Pine Cone Press
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
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.gmail.com
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From the Pastor’s Desk: “Resurrection, Reconciliation, Relationship”
And Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. Resurrected! …All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. Reconciled! And he has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us…” Relationship! 2 Corinthians 5:15,17-20
Do you take seriously the assignment to be an ambassador for Christ? Formally, an ambassador is “an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country”. More generally, an ambassador is a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity. Ambassadors carry the message of the one who sends them and work through establishing relationships with people they did not know before they began their task. We are God’s accredited ambassadors because of our beliefs: We believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth, died to pay the debt for all human sins, and was resurrected to eternal life, for the purpose of reconciling all humanity to God. The goal is to draw all people to Christ and, through him, to restore the broken relationship between God and his creation. The “three R's” of learning to be Christ’s ambassadors could be “Resurrection, Reconciliation, Relationship”. Relationships are God’s primary path for bringing people into his kingdom. As Christ’s ambassadors, we are tasked with establishing relationships both within and outside of the church to carry the message of the gospel: “Be reconciled to God through the resurrected Christ!”
One of our most powerful tools as ambassadors is to share our own salvation stories: What has Jesus done for you? How is your life made better because you know Jesus as your savior?
We must be willing to establish relationships to carry the message of reconciliation to those who have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord, or we fail as ambassadors. I implore you to focus on the building of relationships. Be salt – a catalyst for change. Be light – bring the light of Christ to the world’s darkness. Live with a Christ-like spirit – let others see the peace and joy we find as we place our faith, hope, and trust in God through Christ. Take the risk of sharing your story – Resurrection, Reconciliation, Relationship!
Important Dates to Remember
Monday, September 1 Labor Day
Saturday, September 6 Trinity N. Region CPWM
Elmira Chapel CP Church
9:00 A.M.
Sunday, September 7 Sunday School – 9:30 A.M.
Worship – 10:30 A.M.
Communion
Thursday, September 11 Patriot Day
Session Meeting 1:00 P.M.
Sunday, September 14 Sunday School – 9:30 A.M.
Worship – 10:30 A.M.
Noon Meal
Sunday, September 21 Sunday School – 9:30 A.M.
Worship – 10:30 A.M.
Monday, September 22 First Day of Autumn
September 27 & 28 Trinity Presbytery
New Journey CP Church
Longview, Texas
Sunday, September 28 Sunday School – 9:30 A.M.
Worship – 10:30 A.M.
Trinity North CPWM
The Fall meeting of the Trinity North Cumberland Presbyterian Women’s Ministry will be held at Elmira Chapel CP Church on Saturday, September 6. Registration begins at 9:00 A.M. and the meeting at 9:30 A.M., following the theme of “Bind Us Together”, based on Colossians 3:14. Guest speaker for the morning program will be Jackie Hayden, a Christian communicator who carries a message of hope through forgiveness in Christ. A time of sharing will highlight community-based outreach activities of each local CPWM group. The afternoon meeting will close with Communion. Join us for this time of Christian service, worship, and fellowship.
Trinity Presbytery Fall Meeting
The Trinity Presbytery Fall Meeting will be held at New Journey CP Church on September 26, 2025. The business meeting begins at 1:00 P.M. and will be followed by a meal and a worship service. We are honored to host the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Rev. Jhony Montano from Popayan, Colombia at this meeting. He will preach at the evening worship service of the presbytery meeting and again at Marchall CP Church on Sunday, September 28.
Activities of the Pine Tree CPWM
Members of Pine Tree Cumberland Presbyterian Women’s Ministry gathered on August 23, 2025, at the church to plan outreach for the coming seasons. In September and October, we will accept candy donations to be distributed to residents at Pine Tree Lodge at Halloween. Crocheted scarves and headbands will be given to clients at House of Hope and patients of Texas Oncology. We are conducting a year-long sock drive; donations of adult-size socks for men and women will aid outreach to homeless and needy populations of our community. In November, we will pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Marcia Ross presented a devotional program based on Isaiah 30:29. Marcia’s shared story encouraged us to always have a song in our hearts as we trust God in all things. A delicious meal was provided by Nancy Abernathy and our meeting closed with food and fellowship.
