The Patten Weekly Sunshine: Be Still and Know that I am God!

 

Peace to you all,

Every year, I ask God for a theme verse to guide me. This year, I am praying to be like the Proverbs 31 woman. Like many of us, she was very busy, yet she remained centered on the fear of the Lord.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” 

(Proverbs 31:30). 

This woman is diligent in self-care, serves others, and empowers her community to grow together. One of my resolutions for this year is: “Let me, let them, and let God.”

God gave me a chance to apply this resolution during the very first week of the year! I truly wanted to meet with you in person, but unexpectedly, I have been sick. The recovery has taken longer than I anticipated. However, by God’s grace and the grace of our church leadership, I was supported. Penny helped last week, and Sara and Ted did a wonderful job leading the service yesterday. Seeing their amazing work, I felt God saying, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I feel so blessed to be a part of this church and to have such wonderful leaders. I cannot wait to walk this new year's journey with all of you!

In my sermon, you can discover the "why" and "how" of lighting our High Beam. As part of that journey, please fill out the 2026 Spiritual Growth Plan. Please remember, this is not a test or an examination! It is a way for us to walk this spiritual journey together. If you write down your prayer requests, it will help me and our leaders pray for you in detail. 

I am looking forward to seeing you all very soon.

Love you all,

Pastor Joyce

 
Sermon: Light the High Beam 
Sign up for 2026 My Spiritual Growth (Bible, Prayer, Fellowship & Preaching the Gospel) 




   UPCOMING EVENTS:

 

·       2026 Bible Reading Program Sign Up

(OT & NT, or NT, or Book by Book)

·       Bible Study: Introducing the New Testament (David Carson)

·       Jan. 8:  (10 AM):  Meeting for fire victims

·       Jan 8: Media Team Class (TBD) 

·       Jan 9(10AM): UWF Planning Meeting

·       Jan 14(10AM-1:00PM): Leadership & Prayer Retreat

·       Jan 15(9:30AM-11:00AM): Thursday Bible Study

·       Birthday, Anniversary & Directory Update!

·       Sign up for Spiritual practice and Small group

·       Church Calendar on the bulletin board

·       Membership Classes – January (Please let Pastor know)

·       Help for Fire Victims

 

   Children’s Program:

           Every Sunday – Sunday School

           1st & 3rd Friday:  Afternoon School Program (3:15-4:45 pm)

           2nd & 4th Friday:  Family Karaoke (5:30-7:30 pm)

 

Church Facebook Page

                 Become a friend of the church today.  Go to:

        http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stetson-Memorial-United-  

        Methodist-Church/174161846023512

 

FaithBook:  https://faithbook2025.blogspot.com/


Prayers for the world, especially Ukraine, Russia, Gaza and Israel

 

Prayers for our country and its leadership

 

Prayers for our denomination, especially our Bishop and Cabinet

 

Prayers for our community

 

Prayers for those who don’t know Jesus

 

Prayers of Comfort for Those Who Mourn:  The families of

       Lori Mason, Chelsey Ann Weeks, John Marr, Joyce Cummings,

       T.J. Ryan, John Flannery, Loren Goode, Jackie Sponseller,

       Phil Sherman

      

               

Prayers for Bodily Healing:   Especially Penny, Ross, Dicki, Barbara, Karen, and all people who have been struggling with Covid, flu, and health issues.    

       Donnie Adams, William Barton, Little Beckham, Gary Blake,

       Rev. Dan Blevins, Robin Bosse, Dana Carver, Mike Casey,

       Ethan Childs, Kempton Coolong,  Gordon & Roseanne

       Daughinee, Ron Dennis, Raymond Deshaines, Ross Gowen,

       Zachary Gowen, Emily Harris Family, Chris Heath, Hope Heath,

       Denise Jutras, Justin Karcher, Coty Kelso, Matt Lane, Ronnie

       Lepage, Jim Mason, Judi MacArthur, Shaun McAvoy,

       Dean McFarland, Pam McGary, Amy Milo, Danette Moody,

       Roberta Moore, Rick Murray, Adrianne Parsons, Robin Pettengill,

       the Richards Family,  the Alfred Savage Family, Mickey Savage,

       Dennis Sanborn, Kari Sanborn, Keith Sheilds, Rena Shorey,

       Butch Smallwood, Dicki Somers, Steve Trembly, Jolene Webber,

       Zach Weeks, Linda Zalieka        

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It Is No Secret What God Can Do by Sharon Batchelder

Image
My name is Sharon Batchelder, and I was born in Danforth, Maine. When I look back over my life, I see pain and hardship, but I also see the faithfulness of God. My story is not always easy to tell, but it is a testimony of how God has carried me, healed me, and given me hope.   Childhood and Early Struggles When I was only eight months old, my stepfather threw me down a flight of stairs. That fall left me with lasting damage. My whole right side was affected, almost as if I had a stroke. It took me sixteen years just to learn how to tie my own shoes. My stepfather was an alcoholic. He drank constantly, and with the drinking came anger, cruelty, and abuse. My mother had twelve children, though one died at birth. That left eleven of us growing up together, and life was not easy. My mother was afraid of my stepfather. I don’t know why she married him, but she did, and the fear never left her. He was a hard, cruel man. He abused us, and worse, he even harmed my older sister i...
Read more

My New Journey with you by Katie Lovett

Image
7.13.25 Stetson Memorial UMC    Good morning, Stetson Memorial Church family. If you had told me just a few months ago that I'd be standing here, actively participating in church, perhaps even joining in church karaoke, I might not have believed you! For years, I would have found every excuse not to attend. I always felt a quiet tugging at my heart, a sense that there was something more, but I constantly ignored it. Sometimes it was because I didn't feel like I fit in, or I was simply embarrassed to admit how I truly felt. But today, with a humble heart, I share that I am genuinely embracing this journey. After some significant challenges in my life, God, in His grace, led me to find peace where I needed it most. I now feel a deep peace I longed for, the profound love of forgiveness I desperately needed, and for that, my heart is beyond thankful. I remember the profound love and bond I felt when I became a mother – a love unlike any other. I was raised in a Christian h...
Read more

The Third Week of October

Image
10.19.25 Laity Sunday                          Last Friday,  UWF packed 40 dozen cookies and delivered them to 31 stores that donated baskets for our annual tea party! Thank you all for helping this wonderful ministry! After that,  my family went to Limestone for my older children’s parent conferences and their soccer championship—it was a 12-hour day! On Saturday morning, we joined the Bridge to Hope walk for cancer fundraising, and in the afternoon, we had a pumpkin party. The Han family prepared for Laity Sunday with two coffee hours and some gifts for everyone.   On Sunday, we celebrated Laity Sunday in four churches and at the nursing home—with lots of joy! From Sunday to Monday, I worked over eight hours to finish my M.Div. report. But if you ask me what the hardest thing was, I would say it was the one and a half hour mountain biking with three athletes! I’m still sore, and my butt has an honorable m...
Read more