Tinney Chapel Today

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Click on any image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow below to view a part of Pastor Sue Gross' sermon, "Practicing Resurrection: Testimony."




Practicing Resurrection: Testimony
A Sermon By Pastor Sue Gross
Based on:

Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, saying, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words.
Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know;
Act 2:23 him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay:
Act 2:24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Act 2:25 For David saith concerning him, I beheld the Lord always before my face; For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Act 2:26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in hope:
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in Hades, Neither wilt thou give thy Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 Thou madest known unto me the ways of life; Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance.
Act 2:29 Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne;
Act 2:31 he foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
Act 2:32 This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all are witnesses.
---Revised Standard Version (from E-Sword program)
Resource Link for E-Sword Bible Study Program:
http://www.e-sword.net/bibles.html

Click on any image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow below to view a part of the video of this musical presentation, "Happily Forever After."


"Happily Forever After"
A Youth Musical Performance presented @ Tinney Chapel UMC
by the Youth Group of First UMC, Mt. Vernon, TX

For more on the background of this musical, please check the following link:

http://www.littlebigstuff.com/hfa/index.html

This evening's presentation by the Mt. Vernon Youth Group featured a large cast, including:

The God's Olympics Choir: Coleman Johnston, Archer Findley, Halen Miller, Sawyer Anderson and Samuel Anderson.

The Medieval Cheerleaders: Chloe Copeland, Rachel Dunn, Sally Hamrick, Emmy Poppy McCament and Claire Rutledge.

Our Beautiful Ladies of Fashion: Mikka Allen, Milo McCament, Lauren Newsome and Amber Oxford.

Trumpeters: Preston Clayton and Jackson Standridge.

Gate Guard: Kreig Stevens.

Tour Group: Brother Daniel-Grant Hammonds; Vacation Mom-Taylor Copeland; Traveling Only-Tour Guide-Sam Lowry.

Bridge Keeper Fee Fee and Shining Knight-Garrett Greenbeg.

Traveling Only-Shining Knight-Emmi Patrick.

As Count Ze Coins-Jon Robert Gekiere and Young Lady Losesome-Jada Henry.

Lady Winsome-Blossom Barnett.

Madame Luxuree and Tour Guide-Sam Lowry.

Traveling Only-And Madame Luxuree-McKay Patrick.

Our Royal Court: Lady Windabag-McKlayne Cook; Sir Court Lee-Brooks Briscoe; And Sir Burlyman-Bailey Floyd; Apprentice and Vacation Dad-Justice Lear; And As Page One-Josh Dunn; Princess Pride-Suzanna Hamrick; And Sir Brags A Lot-Cameron Greenberg; Playing Brooke-Hayley Tullis; And Featuring Zach Hedges as the Carpenter.

And we cannot forget our incredible prop handlers and sound men-Max Rutledge and Jack Floyd.

This presentation included songs such as:
"Far Away Land"
"Incredible"
"Isn't That Amazing"
"He Has A Perfect Plan For Me"
"I'll Trust You, Lord"

All in all, it was a night to remember, with grateful thanx to the Youth Group of Mt. Vernon UMC.

Click on any image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow below to view the video of part of the presentation by Johnston Unit Chaplain Rev. Casey Miner. (Apologies for some ambient noise in this video.)



Moral Rehabilitation Is The Key To Successful Prison Ministry

View and hear the video of part of the presentation by Johnston Unit Chaplain, Rev. Casey Miner, an Anglican Priest, now based at Winnsboro's Johnston Substance Abuse Unit. (Apologies for the ambient noise in the background of this video.) Chaplain Miner is a graduate of the Seminary of the Venerable Bede.

Chaplain Miner showed filmed documentaries of successful prison ministry at Angola State Prison in Louisiana, the world's largest maximum security prison, which has seen dramatic improvement with the introduction of faith-based ministry.

One of the startling facts revealed by Chaplain Miner is that, of all those in prison, 70% have been there before, which he views as an alternate way to access the overall prison recidivism rate.

Chaplain Miner has instituted a "faith-based wing" at Winnsboro's Johnston Unit, and this wing has a recidivism rate of less than 1% during its nearly four years of operation, he told the Tinney Chapel Ladies Group today.

"I'm happiest when I'm in prison," added Chaplain Miner, as a testament to the rewarding nature of his work, which he described as giving something to someone who can not repay him. Chaplain Miner references the words of Jesus: When I was in prison, you visited me. Then, he asks, rhetorically: When did I visit you, Lord? To which he provides the answer, again from the words of Jesus: You did it when you did it for the least of these, my brothers.

When you participate in prison ministry in this fashion, Chaplain Miner compares it to standing at the foot of the Cross, at which a prisoner is being executed.

At the Johnson Unit, Chaplain Miner explained that the residents are there for six months, "early in a criminal career," and are in need of so many things that can be supplied only by volunteers from the community.

He emphasized the work of Residents Encounter Christ (REC) which includes several members of Tinney Chapel, but also stressed the need for all kinds of volunteers, including those who are not called to be ministers, but who have secular skills that can be valuable in the rehabilitation of prisoners. "If you can help someone learn to read or deal with basic math, I have a spot for you at the Johnston Unit," he concluded.

To contact Chaplain Casey Miner:
PO Box 921
Winnsboro, TX 75494.

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Jesus Was A Mama's Boy, Too
Lay Sermon by Certified Lay Speaker Joe Dan Boyd

Today's service featured the congregation singing "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again," an old favorite from the convention song book tradition by James Rowe and J. W. Vaughan along with the Isaac Watts version of "At The Cross."

Certified Lay Speaker Angela Wyle read her original poem, "Grandmothers I Have Known," one of the finest works by this prize-winning poet and life-time member of Tinney Chapel UMC. Angela also served as songleader on this occasion.

Joe Dan began his presentation with a recollection of his own youth after his mother, Dolly Tinney Boyd, died when Joe Dan was two years old, after which he was blessed with three mothers-of-the-heart: A grandmother, a great-aunt, and an aunt who was one of Dolly's sisters.

From this, he moved into the conception, birth and boyhood of Jesus as recorded in the Scriptures. Lay Readers today were Linda Hallman, who read John 2:1-11, the account of the miracle at Cana, and Peggy Boyd, who read John 19:23-27, the account of instructions from Jesus on the Cross to His mother, Mary, and the Beloved Disciple, John.

Joe Dan's focus was to emphasize that, although Jesus was indeed a "Daddy's Boy," in that He was extremely close to His Father, Jesus also enjoyed a close relationship with his mother.

John 19:23-27 (New International Version)

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”[a]

So this is what the soldiers did.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Footnotes:

John 19:24 Psalm 22:18
John 19:26 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.

Reference link for the above Scripture:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A23-27&version=NIV

Click on any image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow below to view the sermon for kids by Pastor Sue Gross.



Pastor Sue Gross Delivers Sermon For Kids On Mothers Day.

See and hear it on the video above.

Click on any image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow below to view the video of Angela Wylie reading her poem on Mothers Day.



See And Hear Angela Wylie Read Her Original Poem,
"Grandmothers Of My Past"

(Angela Wylie expects to publish a book of her poems, some of which have won competitive prizes, in the near future.)

Click on any image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow below, at the very end of this post, to view the video of part 1 of Pastor Sue's sermon (our server limits our file size). Afterward, you may scroll down to the second post for this same date & view part 2 of Pastor Sue's sermon, Honest Doubt.

"Honest Doubt" Preached From John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31 (New International Version, ©2011)

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Footnotes:

1. John 20:24 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.
2. John 20:31 Or may continue to believe

Resource page for the above:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A19-31&version=NIV

Click on any image, above, to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow, below, to view Part 2 of the video of Pastor Sue's May 1 sermon, Honest Doubt.


HONEST DOUBT preached from John 20:19-31

The video on this post shows Part 2 of Pastor Sue Gross' sermon, Honest Doubt, from John 20:19-31.