Fall Love Feast-World-Wide Communion, Sunday October 1st

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1 OBSERVER Fall Love Feast-World-Wide Communion, Sunday October 1st The Psalms were the prayer book of Jesus. They have a unique way of connecting our own feelings and emotions to God in a way that is genuine and truly honest. Our fall Love Feast will explore how Jesus connected his life and ministry to these timeless songs and poems. Join us on October 1st, beginning with a time of prayer and meditation in the sanctuary at 6:00 p.m. then moving into the Family Life Center to begin the Love Feast at 6:30 p.m. Men s Prayer Breakfast - Begins October 7th Join us as we begin our next season of the Men s Prayer Breakfast at Olde Hickory Grill in Lancaster. Men of all ages are invited to come and share in fellowship, food, and faith. We will begin at 8:00 a.m. and hear from our monthly presenter after ordering our meals. We will also have a time to share our joys and prayer concerns with the group. We hope that you will join us for this very important time to gather together. Sign-up sheets will begin circulating in September. Laity Sunday - October 8th- Speaker John Henry In the Church of the Brethren we believe that we are a Body living as a priesthood of all believers. This mean that we believe every Christian has equal opportunity and potential to minister for God. Laity Sunday is a special time of worship in our church where we hear from a member of our congregation. This year our speaker will be John Henry. Since joining our church, John and his wife, Joanne, have been active in the life and ministry of our congregation. We are looking forward to welcoming John to the pulpit in both Contemporary and Tradition worship on October 8th. Let us hold him in prayer as he prepares to bring God s word to our church family. Your praise, like your name, fills the whole world. Psalm 48 LITITZ CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN 300 W. Orange Street Lititz, PA

2 Children. Christ. Lititz COB Hello Church Family- I m starting to see ads that say sweater weather is better weather and we are starting to open our windows to enjoy cooler mornings and evenings. That can only mean one thing: Fall is coming. We often think about Spring as a time for new beginnings, but Fall is also a time for new beginnings in our Church Family. On September 10th, we will have a special Blessing of the Backpacks for all of the members in our church family who are headed to childcare, school, college, or graduate school. This includes teachers! If you fall into one of these categories, please bring your backpack, diaper bag, or computer bag to Worship with you so that you can receive a blessing from your church family. We will also be consecrating Sunday School Teachers and Helpers on September 10th, as well as collecting school supply donations* for students in the Warwick School District. For the first time in a long time, our children will be spending time singing together on Sunday mornings before Sunday School. This time, called Make A Joyful Noise, will be a 10 minute time period during which we will have fun singing traditional Sunday School songs, camp songs, and learning some new songs (the music from Summer Kidz Alive was a big hit!). You do not need to be a world-class musician to lead this special time-- if you love to sing and love to see the smiling faces of children singing songs about God s love for them, please give me a call or shoot me an (kblose@lititzcob.org)! I d love to talk more with you! Candidate weekend is nearing, as well. Childcare for infants-1st grade will be provided on Saturday evening, September 16th, after the ice cream social and on Sunday morning, September 17th, during the Sunday School hour. I am in the process of working out a childcare exchange with some approved adults from Hosanna! As in any exchange, this is a two-way street. Currently, they are looking for approved adults on Sat, Oct 22nd from 12:30-2:00 (caution: this is Church Family Camp Weekend at Camp Swatara!) and Fri, December 8th from 6:00-8:00. Are you feeling led to spend an afternoon or evening caring for children at a neighboring church? Please let me know ASAP if this is a ministry opportunity that you are able to support. October brings the important Faith Marker of third graders receiving a Bible, Wednesday Nights Alive & Angel Choir (kickoff: October 18th), Toddler Gym (kickoff: Oct 19 & 20), and Church Family Camp (Oct 21-23)! More information about all of these things will be included in next month s edition of The Observer. As I reflect on all of these new beginnings, I am full of gratitude for the many volunteers who work so diligently to make these things come to life. Despite shorter days, Fall, like our Church Family, is definitely full of life! Praise be to God! Peace- Kirsten *School Supply Donation List: No. 2 pencils, large erasers, glue sticks, black dry-erase board markers (fine point), pencil cases, 3-ring binders w/pockets (1.5-2 ), folders with pockets, 24 pack crayons, tissues, personal hand sanitizers, personal headphones, and backpacks. Page 2

3 Directory Changes Lois Kauffman 300 W. Lemon St., Rm.204 Lititz, PA David Raffensperger was receive into membership on August 21 by baptism. 41st Annual Brethren Disaster Relief Auction The 41 st annual Brethren Disaster Relief Auction will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 22 & 23 at the Lebanon Expo and Fairgrounds. The Golden Needles from our church will enter 16 Quilts or wall hangings in the auction. Several Sunday School classes are creating Theme Baskets to be sold on Friday night. Our church will purchase two heifers for the Friday Morning Heifer Auction on September 22. Needed again this year will be volunteers to assemble Gift of the Heart school kits for disaster victims. A school kit consists of pencils, eraser, scissors, ruler, crayons, and three notebooks assembled in a cloth bag. 12,000 bags were assembled last year. The assembly line for these kits begins at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 on the fairgrounds. Gather a carload of volunteers and join the fun assembly line for several hours. In addition there is a Children s Auction, a coin auction, antique car display, a silent auction and a pole barn auction, something for everyone. Our Amish friends will again make donuts and soft pretzels. It is estimated that the crowd attending the auction will reach 10,000. Come and enjoy the atmosphere of an auction focused more on giving to the least of these my brethren (Jesus words) than on getting, more on serving than on receiving. See you at the Auction! Brethren Disaster Relief Auction - School Kits We Need Your Help! Friday September 22, at 1:00 pm we will be making 12,000 school kits at the Disaster Relief Auction. It usually takes about 2 ½ hours to make the kits. With lots of hands we can get the job done very fast. All the kits will be taken to New Windsor, Maryland. From there they are sent to wherever they are needed. Come and join us for fun & fellowship. Questions call Marty Hershey Disaster Relief Auction - Heifer Sale The Lititz Church has always been a strong supporter of the Disaster Relief Auction which is the fourth weekend of September. This year the dates are September 22 and 23. One of our special goals is to raise funds to purchase a minimum of two heifers for the Friday morning Heifer Sale at 11:00 a.m. A good heifer will cost approximately $1500-$2000. Could we be challenged as a church to reach a goal of $3,500? We reached it last year. Make the check out to the Lititz Church of the Brethren and on the memo line write Heifers for Relief. For more Information, speak to Mark Hershey ( ). Join us in this challenge. The blessing will be yours! Page 3

4 Thank You... Many thanks to the 9 local area church congregations, that participated in this first ever LWCC Christmas in July targeted food drive. All total, we collected 2,235.8 pounds of specifically requested items for donation to help fill the gaps in the LWCC pantry shelves! This will go a long way in keeping the pantry well stocked through late Summer and early Fall until the "Scouting for Food" food drive in late November. Fall Love Feast Thank you so much for your help with the effort. I hope to make this an annual event. And as always, thank you for your continued support of LWCC as we as neighbors continue to try and help our neighbors in need. Enjoy the rest of your summer. Beth Trachte (office note--lititz Church of the Brethren contributed pounds --almost 25% of the total collected! We are making a difference in our community!) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * We were thrilled to receive this gift ($506). Thanks to Lititz youth for designating COBYS to receive the proceeds of your soup and salad! Don Fitzkee, Director of Development, COBYS From the Office.. Happy September! It s hard to believe the summer is almost behind us (some of us are still holding on, since summer doesn t officially end until September 22nd!) The changing of the seasons is certainly one of the benefits of living in Pennsylvania. It s really hard not to enjoy the leaves changing colors and the cool, crisp evenings of fall. I think one of the highlights in August was viewing the Solar Eclipse! Doug Balmer provided a bundle of special glasses and he also made a viewer box--we viewed the sunlight reflecting through a pinhole in foil, and created a shadow on a piece of paper on the ground. The Lititz RecKids came out in groups and enjoyed viewing with the glasses and seeing how the box worked. At one point we had 45 people enjoying a great reason to come out and gather together! One of my personal highlights was putting my feet in the sand and water on Long Beach Island, NJ. I hope everyone has a Happiest Place on Earth and in addition to my home and hometown, LBI is it for me! It was all I hoped it would be and I returned home relaxed and refreshed. My granddaughter, Karlie, watched our two yorkies, Minnie and Toto, while we were gone. Mommy and Daddy helped her, but she made sure they were snuggled, loved and literally treated like baby dolls, being covered up in her doll bed! Karlie loves animals and I know she ll be the best big sister when her little brother arrives in October. God is good. I wish you all the best start to autumn--healthy families, happy children, beautiful weather and foliage and seeing God s presence in our many blessings! Autumn Blessings, Susan Page 4

5 Library News New in the library this month are Quigley s Village DVD s to replace some of the old VHS tapes. Many of these DVD s can be played in two languages, English and Spanish. The DVD s are made for young children, but if you are a high school student or an adult learning Spanish they might be a light and fun way to brush up on your language skills. Have a Quigley s Village en español party! As technology changes we will be getting rid of the VHS tapes and replacing many of them with DVD s. If you are interested in having any of the VHS tapes in the children s section of the church library, please take them. If you have questions, see Lisa Krieg. Joel Gibbel called as Pastor of York First Church Congratulations and blessings! Joel Gibbel accepted the call as Pastor of York First Church of the Brethren, beginning November 1. Joel and his family plan to move to York in October. Pray for them in this time of transition. Women s Prayer Breakfast - September 16 Ladies, this season s first Women s Prayer Breakfast is just a couple weeks away! Our first speaker is Kirsten Crosby Blose, our own Director of Children s Ministries! Join us at Olde Hickory Grill (in the back room) from 8:00-9:30am on Saturday, September 16 to enjoy some breakfast and fellowship together. Look for sign-up sheets in Sunday school classrooms and at the mailboxes starting Sunday, September 3rd. Please contact Jenn Balmer ( ) or Liz Rowe ( ) with any questions. Page 5

6 COBYS Bike & Hike Seeks to Extend Growth Streak to 19th Year The 21st annual COBYS Bike & Hike will be held Sunday, September 10, at the Lititz Church of the Brethren. The event includes a three-mile walk, 10- and 25-mile bicycle rides, and the 60-mile Dutch Country Motorcycle Ride, which this year will travel into scenic Amish Country in eastern Lancaster County. A silent auction runs throughout the afternoon. Donations of door prizes and auction items will be welcomed until the week of the event. The Bike & Hike is COBYS signature fundraiser, having raised more than $1.2 million for COBYS ministries, since its inception. Last year, fueled by the event s 20th anniversary, the Bike & Hike grossed $133,556, a nearly $15,000 increase over the previous year. Walkers and bicyclists donate a $25 registration fee, obtain support from sponsors, or both. Motorcycles are $35 per cycle, plus $25 for an additional passenger. Those who pre-register by September 5 receive a $5 discount. Individuals who raise $25 or more in pledges do not need to pay the registration fee. Each participant receives a free t-shirt (purple this year), ice cream and refreshments, and a chance to win a door prize. Those who raise certain levels of support earn additional prizes. Junior and senior high youth groups who raise $1,500 or more earn a gym and pizza night. A WJTL radio personality will provide live reports from the event. For more information, visit the News & Events page at or pick up a brochure at the church. To learn more or to arrange a silent auction or door prize donation, contact Don Fitzkee at or don@cobys.org. Reading and Weeding-Leadership Team Reflecting on the spiritual walk theme for LCOB this year, I confess I have struggled at times to keep up with the daily scripture reading schedule. Sometimes I'll devote an hour and catch up only to fall behind the next week. This year I was determined to plant and transplant early, and do a better job of weeding our organic vegetable garden. June and July was filled with every other day trips thru the garden with a loop hoe to cut off the Canadian thistle, purslane and a multitude of uninvited guests while they were tiny. With summer craft shows in the past month I missed two weeks of weeding and was amazed by the volume and height of the weeds! Much more time and effort was required to remove them than when I was using the hoe on a regular basis. I've read and experienced that weeds left unattended can cut the harvest by as much as 40-60%. The spiritual journey is more balanced, centered and fruitful when we are in God's word on a regular basis and quickly eradicating the "harvest hinderers". So my word of encouragement to you would be to keep up the reading and don't stop weeding! Steve de Perrot, Leadership Team Page 6

7 The Rock - Youth News Bulletin Upcoming Events: Sunday Sept 10th COBYS Bike and Hike See page 6 for details Praying for Pennsylvania escaped Jesus concern and care. Therefore we took the opportunity to lift all our hopes and troubles to Him as we prayed over the people. This tradition has become an annual event, and the youth are always excited for the opportunity to climb to the top with the assurance of Jesus victory and love for all people. Sunday September 10th Youth HangTime 6pm 8pm Sunday September 24 Annual Parent Meeting 10:30am Fellowship Hall During the month of July youth from the Lititz Church of the Brethren traveled to Mt. Gretna in order to hike up to the Governor Dick fire tower. Once they reached the top, the group spoke openly about their hopes and concerns for their school year, their town and their country. Wednesday Sept 27 See you at the Park Youth Rally 6pm 8:30pm As we looked over the glory of God s creation we were reminded that nothing has Upcoming Youth Events Please Join us Every Sunday for: Traditional Worship at 9:00am Contemporary Worship 9:15am Classes in the Loft 10:30am Please Join us Every Tuesday for: TNT Youth Ministries 6:30pm-8:30pm Please Join us Every Wednesday for: ignite Youth Ministries- Bible Study 6:00pm 7:30pm Annual Youth Parent Meeting Please be sure to mark your calendar for this meeting. During the meeting we will be discussing youth education, significant retreats and trips, and National Youth Conference Youth Hang Time On Sunday September 10th the youth will have their monthly Hang Time event at the church. For September we will be gathering at the church for supper and volleyball. Bring $2.00 for the meal and lots of friends! See You at the Park 9/27/17 Over the summer, a group of youth pastors from many denominations and organizations in Lititz have been meeting to plan the first annual See you at the Park youth rally. This event is open to youth of all ages and seeks to bring Lititz youth together across denominational lines through worship and prayer so that we can all celebrate our common bond in the Body of Jesus. The event will begin at Lititz Springs park with worship starting at 6:30pm. Food trucks will be available in the park throughout the event for those who wish to purchase dinner from Lancaster Burger and Lancaster Cupcake.

8 Young Adult Happenings September 2017 THOUGHT OF THE MONTH...if anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will be the same again. William Paul Young, The Shack 2nd Edition: Volleyball Game Night! Sunday, September 24th 6:30-8:30 pm Family Life Center UPDATED CONTACT INFORMATION! It s that time of year! Please send your updated contact information (address, phone number, address, #hashtag, etc.) directly to Sharon so that we can be in touch throughout the year! If you are in college or grad school, please let Sharon know what that information is as well so we can send goodies your way in the mail! Please pass this information on to any and all Young Adults! We always have more room around the table on Sunday mornings in Room 213. Sharon s Contact Information Page sflaten@lititzcob.org; 8 Cell:

9 September 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 3 9am Traditional Worship 9:15am Contemporary 10am Cont. Breakfast 10:30am Sunday School 10 9am Combined Worship 10am Cont. Breakfast 10:30am Sunday School 12:30pm Directory Pics 1pm COBYS Bike & Hike 3pm Karen-Chapel 6pm Youth HangTime 17 9am Traditional Worship 9:15am Contemporary 10:30am Congregational Meeting and Vote 2:30pm Friendship Class 3pm Timko Wedding 24 9am Traditional Worship 9:15am Contemporary 10am Cont. Breakfast 10:30am Sunday School 10:30am Youth/Parent Mtg. 3pm Karen-Chapel 6:30pm Volleyball-Y Adult 4 LABOR DAY office closed 11 9:30am Staff Meeting 2pm Directory Pics 18 9:30am Staff Meeting 25 9:30am Staff Meeting 5 8:30am Gold. Needles 12 7am Men s Prayer Group 8:30 am Gold. Needles 2pm Directory Pics 19 8:30 am Gold. Needles 6pm Christian Ed. Meet. 26 7am Men s Prayer Grp. 8:30 am Gold. Needles 6 6pm Youth Bible Study 13 6pm Youth Bible Study 7pm Deacon Board 7:30pm Leadership Team 20 6pm Youth Bible Study 27 6pm See You at the Park Youth Rally 7 6:30pm Praise Team 7pm Boy Scouts 7:30pm Adult Choir 14 3pm Warwick Field Hockey-Kitchen 6:30pm Praise Team 7 pm Boy Scouts 7:30pm Adult Choir 21 6:30pm Praise Team 7pm Boy Scouts 7:30pm Adult Choir 28 6:30pm Praise Team 7pm Boy Scouts 7:30pm Adult Choir 7pm Shotzberger Rehearsal-Chapel 9:00 am Zumba 8 9 9:00 am Zumba :00am Women s Prayer Breakfast-old Hickory 9:00 am Zumba 5pm Timko Rehearsal 6:00 Meet the Candidate Dessert Social 7:45pm Prayer Service :00 am Zumba 29 5:30 pm Schload Rehearsal-Chapel 30 9am Zumba 1pm Nathan Schload wedding-chapel 3pm Tailor Shotzberger wedding-chapel 1 2

10 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED 300 W. Orange St. Lititz, PA (717) The Observer is in your mailbox at Church unless you specified that you need it mailed. You may also access the Observer at Just a Reminder The Newsletter deadline is the 15th of every month. * * * * * * * * * * * * September Lititz Warwick Community Chest Needs: Mini meals (canned ravioli, Spaghetti O s, etc.) Jelly (we currently have a good supply of peanut butter, but almost no jelly) Instant mashed potatoes