Tinney Chapel Today

Once on the Internet, click on any photo image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow in icon below to view the video of the New Member ceremony in which Pastor Carl Sterling inducts his wife Paulette into membership at Tinney Chapel UMC:
Above is the video:

Pastor Carl Sterling's Wife Paulette Joins Tinney Chapel

 

It was as touching as it was unexpected, although everyone probably thought it would happen eventually: Paulette Sterling, the new Pastor's wife, chose this day to move her United Methodist membership to Tinney Chapel, the quintessential country church.

Immediately, Brother Carl called upon the congregation to rise, move forward and join in a church-wide laying on of hands for Paulette (see photo above and/or view it on the video). It was a sight to see and a moment to savor.

Then, Brother Carl moved into the questions and liturgy of bringing a new member into a United Methodist church, and Paulette expressed her eagerness to become one of us and to be led by a Pastor who happens to be her own husband. 

Paulette is, herself, a Certified Lay Speaker in the United Methodist Church. 

As it happened, today's sermon by Brother Carl was titled, "Is This The Season To Seek Salvation?" and the congregational hymn of invitation was He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought.

 

Labels: Paulette Sterling, Rev. Carl Sterling, Tinney Chapel UMC

Once on the Internet, click on any photo image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow in icon below to view the video of Brother Carl's entire sermon on Salvation:
 Above is the video.

Coming down, coming down, from God

It was the 11th Sunday after Pentecost and the hymn of invitation at our church was He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought, and Pastor Carl Sterling accepted his own wife, Paulette Sterling, into Tinney 
Chapel membership, facilitated two offerings (one for the church and one for the youth program), preached on the topic of Salvation and brought the congregtion close to God.

It was a day to remember!

Pastor Carl's  Scripture was Jeremiah 8:13, 20-22. 


 

Labels: Angela Wylie, Joe Dan Boyd, Mollie Stanton, Paulette Sterling, Rev. Carl Sterling, Tinney Chapel UMC

Once on the Internet, click on any photo image above to view it in larger format. Or, click on the arrow in icon below to view the video of Brother Carl Sterling's Service of Holy Communion, assisted by his wife, Paulette Sterling, who is also a Certified UMC Lay Speaker. Above is the video of the Tinney Chapel UMC Service of Holy Communion.

As early as the Emmaus experience on the day of Resurrection, recorded in Luke 24:13-35, Christians recognized the presence of Jesus Christ in the breaking of bread. The traditional Jewish practice of taking bread, blessing and thanking God, and breaking and sharing the bread took on new meaning for them.

When followers of Christ gathered in Jesus’ name, the breaking of bread and sharing of the cup was a means of remembering his life, death, and resurrection and of encountering the living Christ. They experienced afresh the presence of their risen Lord and received sustenance for their lives as disciples.

As the church organized itself, this custom of Eucharist became the characteristic ritual of the community and the central act of its worship.


Over the centuries, various understandings and practices of Holy Communion have developed. Roman Catholicism teaches that the substance of bread and wine are changed (although not visibly) into the actual body and blood of Christ (sometimes called transubstantiation).

Protestant Reformers in the sixteenth century rejected this teaching but had diverse ideas among themselves. Lutherans maintain that Christ’s body and blood are truly present in and with the elements of bread and wine in the celebration (sometimes erroneously called corporeal presence or consubstantiation). Ulrich Zwingli, a Swiss reformer, taught that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial or reminder of Christ’s sacrifice, an affirmation of faith, and a sign of Christian fellowship.

Although his name may be unfamiliar, Zwingli’s views are widely shared today, especially within evangelical churches. Denominations in the Reformed tradition, following John Calvin, maintain that although Christ’s body is in heaven, when Holy Communion is received with true faith, the power of the Holy Spirit nourishes those who partake. The Church of England affirmed a somewhat similar view in its Catechism and Articles of Religion.

These understandings (stated here very simplistically) suggest the range of ideas that were available to John and Charles Wesley and the early Methodists.
—Excerpt from This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion

Link for above resource:

http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2247711/k.C611/Communion_Overview.htm

Labels: Paulette Sterling, Rev. Carl Sterling, Tinney Chapel UMC, UMC Communion.

Rev. Carl Sterling To Become Pastor @ Tinney Chapel After June 24
When We Bid Farewell to Pastor Sue Gross

As part of Methodism's historic itineracy tradition, it's musical chairs or fruit-basket-turnover time again in the North Texas Conference (NTC), when many pastors pull up stakes lock-stock-and-barrel to move from one church to another, based on their gifts, graces and the assessed needs of individual churches as viewed by our Bishop and District Superintendents.

This means that Pastor Sue Gross' final Sunday with Tinney Chapel will be June 24, at which time Certified Lay Speaker David Stanton will actually be in the pulpit to allow Pastor Sue time for last-minute chores related to her move and that of her mother, Nyla Gross. However, Pastor Sue will be present with us on that final day, June 24, at which time our congregation will bid her farewell.

In her place, Tinney Chapel's SPR Committee has already welcomed Rev. Carl Sterling and his wife, Paulette Sterling, during a visit recently. However, no other congregants have yet met the couple, other than David & Mollie Stanton, who today joined the Sterlings at Annual Conference in Plano, where David kindly made the iPhone photos accompanying this report and forwarded them to Tinney Chapel Communications.

Rev. Sterling comes to us from serving two churches, pictured in the collage with this report: Williams Chapel UMC at English, TX and First UMC Avery at Avery, TX.

You may welcome Rev. Sterling via his e-mail address: revsterling@ymail.com 

Labels: David Stanton, First UMC Avery, Mollie Stanton, North Texas UMC Conference, Paulette Sterling, Rev. Carl Sterling, Rev. Sue Gross., Tinney Chapel, Williams Chapel