Volume 15, Issue 11 November 2015 The monthly newsletter of Ridgeview Mennonite Church

Transcription

1 RidgeVIEWS Volume 15, Issue 11 November 2015 The monthly newsletter of Ridgeview Mennonite Church Statistics tell us that the days surrounding Thanksgiving are some of the heaviest travel days of the year. Perhaps it s the potential for snow free travel or the assurance of a certain grouping of foods or the knowledge that there will be parades and football games as a distraction that help this day outpace the others but still it ranks highly in a time for family gatherings. For the first 30+ years of my life, Thanksgiving meant one thing in particular. That was the day that our family traveled to grandma s place and gathered with the amalgamation of in-laws, siblings, aunts, uncles, steps, exes, add-ons and who-is-thats on my mom s side. I don t offer the list I just rattled off as some kind of barb directed at that side of my upbringing but rather to highlight the reality that family has come in many different sizes, blends and mixtures for as long as there has been family. Sadly, since the death of my mother in 1993 and then my grandmother in 1998 that side of the family hasn t gathered as a clan unit even once. My genealogical tree for years was a contrast in realities. My dad s side was filled with dozens of first cousins and many aunts and uncles. For many decades that family never experienced a death, divorce or major dust up. Grandma lived until the age of 82 and grandpa to 96. Nearly all of the family were regular church attenders, farmers, salt of the earth types of people and it was easy to feel a strong connection to this group who were much like me. Mom s side on the other hand was that mixture I mentioned earlier. I never knew my grandpa who died just before my birth. I had one aunt and one uncle who had both divorced and remarried and for one divorced again. My first cousins on that side could be counted on one hand without using all the fingers. I attended my grandma s wedding while in elementary school and learned what it meant to blend family systems. This was reinforced by the cavalcade of step children and cousins much removed and sundry others who showed up on that day. They were business owners and early techies, tow truck drivers and factory workers. All of those things which would have been listed as vices by dad s side e.g., smoking, drinking and bad language were in ready evidence on mom s on Thanksgiving day. As a child and for a number of years as an adult I tended to exalt my dad s side and look with some disdain on my mom s. But as I reflect on those gatherings from this many years distant I think that maybe mom s side was on to something. That day and that meal were opportunities to practice welcome and acceptance in ways that the unanimity of dad s side lacked. Don t get me wrong dad s family were/are loving and open and as things progressed have experienced changes and a broadening of its own. But I have to wonder whether mom s side wouldn t be a truer representation of the gathered community of God. I am continually reminded that being a part of the people of God is hard work. Our tendency is to want to only interact with those with whom we have the most in common and are most comfortable. Yet the urgent gospel message is to reach out to all those with whom we come into contact. To acknowledge that the image and spirit of God is present in them as much as in me and that all are invited to be present. We love our families, especially those most like us, and rejoice in the time spent together. Let us also work to love those who stretch our understandings and patience. Let s embrace the outsider, the other than, the least expected. God grant us the vision to see God s family for the hodge-podge of persons that it truly is. Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday! Pastor Mick NOVEMBER OFFERING REPORT Year to date budget 24, Year to date receipts 22, Education 2016/

2 ALIVE WITH 55 & UP This year our 55 Alive mystery trip featured local places here in Lancaster County. First stop was at the Spooky Nook Sports Center. We had a guided tour of the seventeen acre building which is used for sports training, fitness training, and hosts many sport s events. There are 20 basketball/ volleyball courts and places for field hockey, tennis, and even a softball game, all under roof. Recently opened were a motel and a restaurant. Several pro basketball and football teams train at Spooky Nook. Next stop was at the Kreider Dairy Farm. Noah and Mary farmed at Rt 340 and Weavertown Road until Mary's home farm became available at Manheim. Noah purchased an Allis Chalmers Wc tractor which the neighbors thought foolish but he outworked their horses and soon began doing custom farming. He purchased neighboring farms as they became available and today they have 1700 acres, 3000 cows (1700 milking) and 6 million laying hens on three farms. It takes 44 tractor trailers to fill a chicken house which has 430,000 hens. A Jewish rabbi lives on the farm so the 16,000 gallons of milk produced daily are Kosher. Each day forty trucks leave for markets in the northeast USA and some into Puerto Rica. The third generation is now managing the farm. On to Mount Joy and the Eastland Alpaca Farm. Here were one hundred charming alpacas. A baby (Cria), born as we walked down to the barn, was the star attraction. Their cashmere-like fleece is finer, stronger, warmer, lighter and softer than sheep's wool. A small store was filled with hats, gloves, socks and other items available for purchase. Dinner was at the Amish farm of Jacob and Naomi King. We were served a delicious meal in their newly constructed building. They also have a catering business. Last stop was at Ephrata Cloister where in 1732 German born Conrad Beissel sought solitude and escape from worldliness and established the Cloisters. The community of celibate Brothers and Sisters numbered nearly 80; families living on nearly farms numbered 200. These families contributed funds and assistance to support the Brothers and Sisters. Their most ambitious work was the translation and publication of the 1500 page Martyrs' Mirror. Daily life was highly regimented and disciplined for this Seventh Day Baptist group. Some of the mid-1700's buildings survive. The Cloisters served as a hospital during the Revolutionary War. A big thank you to Paul & Marie for providing leadership and transportation for this fun-filled day. Ray & Reba Ranck BIRTHDAYS 1 Ron Martin Brooke Siegrist 2 Galen Dise Ron Lapp Judy Smoker 4 Earl Esch 7 Sherlyn Horst 8 Marsha Horst 11 Steffen Sommers 13 Ashley Echternach 14 Lance Horst Sarah Horst Sam Zook 16 Rick Fellenbaum 18 Paul Smoker Omar Lapp 19 Bud Beiler 25 Jim Glick 26 Merv Stoltzfus 29 Rich High 30 Madie Kauffman Cameron Bergman ANNIVERSARIES 1 Elias & Anna Esh 3 Leon & Theresa Yoder CHURCH AUCTION Monday, December 7 2

3 November and December we will be collecting warm items for children and adults, new preferably, but could be gently used, hats, scarfs, mittens, gloves. You can start purchasing these items now. A tree will in the lobby in November. November Ingathering for The Factory food bank Items requested. Ridgeview s contribution to ACC. $ for Nickles for Neighbors FALL FAMILY NIGHTS HOSPITALITY: space for you; space for us 6:15 dinner; 7:00 activities Nov. 4 HOSPITALITY: make space for & hearing from the other Hearing across our differences is hard. What is our cultural intelligence? What happens when we open ourselves to the new and novel? What factors interfere with cross-cultural communication? Sam Walters will share from his experience. Nov. 11 HOSPITALITY: staying open to the gift of the other We never know what the gift of the other is for us, how that gift can stretch and strengthen us. This evening we will focus on assessing our roles and relationships and thinking through ways to develop and maintain patterns of hospitality. Nov. 18 To be announced These pictures are from the Mennonite church in General Villegas, Argentina. It is where Daniel Oyanguren ministers and where Michelle Gehman and Pastor Mick spent some time while on their delegation there. They continue to update and improve their worship space even while using it for weekly worship. These shots show the installation of a sound room and the addition of interior brick to plain cement walls. Remember our VEMZO partners in your prayers as they share God s love in Argentina. 3

4 The Pauls family.. Donna and I met the fall of 1985 in the cozy seaside town of Cannon Beach, Oregon. Prior to that first day of school at Ecola Hall, we did not know the other existed. Donna had been living in Kinzers, PA. She was born and raised at Sycamore Haven Farm, located at 35 South Kinzer road. During her growing up years, her family attended Kinzer Mennonite Church. Her parents, Charles and Janet Groff, had dairy cows. Being the youngest, she helped feed calves, while her brothers, Daryl and Dwight did other chores. However, when it came to chickens, she was unavailable. : ) She went to Pequea Valley elementary and middle school, and graduated from Lancaster Mennonite high school in After graduation, she worked for a year, considering her options. A dear friend from high school told her about a school in Oregon. At first, she was unsure about traveling so far away. However, after giving it some thought, she realized it was just the sort of adventure she was looking for. She wanted to experience something new, something other than where she had grown up. This decision brought her one step closer to her future husband. Meanwhile, her future husband was growing up in Dallas, Oregon, with no inkling that his future wife was growing up 3000 miles away. Riding his bike, narrowly avoiding breaking assorted bones, he raced around the blocks that surrounded 1358 SW10 th Street. Being one of the older neighborhood kids, it inevitably became his lot to quasi-organize various activities: bike racing, sandbox cities, fort building, simulated fire fighting, and what not. His parents, Nelson & Barbara Pauls, raised 4 children (Pamela, Brad, Jeff, and Glen) in that house on 10 th St. During his growing up years, Jeff s family was part of three different congregations: Dallas Mennonite Brethren Church, Dallas Community Church, and Dallas Foursquare Church. This eclectic church experience would prove to be invaluable as time went on. He went to Dallas public schools. When he graduated in 1983, he took a year to paint houses with his dad. His parents strongly urged him to attend Ecola Hall Bible School, but he resisted. After a year plus, he realized Ecola was where he needed to be. This decision brought him one step closer to his future wife. And then, they became we; two individuals became us. They saw each other for the very first time at the baggage claim in Portland International Airport. There were no sparks, just the friction between Jeff s tweed pants and Donna s giant tweed suitcase. As Jeff struggled to get it to the car, he didn t even know it was her suitcase. All this came to pass because he was helping a friend of his, Mark Cheney, dean of men at Ecola. Having completed the winter and spring terms at Ecola, Jeff had returned early for the fall term. Mark tapped his shoulder to help out. And so it was, that on that day, Donna and Jeff began a friendship that has lasted for nigh on 30 years. On September 22, we celebrated our 25 th anniversary. To celebrate, we will be in California November We will see my family, see some sights, including a two-night getaway at the quaint Ragged Point Inn, high atop the bluffs overlooking the mighty Pacific Ocean. What has happened since that blessed day at the airport? Oh, there s so much. As you well know, life is so rich. Each person s story would fill book upon book. Here are just a few of the pages from our story. When we got married one of the first things we discussed, is where to go to church. Having been made aware of the value of supporting God s work where we live, we decided to attend Kinzer Mennonite. We were there until October of We thank God for the nurturing and solid biblical support Andrew and Nathan were given there. As to our professional life, Donna has been at County Line Family Medicine since we ve been married. After about 15 years as a service technician (Fisher & Thompson Dairy Equipment and Clean Stream Water Company), I returned to school and completed a degree in education at Millersville University. I taught in the Lancaster Mennonite School system for almost 10 years. And now I m here! Andrew is in his 3 rd year at Goshen College, and Nathan is in his 3 rd year at Lancaster Mennonite. So here we are. We are so pleased to be part of Ridgeview Mennonite Church! And, of course, there s more to the story of how we got here. Let s just say that we have felt so welcomed. And we have sensed God at work. And we have sensed a spirit of cooperation with each other and God. That is why we are here. We want to be part of a group who loves God and loves one another, through thick and thin. It s a blessing to look back tracing the path to our present. God is amazing! With God s track record, it makes complete sense to trust him with our future. A future designed to bring God s will to earth as it is in heaven. Jeff Pauls 4

5 November 2015 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 8:30 Prayer SS & Worship Fellowship meal 11am-5pm Rec room reserved 2 5pm East Chestnut Street Church 3 7pm Women s BS 4 6:45am Ministry Team 12 noon Food Pac 6:15pm Family Nite 6 7 Bridge of Hope Kaleidoscope 8 SS & Worship am Alive with 55 7pm Women s BS 12 noon Food Pac 6:15pm Family Nite 15 8:30 Prayer SS & Worship 16 10am-9pm Craft Day 17 7:30am Prayer 7pm Women s BS 18 7am Men s breakfast 12 noon Food Pac 6:15pm Family Nite Ladies Retreat 22 SS & Worship THANKSGIVING pm Women s BS 12 noon Food Pac 29 SS & Worship 30 Mick will be out of the office November He and Julie will be travelling to Kenya. 5

6 Ridgeview Mennonite Church 3723 Ridge Road Gordonville PA Mick Sommers, Lead Pastor Everyone is welcome to submit material to the RidgeVIEWS, the newsletter of Ridgeview Mennonite Church. Ridgeview connects persons and groups in the congregation together and with the broader Mennonite Church. It strengthens the congregation to answer the call of God to learn and share together God s love with all of creation. Priority will be given to articles that serve this purpose, with Ridgeview staff providing editorial responsibilities. DECEMBER NEWSLETTER INFORMATION DUE NOVEMBER 23 Nelson Yoder, Associate Pastor nelson@ridgeviewmennonite.net Jeff Pauls Minister of Youth & Young Adults jeff@ridgeviewmennonite.net Joyce Shirk, Administrative Assistant office@ridgeviewmennonite.net 6