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Religious Briefs

Editor’s note: To submit a nonprofit announcement to The Sentinel’s Religion section, contact Tom Laub at (717) 248-6741 or by email at living@lewistownsentinel.com. Items also may be faxed to (717) 248-3481 or sent to The Sentinel, 352 Sixth St., Lewistown, PA 17044. Items must be received by Tuesday for publication in the Saturday edition. Submissions will be published as space allows. The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. ••• UMC to host Bible study LEWISTOWN — First Bakers United Methodist Church will host a Bible study every Wednesday at 7 p.m. ...

The Gospel in miniature

John 11:1-45 I believe the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is a microcosm of the story of God’s salvation of humanity. It shows us the ultimate purpose of the Messiah and the ultimate sacrifice God would make to save us. When Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, falls ill. Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, send Jesus a message: “Lord, the one you love is sick.” And then they wait for Jesus to arrive. In the story of Lazarus, we see in miniature the story of the salvation of the world. From the moment that Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden, ...

Share Christ’s love through small gestures

By Juli Martin Kish Valley Grace Brethren Church Our children spend seven hours a day, five days a week, for 180 days at school. Our teachers, administrators, counselors, paras, nurses, janitors, secretaries, cafeteria staff and coaches; support, care for and teach our children and grandchildren in so many ways. They are managing behaviors, teaching math and reading, helping with life skills and trying to meet each child at their individual level, which we must see as no small task. As followers of Jesus, we are called to love our community and see the needs around us that we may be ...

Celebrating 70 years in ministry at one church

When I became a pastor several years ago, I quickly realized that the dropout rate among pastors was high. Statistics vary, but in my own experience I have known several pastors who left the ministry for one reason or another. We lament over this, but we sometimes forget there are also pastors who have persevered for decades in ministry. My friend and mentor Dave Lewis is an example of that. I got to know Dave through a mutual friend of ours about six years ago. When we first met at a local McDonald’s, I decided to ask him how long he had been serving his church. I knew he had some ...

Pastors’ view: Sermons written by ChatGPT will have no soul

NEW YORK (AP) — Among sermon writers, there is fascination – and unease – over the fast-expanding abilities of artificial-intelligence chatbots. For now, the evolving consensus among clergy is this: Yes, they can write a passably competent sermon. But no, they can’t replicate the passion of actual preaching. “It lacks a soul — I don’t know how else to say it,” said Hershael York, a pastor in Kentucky who also is dean of the school of theology and a professor of Christian preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Sermons are meant to be the core of a ...

Religious Briefs

Editor’s note: To submit a nonprofit announcement to The Sentinel’s Religion section, contact Tom Laub at (717) 248-6741 or by email at living@lewistownsentinel.com. Items also may be faxed to (717) 248-3481 or sent to The Sentinel, 352 Sixth St., Lewistown, PA 17044. Items must be received by Tuesday for publication in the Saturday edition. Submissions will be published as space allows. The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. ••• UMC to host Bible study LEWISTOWN — First Bakers United Methodist Church will host a Bible study every Wednesday at 7 p.m. ...