When we come to Christ, He forgives our sins and begins the wonderful work of making us new. But did you know that God wants to do even more in our lives? He not only wants to forgive us for the sins we have committed; He wants to transform our hearts so that we can love Him and others more fully. This Sunday, we will be looking at the biblical teaching of entire sanctification, an important truth in our Wesleyan-Holiness heritage. The Apostle Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.” Entire sanctification does not mean that we become incapable of making mistakes, that we know everything, or that we no longer need God's grace. It means that we surrender ourselves completely to God and trust Him to cleanse our hearts from sin and fill us with perfect love. The Holy Spirit works in us so that our desires, attitudes, and actions increasingly reflect the character of Jesus Christ. Think about it this way: God doesn't simply want to be a part of our lives; He wants our whole hearts. He wants our love for Him to shape how we treat our families, respond to difficult people, handle disappointment, and serve those around us. Holiness is not merely about what we avoid doing. It is about becoming people whose lives are characterized by the love of God. The wonderful news is that this is not something we accomplish through willpower alone. We offer ourselves fully to God, and we trust Him to do in us what we cannot do for ourselves. It is His grace, working through the power of the Holy Spirit, that makes this life of holiness possible. As we prepare for worship this Sunday, I encourage you to ask yourself a simple question: Have I placed every part of my life in God's hands, or am I still holding something back? God is not asking us to settle for a faith that leaves us unchanged. He invites us into a deeper relationship with Him, where His love shapes every part of who we are. May we be a people who not only know the forgiveness of Christ but also experience the transforming work of His Holy Spirit. May His love fill our hearts and overflow into the lives of everyone we meet.  I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!

These last few weeks I have been preaching through the Articles of Faith which guide my spiritual formation. This coming Sunday we are going to take a closer look at Repentance. Repentance is one of those words we often hear in church, but what does it really mean? The word repentance is often described as a doing a “one-eighty”—an about-face. This is as opposed to continuing in the direction we have been going, we turn around and begin moving toward God. That reminds me of something from aviation. There are circumstances in aviation where a pilot may find himself in a situation where attempting an immediate 180-degree turn is not possible or safe. The aircraft may not have the performance or space necessary to simply turn around and return in the opposite direction. The pilot cannot make the turn simply because he wants to. Sometimes our spiritual lives can feel that way. We may recognize that we are going in the wrong direction, but we may also realize that we don't seem capable of changing course on our own. Habits have become deeply rooted. Attitudes have become patterns. Sin has affected the way we think and act. We may genuinely want to change, but our own strength is not enough. But here is where the Gospel changes everything. What may be impossible for us to accomplish on our own is made possible through Jesus Christ. Christ gave Himself for us. Through His sacrifice, the way to forgiveness and reconciliation with God has been opened. And through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit, God enables us to respond to His grace, to recognize our sin, and to turn from it. That means repentance isn't simply me trying harder to become a better person. It is God's grace enabling me to turn. This Sunday we are going to look at Apostle Paul, who is perhaps one of Scripture's greatest examples of this. Paul had been persecuting followers of Jesus. Yet when he encountered Christ, the direction of his life changed dramatically. The persecutor became a preacher. The one who had worked against the Church became one of its greatest missionaries. Paul described his message as calling people to “repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.” That is a genuine 180-degree turn. Peter reminds us that God is patient, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” So perhaps the question for each of us is not, “Can I make the turn?” The better question is: “Am I willing to respond to God's grace and let Him help me make the turn?” Because what we cannot accomplish in our own strength, God makes possible through His grace. The 180-degree turn from sin may seem impossible to us—but with Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the impossible turn becomes possible.  That is the hope of repentance. We don't have to remain headed in the wrong direction. By God's grace, we can turn around—and begin walking toward Him.

This past Monday evening, I had the privilege of being invited to the Gideons Pastor Appreciation Dinner hosted by the Lancaster Camp of The Gideons International. Lisa and I were truly honored to be included and grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these men and women as we learned more about their ministry. Many of us know the Gideons because we have seen Bibles placed in hotel rooms, but their ministry is much broader than that. The Gideons International is an association of Christian business and professional men and their wives who are committed to sharing the Gospel and making God's Word available to people around the world. Their ministry includes distributing Scripture in places such as hotels, hospitals, schools, prisons, military settings, and other locations where people may encounter God's Word. They also seek opportunities to personally share their faith and encourage others to know Jesus Christ. One thing I appreciated learning more about is the importance of the local Gideon Camp. A camp is essentially the local organization through which Gideons carry out their ministry in their community. It gives members an opportunity to work together, encourage one another spiritually, and put the mission of sharing God's Word into practice right here where we live. The Gideons have been sharing God's Word for more than a century, and their ministry has grown into a worldwide effort. According to The Gideons International, their members and ministry partners have reached people in more than 190 countries and have impacted more than 2.6 billion people with the hope of the Gospel. I was especially encouraged by the heart behind their ministry. Their desire is not simply to distribute a book, but to place God's Word into the hands of people who may be searching for hope, direction, forgiveness, and ultimately a relationship with Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the invitation to the Pastor Appreciation Dinner and for the opportunity to fellowship with Christian men who are committed to taking God's Word into the world. It reminded me once again that we are all called to be witnesses for Christ wherever God has placed us.  Please join me in praying for the Lancaster Gideon Camp and for Gideons throughout our community and around the world. May God continue to use them—and all of us—to plant the seeds of His Word and point people toward Jesus.

This Sunday, September 20, is Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar and is a day set aside for repentance, reflection, fasting, and seeking reconciliation with God. For Christians, Yom Kippur provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on something at the very heart of our faith: atonement. How fitting that my message on Sunday will be answering the question you see on our marquee, ‘How do we atone for our sin?’ In the Old Testament, the Day of Atonement was the one day each year when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place and made atonement for the sins of the people. Sacrifices were offered as God provided a way for His people to have their sins covered and their relationship with Him restored. You can read about this in Leviticus 16. But the story does not end there. The Old Testament sacrificial system pointed forward to something greater. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ entered not an earthly sanctuary, but heaven itself, and offered Himself once for all. Jesus became the sacrifice that makes reconciliation with God possible. Romans 5:8 reminds us, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” What a powerful thought! We don't have to somehow make ourselves worthy before coming to God. We don't have to earn His forgiveness. God demonstrated His love by taking the initiative and providing the way for us to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ. Yom Kippur reminds us of the seriousness of sin and our need for forgiveness. The cross reminds us of the depth of God's love and the price He was willing to pay for our redemption. As we gather for worship this Sunday, I encourage us to take some time to examine our hearts. Is there something we need to confess to God? Is there someone we need to forgive? Is there a relationship that needs to be restored? Most importantly, have we truly placed our faith in Jesus Christ and received the reconciliation He offers?

One thing I truly enjoy doing—and I hope you are developing an appreciation for it as well—is reaching out to our community and the communities around us. I know you are probably getting tired of hearing me say that God created us in His image and, because of that, we were created for relationships: a relationship with Him and relationships with one another. Over the past couple of months, we have had some wonderful opportunities to experience this firsthand as we set up our church booth at both the Baltimore Festival and the Carroll Festival. It has been a blessing to meet people, build relationships, and simply be present in our community. This weekend brings another local festival opportunity: the Honeyfest in Lithopolis. Since it is a little farther away from us, I do not plan to set up our church booth there. However, if you look at the end of this newsletter, you will find a flyer for a gospel sing that will be part of the festival. We have had the pleasure of hosting each of the artists who will be performing at some point over the past year. Some we have had the opportunity to host more than once, and all of them have become dear friends of ours. So, I want to encourage anyone who would like to support our friends, enjoy some great gospel music, and interact with our neighbors in Lithopolis to join Lisa and me at the Honeyfest this Saturday. We would love to see you there! While you are looking at the flyers at the end of this newsletter, be sure to check out our October concert and mark your calendars now. It will be here before we know it! And can you believe that we are already just over 80 days away from December? Talk about a year going quickly! Therefore, you will also see a new flyer advertising our Christmas Concert featuring Persuaded on December 6 at 5:00 PM. I hope you will make plans now to join us for what promises to be a wonderful evening of music, fellowship, and celebrating the Christmas season together. With that, I will leave you with my devotional Scripture for today, found in Psalm 30:5: “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”  What a wonderful reminder that whatever we may be facing today, God’s faithfulness remains. The night may seem long, but joy is coming in the morning.

We had a wonderful Lemley & Friends concert this past Saturday! I had a hunch that it was going to be a good time because of all the “hurdles” we encountered leading up to the event. Looking back, I think God was reminding us that He can work through even the unexpected! Here’s a quick recap of the evening: 1. One of the artists originally scheduled had to drop out because of some medical issues, so Don and Sylvia stepped in to take their place. 2. Then Don ended up needing to go to the hospital, so another group was found to fill their spot. 3. At 4:00 PM on Saturday, I received a call that another scheduled artist needed to bow out because of health concerns with his wife. Thankfully, our good friend Kameron Waits agreed to step in at the last minute. 4. Finally, another scheduled act was a husband-and-wife team, but the wife was under the weather, so the husband ended up doing their set by himself. Can you say, “Who’s on first?” 😂 Despite all the moving parts and last-minute changes, we ended up having a great night of music, worship, and fellowship! In fact, it was one of the largest concerts we have had at Wildermuth Memorial Church to date, with 45 friends coming together to enjoy the evening. Then, on Sunday morning, we welcomed **All4Him—Tim and Sally Acton—**back with us. They did an amazing job sharing the Gospel through song and testimony. What a blessing it was to hear how God has worked in their lives and to be reminded of the power of sharing our faith through our stories and through music. Our concert season is beginning to wind down. At this point, we have just one more concert on the calendar for this year, scheduled for October. However, I am working on trying to get another concert scheduled closer to Christmas, so stay tuned!  In the meantime, I want to encourage each of us to continue being God’s hands and feet in our community. Look for opportunities to reach out to your neighbors, coworkers, friends, and acquaintances. Build relationships, share the Gospel message, and invite them to come worship with us. We never know what God might do when we simply take the opportunity to reach out to The One He has placed in our path.

As many of you know by now, our family is in the process of relocating my father from independent living to a nursing facility. If you have ever walked through this experience with a loved one dealing with dementia and/or sundowning, you understand the struggles and heartache that come not only for the individual, but also for those who love and care for them. It can be a difficult and emotionally exhausting season. Last week, I was able to get away for a little while and spend some much-needed time with friends and family at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. Knowing that Dad was safe and being well cared for at the nursing facility allowed me to relax, clear my mind, and simply enjoy some time away. It was a blessing to be able to decompress and recharge. With that in mind, I want to encourage each of you to carve out some time in your schedule to visit these incredible attractions. There is something special about seeing the biblical story and the truth of Scripture presented right before your eyes. If you have been before, consider going again! There are always new attractions, lectures, concerts, and conferences to experience. In fact, if there is enough interest, perhaps we could plan a church road trip together. If we can find a date that works for a group of us, I think it would be a wonderful opportunity not only to visit these attractions, but also to enjoy some good Christian fellowship along the way. We could make it a one-day trip, although that would make for a fairly long day, or we could consider staying overnight, keeping in mind that would add to the cost.  Another possibility would be to plan our trip closer to Christmas and enjoy the incredible Christmas lights and displays. What a great way to combine fellowship, fun, and an opportunity to be reminded of the truth and beauty of God's Word. If this is something you would be interested in, please let me know. I would love to see if we can get a group together and make it happen!

I know I mentioned this during our announcement time on Sunday, but I want to once again express my sincere thanks to everyone who came out and helped staff our booth at the Carroll Community Festival. Your willingness to give of your time and represent Wildermuth Memorial Church in our community made a real difference. I am especially encouraged by the opportunities God gave us to connect with people. I know of at least four new families who have asked to be added to our church newsletter email list— welcome to all of you! Several people also asked for information about our Gospel sings, and a few who found us through our website have reached out wanting to learn more about Wildermuth Church. One particularly interesting encounter involved one of the festival vendors. Their last name is Wildermuth, but they had never heard of our church or knew much about the Wildermuth family history in this area. I was able to share some of what I knew, and they are now planning to research their family history further. Perhaps that connection will even lead them to join us for one of our upcoming events! All in all, I truly believe we can be both thankful and proud of our efforts to reach out to our neighbors during the festival. More importantly, I hope we see this as an example of how God can use simple opportunities when we are willing to step outside our walls and engage with our community. Let's start making plans now to be ready for next year's festival. Perhaps we can even have sign-up sheets ahead of time so that more of us can share in the opportunity to staff our booth. Looking Ahead to Fall As summer begins to wind down and the kids head back to school, our concert schedule also begins to slow down. We have a couple of events planned for the last weekend of August, the monthly Lemley and Friends sing will be our only concert in September, and we have a couple more events planned for October. That doesn't mean we are slowing down in our desire to reach people, however! We are beginning to explore the possibility of a Fall Festival-type event, perhaps with another outdoor concert, a campfire, and—if we're lucky—maybe even some more of that delicious ice cream! Please stay tuned as we look at schedules and availability and see what we can put together. My hope is that these events will not simply be opportunities for fellowship, but also opportunities to invite our neighbors, build relationships, and share the love of Christ with those around us.

This weekend is the Carroll Community Festival, and I am excited about another opportunity for us to reach out to our community! We will have our church booth set up Friday evening and throughout the day Saturday. We will be handing out information about our church and upcoming events, but most importantly, we will have an opportunity to share the love of Christ with our neighbors. I also have some exciting news! During the Baltimore Festival, the Ministerial Association handed out school supplies, and we have the extras available to give away at our booth this weekend. What a wonderful opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus by meeting a practical need in the lives of families in our community! I want to thank Laurenda for taking time from her schedule to join us in Baltimore, and I also want to proactively thank everyone who has already said they will be joining us at the Carroll Community Festival. Your willingness to serve and represent our church is greatly appreciated. As we have been challenged throughout this year to be Kingdom-minded and reach the lost in our area, we know that it takes far more commitment than simply attending a Worship Service on Sunday morning. I am thankful for each of you who continues to rise to this challenge. Together, we are seeking to reach “the One” whom God has placed in our path and help that person grow in a relationship with Him. I also want to give you an update on another matter for which I previously asked you to pray. We have been seeking God’s will concerning whether some of the property around our church could and should be used by the Bloom-Carroll Youth Football League.  There is significant interest in making this happen from the league, our church leadership, and the Foundation. Unfortunately, it does not appear that all of the necessary logistics can be properly addressed in time for anything to happen this year. However, all of the necessary parties plan to meet after the first of the year to work toward making it possible for next year’s season. Let’s continue looking for opportunities to reach our Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth! There are people all around us who need to experience the love of Christ, and I believe God is calling us to be His hands, His feet, and His witnesses wherever He places us.