Centenary United Methodist Church

05/13/2026

Say thank you and pray for our police!

National Police Week is a time to pause and honor the brave officers who work every day to keep our roads and communities safe.

In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

05/12/2026

Sermon for May 10, 2026

Part of The Resurrected Life series

Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC... The Resurrected Life: Victorious Living ( 2 nd Corinthians 4:7-18 ) [Slide] Once upon a ti...

05/12/2026

Midweek Musings

Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother’s Day recently. It is good to honor the women in our lives who inspire us by their faithful love and nurture. I have a few friends raising special needs children. Their resiliency, dedication, and faithfulness are astonishing. They are inspiring reflections of God’s faithful love.

Mothering has been celebrated in various cultures throughout the centuries. Rhea, the mother of Zeus, is celebrated as the mother of the gods in ancient Greek culture. But did you know the U.S. version of Mother’s Day has its roots in a peace movement by women?

Julia Ward Howe, a social activist, author and poet, known for composing the lyrics to the beloved Battle Hymn of the Republic, saw her share of suffering from the battlefields of American Civil War. She nursed the wounded. She called for a Mother’s Day of Peace in her Mother’s Day Proclamation (1870). Here’s a portion:

“From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence vindicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of council. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them then solemnly take council with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his own kind the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.”

Anna Jarvis was the one successful at establishing Mother’s Day in America. She, too, was a social activist and cared for the wounded. She was aware of Julia Ward Howe’s proclamation. When her mother passed in 1905, she began petitioning for Mother’s Day. The first Mother’s Day was held at the Andrew’s Methodist Episcopal Church in 1908 in Grafton, West Virgina. You can visit the church today as a shrine to Mother’s Day. The idea spread through local communities across the United States. By 1911, most states celebrated Mother’s Day, some officially recognizing the holiday. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making the second Sunday of May a national holiday to honor our mothers.

My own mother stayed, played and prayed. She could have pursue her own interests like a career, or adventures. Her heart was at home with her children. She played games with us with much laughter. She was faithful in her prayers and made sure we knew Jesus. My earliest memories of singing is standing on a church pew next to my mother. I’m grateful for the faith she passed on to me.

The mother of my children, Michele, is a source of constant love and faithfulness. I call her my quiet strength. Our son, AJ, once said that she is the perfect expression of love. She rarely has a cross word for her children.

The Proverbs contain an ode to a noble wife and mother. I leave you with these words as you honor the wonderful women who have mothered you and yours.

“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:29-30)

Pastor Scott Tyring

05/10/2026

We are so blessed to have you here with us on this lovely Sunday service.

05/08/2026

From the Vietnam War era film Apocalypse Now!

Robert Duvall plays a commander of a air calvary unit. Air support had just dropped na**lm on enemy positions. Duvall comments that the smell of na**lm is like the smell of victory.

We're discussing victorious living this Sunday. It has nothing to do with na**lm, or bombs or bullets. It has everything to do with who is in the fight with you.

Ephesians 6:12-13 NIV
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground

See you Sunday!

05/07/2026

Sermon for May 3rd

4th in The Resurrected Life series

Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC... [Title] The Resurrected Life: Abundant Life (John 10:1-10) [Slide] In the summer of ...

05/07/2026

Don't you love happy endings! Compassion for all God's creatures rules! Thank you, officers!

05/07/2026

Meditating on this verse today.

1) What in my life contaminates my body and my spirit?

Colossians 3:5, 8-9 NIV
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
..rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

2) How can I pursue complete holiness, singularly living for Jesus only?

2 Corinthians 5:15 NIV
Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

3) In what ways is my life a reverant offering to God?

Romans 12:2 NIV
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

05/06/2026

I feel like someone needs this word today.

05/05/2026

Pastor Scott's Midweek Musings

This is The May

May is huge for the Indianapolis area with all the festivities around the Indianapolis 500 race. The sounds of the track fill the air… tire tests and practice runs, cheering crowds during the mini-marathon. It’s an exciting time. This is May!

May is also the pivotal month of Star Wars celebrations. May the fourth is International Star Wars Day. On May 1st (5/01), some celebrate the 501st Clone Trooper battalion, led by Anakin Skywalker. May 10th is Maker’s Day, the birthday of George Lucas. The day that shall live in glory is May 25th, 1977. After Jaws in 1975 and Star Wars in 1977, the dawn of the summer blockbuster caused a seismic shift. Hollywood changed dramatically.

We all love a good story. In preaching, it’s the story that generally connects with listeners. Theology is fine, biblical exposition is illuminating, but story touches the heart. While I’m a huge nerd when it comes to Star Wars, there is one story, above all, that moves me. It is the story of Jesus. That story has power to transform lives. There are many other worthy stories, but Jesus’ story changes people, often dramatically.

The apostle Paul writes,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes… (Romans 1:16)

The gospel, which means good news, is the story of God’s love revealed in the ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When the time was ripe, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of the beloved King David. Angels celebrated His birth as the promised messiah. They sang, “Peace on earth and goodwill to all humankind.” Those who witnessed His advent were given hope. Hope is oxygen for the soul. The gospel saves.

John 3:16 is famous as the gospel in a sentence.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus came from God. He came to restore us to a lifegiving relationship with our creator. His teaching moved multitudes as he spoke with divine authority. His compassion healed the sick and set free those bound in spiritual oppression. Jesus connected them to their Father in heaven. He gave His own life as a sin offering. His blood shed on the cross atones for the sins of the world, yours and mine. Because of Jesus, our sins no longer separate us from God. Jesus came to give us life to the full, by restoring us to the very source of life. God has reached out to us all through His Son.
Racing is exciting. Star Wars may, once again, bring audiences to the theaters in droves this May. But it’s the old, old story of Jesus and His love that continues to transform lives.

Sports, news, Hollywood, comics, novels and games; the sources for story are many. We all have our passions and fandoms. Perhaps, other stories have your attention. The story of Jesus is transformative because God moves in this story for our benefit. Hype cannot do what God does. Hype brings joy for a time. God brings new life and new creation to those who receive hope through faith.

This is the May?

Christ is the way… to life, to God’s loving embrace, to salvation.