Pastor’s Pause: “Believable?

When they finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more
than these?” Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you. -John 21:15 CEB

The above scripture allows us to witness a conversation between Jesus and Peter sometime after
Jesus’ resurrection. We find that Jesus has shared a meal with his disciples beside the Sea of
Tiberius, and Jesus begins a conversation with Peter -“Let’s go for a walk. I want to talk to you.” So,
they start off down the beach, kick sand beneath their feet, scanning the shore in front of them for
shells and sea creatures.

As Jesus and Peter begin this conversation, Jesus addresses Peter by his given name, “Simon son
of John.” Jesus asks “Do you love me more than these?” We don’t know who “these” refers to, but it
really doesn’t matter. We can only imagine how Peter must have felt as Christ then repeated the
question a second, and then even a third time! And really, it’s not too difficult to see the
exasperation in Peter’s response, “Lord! You know that I love you!”

Peter needs to prove his love to Christ. We don’t ever have to prove anything to our Lord, and there
is nothing we can do to earn Christ’s love or forgiveness of us. It is always grace. The reason Christ
repeats this very difficult question to Peter is revealed in Christ’s instruction following each of Peter’s
response. “Feed my lambs.” “Take care of my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.”

When we say that we love Jesus, are our words believable? Are they backed up by action in our
lives as we seek to love and care for others? Without having to ask, can someone look at our lives
and proclaim, “Yes, this person loves Jesus! Following Christ means that we go where Christ would
go, we do what Christ would do, and that is to care for, to forgive, to love others, even those that are
hardest to love. We can’t just put down roots in our church buildings and sing praises to Christ every
week about how “O How I Love Jesus!” We have to go out beyond the walls, doing stuff, loving
people! This will take us to places we cannot imagine!

Jesus asks, “Do you love me more than these?... Feed my lambs.” “Do you love me?... Take care of
my sheep.” “Do you love me? … Feed my sheep.” Do you love Christ?

Let’s be people who live the kind of life where that question doesn’t even have to be asked. Every
day, let all of us, share the love of Christ with all that we meet!

Blessings,
Pastor Bonnie
 Sunday, May 1st, 4:00-8:00PM
Church Hill Park
Sponsored by the
Church Hill – Price
United Methodist Charge
May 12th – 4:00-7:00PM
at Carletto's. Come sit and chat
with Pastor Bonnie!
Join us May 22nd,
1:00PM at Carletto's
May 5th @ 6PM in the front yard of
Calvary-Asbury UM Church
Hotdogs, chips and bottled water
will be available!
Exalt the Lord who has Established us. –
Colossians 2:6-7
May 21st– 8AM-12PM– Sudlersville
Town-wide Yard Sale. Free tables will
be available for use in the
Calvary-Asbury church parking lot.
Coffee & Pastries will be available!
May 29th– 10AM– 5th Sunday
Combined worship service at
Calvary-Asbury UMC. Join us at
9:30AM for coffee & fellowship!
Birthdays: Anniversaries:
May 7th– Bryan Darling May 1st– Jim & Faye Robinson
May12th– Bettye Larrimore May 22nd– Jay & Pam Walls
May 14th– Ernie Darling, Jr. May 25th Mally & Dianne Faust
May 16th– Alan Eck
May 18th– Bill Collier
May 23rd– Ann Collier
May 23rd– Kari Faust
May 26th– Susan Wersten
May 26th– Stacey Mansfield
May 26th– Taylor Thren

For anyone who wishes to join the church by profession

of faith or transfer from another church. Current members
who would like a refreshers are also welcome.
Contact Pastor Bonnie for more information.

THANK YOU to everyone who

dropped off shoes to support the
Chestertown Christiaan Academy
fund raiser. We were able to collect
202 pairs of shoes!!!
Rejoicing! Construction on the Ministry Center at the Children’s Home is complete.

On March 31, we dedicated the ministry center at the children’s home. We celebrated with several pastors,
mission team members, and guests from both the United States and Costa Rica as well as local government
officials. The children sang and danced. Two of our teens talked about life at the Children’s Home and we
all enjoyed a typical Costa Rican lunch together. It was a beautiful day.

We cannot begin to express our gratitude to the 105 short term mission teams and over 2000 individuals
who worked on the building over the past seven years. The floor and the walls are filled with mason jars
containing hundreds of prayers from mission team members. Today, the building is being used as a school
for the children at the Home. Yet, we pray this is only the beginning; it is our desire that the ministry center
be a place where many will come to know Christ. Where we will reach out to our neighbors in love and
minister to them through various forms of ministry: Bible Studies, community kitchen, clothes closet,
sports center. We look toward the future with great hope and expectation!

We want to thank each of you who came to Costa Rica and worked on the building, each of you who have
been praying for the for us, and each of you who have supported us with your financial gifts. We could not
have done this without you. Thank you for investing deeply in the children. We are most grateful.

Many may be asking, What’s next? This Summer and Fall we will be refurbishing the homes the children
live in and their furniture, closets, and doors. Plus, we now have the permits in hand to finish the exterior
wall around the property and we will be working on a storage shed for the construction equipment.

This year with the return of mission teams, it will be our joy to continue working on the four church plants
in the Sarapiqui (northeast Costa Rica) region. If your church would like to come and join in the fun,
we would love to have you.

All our love,

Ray and Lidia

“I think my God every time I remember you in all my prayers for all of you. I always pray with joy because of
your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good
work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil.1:3-6
 6:30PM– 8AM-10AM 9AM-1PM
Sing 4 Ukraine 9AM-1PM Nurse’s Day
Evangelism Pastor’s In Pastor’s In
4-8PM Pastor’s In
Meeting @ CA
6PM– Nat’l
Day of Prayer
7PM-Lions @ CA
7PM– 4H Meeting
Club @ CA @ CA

9AM-1PM 9AM-1PM 9AM-12PM

Mother’s Day Pastor’s In Pastor’s In
Pastor’s In
12Noon– Ad
4-7PM
Council @ CA 7PM– Ad Table Talk
Council @ SP @ Carletto's

9AM-1PM
Pastor’s In 9AM-1PM Armed Forces
12Noon– Trustees 6PM– SPLASH Pastor’s In Day
@ CA Dinner @
Carletto’s 8AM-12PM-
Town wide
7PM– Lions Yard Sale
Club @ CA

9AM-1PM
Pastor’s In
Heritage Sunday 9AM-1PM 9AM-1PM
10AM– Food Pastor’s In
Pastor’s In
1PM– Lunch Pantry @ CA
6:30PM– Food
with the Pastor 7PM– Ruritans
Pantry @ CA
@ CA

Ascension 9AM-1PM
Sunday Office Is Closed Pastor’s In
5th Sunday
SVC @ CA Memorial Day
 Sudlersville United
Methodist Charge
Pastor: Bonnie Shively
Parsonage Phone: 410-438-6127
Cell Phone: 410-739-0301
Church Office:
P.O. Box 202
103 North Church Street
Sudlersville, MD 21668
Phone: 410-438-3816
Hours: Monday– Thursday:
9:00 AM-1:00PM
Email: office@sudlersvilleumc.org
Facebook.com/sudlersvilleumc
Website: http://www.sudlersvilleumc.org/
Prayer List
Bill Akers, Robyn Allen, Jennifer Anderson,
Barbara Bostic, John Carroll, Mike Carroll,
Randy Clark, Beulah Clough,
Nathan & Olivia Culver, Al Cunningham,
Buck & Judy Dashiell, Charlotte Dukes,
Hooper Family, Ann Kendall, Kevin Kerr,
Mike Keuchler, Doug Lanter, Betty Larrimore,
Alex Lorenz, Willie Lord, Rob & Stacey Mansfield,
Rev. Linda Mariner, Tina Newman, Ken Newton,
Pam Richards, Wyatt Russum, Ralph Starkey,
Marion Swindell, Rachel Weedman, Faye Williams
Caroline —Little girl with cancer
Situation in the Ukraine

Those Serving in the Military

Jeffery Coleman, Garrett Faber, Alex Lorenz,
Erik O’Brien, Alex Walls
Any information you
would like in the bulletin
or announcements,
needs to be sent to
the office no later then
Wednesday’s @ Noon.

Pastor’s Visitation

If you or someone you know would

like a visit from the pastor, please
contact Kari in the church office.