Two Services Starting September 9 th, 2018: 8:00AM Worship 9:15AM RALLY DAY: Sunday School begins! 10:30am Worship

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1 Jerusalem Lutheran Church NON PROFIT ORG. 252 Dock Street U.S. POSTAGE PAID Schuylkill Haven, PA POTTSVILLE, PA PERMIT NO FIND US ON FACEBOOK! Return Service Requested Dated Material Please do not delay Two Services Starting September 9 th, 2018: 8:00AM Worship 9:15AM RALLY DAY: Sunday School begins! 10:30am Worship

2 JERUSALEM LUTHERAN CHURCH 252 Dock Street Schuylkill Haven, PA Staff, Leaders, and Their Contact Information: Pastor David Rowe (cell) (home) Beverly Eiche Kriner, Deacon & Director of Music Ministries (cell) (home) Tanya Cartwright, Director of Faith & Families Ministry (cell) Jill McCloy, treasurer (home) Gina Cappel, Child Care Director Rachel Kramer, Parish Administrator Michael Sausser, Sexton Deborah Reed, Church Council President (home) Anita Vickers, Church Council Vice President (home) Jerusalem welcome s new members received during the summer: Amy and Bethany Hammer through Holy Baptism Caitlin Hammer through Affirmation of Baptism Jerusalem remembers in thanksgiving those who died: Pat Johns, Shawn Daniels, Harvey Brensinger, & Charles Lechner

3 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It was scorching hot, then it rained and rained and rained. I think that s how this summer will be remembered. But more importantly here at Jerusalem we also remember the summer as a time of worship and relaxing, of the ELCA Youth Gathering and Vacation Bible School, Bear Creek Camp and Disaster Relief Volunteers. And now we look forward to the fall The two-service format for worship will resume on Sunday, September 9, with services at 8:00 and 10:30. Rally Day, the beginning of a new Sunday School year will also resume on September 9. Classes for ages three through fifth grade will meet in the back classroom, with a fresh, new curriculum. Adults will meet in the library for a Bible Study on Ruth, Samuel, David, and Elijah. Confirmation class will begin again with an orientation in the nave. Sixth through eighth grade will start a new session of faith-formation through worship, learning, and participation. Senior high will meet in the parlor (they get the nice furniture). Meanwhile the fall months will be filled with worship and learning, a yard sale and the pantry, the labyrinth and concerts, faith and families and child care, and both a Reformation and a Community Thanksgiving service. I look forward the partnership we share in the name of Christ during the coming days. I am Yours in Christ s service, Pastor David Rowe A BUSY SUMMER, A BUSY FALL! It seems like there is no down time at Jerusalem Lutheran. We are a very active church and that is a good thing! Here are just a few ways your offerings recently helped: Feed the hungry with donations of food and money for the local food pantry Repair our roof damaged in a windstorm Send children to summer church camp Send our older youth to Houston for the ELCA Gathering Repair homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey Repair church bathroom fixtures Purchase lights for the sanctuary, social hall and other areas Provide free clothing, toys and household items for the needy in our community Sounds like a lot? It is! We are a loving, giving congregation, so be very proud of what we have accomplished! SOCIAL MINISTRY NEWS It's "Not Your Usual Yard Sale"! And it's happening here on Saturday, September 15 th. From 8am to noon, we will open our doors to the community to share with them the items that you've so generously donated. Clothing, small household items, and toys will be set out in fellowship hall for anyone to take and put them to good use. While people are visiting us for the giveaway, we will show them the Labyrinth and invite them to use it. Please invite your friends and neighbors. Come yourselves, too! This is a good opportunity to be a welcoming and generous place in our community!

4 On Sunday, Sept. 16, our congregation will be invited to look over the items that are left and you may take what you want. All items left after that, will be packed up and donated to area centers that are in need of them. So please come Saturday 9/15 to browse and greet our neighbors! Then come on Sunday 9/16 to help at our "packing up party" after the 10:30 worship service. Also in September, we will be selling Boscov's "Friends Helping Friends" shopping passes. A $5.00 shopping pass buys a full day of shopping on Tuesday, October 16 th from 8am to 11pm and up to 25% off. Each shopping pass has a stub for you to fill out and drop in the store ballot box for a chance to win prizes, including a $500 shopping spree! All proceeds from the shopping passes will be donated to Servants To All in Pottsville. Their mission statement (printed below) tells what they are all about... "Through the Love of the Father, we work to restore dignity, build integrity, instill accountability, and thus transform the lives of poor and displaced individuals and families. Our programs are tailored to foster self-reliance and sustainability by empowering individuals to make positive life choices. Because we are God's first, we are servants to all." The first Sunday in October, Schuylkill Haven Area Churches will participate in the CROP Walk to battle against hunger. Please consider walking or sponsoring one of our walkers. Look for more details in the coming weeks. MUSIC MINISTRY NEWS Our choirs resume their work the first week of September. Please consider joining our Chancel Choir or Handbell Choir. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. and our Handbell Choir meets weekly at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. New singers are always welcome in all voice parts. Ringing in the Handbell Choir does require that you read music. Please see Bev Kriner if you have questions, or join us on Wednesday evenings! The Concert Series, Season resumes this fall with our first concert on Sunday, September 23 at 3:00 p.m. Our first concert features The Centre Park Flutes, a flute ensemble from the Reading area. We are happy that they will be able to return as they were scheduled last spring but had to cancel due to the serious illness and hospitalization of one of their players. Please plan to join us as we kick off our fourth season of concerts at Jerusalem! Donations of finger foods and beverages are needed for the reception following the concert. Servers are also needed. Please see the sheets at the Sign-Up Center in the lobby. A sponsorship form for the Concert Series will also be included in this mailing. Please consider supporting the Concert Series through your sponsorship! A Schuylkill Mission District-wide Reformation Service will be held on Sunday afternoon, October 21 at 4:00 p.m. Jerusalem has been asked to host the event which will include a massed choir of singers from throughout the Mission District, as well as preaching by Bishop

5 Samuel Zeiser. The service will call an end to the yearlong 500th Anniversary of the Reformation celebration. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this special festival worship. Jerusalem Lutheran Church will once again host the annual Community Thanksgiving Service and Choir Festival to be held on Sunday, November 18 at 4:00 p.m. This beautiful service of Word and Music will include participation by choirs and clergy from the Schuylkill Haven and Cressona areas. Again, be sure to save this date on your calendars and give God praise and thanks for all of His wonderful blessings! Beverly Kriner Deacon & Director of Music FAITH AND FAMILIES MINISTRY NEWS Vacation Bible School was a success. We had 24 children ages 3 through 5th grades. All 24 participated both days. We did not let a little rain ruin our good time. The children learned all about Jesus and his unfailing love, That Jesus will ALWAYS love us...cool! Thank you for all the donations and support from the congregation. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this outreach possible. Celebrate your faith night at the Reading Phillies was rained out but all who came had a good time bonding with each other. God is always working through us. We will try again next year hopefully with more success. As we look forward to starting back up with Sunday school please keep in mind that the High school class that meets in the parlor, will be looking for a new leader. If you feel that this may be something you are called to lead please see me. Bear Creek Camp is over but they are having a fundraiser to help with camperships at the camp. They will be hosting "Through the Woods: a 5k trail run/walk on September 15th. For more information please visit the website. ELCA announced that the next Youth Gathering will be 2021 in Minneapolis. I am excited to start working on preparing our youth for this next chapter in their faith journey. The participants from this summer s gathering in Houston will be meeting with the confirmation classes to discuss their experiences with them. Please make sure your children attend class on Sunday, Sept 16th. Things to look forward to, Community outreach is a very important part of the church's ministry. Faith and Families will be hosting a Trunk or Treat this Halloween. Details to be announced in September. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and thank you for your continued support. Blessings, Tanya Cartwright Director of Faith and Families Ministry

6 FIELD TRIP FAITH AND WORLD! A van full of people enjoying a day together and learning about exciting and innovative ministries in the Lutheran Church beyond our congregation this is our annual field trip! Faith and World is this year s theme as we travel to Gettysburg to see how years ago faith and world collided in a terrible battle on the grounds of the Lutheran Seminary, where both then and now the church forms and prepares leaders for ministry in congregations and agencies that in Christ s name serve the world. We will also hear how today, in a unique intersection of faith and world, the church uses its voice to advocate for the most vulnerable people in our society. The details: September 29, leave Jerusalem at 7:30 AM and return at about 6:00 PM Cost $35 per person, with includes travel, lunch, Seminary Ridge Museum admission, and a small donation to United Lutheran Seminary (our host) and the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA. Additional costs snacks if you wish when have a rest stop, and shopping money if you decide to buy anything at the fair trade store Ten Thousand Villages. Please sign-up in the lobby no later than September 16! JERUSALEM LUTHERAN CHILDCARE & LEARNING CENTER NEWS The JCCC is always looking for substitutes to work with our students. Stop in for an application and let us know your availability. If you want to learn more about the Jerusalem Lutheran Child Care Center visit their Facebook page (search for Jerusalem Child Care and Learning Center), visit the church website at: or call the child care center at HARVEST HOME SUNDAY We will celebrate Harvest Home on Sunday, October 7, 2018 to benefit the Schuylkill Haven Food Pantry. We are asking that you bring gifts of nonperishable, in-date food with you into the sanctuary that morning, which will be added to the display at the altar. If you prefer, you can give a monetary gift (checks payable to Jerusalem Church and note that it is for the food pantry). On this day, when we thank God for our many blessings, let us remember those who are less fortunate and are in need of food. SCHUYLKILL HAVEN AREA FOOD PANTRY NEWS As part of the Schuylkill Haven and Vicinity Council of Churches, Jerusalem supports our local food pantry located behind the Evans Delivery building on Market Street. The food pantry distributes food on the third Friday of each month from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. The Schuylkill Haven Food Pantry always needs donations of these items: Spaghetti Sauce, Elbow macaroni, Lipton or Knorr seasoning noodle packets, Canned meats (tuna, spam, canned stew, etc.), Canned fruits, Canned vegetables (as well as canned beans), Cereal (by the box), Crackers, Cake or pancake mixes, Canned milk or cream, Coffee tea hot chocolate mixes, Juice, Non-perishable food products (such as bagged or boxed rice, lentils, beans,

7 peanut butter, Mac & Cheese, Hamburger Helper, jelly, etc.), Paper products (bathroom tissue; Kleenex type tissues; paper towels). Please note the Food Pantry can only accept items that do not require refrigeration. Do not include outof-date canned goods. The food pantry is not allowed to distribute out-of-date items. Thanks! Frank Mahoney, Food Pantry Lead Volunteer. AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE DATES. In partnership with the Schuylkill Haven and Vicinity Council of Churches and the American Red Cross; Jerusalem hosts blood drives in the social hall every other month. All blood drives go from 12:30pm to 5:30pm and always happen on a Thursday. The dates for the upcoming blood drives are September 13 th, 2018, and November 8 th, Please consider donating blood! FINANCIAL REPORTS Monthly financial reports can be found at the sign-up table in the lobby. Unfortunately we have had to borrow funds to meet our expenses for several months this year. We hope that trend changes this fall as people get back to a regular schedule and summer vacation time is over. Your weekly offerings are very important to the success of our church s mission to help others locally and globally, and for the church to grow so future generations can be a part of this wonderful congregation. Your time, talents and treasures are very vital to our success. Thank you for your support! MAJOR PROJECTS Several committees have been meeting in regards to our HVAC and roof projects. After almost 25 years, our beautiful church is in great need of a major makeover! So many people depend on our church building for their use besides our congregation. There is the day care, all the scout troops, the Red Cross, the Garden Club, the Divorce Group, just to name a few. Imagine if 100 people used your home every day! All that activity takes a toll on the property and items either need to be repaired or replaced. We are at the stage of needing to replace the roof and our heat and air conditioning units. As in the past, we pray that you will be happy and generous givers to this project. Jerusalem Lutheran needs to continue to be a safe place for people to worship, for our children to be cared for daily, for local organizations to gather and to be a shining light in our community. Please mark any offering towards this project as HVAC/Roof on an envelope. More information will be given in the future, so stay tuned to announcements made about the projects. CAPITAL APPEAL COMMITTEE NEWS As you know, the church building is in need of a new roof and HVAC system. The initial estimates are very costly. The capital appeal committee has been exploring ways to pay for these improvements, such as a capital campaign through ELCA. We do great ministry at our church and we want to make sure we can continue for years to come. PROPERTY COMMITTEE NEWS Mark Conville and Wayne Yeager went up on the roof and repaired holes is the rubber roof. The shingled roof had damage from the wind

8 storm and that will be repaired by roofing professionals. Two outside faucets were leaking and were repaired. One needed a new shutoff valve. We continue with the constant changing of light bulbs and ground maintenance. LEGACY DEVELOPMENT ENDOWMENT FUND REPORT On May 10, 2016 Council adopted a Legacy Endowment Committee, to help expand Jerusalem s mission and ministry financially. An initial amount of $177,000 was invested with the ELCA Endowment Fund with guidelines on when and how to disburse fund growth. The task of the Legacy Committee (presently consisting of Pastor Rowe, Rick Heckrote, Lynn Slusser, Phil Kriner, Joy Heffner, Ed Sirianni, and Jill McCloy) is to advise and recommend fund disbursements to Council. As of June 30, 2018, the fund s balance is $204, To date, $10, has been approved to be disbursed. Our next meeting has been rescheduled for September 4th. MEMBER CORNER Our church council President, Deb Reed, would like to thank her Jerusalem Family for their prayers, calls, and cards while she was in the hospital. She really appreciates everyone s concern. One of Jerusalem s long time members, Mrs. Ruth Brown, recently moved back to Schuylkill County after being in Florida for many years. Ruth recently lost her daughter, Jane. Please show Ruth we are thinking about her by sending her a card to: Providence Place of Pottsville, st Ave., RM 209, Pottsville, PA Sponsorship Form for Concert Series Jerusalem Lutheran Church Concert Season NAME: (As you wish it to appear in the program) ADDRESS: ADDRESS: (Opt.) AMOUNT OF SUPPORT: Platinum Level $200 + Gold Level $100 -$199 Silver Level $50 - $99 Bronze Level $25 - $49 Support Level $5 - $24 Please return this form along with your check, made out to: Jerusalem Lutheran Church (Concert Series in memo line) Mail to: Jerusalem Lutheran Church, Att. Beverly Kriner, Director of Music 252 Dock Street, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972