Pastor Mick s Musings

Transcription

1 August 2013 Like You Lord help me to be in Your holy will; Tell me what to do today; Lead me in Your righteousness; Make me more like You, I pray. Guard me against this corrupting world, Its perverted priorities, temptations, too. Direct my mind toward Your commands, So I can focus my life on You. Fill my heart with Your light and love, So I can assist those I see in need; With You as my role model, let me be Like You in thought and word and deed. By Joanna Fuchs Inside this issue: This Month s Servants 3 WGT July Calendar 4 VBS Highlights 5 Beth Moore Study 6 First Wednesdays - For ALL! 7 Pastor Mick s Musings Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV) When I was called to be your pastor, these are the verses that I was drawn to while in prayer. I praise the Lord because I can see WGT living out these verses. It is almost as if the Lord gave me a life verse for the church which would be verse 3. So I will take a little liberty and replace the singular he in this verse with West Green Tree. It looks like this: West Green Tree Church of the Brethren shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth fruit in its season Whose leaf also shall not wither And whatever West Green Tree does shall prosper. Several things came to mind when reading this verse. First, I am so glad the church s name is not West BROWN Tree. Second, I am reminded of the passage in John 4:14 regarding the woman at the well. Jesus exclaimed, But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the wa- ter I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Jan Hawthorne had a word from the Lord while she was praying and meditating. That word was, deeprootedness. The roots run deep in West Green Tree as we draw in the living water of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is where we find life abundant, eternal life. So we continue to let the river flow from the heart of Christ to each other. That is so much of who we are. Third, verse 2 provides us with the catalyst on how we remain this living, thriving tree. It is through the reading and meditation of His Word. The more we read, the more we understand the Author. The more we understand and know the Author, the more deeply we want to love Him and serve Him. And finally, verse 3 states that, This tree brings forth its fruit in its season. Immediately, I was drawn to Galatians 5:22, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read, GOD WANTS SPIRITUAL FRUITS, NOT RELI- GIOUS NUTS. I chuckled at the thought but also had to accept its truth. A tree planted by living water will produce lovely fruit. I believe that we are lovely! I sense the Lord telling us that this is a new season for WGT; that the fruit of the Spirit will be practiced among us and evident to all who come; and we will draw upon the living water that Jesus so freely gives us so that Whatever West Green Tree does will Prosper. Pastor Mick

2 Page 2 E-Town Fair We just finished up a week of VBS that was awesome, and as August begins we're looking ahead to more fun activities! We are getting excited as we prepare for another year at the Elizabethtown Fair. The Elizabethtown Fair will be held August 19th-24th. We will have a stand set up and will be distributing information about our church and Tiny Timbers, and will be passing out Bibles and water for those interested. We will again be making gift baskets that will be available to win. We are hoping to use the baskets as a way to bring people into our stand so that we have an opportunity to have a conversation with them. This event is a great way to reach out and witness to the community and we need your help! We need volunteers to sign up to be at the stand in the evenings and all day Saturday. Please look for a sign up sheet by the church mailboxes to volunteer. We are also requesting your donations of bottled water again this year, which can be placed on the bench by the kitchen. Please prayerfully consider volunteering for this great outreach to our community! If you have questions, please see a Witness Commission member. Witness Commission WGT To See NOAH at Sight & Sound The Nurture Commission is organizing a trip to Sight & Sound to see Noah on Friday, September 6th, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $47/adult, $29/teen, $19/children 12 & under. Invite your friends & families too! RSVP to Paula in the office with number & ticket type (adult, teen, child) along with payment by August 4th. Checks should be made payable to WGT & placed in the mailbox marked, Bulletin/Newsletter. PLEASE DO NOT place ticket payment in the offering. Contact Julie Ramsey at or jgam@live.com with questions. Saving Money The Steward Commission recently switched energy suppliers. The church will save about 14% on the energy portion of the PPL bill with this switch. Just think...with a bill that you always pay, you could help WGT save even more money while at the same time, save money on your personal electric bill! If you would like to know more, please see Dave Hawthorne or Walter Schwanger. Free Piano Free piano with bench. In good shape but needs tuned. Must be able to pick up in Mechanicsburg. Contact Judy Nauman at if interested. Beginning Sunday September 15 th during the service, Children s Church will be back! Helpers and teachers are needed for both age groups (children 5 years old to 2 nd grade and children in 3-5 grades). Children s Church will occur the 3 rd Sunday of each month from September through November and January through March. Please see Audrey Garber if you would like to help. Anointing Postponed Anointing Sunday was postponed on July 28th due to Pastor Mick s installation. The next scheduled Anointing Sunday will be August 25th. Please contact Pastor Mick or one of the Deacons if there is a need for anointing prior to August 25th & a time will be scheduled that is convenient to you.

3 Page 3 August Servants August 4 August 11 August 18 August 25 Messenger Pastor Mick Pastor Mick Pastor Mick Pastor Mick Pianist/Organist Brenda Geib Brenda Geib Sylvia Weaver Ryan Arndt Special Music Glenn Weaver Allison Huber Offertory Hymn Nicole Drawbaugh Chorister Regena Tripp June Kolp Glenn Weaver Greeters 8 am Colton & Brienna Brown Combo Service No Greeters Jason & Kari Slater Walt & Eileen Smith Greeters Duane & Kathy Martin Doug & Darlene Breneman Derek & Jessica Groff Marlin & Rose Hibshman Leader Audrey Garber Dave Hawthorne Shawn Cannon Cody Schwanger Ushers Youth New Horizons SS Class Faith Seekers SS Class Sojourners SS Class Sound Room 8 am Jerry Huber/Duane Martin Combo Service No Sound Room Jerry Huber/Merv McClenaghan Jerry Huber Merv McClenaghan Sound Room Jeff Schwanger/Jason Leonard Jerry Huber/Jason Leonard Jeff Schwanger/Duane Martin Jeff Schwanger/Duane Martin 8 am Nursery/ Toddler Jason & Kari Slater Combo Service No Nursery/Toddler Daryl & Angie Harnish Mike & Marcia Hawthorne Nursery Toddler The Chad Garber Family The Ramsey Family Jackie Hemperly The Cannon Family Sarah Kolp Cindy & Zane Seitz June & July Stats June 23 June 30 July 7 July 14 July 21 Total Sunday School None Reported 66 General $2, $2, $4, $4, $3, Building $1, Deacon $50.00 $50.00 $40.00 $90.00 $ Seminary $ $ $ $70.00 $125.00

4 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Youth Beach Youth Beach 4 8:00 am Sunday School 9:15 am Youth Beach Lunch Break Prayer Noon Jr. & Sr. High Clubs 8 9 Camp Swatara 10 Crochet Time 8:30 am Camp Swatara 11 Sunday School 9 am Combined 10:00 am Camp Swatara 12 Lunch Break Prayer Noon Tiny Timbers Board Executive Committee Mtg Jr. & Sr. High Clubs Sunday 8:00 am Sunday School 9:15 am 19 Lunch Break Prayer Noon September EVERGREEN NEWS Submissions Due 20 Deacon Mtg. 21 Jr. & Sr. High Clubs Anointing 25 8:00 am Sunday School 9:15 am 26 Lunch Break Prayer Noon E-town & Manheim Central First Day of School Jr. & Sr. High Clubs

5 Page 5 What a fabulous week filled with fun, laughter, singing, games and most importantly JESUS!!! This year I was the "director" of the preschool area of VBS. We had 21 or 22 kiddos in our group. I had some great support from Milton Grove Church helpers and Traci Clugston. We were blown away with how much these kids took away from our stories, crafts and games! They soaked it all up like sponges!! We worked on Bible verses with the preschoolers and were ready to reward them. We were amazed with the number of kids that learned all three verses!! What a blessing! We had a great week!! They loved the decorations and the characters that we talked about thoughout the week! A big Thank You to Kelsey and Jamie for all their organization and enthusiasm! This is a BIG outreach for our church and we need to continue to remember that as we work through hick ups that arise through the week. We touch so many lives and families with this 1 week and I know for a fact that there are families that are already looking forward to this outreach next year! Thank you for your prayers, donations and support as a church family! I am looking forward to next year and the fun times that we will have in store! Allison Huber

6 Page 6 Anniversaries 8/5 - George & Traci Clugston 8/6 - Duane & Kathy Martin 8/9 - Glenn & Sylvia Weaver 8/23 - Matt & Stephanie Collman 8/27 - Steve & Peggi Hiller 8/31 - Charles & Marilyn Keener Birthdays 8/1 - Aaliyah Cannon, Alisha Garber 8/2 - Brenda Axe, Gary Dupler 8/3 - Noelle O Brien 8/7 - Phyllis Becker, David Long 8/9 - Gerald Huber, Sandra Kopp 8/10 - Sarah Kolp 8/14 - Ken Drawbaugh, Walt Smith 8/15 - Henry Klugh 8/16 - Grace Fellenbaum 8/18 - Nicole Drescher 8/20 - RaErin Williams 8/21 - Robin Cicero 8/23 - Tyra Cannon 8/25 - Walt Schwanger 8/28 - Steve Estep 8/29 - Logan Smith COB Night at Harrisburg Senators The ANED is sponsoring a family night of fun & fellowship at Metro Bank Park on Saturday, August 17th to watch the Harrisburg Senators take on the Portland Sea Dogs. All tickets are $10 and $2 from each ticket will benefit the Atlantic Northeast District. Gates open at 5:30 & game time is. The first 1000 kids will receive a Senators School Binder & there will be a post game fireworks show. If interested in attending, please put your ticket order & payment (checks payable to WGT with Senators in the memo line) in the mailbox marked, Bulletin/Newsletter no later than August 4th. Please contact the church office with questions. BETH MOORE BIBLE STUDY Here & Now...There & Then, a lecture series on the book of Revelation, will begin Monday, September 9th at 7 pm for the ladies. Please sign up (sheet on bulletin board adjacent to the kitchen) by August 25th if interested in participating in this study. There is a $9 charge for each workbook. Please make checks payable to WGT & place in the mailbox marked, Bulletin/Newsletter. Please do not put workbook payment in offering. Promotion Sunday will be held Sunday, September 1st at 9:15 am in the Sanctuary. All are welcome to attend! Please see Sarah Kolp with questions. NAPS Don t forget about the NAPS (Not Allowing Pain and Suffering) box located under the church mailboxes in the lobby! There is a bright pink box waiting to collect your unwanted cell phones & accessories for the Verizon Hopeline project. Simply place your old phones in the box & they will be taken to Verizon to help those struggling with domestic violence, giving them a safe, less isolated means of communication in an emergency. Please contact Nicole Drescher with questions.

7 Page 7 First Wednesdays - For EVERYONE Beginning September 4th at 6:30 pm! Dinner will be served at 6:30 pm. At 7:00 pm, an all-ages worship will be held followed by everyone breaking up into groups from 7:15 pm till 8 pm. The first session of First Wednesdays will run from September - November. We will break for the Christmas holiday and return January - March. Help is needed in the following areas: **A Sunday school class or a group of people to make dinner for each month. The dinner will be by donation and the donations will go towards your preparation for the dinner. There will also be a sign-up sheet prior to the date, so you have an idea as to how many to prepare for. **Teachers for the adult class. I will also be looking for teachers and helpers for the following ages; birth-2, 3-4, 5-2 nd grade, and 3 rd -5 th. There will be a sign-up sheet so we know in advance what age groups we need to prepare for. Material will be provided (if you have your own that is fine also). Keep watching the bulletin for further announcements. Sign-up sheets will be in the lobby starting the beginning of August. Please be in prayer as we start this new idea at West Green Tree. Please contact Audrey Garber at or audrey@springrunfarm.net with any questions. Work Camp Reflections Audrey Garber, Dawn and Ally Dupler, and Nicole Drescher enjoyed two full workdays and one recreation day at New Community Project Harrisonburg Virginia in June. The New community project motto is Creating sustainable systems that care for the earth, empower people, educate and inspire, and build the foundation for a nonviolent lifestyle. On the first day of our workday Dawn went along with a group of bike riders to the bamboo forest to help cut down bamboo for the outdoor shower to be used at New Community white house, which houses up to 10 adults at a time. These adults help with the gardens and have a Christ centered community. Ally was working on a mosaic for the house, and Nicole and Audrey were assigned to help primer the front porch. This was the morning work and the same occurred in the afternoon. It was a little warm that day, and by the afternoon it was pretty hot. We stopped for lunch which was provided by the residents of the New Community Project and most of the food was straight from the garden. The afternoon work consisted of the same projects. In the evening, we had time for devotions and down time to get to know the community members and other youth groups. Tuesday was a very rainy day, but that did not stop the work at New Community. Ally went with a group to deliver their garden goodies to the local CSA. Nicole and Ally also learned how to pick and clean the lettuce that they were selling. Dawn, Nicole and Audrey stayed back at New community and did odd and end tasks that needed to be done around the area. For lunch we headed to Our Community Place, a community centered place were those of all backgrounds meet for lunch and other programs. This place really inspired us about how a lot of those people did not have anything, they were just happy to be alive and be able to praise God. After lunch, we went over to the bike shop and learned how to do some bike maintenance, and how the community of Harrisonburg was trying to make biking accessible to all. Wednesday, was down time day. It consisted of a hike and swimming. By Wednesday night we were all headed home. We all got something different out of our trip, and I know I was inspired to try to use less and also help those around me more. If you would like to check out the websites for the two places we visited they are and Thank you to all who supported us on our trip!

8 WEST GREEN TREE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN 740 Greentree Road Elizabethtown, PA WEST GREEN TREE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN Mick Allen, Senior Pastor Audrey Estep, Licensed Minister Paula M. Jones, Administrative Assistant Phone: Fax: Our Purpose Statement We intentionally develop friends of Jesus Christ by sharing God s love through words and deeds. Sunday Service Times: Contemporary 8:00 am Sunday School 9:15 am Traditional Wednesday Service Times: Jr. High 7:00 pm Sr. High 7:00 pm