Trustees Jeff Baier Chair David Bratt Ken Burkholder John Hess Tim Kelley Tom Paulhamus Tyler Rockey Dennis Swift Mimi Troisi

Transcription

1 Elders Rev. Jerry Fourroux Pastor Bob Tobias Clerk of Session Cheryl Appleton Bill Beltz Chris Bloom Dick Boehret Robb Dietrich Brenda Manchester Elaine Rockey John Stugrin Trustees Jeff Baier Chair David Bratt Ken Burkholder John Hess Tim Kelley Tom Paulhamus Tyler Rockey Dennis Swift Mimi Troisi Deacons Deanna Boehret Lenora Caskey Joyce Mix Nancy Nagel Carol Prentiss Peg Redka Jean Richards Harry Vitolins Demographics are sometimes boring. Numbers and percentages often times need a framework or tremendous experience to understand what story these numbers tell. Unless of course, that the untrained eye can see something that is completely obvious. My untrained eye caught something shocking about our local community. For our Consultation Weekend, I have been looking at our region s demographics for a report to send to the team of advisors before they visit at the end of October 25-28th. Their whole purpose is to help us reach our community with the Gospel of Jesus. They will look at our ministry and structure giving us prescriptions for how to improve for the sake of introducing people to a faith-relationship with Jesus. So, I was looking for median age, poverty rates, and religious adherence. The breakdown of religion for Lycoming County was the most eye-popping. According to the United States Census, our county residents said that they were 22% Mainline Protestant, 16% Catholic, and 9% Evangelical. That felt true in my observations of the strong Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopalian Churches in our area, while the national average is 7.3%. However, I noticed that 51% of our county identifies as non-religious, that is 59,211 people who have no religious inclination. This matches the National Census that has 51.2% of the national population that identifies as non-religious. We know also that just because someone says that they are a Christian does not mean that they have a faith relationship with Christ. So this number might even be larger. Here is the truth: I have been lulled into thinking that we live in a religious community. Most everyone goes to church and is God-fearing is the thinking, but I was wrong. We have thousands of people who do not believe in anything. We do not have to travel across the globe to meet the heathen, he is next door. And yet, those heathen desires are still part of our depraved mind and heart. As Christians, we walk in repentance daily believing the promises of God that lead to life, joy, purpose, and love. We know that our appetites and our obsessions cannot satisfy the deepest places in our hearts. Only Christ can do that for us and for them. Do we really believe that? Do we really believe that those without Christ are judged to the point of eternal destruction? If we really believed that, we would not settle for an easy life, but take our place in the service of God s Kingdom of suffering, dying to ourselves, and being raised to new life by the Holy Spirit. Christ has suffered, died, and risen again to transform us, and He calls us to follow Him in all of this for the sake of those who do not believe yet. Will you join me in praying for this? Will you join me in praying for this 51% to be on the forefront of our interactions and decisions? Will you join me in praying for this Consultation weekend? May the Lord guide us in these steps of faith to be workers in the harvest that he is producing so that we may overflow in the love and joy of Christ. 51% isn t just a demographic, they are people desperate for the Savior! Blessings, Jerry

2 Our Next Family Promise Host Week October 28th November 4th You'll find the sign-up board in the Lounge area October 7th. Don't wait, sign-up early to get the date and position that fits your schedule. Questions? Contact Connie Vitolins or Ann Swift Respectfully Submitted by Connie Vitolins, Please Join us for the 4th Annual Family Promise Home for All Blue Jean Ball Saturday, November 3, 2018 Farrington Place 416 W. Third Street Williamsport, Pennsylvania Please RSVP by October 26 at Page 2

3 Family Promise opportunities: Day Center Office Angel: Volunteers are invaluable additions to the Day Center. Office Angels help the director and case manager by answering phones, helping to bring in donations, completing some basic paperwork/data entry, cleaning, and reading to children. We are currently in need of Office Angels. If you are interested, please call us at the Day Center. Clothing Closets: Family Promise provides clothing for men, women, and children both in their program and in the community. The closets are stocked entirely by donations and is organized and stocked by volunteers. Committees: volunteers needed for the following committees: Church Relations, Events and Public Relations, and Development. Call Jenny, Family Promise Office (570) for any of these opportunities. Wilson and Jean Redka will be Celebrating their 75th Wedding Anniversary On October 23rd Page 3

4 What is Dare to Dine? An opportunity to get to know others in our church family in a smaller setting while sharing a meal together. How does it work? Sign-up as an individual or as a couple according to the date/time that is best for you. You will receive a call several days in advance from the hostess who will give you the details on location and what to bring. Who can attend? For Adults only. This is intended to be a time of getting to know one another which can be difficult with little ones around. PLEASE do not let that keep you from attending!!! Here s an idea for you. since this is not just a one night event, swap childcare with others so all can attend! How do we sign-up? Choose the date and time best for you and text/call or with date choice and names of those attending. Deadline to sign-up is October 7th. Date Options Thursday, October 18th at 6 p.m. Friday, October 19th at 6 p.m. Saturday, October 20th at 5 p.m. Sunday, October 21st at 1 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Shelley Bloom Page 4

5 10/01 10/02 10/03 10/03 10/05 10/08 10/09 10/12 10/15 10/21 10/22 10/22 10/23 10/24 10/26 Mark Kriner Adam Richards Connie Vitolins Cookie Secules Mutchler Del Burns Jarod Klinger Wilson Redka Casey Martz Dave Reichelderfer Jean Richards Eric Slingerland Virginia Matthews Marian Johnston Rachel Brady Marjorie Hunter Page 5

6 Sunday, October 14th at 2:30pm. In the Church Lounge Twelve Smooth Stones by Wanda MacAvoy October 14th Twelve Smooth Stones by Wanda MacAvoy th February 10 Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate November 11th The Citadel by A.J. Cronin March 10th Plum Tea Crazy by Laura Childs January 13th A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles April 14th Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks May 12th The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon Page 6

7 What s So Special about Christmas?" Every year we decorate houses and trees, purchase and wrap gifts, attend concerts and special Church services and bake cookies and cook special foods, but Why? Why do we bother with traditions and extra chaos? Why is Christmas worth celebrating? Please invite your friends, neighbors and co-workers to start off December with the focus on the One who makes Christmas more than just a holiday. December 1, am-Noon Bring a friend and a dish to share! Respectfully Submitted by Hesed Fourroux, For Centre d Women Don t forget to let Jerry know how much he is Loved and Appreciated this month Your Church Family loves you Jerry! Page 7

8 On November 11th, the God s Kids Choir is planning a special tribute to our veterans during our 10:15 service. A luncheon will be served after their presentation. From now on till that date, the kids are collecting items to be mailed to soldiers. A list is on the next page and a box will be provided in Taylor Hall for your contributions. Please participate in this outreach of love to our men and women who serve us so faithfully. Cash donations, which are used for postage, should be given to any God s kids leader or left in the office. Thank you for your faithfulness. We will also show a special DVD of the veterans of our congregation during lunch. If you are a new veteran to our church please turn in your photos or information to Sue Koch or put items in her mailbox. We Salute You, The God s Kids And The God s Kids Leaders Sue and Stevie Huyck, Sarah Martz, Lin Baier, Nate DeRemer, Jean Richards, Sue Koch Respectfully Submitted by Sue Koch, Page 8

9 GAMES & AMUSEMENT CD S Video Games for a Lap Top Hand Held Games Frisbees Nerf Balls - (any) Hacky Sacks Yard Games Disposable Cameras Writing Pads / Pen / Pencils Envelopes - Large & Small Coloring / Word Game Books / Brain Teaser s Reading Books Board Games FOOD ITEMS All Hard Candy (Jolly Ranchers, Life Savers, etc.) Gum Cookies in Cans Small bags of Chips - Middleswarth, ect. Cans of Chips - Pringles Peanuts / Mixed Nuts Crackers Dried Fruit Breakfast Bars / Granola Bars Pop Tarts Beef Jerky Slim Jims Beef Summer Sausage Popcorn Peanut Butter Chex Mix Tuna Packs Canned Sardines, Smoked Oysters, ect. Can Soups Fruit Drink Mix Packets Crystal Light Energy Packs Coffee / tea / Cocoa Mix / Creamer Breakfast Shakes Dog Treats / Toys / Grooming Essentials Athletic Socks / Black Dress Socks / Wool Socks T-Shirts / Boxer s - White Sport Bras / Panties - Adult Maxi-Pads / Tampons, etc. Bandanas / Gloves Spray Bottles for Mist Tupperware Plastic Knives / Spoons / Forks Sunglasses Ear Plugs Rifle Patches / Rifle oil Tissues Fleece Blankets Bug Spray / Wipes / Sun Screen 72 Black Boot Laces Zip-Loc Bags - Gal / Qt SANITARY / CLEANLINESS Shampoo / Conditioner / Body Wash Wash Cloths / Lotions Deodorants - Men & Women Disposable Razors - Men & Women Wet One s Wipes Shaving Cream Tooth Paste / Tooth Brush / Floss Aspirin / Advil Band-Aids / Neosporin Mouth Wash Foot Powder Hand Sanitizer Chap Stick MISC. Guitar Strings / Pics Harmonicas Calendars Cards Scented Candles Letters / Drawings - (especially from Kids) Pictures of Home Items are sent to all Combat Soldiers no matter what branch of the service they re in. I send to all Soldiers in Combat! American support is essential to these Soldiers. They need our Support! If there s something you think of that isn t on this list, Please forward it. I m sure they ll love it!!! THANK YOU SEMPER-FI Page 9

10 Congregational Prayer During Consultation Weekend Everyone is invited to participate in our church-wide day of prayer! It will be held on Friday, October 26th. Join us as we lift up our church and our community before the Lord. There are several ways to participate: 1) Join the 12 Hour Prayer Chain by signing up for a half hour prayer slot. Participants are welcome to pray in the Sanctuary or in their own homes during their designated time. The 12 Hour Prayer Chain will begin at 6am and conclude at 6pm. Sign ups are in the Kitchen Lobby. 2) Join us for 3 corporate prayer sessions in the Sanctuary at 6am, noon and 6pm. There will be a short time of worship through song followed by group prayer on a specific topic and focus. You are invited to come to as many of the 3 prayer sessions that you are available for. "When the devil sees a man or woman who really believes in prayer, who knows how to pray, and who really does pray, and, above all, when he sees a whole church on its face before God in prayer, he trembles as much as he ever did, for he knows that his day in that church or community is at an end." - R.A. Torrey If you have any questions please contact Luke at: lukemjustice@gmail.com Respectfully Submitted by Luke Justice, Page 10

11 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty comes the cry of the six-winged seraphs who covered their faces while extoling honor to God in Isaiah s vision in the temple. Isaiah reacts with despair when confronted by his sin. It s hard for us to imagine holiness in anyone since we live in such a sin-drenched culture. How could anyone be holy? But it s not just holiness (if that were a small thing) that describes God, however, but rather, Holy, holy, holy. Holiness times three. What about this seraphic statement don t we understand? His love is holy, his truth is holy, his mercy is holy, his patience is holy, his word is holy and the list goes on. We use words like sublime and transcendent to describe his beyondness but we quickly exhaust our vocabulary attempting to characterize Him. We sing the hymn, Holy, holy, holy and by verse three we ve already forgotten God s holy character. Isaiah reacts differently, however, when he finds himself in the temple of the living God. Isaiah is unable to remain because he is undone. He cannot be in the place that the train of God s robe fills without suffering irreparable harm because of his sin. God rescues Isaiah by sending a flying seraph, carrying a burning coal from the altar, and touches Isaiah s mouth. You see, Isaiah has been restored to a right relationship with God by being purified through the sacrifice made there, representing the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Isaiah can remain in God s presence and hear His voice and receive his commission, but that s another article for the outreach committee. If we wanted to summarize the events in Isaiah 6, we could find help in Isaiah 57:15 where the Spirit tells us For this is what the high and lofty One says he who lives forever, whose name is holy; I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. To be contrite means to be deeply sorry for the sins we commit. This is a continual process. I need a broken spirit, a contrite heart. Remember Psalm 51? You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Maybe a good start would be to examine your thoughts for just 15 minutes. You may be surprised if you recorded all of the subjects your mind peruses in that short period. Now, are those godly or ungodly thoughts? Remember that God knows the words we speak before they ever reach our tongue. Would you be comfortable showing all of your thoughts to your friends? Paul tells us to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Now if you re like me, you have some repenting to do because you ve allowed many of those thoughts to run like wild mustangs on the prairie. May God give us super lassos that never miss their subjects. May God grant us hearts that put to death, that quickly take captive that wickedness that invades our thinking. May God grant us contrite hearts, so we may dwell with Him and be overwhelmed by His holiness. Respectfully Submitted by Dick Boehret, For the Worship Committee SAVE THE DATE: October 20, 2018 Come for a few minutes or an hour-as long as you can! You help is appreciated! Page 11

12 Quick review of this outreach to Lycoming Valley Intermediate School. For two years, volunteers from Lycoming Centre have packed backpacks every Thursday night during the school year with food items for food insecure students to be able to prepare for themselves each weekend. We have seen God use these efforts in unexpected ways beyond the Biblical obedience to feed the hungry and poor. Volunteers returning to or coming to church Williamsport School District realized that this was a sustainable approach to make it possible for all the schools in the district benefiting from this service. They matched each school in the district to an adopting church. We are the adoptive church for Lycoming Valley Intermediate School. Now we see more opportunities "our borders are being enlarged" I Chronicles 4:10 The LVIS PTO has asked for our assistance with some of their activities to benefit the students. For this -- WE NEED YOU! Lycoming Centre t-shirts would identify us as we serve this community. We need to make a minimum order. Many of us serve the community in other ways, too. T-shirts would be good for that outreach. See sizes and costs below. OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE October 20 - we need volunteers to help with 5k Color Run at LVIS. Starting 9 am for a couple of hours. Manning water stations, directing runners, throwing color. October 15th-19th 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, Tuesday 16th 5:30-7:30. Volunteers to help with book fair and also with family lunch. Volunteers during school hours require completion of clearances. 20Volunteer%20Clearances.pdf Do you see yourself serving the community this way? Contact Ann Swift , annswift@gmail.com T-shirts - available mid October Sizes - Kids Medium, Kids Large, Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large $7.00 For each "X" (X large), add $2. Respectfully Submitted by Ann Swift, Page 12

13 How does the church pay its bills? For many of you the following will not be new. For others, the various funds in our church can be confusing. The following is offered to clarify how these funds are utilized. On the front of your envelops are the following funds: Ministry (General): This fund covers salaries and budgeted recurring expenses such as insurance, heating oil, electric bills and other utilities. The cost of ministries such as Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Youth are covered by this fund as well. This fund is administered by the Elders. As of August 31, the 2018 giving to this fund was $197,407 and the expenses were $215,667; a deficit of $18,260. As of August 31, 2018, the balance of this fund was $6,870. Considering the year to date 2018 expenses, the Ministry Fund needs an average monthly giving of $26,958 for the mission of the church to continue. M & P (Maintenance and Purchasing): Administered by the Trustees, this fund is used for the major repairs the property and the purchase of new items not included in the budget. Examples of such would be fixing a leak in the roof or the purchase of new tables. The recurring expenses such as utilities are not covered by this fund. For 2018, the expenses for this fund were $4,200. As of August 31, 2018, the balance in the M & P fund was $38,579. It would be very helpful to the counters if you would use your envelops or at least record your envelop number on your check. Remember that online giving is available on the church website. Thank you for your generous support of Lycoming Centre and may the Lord bless you and keep you. If you have any questions concerning church finances you may call Bill Beltz at Respectfully Submitted by Bill Beltz, The Administrative Committee Page 13

14 Corn Maze at Kohls Stony Hill Tree Farm Friday, October 19 We'll leave from the church at 5:30pm and return at 10pm. Admission is covered by ROCK. Students are encouraged to bring money for a snack. Don't miss out on a fun adventure in the maze and giant yard games! ROCK will be shopping and putting together Operation Christmas Child boxes on Wednesday, October 24. Students are encouraged to save money to contribute to buying gifts for their own child. Also, note that ROCK will conclude at 8pm that evening. Page 14

15 ROCK school year kick off Wednesday Sept 5th at the church 7:00 from pm 5:30-7:30pm. 5:30-7:30 We encourage all students R.O.C.K grade to 9:00 am Sunday School make a special effort to come as we have activities that 10:15 Worship Service and Communion 6:00 pm God s Kids Adult Choir 6:00 pm God s Kids 7:00 pm Adult Choir will impact the coming year for everyone 5:30-7:30 R.O.C.K. 9:00 am Sunday School 10:15 Worship Service 6:00 pm God s Kids 7:00 pm Adult Choir 5:30 10:00 pm ROCK Corn Maze 9:00 am Church Work Day 2:30 pm Book Club 5:30-7:30 R.O.C.K. 9:00 am Sunday School 10:15 Worship Service 6:00 pm God s Kids 7:00 pm Adult Choir 5:30-7:30 R.O.C.K. Operation Christmas Child Church Transformation Chort Church Transformation Chort Congregational Prayer 6am, noon, 6pm In Sanctuary Church Transformation Chort No Sunday School 10:00 am Worship Service 11:00 am Cong. Meeting After meeting Lunch Family Promise Family Promise 7:00 pm Town Hall Meeting Family Promise 6:00 pm God s Kids 7:00 pm Adult Choir 5:30-7:30 R.O.C.K. Family Promise Page Page 15 11

16 Lycoming Centre 656 West Creek Road P.O. Box 310 Cogan Station, PA Phone: Fax: Dee Gannon: Website: Date October 7, 2018 October 14, 2018 October 21, 2018 October 28, 2018 Children s Church Peg Redka & Betty Anne Leiby The Jesus Storybook Bible God Makes a Way (Moses and the Red Sea) Theresa & Mieren Kendall The Jesus Storybook Bible The ways to be perfect (Ten Commandments) Sue Koch The Jesus Storybook Bible The warrior leader (Battle of Jericho) Tiffany & Gabby DeRemer The Jesus Storybook Bible The teeny, weenie...true King (Samuel anoints David)