| 07.09.2026 Greetings Church Family, This Sunday our focus goes to Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23 where Jesus tells the “Parable of the Sower” to show that people respond to God’s word in different ways. The seed represents God’s message, and the soils represent human hearts: some reject it, some receive it briefly, some are distracted by worries and wealth, and some accept it and produce spiritual fruit. Jesus is teaching that the way people receive God’s word depends on the condition of their hearts. The same seed is scattered everywhere, which shows that God’s message is given to many people. However, not everyone responds the same way. Some people do not understand or accept it, some believe for a short time but give up when life becomes hard, and others let worries, distractions, or the desire for wealth keep them from growing spiritually. The “good soil” represents people who truly listen, understand, and live according to God’s word. These people allow the message to take root in their lives, and because of that, they produce spiritual fruit. The main lesson is that we should prepare our hearts to receive God’s word by being open, patient, faithful, and willing to grow. My message title is “Parable of the Sower”. What a wonderful time we experienced last Sunday with our patriotic worship as we celebrated our country’s 250th birthday along with our church being 200 years old as well. I have had several tell me they appreciated me tying in the fact that our church began not very long after our country was formed. It is humbling to remember that generations before us planted seeds of faith, service, prayer, and community that are still bearing fruit today. As we continue celebrating this special anniversary year, may we also ask God to continue to help us be good soil—ready to receive His word, grow deeper in faith, and share His love with those around us, the very thing our scripture asks of us this week. The men who fought for freedom in 1776 were men of faith, courage, and conviction. They understood that freedom was not simply something to be enjoyed, but something to be protected, cherished, and used responsibly. In much the same way, our church has been blessed by generations of faithful people who gave, served, prayed, taught, sang, and worshiped so that the message of Jesus Christ would continue to be shared in this community and beyond. Their lives remind us again that faithfulness in one generation can become a blessing in the next. As we give thanks for our nation’s history and our church’s history, let us also consider what seeds we are planting today, seeds of faith, service, prayer, healing, and community. May the Lord find our hearts ready, our hands willing, and our lives fruitful for His kingdom. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. The Living Forward Group for widow / widowers will be meeting on Wednesday July 15th at 1:00 PM. The meeting will take place at Asian Lantern Restaurant in Hamilton. New members are always welcome. It is a time of food and fellowship. If there are any questions, please contact Carla Baker. Her information is in the directory. Kym has put together a calendar of events that we are celebrating for our 200th anniversary. We will have copies at church for you and they are also posted on our webpage. Go to https://rossumc.org/. On the menu you will see 200th Calendar of Celebrations. Click on the link and scroll down. Our next celebration in honor of our 200th will be August 13th as we will have a movie night and “indoor picnic” open to community and all that gather. Invite someone to join us for a fun night at church. Then on August 16th we will have our District Superintendent Rev. Dr. Suzzane Allen join us on Sunday morning during worship along with the Methodist Historical Society representative Jack Holt for the gift of proclamation in honor of our 200th. We will have a reception after the service. Our shirt order has arrived. If you have not paid for your 200th shirt or shirts yet or received them, Please see Brenda Brown on Sunday. The 200th committee invites you to share how you became part of Ross Community UMC. What brought you to our wonderful church? We have received several notes, and we would like to thank Jan Gump for her testimony last Sunday. You can submit your story in the provided box or email something to rosscommunityumc@gmail.com. Our stories will be assembled together as we journey through 2026. We need to thank Reva Johnson and Marlene Sloneker for organizing and scheduling the portraits for our new directory. As Marlene reported Sunday, you can still add a picture if you were not able to be there last Thursday. See them for more info. We should see the fruit of their labor soon. Thank you for your support each month for Heifer Project International. We collected over $241.00 since we sent in the last gift. Jan will be giving us an update on the animals we purchased, and if you would like any additional information, see Jan or the Heifer Project International table. REMINDER, SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ON SUMMER BREAK Adult Sunday School is growing. Many of you have shared with me how wonderful your class is and how much you enjoy being with Paul Smith’s weekly topics and leadership. This is another perfect opportunity to invite others to join us and experience RCUMC. Invite a friend and join Sunday School at 9:45. During the 10:45 am service, we are blessed to have Trysta Taylor lead our younger ones. She has a great class ready to receive our children with a program just for them. Any questions, stop by her area and say hello on Sunday Thought of the Week: Trust God for the journey: Just as God saves for eternity, He will also guide you through life’s journey. Blessings, Pastor Chris Next Update 07.16.2026. |