Verona United Methodist Church

March 8, 2020 Our Lenten sermon series continues this Sunday with a look at Matthew 6:5-18 as Jesus calls us to prayer and fasting with hearts focused on our Heavenly Father. The hypocrisy of those who practiced public religion for the praise of others was a central concern for Jesus and remains a strong cautionary […] The post Prayer and Fasting appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

March 1, 2020 Driving home from our Ash Wednesday service this evening, I was struck by the abundance of light in our modern world. For almost all of human history, the darkness of night was overwhelming and unconquerable. Fires generated by wood and oils could bring some comfort, but most people lived half their lives […] The post Salt & Light appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

February 23, 2020 WARNING: The following opinions reflect the thoughts of a senior citizen. It’s obvious, since the first words are “When I was a little boy….” When I was a little boy, most of the available reading material in our home was pretty innocent. But pretty powerful, too. We had “Tales of Great Men & […] The post Be Anxious for Nothing appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

February 16, 2020 I’m loving our time in Philippians! Some of the most inspiring, faith-fortifying verses in all the Bible are contained in this relatively brief letter to the ancient church at Philippi. Our text this Sunday calls us to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ….” I’ll […] The post It’s Time to go on a Fruit Diet appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

The post Don’t Let Your Past Define You 11:00 Service appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

February 9, 2020 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16) Before I was a pastor, I belonged to a small […] The post Don’t Let Your Past Define You 8:30 Service appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

Feb 2, 2020 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16) The Christian life isn’t supposed to be a “blend in” […] The post So You Want to be a Star appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

Jan 26, 2020 “Those in darkness have seen a great light.” This Sunday’s message imagines the magnificent ways in which light changes our view of the world around us. And how the light of Christ in our lives can dramatically change how we see ourselves, others, creation, and God. Are you living in the “shadow […] The post Light That Brings Life appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

Jan 19, 2020 We have so much to celebrate in this first month of 2020. By our human standards, our congregation is healthy. Our finances are solid, our second site (Aisle 7 Fellowship) has experienced solid growth. Our church staff works well together. Our church council leadership is committed and hard-working. Our members love and […] The post Lamb of God appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

Jan 12, 2020 The story of Jesus’ life in the Gospels moves rapidly from birth to adulthood. Just a couple of weeks past Christmas, we are already reading in Matthew of the baptism of Jesus as he enters into his ministry in his late 20’s. One statement by Jesus in Matthew 3 has always challenged […] The post Holy Obediance appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

Jan 5, 2020 This Sunday – the first in 2020 – is a special day in the life of our church each year. As we share the bread and cup of Holy Communion, we also begin the new year by joining in John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer and committing our lives anew to our Lord. The […] The post Of Dreams and Kings and Sordid Things appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

December 29, 2019 No Longer A Slave OUR SUNDAY WORSHIP ON DECEMBER 29TH…. This coming Sunday our worship will include songs by Fritz and Peggy Horwitz as well as a “Hymn Sing” of favorite songs of the Christmas season. I will share a short devotion so that we have plenty of time to worship our […] The post No Longer A Slave appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

December 22, 2019 God With Us I want to thank ever member and friend of Verona UMC and Aisle 7 Fellowship who have given of their time and energies in so many ways as we approach Christimas and the birth of our Lord….. The folks who serve local families each week at our food pantry…. […] The post God With Us appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

December 15, 2019 What did you expect? “What did you go out to see.” (Matthew 11:8) What do we expect to see as we approach Christmas Day? We often say that Advent is a season of expectation leading us to the birth of Christ. What are you expecting this Christmas? Presents under a tree? Stress? […] The post What did you expect? appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

December 8, 2019 The Power in the Manger “Sustaining all things by the power of His Word.” (Hebrews 1:3a) All of humanity is starved for truth. But not all realize they are starving. On a mission trip some 40 years ago, I remember seeing Haitian mothers baking mud pies on the sun-heated tin roofs of […] The post The Power in the Manger appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

December 1, 2019 Stay Awake This Sunday is the first Sunday in the Advent Season, a month long season of preparation for the coming of Jesus into the world – and of expectation of his Second Coming. Let’s come together each Sunday to remember the promises of God fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Grace and peace, […] The post Stay Awake appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

November 24, 2019 A Heart for Thanks & Giving We have so much to be thankful for! Please set aside time during this season of thanksgiving to raise your voice with others in grateful praise! Grace and peace, Pastor Bob Psalm 100 The post A Heart for Thanks & Giving appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

November 17, 2019 The Gift of Salvation Salvation. It’s the reason Jesus came to this earth: “To seek and save the lost.” This Sunday’s message will focus on this most precious of God’s gifts. With Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas all taking place over the next six weeks, I’d like to suggest we all take a deep, deep […] The post The Gift of Salvation appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

November 10, 2019 God’s gift of nature We have hymns that glorify it. Psalms that testify to the wonder of it. Sermons that try to capture the meaning of it. Nature is a small word for a seemingly infinite universe, a home shared by black holes and neutron stars and a tiny blue marble called […] The post God’s gift of nature appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

November 3, 2019 The Gift of the Family of God This Sunday is one of the most beautiful worship services in our church year – our observance of All Saints Sunday. At each service we’ll have a time of remembrance of loved ones who have inherited their eternal reward by prayers and the lighting of […] The post The Gift of the Family of God appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

October 27, 2019 Homecoming – The Crossroads Homecoming at VUMC this Sunday, October 27th. Blessings In Christ, Pastor Bob Acts 9:1-6 The post The Crossroads appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

October 24, 2019 Homecoming Hold on to God’s Unchanging Hand Pastor Stephen Creech is guest preacher for the third night of our Homecoming Revival Romans 8:31-39 Joshua 1:6-9   The post Hold on to God’s Unchanging Hand appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

October 22, 2019 Homecoming – Everything Changes….Except for God Pastor Shawna Hiner is guest preacher for the first night of our Homecoming Revival Psalm 102:25-27 The post Everything Changes…..Except for God appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

October 20, 2019 My Grace is All You Need We’re honored that The Reverend Ed Pruitt will be our “guest” preacher at Verona UMC this Sunday. I’ve put quotation marks around guest because Rev. Pruitt is a former Pastor of our congregation (and a good friend to many of us). We welcome him home. In Christ, Pastor […] The post My Grace is All You Need appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

October 13, 2019 We Are Called to be Holy “Nobody’s perfect…” You’ve probably said or heard that phrase a thousand times. But the fact is that there is ONE who is perfect – the God of the Universe who is declared “Holy, holy, holy” in Revelation 4. Not just holy. Not just holy, holy. But holy, […] The post We Are Called To Be Holy appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

October 6, 2019 We Are Called to The Lord’s Supper Growing up the church my family belonged to would share the Lord’s Supper every Sunday morning. When we were on a weekend family vacation, we would always rush back to attend the Sunday evening worship service where those who were absent in the morning could […] The post We are Called to the Lord’s Table appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

September 29, 2019 We Are Called to Follow Jesus There’s probably no command in the Scriptures more filled with both challenge and hope than the call to follow Jesus. The challenge is to take up your cross, giving up control of your life’s direction and sacrificing the “normal” life led by the majority of those […] The post We Are Called to Follow Jesus appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

September 22, 2019 We Are Called to be a people of God’s Word I’ll confess that my Bible reading habits have changed since I was a teen-ager. Back then I was a “Bible moth,”* hovering over the thin leather “Preacher’s Bible” my parents had given me. I would carefully turn the tissue-like pages, underlining and […] The post We Are Called to Be a People of God’s Word appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

September 22, 2019 8:30   Youth Sunday messages from Autumn Hitt and Mia Phillips The post Youth Sunday Messages appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

September 15, 2019 We Are Called to do Justice Growing up I was a huge Superman fan. The Superman in comic books. The black and white TV Superman of the 1950’s with George Reeves. Remember that Superman? (Bonus points if you remember the two-part episode “Superman and the Mole-Men”). Do you remember what he stood […] The post We Are Called to do Justice appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

September 8, 2019 We Are Called to Care Lydia and I have a dog named Sadie, a rat terrier.  Sadie cares about a lot of things.  She cares when it thunders.  She cares when I’m eating something that smells good.  She cares when Lydia and I have been gone on vacation and come back home. (Her shaking, wagging […] The post We Are Called To Care appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

S September 1, 2019 We Are Called to Share Good News Romans 1 1:6, 16-17 eptember 1, 2019 We Are Called to Share Good News Romans 1 1:6, 16-17 The post We Are Called to Share Good News appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

August 25, 2019 Solid Rock This Sunday we will look at Acts14:8-20 for Evidence That Demands a Verdict. I hope to see you in worship and Sunday School… and don’t forget to bring a friend! In Christ, Pastor Bob Acts 14:8-20 The post Evidence That Demands A Verdict appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

August 18, 2019 Solid Rock Wow! The summer is coming to a close and the rush of autumn isn’t far away. In our newsletters we can only provide an outline for what is coming – only God can fill in the gaps. It is in those gaps that we find miracles and spiritual growth and […] The post Solid Rock appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

August 11, 2019 Jesus defines “Great” Well, it’s back-to-school week for our community! Looking back on my grade-school years, that’s about a month less than the summer break we enjoyed (or endured once we ran out of things to do!). We pray for and appreciate the teachers, staff, administrators, and yes, the parents who support […] The post Jesus Defines “Great” appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

August 4, 2019 Bittersweet We all know that life is a mixture of the bitter and the sweet. The story of God and humanity in the Scriptures acknowledges this reality. The sweetness of the creation story is followed by the bitter experience of sin entering the world. The sweetness of Israel escaping the bonds of […] The post Bittersweet appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

July 28, 2019 Do it Again, Lord  I’m thinking about Mark 12 and the Parable of the Vineyard Owner, the focus of this Sunday’s message at both VUMC worship services. Pray with and for me as we prepare to receive God’s truth. With thanks to God for the family of God at VUMC, Pastor Bob […] The post Receiving God’s Truth appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

July 21, 2019 Walking Away From Jesus I hope to see you in worship and in ministry to our community, Pastor Bob Mark 10:17-31 The post Walking Away From Jesus appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

July 14, 2019 Do it Again, Lord It was the end of the first day of creation and the angels gathered to celebrate. All of a sudden the chant began, “Do it again, do it again, do it again!” So God did it again. And again. And again…. It is a staggering thought. To think […] The post Do it Again, Lord appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

July 7, 2019 What’s Your Life Compass  I read a lot of columns by a lot of pastors. Some are concise and to the point. Most are a bit long-winded (sorry, but it’s the truth). Pastors are preachers and being long-winded is a professional hazard. So I’ll get right to the point (and then drone […] The post What’s Your Life Compass? appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

June 30, 2019 Youth Mission Team God Sightings Youth Mission Team reports on their mission trip to Kentucky Remember…. Every day we serve and worship a risen Savior… may our hearts be filled with praise for the Christ who is alive in our church! I hope to see you in worship and in ministry to […] The post Youth Mission Team God Sightings appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

June 23, 2019 God’s Choir Joy Tinsley will lead our worship services with both music and her own testimony. Please keep the mission team and Joy in your prayers! Remember…. Every day we serve and worship a risen Savior… may our hearts be filled with praise for the Christ who is alive in our church! […] The post God’s Choir appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

June 16, 2019 To Be a Dad Suddenly we’re deep into summer and, if you are like our family, you’re trying to sort out vacation schedules, lawn mowing, and staying active in the church! The first and most important summer activity for those who love the Lord is prayer, reading His Word, and serving in […] The post To Be a Dad appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

June 9, 2019 The Other Side Rain at last! Things have been a bit hot and dry over the past few weeks, so it’s good to see a cooler, wetter stretch forecast over the new week. It’s amazing how dependent we are on things we can’t control – the weather, the air we breathe, the […] The post The Other Side appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

June 2, 2019 Dinner with Jesus This Sunday, June 2nd, we begin a summer sermon series through the Gospel of Mark. Preparing for this series has impressed me with the absolute focus Jesus had on his mission. He came to seek and save the lost and that is still the mission focus of the church, […] The post Dinner With Jesus appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

May 26, 2019 The Path to Freedom This Sunday, I am excited at the prospect of opening God’s Word together on a weekend that reminds us that freedom is not something to be taken for granted – that it is purchased at a great cost. That applies to the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of […] The post The Path To Freedom appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

May 19, 2019 The Greatest Graduation Speech Ever This Sunday is Graduate Sunday at VUMC. We invite every high school, college and post-graduate school graduate to attend one of our worship services where they’ll be recognized for their achievements, receive a gift from our congregation, and hear a message entitled “The Greatest Graduation Speech Ever.” […] The post The Greatest Graduation Speech Ever appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

May 12, 2019 every believer’s role as The Bride Of Christ – Chad Brown I believe I will get a loud amen from most men when I say that while we may envy moms for the incredible role they play in our families and community…we are also thankful that we don’t have to endure the many […] The post Every Believer’s Role as The Bride of Christ appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

May 5, 2019 Baptism -Dead to Sin, Alive to Christ This Sunday provides an opportunity for us to deal with some oft’ heard questions about Christian baptism. In my May 5th sermon we’ll open God’s Word and discuss why Methodists have never been obsessed with the “technicalities” of baptism (such as how much water is […] The post Baptism – Dead to Sin, Alive to Christ appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

April 28, 2019 Ants in your Pants – The Story of Doubting Thomas Pastor Jeff Allen will bring a message at both VUMC worship services around the story of “Doubting” Thomas from the Gospel of John.  Peace in the Risen Lord, Pastor Bob John 20:20-24 The post Ants In Your Pants – The Story of Doubting Thomas appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.

April 21, 2019   EASTER SUNDAY   A Promise Fulfilled Easter is a day of celebration, faith and assurance. We believe in the promises of God – promises already fulfilled in Jesus Christ and promises for a future God has prepared for us. Because Christ kept his promise to rise from the dead, all who place their […] The post A Promise Fulfilled appeared first on Verona United Methodist Church.