The Messenger March 2016

Transcription

1 The Messenger March 2016 Senior Pastor: Delores M. Neal Organist: Mary E. Snyder Administrative Assistant: Jessica E. Spicher Celebrate Holy Week The conclusion of Lent is quickly approaching as we enter into the Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Join us as we remember moments of joy and sorrow in worship, prayer, communion, music and celebration of Christ s resurrection. First Christian Church Disciples of Christ 442 Hummel Ave, Lemoyne, PA : M 8:00 am 3:00 pm W & F 8:00 am 2:00 pm Inside This Issue Pastor s Page & Holy Week Info (cont.) 2 Board Update & Outreach 3 Outreach (cont.) 4-5 Serving Schedule & Prayers 5 Finance, Mark Your Calendar, Fundraising & Thank You s 6 Calendar 7 9th Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser 8 Palm Sunday, March 20 Why do we celebrate Palm Sunday? On Palm Sunday Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday, March 27th. The Bible reveals that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted him by waving palms and covering his path with palm branches. We will be passing around your own palm to have as a symbol on this significant day. Maundy Thursday Service, March 24 7 PM Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, is celebrated on the day before Good Friday. Its name was given on the day on which Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, known as the Last Supper. The last supper and communion, two important events which are the focus and significance of Maundy Thursday. Good Friday, Procession & Final Lenten Lunch, March AM Procession begins Calvary United Methodist & ends at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Lunch served upon return at Noon. A procession of the cross will be held on Good Friday. It will start at Calvary United Methodist. The procession will start at 11:00 am, weaving its way through the Lemoyne Community making various short stops and ending at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church for the final Lenten lunch. Pastor Rich Cline of Cornerstone Assembly of God will lead the discussion. If it's cold, dress warm!!! Sunrise Service, 6:45 AM (dawn) We will gather in the pre-dawn hours at Negley Park. We gather in the upper pavilion on Indiana Avenue. The service will be conducted by the Pastors and musicians of the churches. Pastor Delores Neal will be the speaker. We hope you will consider joining us early and then stop by the Church s Fellowship Hall for breakfast before Worship. (More information on page 2)

2 Pastor s Page/Holy Week Info (cont.) Pastor s Page Prayer, Preparation & Purpose We are journeying through the season of Lent! Lent is a very significant season in the Christian liturgical calendar for a variety of reasons. For some people Lent is significant because it is the period of the year set aside to the commemoration of the awesome actions of Jesus Christ, performed at Calvary. For some, Lent is a period of anticipation of the grand celebration of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many people like myself believe Lent is significant for both Calvary and resurrection. Throughout the years many traditions have been adapted within Christianity to symbolize the significance this period has within our lives. One of the most popular has been the rejection or denial of various foods. As the Church has grown, the category of self-denial have grown to not only include food but become inclusive of activities, behaviors, and any other thing one personally feels they have previously overindulged in. Many people outside of Christian communities have often questioned why, we choose to place so much emphases on self-sacrifice during this period of the year. The easiest answer is simply, Jesus action his entire time on earth were reflective of selfsacrifice. However the self-sacrificial Jesus was not the only image of Jesus seen during this period that we should imitate. Jesus actions outlined in the gospel narratives let us know while being self-sacrificial, Jesus was simultaneously on his own personal spiritual journey. A journey leading him into intense prayer in preparation for the fulfillment of his purpose. During this time we see a Jesus who is focused on, Prayer, Preparation, and Purpose. Over the remaining weeks, I invite everyone to enter into your own personal spiritual journey focused on Prayer, Preparation, and Purpose. I would however petition you this year, to allow Lent to evolve into a deeper spiritual meaning more than you may have in the past. Instead of primarily focusing on things you can give up, look for new things to take on that will be beneficial to your personal 2 spiritual journey such as, reading your bible more, completing daily devotions, become a mentor, participate in a community service, or any other activity you believe will intensify your prayer life in preparation for the fulfillment of your God given purpose. There may be moments the journey appears challenging, but keep pressing because there s a great resurrection in the horizon! Pastor Delores Celebrating Holy Week (cont.) First Christian Church Annual Easter Breakfast 7:30 9:30 AM Free & OPEN to ALL Following the Lemoyne Ministerium s Sunrise Service at Negley Park, join us in the Church Fellowship Hall for a homemade, made to order breakfast! Menu Includes: Pancakes, Eggs, Toast and Sausage, Orange Juice, Milk, Coffee & Tea PLEASE RSVP March 20th by returning the RSVP card found in the bulletin, calling the Church Office or ing Jessica at lemoymedisciples@gmail.com. When RSVPing, please designate if you will be arriving at 7:30 AM or after 8:30 AM and if you want your eggs to order or how many eggs you and your family intend to eat so we have enough for everyone! Resurrection Sunday! He is Risen! Sunday, March 27, 10:15 AM After enjoying your Easter breakfast in the Fellowship Hall, please join us for Worship in the Sanctuary where we celebrate the day Jesus rose from dead. This is going to be a great morning of celebrating Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Without His sacrifice, we would not have the hope, grace and mercy that was gained when he gave up his life for ours. Happy Easter 2016!

3 Board Update/Outreach FCC Board Meeting Update 1. Pastor Delores opened the meeting with prayer. 2. Minutes from the November meeting were approved. 3. The Ministry Planning calendar was reviewed and the following change was made: A. Finance Meeting will be May 15th after Worship 4. Diaconate Committee: Glenn Haagen reported that the Diaconate are working well. It would be helpful if we could find a few more volunteers to help set up communion and the coffee hour for after Worship. If you are interested please see Glenn. 5. Elders: Lois Miller reported that the Elders are also looking for one person. Please see Lois if you are interested in volunteering 6. Property: As always we thank Glenn Haagen for all his work keeping the building heated and in good repair. Glenn shared he is working with PAWC concerning a valve that is now required by the state. He is also working with the furnace repair person to get the furnace updated. A special thank you to our neighbor Dave who VOLUNTEERS to help clear the sidewalks and pathways of snow! 7. Update. The Money In Your Pocket (MIYP), Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), is seeing clients in the Parlor three times a week on a Mondays from 1-4 PM, Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30 PM and Saturdays from 9:00 AM to Noon. Thank you Volunteers! 8. Personnel Committee: We voted to give Jessica, our Administrative Assistant, more office hours. The increase to 19 hours a week began in March. 9. Finance: Barb Plaza and Harold Turner presented the financial report, which is found on page 6 in this newsletter. 10. New Business: A special board meeting was set for April 17th immediately after Worship. There will be a pot luck lunch and a meeting. The meeting will be to discuss Pastor Delores s position. Her contract is for a 6 month interim position with the option to hire as our permanent Senior Pastor. This will be the ONLY topic on the agenda. All are welcome to attend. 11. A special Congregation al Meeting is set for Sunday, May 1st, after Worship, to vote on the decisions the Board discussed at the April 17th board meeting. 12. The building use policy was reviewed and the following change approved: If a party desires that a wedding be performed by a Pastor other than a Pastor of First Christian Church of Lemoyne, approval will be determined by the Executive Board and Pastor on an individual basis. 13. The meeting closed with a prayer. *Please note that only Members are permitted to vote on Church business. Be sure to mark your calendars for the dates listed above. Thank you!* Mat Making Workshops Help your Community and help make mats for the homeless men and women in our area! Dates: 4/24, 9/25 & 10/23; Potluck lunch begins at 11:45 AM after Worship, followed by mat making from 12:15-3:00 PM For questions related to the Mat Making Workshop, please see Barb Plaza at barbplaza@gmail.com or

4 Outreach Ministries Reaching out...partnering with others.to serve our community Girl Scout Corner! Activities & Events we have done in the past month: Brownies learned about philanthropy. They made Tzedakah (a Hebrew word meaning Justice, commonly used for charity) boxes. Each girl was asked to add to their boxes every day based on how many good things happened that day. This helped them to not only give to others, but allowed them to think about how much they have! We made dog treats and cat toys for a local animal shelter. The Scouts made favors to be added to each tray of food for the Meals on Wheels program. We began selling cookies! With all the girl scouts around, there is no shortage of cookies to go around. We celebrated and learned about physical handicaps and how to include everyone in a different sports activity. We began to plan for Thinking Day, which is a day where Scouts around the world celebrate our differences and similarities. The older Scouts went camping to relax after final exams. The younger girls also went camping to enjoy the winter weather and warm fireplaces. We continue to make mats for the homeless with FCC during our Mat Making Workshops. We went tubing at Ski Roundtop with the youth from FCC and Pastor Delores! It was a great time! Update from our African American Heritage Everyday Contribution s Service, February 28 On Sunday, February 28th we gathered for a special Worship celebration and had many Community Members who make an impact in our local community. Mayor Larissa York of Lemoyne attended and presented our Church with a Mayoral Proclamation. To view the full proclamation, please visit the Church s website. To sum up the proclamation, it states that First Christian Church and Pastor Delores Neal is making history by holding Lemoyne s first African American Heritage Worship Service. And, officially, February 28th is now First Christian Church Day in Lemoyne! Monthly Giving Basket March 2016 Donation: Sugar for the Bethesda Mission As Christians we are called to give, but sometimes we become overwhelmed by how we can make a difference. As we all donate the same items each month, we will experience what a difference we can all make in people s lives every day. You can bring your items to Church through the end of the month and place them in the giving basket. The last Sunday to donate Sugar is March 27, Please place your donation in the giving basket. To learn more about the Bethesda Mission and it s Mission, please go to their website at: 4

5 Scheduling/Prayers/Outreach (cont.) March Serving Schedule March 6 Elder: Linda Runkle Diaconate: Joyce Arbogast & Glenn & Lois Haagen Communion: Joyce Arbogast & Jane Welsh Greeter: Jean Trout & Dottie Michels March 13 Elder: Rev. Ed Arbogast Diaconate: Kelly Manning, Linda Runkle & Glenn Haagen Communion: Joyce Arbogast & Jane Welsh Greeters: Glenn & Lois Haagen March 20 Elder: Lois Miller Diaconate: Joyce Arbogast & Ken & Debbie Holler Communion: Ken & Debbie Holler Greeters: Linda Runkle & Dottie Michels March 27 Elder: Diana Onstott Diaconate: Lynne Weber, Jane Welsh & Kelly Manning Communion: Ken & Debbie Holler Greeter: Dottie Michels John (L. Weber) Prayer Requests Plaza Family (J. Kain) Mia & Dave (J. Spicher) Baby William, needs to add weight (L. Miller) Family of Gerry Faust (M. Snyder) Family of Dan Keating (M. Snyder) Jewell Will & Family (M. Pauling) healthy congregation Ken s Mother (Diana O.) Heather Simpson s Daughter, Hannah, & Regional Director, Thad Allen (D. Chafin) Dave & Joan Prediger Jessica Spicher Michelle Grubb Henry Miller Kieth Putnam (B. Eldridge) all Military men & women Scott Boltz Goudy/Frey Family Free West Shore The Church will be open on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:00 PM, by appointment only, for individuals who do not have access to computers, internet, or to job search, create a resume, check , enroll in state or health insurance benefits, etc. We will be utilizing 4 laptops and a printer given to us through the United Way and will have a volunteer each Tuesday evening to help those individuals who could use this FREE service. To make an appointment, please call the Church office at

6 Mark Your Calendar: Finances/Mark Your Calendar/Fundraising/Thank You s 3/28: Church Office Closed Easter Monday 4/3: Ministry Planning Team Meeting after Worship Girl Scout Sunday 4/9: 6-8 PM Funnel Cake Fest (Fellowship Hall) 4/10: Finance Meeting after Worship Progressive Dinner with Ministerium Churches 4/17: Potluck after worship followed by FCC 3:30-5:30 PM Bowling at Trindle Bowl 4/24: Elder Meeting after Worship 4/30: Annual Spaghetti Dinner Funnel Cake Fest March 12 & April 9 (Saturdays) 6:00 PM 8:00 PM We will have soup and salad followed by FUNNEL CAKES!! Bring your favorite card or board game and join us for a fun evening! This is an outreach event, so bring a friend or neighbor. The more the merrier! We hope to see you there. Thank You s were received from the following...from Nina Tran from Girl Scouts in the Heart of Central PA for our ongoing support of the Girl Scout Troops that meet at the Church regularly....from Krissy Marshall (Family Promise) for allowing them to utilize our facility in February for overnight stays for families in need. And, she also wanted to send her gratitude for honoring her with the Harriet Tubman Award during our special service on 2/28/16...from Pastor Linda: I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who shared in my retirement celebration. I am sorry that I couldn't say anymore than, thank you for the beautiful plaque that was presented to me. You know, it is rare that I am speechless. For 65 years I have been coming to this church. Thank God for my next door neighbor who took me under her wing when I was 4 years old and brought me to Church with her. I don't know if I would have had a faith journey without her. I loved going to Sunday School because of Mammy.. My children and I were baptized in this Church. We were all married in this Church. We have buried family members through this Church. As the gentleman said in the last sermon I gave, I have done it all. I have taught Sunday School, lead the youth group, was a camp counselor and later on a director, was a Deacon, Elder, Board Chair,"funmeister" and I even played the organ one Sunday. Twelve years ago I was commissioned as Pastor to serve First Christian Church, Lemoyne. All that for just nine points towards heaven. The other 93 were by the grace of God who has helped me on my journey. There have been many mountain top experiences and unfortunately some valley experiences, but that is life. We get to a point where we are worn out, physically and mentally. That is where I am. It was time to step down and be in a position to enjoy the Church in a different manner. I want to sit back and appreciate God's work that someone else is doing. I want to sit and listen until I get a second wind. Thank you for listening, helping out and encouraging me on my journey. Thank you for the many cards, gifts and well wishes. Thank you be being my friends, Linda 6 Flower Sign Up Help us make the Church even more beautiful by signing up to donate flowers for Sunday mornings. The cost of flowers remains $ They are provided by Royer s. Please contact the Church office to reserve the date of your choice or simply sign your name on the flower chart in the back of the Sanctuary. Days are available for March. Grocery Store Card Please remember to support your Church by getting grocery store cards. Karns, Giant and Weis cards help us meet our Church budget by providing small, but steady fundraiser income. You may place orders in the offering plate or give to Diana Onstott any Sunday morning. The Church receives $50.00 every time we purchase $1, worth of cards. Remember to give generously and purchase an extra $25.00 gift card for the Church to use for those in need. We receive requests weekly! Income and Expenses Month of December Congregational Offerings Received $4, Fundraisers $ Christmas Offering $ Outreach $75.00 Bibles $ Church Reserve Fund $82.50 Flowers $35.85 Total $5, Bills Received and Paid $7, Received from Trust Funds $4, Received for Memorial Fund $ Thank you for your continued support!

7 March 2016 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 Cub Scout Mtg. (Snoopy RM & GS RM) 2 Noon: Lenten FCC :30 PM: GS Pinewood Derby FH) World Day of Prayer 5 Girl Scout s Pinewood Derby (FH): all day 9:00 AM Noon: (Parlor) :15 AM: Worship Ministry Planning Mtg. after Worship 4-7 PM: Girl Scouts (GS RM) 8:00 AM 3:00 PM: 1-4 PM: MIYP Tax Prep (Parlor) Noon: Lenten Grace UM 9:00 AM Noon: (Parlor) 6-8 PM: Funnel Cake Fest (FH) Spring Forward 9:00 AM Finance Mtg. 10:15 AM: Worship 4-7 PM: Girl Scouts (GS RM) 8:00 AM 3:00 PM: 1-4 PM: MIYP Tax Prep (Parlor) Cub Scout Mtg. (Snoopy RM & GS RM) Noon: Lenten Grace UM 9:00 AM Noon: (Parlor) Palm Sunday Special Easter Offering 10:15 AM: Worship 4-7 PM: Girl Scouts (GS RM) Easter Breakfast RSVP s due today 8:00 AM 3:00 PM: 1-4 PM: MIYP Tax Prep (Parlor) Maundy Thursday 7:00 PM: Maundy Thursday Worship Service Good Friday 11 AM: Procession of the Cross Noon: Final Lenten Trinity Lutheran Church Holy Saturday 7 AM Noon: Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser (FH) 9:00 AM Noon: (Parlor) 27 Easter Sunday Special Easter Offering 6:45 AM: Sunrise Negley Park 7:30 9:30 AM: Easter Breakfast 10:15 AM: Worship 4-7 PM: Girl Scouts (GS RM) 28 Church Office Closed: Easter Monday 1-4 PM: MIYP Tax Prep (Parlor) 29 Cub Scout Mtg. (Snoopy RM & GS RM) Happy Birthday! March Birthdays: Al White: March 6 JoAnn Haubert: March 10 Ted Willoughby: March 13 Nicholas Frey: March 14 No March Anniversaries If you are on Facebook, please like our Facebook Page: First Christian Church, Lemoyne!!! 7

8 First Christian Church Disciples of Christ 442 Hummel Ave, Lemoyne, PA PH: March th ANNUAL PANCAKE EXTRAVAGANZA! Saturday, March 26, 2016 from 7 AM to 12 Noon First Christian Church, 442 Hummel Avenue, Lemoyne ALL YOU CAN EAT! OOTW (Out of this World) Pancakes Chocolate Chip, Blueberry, Strawberry, Rainbow, Banana, and more! Sausage, Juice and Coffee Tickets: $ % of your donation will be used by First Christian Church to further their ministries including: The Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts &The. INVITE YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY TO THIS GREAT EVENT! Tickets may be pre-ordered at a special rate of $5.50 per ticket by March 20th. Questions, please see Diana Onstott. WALK INS ARE WELCOME!!! 8