Johnson City Primitive Methodist Church

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Primitive Methodist Church

News

The church newsletter has started up again.
The church informational brochures are in. They look good.
The church was packed for the candelight Christmas Eve service. We took communion in seats.
Pastor Mark commented on three of the biggest Christmas related things.

The Christmas tree is symbolic of the tree that Christ hung on - that's why we hang things on it at Christmas time.
The color red is emblematic of the blood that Christ shed while dying/sacrificing His life on the cross.
The candy cane was created by a candymaker to be the official sign of Christmas. He started with a perfectly white cane and then put four strips on it. Three small stripes to symbolize the marks on Jesus' back when he was whipped on the way to the cross and one large one to symbolize the blood He shed for us. Then he shaped it into a sheppard's bow because Christ is the sheppard over us. And when you turn it around you see the "J" which is for Jesus.

Our Purpose Statement
At the Johnson City Primitive Methodist Church, we exist:

To walk closer to God through worship
To fan our flames through fellowship
To deepen ourselves through discipleship
To open doors to the lost through outreach
To engage the lost through evangelism

A Word From Our Pastor

Each Sunday thousands, perhaps millions, of people funnel in and out of church with little to no idea for why they are there. Maybe they're pulled to church by their parents, maybe they're guilted to church by grandma or grandpa, maybe their stuck going to church because of a spouse, or maybe they've gone all their lives and it's just the thing to do. This is a tragedy. It's a tragedy because God has great purposes for His Church. And Church, by the way, is not a building. It is a body, the body of Christ. A body that is built living stone upon living stone by believers in Jesus.

God's vision for His church in Johnson City, and His Church everywhere, is five-fold. First, it is a vision of ministry. It is the vision of this church opening doors to the confused, the depressed, the frustrated, the hurting, and the lonely through outreach. It is becoming a people who can bring acceptance, encouragement, forgiveness, guidance, help, hope, and love to the lost.

Second, it is a vision of multiplication. It is the vision of this church engaging the lost through evangelism. It is intentionally sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the tens of thousands of residents in Johnson City, Binghamton, Endicott, Vestal, and beyond. It is watching God expand His kingdom as He works through us.

Third, it is a vision of membership. It is the vision of this church family fanning the flame of our faith through fellowship. It is welcoming new members into the life of our church family, so that we may love, learn, and laugh together.

Fourth, it is a vision of maturity. It is the vision of this church deepening spiritually through discipleship. It is the vision of this church developing spiritually mature believers through Bible Studies, small groups, seminars, retreats, and Sunday School.

Fifth, it is a vision of magnification. It is the vision of this church walking with God through worship. It is glorifying God as we worship Him with our whole person--spiritually, emotionally, physically, and socially.

I believe without a shadow of a doubt that this vision will become a reality. Why? Because it is being directed by an awesome God, and God does not call His people to failure but to flourish. I am convinced the Lord wants to do great things through His people, that is, through His Church. The question is: do you believe it? And if you do, what are you doing about it?