NOVEMBER 2015 FIRST EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH GREENSBURG, PA REMEMBERING THE SAINTS ON NOVEMBER 1 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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1 FIRST EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 246 SOUTH MAIN STREET GREENSBURG, PA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID GREENSBURG, PA PERMIT #436 FIRST EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 246 South Main Street Greensburg, Pennsylvania T: F: felchurch.org PASTOR... Jerry Nuernberger DIRECTOR OF MUSIC....Marvin Huls CHURCH TREASURER.... Patti Sias OFFICE MANAGER.... Joanie Knobloch OFFICE SECRETARY...Patricia Pluck CUSTODIAN... Jaison Smith FIRST EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH GREENSBURG, PA PHONE FAX felchurch.org CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERS NOVEMBER 2015 Kip Douglas Boggs Rebecca Brunetta Dean Cichetti Megan Danilko Bob Errett Lynn Hochrein Gwen Irwin Bobbie Laciak Barbara Pascarella Wendy Piper WORSHIP WITH US Vice President President Secretary Sunday Church School 9:30 A.M. SCS does not meet in June, July or August Sunday Worship 8:15 A.M. & 10:45 A.M. Summer Schedule 8:15 A.M. & 10:00 A.M. Elevator and Hearing Assistance Available REMEMBERING THE SAINTS ON NOVEMBER 1 We give thanks to God for all those who have passed on in faith and those who have been baptized into the faith this past year. Those Who Have Passed Alice Stockberger Marshall Hoffman Sandra Stoner James France Robert Kuhn Stephanie France Bjarnfridur (Betty) Mehan Wade Gerhart Patricia Pehrson Mary Shutt William Druschel Baptized Julia Clark Harrison Leonardo Gandara Raienne Felicity Baker Ryan Joseph Gacek Samuel James Tokich Chloe Elizabeth Mains Elliana Lynn Greece

2 FIRST HOLY COMMUNION ON ALL SAINTS SUNDAY On Sunday, November 1, First Lutheran s fifth graders will be receiving their first Holy Communion: Tyler Miller, Madison Ritenour, Mia Saraceni, Gabrielle Sheffler, and Luke Shevchik. We give thanks to God for the tremendous gift of grace that we receive in the body and blood of Jesus at the Lord s table that unites us with him, and we give thanks to God for that same gift that unites us one with another. Welcome Fifth Graders to the Lord s table! HARVEST HOME SUNDAY PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER 8 The First Family will celebrate Harvest Home on Sunday, November 8 at both worship services. Cornstalks and pumpkins will adorn the sanctuary and you are asked to bring canned goods and food staples to worship. ANNUAL REPORT Your gifts will help in our Food Pantry with providing food to the needy in our area. Now thank we all our God! In order to take advantage of the timeliness and cost-saving benefits that the internet provides, this year s annual report will be posted on First Lutheran s web page (felchurch.org). Since the report will come to you online, you can print just the pages that you would like for hard copy, making us better stewards of God s creation. If you do not have internet access, give the church a call, and we will gladly send you a complete copy of the report. Also, there will be printed copies available when we gather for the annual meeting in January. FIRLU HAS HEARD that as of September 25th our offering receipts are $139,782; last year they were $137,917. -that the ELCA Malaria Campaign has reached its fundraising goal of $15 million! Your gifts have helped in protecting countless lives from this preventable, treatable disease. Thank you! -that thanks goes out to all those who provided produce from their gardens for our Food From the Heart weekly luncheon. Delicious, nutritious, and greatly appreciated! -that a memorial gift was received in memory of Mary Shutt from the Alwine Thimble Sisters. We give thanks for this and all memorial gifts. -that congratulations and best wishes go to Chris and Megan Delisi, who were united in marriage on October 13th. -that best wishes are extended to Stefanie Dell and Steven Long who will be married on November 8th. -that Continental Breakfast is available in the fellowship hall between services. Grab some coffee, tea, juice, yogurt, or pastries and join us. If you would like to help, speak to Sue Boggs or call the church office. -that the JAVA TABLE will be open in the fellowship hall November 22 between worship services. Fair Trade coffees, teas, and chocolates will be available for purchase. -that assistance is greatly needed the third Thursday of the month by 8:00 AM to unload the truck and sort groceries for Food Pantry distribution. -that Angel Food cakes (home baked or purchased) are needed the first Sunday of every month for Meals on Wheels. Bring your cake to the church office. Thanks! -that the deadline for the December newsletter is Friday, November 13. Please be prompt. You may submit your articles to jknobloch@felchurch.org. See you at worship, FIRLU

3 First Lutheran will again participate in Operation Reindeer. Your gifts should be new, unboxed and unwrapped. Please bring them to the church office by Sunday, December 6. Thank you! OPERATION REINDEER GIFT SUGGESTIONS FOR TORRANCE RESIDENTS We do our best to match gifts to recipients for everything donated. Thank you for your help! Clothing (Men s size XL or larger / Women s size L or larger): No scarves or belts *sweatshirts & sweatpants *tops, t-shirts *pants and jeans *sweaters *undergarments *pajamas *bathrobes *socks *mittens, gloves *hats, ear muffs *jackets, coats, outerwear Toiletries: No razors / Non-aerosol items please *shampoo & conditioner *soap/body washes *toothpaste/toothbrushes *hair spray, gels *combs/brushes *small packs of tissues *hand/body lotion *shaving gel/creams *pony tail holders Cosmetics: No nail polish or glass bottles or mirrors *lipstick, gloss, powder, eye shadows, mascara, lip balm, blush Activity Items: No needles or wire bindings *craft kits *puzzle books *activity books *regular and large print books *Bibles *games *CD s/dvd s *hand held games *crayons/paints Food items: No nuts or glass containers *diabetic or sugarless items *decaffeinated drink mixes/coffee *individually packed snack items (crackers, cookies, cakes, gum, candy) Miscellaneous: *batteries (especially AA) *wallets *portable CD players *watches *sports memorabilia (especially Pittsburgh teams) *writing paper, stationary items especially with stamps *phone cards are in great demand for the patients *gently-used luggage Operation Reindeer is Mental Health of America s annual drive to provide Christmas gifts for Westmoreland County residents at Torrance State Hospital, a long term facility for psychiatric patients. These items make being away from family at Christmastime easier for patients who struggle with serious mental illnesses. GREENSBURG HOLIDAY PARADE NOVEMBER 21 Our youth will once again be serving hot dogs and our Evangelism Activation team will be serving hot chocolate at the Holiday Parade on Saturday, November 21. This is a great opportunity to show Christian welcome and kindness to those in our community. So, if you are in elementary school, middle school, or high school jump in on this opportunity to live out your faith. Likewise, all members of the church are Evangelists, so come and share the warmth of the Gospel as we serve the hot chocolate. Everyone needs to show up at 10:00 AM to get things ready. GIVING TREE ANGELS AVAILABLE SUNDAY, NOV. 22 Our Giving Tree will have angels starting Sunday, November 22. The angels contain names of needy children and gift suggestions. (You do NOT need to purchase all of the suggestions.) Some of these children are from families helped through our food pantry. Some are from our preschool. If you wish to help, take an angel and please sign your name and phone number next to the child s number on the clipboard provided. Gifts should be wrapped and returned to the church office no later than Sunday, December 13. The gifts will be distributed at the December Food Pantry. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HISTORY? Would you like to help First Evangelical Lutheran Church preserve its past, in a usable format? Join the First Lutheran Church Records Archiving Club. The first meeting will be January 10th at 9:50 AM in the Social Hall. The purpose of this club is to help index our digital archives into a usable format for historical research. If you have any questions, please call the Church Office or bobandpam309@comcast.net.

4 NOVEMBER LIBRARY NEWS We hope that you will visit First Lutheran s Library before or after worship service or Sunday school. Our library is located on the second floor of the Christian education building, with some materials also located in the Parlor on the first floor. New books and visual aide materials are added each month for all congregation members to enjoy. New in our library this month: A.D. The Bible Continues (DVD) From executive producers Roma Downey (The Bible) and Mark Burnett (The Bible, The Voice) comes an uplifting spiritual journey through the later chapters of biblical history. A.D. The Bible Continues picks up where the smash hit miniseries The Bible left off, continuing the greatest story ever told and exploring the exciting and inspiring events that followed the Crucifixion of Christ. Backyard Bandit Mystery by Beverly Lewis #15 in the Cul-de-sac Kids series for ages Stacy Henry wants to earn money for the Cul-de-sac Kids Club. But she can t get permission from Abby, the club president, who is out of town. The rest of the kids vote to go ahead with a yard sale. The friends make signs, and everyone brings old treasures for the big day. But one night, some of their treasures disappear! Is there a bandit in the neighborhood? Who is stealing from the Cul-de-sac kids? Green Gravy by Beverly Lewis- #14 in the Cul-de-sac kids series for ages Carly Hunter is proud to be chosen Student of the Week. She even gets to make a special wish just in time for St. Patrick s Day. Carly decides her classmates must wear green, because she s Irish, and she wants everyone to eat only green foods during lunch. But Jimmy, her adopted Korean brother, doesn t want to join the silly custom. He thinks green foods are yucky. Who will win this brother-sister-tug-of-war? The Haunted House by Paul Hutchens - #16 in the Sugar Creek Gang series for 8 11 year olds. Way up on a hill on Old Man Paddler s property stands an old house that many people think is haunted. A late night raccoon hunt with dogs from Circus s dad helps the gang get to the bottom of the mystery. What will the boys discover in the dark attic of the haunted house? Reflect with Bill on the meaning of the Bible verse absent from the body at home with the Lord. SCHOOL KIT CONTENTS: This is the list of the items that we need. You may donate any of the following in any quantity that you wish. A bin will be located in the sanctuary, with examples of the needed items on display. Four 70 sheet notebooks of wide or college ruled paper (approximately 8 x 10 1/2 ) - no loose-leaf paper One 30 centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other One pencil sharpener One blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well) Five unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers Five black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink) One box of 16 or 24 crayons One 2 1/2 inch eraser CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS, NOVEMBER 8 AND 22 Brief congregational meetings will follow worship services on November 8th and 22nd for the purpose of nominating and electing congregation council members. On November 8th nominations will be received. Balloting and /or elections will follow two weeks later at the Sunday, November 22nd meeting.

5 Serving At First In November 2015 SCHOOL KITS FOR LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF Starting on SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2015, the Ruth Circle is beginning a project for Lutheran World Relief. We are making school bag kits, as specified by that organization for children in dire need world wide. Our congregation has always been very generous in donating appropriate items to any cause. And we greatly appreciate that generosity. However for this project we need to be very specific about what we can use. PLEASE be sure to follow the exact specifications for each item. Also DO NOT provide any item with decorations - just PLAIN colors. (No flags, crosses, princesses, dogs, cats, etc.) Lutheran World Relief has access to areas of the world that others do not and any such decorations, especially religious or patriotic, could place the people we are helping in danger. Thank you for your co-operation. The list of items is on the following page. Please watch the display and bulletin board for help in finding the articles at reasonable prices. We are planning a congregational event to assemble and package the bags in January. Please watch the bulletins and newsletter for details. Ruth Circle will meet on Thursday November 12 at 7:30 PM. We gather in the parlor and all are welcome. 11/1 11/8 11/15 11/22 11/29 Erik Hanzel Alyssa Tomb Haley Tomb Erik Hanzel Gabrielle Beaken Jordan Beaken ACOLYTES Jennifer McCanna Erika Ament Tanner DeTesta Drew Erdman Kendyl Crosby Tyler Crosby Emma Armstrong Sawyer Rehak Tanner DeTesta 11/1 Torch Bearers: Emma Armstrong, Brandon Armstrong, Kendyl Crosby, Tyler Crosby Crucifers: Jennifer McCanna, Tanner DeTesta Bible Bearers: Drew Erdman, Sawyer Rehak 11/22 Torch Bearers: Erik Hanzel, Brandon Armstrong, Sawyer Rehak, Alyssa Tomb Crucifers: Emma Armstrong, Haley Tomb Bible Bearers: Nick Nicassio, Tanner DeTesta Gail Armstrong Suzy Flory Mark Barnhart Alex Byers LECTORS Sherry Menz Joan Orr ASSISTING MINISTERS Jean Miller Amy Schultz Kim Nicassio Rebecca Brunetta Suzy Flory Dianna Marusko Pat Yost Rebecca Brunetta Rocco Marusko Dennis Acita Al Danilko Drew Erdman Helen Marie Flinner AV MINISTRY TEAM Dwight Miller Lexi Hahn Scott Hahn Delivery 8:15 USHERS 10:45 USHERS ALTAR GUILD Dave Cobb - chief Sue Cobb Kim Nicassio Noah Boggs Dan Lucas -chief Dave Delisi Debbie Delisi Amy Schultz Liz Rowe Tim Irwin Spenser Irwin Betty Mohney Cheryl Lucas Betty Kraus Kim Woodley - coordinator Shirley Huls Mary Leppold Amy Schultz

6 November 2015 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday FOOD/HEART :15 W&S ALL SAINTS 8 8:15 W&S HARVEST HOME 9:30 Information Technology 15 8:15 W&S 22 8:15 W&S 9:30 Social Ministry JAVA TABLE 29 8:15 W&S :00 Evangelism 7:00 Cong Council 6:00 Personnel 6:30 Finance 7:00 Christian Ed 11 FOOD/HEART FOOD/HEART FOOD/HEART 30 6:30 Property 7:30 Executive 6:15 Belll Choir 7:00 Choir 6:15 Belll Choir 7:00 Choir 7:30 Ruth Circle FOOD PANTRY 6:15 Belll Choir 7:00 Choir NEWSLETTER DEADLINE CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED WEDDING HOLIDAY PARADE 28 MATCHING GIFT PROGRAM 2015 First Lutheran has sponsored a Matching Gifts program since Members of First Lutheran are invited to make a gift to any non-profit, human service organization whose mission is in accordance with First Lutheran s mission, as agreed upon by our Social Ministry Activating Team. Such gifts will be matched by a First Lutheran Check and will be sent to the organization. Also, such gifts can be made throughout the year until the total budgeted amount of $10,000 is met. Individual organizations are only eligible to receive up to $2,000 from the matching gifts program until November 15, If there are any matching funds money remaining after November 15, any size gift will be matched until the program budget is exhausted. The $10,000 in matching funds is budgeted from our 2015 Trust Fund distribution.