​Dear Church Family,
The Elders met yesterday, March 25th, via an online meeting and reviewed our response to the Coronavirus pandemic in light of the latest Federal and State guidelines.  You likely already know those guidelines have become more restrictive since we made our initial response decision.  We have decided to stay with our initial decision going forward. That means Sunday Worship Services remain canceled and the church facilities will continue to be closed to all ministries with the exception of the Food Pantry until such time as the Federal and State guidelines change.
 
Please be aware that Pastor Ron will be posting a video message on our church website Sunday mornings. 
 
Several people have inquired about how to give their offering during this time.  Thanks to those who asked the question.  We have continuing expenses to pay including staff payroll, church maintenance, and utilities.  If you are able to give, please mail your offerings to the church office:
            Cato Christian Fellowship
            P.O. Box 176
            Cato, New York 13033
 
We have decided to make an online giving option available on the church website soon.
 
Please feel free to share this message with your family and friends. 
 
Respectfully,
Your Elders

This morning in the Adult Sunday School Class we watched a video from Ravi Zacharias Ministries.  The video is from an RZIM Conference that looked at the Ministry of Dallas Willard.  The video can be viewed at this link:
https://www.rzim.org/watch/dallas-willard

A viewing guide we used can be downloaded here.

This morning Pastor Ron mentioned a message that had a significant impact on his life.  The message was Chapter 2 of A.W. Tozer's classic work entitled: "The Pursuit Of God" and the title of Chapter 2 was: "The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing".  This a link to that chapter.

This morning in the Adult Sunday School Class we discussed an article by Jon Bloom originally posted on the "Desiring God" website.  The article deals with the Christian's "calling" and our discussion connected that with the sometimes confusing pursuit of God's specific will for individual believers.  The article is worth the read.  Consider making it a launching point for family discussion or personal meditation.

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-greatest-thing-you-can-do-with-your-life

This morning the Adult Sunday School Class discussed an interesting article posted on the Desiring God website entitled:  "What Do You Feed Your Eyes".   The article can be read at:  ​https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-do-you-feed-your-eyes

Sunday in the Adult Sunday School Class Pastor Ron shared a bit of the testimony of Rosaria Butterfield’s experience of, and now practice of, radically ordinary hospitality.  The link below is a short video of Rosaria describing that experience with a link to her latest book entitled, “The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World”.

https://www.crossway.org/articles/how-radically-ordinary-hospitality-changed-rosaria-butterfields-life/

A few scriptures exhorting hospitality:

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:13 ESV)

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:1 ESV)
​
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another… (1 Peter 4:8-10 ESV)

This week in our small group we used the linked handout below to discuss how to listen to and benefit from the sermons and teaching we hear in church weekly. Realizing God has given and gifted pastors and teachers in local churches it is very important to Him that His people pay close attention to the hearing, study, and application of the messages they deliver with the Spirit's leading. 

How To Listen To A Sermon Handout

As I listened to Ron's sermon this morning I recalled a very helpful teaching I heard years ago by A.W. Tozer.  Here is a link to a CMA Devotional that addresses Tozer's point regarding present tense faith.

This is a link to the article Pastor Ron referred to in the Easter Sunday Sermon:  "Why We Call the Worst Friday Good" by David Mathis.