Cumberland United Methodist Church

Cumberland United Methodist Church Pastor Casey Pelzer
Sunday Worship 10:00 - 11:00. Sunday School, 1st & 3rd Sundays
9:45 - 10:15.

09/02/2026

Midweek Message #604
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
-Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus was talking to people who had been raised and made to believe the narrow gate could never be open for them. Now, He is opening the gate and inviting them to go the narrow way that leads to life. I wonder if this was so well received that the focus was less on the size of the gate and more on the invitation to the way of life. Building up to this, Jesus had told them things such as not to worry or judge. He told them to give to the needy and love their enemies. Jesus told them things like they were the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In other words, Jesus had been laying out the narrow way that leads to life. Practice these things. Those things listed are narrow gate practices. It's easier not to do those things. It's easier to enter the wide gate and travel the broad road. It's a crowded route. However, we are invited to be different. We're invited to practice Christlikeness. It may not be the popular or easy way, but it's the way that leads to life.
Take time each day to consider the narrow gate. Don't see the size of the road as restrictive, but instead see it as an invitation. It's an invitation few will accept because they focus on the crowds going the broad way or they focus on the size of gates. Instead, focus on the practices. Practice the way of Jesus. God's grace is sufficient and His mercies are new each morning. We don't have to fear failure. Accept and go the way of life. Practice the way of Jesus. And suddenly, you'll realize you're down the narrow path.

~Grow the Word

08/26/2026

Midweek Message #603
“You are the salt of the earth..."
-Matthew 5:13a

Jesus tells a massively diverse crowd on the side of a mountain that they are the salt of the earth. Jesus didn't tell them to "try hard" to be the salt of the earth. Jesus didn't tell them to "pretend" to be salt of the earth. Jesus didn't even tell them "you're like" the salt of the earth. No. Jesus told them, "You are the salt of the earth..." Jesus reminds them who they are in Christ. Despite all the ways the world had defined them, they were the salt of the earth. He is reminding them who they were created to be. If you're reading this, Jesus would look you in the eyes and tell you the same thing.
So what? Those who heard this would have understood the magnitude of this declaration. Salt was of high value and often used as a form of payment for goods. Its high value was due to its important purpose of preserving other goods, most notably, meat. In other words, salt was valuable because it brought value to other items by preserving it. Today we'd say that it increased the shelf life of items. Being the salt of the earth means we have high value, but our value is only high because in Christ we bring value to others. We help preserve the life and love of Christ through sharing it with others. The power of the Holy Spirit in us not only adds value to our lives but uses us, as salt, to add value to the places we go and the people we meet. This is not for our glory, but for God's glory.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the salt of your home. You are the salt of your business. You are the salt of your classroom. You are the salt of your team. You are the salt of your school. You are the salt of _________. You are. Go and be who God calls you to be. You are more valuable than you know because you're preserving a love that's more powerful than you know. Go and share it.

~Grow the Word

08/19/2026

Midweek Message #602
"When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone's way, He causes their enemies to make peace with them."
-Proverbs 16:7

Ahhhhhhh! It is possible! We can please the Lord! That might be a bit of an overreaction but maybe not. It's easy to get stuck in ruts wondering if the Lord notices or cares. It's easy to question if we could ever please the Lord. Hopefully I'm alone in this thinking but I'm guessing I'm not. My thought default is too often negative and I just wonder if someone like me could ever please the Lord. Solomon reminds us that the Lord does take pleasure in our ways and when He does, peace is the blessing that follows.
In fact, we'd likely be surprised to know the measure of pleasure the Lord takes in some of our everyday, faithful decisions. This verse is dropped in the middle of wisdom regarding a man's plans and the Holy Spirit implementing those plans. The Lord takes pleasure in us every time we confer with the Spirit. This might be conferring over any plans, big or small. Do I go or not? This way or that way? Do I speak or not? Every encounter we have with the Spirit brings God pleasure.
How aware of the Holy Spirit can you be today? How often can you bump into the Spirit in your planning? To what measure will you allow the Spirit to implement those plans? Each of these is an opportunity to have an encounter, big or small, that will please the Lord. Slow down a bit today spiritually. Confer with the Spirit. Peace is waiting.

~Grow the Word

Teachers, support staff & students of surrounding communities are invited to join us!
08/15/2026

Teachers, support staff & students of surrounding communities are invited to join us!

08/12/2026

Midweek Message #601
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..."
-Proverbs 3:5

I've never lacked self-confidence. In fact, I hope I haven't and don't come across as arrogant but I'm certain there are times I'm closer to arrogance than humility. Self-confidence is more of a blessing than a curse. It's something we often try to instill in our kids and others so that they can be successful. Too much self-confidence is a much better issue to deal with than a complete lack of, in my opinion. Yet, here's what I've come to realize. Self-confidence, although it's necessary to succeed in life, does very little if anything for us spiritually. In fact, I don't need self-confidence. I, we, need what some contemporary theologians call "Godfidence."
"Godfidence" allows us to live out this verse and many others to the fullest. At times, I have been so self-confident that I trust myself more than God. Self-confidence gives me a dangerous weight to leaning on my understanding more than I ought to. In the end, I fall in the wrong direction. Throughout Scripture, God seemed to choose and use people who would lack self-confidence and grow them in Godfidence. Moses struggled with his ability to speak and lead. David was the youngest of many yet chosen to lead. John the Baptist said he shouldn't even carry the sandals of the Messiah. The twelve disciples had many instances where self-confidence was lacking. Paul, after his conversion, was knocked down in self-confidence and replaced with Godfidence.
Don't hear what I'm not saying. Self-confidence is more good than bad. I just don't know that it is of much benefit in our faith. We need humility to approach the throne. We need Godfidence that's built on a courageous Spirit from the Lord. It releases us to approach the presence of God with freedom, but not arrogance. It allows us to trust in the Lord, and not ourselves. It gives us permission to not need the answers, yet understand. Let's begin to replace some of our self-confidence with Godfidence today.

~Grow the Word

08/05/2026

Midweek Message #600
"This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls'..."
-Jeremiah 6:16

Life is filled with crossroads. There are crossroads in careers, relationships, lifestyle choices, etc. Some crossroads involve discerning church homes and monetary decisions. Heck, sometimes what to eat for supper feels like a crossroad. In fact, they can come so fast that we often fail to stand and look, even at the big important crossroads. We might go with our gut or even read a hundred reviews but we still fail to stop and look in the right direction. The right place to look is God. In fact, the Lord says to stop, look and ask. Ask for guidance. Ask which way the Lord would want us to go. There's no decision or crossroad that's too silly or small to stop, look and ask God. In fact, the Lord tells us even what to ask for; the ancient paths. The path that has been tried and true. The path that has been faithful for generations. David says in Psalm 23, "...You lead us along right paths for Your name's sake." It may sound boring but you know that saying, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." These are paths of repentance, mercy, grace, patience, and love. These are the paths we are to walk and it's then we'll find rest for our souls.
I'm convinced that God cares more about how we do things in life than what we do. I'm not saying the Lord doesn't care what we do, I just believe He's more interested in how we do it. How do we treat ourselves? How do we treat others? How do we serve? How do we work? How do we use the gifts He's given? Those are the crossroads we ought to stop and look the longest. Those are the times we need to ask for our Good Shepherd to show us the good way. Then it's up to us to commit to walk in it. And it's on those walks down those paths that we will find what nothing else can give us, rest. We are invited to walk in such a way. I look forward to walking with all of you down these paths. Let's stand, look, ask, walk and find.

~Grow the Word

07/29/2026

Midweek Message #599
“The eyes of all look to You, Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time."
-Psalm 145:15

All creation looks to God to supply their needs. Whether we look to God willingly or not, intentionally or not, our supply comes from Him. He supplies the food that nourishes us, the breath that sustains us and all other necessities. We look to Him for peace, love and wisdom. The Lord feeds us in more ways than we can imagine. He feeds us physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. There is something to "...give us this day, our daily bread." Yet, we often feel empty and malnourished. It can seem as though we're looking to Him for provision and satisfaction and yet we're in want. We question if God knows we're looking to Him.
Yet, "at the proper time" He provides. God knows not only exactly what we need and how much but He also knows when we need it. Unfortunately, we don't get to decide how or when the Lord will come through. But fortunately we can rest assured that He will indeed provide what we need at the proper time because God is faithful. God always gives us our daily bread at the proper time.
Give thanks for God's faithfulness. The Lord will provide whatever it is we need, at the proper time. All we have to do is look to Him.

~Grow the Word

07/22/2026

"They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty - and I will meditate on Your wonderful works." -Psalm 145:5

For a couple weeks, I have been meditating on getting a different pickup. I have studied, read reviews, used AI, glanced at various dealership websites, and had so many conversations with others that I've been an annoyance. Two weeks ago, I never spoke of trucks. At some point, hopefully soon, I won't speak of them again until necessary. But because I've been meditating on it, thinking deeply about it, I've spoken about it, albeit too much. The point is that we speak most about whatever takes up our thoughts.
David wrote this psalm near the end of his life. He encourages the generations to speak and tell others of God's majesty and splendor. David knows that whatever we meditate on, the more we're willing and committed to sharing with others. Others will tell and David will think deeply about God's wonderful works. And David will proclaim while others think deeply about God's goodness. It's experiencing, thinking, telling, and hearing. That's what we're to do as Christians. We experience something good and later we think about its goodness. Then we share experiences. That's how we're to witness. That's how we encourage one another and above all, how we glorify God.
Take a few minutes each day to meditate on God's wonderful works in your life. Ask the Spirit to give you the courage and opportunities to share the wonderful works of God. And share deeply and willingly. I'm amazed by the silly things we're often so willing to share passionately in comparison to the seeming difficulty to share God's goodness. Perhaps it's because we meditate too often on the wrong things. Let's meditate on the things of God and let's share with one another in celebration.

~Grow the Word

This weekend we celebrated the baptism of Jaxon Tyler Tibken 💙
07/20/2026

This weekend we celebrated the baptism of Jaxon Tyler Tibken 💙

07/15/2026

Midweek Message #597
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever."
-Psalm 136:1

Gracious God, we have so many things to thank You for. There are too many to name, yet, each one comes from Your goodness. So above all else, we give thanks for Your goodness. Lord help us live each day with an awareness of Your goodness so that we can experience it to the fullest. We know there is nothing we can do to deserve or undeserve it. It's just who You are and for that, we give thanks and praise. Forgive us when we ignore it, take it for granted or try to earn it. Let us live in a humility that willingly accepts all the ways in which You are good. Lord, help us to better understand this love that endures forever. Give us minds and hearts to feel this love You have for us as it's the ultimate example and proof of Your goodness. It's a love that fearlessly pursues us every day. It's a love that is bound by an eternal promise. It's a love that on this side of eternity we cannot understand. Yet, one day on the other side, it will overwhelm us in an undeniable way. God, You are good and You invite us to experience Your goodness by dwelling in an everlasting, perfect love. Help us accept this invitation each and every day, for Your glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

~Grow the Word

Address

317 Monroe Street
Cumberland, IA
50843

Opening Hours

10am - 11am

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(712) 774-5818

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