by Ruth Schwalm

A congregation of 223 members and friends gathered to observe "All Saints Sunday" as well as to continue its year-long celebration of 200 years of Christian ministry and outreach.

The pastor, Rev. John Kurtz and his wife, Chris, were feted during the informal opening of the service for the Pastor’s birthday as well as for the anniversary of their wedding.

Ken Baer led the singing of praise choruses and hymns, and the requests for blessings received during the week.

The Scripture Lessons, read by Rev. Kurtz, were: Isaiah 25:6-9; in which the prophet tells of Christ’s coming to save his people, and John 11:32-44. In the latter, there is recorded the death and raising of Lazarus.

The names of church members ("saints") who died in the previous year (December 7, 1999-July 12, 2000) were read as follows: Richard L. Hiler; George F. Brown; Pauline W. Mountz; Neil J. Stewart; Madaline Van Sweringen; William J. Schin; Alyce C. Utley; and Barbara Peterman.

The pastor expressed "thanks" for the lives of these "saints," for their family members and relatives, and for our "linkage" to all the saints in history. They (the saints) taught us Christ’s LOVE and FORGIVENESS. Rev. Kurtz prayed that we might be helped to take risks for Christ’s sake and His kingdom. The choral response "Make Me a Servant" followed.

The anthem by the choir, "We Are One, Lord," and the hymns "Jesus, United by Thy Grace" and "For All the Saints," spoke clearly to the unity of Christ with his children down through the ages.

The guest minister for this bicentennial event, Rev. Gregory Lake, was then introduced by Rev. Kurtz. He brought greetings from his congregation in Warrior’s Mark, where he has served since 1999. He recalled with gratitude the support provided by this congregation during 1978-1979 when he was the Director of Christian Education, and needed "hope" to meet the challenges of a new job, while supporting his wife and children, 1 and 2 years of age.

Rev. Lake’s message entitled, "And Their Voices Are Still With Us", reached back to the aforementioned scripture lessons.

In the passage from Isaiah 25:6-9, the nation of Israel had suffered grievously at the hands of the Babylonians. Isaiah’s prophetic words that "He (Christ) will swallow up death in victory; and that the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces...and he will save us", gave the Israelites hope; they could say, "We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." In our present-day society, many of us are confronted by many forces against which we as Christians need to struggle. We need to recall the words of assurance that came from Isaiah. If we believe in Christ and clasp his hands, His purposes and kingdom will prevail.

In a similar fashion, Rev. Lake helped us recall the death and raising of Lazarus. His sisters, Mary and Martha, were in a state of despair. They could not understand why Jesus had not come to their aid before Lazarus died. The scripture goes on to tell us that Jesus brought Lazarus back to life. He brought hope to all those in the town of Bethany who witnessed this miracle, and Christ continues to bring hope to all of us today. He said to Martha in John 11:25-26, "...I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

How fortunate we are that we are not only enjoying the hope of life everlasting, but that we are connected with the "saints" now, including those who have been part of our congregation’s 200-year history. Truly, we can have hope for the future through faith from the past.

Additional information concerning Rev. Lake is as follows. He was recommended for ministry by Mercersburg First United Methodist Church in 1978. He graduated from Shippensburg State University in 1980. He has served the following congregations: Carlisle Grace as Associate Pastor (1979-Sept 1981), Martinsville (Sept 1981-1989), Paddletown (1989-1994), Hughesville Bethany (1994-1999) and Warrior’s Mark (1999-present).

During the fellowship time after the service, Rev. Lake and his wife, Cindy, were able to greet friends who supported them during their time at SUMC in 1978-1979. Pictures were taken for historical purposes.

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