibility as Christians is to monitor the government to make sure our liberty to worship freely and evangelize the lost is never taken away or even reduced. We have to remain ever vigilant and vocal in order to support and defend the freedoms necessary to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ both at home and abroad. Jesus said to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)

A few other issues are on the radar that will require our voices are: the expansion of abortion and infanticide rights and practices, the traditional definition of marriage, proper use of military, our support of Israel, bioethics, overbearing taxation and maintaining our freedom of religious expression in the broadcast community. These are all important items to us as Americans and Christians.

In closing, most important will be our hearts when engaging these issues. It is necessary to learn to disagree passionately with an unrighteous position, practice, policy or law and not hate the persons who advance it.
Blessings,
Pastor Bob Engelhardt

I Couldn’t Help My Son—A Small Thing to Others, A Big Thing to Me

I've served our region for over seventeen years as pastor of Catskill Mountain Christian Center (www.cmcconline.org), a local church and ministry organization in Margaretville, NY. Between our church, school, radio, food program and many other activities, we've touched literally thousands of area families over the years and have been glad to do it. I love serving God and helping our neighbors.

Besides my love for God, my family and faith in Jesus Christ, I am also very proud to be an American. I believe this country, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the premise that all men are created equal, is a bright and shining star in human history. I believe that America is worth fighting for, and if need be, dying for. To date, two of my five children have proudly served in the U.S. military--one marine and one soldier. The soldier, Paul, is the reason for this writing.

Paul was honorably discharged from the Army at the end of last January shortly following his 15 month tour as a cavalry scout stationed in Baghdad. He came straight home from the military to Margaretville with a chest full of medals and documentation of exemplary service on over 200 combat missions including having his Humvee blown up twice by IED explosions and personally apprehending the number four high value target on the brigade's list. Needless to say, at 24 years old, after the sustained pressure of 15 straight months at war, like warriors before him, he was in the mood to celebrate when he arrived safely home.

Within 30 days of his return, he went out one evening with his girlfriend and met up with a couple of his buddies in the town of Oneonta, about an hour from Margaretville. He had a few beers after dinner and was stopped by the police while driving home. Paul was cooperative with the process and has a clean driving record. However, even though he only registered a .08 blood alcohol content the officer gave him a full DWI anyway. His appeal to the policeman that he had recently gotten home from fighting in the Iraq War made no difference.

As a minister and responsible citizen, I do not condone drinking and driving. However, as an American, a father and one who knows right from wrong, I am convinced that the ones who voluntarily fight our country's battles and come home with medals of courage and valor on the battlefield do deserve some measure of special treatment and understanding. There must be adequate allowance for decompression for a combat vet and consideration by authorities, especially on a relatively low test result less than 30 days home. As it turns out, the officer, DA and judge do not share my feeling.

Paul went to court and had his ticket reduced from a 'Driving While Intoxicated' to a 'Driving While Ability Impaired' which is, "exactly the same deal anyone else would be offered in this situation," said the assistant DA. Paul has had his license marked and driving privilege restricted for three months. He also has to pay lawyer fees, court fees and State mandated fines in addition to submitting to the full range of classes as that of a problem drinker. I believe that the DA and judge should be ashamed.

A valiant young man, a hometown boy, a real-life hero just off the battlefield is treated ‘exactly the same as anyone else.’ This is not justice. It is simply easier than doing the right thing. Drinking and driving is understandably a serious issue but when a brave American soldier fresh home from war gets no consideration from his community... no gratitude, no understanding, no thanks, no empathy or thought that it might be a somewhat understandable lapse in judgment after 15 months at war. Just treat him ‘exactly the same as anyone else.’ This is America at her worst. It is politically motivated, cookie-cutter justice by authorities at peace with quietly convicting a young hero rather than forgiving his perfectly understandable mistake because it might stir up a public relations mess.

Paul was not looking for special treatment but I expected it on his behalf. Retaining legal counsel and believing in the system, we found there is even a provision in the law for this kind of circumstance called a motion for the ‘Furtherance of Justice’ which when presented, the judge simply refused to consider. It seems that a soldier in this particular courtroom is not given any special treatment. He has earned no deference for his service. He is treated the same as everyone else. There was no official willing to stick his neck out for a kid who stuck his neck out for us. Unbelievable. And we in soft, no-fault, politically correct America can pretend that everyone is treated fair. Actually, true fairness is when both sides of an issue are fully measured and weighed. Unfortunately, it seems that modern justice is so blind that she cannot discern the balance of weights on her scales.

I am mostly disappointed that I could not help my son. I believe that he is a hero and I wanted to be a hero for him, but words fell on deaf ears as I respectfully argued on his behalf. I feel terrible about it. The ADA privately told me he was concerned with the public outcry (code for special interest groups) if he gave Paul any special treatment and the judge admitted that when he was a police officer he wouldn't have given Paul the ticket in the first place. A young man, at the request of his country, drinks the bitter cup of war and our local community offers him zero consideration in the wake of his sacrifice—none dare risk their precious political career for the sake of a lone American soldier.

Oh America, how far you have fallen from the nation who once honored her courageous heroes with parades and gratitude. I am so deeply concerned for your future.

-I'm sorry Paul. Daddy knows you are a true hero and not only do you not deserve this outcome but should have been lovingly protected by the authorities and sternly warned against this behavior ever happening again. Unfortunately, it takes courage to do the right thing. I am proud of you, son.

Cremation Vs. Burial

Dear Pastor Bob,
I recently had a conversation with a respected friend about the Christian view of cremation vs. burial. They believe cremation shouldn’t be practiced by Christians because it is scripturally wrong. Is this true?

Answer: Dear Reader,
This is an interesting subject especially since the historical position of both Christianity throughout her two thousand years and classical Judaism has been unambiguously committed to earth burial and against cremation. Only in recent times has there been a breakdown in this biblically based tradition. Here are a few commonly sited reasons for burial:

1. The body is constructed by God to: a) hold human life, b) to function as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and c) to be resurrected unto eternal life. Therefore, intentionally destroying human remains by fire is disrespectful to God because bodies are containers of the very special life specifically created in God’s image (Genesis chapters one and two).
2. God’s people in the Bible were always buried. Abraham, Sarah, Rachel, Isaac, Rebecca, Leah, Jacob, Miriam, Aaron, Moses, Joshua, Joseph, Saul, Jonathon, David, Solomon and many others are sited as being buried. It is important to note that fire was certainly available to the ancients if they had decided to burn their remains but they universally site burial as the way they cared for their dead loved ones. There is no instance in the Bible of a righteous person having their body intentionally burned after death... always buried. The only righteous people burned are burned as martyrs. Only pagan religions burn their dead as a funeral practice.
3. The most important reason for burial is that Jesus was buried and He is our example in life and death. We believe that as Jesus was buried and raised from the dead, we are buried and wait to be raised in the resurrection. This is what baptism represents; burial and being raised from the dead. Burial and resurrection is a central theme of our faith. Earth burial is a way that we express our faith in the Savior.

The scripture says "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). It is ancient Jewish tradition and 2,000 years of Christian tradition that we are following when we are buried. It is a prophecy of our hope in Christ. It is only during the last century that liberal, pagan and atheist practices began eroding this traditional Christian thinking.

Blessings,
Pastor Bob

Church Family Update

Hi Church Family,
Happening this week at CMCC:

***Winner’s Circle Business Institute classes are starting up this Thursday, October 2 at 7:00 pm in the CMCC chapel. It is not too late to sign up. This is for anyone who is in business or desires to start a business in the future. "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18

***Thanks to everyone who donated money for the purpose of bringing Bishop Julius Wafula Macheusi and Christine Macheusi over from Kenya.. Bishop has arrived and Christine will follow in a couple weeks. Please keep them in your prayers that the Lord would open many doors so they might find new long term ministry partners here in the US. The Macheusi’s oversee a network of over one hundred churches, a large central church, a vocational school educating 80-120 college age students, a water project, serving thousands potable water and many other facets of ministry. They periodically come to the US and stay here at CMCC while connecting with other churches and ministries to raise funds for their work. http://www.bethesdaministriesafrica.org/

***Pray October! Each Monday through Friday in October the church will be open for prayer at 6:00 a.m. for one hour and at 9:00 p.m. for one hour. For the past month and a half Paul Engelhardt has been meeting for daily prayer with a few people including Jay Coffin and Jeff Surgent and they have built a great momentum. Come and add your heart to this emerging tsunami! Join the family to get your tank filled with the Holy Spirit and with power. “…for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." Galatians 6:7

***This coming weekend, Pastor David Engelhardt from the State of Washington will be our guest at CMCC. David is an associate pastor at Christian Life Center in the city of Walla Walla where he oversees generational ministries. http://www.christianlifeonline.net/CLC/Home.html

***Saturday evening at 6:00 pm is a special fundraiser Italian dinner prepared by world famous Chef Ron Scungilli (aka Odato). Contact the church office for details. 586-4848

*** Saturday at 9:00 pm youth event with Pastor David Engelhardt.

See you Sunday!

Church Family Update

Hi Church Family,

***Well, sorry to say, summer is just about over and all that we love about this time of year is beginning to turn toward autumn. The good news is that we have re-ignited our CMCC life-giving machine to full power.

Our academy is back in session and mid-week service, Beacon University classes, Senior Citizen’s fellowship dinners, True Beauties and Royal Rangers have all started up again. In addition, we have a full plate of guest ministers, conferences and fresh activities coming up during this next season.

Looking backward just one more time, let’s praise God for the summer of 2008 by remembering some of the life we enjoyed at CMCC:

• During June we hosted a ministry weekend with Pastor Bob and Cara Grimm from Washington State which concluded with some CMCC members taking a quick sight-seeing trip to New York City. We also hosted Susan Brown of Arising to Excellence Ministries in Texas for a series of women’s meetings and we participated in the unveiling ceremony of the Trooper David Brinkerhoff Memorial at the Middletown Town Hall.

• In June, CMCA graduated four seniors from high school: Deanna Barto, Sarah Keator, Morgan Spaulding and Lani Odato. Pastor Alan Babcock from Greenville , NY gave the commencement address at the graduation ceremony. Our academy also hosted a year-end picnic at Little Pond State Park. In early June, I began a summer Sunday evening weekly discussion meeting with our CMCC college-age kids.

• In July, famous Christian author, psychologist and apostolic leader, Dr. Larry Keefauver, spent a weekend training our leaders, meeting with our college group and ministering Sunday morning. Also in July, over forty youth and parents from CMCC attended the 3 day ‘Generation Youth’ conference in Utica featuring national speakers and top music performers. In addition, our youth group conducted several fund raising activities including a car wash, two bake sales and a Sunday church barbeque to raise money for their own conference, entitled 'Sanctified'.

• In July, high adventure was enjoyed by ten CMCC members under the leadership of Pastor Renard Barto as they traveled to a remote mountain village in Mexico to bring the love of Jesus. This ten day trip was conducted in partnership with Victorious Life Christian Church in Troy, NY.

• In August we packed our chapel out with young people for a concert by Christian rock band, ‘After Edmund.’ We also hosted our ‘Sanctified’ youth conference featuring Pastor Mark and Mary Meyers from Florida. Pastor Mark also led a ‘praise & worship’ night and preached on Sunday morning. We received the following letter from Mark and Mary Meyers shortly after their five day visit:
  Dear Catskill Mountain Christian Center Family,
  
  What can we say to show our love and appreciation to all of you!! You guys are one incredible group of people and we have been bragging about all of you since we have returned home to Orlando!!!
  
  You generosity, you kindness and love towards us, and your love and service to the Lord is just an incredible testimony of how the Body of Christ should function. It was such an honor and privilege for both of us to be with you, and you made us feel right at home!! What a blessing to have the opportunity to minister to the incredible young people and then to experience His presence in an awesome way with your church family on Saturday evening. And then to top it off by having the honor to minister and hang-out with all of you on Sunday!!
  
  Our lives were truly blessed and changed! You are so blessed to have such awesome pastors and leaders in Pastor Bob and Nancy, and then they are blessed to have all of you in their lives and working along side of them to tell people about Jesus and to further His Kingdom.
  
  As good as it has been so far, we are convinced that the Lord has great plans for all of you and your best days and CMCC's greatest days are still ahead of you. Keep dreaming and keep chasing after God because He loves you so much! We consider you family and please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and we look forward to seeing you in the future!! We love you!! Mark & Mary

• Also in August we had a Royal Rangers camping trip and we hosted a summer movie night with a viewing of the movie, ‘Bella.’

• Finally, in August we said goodbye to six of our young people who are headed off for a year of study at Elim Bible Institute. Lauren and Lani Odato and Sheila, Ryder, Jared and Morgan Spaulding are all taking a year off of their academic careers to become strengthened in their walk with God. Marie Spaulding, the mother of four of the students wrote the following narrative about how the Lord provided financially for her children to attend:
  Our children, Sheila, Ryder, Jared, and Morgan, were accepted to Elim Bible Institute earlier this year. We began to pray and thank the Lord for all He was doing in our lives. We visited the Elim campus and felt the presence of God all over—we loved it.
  
  Next, we started the financial planning step and unfortunately, although we tried every option, we could not get the financing. We eventually concluded that God must have a ‘plan B’ for our children. Although initially somewhat disappointed, we accepted it by faith and our children prepared to go back to SUNY Delhi. All was well.
  
  On Sat. August 23, I sent a short e-mail to Elim stating our children would like to attend next September instead of this year. The following Monday we received a phone call telling us that my e-mail had been forwarded to the president of the college and he wanted to see what was needed to get my kids there. I was so filled with a sense of God’s presence that I could hardly breathe. I gave them our information and waited.
  
  On Tuesday August 26th, at 3:30pm the call came in. It had been arranged for our children to have work study jobs, partial scholarships, and with their saved money and our monthly payments – All four children are in! Our God can move mountains. We are thankful for our Father’s love and provision. -Marie Spaulding.

***One of CMCC’s effective ministries is our web site: www.cmcconline.org Jessica Moore does a wonderful job keeping our site updated with fresh and relevant material. The web site includes streaming sermons from various guest ministers, many of Nancy's messages and my Sunday messages. It also includes our monthly calendar, upcoming events and my blog, ‘The Way I See It,’ with posts on a variety of subjects. Following is the web site report for this past summer:
www.cmcconline.org Summary
During June through August 2008, the www.cmcconline.org web site had 1,450 unique visitors of which, 647 were first-time visitors. Total page loads were 3069. Nationwide visitors came from 18 US states: NY, OH, VA, AL, MA, CA, OR, LA, NJ, PA, WA, TX, NE, TN, DC, IN, CO and ME. Internationally, our visitors came from Kenya , India , South Africa , Germany , and Canada .
‘The Way I See It’ Blog Report
During June through August 2008, ‘The Way I See It’ had 370 unique readers. Of this amount, 292 were first-time visitors. Total page loads were 487. Nationwide, our blog visitors came from everywhere! Readers hailed from 25 of the 50 states: NY, FL, GA, LA, WA, MN, NJ, OH, IA, CA, MS, MI, TX, KY, CO, AL, MD, NV, AZ, IN, PA, OK, VA, MA, TN. Internationally, blog readers came from Australia, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Egypt, Canada, Puerto Rico, Latvia, Germany, France, Finland and South Africa.

***We sometimes get letters or e mails from people who have visited one of our services or attended one of our activities. The following was received recently:
Good afternoon Neighbor, Today I attended your Sunday service. Until now I did not fully understand what the Lord Jesus was saying to us when he said Love thy Neighbor, I do now. I am your neighbor, a brother in Christ, a devout Christian and a new friend. I know that when I seek the Lord, all I have to do is look and I will find Him. I have read your literature and was pleased to see your statement, "We believe in the Bible, trinity, born of a virgin, raised from the dead and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” I will see you again next Sunday.

LOOKING AHEAD…

*** Winner's Circle Business Institute - Orientation, this Friday, September 12 at 7:00 pm. This is the beginning of a new arm of ministry at CMCC. It is our commitment to help God’s people to be successful in business so each one “may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2). This training will integrate video lessons, live instruction, guest presenters and lab work. Anyone interested should attend this meeting.

***Ministry Weekend with Ron DePriest, September 20-21. Ron is author of two books. The first is his testimony book of his early life entitled, Loco, which tells of his background as an abused child, abusive man, life as an outlaw biker, inmate in San Quentin prison and ultimate surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. His story of redemption from a life of unbelievable violence is riveting. His second book is entitled, The Spiritual Mentor—Unlocking the Treasures of Coming Generations.

Today, Ron DePriest functions as founder of World Impact Network. He has a master’s degree in psychology and a PhD in Theology. He has been in ministry for over 30 years, during which he has appeared on many Christian TV and radio programs including PTL and the 700 Club with Pat Robertson.

All men are encouraged to come and bring a friend to hear Ron DePriest share at a men’s breakfast on Saturday, September 20 at 9:00 am. Ron will also be our guest minister at Sunday service on September 21. http://www.rondepriest.com/

***On October 3-5 Pastor David Engelhardt from Christian Life Center in Walla Walla , Washington will be our guest. David will minister to the academy, youth group and on Sunday morning, October 5th. www.christianlifeonline.net

***October 18-19, Ed Turose from Pittsburgh. Ed is an ordained minister who is also a motivational speaker and sales professional for Coca-Cola. He has a vision for releasing and encouraging marketplace ministries. www.edturose.com/

***October 30th – November 2nd Women’s conference and Sunday guest Naomi Dowdy. Naomi Dowdy is a true apostle and general in God’s modern army. She planted and raised-up a 5,000 member church in Singapore and now travels globally strengthening churches and functioning as a mouthpiece for the modern apostolic movement. It is a wonderful stroke of God’s grace that we have been so honored to get Naomi for our conference. www.naomidowdy.com

***November 13-15 CMCC annual men’s conference entitled Freedom Forum, at Frost Valley YMCA camp. This year’s keynote speaker is Pastor Tom Carey from Holbrook Long Island. Pastor Tom Carey, ably assisted by Denise, his wife of 27 years, and a strong leadership team, shepherds the flock at Word of Jesus Worship Center in Holbrook, L.I., just 50 miles east of New York City.

Swept into the kingdom during the revival of the 1970s, Pastor Tom has served in leadership in several churches since the mid 1980’s and as senior pastor since June ’95. Although he has ministered in Haiti, Puerto Rico, England, Ireland and Wales, Pastor Tom knows his calling is to the nearly three million souls on Long Island, New York.

Motivated by a heart for unity, he has helped organize several pastoral fellowships, serves as an elected trustee of the Suffolk County Evangelical Ministers Fellowship, and is the host church for the Long Island Regional Coalition, a semi-monthly gathering of Fivefold Ministers.

Pastor Tom’s humorous and practical approach to biblical truths will leave you not only informed, but challenged to allow God to work in you both to WILL and to DO His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.

***Spanish classes! For a long time, it has been our desire to reach out with the love of Jesus to the Spanish language members of our community. In fact, the vision is to hold a regular weekly, Saturday evening, Spanish language or bi-lingual service. To prepare, we are planning to form a weekly home group dedicated to studying the Spanish language. Rodrigo Villaseca has volunteered to tutor the group so we are looking for serious Christians with the commitment to be equipped for this important work. Membership will be limited. Call Katie at the church office to sign-up. 845-586-4848

***Every four years in the US we have the opportunity to choose a new president. Because this is a very powerful job and so much rides on this office it is vital for us all to pray fervently for God’s wisdom on the American people when choosing our new president. Our democratic form of government was designed to work best when people of good will are informed, active and passionate about righteousness.

How can we ever hope for God’s blessing to continue on our country when we have voted for representatives who protect the process that has killed 40 million innocent Americans in the past few decades? How can we expect God’s blessing on a country whose people vote for leaders committed to protecting smut on TV, the internet, in movies and spend public money on blasphemous arts & entertainment? How can we remotely hope for God’s blessing on a nation that ravages and bludgeons the institution of marriage and the concept of family by empowering a veritable Disneyland of deviant social and sexual mores? How can we expect God’s blessing on a country that prefers immorality to righteousness?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

See you Sunday!

Question and Answer: Tithing

Dear Pastor Bob,
I was questioned the other day about where it is in the Bible regarding tithing 1/10th of your income. I found it in Numbers 18, but was wondering if it was in the New Testament as well. And if it says 1/10th of “your income", specifically.

I would appreciate your insight into this, so I can "argue" back accurately. Thanks.

Answer: Dear Reader,

1. The word 'tithe' literally translates, 'a tenth part.' It is a self-defining word. The following notes accompany the word 'tithe' in Strong's Dictionary:
TITHE:
1) tithe, tenth part
1a) tenth part
1b) tithe, payment of a tenth part
-Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary

2. The concept of tithing is established in the Old Testament way before the law was given: Abraham tithed to Melchizedek in Genesis chapter 14. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is revealed as a priest according to the priesthood of Melchizedek. (See Hebrews 5:10) Therefore, as children of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:7) we tithe to Jesus through His church.

Many issues of faith are established in the Old Testament and carried into the New Testament. Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone" (Matt 23:23) And in Luke: "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Luke 11:42

Notice in both cases the Scripture quotes Jesus as saying, "These you ought to have done." Jesus validates the tithe as the appropriate measure of giving. As a matter of fact, the tithe (10th part) is the universal measuring stick of biblical giving.

3. Actually, the New Testament standard of giving goes way beyond the tithe. If we were going to use the New Testament to determine the appropriate amount to give we should consider Acts 4:32-36: "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common...Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need."

How's that for a measuring stick... Giving everything!

4. Tithing is only a dilemma for people who give less than 10%. I have never met a person who gives more than 10% of their income to the church complain about the teaching on tithing. Only people who begrudge God His portion are offended and become legalistic. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us: "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38 (NKJV)

Because the Old Testament clearly establishes ten percent as an acceptable measure of giving to God, the Church has recognized this amount as a bare minimum measure for a grateful child of God under the New Covenant. This is a wonderful and right use of Scripture.

5. Leviticus reveals the tithe as the Lord's property: 'And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's. It is holy to the LORD. Leviticus 27:30 Because we monetize wealth today and measure it in dollars rather than land and goods, the principle carries over to the money system.

6. In the New Testament, Judas, the betrayer, robbed from Jesus (John 12:6) by stealing money from the box. Church members today rob from Jesus treasury by refusing to tithe:

"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts; "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:8-12 (NKJV)

Tithing is how the church is funded. It is God's plan to finance the organized establishment of the New Testament Church. People who consider themselves committed Christians and belong to churches but do not tithe are robbing God. It is no different than sneaking into a movie theater without paying admission or sneaking into a college class without paying tuition.

7. Why don't more people, if they are truly Christians, ask the opposite question... "Why does the Church only ask for a measly ten percent? Doesn't the pastor want us to be really blessed?" Consider the following:

"And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6

The very reasonable amount of ten percent is used in the New Testament because it was established in the Old Testament and not specifically abolished by Jesus. The principle of 'an eye for an eye' was established in the Old Testament but abolished by Jesus and replaced with 'turn the other cheek,' which is much harder. If Jesus were to abolish any Old Testament principle, He would replace it with something harder, not easier!

8. Tithing is not 'works righteousness' but the biblically established expectation of minimum giving. It is the 'outworking' of our faith. "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:17-20

I hope this helps. This is just a brief synopsis of a very important subject.
Blessings, Pastor Bob

Church Family Update

Hi Church Family,

• Crazy Hats this Saturday, August 23 at the annual Margaretville Street Fair. Come try your hand as a high-fashion hat designer as we dazzle the crowd with our handmade newspaper creations. See Stephanie for details. 586-3150

• Street closing. Starting Monday, August 25, Main Street, Margaretville will be closed in front of the Ming Moon restaurant for a week or more. Plan on some inconvenience in coming to CMCC during that time as only the west approach will be open and our parking lot might have some extra cars.

• A new floor for our CAP food program. The following was written by Family Table CAP staff member, Stephanie Seminara, commenting on the work done, mainly during August, when some regular activities here at CMCC were on hiatus:
  
  Resurfacing the floors in our warehouse and store in recent weeks was no small task. In the warehouse, 24-plus pallets of food and other materials had to be moved from section to section in the room and the surface stripped and prepped to allow the special epoxy-based product to be applied.
  
  When the warehouse floor was complete, the entranceway, hallway and store floors had to be addressed. It was decided that Saturday night was the best time to break down the store because Sunday would provide the best drying time before reopening as soon as the new surface was cured. At precisely 3pm, as promised, a swarm of our teens led by Paul Engelhardt descended on our store and in short order had the place stripped bare. All shelving was broken down and removed and all food was boxed up and taken away. As the shelves and brackets flew out the door and were turned into a neat pile, it reminded me of a kid's erector set.
  
  Exactly 4 days later, with the floors looking new, the store was reassembled and we were back in business. Because much of the work was done at night, I do not know everyone who participated, but thanks to Paul Engelhardt and Bob Lanzilotta who led the project and all others who worked behind the scenes.

• Sign-up your children for Royal Rangers or True Beauties. Our Royal Rangers group is for boys ages 8-17 and True Beauties is for girls ages 10-14. Both groups meet at CMCC Mondays from 6:45 - 8:45. Starting back up September 8th. Call Katie at the church office for more info: 586-4848

• Attention Catskill Mountain Christian Academy parents. Any outstanding school fees must be paid in order for your children to start school this September. Also, this year’s curriculum, which is due to be purchased now, will not be ordered for students until outstanding and currently owed fees are received.

• Last weekend CMCC teens and young adults gathered for their long anticipated SANCTIFIED Conference. And it was no disappointment! Leading off with over 200 attending was a rock concert by breakout band ‘After Edmund’ on Thursday night. From that point forward, the entire weekend built a sense of holy energy. The band, hailing from Georgia, performed music from their debut CD, ‘Hello.’ http://www.afteredmund.com/
  
  During intermission, our youth performed a powerful dramatic presentation depicting the struggle of a young woman and the victory, peace and protection of Jesus. There were very few dry eyes in the house at the end of the skit.
  
  On Friday, over 60 attended a day-long event with well-known youth and worship leaders Rev. Mark and Mary Meyers from Lake Mary, Florida. The Meyers have spent the past twenty years leading youth and worship in mega-church settings and now travel and impart their passion to youth nationwide. Our young people were encouraged in who they are in Jesus, and asked to think about the question “If I were to die today, what would people say about me?”
  
  The evening ended around the fire pit at Pastor Engelhardt’s home and the kids made smores, took turns talking about what the day had meant to them, and discussing the question, “What do I want people to say about me?” The common message that ran throughout the weekend was an encouragement for kids to ‘be real’ with themselves, and with God, and to protect their relationship with Jesus at all costs.

• Last Saturday evening Mark Meyers led a group of CMCC singers and musicians in a special praise and worship evening. The love of God flooded everyone’s heart in attendance as Pastor Meyers drew on a broad variety of both new and old music and shared his powerful gift as a singer and musician. Mark has the rare ability to reach into people’s hearts and unlock their inner love for God and also to reach into God’s heart and bring forth His inner love for His people.

• 10 of CMCC’s finest returned from a 10 day mission to a remote village in southern Mexico on August 4th. Led by Pastor Renard Barto, the CMCC contingent included Alicia and Deanna Barto, Bob Roe, Dave Stewart, Jim and Jake Johnson, Chris and Greg DiBennedetto, and Sharon Rose Engelhardt. I asked the members for feedback and received the following:
  
  CHRIS DIBENNEDETTO: It was quite an experience. Not only the travel adventures but just about any interaction we had with the people there. It was great being part of a team to help fill various needs as they arose. From the medical clinic to the hair cutting area to praying for the people, I honestly feel I was ministered to as much as they were.
  
  Although the language barrier was challenging at times, I remember thinking, at my host families' house, as they would pray before meals when the father would end with "in el nombre de Jesus"(in the name of Jesus), could there really be any more important common bond than that? At our last meal there, I shared that thought with the family and the mother just cried. What a deep love of Jesus they have. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have gone. And it's good and humbling to find out we are not as indispensable as we thought we were!
  
  ALICIA BARTO: It was AMAZING!!!!! Definitely another life changing mission trip. Despite all of the obstacles we encountered, we still brought the Word of God to this very secluded little town in the middle of nowhere. We did hair cutting, medicine, house to house evangelizing, and had a service every night. And in everything we did from the hair cutting to the medicine, we were sharing the love of Jesus with the people of the town.
  
  Probably what touched me the most was going house to house. Just the fact the these people basically have nothing, yet they opened up their homes and offered us everything. The people of this town were really open to receiving the Word of God. That was also something that I wasn't prepared for. I was not expecting these people to be so soft hearted and ready, but they were, and we did everything we could to let them know how much Jesus loves them and what He can do for them.
  
  Another thing that touched me, was that on Sundays at church, for the offerings, if people didn't have money to give, they gave whatever they could. Whether it be food or money, people always offered all they could. I met some great people down in Mexico that became good friends. Everything was so amazing. Overall it was an awesome experience that I will most likely never forget!
  
  JIM JOHNSON: I had wondered for awhile before the trip, why me? I really couldn’t fathom what I could do that would be valuable there: I had never evangelized before and I don’t know how to speak Spanish. I wasn’t sure what I could do. Needless to say, I had many experiences to change my narrow thinking but the most memorable or heart touching was the last night in San Sebastian.
  
  At the end of the service that night the Pastor asked that anyone who wanted to receive Jesus or had healing issues to come forward. I was walking around the outskirts of the tent praying and looking at the crowd. There were many people I was drawn to go and stand near and pray for. For example there were the 3 old men that had been in attendance every night and I had prayed for them before. There was the little girl that must have been 13-15 and had huge longing eyes filling with tears as she watched the Pastor. There was the older teenage boy that we had reached 2 days before while evangelizing, but you could tell that he still wasn’t sure.
  
  But the person I was drawn to most strongly was a young man of approximately 19-23 years old. He was standing alone with his head bowed down, hands held together in front of him and shoulders drooped down. He looked a cross between sad and just overwhelmed. I stood behind him and prayed laying my hand on his shoulder. I prayed for peace and prosperity. I prayed that he would be healed of any ailments. I prayed for his family. I prayed anything I could think of since I couldn’t speak with him. I truly think its the longest I have ever prayed for someone up close like that.
  
  As I was standing there, now with my hand on his head, a translator came and talked to him. When she was finished speaking with him she turned to me with teary eyes. She told me that he wanted to thank me for praying for him and that he appreciated it very much. However, what he wanted most was to be hugged because he had never been hugged in his life. This was the final breaking of the soul for me. I stood there with tears rolling down my cheeks hugging this young man and him hugging me back very hard. I had finally realized that I didn’t need to speak Spanish, I didn’t have to be an experienced evangelist, it didn’t matter what talents I did have. In a simple hug I was able to show the true love of God. The love He gave to all of us through his Son to share with all the world.

• Jessie Moore reports that she knows a family who recently visited CMCC for the first time on a Sunday. In her e-mail, the visitor mentioned, “…what a great church you have! We are planning to come next Sunday with hopefully some others…” Praise God that CMCC is obtaining a good report among those who visit. This is testimony to the friendly spirit that the CMCC family walks in. Pastor Randy Johnson calls us, “The Church That Love is Building.”

• Thanks to Pastor Kevin Beutel, Julie Odato and all who worked to serve Jack Rosa’s family after the death of Jack’s father, Orville Rosa. Orville was formerly the mayor of Margaretville for 18 years so there was a large turnout at the funeral and a meal was prepared in our fellowship hall after. The family wrote the following: Thank you all for your kindness to us all at the time of our father's passing. We appreciate so much the use of your church, your many prayers for our family, your beautiful music, and your generous assistance in preparing lunch for our loved ones. May God bless you always. The Rosa Family.
  
  See you Sunday!