Syracuse Pilgrim Holiness Church

CREW update: We re-launched our children's ministry, CREW last week. In the past 2 weeks, we have had 8 new children and 3 new adults in our services. We are thankful for God's help. Please help us pray that we can continue to build and develop these relationships and make a difference in our community.

CREW prayer request of the day: Pray for unity. Pray that our church works together as the body of Christ to show Jesus' love to our community.

From this morning's sermon: "Just as caterpillars are born to fly, sinners are born to be holy." And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.... Romans 12:2 KJV See more

We had a special time of gratitude and recognition in this morning's service for Sis. Carol Alexander who has faithfully served as our church treasurer for 10+ years. We are delighted to honor such a sacrificial, dedicated lady who has given time, money, and energy to advance God's work.

Wishing you a merry Christmas filled with the peace that only Emmanuel's presence in your life can bring!

This is an unprecedented time in our lives. We are faced with a pandemic. While some people think that this is way overblown, others think that the response of government officials and people are just right, and others feel that we are not doing enough. In my roles as a bus driver & pastor I have talked with people in the schools and with people of faith. People have varying opinions on the issue no matter their political, spiritual, or economic perspective. Although I ...personally feel that we may be going overboard and spiraling downwards faster and faster toward lunacy and pandemonium, coronavirus is a legitimate concern. People are dying. Are fatalities at a higher percent than those caused by the flu? We don’t know. What we do know is that it is spreading fast and many people are being affected, not just those who are infected. Because of my perspective I have done the bare minimum in changing my personal, social, economic and religious routines. However, I am in a position of leadership and this makes it my responsibility and that of the church board to choose how our church is responding to the policies and guidance which are being given by government officials. As a pastor, I must consider those to whom I am responsible. First, I am responsible to God. Secondly, I am responsible to the family that God has entrusted to me. I must ensure that my family is provided for and safe. We are prepared and as ready as we can be to face the challenges these next weeks will bring. We are educating our children at home and we are even more busy than we were before. I am also responsible to those parishioners who God has asked me to lead. I’ve heard it said, that a preacher said the following during the Revolutionary War as he picked up his musket to fight the Red Coats, to the dismay of his parishioners: Sometimes we are called to feed the flock, and other times we must fend off the wolves. My pastoral responsibility is more than delivering sermons one, two, or three times a week. I must take a holistic approach to my flock’s personal, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. Because of this, upon the recommendation of the board and under the guidance of the government which has recommended that there be no meetings of more than 10 individuals (knowing that there are 9 in my family), it has been decided that until April 19, 2020 at the earliest, there will be no church at the Syracuse Pilgrim Holiness Church. It may be extended beyond that, dependent upon continuing events. However, reconvening at that time is our goal. While our services are suspended, please feel free to visit the following holiness church’s online services: Beavertown God’s Missionary Church: https://beavertownchurch.com/watch-live Archived sermons: https://beavertownchurch.com/watch-live/archived-services Shelbyville Bible Holiness Church: http://www.shelbybhc.com/livestream/ Archived sermons: http://www.shelbybhc.com/archive/

Before and after pictures of a Saturday project. Huge thanks to Joyanna Dodd for her help with this project. More to come, but we're excited to be creating a more engaging environment for our Children's Church ministry!

Moses and the "burning" bush in Sunday school this morning.

A bunch of kiddos are very ready for this morning's program! We'd love for you to come join us for The Shepherds' Gift, starting this morning at 11.

We had some sweet visitors this morning for S.S.! Journey and Inri participated with the children downstairs while their Daddy sat in the adult class. We LOVE having more people to share Jesus' love with and hope our new friends will be back soon!

We're looking forward to a new series starting this Sunday! Come join us at 11 am each Sunday, or stop in early at 9:45 for Sunday school.

We're looking forward to Vacation Bible School this year! Go to www.syrphc.com to register today!

We're blessed to have a great group of children full of energy, enthusiasm, and potential in our children's church each week!

Ways to praise: 1. Praise through setting proper priorities - Focus on Christ (Matthew 22:37-40) 2. Praise through obedience (I Samuel 15:22-24) 3. Praise from your pocketbook (2 Corinthians 9:7)

An excerpt from a testimony this morning: "When Satan tries to tempt me, I just say, 'You get on down that road!' because I know God is with me and He already won. Friend, don't be discouraged! God knows what you are going through and He has already defeated Satan and all his army.

Another dear friend has made the crossing. Paul will be greatly missed. We're thankful for his faithfulness. http://mobileobits.syracuse.com/obi/syracuse/obituary.aspx