Beacon. The. From the Pastor s Desk: Have Jesus, Will Travel

Transcription

1 The Beacon Shines with Grace Lutheran Church News December, 2015 Give a smile, Get one back, Give a hug And see the smile... It s Happening at Grace Lutheran! From the Pastor s Desk: Have Jesus, Will Travel Tis the season! (I know, most of you are filling in, to be jolly, fa la la la etc., and cursing me for getting it stuck in your heads. Apologies!) Alas, the Christmas season is upon us. In the coming weeks, we will be stringing up twinkle lights on our rooftops and around our Christmas trees that we have trekked home through the snow and the cold. We ll pull out the boxes of decorations and reminisce about where certain ornaments came from. Soon, we will be running into each other in stores and at the mall with our hands laden down with bags, and lists tucked into our pockets and purses. There will be days filled with flour and sugar and frosting, our homes floating with the smells of cranberries and cinnamon and peppermint. Our radios will be stuck permanently on twenty-four hour Christmas carol stations, and the dulcet tones of Andy Williams and Bing Crosby will remind us that we will be home for Christmas. (Although I know some of you have been rocking that Christmas music for a few weeks now, which means the rest of us will just try to catch up!) Just thinking about it is enough to fill your heart with joy, and your mind with anticipation. Yet, in all of those things there seems to be one thing missing- Jesus. We spend all this time preparing for Christmas, but we spend very little time actually preparing for CHRIST! It s so hard, to keep your mind and your heart focused on where it needs to be in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this season. There s so much to do, and so little time to do it in. There are so many things to check off the to-do list that there s rarely time for quiet, contemplative time with God. Then, suddenly it s Christmas Eve and we re wondering, How on earth we got here; how on earth it s time for Jesus already? and it s all gone in a blur. So here s what we re going to do as a congregation we re going to take Jesus with us in the midst of all of the prepping, planning and chaos. Now, I know, we do take Jesus with us every day, everywhere we go. Jesus presence stirs us and fills us with hope and love. However, we re going to do this quite literally this Advent season. I m sure some of you are familiar with the Flat Stanley stories, where kids are given their own Flat Stanley to take around and snap photos with. Well, this year, Grace Lutheran is having our own version of Flat Stanley, but instead it s Flat Jesus. On the first Sunday of Advent (November 29) there will be copies of Flat Jesus available for you and your family to take home and decorate however you want. Once he s prepped and ready for his debut, take him around with you, wherever your Christmas planning takes you. Take him to the Christmas tree farm. Have him help with the baking. Have him with you when you decorate your tree. Have him wrap a few presents. Whatever it is that you and your family do to prepare for and celebrate the holidays, take Flat Jesus with you, and TAKE PICTURES!! Take photos of Flat Jesus and post them to Facebook, post them to my page, send them to me in an , send them to the office in an , or print them off and bring us copies. Whatever is easiest for you to get your photos out there and your journey with Flat Jesus story told. After Christmas, we ll put all of our photos together and have them on display for everyone to see. That way, we can see the vast and various ways that Jesus traveled with us through the Advent season. It may sound silly, but if there was (continued on page 2) Inside this Issue Council News...2 Pastoral Acts...2 Confirmation Schedule...2 School Child Gift Giving...2 Strangers in Kenya...3 Travel to Bethlehem...3 Mug Club...3 Book Club...4 Kid Question...4 Grief Support Group...4 Food Pantry Ministry...4 Family Christmas Eve...5 Committee Information...5 Christmas Cantata...5 Hunt for Teddy Bears...5 Lutheran Camping Events...6 Sanctuary Sunday School...6 Birthdays, Anniversaries & Flowers...6 Calendar...7

2 News Human Resources reports positive movement and interest has been generated in the area of the future of our food bank operations. Our food bank director, Jack, is planning for his future and is interested in fading into retirement. Now, please don t stress! He is aware his fading could take a year or two; good golly, it is amazing that one person could accomplish what he has been doing. No matter how long a transition takes, he will be missed! Music and Worship has made preparations for Advent through Epiphany. Setting 3 liturgy in the Lutheran Hymnal will return to our Traditional on November 29. Super Bowl Sunday will feature ONE service as a kick-off event for Always Being Made New campaign and the special meal will ask everyone to bring their favorite Camping Food. Now while this should be interesting, I don t think campfires will be permitted. Parish Education is moving forward with their Sunday School Christmas Program. Property reports the new water line has been installed as required by the Red Lion Borough and the new little box, which you might have seen mounted to the wall just to the right of the parking lot entrance, is a requirement of York County Control to remotely gain property access in case of a building emergency. Mission and Discipleship is preparing next year s envelope boxes, which will include a Communion card. Chancel railings are being ordered. A timeline is not yet available. Spirit Cellar is moving toward improving the audio/ video system. A timeline has not yet been identified. Council members will be looking for members to serve on an Investment Committee for our church. If you feel you have interest or experience in this field, please speak to a council member. Council members, please remember that our December meeting will take place on Thursday, December 17 at Pastor Tina and Ben s house at 6:00 p.m. Pastoral Acts Baptism: Megan Minnich (November 25, Thanksgiving Eve) 2 (continued from page 1) ever a time to have fun, to be a little silly, and embrace your inner kid, it s this time of year. I encourage everyone to do this! You don t have to have kids to enjoy the fun. We all need the reminder that we are preparing for the Christchild s coming. We all need the reminder that as we hurry and rush around, Christ is with us every step of the way. We all need a Flat Jesus in our pockets to nudge us and remind us what this whole season is all about in the first place. So have fun! Be a kid again. Make the most of it, and hopefully when Christmas Eve rolls around, you aren t shocked by Christ s sudden appearance, but will remember he s been here the whole time. I wish you a blessed, peaceful, restful, fun Christmastime. Thank you for the blessing that you are. Thank you for being the beacon of Christ s love in a sometimes dark world. Thank you for being a people who have prepared for Christ s coming and can t wait for him to get here. Happy Advent and (an early) Merry Christmas! Peace it Together, Pastor Tina Confirmation Schedule Sunday Morning Schedule December 6 Chrismons with Cora Sue Herbst December 13 Sunday School forum with Bishop Dunlop December 20 Sunday School Christmas program December 27 Movie morning: Luther Sunday Evening Schedule December 13 What Do We Believe? The Apostles Creed Christmas Eve Worship Schedule Children s Program and Holy Communion 5:30 p.m. Candlelight Worship and Holy Communion 11:00 p.m. School Child Gifting Once again this year, Grace Lutheran is working with the Red Lion Area School District Pride Program in giving children a special Christmas. We have received 39 names and you can sign up by completing a form in the bulletin or by calling Ellen Warntz at to sign up to help. There is a $60 limit on spending: $30 for clothing and $30 for toys, unless otherwise specified by the parent. The gifts are due in the office by December 11 and should be unwrapped, placed in a black garbage bag, and labeled with the form you receive from the school.

3 Travel to Bethlehem: Family Night Out! Feeling the weight of the holiday season rush? Wish you just had a night to breathe and relax? Come to church! On Friday, December 11, we will gather together at 5:30 p.m. for a light dinner before carpooling down to Winterstown United Methodist Church for their live nativity. Any and all are welcome, whether it s you, your kids and the dog, too; or you and your best friend; or just you! We would love to see everyone there to enjoy this special ministry that our brothers and sisters in Christ sponsor to help us prepare for Christ s coming. Mug Club! The November/December Mug Club meeting will be Thursday, December 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Black Cap Brewing Company. Our topic will be: The Holiday Haze Finding Jesus Amongst the Hustle and Bustle. Strangers in Kenya: it s a date! Talking about the future in terms of months is over. Now we re talking days and weeks! Our plane tickets are purchased for our final upcoming travel as we prepare to return to Rift Valley Academy (RVA). Heather and Claire leave on Friday for San Diego. They ll get some extra time with family and friends there, while Ryan will stay with the boys as they finish up a final week in school before Thanksgiving break. The Murphy men will follow to San Diego on Friday, November 20. After a few weeks in California, we ll fly back to Pennsylvania for Ryan s mom s birthday and an early Christmas on Monday, December 14. We will depart from Washington Dulles on Thursday, December 17, arriving to Kenya the night of December 18. Africa Inland Mission cleared us to return for another 2.5 year term of service even though our support is still a bit low (89% of our monthly pledge amount). Our house should be waiting for us with dozens of bins and boxes in storage to be dusted off and unpacked. Ryan s classes will be ready for him (the same ones he s taught the past five years), but Heather s teaching assignment is unclear (other than her being department head again). They had to cancel her Advanced Placement class due to lack of staffing to start the year. No matter what happens, there will always be something exciting for her to do at RVA! Thanks for your prayers these past few months. April through September was a bumpy road with Ryan s dad s battle with cancer, but October brought us some calmer waters. We ve felt the Lord strengthening us in many ways and feel rejuvenated to get back to our mission field in Kenya. The Murphys with Bill Harding, the keynote speaker at a missions conference in New York this fall. Bill, is a missionary who worked in Ethiopia, graduated three of his four kids through RVA! Four-year-old Claire loved dancing this fall in York County! 3 Blessings, The Murphys New patterns The song always said, Pizza-making party with the youth group we worked with this "Breaking up fall! is hard to do." Well, it seems that our mission agency wants each missionary to have his/her own address these days--no more joint accounts. So, to reach Heather... use heather.murphy@aimint.org or hmurphy@rva. org. To reach Ryan...use ryan.murphy@aimint.org or rmurphy@rva.org. Our web page/blog is strangerinkenya.blogspot. org. On Facebook, you can find us at Ryan-Heather Murphy.

4 The Holidays are full of service to others It is certainly a time of thanksgiving at our Food Pantry. During the month of November, 295 families received food in our distribution, which included canned food, dry goods, perishables, and of course, a turkey. Speaking of turkeys, Jack has been purchasing turkeys from the York County Food Bank because they are basically all the same weight. When we asked for turkeys, some were big, some were little and often, the clients wondered why someone else got a big turkey while they got a little turkey. By doing this, there can be no comparison or complaining. In order to underwrite this expense, however, we still need your financial donations to help purchase our Christmas turkeys. We also need some help with the yard sale ministry. We have been seriously short in young men s clothing (for example, small tee shirts and pants that are smaller than a 36 waist). We also have a need for new or used toys. If toys are used, please ensure they are working properly and have all the parts. If you are considering donating any of these items, please do before our December 14 distribution. We will be packing boxes on December 5 and 12, beginning at 8:30 a.m., and setting up the sanctuary beginning at noon on December 13. The bishop will be visiting Grace on that morning so it would be awesome if we could knock his socks off with many volunteers helping to unpack lots of "goodies" for our clients. Grief Support Group Blue Christmas: A Time for Healing, A Time for Peace While the holiday season is a time of celebration and joy for some, for others the holiday season is a time of difficulty, of memories and grief. Sometimes the holidays are a struggle, and we want to surround any and all who are in need with prayer and healing during this time. On Sunday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m., we will gather together for a Blue Christmas worship service. The service is a quiet liturgy of prayer, hymnody, and healing. We will have stations for individual prayer and anointing with oil. We will have pockets of quiet for you to spend time with God. If you are looking for a pocket of respite in the midst of the holidays, please join us. reader poll. Book Club Due to holiday plans, Book Club is changing its meeting date in December to the second Thursday (December 10) at 6:30 p.m. The book is Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline. Orphan Train was voted book of the year by the York County Libraries Kid Question by Natalie Rudolf I think that Christmas is about Jesus s birthday. Because without Jesus s birthday, we wouldn t have had him die on the cross for us and forgive our sins. Today, we tend to think more about presents and do not think about the real celebration, JESUS! So, since we are talking about Christmas, I came up with the question: If you could go see Jesus in the manger, what would you give him as a present? Ivy E.- A hug because of Jesus creating my sister and I Madison S.- Love Kelsey S.- Faith Johanna S.- Love, and a hug Mason S.- Love Ethen S.- A hug Parker B.- A slice of pizza Riley B.- Camel Timothy R pieces of gold Elaina R.- A piece of cake Please remember Jesus on your Christmas holiday! 4 Amazon.com described the book as follows: Christina Baker Kline s Orphan Train is an unforgettable story of friendship and second chances that highlights a little-known but historically significant movement in America s past. Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to aging out out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of the juvenile justice system and worse... As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance. Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life answers that will ultimately free them both. Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

5 Family Christmas Eve Our family program will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a play entitled, "Looking for Jesus at Christmastime," followed by communion and then the lighting of Christmas candles while Silent Night is sung. Come and enjoy seeing our children perform at their best. Christmas Cantata On December 27 at the 10:45 a.m. worship service, we will worship with a cantata of lessons and carols performed by Kevin Grim. Kevin will lead the congregation in a variety of carols with guitar accompaniment, and we will hear the Christmas message through passages of scripture. Bible Study Time & Date Change Bible study attendees, please remember that our meeting for the week of December 6 will take place on Sunday, December 6 from 4:15-5:45 p.m. Our final session will be Monday, December 14 at 6:30 p.m. Hunting for Teddy Bears We are once again collecting teddy bears to be donated to a worthy cause. Over the years, we have given our bears to the Ronald McDonald house, Access York, and to a special needs operation in Harrisburg. Because the bears often go to sick children, we ask that the bears be new or at least freshly laundered and dried in the dryer to prevent the spreading of germs. We will collect every Sunday until December 13. Thanks for your help in this great outreach mission. Have you ever wondered what each of our church committees and positions entail? We ve outlined the responsibilities of these jobs in the church below. Thanks to all volunteers and committee members for your service! Finance Committee: daily financial operations, budget development, consultation with HR committee on staff salaries, consultation with church council on funding for major projects, investments, and trust income. Parish Education: general oversight of Sunday School system, curriculum issues/ordering of supplies, development/coordination of special programming: Christmas and Memorial Day, financial operations of the Sunday School program, clearances for volunteers, Vacation Bible School, and oversight of contributions to the Murphy Fund. Human Resources: oversight of staff, yearly staff evaluations, staff salary issues/development, staffing problems/concerns, consultation with IT committee regarding office computer systems, development/ evaluation of staff job descriptions, search committee development in the event of staff vacancy, and coordination with staff for training in job skills. Who Serves Our Church? Mission and Discipleship: cultivating the stewardship of the congregation, yearly stewardship programming, God's Work/Our Hands Sunday, Share Your Produce program, offering envelopes (organization/ordering/ preparing for distribution), coordination of online 5 giving program, and coordinators for ELCA Always Being Made New campaign. Worship and Music: organization/coordination of yearly worship schedule, development of additional worship services/opportunities (Thanksgiving/ Wednesday evening Lenten service/christmas Eve), coordination with staff musicians to plan worship and other needs (Senior choir, bell/chime choir, kids choir, hymnody), acolyte coordination, liturgical planning (ELW setting changes), and overall planning of worship services. Property: overall building maintenance, obtaining bids for larger projects, coordination of larger projects, maintenance of lawn care/parking lot care, and maintenance of insurance/equipment inspection. Mutual Ministry: consultation with pastor regarding personnel issues or issues related to job performance, serve as an "HR" committee for the pastor, and provide support and care for the pastor. Social Ministry: fellowship/community events, including Halloween on the Street, New Year's Eve, June Yard Sale, and food bank consultation. IT Committee: maintenance of website and consultation of computer programming/equipment. The Beacon: development, editing, and material for monthly newsletter.

6 Lutheran Camping Please call or visit lutherancamping.org for more information on the following events. December 12 (NEW DATE) Advent Day Apart at The Wittel Farm Join us as we guide you in contemplative, hope-filled watching and waiting for the birth of the Christchild. Cost: $15. January 8-10 Winter Youth Retreat at Kirchenwald Enjoy Kirchenwald in the winter! Play broom hockey and other games on the frozen pond. Have fun sledding, playing snow soccer and other winter games. Creative Bible studies and worship experiences led by our summer camp counselors are an important part of this retreat. Meet new friends and catch up with your summer camp friends. Other indoor and outdoor activities may be included, as the weather dictates. For youth in grades 3 through 9. Cost: $135. You re Invited: Sanctuary Sunday School Class We invite and welcome all to come to the Sanctuary Sunday School Class! Our class is probably a little different than the typical class... Many of us reach a point in our faith-lives where we begin to ask ourselves, "Is there more to this story?" The Bible lessons cannot be fully understood and appreciated without considering the history, geography, politics, motivations and worldview of the times in which they were written. We seek to understand the difference between historical fact and religious tradition, and acknowledge that our religion has changed and evolved significantly over the course of the past 2,000 years. We believe that studying the scriptures with an open mind will help us to better understand the true teachings of Jesus, and will draw us closer to a faith that is relevant, believable, vibrant, and empowering for 21st century Christians. If this appeals to you, please join us in our studies as we travel together on our journey! December Celebrations 02 Grant Stanley 02 Sharon Stein 03 Carol Coeyman 03 Grayson Frey 03 Nichole Pollard 05 Keith McCleary 05 Emeline Osterhaus 05 Ofelia Osterhaus 07 Scott Hildebrand 07 Madison Ruth 08 Carolyn Noll 08 Andrea Sprenkle 10 George McCallum 11 Karen Traina Wedding Anniversaries 13 Kevin Shaffer 15 Cindy Strobeck 16 Blaine Howard 17 Josie Flory 17 Jamie Golden 17 Hazel Hammers 18 Angie Kicas 18 Krista Kiehner 18 Gary Krout 21 Samuel Hont 21 Brayden Markley 29 John Jones 30 Sandra Stauffer 31 Paul Vigna 23 Donald & LaDawn Anderson 26 Tom & Dee Kerr 27 David & Shelley Fishel New Year s Eve Grace Lutheran Church will be sponsoring our usual activities on New Year s Eve. There will be free crafts, free hats to decorate and free food for everyone who attends. We open our doors at 5:00 p.m. and close at 9:00 p.m., which means there is still time to have your own party after volunteering at church. This outreach activity is a community favorite and we often have as many as 600 people pass through our doors during the evening. Please mark your calendar now to make sure you save some time to support New Year s Eve at Grace. Each month, The Beacon reports who is sponsoring the flowers in the Sanctuary. December s flowers are sponsored by: 06 Chris Schell 13 Grace Lutheran Church 20 Jud Stauffer 24 Dennis Walters 27 Linda Anderson 6 The Beacon is brought to you by: Jamie Koons, Editor/Staff Writer Jennifer Rudolf, Layout/Staff Writer Ottilie Grim, Copy Proofreader Richard Rhine, Proofreader Dee Kerr, Proofreader Germar Rudolf, Webmaster

7 :45 am - : CHILD OF BETHLEHEM A musical cantata during Worship w/holy Communion 15 6:30 pm - : Parish Education Meeting :15 pm - : Spirit Cellar Band 5:30 pm - : Christmas Eve Contemporary 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm: Ringers w/holy Communion & by Grace - Handbells "LOOKING for JESUS at CHRISTMAS TIME" 11:00 pm - : Christmas Eve - Traditional w/holy Communion & Prelude Music :15 pm - : Spirit Cellar Band 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm: Ringers by Grace - Handbells :15 pm - : Spirit Cellar Band 6:30 pm - : Church Council Meeting 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm: Ringers by Grace - Handbells TUESD AY W EDNESDAY THURSD AY All Month Special Offering 6:15 pm - : Spirit Cellar Band 7:00-Graceful Women Appeal - Lutheran Home (SpiriTrust Lutheran) 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm: Ringers by Grace - Handbells :15 pm - : Spirit Cellar Band 6:30 pm - : Book Club 6:30 pm - : Mission & 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm: Ringers Discipleship Meeting by Grace - Handbells 7:00 pm - : Finance Meeting Food Distribution 6:30 pm - : Bible Study "Paul's Problem Child" 7 M ONDAY :15 pm - 5:45 pm: Bible Study - "Paul's Problem Child" 6:00 pm - : Blue Christmas 6:30 pm - : Grief Support 13 Worship w/ Rev. Jim Dunlop, Bishop of Lower Susquehanna Synod 12:00 pm - : Yard Sale Sanctuary Setup 20 9:45 am - 10:30 am: "CHRISTMAS JOY" An original presentation by our Sunday School SUND AY December FRID AY :30 am - : Food Pantry Packing S ATURD AY 5 8:30 am - : Food Pantry Packing