YOUTH GROUP HOAGIE SALE

Transcription

1 THE BEACON FIRST CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN 455 TRUMBAUERSVILLE ROAD * QUAKERTOWN, PA PHONE: * QUAKERTOWNCOB@VERIZON.NET FEBRUARY 2016 YOUTH GROUP HOAGIE SALE February 6 th SOUPER BOWL OF CARING February 7 th The Editor s Desk?? (As I am putting the newsletter together, Pastor Erv and Joan are on vacation. Since this is the week of the Martin Luther King holiday, Pastor Erv suggested using some of this amazing man s writings to fill this space. So here are some of my favorites - Judy.) Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. If you will hold on, you will discover that God walks with you, and that God is able to lift you from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope, and transform dark and desolate valleys into sunlit paths of inner peace. I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. Galatians 5:22-26 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another. Galatians 6:9 &10 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

2 SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES: PRE-NURSERY (Children aged 2 and under) NURSERY (Age 3 through Kindergarten): Gather Round ELEMENTARY (Grades 1 through 6): Bible Stories JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH (7 th through 12 th grade): The Story DVD series YOUNG ADULTS (in the Fellowship Hall): Starting Point DVD series ADULTS (in the Church Library): Study on the Books of Timothy & Titus SR ADULTS (in the Chapel): The Parables, The Greatest Stories Ever Told BIBLE STUDIES: ADULT BIBLE STUDY Wednesday mornings at 11:00 am; Revelation: The Triumph of God ADULT BIBLE STUDY Wednesday evening at 6:45 pm; A Bible Study on the Book of James taught by Pastor Erv WOMEN S BIBLE STUDY - 9:30 am Saturday mornings A new study will be starting in mid-february MEN S BIBLE STUDY - 3 rd Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm; The Commands of Jesus Christ James 1:26, 27 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. March 19 Community Easter Egg Hunt 11:00 am PASTOR ERV S HOURS Wed: 10:00am to 8:00pm Thu: 10:00am to 6:00pm Sun: 9:00am to noon Or you can call his cell phone to schedule another time: Page 2

3 NEWS FROM HEAVEN S BOUNTY For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Matthew 25:35 In December, the pantry served 121 families. This included 157 children, 181 adults and 45 seniors. This is a substantial increase from December 2014, when Heaven s Bounty served 71 families with 121 adults, 72 children and 20 senior adults. A BIG THANK YOU to all who made the Turkey dinner donation a success. We were able to provide 20 families (with 38 children) with a frozen turkey and all the sides. Each child was given a small toy and candy as well. For Easter (March 27th), the pantry would like to provide ham dinners with the fixings, as well as small gifts and candy for the children. Stay tuned for more information. Again, please continue your generous donations, as Harrisburg is still in gridlock. None of the money released in the Stop-Gap measure that was passed in January will reach our pantry; even when a budget is passed, the earliest that funds can be expected is the following month and we have been told to expect a 2% decrease in funding. So far, Benay has been able to keep food on the shelves for our clients, and it has been solely through the generous support of our congregation and community sponsors. As always, Heaven s Bounty is run in accordance with all government regulations, as well as, sensitivity to our clients. NEWSLETTER DEADLINES: A great big thank you to everyone who contributed to the Beacon this month. The deadline for submitting articles for the March Beacon is Feb 17 and for the April Beacon it is Mar 16; but please feel free to put them in early, it really helps. SOUPER BOWL OF CARING February 7th Hunger and poverty have a negative impact on individuals and the communities in which they live, yet there is joy in serving and giving to those in need. The Souper Bowl of Caring is a national movement of young people working to fight hunger and poverty in their own neighborhoods. Since 1990, young people have been leading the charge and inspiring others to collect dollars and food in the weeks leading up to The Big Game. Teaming up with local partners, these groups give 100% of donations to local charities, changing the nation's largest weekend of football into the largest weekend of caring. Our Youth Group is sponsoring a Souper Bowl collection on February 7 th ; after the worship service they will be waiting in the narthex with the soup bowls - please support this effort generously. All funds collected will be donated to The Crossroads Pregnancy Center in Quakertown. Page 3

4 RECIPE SWAP Submitted by Audrey A My family reminded me at Christmas of how I made these sandwiches on occasion. It was a light meal my mother, Cora, made before going to Sunday evening church service, after having served a full roast beef dinner to invited church friends at noon. How did she do it?! SURPRISE SANDWICHES For each sandwich: 1. On baking sheet, place one slice of bread, buttered on the underside. 2. On top of the bread, place Velveeta cheese strips along the four edges. 3. Separate one egg and drop just the egg yolk inside the square created by the cheese slices (this is the SURPRISE-don t tell anyone!). 4. Whip the egg white and cover the cheese and yolk; top with one slice of bacon. 5. Bake at 400 degrees for minutes. Makes one serving. If you would like to contribute a recipe, just put it in my mailbox or the church. Thank you, Judy Moyer. GET.TO.KNOW.THE.YOUTH Kale is president at present, but will be leaving for the Marines Feb. 16. Jazmin and Jeremy will be stepping up to be co-presidents and Moriah will be treasurer. We had our regular get together on Jan. 10. We talked about what's coming up in church and what's coming up for the youth. Afterwards we went bowling, Anya crushed it. Some of us then went to McD's and had a fun time (watch those spit balls). Some of the group (8 youth, 3 adults) gathered on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Jan 18 th, and assembled 21 Health Kits; afterwards we had some pizza and talked for awhile. Our Hoagie Sale is Sat Feb. 6 th. "Souper Bowl Sunday is Feb. 7 th ; we decided the offering collected following worship would be given to the Crossroads Pregnancy Center in Quakertown. Page 4 Find full brochures and registration forms online at for these Get-Away events: Need to get away? Join seasoned leaders, Ray and Judy Powell for a 10-day trip to Acadia National Park in Maine with others connected to Camp Swatara. The trip is scheduled for September 9-18, 2016 with an estimated cost of just $975 per person! Don't miss exciting upcoming events in 2016 at Camp Swatara including a Valentine's Day Getaway (Feb ). Begin the Lenten season with prayer, worship, Bible study, service, and fellowship at the Camp Swatara Traize Lenten Retreat scheduled for February 26th-27th It s time to talk about FEARLESS FAITH and the 2016 Summer Camp season at Camp Swatara! Check out the schedule online at and keep your eyes open for a full brochure coming in the mail and available here at church! Grab your tools and head to the base of the Blue Mountain for the 2016 Paul Bunyan Workday scheduled for Saturday Feb 20th! Work begins around 8am and lasts till midafternoon. Enjoy a mid-morning coffee break and delicious lunch! Call or contact the camp office at info@campswatara.org or to sign-up!

5 WINTER RIDDLES (answers on page 8) 1. I am the beginning of sorrow, and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never seen out of darkness. 2. How many letters are in the alphabet? 3. What has four legs, a head, and leaves? 4. What has wheels and flies, but is not an aircraft? John 13:34-35 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. March 19 (Saturday) at 11:00 am It is back! Sponsored by the Witness Commission, our annual Community Easter Egg hunt is back after a very brief hiatus. All ages are invited to be a part of this fun day. Donations of wrapped candies, small prizes, etc. will be greatly appreciated and there will be a collection box in the narthex. Monetary donations are also most welcome - they help us fill in the gaps. Check the March newsletter for more details and ways you can help. Little Rodney, 4 years old, walked down the beach, and as he did, he spied a matronly woman sitting under a beach umbrella on the sand. He walked up to her and asked, "Are you a Christian?" "Yes." she replied. "Do you read your Bible every day?" She nodded her head, "Yes." "Do you pray often?" the boy asked next, and again she answered, "Yes." With that he asked his final question, "Will you hold my quarter while I go swimming?" The WOMEN S SATURDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY has completed the series, The Storm Within and will be starting a new Bible study in mid-february. The ladies meet Saturday Mornings at 9:30 am; all women are invited to attend and this would be a great time to join. Page 5

6 PASTORAL SEARCH TEAM REPORT OK, we admit it; we took a little break over Christmas. We have been working hard to make sure we will be ready for the interview process. We want to make sure that we treat each and every candidate equally and with respect; to give each a fair chance. And we want to make sure our own hearts are prepared for this final step in what has turned out to be a much longer process than most of us had anticipated. So over the holidays, when it became so very difficult to schedule meetings, we took a little break and blamed the busyness of the holiday season - which was actually quite true. But now we are back to work and are meeting two times in January in anticipation of the interviews we will conduct in February. We have three interviews scheduled for February. We have reviewed the profiles for these three men and listened to samples of at least one sermon for each and decided that we should meet them. The interviews will not be done when the March newsletter comes out, but if the Lord leads us make a recommendation to the Board, we will let you know during church. And when it is time for everyone to meet the candidate, we will be sending letters to everyone. So stay tuned, it is getting kind of exciting. And the best part is that God has made His presence known every step of the way - so all this work, and your expressed patience and support, have been a real blessing to us. Thank you. Arlene, Jeff, Judy, Juli, Keith, Keith, & Lorraine, The Size of Your Heart It isn t the size of your house as such That matters so much at all. It s the gentle hand and its loving touch, That make it great or small. The friends who come and the hour they go Who out of your house depart, Will judge it not by the style you show, But rather by the size of your heart. It isn t the size of your head so much, It isn t the wealth you have found. That will make you happy - it s how you touch The lives that are all around. For making money is not hard - To live life well is an art; How people love you, how they regard, Is all in the size of your heart. --- Author Unknown --- FEBRUARY 7 th is the first Missionary Offering of the year. This is a special offering collected four times a year and supports our missionaries PRAYER CHAIN & CHURCH DIRECTORY It s the last call for changes to the 2016 Church Directory and Prayer Chain. Please submit changes to Judy or Judy by writing them down and placing them in one of our mailboxes, or you can them to either Judy or to the church. Page 6

7 CORNER OF INSPIRATION I have a friend who enjoys putting puzzles together. Taking a box of 500 (or more!) pieces, dumping them out, and then oh so carefully scanning over them to find just the exact one to connect to another. When the pieces are of the same or similar color, it can be an arduous task - requiring patience and concentration. Imagine spending all that time and effort only to find a large piece (the focal point) missing. What a letdown and disappointment it can be. We are all born with a God-shaped hole (like a missing puzzle piece) in our hearts. Every one of us. We are all in need of God s forgiveness, acceptance, and love. The problem is that we often don t realize it. We feel or sense that something is missing in our lives but don t realize exactly what it is. We feel an emptiness or longing -- and try to fill the God-shaped void with worldly things that are only temporary fixes and do not get to the heart of the matter so to speak. Some people struggle with loving and accepting themselves because they never experienced real, genuine love. Perhaps they grew up in an environment of harsh words and criticism, rather than love. Perhaps along the way no one demonstrated what true love is to them. Often in our longing for love and acceptance we make poor choices to fill the void. Things like drugs, alcohol, sex, materialism, position, power, a desire for fame, and a quest for perfect beauty and the eternal fountain of youth can be used in excess to divert our minds and prevent us from acknowledging our real needs. As with many medications, what satisfied at first no longer does. There is a need for more, and more, and more. It becomes a vicious cycle because we have not chosen the Right Piece (God) to fill the void in our lives. God (Jesus) is the only thing that can perfectly fill the God-shaped hole (void) in our lives. When we expect other people or things to fill it, we set ourselves up for frustration and disappointment. Page 7 When we expect another to fulfill all our needs and expectations (as only God can do), we are being unrealistic. No one except God can fill the void. No other piece completes our life s puzzle. We all need God s love. No exceptions. Are you feeling like you are missing something in your life? Are you trying to fill it with things other than God? Are you searching for The One who will make you feel fulfilled and loved? You will never be truly fulfilled until you come to Christ and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior -- take it from one who has experienced it and knows. Christ is in the life-changing business. Bring your emptiness, longing, and hurts (as well as your love), to Him. Admit your need for Him and ask Him to come into your heart, forgive your sin and make you whole as only He can. The right Piece will bring you peace. NO GOD NO PEACE KNOW GOD KNOW PEACE Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV) For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

8 The Beacon Quakertown First Church of the Brethren The Love of God With all the love God gives to us, We must give some away, By some kind deeds, to those with needs, And not just words we say. Our action speaks louder than words, For words alone are cheap. The love of God is love to share: It is not love to keep. God pours His love on each of us; He s always just and fair, In His unknown, yet perfect way, He measures out each share. GIVE AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN THEE His holy word declares. The more love that we give away, The larger grows our shares. We cannot give all our love away, No matter how we try. The more we give, the more He gives, Adding to our supply. May more and more of mankind see; May more and more believe. The more love that we give away, The more love we receive. ~ ~ Robert K. Phillip FEBRUARY 2016 PETER BECKER COMMUNITY Flower Show & Spring Marketplace March 17-19, 2016 A Celebration of the Arts This is Two Great Events in One! The Flower Show: Garden Games will cultivate all kinds of fun with dynamic full scale floral exhibits that celebrate indoor and outdoor games. Spring Marketplace: Popping up across campus at Maplewood Estates is a NEW addition to the event offering a shopper s paradise featuring the wares of local crafters, arts venues, culinary artisans, farmers and more. EVENT HOURS: Thursday, March 17: 10am 6pm Friday, March 18: 10am 6pm Saturday, March 19: 9am 2pm Family Day SENIOR MOMENT Do you remember when gas was 35 cents (or less) a gallon ----and Studebakers? WINTER RIDDLES ANSWERS (from page 5) 1. The letter S 2. Eleven 3. The dining room table 4. A garbage truck YOUTH GROUP HOAGIE SALE February 6th (please note the correct date) Hoagies are $5.25 each and you have a choice of turkey or Italian. See a member of the Youth Group to put in your order. Page 8

9 BIRTHDAYS 2 Bill Mapes 2 Matthew Patton 3 Logan Evans 3 Pauline Lerch 4 Larry Renninger 4 Kevin Steich 9 Brittany Dieterly 14 Beth Shaffer 15 Courtney Adams 15 Grayson Compton 17 Tim Garvin 18 Arlene Shubert 19 Carroll Donnelly 20 Kailynn Dieterly 26 Kayla and Leaha Rivera 27 Gaida Shubert ANNIVERSARIES 15 James & Blanche Peiffer (1947) 26 Gerald & Joan Hangey (1966) INCLEMENT WEATHER ALL CHURCH ACTIVITIES WILL BE CANCELED if the Quakertown School District closes. You can check our website: OR try these resources: WFMZ - Channel 69 WAEB AM (It is listed as First Church of the Brethren) FEBRUARY CALENDAR SUNDAYS WEDNESDAYS 9:00 am Sunday School 11:00 am: Adult Bible Study 10:00 am Worship Service 6:45 pm: Children s Activities 7:00 pm: Adult Bible Study 8:00 pm: Choir or Bell Choir Practice FOOD PANTRY OPEN TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS: 9:30 am to 2:00 pm WOMEN S BIBLE STUDY: 9:30 am on Saturdays Feb 06 Sat - - Youth Group Hoagie Sale Feb 07 Sun 9:50 am Coffee Fellowship, Worship at 10:15 am Souper Bowl Offering Feb 07 Sun 1:30 pm Quakertown Center Service 2:15 pm Belle Haven Service Feb 10 Wed - - Ash Wednesday Feb 14 Sun - - Valentine s Day 4:00 pm Youth Group Meeting Feb 18 Thu 7:00 pm Sunshine Stitchers 7:00 pm Men s Bible Study Feb 20 Sat 9:00 am Men s Prayer Breakfast SERVICE SCHEDULES FOR FEBRUARY NURSERY NARTHEX Feb 07 Ashley, Jennifer HEAD USHER: Judy Moyer Feb 14 Meredith, Jeremy DEACON: Pat Feb 21 Annie Egan, Kevin SOUND ROOM: Jim, Audrey Feb 28 Wendy, Jennifer GREETERS: Bob and Diane Kevin LOOKING AHEAD: March 4, 6:30 pm COBYS ANNUAL BANQUET, Middle Creek CoB Mar 4 6: Youth Group Retreat at Spruce Lake March 17 19: Peter Becker Flower Show March 19, 11:00 am - Community Easter Egg Hunt March 20: Palm Sunday March 24, 7:00 pm: Love Feast and Holy Communion March 25: Good Friday March 27: Easter Sunday Page 9

10 FIRST CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN 455 Trumbauersville Road Quakertown, Pa Phone: Web Site: address: Non-Profit Org. Permit #11 Quakertown, Pennsylvania US Postage Paid SUNDAY SCHOOL 9 am SUNDAY WORSHIP 10 am ADULT BIBLE STUDIES Wednesdays 11:00 am and 6:45 pm CHILDREN S ACTIVITIES Wednesdays 6:45 pm YOUTH GROUP 2 nd Sunday at 4:00 pm WOMEN S BIBLE STUDY Saturdays 9:30 am MEN S BIBLE STUDY 3 rd Saturday at 9:00 am HEAVEN S BOUNTY FOOD PANTRY Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 am to 2:00 pm INSIDE: Youth Group Hoagie Sale Souper Bowl Offering Camp Swatara News Pastoral Search Report Easter Egg Hunt GOD USES SMALL THINGS TO ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS.