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This Week's Message

Message: "Don't Miss JESUS"
Speaker: Dr. Jerry Russell
Series: Lenten

The center of the Christian Faith is changing. Dr. Timothy Tennent, the new president of Asbury Seminary, has shared with us that for 1000 years the Western Hemisphere has been the heartland of the Christian Faith. At the beginning of the 20th century 90% of all Christians lived in the Western world. We are experiencing in the Western world a decline of Christians. An example was in 1900, there were 380 million believers in Europe and less than 10 million in Africa. Today there are 367 million believers in Africa, with a rate of 24,000 people coming to the Lord every day. America and Europe are losing 4,600 per day. In fact China is the home to the fasting growing churches in the world, estimated at 16,500 per day.

John Wesley's declaration of "The World is Our Parish" has never been more correct. Fairview has seen and felt the importance of looking into the future with our eyes directed toward the Kingdom of God, growing in the entire world. We have committed ourselves to be at work where God is at work and to join Him in His present activity.  Last Sunday and again on this coming Sunday, we will be taking a dollar offering for the Sudan Mission Project of Holston Annual Conference. This will help with the special project of feeding and educating the folks who have been displaced because of the war in the Sudan. It will help prepare the pastors to better extend their ministries in winning people to the Lord in that country and area.

On Friday, we will load two ocean-going containers with supplies that have been gathered from all over the Holston Conference. One shipment will go to help HIV children in Zimbabwe and the other will go to the school children in our Methodist School in Liberia. What a special privilege to be able to assist in these kinds of activities for the Kingdom's sake

I am so proud of FAIRVIEW UMC for our willingness to reach out to those folks in need in our community and around the world. With a smile on my face, I ask the Lord to save me from the sin of pride concerning Fairview.

Also I wanted to share with you that for the last three years we have been helping Jason Roe launch his evangelism ministry. We wanted to help him get to the point where he could become a full time evangelist for the Lord in our conference and around the world. This past Easter, he preached in London, England to over 2000 persons from Zimbabwe who were living in London. As of June, Jason will be giving full time service to this ministry. We want to pray for him and support him as the Lord leads. We want to recognize him and say thank you as he launches into this ministry full time. He has done a wonderful job for us and we pray the Lord's blessings on him in the future.  

 Pastor Jerry

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In our Daily Bread devotional for April 28, there is a story that I had never heard. It

seems the allied forces of WW II were in a training exercise preparing for the Normandy

invasion. Suddenly a German gunboat appeared as the allied forces were in this

amphibious training exercise. Over 700 Americans were killed in that attack. The soldiers

thought they were in a training exercise but in reality they were attacked by the enemy

when they least expected it. Like those soldiers at Slapton Sands, the enemy comes at us

many times when we least expect it. Peter and the disciples, who betrayed Jesus and fled

the garden, were caught unprepared for the attack of the enemy.

Peter was blindsided by the girl as he stood by the fire warming himself and listening,

hoping to get a word about Jesus’ arrest. Sometimes we are attacked while we are in

training and preparation.

Sometimes I laugh when I think of the most heated debates I have ever heard were among

Christians over spiritual matters in the Bible. That energy could be directed toward the

needs of people and not at each other. The devil is a sly and deceitful enemy. Peter

understood this and these verses are found in the small letter that bears his name.

1 Peter 5:8-10” 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a

roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith,

because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind

of sufferings.10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,

after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm

and steadfast.

There is a monument commemorating the loss of life of those 700 men there at

Slapton Sands. The enemy is real and is seeking to defeat we who are followers of the

resurrected Lord. Remember one of the hardest weeks of the year is just after Christmas

the birthday celebration of Jesus, and Easter Sunday, the resurrection day of our Lord.

Don’t be caught by surprise this week.

Pastor Jerry

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Sunday, April 5

Palm Sunday

Children’s process of palms

Wednesday, April 8

No Wednesday night supper or

activities (small groups check

with your leaders)

Thursday, April 9

7 pm

Maundy Thursday worship

(communion will be served)

Friday, April 10

12 noon

Good Friday worship

Words from the cross

Sunday, April 12

Easter Celebration!

6:30 am – Easter Sonrise

service (parking lot – bring a

lawn chair)

7:15 am – Easter breakfast

(sponsored by youth choir - $

donations)

(*note times)

*8:15 am and 11 am – Easter

worship

9:45 am – Sunday School

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