Christmas? What Happened to

Transcription

1 January 2016

2 What Happened to Christmas? I n her article, Always Advent and Never Christmas?, Andie Roeder Moody argues that American Christians seem to have decided that the best way to keep Christ in Christmas is to recapture the spirit of Advent. She says that all her Christian friends regardless of their denomination have come to embrace Advent over the last few years. People are seeking and finding Christ in deep ways through this observation. But I worry that many of them will make the same mistake I made: Finding so much value in the Advent season that they forget to celebrate the Christmas season. Advent is intended to prepare us for Christmas a 12-day celebration, a season in itself. Advent is traditionally [t]hirty days of waiting, anticipation, preparation and then when the person on whom you ve waited arrives, Alright, we re done here. Pack up the Christmas tree. What are you doing New Year s Eve? When I was in seminary, I served in a Presbyterian Church, a denomination that follows the church year more than we Brethren in Christ do. We celebrated Advent for four weeks singing hymns like O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and then the 12 days of Christmas arrived. It was hard to keep the congregation singing carols for two Sundays after Christmas until the celebration of the arrival of the Magi on Epiphany. In those years, we evangelical churches did not know much about Advent. We did not pay much attention to the season before Christmas, except with shopping and holiday plans. At church, we sang carols on Christmas and perhaps a few Sundays before if we could convince our pastor page 2 Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016 and chorister to get into the Christmas spirit early. Then, evangelicals discovered Advent wreaths, candles, devotionals, readings. Yet, in the process, Christmas got lost except perhaps at a Christmas Eve Service. To celebrate both Advent and Christmas, our family made a tradition of decorating the house on the first Sunday of Advent and taking the decorations down on the Sunday before Epiphany. Our grandchildren who live with us could not wait to get home from church on the first Sunday of Advent. The first words from my grandson were: Grandpa, we need to put up the lights the job that he and I have taken on over the years. We ll take the lights down with less emotion the Sunday before Epiphany on January 6. Again, this year, our congregation celebrated Advent with a wonderfully decorated sanctuary including our traditional Grantham Church Advent banners, sermons on the four themes of Advent, and a song sung by the children focusing on hope, peace, joy, and love the themes of Advent. Each of these themes were presented in sermons on a Psalm and a story about Jesus. All of that was in anticipation of the birth of Jesus. Nevertheless, this year we have spent a bit more time with Christmas. We ve considered the Christmas Story of Luke 2 on Christmas Eve and the Sunday after Christmas. Then, we celebrated the coming of the wise men on the Sunday before Epiphany. It is my hope that this has helped to put Christmas back into the season that bears its name. ~ Pastor John Yeatts

3 FINANCIAL UPDATE as of December 31, 2015 GIVING Contributions and other receipts through December 31 (17 weeks of our current fiscal year) were $255,317. Giving was $239,771 at that same point last year, so we are currently 6% above last year. Based on recent history, giving through the first 17 weeks represents approximately 37% of our total annual giving. This suggests we are on pace to give $942,695 during the current 16 month fiscal year, 102% of our financial plan of $920,183. AVERAGE WEEKLY GIVING: $15,019 to date (heavily supported by recent year-end giving) $12,786 needed each week from through December 2016 to meet financial plan. EXPENSES Total budgeted expenses through the end of December were $181,254 o $55,704 less than our financial plan o $74,214 less than our giving While multiple ministries are currently spending less than was budgeted, the most significant savings come from unfilled staff positions and the relatively mild winter we experienced through December. Those savings are not expected to continue into 2016 at the same levels. NOTE: We are currently operating a 16 month fiscal year from September 2015 December That is the necessary step of officially moving back to a calendar year financial plan starting in For comparative and communication purposes, we will begin reporting on 2016 as a calendar year. While the results described above remain part of the fiscal year and will be included in the financial reports of the church, they will not be included in the weekly reporting of giving for ~ Joe Rudy, Treasurer MINISTRY OPERATIONS STAFF John Yeatts Senior Pastor, Ext Denise Fogelsanger Director of Children s Ministry Ext Nathan Rosentrater Pasor of Youth and Community Outreach, Ext Otto Monroy Director of Worship Arts Ext Ron & Barb Burwell Ministers of Pastoral Care MINISTRY SUPPORT STAFF Melanie Schubert Office Assistant, Ext Ray Dourte Facility Coordinator Dan Bisbee Business Manager MINISTERS All members of the Grantham Church PRAYER CHAIN CONTACT , ext (during office hours 8:00 am 3:00 pm Mon. Fri.) Wayne Cassel, (after office hours & weekends) CONNECTIONS Sherri Long Layout & Design GRANTHAM CHURCH 421 Grantham Road Mechanicsburg, PA Phone: (717) office@granthamchurch.org Grantham Church Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016 page 3

4 MINISTRY Children As we begin a new year, I am joyful and hopeful to be part of the Grantham Church Ministry Team. Some of the wonderful things we have enjoyed in the last few months of Children s Ministry are: Faithful, faith-filled, and wonderful leaders in the Learning Community, worship, and Kids Own Worship times; Many joy filled and excited children coming to learn about Jesus; Comfortable and abundant worship areas, learning areas, and supplies; A Heavenly Father that loves each of us, and is so happy when we take time to be with Him and learn more about Him!! Some of the items that I am hopeful for in 2016 are: More volunteers stepping up to assist with the children s ministry programs. We have a minimum of 97 spots to fill each month in all our areas. We currently have 56 people filling those spots Therefore, more help would be a blessing, so those who are doing double, or in some cases triple duty could be freed up to spend time worshipping, and learning too, which would be GREAT!! Choosing a new curriculum or more effective way to do Children s worship time; Choosing a wonderful Vacation Bible School theme to help everyone learn more about how we are to live like Jesus; (Save the Date: June 20-24, 2016) Revitalized Wednesday evening clubs program time; MAYBE developing a Junior version of Bible memorization; Family movie night; Being able to come to Sing and Play on Friday mornings. Many days spent with the wonderful children and families we have here at Grantham and those yet to come. I wonder as we are wrapping up celebrating the birth of our Savior, and the joy that the birth of any new baby s birth brings, if we can even begin to fathom what Mary and Joseph s life was like with a new born baby Savior and the responsibility which that held for them as a poor, young couple. They were faithful parents as they took Jesus to the synagogue to be dedicated, circumcised, and formally named Him, along with presenting their offerings of 2 doves. What can we bring to the Lord to offer in this year? Do we owe Him anything less than our lives, lived well for Him, so others can see Him through us? I don t know about you, but that is a very tall order, and one that I will strive to live up to. If I slip, please let me know, as I need each of you too. We all need each other I guess that is also why God lead those Wise Men to find the child Jesus. To offer him the gifts he would need to help him on his journey through life. We all have gifts that God has blessed us with. May this be the year we discover, or rediscover those gifts, and put them to work for God!! Learning Communities: During Advent we have learned about angel s visits and Jesus birth. Next we will follow young Jesus as He visits Jerusalem, bringing good news, calling his disciples, and performing his miracles to demonstrate how we should live and treat others. Kids Own Worship: Our room has a little different look as it now utilizes the entire length of the room, giving the children more space to sit, and most importantly faces the cross on the wall, with a worship center. We will be continuing with the same curriculum through the spring. We will see Jesus grow up, be tempted, perform miracles, and teach us how to live. page 4 Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016

5 UPDATES Children s choir: We have been blessed by having the children sing for us each Sunday during Advent, culminating on Christmas Eve. They did a wonderful job under the leadership of Natalie Einsig, Gretta & David Owen, and Sally Young. The children enjoyed playing the chimes along with the song maybe we will even be able to have a children s chime choir someday. I look forward to hearing what our leaders have the children learning for their next appearance. Rehearsals are every Sunday from 10:00-10:20 in D20-22 classroom. If your child does not wish to sing, you may pick him/her up at 10:00 from their Learning Communities classroom, or in D20-22 rooms if they have already moved down to practice. Sing and Play: Sing and Play continues to be an active outreach to the community of parents and young children. Beth Huffnagle and Shelly Eyster continue to offer leadership for this program moving into the new year. Donna Bert has been a faithful leader for many years, and will now take a well-deserved break in warmer temperatures this winter. If you would like to be part of this growing ministry your help would be welcomed. Please contact Beth Huffnagle (beth. huffnagle@gmail.com) or Shelly Eyster (shelly@ theeysters.com)if you have any questions. They will restart on Jan. 15. Wednesday Night Clubs: Clubs will begin again on Wed., January 6 from 6:00-7:30p.m. We will continue to meet the first and third Wednesday of each month, through the spring. The children are excited to be offering monetary gifts to help put roofs on churches in Africa. They get to hammer a shingle onto a wooden frame for each $5.00 they collect. So far they have added 10 shingles to the frame. We will continue to use the curriculum, Kids Can Dig the Bible. Please feel free to spread the word and bring friends to this fun and educational evening. A roof is about $ Moms Together: The Moms Together group will meet on the following dates in the spring: Jan 13, Jan 27, Feb. 17, March 2, 16, 30 & April 13, 27. They plan to meet from 9:30-11:30 in the youth room. They will continue to read and reflect on Rachel Gerber s book, Ordinary Miracles, as well as meeting for sharing and prayer. Family Movie Night Come in from the cold on February 27 and warm up with a trip to Rio. We will watch Rio 2 which takes place in a tropical rainforest. We can all huddle together in the fellowship hall from 6-8pm. Bring your sleeping bags, or blankets to get cozy on the floor. Chairs will be provided at the perimeter and back of the room for those who desire. Popcorn and drinks will be provided. Invite your family and friends for a night of fun and relaxation. Vacation Bible School Vacation Bible School will be here before we know it. Mark your calendars for June We will have a great time each morning diving into God s Deep Sea Discovery. Tell your friends and family so they can mark their calendars too. Let Denise Fogelsanger know what area you would like to help with this year. First come first served! more Ministry Updates on pages 6 & 7. Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016 page 5

6 MINISTRY Youth By the time you are reading this Nathan Rosentrater will be in place as our new youth pastor. We are very excited to have Nathan lead our group and feel very blessed to have someone with his abilities fill this position. We have been very busy since my last correspondence. We completed two Random Acts of Love and we finalized the summer mission s trip. The youth will be going to T.I.M.S. to perform service projects for the needy in Perry and Juniata Counties. Our home base will be the Christian Retreat Center in East Waterford Pa. The dates are July 17-23, We are still in need of one more adult leader, preferably someone who knows their way around a kitchen. Youth may still sign up until early May, but the sooner the better for planning purposes. The funding for our trips is primarily from our youth auction. I would ask each of you to consider donating to the auction or attending the auction to support our youth, the date again for this year s auction is Saturday April 30th. This will be my last report to you with Nathan coming on board. The last six months have been a very busy and exciting time and I feel it is important to list all of those who have helped me lead our youth during this time of transition. I hesitate to name people for fear of missing someone and I apologize if I have missed you. But I think it important that everyone s sees how many people have stepped up to the plate for our youth. So I want to thank the following in no particular order: Neil Weaver, Denise Fogelsanger, Dave and Lori Warren, Kurt and Kellye Leitholf, Jason Young, Chrissy Hoffner, Joe and Paula Rudy, Barb and Randy Cassell, Lisa Sechrist,Chris Young, Heidi Curry, and Lisa Walker. I also want to thank Justin and Christina Weber and Mark, Erin and Noah Brinser for taking on the task of leading our Sunday evening youth group. Last but not least I want to thank Lindsay Young for her incredible commitment of time and energy for our youth. Without the help from these people, and the prayers of so many in our church, this would have been an impossible task. Most important thanks goes to our creator who has been by my side every step in leading our youth since August. We have a truly great and wonderful God! Respectfully, Ken Sechrist Women Women s Ministry Events in 2016 Looking for some fun and fellowship? We are kicking off 2016 with a great event: the Women s Retreat in February. You won t want to miss it! Find spiritual rest and rejuvenation at Camp Hebron, February Enjoy a weekend of worship, messages, food, and friends new and old! Carol Cool, a local writer and speaker, will encourage you to discover who you were created to be and to find balance in your life by living authentically. For more details, sign-up sheets, and cost/deadline information, check the Women s Ministry bulletin board in the C-wing near the nursery. And save these dates more information to come. April 3 Chili Cook-Off after church (men encouraged to compete!) May 7 All Daughter s event June 4 Community Yard Sale Grantham Women s Club Ladies, you are invited to join the Grantham Women s Club for a presentation by John Maietta on Diners & Drive-ins. It will be held here at Grantham Church on Monday, February 8, 2016, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Letters from Our Missionaries If you would like to read updates from our missionaries all over the world, please visit the Missions Bulletin Board in the lobby near the main entrance of the church. page 6 Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016

7 UPDATES CONTINUED Library In December, Paul Hostetler was remembered fondly in a memorial service. There are many reminders in the church library of his gifts of service to our congregation and beyond. The bookcases, magazine display cabinet and return box were masterfully crafted with quality workmanship. The library also has several books written by and about him and his life experiences. Stories he wrote about his earlier days are in Preacher on Wheels: Traveling the Road to Sainthood with Happy Abandon (shelved at B HOS) and A Wing and a Prayer (BIC HOS). An overview of his life is authored by daughter Beth Mark in Worthy of the Calling: Biographies of Paul and Lela Hostetler, Harvey and Erma Sider, Luke Jr. and Doris Keefer (BIC WOR). Paul also authored a history of the Navajo Brethren in Christ Mission, A Mission To Bring Living Water to a Thirsty Land (BIC HOS). My family has memories of reading this book on our trip that passed through New Mexico so that when we arrived, we were already familiar with the ministry that was developed there. Paul also edited and co-edited two books available in the library: Perfect Love and War: A Dialogue on Christian Holiness and the Issues of War and Peace (editor--sj PER) and Lantern in the Dawn (co-editor with E. Morris Sider--D ZER). Published in Brethren in Christ History and Life are several articles by Paul, including these: Preacher on Wheels: The Writing of a Biography (December 1979); Owen Alderfer: As Church Administrator (December 1992); Knowing [Our Lord] by Doing (August 2007); and The Denominational Logo Revisited (August 2011). Feel free to borrow any of these publications, and ask for assistance if you need help locating them! READING CHALLENGE WINNERS Congratulations to Martie Long, the top reader in the 2015 Reading Challenge, sponsored by the Grantham Church Library! Martie read 37 books on the theme Men and Women of God, and Gareth Owen was not far behind with 34 books read. Our third place reader was Dorothy Schrag with 13 books, and she is the lucky winner of the drawing for a $50 gift certificate to a local Christian bookstore. The 14 persons who participated read a total of 115 books on the theme throughout the year. The theme for the 2016 Reading Challenge is Transformed Lives. Just as a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly, lives can be transformed by Jesus into something more beautiful! For your convenience, there are books to borrow from the cart, but books from other sources that fit the theme may also be read. Suggestions for books to add to the cart are also welcomed. Persons of all ages are encouraged to participate, and parents may read to young children. Simply fill out a slip from the Reading Challenge cart for each book read, and drop the slip into the box. May the focus of this year be inspiring, celebrating the difference it makes when we ask the Lord to take charge of our lives! ~ Edie Asbury Join the ArtsHub to kick off Valentines weekend with a lovely dessert night on February 13 at 6:30 p.m.! Featuring a free concert from the Celtic band, Windfall, the night will be filled with laughter, love, and sugar! Please bring your favorite treat to share. This FREE event is appropriate for all ages so bring family, friends, or someone special and join us!! Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016 page 7

8 INTRODUCING Pastor Nathan Rosentrater Greetings, Grantham BIC family, Praise be to God for the blood of Christ that unites us as adopted brothers and sisters in God s great family! I am excited to serve that grand family by ministering as a fellow brother and Pastor of Youth and Outreach here in our local congregation. As I anticipate walking, working, learning, praising, praying, confessing, conversing and fellowshipping with you, it seems good to let you know a bit about me, to jumpstart the process of our mutual knowing and communal growing, for the thriving of our family. Some of you may remember me from the three years in which I attended GBIC (occasionally playing percussion on the praise team) while a student at Messiah College ( ). After earning my B.A. in English, I enrolled at Asbury Theological Seminary where I earned my M.Div., graduating in August During my seminary years, I established home base in my childhood home in Bremen, IN in order to minister to youth and children in my home congregation (Nappanee BIC), as well as to save money on housing. Prompted by a sermon about loving and caring like Christ for the weak and downtrodden of society (the fatherless, poor, etc), I began volunteering as a mentor at the local public middle school. These various areas of ministry expanded as Nappanee BIC hired me as assistant pastor (praise team leader/coordinator and youth pastor) and the public school brought me on staff to work 30 hours a week as an Instructional Aid for elementary and middle school students battling behavioral disabilities. Additionally, in answer to prayer for God s guidance, the high school hired me as JV head and Varsity assistant boys soccer coach. The last four years have been full and, I believe, encapsulated much of who I am and whom God is shaping and calling me to be. I love to work and live alongside of young people, to study and teach the word of God, to pass on His life-giving and destruction-preventing wisdom and truth, to encourage young followers of Christ as we journey together. I love to use music as a means to bless God and others by telling them of God and His goodness, and I love to utilize sports and like activities as a platform for ministry and a channel through which to convey the gospel. Other tidbits about me: I am the youngest of four children and learned the love of God and others (as well as cleaning skills and the enjoyment of cooking and baking) from my parents. In my new home, I plan to continue a 25 year tradition of making pizza on the weekends (and perhaps Mexican on Thursdays). I have already made good use of many food items generously donated to me by youth, their families and youth commission members during my first week here! Thank you! I haven t always been the perfect child. I cried a lot as a baby, tried to steal a fruit roll from the grocery store as a little boy, and made good on a threat to call the cops on my siblings after they administered a welldeserved tickle torture on my mom s first time leaving us alone at home. Moreover, after continually exhibiting poor, proud behavior, in my freshman year of high school I was rebuked by my youth pastor (who later became my senior pastor) for not acting like page 8 Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016

9 How Can I Help? Grantham BIC Church believes it is important to give back to our community. Therefore, the Missions, Peace, and Service Commission provide a number of on-going ways that you can be involved with supporting our local community through material resources. a Christian, an intervention I recall today with thankfulness to God since it marks an abrupt turning point in my Christian journey. I have participated in sports ministry and missions in IN, PA, NJ, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Mexico and Italy (and on my third day in Grantham I was unexpectedly privileged to share the indoor soccer pitch with Alan Robinson and Doug Curry!). I Bible quizzed for 10 years during which I formed deep bonds with church-mates, gained friends from around the denomination, and added considerable knowledge of God s word to my faith. I hope to see a revival in Grantham BIC quizzing in the near future! I really enjoy snow and taking walks in it; Snowmaggedon has been a treat! One of my seminary professors taught me that our English word company derives from the Latin, cum panis, meaning with bread. Attesting to the significance of time spent around the table sharing a meal both in my own life and in Scriptural events and imagery, I desire to make my home and office places of company, of sharing, welcoming, sitting, fellowshipping and receiving life-giving nourishment together. 1. New Hope Ministries is a Christian social service agency that shows the love and hope of Christ by serving our neighbors in times of need and supporting their efforts toward stability. Centers are located in Dillsburg, Mechanicsburg, and Hanover. The Grantham Church is one of New Hope Ministries founding churches, and we continue to provide financial support through our budget. In addition, we encourage regular donations of food and household items to New Hope s food pantry. Find out more about how you can volunteer for New Hope at nhm-pa.org. New Hope Ministries is currently in need of the following items for their food bank: canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned meat, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, jelly, shampoo, and conditioner. 2. Harrisburg BIC Church Food Pantry: Harrisburg BIC Church has a food pantry which it opens to the community twice a month. Food is always appreciated and warm clothing is welcomed during the winter months. Donations for all projects can be dropped off anytime in the marked bins under the coat rack by the library. Ryan O Neal once wrote, There are cities inside of everyone. I look forward to becoming more familiar with the cities around us and the cities built in your hearts and minds over time and through experience, growing together with you as family, investing in our young people with you, and mutually encouraging one another in our common faith as God works in, through and among us! - Nathan Rosentrater Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016 page 9

10 Weekend of Service at Paxton Ministries Summary of Volunteering for 2015 and Plans for 2016 Summary of 2015 What began as meetings in December 2014 to discuss how to best implement the idea of a partnership with Paxton Ministries, translated to three Weekend of Service (WOS) initiatives in 2015, as well as other activities. Working with Kasandra Grab, Volunteer Coordinator at Paxton Ministries, along with other Paxton Ministries staff; we were able to establish a format to provide opportunities for Grantham volunteers to be involved. The following shows the volunteer involvement for each of the WOS dates. Those Onsite means the volunteers were physically present at Paxton Ministries. Donations reflects the number of individuals providing items needed who were not present. Onsite Donations Total March Adults 27 / Youth 7/ Children 0 June Adults 17 / Youth 0 / Children 0 September Adults 28 / Youth 3 / Children 2 YTD TOTALS For the March and June dates, volunteering included: helping in the kitchen at mealtimes; housekeeping and operations activities; resident craft and activities; providing and serving snacks; and worship music. In September at the Paxton Friends and Family Labor Day Picnic, we provided much appreciated support during setup, serving the meal, helping with activities, and cleanup. In all, the response from Grantham has been significant. Additional ways in which Grantham has engaged with Paxton in 2015 have been: inviting residents and accompanying staff to Harvest Happening; having their hand bell choir perform at Grantham; and participation in the Twelve Days, Twelve Blessings gift-giving to benefit residents at Paxton not only at Christmas, but throughout the year. Plans for 2016 Grantham will continue WOS in 2016 with three organized initiatives as follows: February 6-7 (Theme: Super Bowl) May (Theme: TBD) September 5 (Labor Day Picnic Support) In addition, we will continue to develop our partnership with Paxton through periodic invitations to activities and events at Grantham; by supporting special requests and needs as communicated by Paxton; and determining other creative ways in which Grantham can help at various times during the year. It is hoped that by our regular involvement at Paxton, a strong and comfortable relationship grows that serves to foster our partnership, one with another. page 10 Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016

11 Volunteers are welcome beyond Grantham s organized events, and a willingness to serve can easily be accommodated. There are ongoing needs such as: cleaning dining room chairs; running the floor scrubber in the kitchen; running the carpet cleaning machine; sewing for residents as needed; and doing various woodworking projects. The Blessing Our goal is to be a blessing, and yet we are blessed in our serving. Many thanks to the 84 volunteers thus far who have used their time and talents adults, youth, and children. WOS at Paxton is an intergenerational effort that provides the opportunity to bless the staff and residents at Paxton Ministries in many different ways throughout the year. For information on this outreach initiative, contact Patti Hess via at hessfam4@verizon.net or by phone at ~ Patti Hess But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. ~ Joshua 22:5 Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016 page 11

12 Upcoming Sermons Lenten Theme: Take Up Your Cross February 14 What Do I Do Now? Luke 4:1-13 February 21 Who Do You Say Jesus Is? Mark 8:27-38 February 28 Be A Rich Poor Person Mark 14:3-9 March 6 Better Die, Than Deny Mark 14:27-31,66-72 March 13 Make a Will, God s Will Mark 14:32-42 March 20 Praise the Peaceful Prince Mark 11:1-11 Palm Sunday March 24 Don t Wait, Anticipate Mark 14:22-26 Maundy Thursday March 27 Easter Mark 15:42-47 page 12 Connections A Grantham Church Publication January 2016