Pine Cone Press
May 2024
Pine Tree Cumberland Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 5340
1805 Pine Tree Road
Longview, Texas 75608
(903) 759-2685
Rev. Cindy Barton, Pastor
(442) 235-1393
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: https://www.pinetreecpchurch.org
__________________________________________________________________________________________
From the Pastor’s Desk: “Unless I Go Away…”
In John 16:5-7, Jesus comforted his disciples, saying, “But now I am going to Him who sent me… Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. I tell you the truth: it is for your good that I go away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
We see clearly in the writings of Luke the connection between the Ascension of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Luke 24:49-51 records the promised gift and the ascension. Jesus said, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up to heaven. In Acts 1:8-12, Luke continues: Jesus said to them, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Ascension Day is the fortieth day after Easter. It commemorates the day when the resurrected Jesus rose into heaven before the eyes of his amazed disciples. The significance of this day is great: Because Jesus rose to heaven, we have an advocate that represents us perfectly before God. He prays for us, intercedes with God for us, and perfects our own prayers. The Ascension also gives witness to the bodily resurrection of Christ and promises a similar event in our own salvation. We will rise to be with Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God. Finally, the Ascension of Christ into heaven was a necessary precursor to our receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you.”
This month we mark the Ascension of Christ on May 9 and the coming of the Holy Spirit to believers on the Day of Pentecost, May 19. What a blessed assurance we have! Jesus has risen to heaven to represent us before God; we are assured that we will follow him there; and until that day, he has given us the renewing and empowering gift of the Holy Spirit, that we may be about his mission on earth!
National Day of Prayer, May 2nd
The National Day of Prayer has great significance for us as a nation as it enables us to recall and to teach the way in which our founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions. It stands as a call for us to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for our leaders and His grace upon us as a people. The unanimous passage of the bill in 1952, establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual event, signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning. You can read more at Mission and Vision - National Day of Prayer Task Force
Important Dates to Remember
Tuesday, May 2 National Day of Prayer
Sunday, May 5 Sunday School – 9:30 A.M.
Worship – 10:30 A.M.
Communion
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Thursday, May 9 Ascension of the Lord
Session Meeting
1:00 P.M.
Sunday, May 12 Sunday School – 9:30 A.M.
Worship – 10:30 A.M.
Noon Meal
Mother’s Day
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Sunday, May 19 Sunday School – 9:30 A.M.
Worship – 10:30 A.M.
Day of Pentecost
Stott-Wallace Offering
Sunday, May 26 Sunday School – 9:30 A.M.
Worship – 10:30 A.M.
Trinity Sunday
Monday, May 27 Memorial Day
Pine Tree CP Women’s Ministry Meets
Women of the Pine Tree CP Women’s Ministry met on April 20, 2024, to conduct business and receive spiritual nourishment through fellowship, prayer, and devotions. The program, presented by Helen Nunn, was entitled “One More”. The message began with Matthew 9:9-13, in which Jesus called Matthew, the tax collector, to follow him. We were reminded that Jesus came, not to call the righteous, but sinners. The message continued with the parable of the lost sheep, from Luke 15:1-7, in which the man rejoices in the return of the one lost sheep to his fold. We were encouraged to broaden our reach, drawing “one more” believer from the many categories of people who might be excluded from our church families. The program was closed with a thoughtful prayer, seeking God’s vision and guidance for our outreach to the lost. We shared a delicious meal prepared by Marcia Ross.
Stott-Wallace Missionary Offering
The Stott-Wallace Missionary Offering will be collected at Pine Tree CP Church during worship on May 19, which is recognized as Pentecost Sunday and also as World Mission Sunday. The Stott-Wallace Offering is the sole means of support for missionaries serving under the Missions Ministry Team of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and covers missionary efforts in Brazil, Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, the Philippines, and Spain. Our missionaries plant new churches, train new pastors and lay leaders, assist CP presbyteries in the host countries, and assist with community outreach projects including feeding programs for the poor, medical clinics, and educational programs for children.
The offering is named for two lifelong missionary families – Buddy and Beverly Stott (Japan) and Boyce and Beth Wallace (Colombia). The Stotts served as Cumberland Presbyterian missionaries for 26 years, and the Wallaces served as missionaries for over 50 years. These two couples represent a long legacy of Cumberland Presbyterian missionary service. Generous contributions to the Stott-Wallace Offering will provide stable salaries and benefits for our missionaries as they work in service to God and his kingdom.
Mother’s Day
The modern Mother’s Day has its roots in the early 20th century. Anna Jarvis, following her mother’s death in 1905, spearheaded the campaign to recognize Mother’s Day as a national holiday in the United States. Anna Jarvis’s dedication to her mother’s memory and her relentless campaign remind us of the personal connections we all have with our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers. By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Wishing all of the mothers around the world a wonderful celebration!