Elam United Methodist Church

  To read Bishop Johnson's blog post, please click here.

SAVE THE DATE!!!  

Saturday, November 14th at 10:00 a.m. 

Lien Vo, will be our guest speaker. Her topic is TRUSTING IN GOD. She felt
called to develop the group called “Social Connections” for children with
special needs, and their parents.

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a
tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat
comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it
does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

In this time of stay home/stay safe, we might ask ourselves, "What Can I Do To Help?"  WE CAN PRAY to the one who surrounds us and surrounds all that is happening.

Nan C. Merrill has written a lovely book entitled “Psalms for Praying” where she takes the words of
Psalms and writes them as prayers. We’ll look at the opening passage of Psalm 41.
“Who among us hears the cry of the poor? How many open their hearts and heed the Call?
The plight of the world is a wound to the very Heart of Love, a scar on our own souls.
Blessed are those who lovingly respond! The Friend who knows all hearts will remember all kindness.
They will find joy, peace and deep fulfillment working in harmony with all who serve toward healing the
needs of this troubled world.”
As we prayerfully read these words let us lift up to the Heart of Love, our Lord, the names and situations
of great need in our world. Let us each be the ones who open our hearts and heed the Call.

Let us find a quiet place to settle into and take a few minutes to breathe gently in and out and relax.
Let us begin by asking- “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.”
Now read this passage several times- “Blessed is the one who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and in the law they
meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water….that brings forth its fruit
in its season and whose leaf shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3
Reflect on this scripture passage: we are called blessed if we do not look for advice from ungodly but
look to the Lord and the words of scripture to guide us each day. We are called to meditate on God’s
words and stay close to the Lord through prayer as well. In doing this we will thrive and remain steadfast
just like healthy trees whose roots are watered by nearby streams. Our lives will become fruitful and
blessed. What a beautiful image for us to meditate upon. Blessings Dear Friends, Randy Schaffer

Advent begins on Sunday, November 29. We’re asking our congregational members to send us brief reflections on the following themes:

4 THEMES OF ADVENT: HOPE – PEACE – JOY – LOVE

We’ll post your reflections online and in our e-News whereby sharing what these four gifts of Christmas means to each of us personally. We’re hoping that members of all ages will participate in this activity that will connect our community in such a meaningful way. This will be our gift to each other, so let’s begin to ponder and pray about these great gifts of hope, peace, love and joy, and send us your reflections either online or by mail to the church office.

HOPE – due by November 15th

PEACE – due by November 22nd

JOY – due by December 6th

LOVE – due by December 13th.

You may send them whenever you have them ready. We suggest that you can save each theme to create your own booklet.

As you think about your personal year-end church giving,  you may be interested in the following that was recently published in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act has recognized the desire of individuals, foundations and businesses to support nonprofit organizations, offering added tax benefits for their giving.

The CARES Act allows an above-the-line charitable contribution deduction of up to $300 for taxpayers who do not itemize deductions on their 2020 tax returns. For those who do itemize, cash contributions to public charities may be fully deducted (up to 100% of adjusted gross income) without regard to the usual percentage limitation. Contributions in excess of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income may be carried forward for five years. 

You should check with your accountant or tax advisor if you want to take advantage of this change in the tax law.

We happily announce that Elam has reopened as of Sunday, October 4th.  At this time, there will be one weekly service at 9:00 am. We will continue to make services available on a weekly basis, accessed through this website in the Announcement Section, through YouTube and on our Facebook page.

Elam’s Leadership Council met and has approved reopening for in-person Sunday
worship on October 4th.  Initially, this will be a single 9:00am service which will provide a blend of our traditional and contemporary services – with the hope to return to all three of our Sunday morning worship services in due time.