Elders Rev. Jerry Fourroux Pastor Bob Tobias Clerk of Session Cheryl Appleton Bill Beltz Chris Bloom Dick Boehret Brenda Manchester Elaine Rockey

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1 Elders Rev. Jerry Fourroux Pastor Bob Tobias Clerk of Session Cheryl Appleton Bill Beltz Chris Bloom Dick Boehret Brenda Manchester Elaine Rockey John Stugrin Trustees Jeff Baier Chair David Bratt Ken Burkholder John Hess Tim Kelley Tom Paulhamus Tyler Rockey Dennis Swift Mimi Troisi Deacons Deanna Boehret Lenora Caskey Joyce Mix Nancy Nagel Carol Prentiss Peg Redka Jean Richards Harry Vitolins The Virgin Mary and The Weight Room I know these things do not seem to go together, but they both have something to teach us about the role of the Church. The Church? Really? Yes, both are the images that I think of when I think of the calling of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary is typically a fixture for us Protestants during the Advent and Christmas season only. While we reject much of the Virgin Mary dogma of the Modern Roman Catholic Church, we can see along with Luther and Calvin that the Virgin Mary is a good model for us as the Church, and the individual Christian. As we approach Christmas through the Advent season, we remember that Christ, by the Spirit, was literally formed in Mary s body, so too that same Holy Spirit is forming Christ in our midst and in our lives. So in this way, Reformed and Presbyterian Christians can see Mary as an exemplar or example for the Church. What does Mary reveal according to the Scripture? She had never been with a man, and yet Christ was her son. This describes not just a miracle but a powerful paradox. She is at the very same time both pure as a virgin but also fruitful as a mother. This is helpful for us as a church in ECO. For years, we at Lycoming Centre longed for and fought for a purity in the doctrine and practice of the PCUSA, our previous denomination. We have a doctrinal purity and shared essential tenants of the Reformed faith, so what? What are we to do with this solid standing on God s Word and the Gospel of Jesus? Very directly, it is to become fruitful as a Church and as individual believers. Fruitfulness of the Church is the goal of that purity. The Church, unlike the Temple, was a holiness of God that moved through people, nations, and the ends of the Earth. But what about the weight room, Jerry? What does that have to do with the church? It s very simple. My weight room is in my basement. It s cold and damp some mornings, and to be very honest everything inside of me fights against me going downstairs. I will make every excuse to avoid the weight room, because it will be uncomfortable. Every morning, I wake up and fight the fight with myself to go down to the weight room. When motivation does not work, what gets me downstairs is the discipline resulting from my commitment that I have made. In a similar way, the Church is a spiritual weight room. We will come up with every excuse to not work out what God is working in us. We will rationalize not confessing our sin. We will make excuses for our lack of urgency in our faith, because we do not feel like it. But the reality is that when motivation fails discipline resulting from commitment to Christ is what gets you to church, gets you to take a step of risk in your faith, gets you to give your time, talent and treasures for the sake of God s expanding kingdom. Just as the Weight Room is pain that produces fruit, so to did Mary s labor pains lead to the birth of Christ. Purity and fruitfulness must be paired with commitment and discipline in both. The temptation is take it easy and stay complacent, but we, as the Church, must stay urgent in pursuing both our purity and our fruitfulness through a commitment to Christ which produces discipline. May the Lord richly bless his Holy Bride with both purity and fruitfulness. Blessings, Jerry

2 One of the Ten Commandments is Thou Shalt Not Covet. a host of things but God is pleased that we covet doing work for His Kingdom through the church the earthly body of Christ! Jerry has been proclaiming God s message found in the lives of the early church referenced in Acts. God grew the early church in miraculous ways by means of its earliest ambassadors. He did miraculous things; yet from an earthly perspective, those early Christians dealt with lots and lots of adversity. We are tasked to claim God s power to do miraculous soul winning work in our different but very challenging time. Your Outreach Committee needs you! We covet adding members to our group. We covet your support. We covet your ideas. We covet your stories of His redeeming grace. See one of us to find your place in the outreach ministry of our congregation. Jim Redka Barb Alberts Kim Matthews Connie VItolins Jerry Fourroux Decorate our tree in the Kitchen/lounge area with hats and mittens! All hats, mittens, gloves and scarves will be donated to the Salvation Army and will be given to needy families in the area. Items will be collected Nov. 25 through Dec. 16. Respectfully Submitted, Barb Albert, Outreach Committee Pg. 2

3 11/06 Rebecca Bartley 11/07 Jennifer Buchter 11/08 Brad Pryor 11/09 Kate Hummel 11/10 Bill Beltz 11/11 Kris DeRemer 11/11 Deb Shriber 11/12 Bob Pryor 11/12 Wade Pryor 11/12 Katie Pryor 11/12 Erla Rodgers 11/13 Connie Tobias 11/13 Matt Prentiss 11/14 Ron Guinter 11/20 Chrissy DeRemer 11/24 Kim Matthews 11/26 Aaron Hunter 11/26 Bill Rodgers 11/27 Tirzah Krizan 11/29 Rosie Redka-Drum 11/30 Brett Leinbach EAT BEEF!!! Pg. 3

4 If your child has an overabundance of candy from Trick or Treating we ll be happy to take it off your hands... Drop any extra WRAPPED candy off in the Junior High Sunday School room. These contributions will be used for packing finals bags for our college students. Thanks so much... Page 4 Pg. 4

5 Please remember our Shut-ins this Holiday Season with a Card or a visit! Shirley Adams Leighton Place, Apt Rural Ave. Williamsport, PA Cindy Matthews 97 Rader Ave. Hepburn Heights Cogan Station, PA Jean & Wilson Redka 1900 Ravine Road, Apt Williamsport, PA Yong Cha Schweikart Arista Care Rm# Sycamore Road Montoursville, PA Pg. 5

6 Date: November 11th Time: 2:30 Place: Church Lounge Title: The Citadel Author: by A.J. Cronin All Women are invited! January 13th A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles April 14th Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks February 10th Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate March 10th Plum Tea Crazy by Laura Childs May 19th The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon Pg. 6

7 What s So Special about Christmas?" Every year we decorate houses and trees, purchase and wrap gifts, attend concerts and special Church services and bake cookies and cook special foods, but Why? Why do we bother with traditions and extra chaos? Why is Christmas worth celebrating? Please invite your friends, neighbors and co-workers to start off December with the focus on the One who makes Christmas more than just a holiday. December 1, am-Noon Bring a friend and a dish to share! Respectfully Submitted by Hesed Fourroux, For Centre d Women Centre'd Women will be meeting in the Lycoming Centre kitchen Saturday, November 3rd from 9-11 a.m to prepare goodies for the Expectations Open House. Come join us! Pg. 7

8 The Choir is singing the beautiful song NOEL by Matt Redman as our Christmas anthem. We are asking for volunteers to join us as some of you have done in the past. Lauren Norris, from the dance group One Pulse at FLN Christian Radio in Bath, New York will be coming to enhance this anthem. We will be singing December 9th or 16th depending on her schedule and our soloist will be Alayna Justice. Please prayerfully consider giving of yourself for this blessing. You can practice at home or come to as many Wednesday practices as you can. The Wednesday before the final date would be required. We truly appreciate the giving of yourself to the blessing God has brought us. Please let me know as soon as possible if this is a gift you can offer. Love and Hugs, Sue and the Choir or peter@stonygap.com The God s Kids will be honoring our Veterans on November 11th, at the Worship Service. They are learning a special anthem and are hosting a small luncheon after the service. Please personally invite any veteran you know who doesn t attend a church to be recognized with our congregants. The children are gathering supplies to be sent to our soldiers in COMBAT. These men and women are risking their lives every day for our freedom. See the list of things to donate in the kitchen area. Let s overwhelm these special friends with love. Sue Koch and the God s Kids Choir Pg. 8

9 Did you ever wonder what the events of Scripture were really like? For example: What did the Red Sea actually look like when the Lord divided the waters? (Ex ) What did the Lord s voice sound like at Jesus baptism? (Mark 1:11) How bright was the Angel s light at Bethlehem? (Luke 2:9) This Advent Season (Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23) the combined Adult Church School Classes will meet in Hallelujah Hall to gain a fresh perspective and more details concerning the life and culture of Jesus birth via a video presentation A CLEAR VIEW OF JE- SUS BIRTH (Dr. Kenneth Bailey) with discussion and Q&A to follow. Ken Bailey is uniquely qualified to guide us having lived in the Middle East with his missionary parents, studied and taught (Prof. New Testament Studies and Middle Eastern Research) there for more than forty years. Ken brings a Middle Eastern perspective to the life and culture in the region at the time of Jesus birth. Ken points out, as a story as popular as Christ s birth is told and retold over the centuries, it develops a series of traditional understandings which may or may not conform to the actual text of scripture. Please plan on joining us as we learn from Ken together about the Advent. Respectfully Submitted, Rich Boyle, The Christian Education Committee Pg. 9

10 Please Remember these members of Our church family who are over 90 years old in 2018 & 2019 with a card on Their birthdays! Jean Redka will be 95 years old On 12/15/18 Send all cards to: 1900 Ravine Road Apt Williamsport, PA Betty Johnston will be 96 years old On 1/13/19 Send all cards to: 85 Factory Road Cogan Station, PA Wilson Redka will be 97 On 10/9/19 Send all cards to: 1900 Ravine Road Apt Williamsport, PA Pg. 10

11 Mini Seed Packing Event Help provide food for those in desperate need worldwide! Immediate Need for 20 Volunteers, Ideal Event for Families Event Purpose: Help assemble 5,000 vegetable seed packs!! Date & Time: Thursday, November 15, 2018 from 7:00-8:30pm Location: LCPC Hallelujah Hall Register Online: Church Contact: Pastor Jerry Fourroux or Jim Redka What is GAiN? GAiN is the humanitarian ministry arm of Cru. Providing aid gives GAiN/Cru missionaries access, credibility, and effectiveness in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Cru works in 191 countries. GAiN Partner Project Lycoming Centre Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Sunday, November 18th After the Morning Worship Service Pg. 11

12 Thank you Lord for blessings, the gifts that you bestow And trials that show your faithfulness on our journey as we go. I wrote the above words to our current call-to-prayer song several years ago and can you guess why? It is because I was finding more and more that thanking God was something automatic if prayers were answered as I had requested, if success was coming my way, and if forward momentum was seen by me in the lives of the people that meant the most to me. In other words, thanking God for blessings and gifts has not been a struggle for me. But I was stuck on the second line. I had learned at a young age to thank God for trials, thank God in the storm, thank God in the valley, thank God in the tragedy, thank God in the darkness and on and on. Something about my age then and what I was learning made me think that thanking God for bad things made me a better Christian. So I tried that for quite some time. Somewhere along the way, my Heavenly Father prompted me quite differently along the lines of: Brenda, stop thanking Me for trials. Trials are the result of the fall, of mortality, and of the influence of darkness on mankind. Instead, know that in the midst of the trial, I will always be faithful, I will turn sorrow into joy, darkness into light, futility into hope, death into resurrection, and ultimately restore all of that which has been lost. The whole idea was clarified: humanity is to be trial-laden until the final defeat of death and darkness. But as Christians, we are promised that trials will always showcase God s faithfulness. I was not to be thanking God for the trials, rather for His faithfulness displayed vividly and non-stop in the midst of trials. And yet I am still stuck at times on the second line. And so I say these words almost daily maybe not exactly as we sing them on Sunday, but over and over again, when I look at difficulties, challenges, or things that just should not be, I murmur thank you to discipline myself to look past the trial and towards the promise of faithfulness God s faithfulness that gives the trial a whole different context. Thanksgiving is upon us. We are blessed with bounty, warmth, friends, the body of Christ, and autumn colors. But more so, we are blessed because we serve a steadfast, faithful God who reacts to anything meant for our harm, defeats darkness, and assures that which was meant to destroy us has been worked out for our good. So one more time to transfer this to my spiritual hard drive: Thank you Lord for blessings, the gifts that you bestow And trials that show your faithfulness on our journey as we go. To Him who is faithful on behalf of the Worship Committee, Brenda T-M Pg. 12

13 How does the church pay its bills? For many of you the following will not be new. For others, the various funds in our church can be confusing. The following is offered to clarify how these funds are utilized. On the front of your envelops are the following funds: Ministry (General): This fund covers salaries and budgeted recurring expenses such as insurance, heating oil, electric bills and other utilities. The cost of ministries such as Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Youth are covered by this fund as well. This fund is administered by the Elders. As of August 31, the 2018 giving to this fund was $197,407 and the expenses were $215,667; a deficit of $18,260. As of August 31, 2018, the balance of this fund was $6,870. Considering the year to date 2018 expenses, the Ministry Fund needs an average monthly giving of $26,958 for the mission of the church to continue. M & P (Maintenance and Purchasing): Administered by the Trustees, this fund is used for the major repairs the property and the purchase of new items not included in the budget. Examples of such would be fixing a leak in the roof or the purchase of new tables. The recurring expenses such as utilities are not covered by this fund. For 2018, the expenses for this fund were $4,200. As of August 31, 2018, the balance in the M & P fund was $38,579. It would be very helpful to the counters if you would use your envelops or at least record your envelop number on your check. Remember that online giving is available on the church website. Thank you for your generous support of Lycoming Centre and may the Lord bless you and keep you. If you have any questions concerning church finances you may call Bill Beltz at Respectfully Submitted by Bill Beltz, The Administrative Committee Pg. 13

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15 9-11:00 am Centre d Women meet in the kitchen To make goodies for the Expectations Open House 9:00 am Sunday School 10:15 am Worship Service and Communion 2-4 pm Expectations Open House 6:00 pm God s Kids 7:00 pm Adult Choir 5:30-7:30 ROCK 9:00 am Sunday School 10:15 am Worship Service God s Kids Veterans day 2:30 Book Group 6:00 pm God s Kids 7:00 pm Adult Choir 5:30-7:30 ROCK 7-8:30 pm GAIN Seed Packing Event Hallelujah Hall reserved for the Deacons 9:00 am Sunday School 10:15 am Worship Service Thanksgiving Dinner after Service ROCK will be tonight from 5:30-7:30 There will be no Adult Choir or God s Kids This Week Church in use Until evening McClain-Hicks Wedding 6:00 pm God s Kids 7:00 pm Adult Choir 5:30-7:30 ROCK Pg. 15

16 656 West Creek Road P.O. Box 310 Cogan Station, PA Phone: Fax: Dee Gannon: Website: Date November 4, 2018 November 11, 2018 November 18, 2018 November 25, 2018 Children s Church Cindy Springman & Nicholas DeRemer The Jesus Storybook Bible The Young Hero and the Horrible Giant (David and Goliath) Peg Redka The Jesus Storybook Bible The Good Shepherd (David the Shepherd King) Sue Koch The Jesus Storybook Bible A Little Servant Girl and the Proud General (Slave girl and Naaman) Tiffany & Gabby DeRemer The Jesus Storybook Bible Operation No More Tears! (Prophecies from Isaiah)