Church staff

The second Sunday of Advent was a beautiful Sunday in our lovely sanctuary decorated for the Christmas season.  Rev. David Diller preached on Mark 1:1-8, “Through the Wilderness of Change.”  Change means things are not like they used to be & will never be the same again.  Times of great change are always tough, but only in death is there no change.    All of life is change, but most of the time change is like aging, so gradual we hardly notice it.  Change seems more difficult when we become conscious of it.

John the Baptist set out to change his world to prepare for the Advent of Christ.  He could have started his renewal movement in Jerusalem, but he would have been bound by traditional rules & expectations, so he went to the Judean wilderness. 

Mark offers these guidelines to help us move through the wilderness of change.   Always begin with Jesus.  He gives us a new angle of vision when evaluating the contents of the Bible.  Listen to contemporary voices, not just those of the distant past.    The biblical message to every generation is “repent,” which means being sensitive to how God is alive & is always working something new in the world.   The Good News comes as a reversal of our expectations.  We who are religious insiders are not the best or the greatest; we are only witnesses whose message is: “One greater than I is coming.”
          Payne Springs UMC hosts a Walk to Emmaus reunion group every Tue at 5 pm.   Meetings are open & everyone is invited to bring a snack supper & join us.  All are welcome.  You are also invited to join our Prayer Blanket ministry Wed, Dec 17 at 10 am.   Disciple Bible Study resumes Jan 22. 
         We had a wonderful fellowship this past Wednesday night when Dr Rose-Mary Rumbley gave us a delightful & informative talk about the great accomplishments of “the Mighty Midgets.”  Join us for our inspirational Candlelight Worship at 5 pm Christmas Eve.   Everyone is also invited to our Watchnight New Year’s Eve game & fellowship time followed by evening worship, 9 pm till midnight.
            Payne Springs UMC is a caring church family learning to follow Jesus. Our purpose is to help every person grow to full maturity in the image of Jesus Christ in the twenty-first century. With open hearts, open minds, and open doors, we combine both traditional & contemporary styles. We invite you to come learn about God and Jesus, the Bible and the Church each week. Sunday school is from 9-10am. At 10am coffee, juice, & snacks are served in Fellowship Hall. Worship is from 10:30-11:30am. Nursery care is provided. Sunday evenings we invite you to an in-depth study of Matthew at 5 pm. If you have questions or need directions, call our church office at (903) 451-2978 or go to www.paynespringsumc.  Or http://www.paynespringsumc.org.

  The way to meaningful change means taking a different road, thinking ways you’ve never thought, getting to know people you’ve never known, & living in ways those before you never lived.