G R A C E N O T E S. Issue #2 February ACOB to Welcome New Members

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1 G R A C E N O T E S A m b l e r C h u r c h o f t h e B r e t h r e n Issue #2 February 2013 ACOB to Welcome New Members = 14 This equation is significant on. More than just numbers, seven special adults and seven super youth plan to join our congregation as members! Although they will be new members, none of them are new to our congregation. The four joining by re-affirmation of faith or letter of transfer are Margaret Geiger, Serita Lachesis, John Mould and Scott Quaile. The ten that will be baptized are Kelsey Breisch, Ben Borgmann-Winter, Jake Brycki, Josh Brycki, Caleb Miller, Kelly Quaile, Harry Stokes, Scott Stokes, Alex Torchio and Paige Torchio. The deacons are planning a finger food luncheon after the worship to welcome the new members and to celebrate this special event in the life of our church. Please sign up on the bulletin board to bring food for the luncheon. See Sandy Miller with any questions. Thinking Ahead: Spring Council Meeting, March 10, 2013 The Spring Council Meeting will be held in the Fellowship Hall on March 10, 2013 immediately following worship. The lunch will be our standard pot luck. Please bring your favorite pot luck dish or a dessert so share. Beverages, rolls and butter will be provided. Lori Hill and Betsy Brycki will coordinate the meal for us. We will be celebrating all the accomplishments of the year 2012 with the ministries. Come and hear all that was done last year and the plans for There will be one new item of business: election of District Conference Delegate and a report from the Search Committee. If you have questions about the meal, contact Lori or Betsy. For questions about the meeting, contact Bonnie Breisch. Child Care will be provided only if requested by March 1. Council packets will be in your church mailbox by March 3, Please read the reports prior to council so that we can move quickly through this meeting. Looking forward to seeing you there!

2 Nurture Ministry Reports Camp Swatara News Taize Lenten Retreat March 8-9 If the idea of some quiet time combined with the meditative music sounds good, you may want to consider the District-sponsored Taize retreat to be held at Camp Swatara on Friday, March 8 (7 pm) to Saturday, March 9 (8 pm). Cost: room in North Lodge- $75; room in East Area Staff House- $55. Registration Deadline is March 1. A brochure is posted on the bulletin board. For more information, contact Audrey Myer at audreymyer@hotmail.com. May All-Church Weekend Have you marked your calendars for the ACOB family camp weekend at Swatara May 10-12? It is always a great time for fun, food, fellowship, and free-spirited activities in the beautiful Appalachian foot-hills of Berks County. The camp lodging cost for anyone 9 years or older will be $58 for two nights, and $33 for one night. Age 3-8 is half price and 2 years and under are free. (Some of the cost will be defrayed thanks to a financial contribution for the weekend). For those who haven t been in years, the cabins have been modernized and each has its own bathroom facilities. We also need volunteers to plan 1) the program/activities, 2) food supplies and meals, and 3) registration and finances. If you would be willing to help with any of those, contact Betty Lou Nyce. More information will be forthcoming regarding the program, but we hope ACOBers of all ages will consider joining this great opportunity for a refreshing change of pace and a chance to get to know others in our congregation better. Summer Camps for Kids of all Ages In 2012 we were happy that so many of our children and youth participated in a week-long camp at Swatara. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this wholesome and adventurous experience. Again, ACOB will offer Good as Gold certificates to cover half the cost of a basic week at camp. See Betsy Brycki or Betty Lou Nyce for more information. Substitutes Needed For Sunday School We all are thankful for our very capable and dedicated Sunday school teachers who provide such a great Biblical and Christian value foundation for our children and youth. But, they do occasionally take a week off for vacations, visiting family, etc., and since many are teaching solo this year, we are asking for YOUR help to take over when they re away just an occasional Sunday in the age group of your choosing. The classes are: Pre-School, Middlers (grades K-4), Juniors (grades 5-7), and Youth (grades 8-12). God bless our regular teachers Ila Lutz, Sandy Miller, Betsy Brycki, Angie and Shawn Mountain, and our subs Lori Hill and John Mould, but a few more subs would be very welcome! Would you please give your prayerful consideration to this very important need in our congregation? (Respond to Betty Lou Nyce).

3 Wissahickon Faith Community Association Press Release On Sunday, January 20, the WFCA met the press and released a statement which outlines our position on gun control. The full statement is available from the church office. Our religious traditions teach us the sanctity of life and that every person is created in the Divine image...and we call upon our elected political leaders to support comprehensive action including: 1) Legislation to limit access to assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines. 2) Strong and consistent enforcement of existing firearm regulations. 3) A national commitment to change the culture of violence, including violence in the media and video games. 4) And strong measures to regulate the sale of handguns and the prevention of straw-man purchases. We must come together to build a society of worthy of those who have lost their lives, in a culture that represents our best virtues. Lessons from Disasters We have learned that it takes years to recover from a disaster. Not many people get all the money they need to bring their home, property or life back to normal. Beyond that there are emotional scars that never totally go away. It is projected that it will take six years to recover for those devastated by storm Sandy. We are fortunate to have within our congregation, men and women, who are willing to help bring healing to victims of disaster. They need our help, physically and financially. Those who suffer from the scars need our compassion and understanding. Gary Brechbill and Ron Lutz serve on the committee working with victims of two previous storms that flooded our area in Gary and Greg are working with Habitat for Humanity in rebuilding a home in Ambler. ACOB cares. Rummage Sale Follow-Up The junior and senior high youth thank everyone who participated in the rummage sale on January 12. Thank you to those who donated items, volunteered time, and shopped! The total amount raised was $434. The youth will be using the money toward their trip to National Youth Conference in July Special thanks to Angie Mountain, who coordinated the sale. The kids really appreciate the congregation s support!

4 2003 Issue # 4 April G R A C E N O T E S A m b l e r C h u r c h o f t h e B r e t h r e n Ambler Church of the Brethren 351 East Butler Avenue Ambler, Pennsylvania Interim Pastor: Rev. Erv Huston Office Administrator: Lori Hill Sunday Schedule: Sunday School, 9:30 a.m. Worship: 10:45 a.m. Pastor s Office Hours: Mon to Weds.- call office for availability Secretary s Office Hours: Mon., Weds., Thurs-9-1; Friday 8:30-12:30 C ONTINUING TH E W O R K OF J ESU S. S IMPLY. P EACEFULLY. T O GETHER. Phone: amblercob@verizon.net Check out our Facebook page J OY IN SE R VING R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s f o r F e b r u a r y Worship Leaders Ushers Greeter Judy Sheard Caroline Smith Ron Lutz Bonnie Breisch Lori & John Hill Sue & Carl Torchio Janet & Art Shive Gail McGinty & Scott Stokes Ruth Stokes Dottie Bucher Bonnie Breisch Betty Lou Nyce Acolyte Luke Dummeldinger Kelsey Breisch Trent Dummeldinger Sarah Hill Fellowship Hour: New Member Luncheon Megan Taylor & Gail McGinty Sharon & Steve Dummeldinger and Karin Borgmann Winter Lori & John Hill and Angie & Shawn Mountain

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6 News and Information Super movie night and Pot Luck dinner, Friday, January 25 Just when the winter doldrums are ready to drag you down, ACOB comes to the rescue with a Fun & Fellowship event! The Nurture Ministry is planning - on Friday, January 25, 6:30 pm, in Fellowship Hall a pot luck meal followed by a movie that is appropriate for all ages. We hope to obtain the recently released flick, Searching for Sugar Man, which just completed a run at the Ambler Theater, and which the Lutz s proclaim as the best movie they ever saw! It is described as a hugely appealing documentary about fans, faith and a mysterious musician who burned bright and hopeful before disappearing. A Detroit-born singer/writer, Rodriguez, cut a well regarded record in His album Cold Fact earned good reviews and four stars, but it bombed in the U.S. and Rodriguez faded from view. The heart-warming and inspiring movie relates the effort to find him. It is rated PG (some expletives) and runs 1 hr., 25 min. District Events District Events, cont. Christian Citizenship Seminar Childhood Poverty: Nutrition, Housing and Education Date: March 23-28, 2013 Location: New York and Washington, D.C. Who: High school youth and adult leaders Cost: $375 Information: Young Adult Conference Voice...the stones would shout out! Date: May 25-27, 2013 Location: Camp Pine Lake, Eldora, Iowa Cost: $100; After May 1, $125 Information: National Junior High Conference Love Speaks Date: June 14-16, 2013 Location: Elizabethtown College Cost: $155 Information (Above information taken from ANE District Newsletter, January/February 2013 issue). Youth & Young Adults The Senior High Youth Retreat will be held at Camp Swatara, January 18-20, THE cost is $90 per youth, and $45 each per first two advisors. The theme is What s Your Story? and the speaker is Bekah Houff. Bekah grew up in the ANE District and is currently working as Coordinator of Outreach programs at Bethany Theological Seminary. Her job there is facilitating and planning youth and young adult programs. There will be musical entertainment along with great food, great games and great people! Junior High Lock-In The Jr high Lock-In is scheduled for February 15-16, 2013, 10pm 6 am at Lebanon Valley College, Arnold Sports Center. The registration fee is $10 per youth and is due by February 1. Advisors are free. ( information from ANE Newsletter, November/December 2012 edition).