The Gift. Pastor Mick s Musings. December 2014

Transcription

1 December 2014 s Musings The Gift. True Christian Christmas Christmas isn't showy gifts or glittering decoration; It's honoring our Savior, Jesus Christ in humble adoration. It's serving those less fortunate, meeting their needs before our own. It's making sure at Christmas time, that no one is alone. It's taking what we would have spent, on things that no one needs. And using it to help someone, with service and good deeds. Our Savior showed us how to live, with charity, faith and service. It makes the holidays a joy, more peaceful, and less nervous. So let's remember Christmas is about our Savior's birth. That's the way to happiness. The way to peace on earth. Inside this issue: Joanna Fuchs Christmas Events 2 Tiny Timbers Tidbits 3 CBM Results 4 Scriptures, Servants, & Stats 5 WGT Calendar 6 Fall Fest Highlights 7 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. Luke 2: I love getting Christmas Cards. The messages are always reassuring and uplifting. Themes like, Peace on Earth, Jesus is the Light of the World, For unto us a Child is given, and many more. I recently found a Christmas Greeting Card with Linus from the Peanuts Comics, standing on the stage reciting Scripture verses of the Christmas story, in the TV movie, Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. The quote ends with Luke 2: Linus says, And suddenly with the angel was a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good will toward men. So I am thinking that Linus is a King James Version kind of guy! But I also see that there is something missing in the translation. Most newer versions are closer to the original text and are very similar to what it says in the New International Version. The NIV says, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests. (Emphasis mine) That really changes the meaning of the proclamation. That little phrase is left out on most Christmas cards but it speaks volumes to those who understand the Christmas story. The Christmas story is a story about grace about underserved favor. It is about repentance and surrender to a loving God. So I read this small proclamation and I realize that peace on earth true peace on earth is given to all who find the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This grace is not something that we can attain on our own. It is a gift of God. There are many verses that point this out in both the Old and New Testaments. One that strikes me is from 2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. My sins have been placed on Jesus so that I could become right with God. That is the Christmas story. I don t deserve it. We don t deserve it. But out of love it is

2 Page 2 given just the same. However, as with all gifts, it must be received. Imagine sitting around the Christmas Tree with your family. There are many presents wrapped up in beautifully decorated boxes. There is a special one that you have purchased at a great price for the one you most dearly love. And as you retrieve it and present to your cherished one, he or she refuses the gift saying, No honey, I do not want it. You would be heartbroken. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have a most wonderful gift to give this Christmas season. The gift of Jesus - the one who freely gave His life so we may live with Him in Heaven forever. All anyone has to do is accept it. And yet, many do not. I think this must break our Heavenly Father s heart. And yet, this is the gift we must keep on giving to all who will receive it. For those who receive this not only are they given a relationship with God; not only a dwelling place in Heaven, but also a profound peace here on earth. No wonder why the angels proclaimed, Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests! May you Christmas be filled with joy and peace, Upcoming Christmas Season Events We will participate in Angel Tree this December. Please be in prayer about how you can help share Christ s love with the child of a prisoner. In the coming weeks you will have the opportunity to pick an Angel from the tree & bless a child this year! December First Wednesday First Wednesday will be held December 3rd beginning with dinner at 6:30 pm followed by a short devotion & then craft making for Christmas Dinner bags. Many hands & all ages are needed! Combined Service/Christmas Cantata WGT Will offer a breakfast at 9:15 am on Sunday, December 21st, followed by the COMBINED service at 10:30 featuring the WGT Choir s presentation of the Christmas Cantata, Hope Has Hands. Piercing Word Plan to join us on Christmas Eve, Eve (December 23rd folks) at for a special Christmas presentation! This will be a telling of the Christmas story like you ve not seen! Christmas Eve Join us on Wednesday, December 24th at for WGT s Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. DINNER! WGT will again be serving dinner to the community on Christmas Day! Many hands are needed to serve in many ways on this day! See Matt Haverkamp or Tracy Drescher with questions or to volunteer to help.

3 Page 3 Summer was over when we started the Tiny Timbers TTh class, but we learned a lot from the ocean friends who taught about manners & classmates. Peter the Purple Octopus taught us about picking up & putting things away properly. His friend, Terry Turn-taking Turtle, taught how to take turns with our friends. Sherman the Sharing Shark did just as his name says & taught us to share. Mr. Say Hey, the frog, taught us playground safety. We then started to learn about apples, Johnny Appleseed, and the harvest of fall. We also learned from the Rheems Fire Department during community helpers week, the importance of fire safety in the home and the Stop, Drop, Roll and Get Down Low & Go. We had the opportunity to get on the fire truck & heard the loud siren as it left the school yard. Leaves falling down and the wind getting cold in the season we call Fall was the song we sang to teach us the characteristics of Fall. We raked leaves and made a very big leaf pile which we all got a chance to run and dive in individually and also as a whole class. We closed off October with a week about David the music maker and had our Bible time outside with David, alias Miss Natalie, playing the autoharp and pretending we were Jesus little lambs. We had a great time singing and baaing. November started out with learning about the Native Americans that were friends of the pilgrims, the Wampanoag. We made mantles, necklaces, and feather headbands to wear at our Thanksgiving Re-enactment. We also made Pilgrim outfits to complete the festivities. We did two cooking activities, making our own applesauce and pumpkin muffins. The children will serve these to their families after a short program. We will be playing drums and singing praises to give God all the thanks He deserves. Our Bible verse says it all, Give thanks unto the Lord for He is good. We also enjoyed two Bible times with, the first being the story of Jonah and making good choices. Recently we learned how God made each one of us special and we are looking forward to next month. We are so grateful for attentive parents who have shared their skills and even a grandparent who stopped by to read to us! We welcome visitors and church members to see what we are learning. Many thanks to all the behind the scenes people who do so much for Tiny Timbers. Miss Ruthie & I feel so blessed with the children God has brought our way and will continue to teach them all the skills through songs, stories, crafts, learning activities, and active play. Keep praying for Tiny Timbers and the impact it can have on these precious little ones. Miss Natalie, TTH Teacher

4 Page 4 Anniversaries 12/3 - Lloyd & Betty Swarr 12/14 - Gerald & Allison Huber 12/16 - Bob & Shirley Dunkelberger 12/19 - Jim & Linda Spickler 12/29 - Richard & Sandy Dickason Birthdays 12/1 - Charles Riggleman, Tanner Hawthorne 12/5 - Isabella Gruber, Stephanie Collman 12/8 - Linda Spickler, Kyle Keener 12/10 - Jason Slater 12/12 - Cody Schwanger, Brenda Drawbaugh, Emma Kinard 12/15 - Lisa Cannon, Brody Groff 12/16 - Cindy Seitz, Ruthie Hollinger 12/17 - Wanda Winters 12/19 - Henry Harry, Ellen Bowers 12/21 - Matt Henry 12/24 - Bill Tripp 12/25 - Jean Hollinger 12/28 - McKena Smith 12/29 - Scott Carlson, Nichole Hawthorne 12/30 - Erma Fazenbaker, Mike Hawthorne, Justin Collins 12/31 - Jere Fellenbaum CBM ELECTION RESULTS The Congregational Business Meeting was held Tuesday, November 11th. A few highlights: Audrey Estep was re-affirmed as a licensed minister. Shawn O Brien was affirmed to pursue the call to be a licensed minister. The 2015 budget was approved and the election results are below. Nurture Commission *Dawn Dupler (2017) *Regena Tripp (2017) Witness Commission *Clint Arndt (2017) *Jackie Hemperly (2017) Steward s Commission *Randy Ginder (2017) *Cody Schwanger (2015) *Blaine Youtz (2017) Cemetery Board *Dave Becker (2017) District Conference *Marlin & Rose Hibshman Annual Conference * & Leslie Allen Nominating Committee *Leslie Allen (2016) *Brenda Drawbaugh (2017) *Laurie Hollinger (2017) Auditor *Amy Peffley (2017) Winter Weather & Service Cancellations For some, the thought of winter is, well, not a pleasant one! However, with winter, whether you like it or not, comes the chance of services being delayed or cancelled due to inclement weather. Below is a list of places you can find information about service delays/cancellations for WGT. ONLINE ONLY - click on service cancellations - click on weather & then closings TV LISTINGS RADIO Fox 43 WPMT CBS 21 The CW 15 WJTL FM 90.3

5 Page 5 December Servants December 7 December 14 December 21 December 28 Messenger Joy & Standing Firm Philippians 4:1-5 Joy & Peace Philippians 4:6-9 Joy & Contentment Philippians 4:10-20 Joy in Your Journey Philippians 4:21-23 Pianist/Organist Sylvia Weaver Brenda Geib Ryan Arndt Leslie Allen Special Music Choir Kari Slater Choir Children Sing! Offertory Chorister Glenn Weaver June Kolp Regena Tripp June Kolp Greeters 8 am Todd & Tammy Sieber Cindy Collins Combined Service June Kolp Greeters Marlin & Rose Hibshman Barry & Sheila Miller Cindy Collins Greg & Julie Ramsey Leader Brenda Axe Marlin Hibshman Allen Allison Huber Ushers Youth New Horizons SS Class Faith Seekers SS Class Sojourners SS Class Sound Room 8 am Duane Martin & Zane Seitz Jerry Huber & Jeff Schwanger Combined Service Jerry & JJ Huber Sound Room Nicole Drescher & Andi Collman Shane Schwanger & Jason Leonard Jerry Huber & Duane Martin Jeff & Shane Schwanger 8 am Nursery/ Toddler Jason & Kari Slater Shawn & Mandy O Brien Combined Service Mike & Marcia Hawthorne Nursery Jason & Holly Leonard Adrienne & Grace Fellenbaum Toddler Sarah Kolp & Nick Miller Kathy Martin & Cindy Seitz Chad & Audrey Garber October & November Stats October 26 November 2 November 9 November 16 Total Sunday School General $3, $6, $3, $5, Building $25.00 Deacon $ Seminary $50.00 $25.00

6 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday First Wednesday 6:30 pm Secret Sister Reveal Choir :00 am Sunday School 9:15 am 8 Tiny Timbers Board Mtg. 9 Board Mtg. Those leaving & those coming on the board are invited! 10 Jr. & Sr. High Clubs Choir :00 am Sunday School 9:15 am 15 Submissions for the JANUARY Evergreen News due to office Jr. & Sr. High Clubs Choir :15 am Breakfast Combined Service/Cantata Piercing Word Christmas Presentation 24 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 25 Community Christmas Dinner Noon - 2 pm Office Closed Office Closed :00 am Sunday School 9:15 am New Year s Eve

7 Fall Fest was held at Cassell Park in November. Many families came out for the fun-filled afternoon! Over 150 were in attendance & many were from the community! The afternoon included a candy scramble and pumpkin painting, horse riding and tasting some delicious food. Angie Harnish won first place for her awesome chili! It was a chilly afternoon but fun was had by all! Thank you to the combined efforts of the Witness & Nurture Commissions for providing a great outreach/activity! Looking forward to next year! Page 7

8 WEST GREEN TREE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN 740 Greentree Road Elizabethtown, PA WEST GREEN TREE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN Mick Allen, Senior Pastor Paula Jones, Administrative Assistant Phone: Fax: Our Purpose Statement We intentionally develop friends of Jesus Christ by sharing God s love through words and deeds. Sunday Service Times: Contemporary 8:00 am Sunday School 9:15 am Traditional Wednesday Service Times: Jr. High 7:00 pm Sr. High 7:00 pm