MAY THE EAGLE RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED. May, 2017

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1 THE EAGLE MAY May, 2017 CONSISTORY MEMBER ELECTIONS The annual congregational meeting to elect Consistory members will be held on Sunday, May 14th, 2017, immediately following the worship service. If anyone is interested in becoming a member of Consistory, please see any Consistory member. St. John s UCC 1050 Buffalo Road Lewisburg, PA stjohnslewisburg.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 6 Lewisburg, PA DATED MATERIAL

2 2 Page 2 THE EAGLE room table with my family. Some years ago, like in many other households on Easter Sunday, I suppose, I sat at the dining It was one of those moments where there was space in the occasion. The flurry was over of getting all the cooking finished at the same time. The meal itself had been eaten, and a certain amount of the obligatory cleaning up had already occurred. It was a time to sit back in the chair, nurse a cup of tea or coffee, and engage in some more relaxed conversation. First one, then another, then a whole string of stories was spontaneously shared. Not just by one of those sitting there, but by many, each adding yet another detail or twist to the tale being told. The series itself was a loose, free-form conglomeration of anecdotes and memories. The stories had something in common, though: They all pertained to the family itself. What were being narrated were our stories about ourselves. There wasn t much in the way of new data here. I had, of course, heard all these tales before, and so had probably everyone else at that table. The point of their being shared like that had nothing to do with information, or novelty, or even fresh insight into a known character (and we have had several real characters ) in our family. The experience, I thought, went deeper than that. It had more to do with a certain ritual by which the family, in recounting its own story, re-establishes and reinforces its common identity. All the story-telling indicates plainly that the individuals there are part of something larger, something to which they themselves have, both purposefully and more often inadvertently, contributed material to the family s oral tradition. Such articulated collective memories serve not only as a source of great, good-natured amusement but also as a means of grounding separate persons on a shared basis. Somewhere between the story of the pork chop thrown away in the toilet and the story of the Gainesburger that had been eaten by one of my kids, it occurred to me that in that personal experience of those minutes was the experience of all humanity. From time immemorial, humanity has huddled around their campfires, and later their tables, doing a whole lot more than just eating and drinking. There, at such moments, this other, equally-significant level of nourishing and assimilating takes place. This point is nicely illustrated by the oldest layers of Scripture itself, which have at their heart, not carefully developed theological treatises, but ancient stories, most of them told for generations only by word of mouth. As humans and as Christians, we are essentially people with a story, we are people with an evolving story, a story that we embody and which encompasses us. all. Cordially, Bob-- I thank you for your personal part in the St. John s story, a story whose new chapter these days is quite apparent to us Church Parsonage St. John s United Church of Christ owns a home in the Lewisburg Area that has served as the parsonage for our pastors for many years. We have recently had a local realtor due an assessment of that property to determine its market value and determine what maintenance and upgrades make sense for that property with regard to maintaining or increasing its value. Many of the recommended maintenance items such as a thorough cleaning, interior and exterior painting, and taking care of the yard and landscaping around the house are items that members of the church can address. Two items, the replacement of the roof and refinishing the floors in the house, will require assistance from outside contractors. The St. John s U.C.C. Consistory has allocated funds not to exceed $15,000 for all of these projects. As warmer weather approaches, a list of opportunities will be available for congregational members to be involved in the maintenance of both the church and parsonage properties. In addition to the items mentioned above, there are ongoing needs throughout the year such as grass mowing, weeding, mulching and snow shoveling during the winter months! Working together, we can maintain our properties at a high level using our collective energy and skills.

3 3 Page 3 ECCLESIASTICAL COUNCIL SCHEDULED In the United Church of Christ, the road to ordination consists of lots of milestones to be completed. One of the last is the so-called Ecclesiastical Council, which is the gathering of representatives from the congregations of the local Association (in our case, the Central Association of Penn Central Conference), for the purpose of formally examining the candidate. Typically, in advance of this official gathering, the candidate has developed an ordination paper which serves as the focus for the examination. At the end of the presentation and discussion, the Association votes on whether to ordain the person, pending a suitable call. Marian Anderson, one of our own, will have her Ecclesiastical Council on Sunday, May 21 st, at Dreisbach Church starting at 3 p.m. Folks from St. John s who would like to share in Marian s Council and be part of the process that leads to her ordination are encouraged to do so. CONFIRMATION CLASS UPDATE At this point, Justin Catherman and Adam Snayberger are looking at the final few weeks of their Confirmation instruction. The months since January have been very full! The study in recent weeks has pertained to our Christian roots--the first thousand years of Christian history, the Great Schism of 1054 which divides Christendom into Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic branches, and the further dividing of the Catholic Church in the 16 th Century with the Protestant Reformers. Over these weeks, there have been field trips to Holy Cross Orthodox Church, in Williamsport; Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, in Lewisburg; and Christ s Lutheran Church, also in Lewisburg. Future considerations will involve a closer look at the United Church of Christ, in terms of its history, beliefs, and practices. On May 7 th, this will entail class participation in the Spring Meeting of the Central Association, which will take place at David s Church, Hebe. There will also be an opportunity to delve more deeply into an understanding of our own St. John s Church, including an interviewing live of former pastor, now Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Jim Johnson. Everything for our two students will be brought to a conclusion in the Rite of Confirmation, which will be the focal point of our worship on Pentecost Sunday, June 4 th. CONFIRMATION PROJECT UNDERWAY The Confirmation Class recently studied the Parable of the Talents, which has given rise to a stewardship project that will involve their attention for the next several weeks. The gist of the parable is that a rich man, prior to his going away on a long journey, entrusts to his three servants his property, expecting them to be good stewards of it. When the master returns, he learns that two of his servants have done well, that they have taken what he has given them and doubled it. This pleases him very much, and he blesses them and rewards them. The third of the servants, however, has not been so ambitious or enterprising, merely hiding the money until his master s return and returning what originally has been entrusted to him. This very much displeases the master, who curses the servant. The point of the parable? Be positively fruitful with that which has been entrusted to you, whether money or ability. This is the central point to Christian stewardship. With that in mind, our two students, Justin Catherman and Adam Snayberger, were each given $20, representing a portion of the master s property. As the good and trustworthy servants, their challenge is to take that seed-money and, over the following five weeks, to make it grow in whatever creative manners that they choose. While as of the writing of this article, it is not clear what specific forms their efforts may take, experience with this stewardship project suggests that it might involve appeals to the congregation for support. That could mean buying brownies or cookies or crafts projects on Sunday mornings, or bringing your cars to a Class-sponsored car wash. Watch future Sunday morning bulletins for more exact details as they become available. In the meantime, we wish Justin and Adam well in their endeavors, and we thank the friends and members of St. John s for their interest and patronage.

4 4 Page 4 THE EAGLE MAY VOLUNTEERS Ushers: DIANNA SPICKLER, ROGER SPICKLER, LINDA WILLIAMS, WAYNE WILLIAMS Lock-up Person: WAYNE WILLIAMS Lay-Reader: BRIAN GRIFFITH Preparation of Communion Elements: ANNA BROUSE, & DIANNA SPICKLER MAY Children's Church OPENER/FLOWER DEL. 7 PAUL BOZELLA WAYNE WILLIAMS 14 LIZ DeSANTIS 21 ANGIE DONLIN 28 LINDA WILLIAMS MAY FLOWER SPONSORS Acolyte Drivers Route 1* 7 LINDA SARTWELL LILLYANNA HARRIS SEAMAN 14 CAROL & DON ERDLEY MARIA BOZELLA ADAMS 21 JEANNE & JOHN LETTEER ERIN DeSANTIS BAISH 28 CAROL & JON HAHN JAMES DONLIN SEAMAN MAY GREETERS 7 MARTHA/BRUCE RAUCH 14 DOT/ART BOWER 21 TESS/FRED GROOVER 28 LINDA WILLIAMS/DANA HAILE If you need a ride to church, please contact Ron Zug ( ) who schedules the drivers.

5 5 THE EAGLE Page 5 Prayer List - (Please contact the church office, at , with any updates!) Hospitalized- Recently Discharged from the Hospital At Home- Sid Bowersox, Fred & Ruth Brouse, Carol Erdley, Charlotte Hufnagle, Wilma Miller, Rick & Donna Pauling, Mary Stover. Shut-In/Homebound In/Homebound- Ann Beasom, Carrie Brouse, Marilyn Correll, Leona Fertig, Pearl Fisher, Bill & Lola Fuller, Louise Heistand, Lois Hummel, Evelyn Mabus, Ethel Moser, Don Murray, Dotey Noyce, Robert Ritter, Shirley Seese, Alda Wagner. In our Prayers Marlin Rautzhan, Christine Sartwell, June Seaman, Shiela Seaman. Thanks to everyone who donated to the Annual Easter Boxes, it was a great success. Also, a special thanks to Lauren & Rick Rautzhan for coordinating this valuable mission project! A big THANK YOU to all who helped make the Annual Easter Egg hunt an afternoon of fun for the children! We couldn t pull off this event without your dedicated service! MOTHER S DAY IS APPROACHING! Sunday, May 14 th, is a date to circle on the calendar. It is the annual celebration of Mother s Day. St. John s will honor the occasion by awarding to all Moms at worship that morning a small potted plant. So, do something extra-nice for dear old Mom this year! Bring her to worship with you on May 14 th! MARCH 2017 REPORT Current Operating Receipts $ 10, Current Operating Disbursements $ - 14, Current Operating Balance $ - 3,141.20

6 6 Page 6 05/01 Joseph Lingenfelter 05/02 Jean Ressler 05/02 Elizabeth Shenk 05/03 Susan Baish 05/04 Richard Mabus II 05/09 Yvonne Dean 05/09 Kaitlyn Lewis 05/09 Melissa Ransdorf 05/10 Dorothy Griffith 05/14 June Seaman 05/17 Amy Harris 05/17 Alice Savidge 05/18 Ann Lingenfelter 05/19 Lauren Rautzhan 05/20 Park McKissick Jr. 05/22 Jeanne Letteer 05/22 Duane Snayberger 05/24 Jason Blandford 05/24 Laurel Evans 05/24 Rebecca Renno 05/25 Pat Groover 05/26 Craig Hoffman 05/26 Mark Satteson 05/31 Kevin Dock 05/11 Christina & John Murray 05/14 Shannon & Michael Klinger 05/21 Karin & Charles Knisely 05/21 Dianna & Roger Spickler In memory of Bob Goff by Erma & Donald Hower by Sandra & Layton Moore by Angela & Steven Mansfield by June Seaman In memory of Gaynel Ruhl by Debby & John Polce by Sherry & Bob Moschgat by Barbara Snyder

7 7 Page 7 WORSHIP HOURS Worship: 10:00 a.m. Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Visit us on the Web! St. John s United Church of Christ 1050 Buffalo Road Lewisburg, PA Phone: Fax: stjohnsucc@ptd.net No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here! The Communion offering for May is dedicated to Hartman Center. The Communion offering for June is dedicated to Disaster Relief Fund for Local Emergencies. Thanks for your continued support of St. John s missions! YARD SALE - JUNE 14th, 8:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. St. John s will be having a Yard Sale on JUNE 14, 2017, between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM. We are accepting clothing, jewelry, books, dishes, etc. and ask that you put your donations on the picnic tables in the Pavilion. The Pavilion will be checked daily for drop-offs. ALL DONATED ITEMS SHOULD BE AT THE PAVILION NO LATER THAN JUNE 9 TH. Anyone interested in helping with the sale please contact Carol the Church office. We are looking forward to having fun and helping St. John s financially at the same time. In Christ, Dee Spickler