2018 Newsletter. ST. JOHN S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST The Reverend Jo Ellen Mauger 4 North Main Street, P.O. Box 356 Richlandtown, PA

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1 2018 Newsletter ST. JOHN S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST The Reverend Jo Ellen Mauger 4 North Main Street, P.O. Box 356 Richlandtown, PA Church Contact Phone Numbers, , Website The Reverend Jo Ellen Mauger Pastor Jo s jem7679@windstream.net Karen Bilger Council President Larry Benner Organist Choir Director David Williams Custodian Office Telephone Brenda Kucharik Secretary Church stjuccrichtown@verizon.net Church Website Church Office Hours: 10:00AM to 3:00PM Tuesday through Thursday 1

2 What if? Summer is finally here, and with it, time to relax with our favorite recreational pursuits. Taking time to relax, regroup, and refresh is essential to our well-being it relieves stress and soothes the soul, and ultimately results in renewed creativity. So, as you go about those re-creative activities, I d like to plant a seed just a little seed to be pondered in the hope that it may spark a fresh idea, strike a chord, or maybe even ignite a passion. Did you know that the United Church of Christ is in the midst of a denomination wide undertaking called 3 Great Loves A Just World For All? The program focuses on 3 aspects Love of Neighbor, Love of Children, and Love of Creation and involves the telling of local church stories about mission projects, both large and small, community or worldwide, that promote a just world for all. From community meals to clothing drives to knitting groups or letterwriting campaigns NO EFFFORT IS TOO SMALL and all tell the story of how our churches are impacting and transforming the world, both globally and in our immediate communities. As I rotated through our round table discussion groups, I heard stories about many of the programs that were important to St. John s in the past programs and missions that served their purpose, and, are either no longer addressing a need, or lack the people-power to keep it going. As I listened, I felt the grief that many were feeling about the demise of so many long-standing programs and I certainly honor that. However, I also believe that becoming stuck in that grief ultimately results in long-term despair and paralysis. So here is my seed. What if? What if we assessed Richlandtown s community needs, created a plan and set a goal, found partners to help us make something good happen, and birthed a whole new ministry? It doesn t need to be a forever type mission but it could be. Think about it and let me know what you re thinking, what ideas you have and maybe, just maybe Blessings and Peace, Pastor Jo 2

3 Schedule July 1 13 th Sunday in Ordinary Time 4 Independence Day Office Closed 5 6:30PM NA Mtg th Sunday in Ordinary Time 12 6:30PM NA Mtg th Sunday in Ordinary Time Supply Preacher Rev. Patti Thomas 19 6:30PM NA Mtg th Sunday in Ordinary Time 22 Tobyhanna State Park 26 6:30PM NA Mtg. Quakertown Food Pantry th Sunday in Ordinary Time Summer Worship begins at 9:30AM. Have you remembered St. John s U.C.C. in your will? Thanks to our choir for blessing our worship with your voices each Sunday. Have a nice recess until September. 3

4 Remember our Shut-ins with your prayers and cards Charles Mundy 304 East Montgomery Avenue North Wales, PA Collecting gently loved stuffed animals for the Peach Festival. Round Table Change of Plans! On May 30 th, Council met with PSEC s Rev. Sharon Morris to garner more information about the current search and call process. Based on the information we received, and recognizing that our original plan would overlap summer vacation time, we are re-scheduling our June 10 th Round Table Discussion for a Sunday in September to be announced shortly. This will allow for the greatest amount of participation for all our members, as vacation time will be past and the normal program year will have begun again. Stay tuned for more details Pastor Jo Prayer Chain The highest form of prayer comes from a humble heart. Our prayer chain does pray with humbleness, always asking for God s will to be done. We are here when you need our prayers. Call Marcella Kulp ( ) with your prayer concerns. St. John s UCC received an $ refund check from Redner s Market. Keep saving those receipts! 4

5 Just a reminder that we are still taking Redner's Receipts. Redner's is still giving us 1% of receipts submitted. The receipts can be from years past no expiration date! You can get a new card at the service desk or at the register. Points can be used to reduce your grocery purchase; please check with Redner's for details. The Quakertown Food Pantry Join the St. John s Food Pantry Team Every fourth Thursday of the month we will be volunteering at the Pantry from 6:00-8:00 pm. Thank you to all the Food Pantry Helpers! JULY BIRTHDAYS 1 Ruth Ann Ackerman Sue Gross Bernadette Fournier Eric Bilger 12 Hope Kendall Thompson 13 DottiAnne Edmonds 18 George Schaffer 21 Brandon Freed 22 Pat Lapinski 24 Doris Gottshall 25 Don Edmonds, Jr. 28 Mary Hardcastle 29 Linda Kratz Melissa Trimble Jade Scholl 30 Kerry Schaffer Is your birthday missing from the list, please call the church office at or at stjuccrichtown@verizon.net. We will be glad to add it to the birthday list. 5

6 Scheduled to Serve this Month Lectors July 1 Judy Guise 8 Marge Schaffer 15 Marcella Kulp 22 Lori Carney 29 Dave Williams Greeters & Ushers July 1 Eleanor Fly, Judith Ziegenfus 8 George & Carla Spotts 15 Kenneth & Barbara VanAcker 22 Kay Ginder, Cindy Yerger 29 David & Gail Williams Offering Processing July 1 Marcella Kulp, Lori Carney 8 Karen Bilger, Marcella Kulp 15 Scott Yerger, Karen Bilger 22 Marcella Kulp, Lori Carney 29 Dan Muck Altar Guild Schedule Carla Spotts 6

7 Lord Jesus, thou who art the way, the truth and the life; hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make all free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much to be hoarded. Help us see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please to do what is right. Peter Marshall, before the U.S. Senate Independence Day Are We Really Free? The Fourth of July is a day we celebrate each year with much fanfare. We celebrate that day in 1776 when the signing of the Declaration of Independence told the world that we were separate now from Great Britain and we were building a country with a Declaration that stated unequivocally that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness In 1776 we, as a nation, celebrated that victory, a victory won on the back of thousands of men who gave their lives for our freedom. Yes, it is true, each year we hold the backyard picnic, and watch the fireworks in honor of that victory and our freedom, but I question if we really have the right to celebrate anymore. What would those brave men, years ago, think of us today? A nation, free from Britain yes, but still bound. Bound by the terror and violence in our streets, the hatred in our hearts, the division in our lands? What would they think of the fact that we allowed 7

8 people, coming to this land for a better life, to be separated from their children? What would they think of the school shootings and the gun violence in our streets? What would they think about the fact that we are still fighting over what they fought so hard for: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights? Why is it, over 200 years later we are still struggling to see the person beside us who may have a different skin color, a different political opinion, a spouse of the same gender, the list goes on.as our equal? When our forefathers built this country, they did so with a strong believe in GOD! It is on the currency, in our pledge, in our Declaration, it was a vital piece of our country s foundation. Today we see prayer banned in schools, sporting events on Sunday morning, the breakdown of religion being a part of family life. Perhaps this year, as we celebrate July 4th, we should do so in prayer. A prayer for this nation, for ourselves. Perhaps this year we should remember those men who gave their lives, and pledge to do better. Perhaps we should promise ourselves and pray to God to help us be more understanding to the person who is different than our self. Perhaps we should fight and yell as loud as the Atheists that prayer IS needed in school, God IS needed in our lives because what we are doing now, isn t working! As my pastor often says, May it be so! Susan Creswell, PSEC Executive Assistant 8