Spiritual Fruits- Not Religious Nuts

Image by Amarand Agasi via Flickr

Dear Friends of Nexus Church,

Is It True? God Wants Spiritual Fruit, not Religious Nuts 
The By-Request sermon series concludes this Sunday Sept 27 with an examination of Religion and Spirituality.   Using Matthew 9:10-13 as our starting point, we’ll see that the current issue of Religion and Spirituality has deep roots and a most “respectable” history in Christian thought. 

In worship Sunday we will be inspired by the Nexus band and singers. We'll share our joys and our concerns in prayer.  Pam Benjamin and Eric Middlebrook will set up our worship space, make announcements, and read scripture.

Have a good meal (and raise money for Nexus)
If you eat at the Applebee’s Restaurant on Princeton Road this Sunday and give them the special flyer, they will donate 10% of your bill to Nexus Church.  Copies of the flyer will be available at church.

You don’t have to be a member of Nexus; just give them the flyer.  So invite your friends, family, sports team, etc!

Learn more about Islam
Nexus folk are invited to join with Catholics at St John the Evangelist Church in West Chester for a dialogue series on Islam and Christianity.  It begins Wednesday, Sept 30, with an Introduction to Islam, at 7:30 p.m.  .

Urgent action needed against murders of church leaders in Colombia
As part of the United Church of Christ, we support missionary work around the world.  Our UCC missionaries always work in partnership with local churches and are on the leading edge in standing up for justice and peace.

I encourage you to consider a request received this week from
Rev. Michael Joseph. Global Ministries Missionary in Bogotá, Colombia:

So far in 2009 six Protestant church leaders from southern Córdoba have been murdered by paramilitary armed groups. Several attempted murders and dozens of death threats have caused the forced displacement of hundreds of people. Some churches have been literally caught in the crossfire. In one town six pastors were threatened to be killed if they failed to make extortion payments. A significant number of the victims were targeted for their community leadership in land-rights struggles and for opposing the violence affecting their communities.

Please read more and take action: www.colombiacalling.blogspot.com

Blessings for you today and every day,

Mike


Mike Underhill
Pastor

Nexus Fundraiser- September 27th

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

After the service this coming Sunday (September 27th) some of will go out to lunch at Applebee's.  Applebee's will donate 10% of our total bill back to Nexus church.  In fact, all day long, anyone eating at Applebee's and presenting the attached flyer will help Nexus out because Applebee's will donate 10% of the total back to Nexus.  If you have friends, family, clubs or any other group or individual you can invite, please do.  You do not have to eat with our group to earn the credit for Nexus.

You MUST present the flyer for Nexus to get credit.  Please print it out and bring it with you.

http://tinyurl.com/ksgdlt

Nexus News- September 18, 2009

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Dear Friends of Nexus Church,

How many ways will you connect with Nexus Church?  Here are some ideas.

Connect with worship this Sunday
Heaven and Hell - Hope for Here and Now
When you voted on topics on which you'd like me to preach, "Heaven and Hell" was the second highest vote getter.  And that's our focus this coming Sunday, Sept 20.

I will preach Sunday morning on "Heaven and Hell - Hope for Here and Now."  We'll use John 5:21-29 as our starting point to consider your questions:  Is there a bad place (hell)?  Where did the idea of "hell" come from and how has it changed over time?  What is heaven like?  What about life after death?

In worship Sunday we will be inspired by the Nexus band and singers.  We'll share our joys and our concerns in prayer.  Corinne Cross and Kim Martin will set up our worship space, make announcements, and read scripture.

Connect with the community next Saturday, Sept 26
1. A river walk to help stop AIDS
Saturday Morning, Sept 26: The 20th Annual Walk to STOP AIDS! at Sawyer Point.  It's a 5-mile walk along the Ohio and Kentucky sides of the Ohio River.  For questions, ask Dana Johnson (513-461-3107). To join Team Nexus:
http://stopaids.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=320065&lis=1&kntae320065=2193256EF66C49D898491A77E44F11F6&supId=0&team=3504069&cj=Y

2. A Christian music concert
Saturday Evening, Sept 26: Recording artists Jason and deMarco are in concert at 8:00 p.m. at CrossCreekCommunityChurch on Miamisburg-Centerville Road, about 35 minutes north of Nexus.

The duo performed as part of "RiverCity Saturday" at the UCC General Synod in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in late June of this year.  The Dallas Voice says, "Jason & deMarco have developed a beautiful and highly unusual duet technique."  DNA Magazine declares, "The duo aims to mix a spiritual message with a strong mainstream aesthetic and their symbiotic approach is definitely working.

Tickets are $20 per person.  To reserve a ticket, please contact Vince Benabese (vbenabese@gmail.com) no later than this Sunday, .Sept 20.

Connect with those of other faiths

• Wish your Jewish friends Happy New Year
• Tonight, Friday the 18th, is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  The Yom Kippur observance begins Sunday evening, Sept 27.
• Learn more about Islam
• Nexus folk are invited to join with Catholics at St John the Evangelist Church in West Chester for a dialogue series on Islam and Christianity.  It begins Wednesday, Sept 30, with an Introduction to Islam, at 7:30 p.m.  See Sandi Lerman for more details.

Blessings for you today and every day,

Mike

Christianity and World Religions

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Dear Friends of Nexus Church,

This week I invite you to be part of the wondrous ways that God is Still Speaking through Nexus in the world, Nexus in the community, and Nexus in our country.

Nexus in the world
Christianity and World Religions
When you voted on topics on which you'd like me to preach, Christianity and World Religions was the top vote getter.  And that's our focus this coming Sunday, Sept 13.

I will preach Sunday morning on "Commitment without Superiority." How do we acknowledge the legitimacy of other paths to God but understand Jesus' words "no one comes to the Father but by me"?  How should Christians respond to people of other faiths?  Should we try to convert them? We'll begin with a close look at John 14:1-11.

In worship Sunday we also welcome back Chip Bramlage and the Nexus band and singers.  We'll share our joys and our concerns in prayer.  Krista Bramlage will lead the children in New Explorers.  Leslie Baum and others will read scripture. Helen and Karl Ulrich will set up our worship space and make announcements.

And then in the evening many of us will go to the 6th Annual Ramadan Iftar Dinner at the Islamic Center near I75 and Tylersville road. Thanks to Sandi Lerman for promoting and organizing our participation.

Nexus out in the community
1. A meal with homeless families

Friday evening and Saturday morning, Sept 18-19: As part of the Inter-faith Hospitality Network in Lebanon, Nexus folk prepare food and activities for homeless families. See Helen Ulrich for details.

2. A river walk to help stop AIDS

Saturday Morning, Sept 26: The 20th Annual Walk to STOP AIDS! at Sawyer Point.  It's a 5-mile walk along the Ohio and Kentucky sides of the Ohio River.  See Dana Johnson to join our Nexus team of walkers.

3. A Christian music concert

Saturday Evening, Sept 26: Recording artists Jason and deMarco are in concert at 8:00 p.m. at Cross Creek Community Church on Miamisburg-Centerville Road, about 35 minutes north of Nexus.  Tickets are $20 per person.  For more details, see Vince Benabese.

Nexus in our country
1. God is Still Speaking in ButlerCounty.

Yes, God is Still Speaking in the current debates over health care reform.  That's the message I took last week to one of the events in Butler County where many gathered to understand why reform is needed.  (The picture below was carried in the Hamilton Journal News)

 
2. A petition from 100,000 in UCC churches across the country

The United Church of Christ is continuing its historic support for health care for all persons by encouraging the signing of a petition that will be shared with legislative decision-makers, both Republican and Democrat.

The actual wording of the petition can be found on the link below, but the following points stand out:

• Coverage for all people
• Access regardless of ability to pay
• A full set of comprehensive benefits
• A choice of physicians and other providers
• Elimination of racial and ethnic and other health care disparities
• Waiver of pre-existing condition exclusions without age limits
• A robust public health insurance option.

I encourage you, as an issue of faith, to consider adding your signature to this petition and forwarding it as broadly as possible. I would think that, in the spirit of the Great Physician whose message we carry, universal health care is a critical moral issue.

The UCC is seeking 100 thousand signatures in ten days.  Will you add your voice?

To add your name to the petition, go to
https://secure3.convio.net/ucc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=443&JServSessionIdr002=h3ux8uvd87.app306b
 
Blessings for you today and every day,
Mike

Nexus News- September 5, 2009

Image by massysugarpants via Flickr

Dear Friends of Nexus Church,

By Request sermon series continues Sept 6
Forgive, forget, and move on - that's the advice of many helpful experts in human behavior.  But is that REALLY what Christian forgiveness is all about?  Do we forget about injustice?  Do we remain defined by the ways other have mis-treated us?  How might we "move on" with our lives?

These are some of the questions on my mind as I prepare for this Sunday's exploration of forgiveness.  You asked me to preach on "forgiveness," but, friends,  it was too big a topic for one sermon.  This Sunday Sept 6 I will conclude the sermon I started last week: Unconditional Forgiveness.

Our focus this Sunday will be on what I consider to be the hardest part of forgiveness:  forgiving others when they mistreat us and asking others to forgive us when we mistreat them.

This Sunday we will be inspired with the acoustic guitar and bass music of Nancy Wheeler and Mike Kiely.  We'll share our joys and our concerns in prayer.  Krista Bramlage will lead the children in New Explorers.  Our service will conclude with Holy Communion, assisted by Janet Crawford. Ty and Brian Smith will set up our worship space and make announcements.

No potluck this month
Because of the wonderful end-of-summer pool party that Kim Martin and Corinne Cross hosted last week, we will NOT have our usual first-Sunday potluck lunch after church this week.

Instead, I've been told that you may expect special muffins and other goodies to go along with your coffee, tea, and water.

Opportunities for service

• Share a meal with our Muslim friends -- Sunday evening, Sept 13 - The 6th Annual Ramadan Iftar Dinnerat the Islamic Center near I75 and Tylersville road.  The evening includes a tour of the mosque, a special program, and a sundown dinner that celebrates the end of daily fasting observed by Muslims during the month of Ramadan.  For more information, see Sandi Lerman.
• Share a meal with homeless families -- Friday evening and Saturday morning, Sept 18-19 - As part of the Inter-faith Hospitality Network in Lebanon, Nexus folk prepare food and activities for homeless families.  See Helen Ulrich for details.
• Talk a river walk to help stop AIDS -- Saturday Morning, Sept 26 - The 20th Annual Walk to STOP AIDS! at Sawyer Point.  It's a 5-mile walk along the Ohio and Kentucky sides of the Ohio River.  See Dana Johnson to join our Nexus team of walkers.

Ty and Brian Smith in the New York Times
In case you missed it, here's a link to last week's article in the New York Times based in large part on interviews with Ty and Brian Smith:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/fashion/27SKIN.html?_r=1

The article "Black Hair, Still Tangled in Politics" appeared in the August 28th edition of the international newspaper.  Featured in the Fashion and Style section, the article is a great example of what happens when you connect your faith and your life.

Just call me a nag - have you spoken up about health care?
Here's an easy way to connect your faith and life.  Go to this website and let President Obama know what you want done about health care:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

It will send an e-mail to the President.

Blessings for you today and every day,

Mike

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