Volume 25, No. 7 July/August National Youth Conference

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1 Envoy Volume 25, No. 7 July/August 2014 Palmyra Church of the Brethren Time for Sharing Music plays a huge role in worship, so you are invited to share your talents and provide music during the summer months. All music is welcome! Do you play an instrument? Do you like to sing? Would you like to get together with others and form vocal ensembles? Does your family enjoy making music together? Do you have a musical relative who is visiting this summer? Palmyra COB is blessed with incredible musicians that might be just sitting in the pews waiting for an invitation. Consider this your official invitation. There is a sign up sheet outside the choir room, so please sign up. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Suzanne Boyer, or suzanne.boyer@verizon.net. National Youth Conference A time of dedication will be held during our worship time on Sunday, July 13. Help us to wrap our youth in prayer as they depart for NYC (July 19-24). The youth attending NYC from our church are: Allison Mattern, Maya Smith, Liana Smith, Megan Donachy, Jenna Walmer, Kyra Via, Brianna Thomas, Zach Schreckengast, Jacob Smith, and Joel Lohr. Our advisors will be Lori Faiola, Eileen Smith, Aaron and Linda Whitman, Bethany Clark, and Shelley Weachter. In addition, Sarandon Smith and Pastor Lohr will be attending as members of the National Youth Cabinet and Rachel Witkovsky and Laura Whitman will be attending as Volunteer Youth Workers. The theme of NYC 2014 is "Called by Christ: Blessed for the Journey Together" and comes from Ephesians 4:1-7. Please also mark your calendars for NYC Report Sunday on Sunday, July 27, when the NYC participants will have the opportunity to share from their experiences.

2 2 A Film-tastic Fundraiser During the months of July and August the youth will be distributing empty film canisters (35 mm) to anyone willing to help out the youth fund. If you take one, all you need to do is fill it with quarters and return it. Canisters will be available in baskets outside the church office and in the Fellowship Hall. Each week from then after, there will be a second basket available for returning filled canisters. This is a simple and easy way to contribute to the ministry of the youth in this congregation. If you wish to receive credit for your offering, please include your name or offering envelope number on the canister. Fat Daddy's Pizza and Grill Ready to try a out a new restaurant for lunch or dinner? Head on over to Fat Daddy's Pizza and Grill in Annville (located on Main Street - where Parma's Pizza used to be). ANYTIME you eat there and let them know that you attend the Palmyra Church of the Brethren, 10% of the profits from your order will be donated to the youth fund! There is no set date or time - they will donate EVERY time! Check it out and support the youth! Day Camp is starting soon for all children in grades 1-5. Day Camp will meet on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., on July 10, 17, 24, 31, and August 7. This year s theme is Experiencing God through Your Senses. Each day we will focus on one of the five senses and explore how we can interact with Him using each sense. This summer we strive to feel and see God in new ways, even figure out how to smell and taste Him! For more information contact Shelley Weachter, Summer Chill You are invited to a Summer Chill at Pine Woods. On Sunday, July 20, bring your favorite board/yard game to share and enjoy with others. Relax, or should I say, Chill while cooking hotdogs and mountain pies over the campfire. Just bring a simple dish to share with others. Chill time is 5:00 p.m. Hope to see everyone there. Sunday, August 17, is the next Summer Chill. Same place, same time. Think you can be a Jeopardy Champion? Come and see. Watch church bulletins for more details.

3 3 Sacred Worth Team: A New Beginnings and IHS (In His Service) Initiative Over the last several years, the New Beginnings, IHS Sunday School classes and others have been studying a variety of social realities in our world today and asking the question What would Jesus do? In the process, our consciences would not let us rest. To study poverty was not enough. Strongly supporting the Caring Cupboard, and encouraging a mentoring program, like the Circles Initiative, seemed appropriate action steps. As we continued to study and search the scriptures, we realized that some of our actions, though admirable, were accommodating rather than inviting. (e.g. we accommodate a person with disabilities by installing an accessible bathroom and maintaining an aging elevator, but we may do so out of a perspective that the persons needing these accommodations are less than we are and so we offer charity. Or we are forced to make and maintain those installations because of federal regulation and a begrudging attitude follows.) A perspective of inviting is different from accommodating. When a church invites, we realize that everyone has something to give. People miss them when they are not there. Frequently, those we consider to be less than are persons who are very different from those in whom our culture has invested the most power white, male, physically able, heterosexual, the economically comfortable. When we just accommodate, we are the ones who are less than... less than God intended us to be as a Community of Faith. When we invite, we echo the words of Jesus, ALL who are weary and heavy laden, come... Our desire is to imitate Jesus, who did not think of himself more highly than any other person. We yearn for Palmyra Church of the Brethren to be a place where we practice invitation over accommodation. As our mission statement reads, All people are welcome here. We understand that to mean ALL persons really are welcome, ALL persons have gifts to share with us and ALL persons will enrich the fabric of who we are as Palmyra Church of the Brethren. As a response to the New Beginnings and IHS class study on becoming a more inclusive church, a Sacred Worth Team has been formed by class members and other interested persons, to develop action steps to do our part in carrying out our congregation s mission statement. We ask forgiveness for the times we have not done our share in the past. The Sacred Worth Team has been commissioned by members of the classes to: Collaborate with already existing ministry teams to provide additional advocates and resources for offering justice-based hospitality to ALL persons who might visit and sojourn with us at PCOB. Develop a written, evolving, confession of our missional invitation that will hopefully be affirmed by the whole congregation and be included in our Congregational Organization and Polity Paper. This is the current iteration of our confession. We, therefore, purpose together to follow the way of Jesus in loving our neighbors, whoever they may be. We will actively stand together in our loving and our welcoming of ALL persons, with full awareness that we have a diversity of perspectives, and will forbear with each other because it is the right thing to do as we consider our task to offer hospitality to others. We will continue to seek tangible ways in which to offer welcome. Seek tangible ways to embody Christ s hospitality to ALL, such as the wearing of name tags to welcome Sunday morning guests, sharing in responsibilities for Sunday morning fellowship time, helping with the hotdog suppers for neighborhood kids, welcoming gay persons into full fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ, or advocating for accessibility in the upcoming remodeling project. At the Sacred Worth Team s first meeting we will discuss how to invite and nurture the congregation towards being equipped for living and serving in the (inclusive) Way of Jesus. Please join us on July 27.

4 4 Sacred Worth Team Please join the Sacred Worth Team for their first meeting on Sunday, July 27. It will be a potluck dinner at Ben and Sondra Simmons new home at 1232 Mastersonville Rd., Manheim. Please bring your own table settings, folding chairs for conversation outdoors and your favorite dish. We will carpool from the church at 12:45 p.m. Please RSVP to eisensim6@gmail.com. FOTT Team Update Since the PCOB congregation has voted to stay on Chestnut Street and renovate, the Facilities Options Task Team has been busy looking at the suggestions we have received. We have met with Funks again to help us look over these thoughts (many about accessibility) and work at some of the existing plans and possible new ones. Our hope is to have another town hall meeting in September to show the congregation these designs. The meeting will take place with Funks, who will sit down with the congregation and give everyone a chance to give input and imagine their ideas within a design s footprint. We can also discuss the stages of which these plans could be carried out. The executive committee is, at present, in the process of developing a team to help with the financial and fundraising possibilities of the congregation. We will need their input to help us discern what we will be able to afford, going forward. Our goal is to have a preliminary financial status when we meet in September. If you think of further suggestions or ideas, please write them down and let us know.

5 5 Page Turners: July and August What I love about the ministry of Jesus is that he identified the poor as blessed and the rich as needy... and then he went and ministered to them both. This, I think, is the difference between charity and justice. Justice means moving beyond the dichotomy between those who need and those who supply and confronting the frightening and beautiful reality that we desperately need one another. Rachel Held Evans, A Year of Biblical Womanhood Join Page Turners, the women s book club at PCoB, as we read our second book! Our book: A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband "Master" by Rachel Held Evans Our discussions: Sunday, July 27, 2014, and Sunday, August 31, at 3:00 p.m. in the Young Adult Room Questions or ready to RSVP (for July and/or August discussions): Contact Rachel Witkovsky at or rwitkovsky@palmyracob.org. (If you need me to get you a copy of the book, let me know.) A service of outdoor baptism is scheduled for Saturday, August 2 at Camp Swatara. Interested persons should contact the church office. The congregation is invited to be in prayer for those discerning Christ s baptismal call. Come join your church family for the annual church picnic at Camp Swatara on Saturday, August 2, at 5:30 p.m. in the Camp Swatara Fellowship Hall. Every family should bring one hot and one cold covered dish to share with the group. Drinks will be provided. Also, bring your own place settings. Any questions, please call Rachel Witkovsky at , or at rwitkovsky@palmyracob.org.

6 6 Congratulations to Our Graduates High School Graduates Curtis Gingrich - Graduated from Northern Lebanon High School. He will attend Penn State University Main Campus to study Chemical Engineering. Joel Lohr - Graduated from Palmyra High School. He will be attending Edinboro University to study Biochemistry. Sam Mason - Graduated from Palmyra High School. He will be pursuing music as a drummer in the band One! Four! Seven!, a local indie rock band that has been growing steadily in central PA. They hope to go to Los Angeles, CA in January. Allison Mattern - Graduated from Palmyra High School. She will be attending Slippery Rock University to major in Fine Arts with a certificate in Teaching and a minor in Dance. Devon Rhine - Graduated from Dauphin County Technical School where he studied information systems technology. He plans to attend HACC and is undecided on a major. Madelaine Rueger - Graduated from Palmyra High School. She will return to Germany to complete high school and hopes to then come back to America for college. Katie Schreckengast - Graduated from Palmyra High School. She will attend Penn State University Main Campus, College of Communications, focusing on Broadcast Journalism. Abby Serafini - Graduated from PA Cyber School. She will be attending HACC to major in Early Childhood Education. Sarandon Smith - Graduated from Palmyra High School. She will attend Manchester University to major in Political Science with minors in Art and Women's Studies.

7 7 Congratulations to Our Graduates College Graduates Michael Albaugh - Graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Rhetoric and Political Science. His future plans are undecided at this point. Aaron & Sandra Gottshall - Graduated in August 2013 with their MBA from Rider University. They live in New Jersey, and both work for Johnson & Johnson. Aaron is Service Provider Senior Analyst CLS Quality and Compliance, and Sandra is Team Leader for Trade Customization and Senior Display Project Planner. Kimberly Gottshall - Graduated in December from Misericordia University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Management. She is continuing her education at Misericordia University in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Robert Granzow - Graduated from Millersville University with a degree in Occupational Safety and Environmental Health. He is pursuing his Master s degree from Auburn University in Industrial Engineering. Katie Haldeman - Graduated from Messiah College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with dual teaching certification in Early Elementary & Special Education. She is now looking for a teaching position. Brooke Mattern - Graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Anthropology. She is presently working full time in the Anthropological Genetics Lab as a research coordinator at University Park. Her future goal is to work towards getting her Master s degree. Jeb Musser - Graduated from Millersville University with a Bachelor degree in Geography. He will be pursuing a job in his field. Laura Whitman - Graduated from Juniata College with a degree in Social Work. She will be spending the next year in Brethren Volunteer Service in Elgin, IL coordinating National Older Adult Conference. Melissa Whitman - Graduated from Liberty University with a Master s degree in Family Counseling. She will continue to work at Pennsylvania Counseling Services and pursue her licensing. Margret Wilson - Graduated from Millersville University with a degree in Anthropology and International Studies. Her future plans are to be determined.

8 8 Brethren Service Center Opportunity Are you looking for a unique experience this Summer? How about a chance to show off your hospitality skills? The Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, MD is looking for individuals, or couples to serve in the Zigler Hospitality Center. This experience will provide the opportunity interact with volunteers and guests from many backgrounds and to learn more about the Church of the Brethren's work around the world. Training, housing, food, and a stipend will be provided and the length of commitment is a month, but could be potentially longer. For more information, contact Cori Hahn, Hospitality Coordinator, at or chahn@brethren.org. LVBH Chicken BBQ Friday, July 25 5:00 p.m. Campus Opens Auction Preview: DiMatteo Worship Center Refreshments & Bake sale: Stoneback Pavilion 7:00 p.m. New Holland Band Concert: Under tent Saturday, July 26 7:00 a.m. Breakfast: Stoneback Library Auction Preview: DiMatteo Worship Center 9:00 a.m. Auction Begins Car & Tractor Show: On the Lawn 9:00 a.m. to noon Kid s Area: On the Law - Featuring WJTL Kid s Cookie Break Thrift Shop & Nimble Fingers: Snell Community Center 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Take Out Chicken Dinners Available: Grubb Entrance 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Dine In Chicken Dinners Available: Outside under the Tent or inside the Stoneback Library 1:30 p.m. Celebration Service with Sweetlife & Ice Cream Social: DiMatteo Worship Center

9 9 Calling All Golfers Golfers, the Caring Cupboard needs your support. We are looking for golfers for the 8th Annual Caring Cupboard Golf Outing. It will be held at Deer Valley Golf Course on Saturday morning, August 9, with a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. The cost is $60 which includes the round of golf, pastries before the round and hot food afterwards. Checks should be made payable to the Caring Cupboard and given to Art Gingrich no later than July 30. You don't need to enter as a foursome. I will make up teams with other singles. Please contact Art Gingrich, , if you are interested or for more details. Congregational Tidbits Health concerns for Elizabeth Witmer, Jay Frantz, Don Rummel, Cindy Bortner, Juanita Light Our sympathy to: Carol & John Grace on the passing of Carol s brother, Jay Baum, on May 14 Paul & Jan Wessell on the passing of Jan s father, Jim Martin, on June 2 For safety to our Nigerian School sister, Naomi Philimon. Congratulations to Ryan & Carla Lutz on the birth of the daughters Aisley Elizabeth & Avri Louise on June 5. The proud grandparents are Steve & Michelle Gottshall. Contact information change for Lori Faiola: lori@comcast.net Suzanne Boyer: Suzanne.boyer@verizon.net A deeply heartfelt "Thank You" for the cards and expressions of sympathy following the death of Todd's father. -Todd and Cindy Albaugh

10 10 Health Ministry News I was sitting here trying to decide what to write about and feeling totally tired and overwhelmed by all the stuff on my plate lately. We, as a population at large, seem to do that to ourselves, don t we? pile things on until we can t find the top of the stack anymore. So I decided to write about fatigue. Are YOU tired? For some of us the cause of fatigue is simply multi-tasking to the max, or not getting enough sleep, but if you are careful about multi-tasking and you do get a healthy 7-8 hours of sleep a night, why are you still tired? Here are seven hidden causes of fatigue you should explore with your doctor if you have fatigue that goes on more than a week and there is no reasonable explanation: Fatigue Cause #1 Anemia Anemia hits women more than men and can be caused among other things - by issues with the reproductive cycles, internal bleeding, a deficiency of iron, folic acid or vitamin B12, or chronic diseases like kidney disease. Diagnosis can be confirmed by a blood test and treatment can be simple, depending upon the cause. Fatigue Cause #2 Hypoactive thyroid Are you sluggish, your hair falling out, skin excessively dry, a little depressed, gaining weight? - your problem may be a slow thyroid. Again, blood tests can confirm this diagnosis and replacement thyroid hormone therapy can fix it. Fatigue Cause #3 Undiagnosed urinary tract infection Believe it or not, a urinary tract infection does not always give the usual symptoms of burning and urgency but can hit your immune system hard enough to run you down and give you fatigue. It s easy to confirm a diagnosis and the treatment is usually an oral antibiotic. Fatigue Cause #4 Caffeine overload Most of us grab a coffee or cola for a quick burst of energy but for some patients, continued abuse results in fatigue because it knocks out the body s usual method of keeping its rhythms going. The solution for this problem eliminate caffeine from your diet as much as possible. Fatigue Cause #5 Food intolerances While food is supposed to give us energy, some doctors believe hidden food intolerances can do the opposite. Sometimes even mild food intolerance can leave you feeling sleepy and, if you eat the offending food long enough, you can find yourself truly exhausted. If you suspect you may have food intolerance, start with an elimination diet, cutting out foods that seem to cause you to feel sleepy within minutes of eating them. Fatigue Cause #6 Sleep apnea We ve heard a lot about this condition but have you actually explored the idea with your doctor? Not only can sleep apnea cause you to feel exhausted, but it puts you at high risk for cardiovascular conditions. Fatigue Cause #7 Undiagnosed heart disease. If you find yourself becoming exhausted after activity that never used to bother you, it may be time to talk to your doctor about the possibility of heart disease. A blockage, especially, can cut down on your energy as the heart struggles to maintain a proper circulating volume of blood. There are many causes for fatigue and these only mention a few. Fatigued? Get it checked out!

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13 13 Serving In July Date CST Week Ushers Flowers Child Care 7/6 Betty Smith Mike & Lisa Gringrich Brenda Heisey Tara Garber 7/13 7/20 Marilyn Baker Marilyn Baker Steve Gottshall, Brian Thompson, Terry & Beth Barlet NA NA Jana Storm Donna Fawber Via Jeanie Small Sherry Baiocchi 7/27 Marilyn Baker Carl & Nancy Scriniere Betty Smith Shirley Spahr Serving In August Date CST Week Ushers Flowers Child Care 8/3 Betty Smith Art & Mary Zellers Brenda Heisey Tara Garber 8/10 Heidi Neiswender Scott & Wendy Garrison Jana Storm Donna Fawber Via 8/17 Heidi Neiswender George Bell, Phil Groff, George & Teresa Keller Ruth Ann Heisey Deb Blouch 8/24 Betty Smith NA Betty Smith Shirley Spahr 8/31 Terry Baker NA Steve & Elaine Hoffer

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