April 2017 Newsletter

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Amie Gaines
5 years ago
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1 April 2017 Newsletter Dear Covenant Partners, Active Supporters, and Friends, One of our favorite songs as a congregation is Amazing Love by Chris Tomlin. The words tell the story of our salvation through Jesus Christ the Lord. I m forgiven, because He was forsaken. I m accepted, He was condemned. I m alive and well, Your Spirit is within me, because You died and rose again. Amazing love how can it be that You my King would die for me? Amazing love I know it s true. It s my joy to honor You, in all I do, I honor You. It IS amazing that the God of all creation would choose to die for us; that He would choose to make us the objects of His amazing, perfect, never-ending love! I know that I don t deserve this. Even on my best day, I simply can t measure up. But God knows us. He sees us. He loves us. He knew the pain that was coming his way in order to save us, and he did not turn away. He carried his own cross up Calvary s hill and laid himself down to suffer and die. John wrote in John 10:17, I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. Don t think for a moment that Jesus life was taken from him. He laid it down of his own accord to fulfill the mission for which he was sent to save our souls for eternal life! Because Jesus was forsaken, we are forgiven by God. Because Jesus was condemned, we are accepted as God s children. Because Jesus died and ROSE AGAIN, we are alive and well. Because his Holy Spirit lives within us, we know that all this is 100% TRUE. If you re with me so far, let me ask a few questions: How does knowing this Truth impact your life? How does it guide your decisions? How does it awaken your desire, and impact your follow-through for prayer, for worship, for reading the Scriptures, and for Christ-centered fellowship? How does knowing the Truth of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ make a difference in your life? And how then does your faithfulness make a difference in the lives of your family members, your friends, your co-workers, your fellow students? Easter is all about New Life! Jesus died to give us New Life! Sometimes I think we forget this. Sometimes we forget that it s not just about eggs and bunnies and new clothes for the children and big family dinners. Those things are okay if put in the context of the Only Thing That Truly Matters: Easter is about JESUS. Easter is the Day of Resurrection! The Day the world changed! The Day that brought us New Life, freed from slavery to sin! I pray, friends, that you are engaged and committed to the opportunities for worship and spiritual growth at this very special and meaningful time of the church year. If that is not true for you, with all my heart, I pray that you would be open to His voice. His voice is like no other, bringing forth a passion and peace that changes us. Oh, sweet Jesus in all we do, may we honor You. With love, Meagan

2 Words to Ponder from Dr. Bonnie Cornelious I heard a pastor say once that the unsaved are twelve inches from heaven. His point was that we can know God in our minds, but, if we don t have Him in our hearts, the knowledge does us little good in abiding in Him. While that may be true for the unsaved, I believe there is a different point of view for the saved. We know that once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are saved. We also know that the acceptance of Christ needs to light in us a fire for living as he would have us live. So, when I work with clients who profess a faith, I would change the pastor s saying to this: we are twelve inches from living in Christ and trusting Him in all things if we have Him in our hearts but don t let the heart make choices and decisions for the mind. This Lenten season and spring itself are times of renewal, rededication, and rebirth. They are opportunities to relook at our relationship with Christ. When we as Christians let ourselves worry, feel guilt rather than conviction, doubt, or give into temptation, it is time again for a heart check to examine our actions in light of our beliefs. These are situations with which we often deal in counseling sessions. Praise God there is an instruction book (the Bible) that we can consult and discuss as we work through these troubling human problems. Often counseling is a faith check. It is important to remember that, whether in a formal relationship, a private study, or friends discussing life, we don t need to wait (and shouldn t wait) for a specific season. These faith checks must become and remain as daily focal points of our walk with Christ. Hebrews 4:12 says, God s word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. We remember all that you have done for us, Father. We remember your goodness to us in the past. We remember your closeness in the present. We remember your power for the future. Your love compels us to do what we never thought we could do and go to heights we never thought we could reach. We step out in faith to be obedient to you. Amen (Max Lucado) BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES! Pray a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing over each person/couple as their special day arrives: Birthdays 4/5 Brett Hostler, Berk Meredith 4/8 Charlie Dickens 4/9 Lily Daniel, Ken Shirk 4/11 Brooke Fischer, Jay Hammond, Gabe Johnson 4/14 Levi Fischer 4/15 Bailee Parson, John Stewart 4/16 Chris Metcalfe 4/18 Cohen Daniel 4/19 Tammy Campbell, David Cornelious, Jen Harris, Missy Shoop 4/22 Angie Ruby 4/24 Mikell McGee, Kyler Rosenberry, Blake & Brock Woodward 4/25 Gavin Earnest 4/26 Morgan Frazier, Joni Frey, Greg Hart, Nikki Rosenberry 4/29 Keith Hart, Janet Shirk Anniversaries 4/8 John & Meagan Boozer 4/8 Preston & Joyce Carbaugh 4/10 Donnie & Wilma Umbrell 4/21 George & Bonita Bair 4/21 Corey & Autumn Daniel 4/22 Bobby & Willa Allison 4/25 Jay & Cheryl Hammond Please pray for the family of Bill Shearer, who died on March 3 rd. A service honoring Bill s life was held on March 9 th at the Dugan Funeral Home in Shippensburg.

********************* Are you or do you have a youth in your family graduating this spring? We want to acknowledge this milestone!

3 Women and Children s Banquet Monday, May 8 th 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children/youth. We will play some games together downstairs after the meal before moving upstairs to celebrate the gifts and talents of our children and youth. ********************* Are you or do you have a youth in your family graduating this spring? We want to acknowledge this milestone! Please call the church office or speak to us to let us know when you are graduating, from where, and with what degree! We are proud of you! New 250 th Pictorial Directories Our new directories MAY be here by Easter. We had a few glitches as we were finishing the directory, and so it has taken longer than usual. All active attenders and families photographed will receive a free directory.! Children, Youth, & Family Ministry I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5, Jesus tells us that he is the Vine and the source of all life and growth, but we need to remain connected to him. How do we remain connected to the source of life? We stay connected through prayer, scripture reading, and allowing other disciples to speak into our life. This can be really difficult in an age where we have trouble being still or even slowing down from our breakneck pace. Over the course of Lent, I have challenged the youth to schedule time to spend with God in prayer and in the Bible. Rev. Meagan has also challenged the congregation to spend time in God s Word each week and to memorize one verse each week. These are great disciplines to help us remain connected to the Vine. One thing that I have learned over the course of my life is that it is easier to remain disciplined when others are holding us accountable and walking the journey with us. As families, let us commit to read God s Word together and pray together, instilling a love and devotion for God in our children. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus tells his listeners this story, Why do you call, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction complete. Luke 6:46-49 Let us remain in Jesus, built firmly on his foundation, and model for our children discipleship so they too will be able to stand firm in the storms of life. Blessings, Laurie

Allergy Forms are needed! In order to safely care for all our children through age 18, we need a quick form filled out for our volunteer and paid staff.

Summer Mission Trip Many of you have been asking about our summer mission trip for 2017 for youth and adults.

4 Allergy Forms are needed! In order to safely care for all our children through age 18, we need a quick form filled out for our volunteer and paid staff. If you have not been given a form by your child, please speak with Laurie Ruby and she will get one to you. Thank you! Summer Mission Trip Many of you have been asking about our summer mission trip for 2017 for youth and adults. We have applied to be a team with Samaritan s Purse in either West Virginia or North Carolina in the month of July. We will not find out until sometime in April whether we were allotted a team spot. As soon as we have information, it will be shared as part of our announcements before worship. Samaritan s Purse requires youth to be 14 years old and can take a maximum of 10 able-bodied, hard-working people per team. Please join us in praying that if this is God s will for us, we will be granted a spot. Thank you! Coming to Adult Small Groups After Easter Library: Joni Frey will continue her invaluable walk through the Bible for those who are both new to Bible study and those who have been at it for a while. Assembly Room: Dr. Bonnie Cornelious will continue her leadership with the David C. Cook discussion class based on the Bible-in-Life curriculum. Classroom 3: This video/discussion class will return to Andy Stanley s study, Right in the Eye for the three weeks following Easter. Young Adults: Led by John Boozer this group will continue biblically based discussions to encourage discipleship and a passion for Christ. A Word from Katie Anderson Alternate PA Dairy Princess Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone. Zechariah 10:1 This time of the year is essential to our farmers. If there isn t enough rain, the ground won t be the proper moisture content to plant the crops. If it rains too much, our farmers won t be able to get into their fields because of the mud and muck. God provides the perfect ratio each year so that the farmers can plant their crops and grow them successfully. Farmers take pride in their hard work in being stewards of the land, and we thank God each day for providing adequate amounts of rain, nutrients in the soil and sunlight so that we can raise crops to feed our cows! THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS PROVISION Did you know that if you miss worship, you can go onto our website and either read or watch the sermon? Thanks to our fabulous team of tech guys, we are able to provide this outreach ministry!

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church P.O. Box 128 Spring Run, PA 17262 717-349-2603 www.upvpc.

5 Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church P.O. Box 128 Spring Run, PA One of Donnie Allison s favorite poems: It Couldn t Be Done by Edgar Albert Guest Message: Nothing is impossible with GOD! Somebody said that it couldn t be done But he with a chuckle replied That maybe it couldn t, but he would be one Who wouldn t say so till he d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn t be done, and he did it! Somebody scoffed: Oh, you ll never do that; At least no one ever has done it; But he took off his coat and he took off his hat And the first thing we knew he d begun it. With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, Without any doubting or quiddit, He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn t be done, and he did it. There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, There are thousands to prophesy failure, There are thousands to point out to you one by one, The dangers that wait to assail you. But just buckle in with a bit of a grin, Just take off your coat and go to it; Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing That cannot be done, and you ll do it. * * * * * * * * * * * MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR VBS 2017 AT UPVPC! July from 6:30 8 p.m. How can you help before, during, or after? There are many places to serve! Mark your calendars for a planning meeting on Tuesday, May 16 th at 6:30 p.m. The Faithful Work of the Trustees Many, many thanks to our faithful crew of trustees for 2017: Bill Harris, president; Brad Gamble, vice-president; Teresa Miller, recording secretary; Eric Bair, Brett Hostler, JR Smith, John Boozer, Scott Naugle, and Johanna Grove. The session representative to the trustees is elder Jerry Yeager. If you have an idea or a concern about something on the property, please speak with one of the trustees. Currently the trustees are coordinating and overseeing the following: Repair to the Assembly Room roof where some shingles have blown off. Front sanctuary foyer ceiling repair; Evaluating cracks in the sanctuary walls; Planning floor stabilization in an area in the sanctuary resulting in ceiling repair in the basement; Pipe repair & heater repair in the basement. To my church family, I wanted to thank you for the cards, my beautiful pink lap blanket, and especially for all the prayers. I felt them! I am thankful for my good health! By the way, my favorite color is pink! I m thankful for all of you! God bless, Chris Seibert

Holy Week at Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church in Spring Run Sunday, April 9 Sunday, April 16 Palm Sunday April 9 Worship at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord!

6 Holy Week at Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church in Spring Run Sunday, April 9 Sunday, April 16 Palm Sunday April 9 Worship at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord! Matthew 21:9 Palm Sunday April 9 Children s Easter Party from 3 5 p.m. (All children pre-k through grade 5 are invited) Games, Crafts, Egg Hunt, the Easter Story Maundy Thursday April 13 The Living Last Supper 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary Good Friday April 14 Community Lenten Service 6:30 p.m. Easter Sunday April 16 Sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. at the Allison s in Neelyton (bring a chair) Worship in the sanctuary at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. He is not here for he has risen, just as he said! Matthew 28:6

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church Spring Run, Pennsylvania. December 2017 Newsletter. Dear Covenant Partners, Active Supporters, and Friends,

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church Spring Run, Pennsylvania December 2017 Newsletter Dear Covenant Partners, Active Supporters, and Friends, Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for Christmas.