Maple Spring. Water Cup. Vol. 50 No. 12 August 2017 MAPLE SPRING CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN HOLLSOPPLE PA

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1 Maple Spring Water Cup Vol. 50 No. 12 August 2017 MAPLE SPRING CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN HOLLSOPPLE PA

2 Our monthly newsletter Water Cup distributed gratis to members and friends of the congregation to encourage vital Christian living and to promote participation in the life and work of the Church. We hope you find this issue of the Water Cup informative and helpful. We welcome your contributions and comments. Published by: MAPLE SPRING CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN 106 Spring Rd Hollsopple, PA maplespringcob@atlanticbb.net Web Page maplespringcob.org Contemporary Service..8:15 a.m. Sunday School..9:30 a.m. Traditional Service..10:35 a.m. Preschool Church Jr. Church Pastor: Rev. Guy Myers pgmyers@atlanticbb.net Phone # Youth Coordinator: Krista Shaffer KJSHAFFER@hotmail.com Cell Phone Editor Telephone (814) Editor Publisher Connie Martin Church Secretary Connie Martin Office Hours Monday - Friday. 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Bulletins done Friday WATER CUP DEADLINE FOR September 2017 August 15, 2017 Mission Statement The living water of Christ wells up within us and overflows! It is our mission to be obedient to Christ by living in unity and with our neighbors, by discipling one another through the Holy Spirit and by reaching out to our neighbors. PRAYER PARTNERS FOR AUGUST Edna Mae Thomas Arlene Stevens Elsie Michael Sally Kaufman and Marlin Mishler and Arbutus Blough and Patty Shaffer and Deanna Fisher Pray for another the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Reminder Walnut Grove Church of the Brethren is our prayer partner church for the year Let us at Maple Spring keep them in our prayers. SYMPATHY We extend our Christian sympathy to the family and friends of Don Thomas. Don passed away July 9, We extend our Christian sympathy to the family and friends of Mary Borosky. Mary passed away July 10, May the fellowship of the church be a strength to all of you in this time. CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Josh & Eva McDannell on the birth of their son, Dax Scott McDannell. Dax was born July 19, May he grow as Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. AUGUST NURSERY SCHEDULE August 8/6 Krista and Monica Shaffer 8/13 Rachel Weible and Hattie Mostoller 8/20 Rebecca and Logan Lichvar 8/27 Amy Conrad and Emma Fisher In the hospital since last issue Blaine Leverknight Cody Todaro Dorothy Peterson Sandy Watkins Jack Strait May we continue to remember them in our prayers and praise God for their healing

3 From the Pastor. IT S BEGINNING TO RAIN During a recent camping trip someone said, It looks like it s going to rain again. Sure enough, shortly after that comment was made, it certainly did begin to rain again. In fact, it rained so hard that night that the small town of Coalport, a few miles from the camp ground, was flooded. The lyrics to one of my old favorite songs are: Send down the rain, Lord. Send down the rain. Send down the latter rain. We need the rain, Lord. We need the rain, Lord. We need the latter rain. I feel the rain, Lord. I feel the rain. I feel the latter rain. The word of God states, For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants (Isaiah 44:3 NIV). I don t know about you, but I certainly have been feeling the rain (the moving of the Holy Spirit) in my life and within the life of the Maple Spring congregation. It s my prayer that soon the entire surrounding communities will know that it is raining. I pray that all will know that God is real, that He is alive, and that through a personal relationship with Him we can lead positive, effective lives for Him in these trying days. Since our Leadership Retreat that was held in March, we have been seeking God and having conversations about how we can be more effective in our ministries to the surrounding communities. I want to say thank you to you for your faithful prayers, dedication and commitment to the work of God within our church. Each of you are an important tool that God wants to use as we work together to help fulfill the Great Commission. I encourage you to be in God s Word daily and to take time for a daily personal and quiet time with Him. May you sense God s love and His presence with you today. Enjoy and appreciate the rain. Serving With You, Pastor Guy PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR FAMILY NIGHT The first Family Night of this school year will be held on Sunday, August 27 from 6 8 p.m. at the church grove. There will be games and music and the youth will have pictures of their work projects from their trips this summer. Everyone is invited to come and have some fun and fellowship with their church family. Please bring lawn chairs. The Ministry and Evangelism Commission is seeking a Pre-School Director for the school year. This person would be responsible to plan a worship service and secure volunteers for the preschool children during the Morning Worship Service. Interested persons should contact a member of the Ministry Commission. Members are Diane Bridge, David Fisher, Ruth Hostetler, Tim McDonald, and Alison Luprek.

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5 Deacon Ministry.Serving the Maple Spring Congregation GOD HAS A PLAN FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29: We re all encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task he has given and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. He knows the future, and his plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God, who knows the future, provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill his mission, we can have boundless hope. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion. In times of deep trouble, it may appear as though God has forgotten you. But God may be preparing you for a new beginning with him at the center. According to God s wise plan, his people are to have hope and a future; consequently they should call upon him in confidence. Although they could be in a difficult place and time, they should not despair because they have God s presence, the privilege of prayer, and God s grace. God can be sought and found when we seek him wholeheartedly. Neither sorrows, frustration, nor physical problems can break that communion. God has made plans for each and every one of us. o Before we were born o Plans for your appearance, your direction, your gifts, etc. God s plans for us are always in our best interest. o God never seeks to harm us. o Satan harms and we harm ourselves. o God wants to enrich our lives. Prosperity is not physical wealth. o You are rich in knowledge, love, faith, joy, and salvation. God desires that we follow His plans for our lives. o Earnestly pray. o Actively search for Him. No plans work unless they are searched and studied. o Failure to search out a plan, leads to failure. o God will direct through His scriptures and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. God Bless, Cathy McDonald

6 2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE REPORT Nancy Gindlesperger and Carol Leverknight Delegates The 231 st Church of the Brethren Annual conference was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 285y through July 2 nd, The theme of the conference was Risk Hope using the scripture from Hebrews 10:23, picked by the Moderator, Carol Sheppard. She also reaped the phrase, Worship God Alone and Take Care of Each Other many times. There were two business sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. At each morning business session, Robert Bowman led us in Bible studies, which were awesome. There were a lot of in-sight sessions you could take in after lunch before the afternoon business session began again. Every evening from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. a Worship Service was held. The speakers were great and the music was beautiful. Nancy and I joined the choir also, so we had to squeeze in practices between meals, business sessions and in-sight sessions. After each worship service, there were more in-sight sessions to attend from 9:00 10:00 p.m. The Thursday afternoon business session is when the elections were held for the 2018 Annual Conference officers. There were 10 positions to fill and 7 out of the 10 people on the ballot were Pennsylvania people. All of those 7 won their positions. Friday afternoon had no business session. It was called Jubilee Afternoon. Here is where there were tours of different attractions in Grand Rapids you could take and there were service projects you could participate in. You could also use this time to explore the Exhibit Hall where there were 35 exhibit booths. During this time they had 2 concerts scheduled. At 3:00 p.m. the Annual Conference organist, Jonathan Emmons held a concert. Then at 4:00 p.m. Ken Medema held his concert. Ken has been blind from birth, but he is a great vocalist and pianist. He has been at National Youth Conferences before and has been on television. He can instantly write a song about a person s life and put it to music right there as they listen to him, which he did that afternoon for us. In the business sessions we had 10 recommendations to be voted on by the delegate body. Six out of the 10 passed as recommended. Four were voted down. We decided to report on the two most controversial issues: 1. The authority of Annual Conference and Districts regarding the Accountability of Ministers, Congregations and Districts (concerning same sex weddings). As you have heard before, this issue has been at Annual Conferences many times before. After many questions and much discussion, the decision made was as follows: Ministers and Congregations are NOT authorized by Annual Conference to perform same sex weddings. We are standing by the 1983 paper that states this is unacceptable behavior in the church and is a sin! But, if a minister performs such a wedding, his district will take on the task of administering discipline. 2. The Review and Evaluation Committee recommends to the 2017 Annual Conference that ON EARTH PEACE no longer remain an Agency of the Church of the Brethren. The church of the Brethren has 3 agencies Bethany Seminary, the Brethren Trust and On Earth Peace. The On Earth Peace agency for several years has NOT obeyed the Annual Conference rules and polity. They are not involved in the LGBT movement and also the Black Lives Matter movement. From the explanation in the Conference Book explaining the recommendation to disband the On Earth Pease as a church of the Brethren agency, it says QUOTE When an agency determines that is CANNOT act within the scope of the authority of Annual Conference delegates and in a manner consistent with policies and positions, Annual Conference articulates, there are only two options. #1 For the agency in questions to bring its activities within the scope of that authority and make them consistent with those policies and positions, OR #2 NO LONGER be an official agency of Annual Conference! END QUOTE. I QUOTE AGAIN: The authority of an agency is limited and cannot exceed that of the organization for which it works. END QUOTE. This recommendation needed a 2/3 majority vote to pass (to disband them). The vote was 370 yes (to (continued to next page)

7 Dates to remember August 1 st...9 a.m. 2 p.m. Humble Hands 6 th..8:15 a.m. Contemporary Service...9:30 a.m. Sunday School.10:35 a.m.traditional Service 8 th...9 a.m. 2 p.m. Humble Hands 13 th... 8:15 Contemporary Service...9:30 a.m. Sunday School.10:35 a.m. Traditional Service 15 th. 9 2:00 p.m. Humble Hands 20 th...8:15 a.m. Contemporary Service...9:30 a.m. Sunday School....10:35 a.m. Traditional Service 22 th. 9 2:00 pm Humble Hands 27 th...8:15 a.m. Contemporary Service..9:30 a.m. Sunday School. 10:35 a.m. Traditional Service.6 8:00 p.m. Family Night 29th :00 pm Humble Hands TRIP TO NEW WINDSOR The Missions & Service Commission is coordinating a day trip to The Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., to help with care packages and kits to be shipped to areas in need around the world. The date is Tuesday, October 24, We will leave the district office at 5:45 a.m. and return around 7:30 p.m. You must be at least 14 years old to attend. We will stop for breakfast along the way, they will provide lunch and we will stop for supper on the way home. A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board at the main entrance of the church. Contact Chris Hoffman with questions at Please consider giving your time for this very rewarding trip! Thank You. St Francis Sharing & Caring Food Pantry: Ask that we donate CEREAL for the entire year of There is a box in the annex for the donations. The new Thrift Shop is now open. The Food Pantry is now in the new building with the Clothing Shop. The Food Pantry is open the 1 st Monday and the 1 st Wednesday of the month from 9:00 a.m. 3:00 pm. Thrift shop hours are Monday thru Friday 9:00 a.m 3 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. (Annual conference Report continued from previous page) disband) and 280 no (not to disband). This was not a 2/3 majority vote! On Earth Peace will remain a Church of the Brethren Agency. Let s back up a bit to Thursday morning s business session. Five new Fellowships were introduced on stage with their pastors and some congregation people. They were welcomed as a part of the CoB Annual Conference. Three fellowships were from Michigan Districts. One was from the Pacific South West District and one was from the Pacific North West District. The Pastor representing the Pacific North West District was introduced with her partner. They were holding hands on stage. This pastor was part of a lesbian couple. Nancy and I want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to be your delegates. We did enjoy the experience, but we both must say that this was an eye-opening experience and a heart-wrenching one for us both! Neither of us ever thought the day would come when we would see our life-long membership in the Church of the Brethren fall into the clutches of the secular world! Our denomination has drifted far away from their original steadfast following of the teaching of God s word! The liberal world has infiltrated our minds and our church s doctrines! What took place on the stage in Thursday s business session backs up our troubled thought! We desperately need to pray for our denomination and search our hearts as to where we want to stand. There are churches talking about leaving the Church of the Brethren! Only God can make this right!

8 What's Happening At HOGAR DE NINOS ENMANUEL SAN PEDRO SULA, HONDURAS A children's home for homeless, abused and severely neglected children The children at Hogar de Nin os Enmanuel have been given a terrific opportunity to participate in the Youth Symphonic Band, a prestigious private music academy in San Pedro Sula run by Alfonso Flores. The students in the school are from all socioeconomic backgrounds and attend classes twice weekly to sing in the chorus or play in the band using instruments donated by Food for the Poor. Ten of our children are currently participating in the program for a special price of $50 a month to cover the cost of their uniforms. Pictured above was their first performance and when they improve, will have more opportunities to participate in presentations around the community. A group of volunteers led by Brianna Baker, Western Pennsylvania District Church of the Brethren spent the last week of June doing various projects and activities for and with the children. Each work camp is different but always a rewarding experience for those at the Home as well as the work team participants. There are still a few openings for our next work group hosted by Bill and Rona Hemminger which will be the first week of February If you are interested in going to Honduras to serve God s children in this way, please get in touch with Rona at hemminger@verizon.net or (540) as soon as possible as we are limited in sleeping space at the home.

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10 Living Waters Giving Is the Key to Living Helen Steiner Rice So let us give ourselves away Not just today but every day. And remember a kind and thoughtful deed Or a hand outstreched in time of need Is the rarest of gifts, for it is a part Not of the purse but a loving heart. And he who gives of himself will find True joy of heart and peace of mind. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3 & 4