Earlier this week I – like many others – was captivated by a powerful act of care and compassion at a Little League Baseball playoff game that went viral. In a high-stakes game between teams from Oklahoma and Texas, with the winner advancing to the Little League World Series, a batter from Oklahoma was hit in the head with a pitch. The ball struck the batter’s helmet between the ear covering and the front visor, immediately knocking the boy’s helmet off and sending him to the ground grabbing his head. It was a scary and tense moment, as coaches and a trainer rushed out to his aid. Fortunately, after a moment, the batter was fine. He stood up, felt ok, and made his way down to the first base. All who looked on with concern breathed a sigh of relief.

 Except for the pitcher. See, the boy who threw the pitch that came so close to injuring his opponent was shaken and crying on the pitcher’s mound. He made a mistake – one pitch got away from him. Yet that mistake almost hurt someone else badly. The pitcher realized this and was struggling to move on. Still, no one on the field seemed to be picking this up… other than the batter who had just been hit in the head.

So that batter tried to call out, to the pitcher and tell him it was ok. Not getting a response, he slowly walked over to the mound and gave the pitcher an awkward, yet beautiful hug. He said that the pitcher was doing great; that he was ok and will be fine. Slowly, the pitcher’s teammates and coach all huddled around and encouraged him as well. Those in attendance stood and applauded – many with tears in their eyes.

Later, when being interviewed by major news outlets, the batter (named Isaiah Jarvis) said he “wanted to go over and spread God’s love, and make sure he’s ok.” In a competitive moment with stakes so high, facing a situation where great personal injury could occur, Isaiah was concerned about the wellbeing of his opponent. When he saw that opponent struggling, he reached out in compassion and vulnerability. That simple yet powerful act of compassion greatly impacted both the pitcher who was hurting and countless others who have now seen it. I have to say, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a more tangible expression of God’s love than Isaiah’s selfless gesture.

In a world where our focus is so often on ourselves – and how we are wronged - Isaiah had the composure and compassion to see his opponent as a person, not an enemy. To see him as a child of God, not as someone with ill intentions. By maintaining that outward-looking focus and putting himself in the shoes of someone else who was hurting, Isaiah was able to respond with God’s love. Which begs the question: how often do we have opportunities to respond similarly in our lives?

Watching Isaiah’s amazing act of compassion and care has challenged me to maintain his outward-focused mindset grounded in Christ’s love. I have to believe that mindset will go a long way in extending the compassion and hope that Christ longs to share with all people!

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Through a program with the Trex Corporation, we are collecting clean and dry soft plastic bags (examples in flyer). Bags should be brought to St. John's and placed in the large white container in the Narthex. Upon collecting 500 lbs of material, Trex will provide us with a brand new bench (can receive 1 bench every six months). Our first bench will be sent to the Bright Futures Academy for their new playground. This project is organized by two of our Youth Stars, Nicole & Melissa McDevitt. Click below for acceptable plastics to be recycled.

is Back with the Disney movie Encanto!

In celebration of our Church and our St. John's Family, we will have a Potluck Brunch to enjoy being together after our enforced pandemic separation. Come out to worship our God, share your favorite brunch recipe, and spend time catching up with friends old and new. Sign-up sheets will be available in the Narthex starting this Sunday. Meanwhile, brainstorm ideas for future Fellowship Sundays and think about what you're going to bring to the Potluck. (Remember, everything's better with bacon!)

 eccampbell@aol.com  215-364-0942

Forming Now

Come join the fun and help to plan future opportunities to gather together as a Church family. We're looking for ideas from our youth and our "elders" and every age in between. Join the Fellowship Team or just come to planning sessions as you are able. Contact Pastor Ruth, Kathy Keppol or Lynne Tomlinson

MUSIC MINISTRY

Red Bird Mission would like to include sports balls in the Christmas boxes for kids in the Beverly, KY area. The Communion Offering on Sunday, October 2, will be used to purchase items through Amazon and have them shipped direct to Red Bird.

 Monetary donations will also be accepted each Sunday in September and added to the Communion Offering amount. Look for the table in the Narthex area.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Donations Needed of

 Please place contributions in the shopping carts located in the narthex

Please contact Lou Lescas at stjohns820@gmail.com if you are available to help. 

Our next study on Wednesday evenings will be Disciple III FastTrack. This is a 24-week comprehensive study with manageable daily scripture readings. The first half focuses on Old Testament prophets; the second half on the Letters of Paul.

Disciple III FastTrack study guides on The Prophets and Letters of Paul can be purchased online from The Well Bookstore, UM Church of the Resurrection

online (click here).or through the church email at stjumc@aol.com. 

Once you've registered, you can either make donations by debit or credit. Lenten Offerings may also be received through our website.

 TEXT GIVING 

email Lou Lescas at stjohns820@gmail.com

address, phone, email, etc.