January 3rd Order of Worship

10 a.m. Contemporary Online Service

December 29th

Dear Union Church Family,

Well, it’s not been a good year. We started to realize this back in March. By April, I was reading articles and memes about turning the calendar back to 2019. But as we moved into the fall, those articles and memes morphed into jumping forward to 2021. We pretended that the pandemic, political divide, quarantines, race issues, job losses, anger, shutdowns, and hatred, are all the fault of a calendar year. So why not just blame it all on 2020? And now that Christmas is over, let’s just get on to 2021 and put this year behind us.

Now, I’m not denying that this year was tough. I’m a pastor, and I’ve given my life to full-time ministry. Ministry is about people: connecting, serving, gathering, leading, loving, correcting, teaching. It’s hard to do that and social distance. So this has by far been the hardest year of my ministry, and I’ve been doing this for over 25 years! But difficult times are good and necessary. We’ve learned a lot this year. Some of us have learned how good we actually have it (trust me, most people in history would still trade places with us). We’ve learned how fragile health can be and how vulnerable we all are (I’ve wondered what this would have been like, had COVID truly been deadly, on a scale closer to other pandemics in history). We’ve learned how badly, even the most introverted among us (like me), need face-to-face relationships and physical gatherings with others. We’ve learned how quickly our financial condition can collapse.

So, this is not a time to “just get it over with.” This is a time to remember and learn, taking those memories and lessons with us into 2021 and the years beyond. Because if we allow the lessons of this year to shape our attitudes, values, and plans in years to come, some of us will look back at this year the way the “Greatest Generation” revered the “Great Depression”— a time that shaped them into the over-comers and builders that they became. I remember, in particular, my Grandma Younger speaking with fondness of the poverty she fought her way through during those years. If we keep 2020 with us in our memories and lessons learned, we can view this year the same way.

So in these closing days of this year, do some things to properly bring the year to a close. Scroll through your pictures. Write down what happened and when — both nationally and in your own life and family. Reminisce. Talk through the pain, emotions, and blessings to your family and friends. Then, write down the lessons you’ve learned this year, and how those lessons will change you. 2020 surprised us, but it didn’t surprise God. He knew these things were coming that he in his own sweet sovereignty allowed. And he orchestrated some of those things for our own good. As the old saying goes “We may not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future.” So, here is to a bright and beautiful New Year, Union Church! Let us grow and thrive together in 2021!

Love,

Billy

January
Calendar
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Changing Service Times

Starting Sunday, January 10th we will be having our Combined Worship Service at 11:00!

From the Mission Committee!

The Mission Committee would like to those who participated in our Angel Tree, Bradley Center and Guatemala Baskets.

Union came through once again with gifts for 66 Angel Tree children of prisoners along with a $25 gift card for each family, gifts for 12 Bradley Center youth, and over $5900 for Guatemala Baskets. What a blessing you have been to so many!

Open Flower Calendar Dates

2021 Flower Calendar: If you would like to purchase flowers to honor or remember a loved one, call the office. $30 check payable to Union Church Deacons [placed in the offering box any Sunday]. Flowers can be picked-up after worship service or donated for delivery to a Union Church member.

The upcoming dates currently available are January 24th, 31st, February 21st and April 18th. PLEASE NOTE: if the need arises, there is the option to purchase a 2nd flower arrangement/week.

A Warm Thank You!

On behalf of the congregation, a huge thank you to everyone who has worked hard to make livestream possible. Thank you to the worship team that helps lead us in song, the behind the scene workers who make things flow seamlessly, and the pastors who provide us with encouraging messages week after week.

We appreciate all that you are doing to let us continue to grow in our faith and spend time in God's presence from our homes. We look forward to worshiping together again soon!

LOCATION
Union Church of Robinson Twp.
6165 Steubenville Pike
McKees Rocks, PA 15136

Ph: 4127871818
Email: Click Here

Services
Sunday Morning Combined Worship is at 10 a.m.