Dear Church Family, It is an odd feeling to be in the church sanctuary on Sunday morning with only two other people in attendance. We know that the church is not the building. It is the people who are part of the body of Christ that make up the church.  So it really does not feel like church. During this pandemic, I have learned that being together matters more than I thought.  Loving one another at a distance is safe and the right thing to do. It demonstrates our obedience to the governing authorities and our love for one another. As Paul wrote in Romans 13:8, “ Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves has fulfilled the law.” So let us love one another, for the time being, by being separated, knowing that Spirit produced love will hold us together while we are apart. God bless you, and keep you, and may His face shine upon you. In His Bountiful Grace, Pastor...

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Dear Church Family, This is a time of loss. We have lost our security, our economic stability, some have lost loved ones, and others have lost good jobs. With loss comes grief. As followers of the Lord Jesus we too grieve, but not as the world grieves. In I Thessalonians 4:13 we read, “ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as those who have no hope.”  We grieve too, but in a way that is different than the world. Our grief is informed by the promises of God in His Word. That is why when a loved one passes who knows Jesus we can say that they have “fallen asleep.” It’s only a temporary separation. We have a very real hope while we grieve. The same is true of any other loss we experience. It too can be reframed by God’s Word. He is in charge bringing  glory to Himself and good to His people. Below is an email that I just received from Pat Bennett’s daughter. Pat went home to be with Jesus last week. Her family is grieving as those who have hope. Have a wonderful day. See you on Sunday. Pastor Joe “Hi Pastor Joe, Thank you so much for your call and prayer with me last week. Due to the Covid 19 virus, only ten people can be at the funeral; however, there will be a live webcast of the service. The funeral is this Friday, the 24th, at 12:00 noon. The link is not active yet, but can be found on the Dostal Bokas Funeral Home website. Here is the link to Pat’s obituary with info on the webcast. The link should be active for 90 days, so if someone would like to view her funeral and is unable to do so on Friday, they can see it later. https://www.dostalfuneralservices.com/obituaries/Patsy-Bennett-3/#!/Obituary If you could share this with your congregation, it would be appreciated. The members of your church have been so amazing with their prayers, cards and gifts. I can’t thank you enough. Blessings,  Sue Linder (Pat and Bob’s daughter)  Bob...

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Dear Church Family, In Luke 22:31-32 our Lord said to Peter, “ Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Of course, Peter did not think that he needed to have his faith strengthened and he fell as Jesus predicted. It’s interesting that our Lord prayed for Peter before he failed and that He prayed that Peter would be used in a powerful and redemptive way after his failure. Our failures do not take Jesus by surprise. Why does His grace and forgiveness surprise us? They shouldn’t. As the old hymn states, “Wonderful grace of Jesus; greater than all my sin.” Unlike Peter, we should embrace His grace and forgiveness even before we need it. Some of you enjoy sending birthday cards to friends in the church family. Here are birthdays for the rest of April. Sue Freshly and Olivia Carafelli (16th), Scott Carrel (20th), Juliann Canonico (25th), Ian Kovac, Anthony Warner, and Etheleen Werstler (26th). May we all embrace His grace and forgiveness before we need it. God bless you and stay safe in Jesus. By His Grace, Pastor...

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Dear Church Family, There are certain words or phrases in the Bible that especially intrigue me. One of those is the phrase “living hope” in I Peter 1:3. The verse reads, “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ  from the dead.” What is a “living hope?” Our hope is alive in that it is the God-given life that is in us once we belong to Him. “Hope” is the eager expectancy that grips the born again soul. So our living hope is the God given life inside us that causes us to look with eager expectation to a future that is full of optimism. Regardless of our present circumstances the living hope inside us gives us optimism that everything will be just fine. That living hope is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus. May the living hope in you give you complete optimism as you face an uncertain tomorrow. Hoping that you “see me” on the day that our living hope was sealed, Easter Sunday. Because of Jesus, Pastor...

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Dear Church Family, One of the challenges of the Christian life is waiting on the Lord. That challenge is certainly seen in our current pandemic. People who are accustomed to being on the go most of the time are being forced to slow down, focus on spiritual things, and wait until life returns to normal.  Some of my favorite verses in the Bible are about waiting on the Lord. Here are two of them. “Wait on the Lord;  be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart; Wait I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14. “ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord,” Lamentations 3:26. God promises to strengthen our hearts and to be good to us if we wait on Him.  Waiting on the Lord is always worth the wait. Slow down, enjoy your family, but especially enjoy your God! In His Matchless Grace, Pastor...

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Dear Church Family, This will be the first devotional sent to you in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In Psalm 29:2 we read, “ Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name: Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” We don’t often think of holiness as being something that is beautiful. True holiness is extremely attractive. Jesus is perfectly holy and people were attracted to Him like a magnet. God is committed to our holiness. He wants the bride of Christ to be “without spot or wrinkle,” Ephesians 5:27. One of God’s favorite tools is trials and uncertainties that show us our imperfections and drive us to Him. Let the Lord use the current trials to make you more holy and increasingly beautiful to Himself and others. Since the lift of the shutdown does not appear to be just around the corner, Canton Grace is suspending all Sunday and Wednesday services until further notice. In other words, we will contact you when we can meet together again in person. In the meantime, we will continue to serve you via the internet on Facebook Live on Sunday mornings at 11:00. The Sunday services will be posted on our church website, cantongbc.org, and we are connecting small groups via various platforms. You are loved and prayed for. God bless you and have a great day! Pastor...

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