St. John s United Church of Christ 501 East Main Street Evans City, PA September Messenger Dated Material: please deliver promptly

Transcription

1 St. John s United Church of Christ 501 East Main Street Evans City, PA September Messenger Dated Material: please deliver promptly Events to Remember 2 Sunday School Project for Oktoberfest 9 Rally Day 13 St. John s Rummage Sale 14 St. John s Rummage Sale/ Octoberfest Booth 15 St. John s Rummage Sale/ Octoberfest Booth 16 Evans City Worship

2 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Worship/ Children s S.S. 10:00 am Praisse 6:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm Garden Club 8:30 am Church Kitchen Red Barn Parking 7-8 pm Confirmation Class 9:00 am Worship/ Children s S.S. 10:00 am Rall Day Celebration following worship Consistory Meeting 6:30 pm Worship Comm. 4:00 Praise 6:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm pm St. John s Rumage Sale St. John s Rumage Sale Octoberfest Booth St. John s Rumage Sale Octoberfest Booth October Community 11:oo am Packing for the Evans City Food 1:30 pm Christian Eduction Meeting 6:30 pm Praise 6:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm Messenger Articles Due Garden Club 8:30 am :oo am Worship / Children s SS 10:00 am Spiritual Council 11:30 am Mission to Mars 11:30 am Produce to People Meet at the 3:15 pm Quilters 6:30 pm Praisse 6:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm Messenger Printed 30 Worship / Children s SS 10:00 am Building Usage Meeting 11;30 am Meseenger Distribured Praisse 6:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm

3 St. John s United Church of Christ Evans City Worship service 10:00 am Children s Sunday School 10:00 am Rev. Lisa Griffin- Pastor Office Hours Mon. 10:00 2:00 Wed. 1-5 pm Cell Home lgucchot@live.com Office Hours Wed. 1-5pm Website stjohnsevanscity.org Facebook facebook.com/stjohnsevanscity stjohnsevanscity@zoominternet.net September Worship 10am September 2 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23; James 1:22 Labors of Love September 9 Matthew 22:37-39; 1 Corinthians 13 Putting on Your Love Shoes Rally Day Celebration September 16 11:00am Evans City and Callery Octorberfest Community Worship at the Evans City Fire Hall Rev. Lisa Griffin preaching September 23 Mark 9:30-37 If You Wanna Be First September 30 Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22 Courage for Community American Indian Ministries Sunday

4 Octoberfest John 2:1-3 ESV 1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, They have no wine. As the new pastor in Evans City I will have the privilege of preaching at the community Octoberfest Worship Service. I decided that I wanted to know the history of Octoberfest. So, I googled it and here is what I found. The Bavarian Crown Prince Louis, later King Louis I of Bavaria, married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The Bavarian royalty invited the citizens of Munich to attend the festivities, held on the fields in front of the city gates. Horse races in the presence of the royal family concluded the popular event, celebrated in varying forms all across Bavaria. The decision to repeat the festivities and the horse races in the subsequent year gave rise to the tradition of the annual Oktoberfest, which now begins in late September and lasts until the first Sunday in October. Alcohol consumption is an important part of the modern festival, and more than 1 million gallons of beer are consumed annually at Oktoberfest. It began with a marriage and a horse race. I didn t know that. I only knew about the beer part. Fall is when the wheat was harvested and fresh lager beer was brewed. The origins reminded me of Jesus and the wedding in Cana. In the gospel of John, Jesus first miracle was turning the water into wine at the wedding. Jesus was at a celebration. I think it s important for us to remember that Jesus is part of our celebrations, our joys, and our fun. September is a time to come together as a church to celebrate. We don t have any weddings in September or any horse races scheduled but we do have other celebrations. On Labor Day we will celebrate the everyday labors, jobs and work that we all do. We will celebrate Rally Day, the beginning of a new Confirmation Class and the end of summer vacations. Some churches call it back to church Sunday when those who didn t attend church regularly in the summer begin attending church again. Then we will celebrate Evans City Octoberfest which concludes with our community worship service at the Fire Hall. On the last Sunday of September we will highlight the United Church of Christ s Native American Sunday. Jesus went to the wedding celebration and found himself working turning water into wine. He wanted the celebration to be a success. Weddings are great celebrations, but also take a lot of planning and preparation. They take family and friends helping to make the celebration a wonderful day. As I think of Octoberfest and church celebrations two things stand out. The first is that Jesus Christ is at the heart of all of our celebrations. We are celebrating our faith and the joy that comes from being a person of faith. The second is that it takes all of us working together to have a rummage sale, to have a community meal fundraiser, to have a booth at community days and to celebrate. Yet, celebrating is part of our faith. Let us celebrate September as we strive to grow together in our faith in Jesus Christ. Pastor Lisa

5 President s Message It is hard to believe summer is gone and our young people will be heading back to school. As they say, Time flies when you are having fun. St Johns has had a very fun-filled and busy summer. Through Pastor Lisa s spiritual guidance and leadership, we continue the process of seeking and discerning how best to accomplish our goals. In her August Consistory Report, Pastor Lisa reminded us that, all things must be guided by prayer. She encouraged us to think about having Sunday prayer teams. (You will be hearing more about this in the future from the Consistory s Spiritual Council.) She concluded her report by offering us a prayer for St. John s and encouraged us to say the prayer each day. As we move forward, I would like to share the prayer with all of you and encourage you to say it each day as well. Dear God, I pray for St. Johns UCC. You know the people in our community who are searching for you spiritually. You know the people who are looking for a place to journey with you in a closer way. We pray that you help us to connect with them so that we can offer them an invitation to come into our holy space to experience your love. There are many needs around us. Open our eyes and hearts to the missions we need to begin here at St. Johns through community involvement and building usage. We don t know what they are. God, we ask that you show them to us. We want to be your servants and to be used by you. We pray for the health and strength of all our members. Fill us and guide us with your love and your spirit. In Jesus name we pray. Amen There is power in prayer. Let s put St. John s in God s hands. SEE YOU IN CHURCH! Diane Iman Put God in charge of your work, then what you ve planned will take place. Proverbs 16:3

6 RALLY DAY September 9 PUTTING ON OUR LOVE SHOES Wear your favorite shoes and come hear what it means to put on your love shoes for Christ. COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE September 16 11:00 AM Evans City Firehall Message by Rev. Lisa Griffin Upcoming Consistory Meeting Dates: September: Monday, September 10 6:30 pm October: Sunday, October 7 11:30 am November: Sunday, November 4 11:30 am December: Sunday, December 2 11:30 am NEEDED - 2 Deacons for 2019 In December, Stella Neely and Diane Iman will complete their terms on Consistory. Please prayerfully consider serving St. John s as a Deacon. Contact Diane Iman if you are interested or have any questions. A big THANK YOU to our Red Barn Parkers for August. Pastor Lisa Kay Cumberledge Tammy Herb Dave & Pam Greenawalt Diane & Jeff Iman Sue Ann Jones Mady Parrotto Dan & Donna Sailer Judy Smith Kathy & Steve Umpirowicz The September show is: Parkers are need for the following dates: Week One: September 14 & 15 Week Two: September 20, 21, 22 Week Three: September 27, 28, 29 What to do: Arrive at the Red Barn by 7:00 pm Direct patrons to parking spot. Your parking duties conclude at 8:00 pm If you would like to help, call the church office or look for the sign-ups sheets on the large table in the Narthex. BRING A FLASHLIGHT WITH YOU FOR THIS SHOW. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THE PATRONS SEE YOU!!

7 Your St. John s Consistory is working hard, as usual to keep St. John s moving in a positive direction. We met after church on August 5 and the September meeting will be held on Sept 10, due to the Labor Day weekend. Remember all are welcome to come to the meetings and share any and all ideas and concerns regarding St. John s. This meeting will start at 6:30 PM. Dan Sailer and the Property Committee are working hard to make St. John s a safer place in case of an emergency by getting exit signs for all the doors leading to safe areas. Recently we had our worship service at EDCO Park and God blessed us with a beautiful morning, good service and as usual good food for fellowship. We sponsored a free swim day for the pool and with a reduction, graciously extended by EDCO Park, we paid $196 for 49 people to swim. Just another Outreach Program for St. John s to help the community. Cindy Princeler and Pastor Lisa are investigating the grants that could be available to St. John s for next year. These would involve various grants for several projects and outreach programs. Consistory had decided we will no longer be parking cars at the Red Barn. It s become to hard to find parkers. This is $500 we will be giving up so we will be looking for other ways to make up the $500. Thank all of you who have been dedicated parkers over the past many years but some times things just need to come to and end. We are going to try and implement a volunteer driving group to take folks, that need transportation somewhere that feel they can t drive to appointments etc. There will be more info on this. This mission won t be just for St. John s members but the community. Gary Marburger has had a very successful fishing season and would like to have a fish fry at St. John s. He will supply most everything but paper products and desserts. Gary will do the frying outside so the church won t have the fish fry smell, thank you Gary. There will be more details coming on this. Respectfully submitted, Stella N

8 St. John s UCC Safety & Security As a follow-up from the Church Safety and Security meeting held on July 15, the following information is being provided to all in case of an emergency. The next time you are at the church, take a few minutes to walk around to locate the first aid kits and fire extinguishers for yourself. It s best to know where these items are BEFORE an emergency arises. FIRST AID KITS: Kits are located on all three floors. o Basement Floor: Kitchen o 2 nd Floor: Kitchenette Supply Closet o 1 st Floor: Outside the Secretary s Office FIRE EXTINGUISHERS: There are eight (8) fire extinguishers in the church. Basement Floor (3): 2 nd Floor (3): 1 st Floor (2): Kitchen Social Hall Wall next to Boiler Room door Social Hall Wall between Rooms 2 & 3 Kitchenette area Outside the Noah Ark Room Sanctuary behind the Pastor s podium Across from the Office door Attic to the right of the door

9 NEIGHBORS IN NEED Offering -- October 7 The Neighbors in Need offering, which we will receive on October 7, supports the UCC s ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC s Justice and Witness Ministries to fund a wide array of local and national justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects. Through our national Justice and Witness Ministries office offers resources, news updates, and action alerts on a broad spectrum of justice issues. The Neighbors in Need offering also supports our American Indian neighbors in the UCC. One-third of the offering supports the UCC s Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM). Today there are 20 UCC congregations on reservations and one urban-multi-tribal UCC congregation. These churches and their pastors are supported by CAIM. CAIM is also an invaluable resource for more than 1,000 individuals from dozens of other tribes and nations who are members of other UCC congregations in the UCC. Neighbors in Need helps make A Just World for All possible. For this to occur, it needs your support. Please give generously. Contributions to Neighbors in Need can also be made online at

10 Christian Education News Christian Education News: Sunday School Begins on Rally Day. After the children s message the children will go downstairs for Sunday School. Thank you to Amber Iman for again writing our Fall Curriculum. We will be giving out bags of supplies to make a Pretzel Necklace for this year s Oktoberfest and Mars Applefest. Once the Community Children create the necklace. they can eat it as they enjoy the other fun activities. Each Necklace will also have a Medallion with our Church Name and words of encouragement! Rally Day is September 9 th Wear your favorite shoes your Love Shoes. A fun service, lunch, and games will be enjoyed by all. If you have a special or unique shoe we would like you to bring it to share in the curio case located in the upper lobby. Confirmation Classes start September 9 th. The students will be looking at the parts of worship and sharing in the worship service. Their second lesson will be on the Bible Bible Baseball? Interesting! We will again be packing the Evans City Food Cupboard, and distributing food at the Produce to the People in Butler Our October 7 th Mission Project is Mission from Mars. Julia Hines will hold an information meeting after Worship on September 23, In the Works & Upcoming Events! Community Chat at the Evans City Library October 7, 2018 Mission from Mars. We will leave after worship and travel to Pittsburgh October 14, 2018 Donna Groom s Event Love Letters October 20, 2018 Trunk or Treat at the Evans City Library October 30, 2018 Neighborhood Academy Dinner and Halloween treats Christian Education News!

11 St. John s Mission Updates and Opportunities! Rally Day is September 9 th, and St. John s is Putting on Our Love Shoes! With our Love Shoes we are off to the races spreading Love with Our Strawberry Jelly, distributing food at the Evans City Food Cupboard and the Produce to People, supporting and participating in the Community Worship Service during Oktoberfest, helping the community children make a St. John s Pretzel Necklace during the Oktoberfest, our Rummage Sale, and sewing quilts for the Mars Home for Youth. In our everyday activities our Faith and Love will shine through. We will be busy this month. Confirmation Class has begun. We have 5 students this year Kylie Maze, Madi Parrotto, Nick Parrotto, Reagan Porter, and Grace Purvis. This group will meet every other Sunday Morning from September 9 th until their confirmation on Pentecost June 9, This month they will help make the pretzel necklace bags, and then help the community kids create the necklaces during Oktoberfest. Mission from Mars is a new project for St. John s. Julia Hines will hold a meeting after worship on September 23 rd. Julia has helped with this project, and will give us more information on what we can expect, and what we will be doing. We will be going October 7 th after worship. You can go to their web page at: St. John s Rummage Sale is September 13 15! Yes, we need lots of help. This project helps our Current Fund, but it also brings people into our church giving us the opportunity to Put on our Faith Shoes and spread some LOVE!!! Wear you FAITH SHOES and come help at the Rummage Sale! St. John s is full of Love ready to share come and join us this month! Sunday, September 2, 2018 Making pretzel necklace bags during worship. Yes, you can eat a few pretzels as you work! Saturday, September 8, 2018 Garden Club. Meet in the church kitchen at 8:30 am. Sunday, September 9, 2018 Rally Day, First Confirmation Class at 9:00 am. Wear your favorite Love Shoes! Thursday, September 13, 2018 Rummage Sale. Friday, September 14, 2018 Rummage Sale. Pretzel Necklace creation at the Oktoberfest. 10:00 4:00pm. Saturday, September 15, 2018 Rummage Sale. Pretzel Necklace creation at the Oktoberfest. 9:00 4:00pm. Sunday, September 16, 2018 Community Worship Service. Our own Pastor Lisa will give the message! Monday, September 17, 2018 Christian Education Meeting 6:30 pm. Tuesday, September 18, 2018 St. John s Quilters. Meet in the social hall at 6:00 pm. Wednesday, September 19, 2018 Packing the Evans City Food Cupboard. St. Peter s Lutheran Church 1:30 pm. Saturday, September 22, 2018 Garden Club. Meet in the church kitchen at 8:30 am. Sunday, September 23, 2018 Confirmation Class at 9:00 am. Mission from Mars information meeting after worship. Tuesday, September 25, 2018 Produce to the People. Leave from St. John s at 3:15 pm.

12 St. John s Jelly will be for sale at the Evans City Oktoberfest, St. John s Rummage Sale, and is always available in the Church Narthex. For $5.00 you can Spread St John s Love! September Birthdays 6 Judy Miller 7 Kirt Jones 11 Paula Purvis 15 Dan Sailer 19 Ada Spithaler 20 Missy Smith September Anniversaries 12 Craig & Barb Iman 18 Ray & Janice Cumberledge 19 Tom & Judy Smith 20 Doug Johnson & Cheryl Haywood 30 Jeff & Diane Iman