Blog

True inspirational stories to warm your heart and kindle the spirit

The Magic of Shoebox Sunday
Lori Jagow Lori Jagow

The Magic of Shoebox Sunday

There is a buzz about the building, unlike any other day. Excitement is in the air as the holiday season is soon about to kick off with the arrival of Advent, and Santa Claus in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Trailers line the front of the church parking lot. The church freezer is stuffed with turkeys for our meal ministries, and the altar is shimmering with a sea of colorfully wrapped shoeboxes.

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From Out Of The Darkness & Into The Light
Lori Jagow Lori Jagow

From Out Of The Darkness & Into The Light

It was the year 2011, and after twelve years of marriage, I found myself a single parent, homeless, and destitute. My family and I had been through a horrific and shocking experience that left me with little faith in humanity. Trust was something I no longer knew.

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Laugh More, Love More, Pray More
Pastor Tom Kraft Pastor Tom Kraft

Laugh More, Love More, Pray More

This summer I finally tackled a project at the cottage I have dreaded for twenty years… insulating the crawlspace so we could use the building in cold weather. Cleaning out the mess underneath, raking it, hauling in plywood and insulation, messing with Great Stuff, moving pipes, installing a vapor barrier, and making insulated cupboard doors.

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Let Your Light Shine
Pastor Tom Kraft Pastor Tom Kraft

Let Your Light Shine

It seems I always have a building that needs work. My cottage, my daughter’s house, the parsonage, the Pendleton Church, First Church… there is always something to fix.

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Do Not Be Anxious
Pastor Tom Kraft Pastor Tom Kraft

Do Not Be Anxious

Have you ever played the game Whack-a-Mole? It used to be in all the arcades. You would whack a mole with a club, and as soon as you knocked one down, another one would pop up.

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Pastor Tom Kraft Pastor Tom Kraft

Working As A Team

They were great men, but Paul says, they were only men. And the church was a lot more than any of them. It was a team of people all working to build a ministry for God, and a church that let God build through them.

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Pastor Jean Edmister Pastor Jean Edmister

A Message From Pastor Jean

As many of you know by now, I have received an appointment to a new church starting on July 1. This means I will no longer be one of your Pastors at Pendleton Center UMC. I have loved serving and doing ministry with you over the past 26 years. Our pastors are working diligently to figure out who will work with the ministries I currently lead. Please be patient and pray as they make these decisions.

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