Bascom United Methodist Church

01/09/2022

01/09/21 In-Person Worship Service CANCELLED due to weather forecast of freezing rain! Stay safe and warm! Checkout our sister church’s page, Rainelle United Methodist Church, at 10:00 AM for message via Facebook Live.

May God bless you all!

01/06/2022

11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving Bascom United Methodist Church! I’m deeply grateful for you all! Many thanks to God for placing such affirming people in my life. Your incredible encouragement is a constant balm to my soul. You’re presence in our community is like that of a warm hug.

My prayer today is that you all are surrounded by love today. I pray that you take this day to stop and to look around and see how God has blessed you. All glory and honor are His!

Please call if you need anything! (304) 667-0224

Gratefully,

Your pastor and friend,

Rev. Katie Knotts

11/17/2021

As we head into the holidays…

Let us remember to quiet the buzzing around us.

To accept God’s gift of rest.

To slow down.

And to see.

To see our people…our homes…our abundant blessings…

To see the lonely…the distraught…the needs of others…

Open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth thou hast for me. Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for thee. Ready, my God, thy will to see. Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!

11/08/2021

Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’ve all been through some pretty hard times, right?

Today I am claiming this promise.

Trust in Him with your heart. He gets it and He is for you.
Lean not on your own understanding. You can’t see the full landscaping of your life. You can only see a tiny fraction. He sees all.
In all of your ways, acknowledge Him. Open your eyes, your ears, your heart, your mind…He is present with you in this hard time!
And He shall direct your paths. With your openness, He will guide you through it to the full view and not only your skewed view.

Stay alert! Trust Him.

Cling to this promise if you, too, find yourself in hard times.

And if you are in need of prayers, reach out!

11/06/2021

Is November already seemingly flying by for you? It sure is for me! Just like that…today is November 6!

Will you join with me in giving thanks with a grateful heart?

For what are you thankful?

I’m thankful for God’s never failing provision.

He’s walking the path of my life with me…but He’s always a few steps ahead.

If, even in fear, I keep walking, He provides for my every need along the way.

If fear starts to cloud my view, He lets me travel a bit in that fear as I continue to grow in trust.

When I stumble or fall flat in my face, He picks me up, brushes me off, and encourages me to keep going.

He doesn’t leave me alone. He works everything for good. And He helps me to see the good.

He supplies my every need. Grace abounds!

Won’t you join me in giving thanks?

11/03/2021

All Saint’s Day was November 1.

Those living among us…those who’ve gone on to glory…and those who influenced our walks of faith from a distance…be sure to remember them this week.

Gracious God,

Thank you for all of the saints who’ve impacted our lives; those who’ve allowed themselves to be a vessel of Your love and a beacon of Your light in this world. May we never forget them! And may we become an extension of them, loving others and shining brightly for others, just as Your Son, our Savior, did. In His precious name. Amen.

10/25/2021

“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen!”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:20-21‬ ‭TPT‬‬

I know this. That God’s mighty power works in and through me and accomplishes much! I know that He achieves infinitely more than my greatest request, my most unbelievable dream, and exceeds my wildest imagination! He outdoes them all! And, YES, His miraculous power constantly energizes me!

And I forget. Time and time again.

It’s so hard to remember. Because without Him, I’m nothing. Without Him, I’m worthless. Without Him, I’m frail. I’ve claimed those descriptive words many, many times throughout my life. Maybe you have to? Or maybe you claim others that are similar?

That’s who you are without Him, sure.

But now…now who are with Him? Who are you in light of Jesus? Who are you when He abides in and through you?

Claim these ⬇️ instead!

I am united with Him.
I am a new creation.
I am a saint.
I am a child of God.
I am redeemed and forgiven.
I am complete.
I am anointed.
I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected.
I am a channel of His life.

We believe IN Jesus.

But, even more, how about we BELIEVE Jesus, too?

What do you say we drop the world’s lies and pick up the Truth in Jesus and believe Him?

That’s the good news for today. Let’s celebrate that! Let’s praise His name!

❤️Pastor Katie

10/19/2021

There’s just something special about Eugene Patterson’s “The Message” translation.

Lamentations 3:22-24
The Message

22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.

That’s what Michael Ealy’s quote brings to mind.

How was your Monday?

Mine was pretty manic. You know those days. You’ve experienced them before.

It was a lovely day! And I’m incredibly grateful! But it was definitely one of those days where each simple task or seemingly simple task grew to become more and more complex. Each step I took felt as if I was losing ground instead of gaining ground.

Yet God’s grace and God’s mercy were on full display!

If you had a Monday kind of Monday…let me remind you…tomorrow is a new day! It’ll be filled with opportunity! But even more profound…it’ll be filled all the more with God’s grace and God’s mercy.

Keep going.

Keep looking up.

I will too!

❤️ Pastor Katie

Gracious God,

Thank you for this day. Thank you for guiding me and for protecting me. Thank you for the sun in the sky and the cool autumn breeze. Thank you for the vibrant display of colorful leaves and mountainous views. Thank you for the people who touched my life today. Thank you for the many blessings of this day. Thank you for Mondays.

10/15/2021

My friends, hear these words written by James, the brother of Jesus; these words, inspired by God, which were written for you and for me and for all of God’s people.

James 1:5-8 and James 5: 14-16

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

There is power in prayer! Wisdom comes from the Father through prayer. Forgiveness comes from the Father through prayer. Healing comes from the Father through prayer. All good and perfect gifts come from His hand…amen?

I spent the entirety of a year walking to the beautiful place in those pictures every day and talking to God. At first, it was very intentional. I almost had to force myself to go. But soon after, it was as if it had become second nature. I had this fiery spirit that propelled me to go. It felt similar to the birthing process. At first, my body and mind had to be prepared for the miles and the solitude. And it took work. Eventually, it became second nature. At first, it was laborious. My prayers were simple or silent. After a while, my walks grew longer and my prayers grew deeper and more focused.

I’ve experienced some definite highs and lows in my journey of faith, but I knew there was something different about this part of my journey.

After four months of walking and praying and spending time with God every day, something changed. I changed. My relationship with Jesus changed. Incredible healing and forgiveness happened. Healing of my soul…of my mind…of body. Chains had been broken!! And wisdom was implanted in my heart.

And then He called me.

There is power in prayer, my friends.

This place will always be one place where God feels closest. It’s sacred. It’s holy. It’s one of God’s good and perfect gifts.

❤️Pastor Katie

10/14/2021

Hey friends? Did you take that spiritual gift inventory that was posted a week or so ago?

This week, we are being very intentional about praying and remaining in prayer.

Consider this.

Boldly ask God to use you and your spiritual gift to serve another. Give thanks to God for your incredible gift that He chose just for you, and resolve to listen to His guidance on how your gift can be used and be a blessing for someone else. Be ready for Him to answer. Be ready to jump into action! Watch in awe as God’s perfect name is glorified in the most humble of circumstances. Let His goodness bring you to Your knees. There is power in the name of Jesus!