THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY UCC

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THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY UCC 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence Center, NY 14032 (716) 741-1441 E-mail: secretary@epiphanyucc.us Website: www.epiphanyucc.us Minister: Parson Mark G.

Dibelka Have you ever had that time when you were so certain that you had it right and your parents had no clue what they were saying?

1 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY UCC 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence Center, NY (716) Website: Minister: Parson Mark G. Dibelka Home Phone # (716) pastor@epiphanyucc.us Office: 9am - 1pm M-Th September 2016 PARSON S PONDERINGS...September 2016 From the desk of...parson Mark G. Dibelka Have you ever had that time when you were so certain that you had it right and your parents had no clue what they were saying? How about when you ve had to watch a child/niece/ nephew/loved one make their own mistakes because they didn t listen to you? Or maybe even that time when everything just seems to happen all at once? Has life been too much to handle and you are, quite privately, angry with God for putting so much on your plate? I ve had some wonderful reminders about just these things over the summer. I ve tried to point out to others when they are heading the wrong direction and then there is...the house. In what one word can I summarize this summer? Frustration. From what I ve been hearing from many of you, it would seem that the same word covers your summer as well. Something that I hear over and over again is the question of why is God doing this to me, or why am I being tested by God. Along with that is the simple statement that God never gives us more than we can handle. I ve been guilty of asking both those questions, as well as sharing that platitude. Anguish and frustration are as old as humanity and we ve been searching for answers as long as we ve been frustrated. Many times I find myself looking back to scripture as a source of wisdom (although we shouldn t overlook other wisdom around us just because it isn t in the Bible). I ve shared with several of you that one of my favorite books in the Old Testament is Job. It has surprised me how few people are familiar with that particular book, so let me share the summary here: Job is wealthy, blessed, and devoted to God - The Accuser goes before God and says that if God turned away from Job that Job would curse God - God has faith that Job will not turn away and allows The Accuser to smite Job, although God doesn t turn away - Job loses everything and suffers - Job s friends tell him to turn away from God the same way God has turned away - Job stays loyal - The Accuser concedes defeat - Job is wealthy, blessed, and devoted to God. I love this book because the hero is not somebody touched by God, or endowed with superhuman strength, or any of the other virtues that we might think when we think Biblical hero. Nope, Job is just a guy who has his ups and downs, just like the rest of us, and something beyond his control sets his whole life on a down; not just a down, but a DOWN. Basically, Job is you or me. We can learn something from Job. When we are tempted to ask why God is doing something to or testing us, Job s lesson comes thundering through: He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear by adversity. (Job 36:15 - NRSV) Job s world was a shambles, not by an act of God, but through other events. God did not afflict Job, but was there when the affliction allowed Job to feel that God had never left. When the evils of the world admitted defeat, God was there to reestablish Job as a man of status and faith. When bad things happen, it isn t because God wants bad things for us or is testing us. We may well be being tested, but not by God, for God already knows our hearts and our abilities and has no need to test us. Of course God will not give us more than we can handle, but it doesn t mean we won t be overwhelmed by the world. There are times that I feel overwhelmed and I do my very best to remember the lesson of Job: no matter what is weighing me down, perseverance and faith will bring me through the other side. This is the message I want to share with my life. Now, let s see what the fall has to bring. May the amazing grace of God be yours today and all tomorrows. Peace, Parson Mark INSIDE THIS ISSUE Parson s Ponderings 1 President, Outreach & Church Pictorial 2 Sunday School, Labor Day Weekend & Church Cookout 3 New York Conference My Thoughts & Women s Fellowship 4 Stats & Memorials, September Schedule & Calendar 5 & 6 Ads Football Game & Dunkirk (Back page)

THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 2 Fellow Members, Summer is always a wonderful season in the Buffalo area. Many people and families take vacations or spend time at a lake or around a pool.

This doesn't mean Epiphany is not top of mind and prayers, but physical attendance can be limited. Thanks to all of those who do attend throughout the summer for keeping the church alive and well.

2 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 2 Fellow Members, Summer is always a wonderful season in the Buffalo area. Many people and families take vacations or spend time at a lake or around a pool. The kids are off school and have camps and trips to enjoy, including a national youth event. Unfortunately, many of these things make it difficult for some of us to go to church on a regular basis. This doesn't mean Epiphany is not top of mind and prayers, but physical attendance can be limited. Thanks to all of those who do attend throughout the summer for keeping the church alive and well. While I never like to see Summer come to an end, the Fall definitely brings people back to church. Our church comes back to full life, which is something my family and I love to see and experience. I can't wait for our team meetings to resume, Sunday school to begin and for our weekly attendance to double or even triple. The beginning of Fall at Epiphany is like coming home for many of us. We get to reunite with family and friends we may not see for a couple of months. It is the time of year it becomes even more clear that Epiphany UCC truly is a group of loving and caring "family" members. This is a reflection on how wonderful you all are. It always makes me extremely proud to be an active member of our church. I hope all feel the same. If for any reason you don't get similar feelings about Epiphany UCC, please let me know, as I want everyone to experience the same level of joy and pride that my family and I do. We are always telling people about how much we love and are blessed to be part of this church. God has given us an amazing gift; one which we need to cherish and share. Please share as much as you can I look forward to the Fall and seeing many of you at the upcoming church cookout, weekly services and other activities. God Bless! Scott H. Howell - Epiphany UCC, President BUILDING RENTAL Both the Community Outreach Building (COB) and our sanctuary are available for rent. If you have an event that is getting too large for you to have at your home...why not consider having it here. There is now a kitchenette in the COB, plus tables and chairs available and you don t have to worry about the weather. The price is reasonable too, just a $50 donation for members and a $75 donation for non-members. We also ask for a security deposit (that will be returned) to hold the date. Please see Emmy for more information and the forms. You can also call the office for the forms and to check availability. Outreach News As we all RALLY around Epiphany on Sunday, September 11th our Outreach Team will be starting a new season with our first fall meeting on Tuesday, September 20th at 7:00 pm. We will be planning traditional activities along with some brainstorming to develop some new Outreach activities. If you are interested in joining our Team you may contact Helen we d love to have some new faces at our meetings! Please Note: Kick-off for monthly Brunch with Friends will be Sunday, October 2nd after our service!!! Church Pictorial. If you haven t been around this summer, maybe you didn t realize that we are putting together a new church pictorial. We would love to have everyone included in our church pictorial. We have new members and many people would like to put names to faces. Our last pictorial is over 15 years old...how old were you then? There are still many that have not signed up. We have a few openings for Monday, September 12 around 4pm & later in the day. We just added another day, Thursday, September 29 from 3-9pm. This will be our last day to sign up for pictures. When was the last time you had a family portrait? Each family will receive a complimentary copy of the Pictorial Directory just for being photographed, along with a free 8 x 10 of your portrait in the directory. Sign-up by one of the following convenient ways: 1. Sign-up on-line at the church website at 2. Sign-up after church in August and early September 3. Call Pam in the church office CONGRATS... We are proud to share that Shawn Vacanti received a STEM scholarship (for being in the top 5% of his graduating class), a Regents scholarship, a scholarship from the Buffalo Bills booster club, Epiphany's David Wells scholarship and one from AVOX industries, (that also gave him a job for the 4 summers he is in college). His parents and Grandparents are very proud of him and wish him all the luck at The University of Buffalo-UB- while he studies Electrical Engineering.

3 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 3 SPIRITUAL GROWTH & SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS... Well I know many of us missed at least a few Sundays at church this summer, but no worries as long as we are back in the groove now! I know I missed all the kids and I am sure all the other teachers missed them as well! As a reminder David Hess will be teaching the older youth-from 7th grade up. Shauna will have 3-6th and Jennifer will have 3 years to 2nd grade, (unless we can get a teacher to take 4-6th grade). We are still looking for teachers-or anyone who would like to help out a Sunday or two. Please see Jennifer so she can get help you feel more comfortable, our kids are our future! Please help shape them!!! Rally Sunday is September 11th which is also Grandparents Day! Come to church and plan on staying for a picnic lunch. See attached for a sign up! As a group we have talked to the children about how they need to remember their envelopes each week. As parents we need to encourage our children to put some money aside each week from their allowance or maybe money they found, birthday money etc. and put it in their Sunday school envelope. If they do not currently have envelopes please see Emmy Hess in the nursery, she will get them some! We have ordered new envelopes that do not have dates and can be used at any time. Spiritual Growth- Our next meeting will be September 18th after church. We need to follow up an many items that were started in the Spring. Thank you I like to thank everyone who gave me donations for the Ride For Roswell so I could reach my goal. Thanks again, Carl McKinnon Dear Friends, On behalf of Marv & myself, we would like to thank you for your prayers & cards. Marv is at : Elderwood at Cheektowaga 225 Bennett Rd Rm 246 Cheektowaga, NY Please keep him in your prayers, it is going to be a long road for him. Thanks, Jeannette Noel Thank you to everyone who have sent cards and said prayers during my recent hospitalization and recovery. They have been greatly appreciated. Chet Jarmusz Labor Day Weekend Parking Volunteers Facilities Team is looking for help for the Labor Day weekend, September 3rd, 4th and 5th. On Saturday and Sunday we will be manning our lot from 12 noon till 10 pm our busy times are Saturday 3 to 7 for the Demo-Derby and Sunday from 3 to 10 for Demo- Derby and Fireworks. Monday 11 to 5 pm, our busy time is 11 till 2 for the parade. We are looking for 2 to 3 hour shifts, so if you can help, please let the Church office or David know. If you need different hours than what is shown on the sign up sheets, please write in your available hours. Especially need 7:30-10pm no one signed up at this time. Donations of water are greatly appreciated for handing out during the Labor Day Weekend Parking. Church Cookout September 11th 10:00 am Service Followed by cookout Hot Dogs & Hamburgers & Drinks provided Please bring a lawn chair & a dish to pass Cost is $2.00 per person or $5.00 per family There will be activities and games so we need a count... Family name Count Kids names & ages for games Reservations due by Tuesday, September 6 noon

My family finds that odd knowing that when I was almost five years old, my home was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.

4 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 4 Happenings Around Our Conference (as stated in the weekly online editions) Or to read the actual weekly newsletter My Thoughts reprinted from August 3, 2016 I love thunderstorms. My family finds that odd knowing that when I was almost five years old, my home was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. For decades it was known as the worst fire in the history of Monroe, Connecticut. No one was hurt, but my parents literally lost everything. Still, I really do like storms. I like it when the windows shake. I love the sound of cascading rain. I also like the clearness of the air after a really good storm. It seems to me that for quite some time there have been less thunderstorms than when I was younger. I looked online to see if this was the case. Is there a correlation with climate change? What I've found online is inconclusive. It seems to be the case that in El Nino years, there is less lightning, but with each increase of the average global temperature, there appears to be more lightning. I can attest to many storms growing up in New England, but global maps show the NE as a lower frequency area. But when the humidity and mugginess linger day after day, week after week, I long for a good storm to clear the air. Clear air is good. You can breathe deeper and see farther. David Rev. David R. Gaewski, Conference Minister DavidGaewski@uccny.org Youth Group (reprinted from NY Conference Aug 3/10) NATIONAL YOUTH EVENT "Thank You to all who supported, prayed for, and attended the National Youth Event of the UCC at Disney in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The theme of the event was "Believe" and the 200 youth, young adults and chaperones from NY Conference were encouraged to "Believe" in Faith, Kindness and Justice in new ways each day of the event. Our days began with large Group gatherings and ended with worship~ being led by inspirational speakers and preachers. Make sure to Follow the New York Conference facebook feed for pictures and updates or follow the hashtag #NYBelieve2016 My Thoughts reprinted from August 10, 2016 #NYBelieve2016 A little over a week ago, I was part of the 4000 United Church of Christ Youth, Young Adults and Chaperones in Lake Buena Vista Florida at the National Youth Event, whose theme was "Believe." During one of the large group worship times- someone shared a quote attributed to Walt Disney "When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable." Whenever the United Church of Christ gathers nationally in one place, I am always in awe of our diverse expressions. We are a beautiful mixture of regional quirkiness, different understandings of our theology, a variety of languages spoken, a broad palate of skin tone, orientation and gender expression and ways of being United in Christ. Yet, the cross triumphant, the comma and the words "That They May All Be One" connect all of us to something larger than our local congregation or conference. This is one of my favorite and unique features of being the United Church of Christ. The unique, extravagant diversity is one of the many reasons why I have attended National Youth Event since It is this experience, or as Walt Disney says the "Thing", that solidifies my love for the United Church of Christ - "all the way, implicitly and unquestionable"...so that no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, we are welcome to #Believe God is Still Speaking, Ryan Reverend Ryan Henderson Associate Conference Minister Youth, Young Adults and Emerging Ministries rhenderson@uccny.org WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP NEWS The next meeting for Women's Fellowship will be Thursday, September 8 at Ruth Degener's. Nina will lead devotions and Ruth will serve as hostess. Please bring a can of soup to the meeting Hope you enjoyed the summer --- and please consider joining us at the September meeting.

5 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 5 September 2016 GREETERS: 9/04 9/11 Franklin Schweitzer Marilyn Knaus JoAnne S Rob Knaus USHERS: Andy Kreuzer Ed Stepien Chris Stepien Carol Leible ELDERS: Ed Miller Bev Miller Roger Hoeltke Carol Leible LAY READERS: Rob Knaus ALTAR: 9/18 Paula McKinnon Pam Johnson Paul Wollenberg Scott Howell Bob Metz Pat Schultz Greg Trietley Robert Knaus Shirley Wollenberg 9/25 Helen Matthews Carol Schnaufer Ed Miller Bev Miller Roger Hoeltke Dave Brockner PLEASE NOTE: Gluten Free options are available for congregants taking communion. If anyone has a gluten allergy, they should let the usher know and they will be served gluten free a communion. Helen Matthews Bev Miller Shirley Wollenberg Sharon Hamerski Carol Leible VITAL STATISTIC 05/16/ /15/2016 Please report any changes you may have in your address/phone number. This will save the Church money. Thank You Baptisms: 06/19 Sophie Cushing 08/14 Sophia Grace Kibler Funerals/Memorial Services: 07/02 MARILYN KREUZER New Members: 07/31 Al & Sally Stumpf, Chester Jarmusz, Weddings: 08/06 Andrew & Sarah Brockner MEMORIALS 05/16/16-06/15/16 DONATIONS TO BUILDING FUND: In Memory Of: MARILYN KREUZER From: Marv & Jeannette Noel, H. Jack Jaeger, Clayton & Lorraine Beisiegel, Teresa & Justus Felder, Oun Family, Henry & Dolores DeKarz, Richard & Karen Augustine, Bud & Joan Selbert, Ed & Bev Miller, Ruth Degener, Jeanne Archer, Ren & Nina Trietley, Carol Leible, Pam Uebler Marlene Schlifke Bev Miller IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN ANY OF THE COMMITTEES, PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING: Greeters: Ruth Degener /Carole Mathews Ushers/Elders: Ed Stepien Lay Readers & Altar: office ALERT: We are requesting anyone bringing in food with nuts, that they label the food. We have a child with allergies. The Birthday money collected is going into our Building Fund to help with our mortgage payments. Have your coins, dollars or even checks ready for the Celebration on September 4th September Birthdays DONATIONS TO DAVID WELLS SCHOLARSHIP: In Honor Of: birth of granddaughter, Eleanor Rose Dunning From: Richard & Karen Augustine HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MEMORIAL GIFTS HOW DO I MAKE ONE? If you would like to remember someone with a gift that is shared with your church, you may do so through a donation to any designated fund that you desire. Your donation can be made in memory of OR in honor of someone. Please call the office and the Pastor can discuss your options with you. If we have missed your birthday, please give our office a call Adults 05 Patricia Jarmusz 08 David Brockner 09 Gary Degener 10 Shirley Wollenberg 12 Norma Jeanne Petroff 17 Phil Buckholtz 21 Joan Harms 26 Shauna Karas 27 June Schnaufer Children 08 Cassidi Howell 16 Zoe Schnaufer 28 Andrew Augustine

THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 6 CHURCH SERVICES & Sunday School 10:00am** 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence Center, NY 14032 **coffee hour begins at 9:30am OFFICE HOURS 9:00am 12:00pm Monday Thursday

6 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 6 CHURCH SERVICES & Sunday School 10:00am** 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence Center, NY **coffee hour begins at 9:30am OFFICE HOURS 9:00am 12:00pm Monday Thursday September 2016 Women s Fellowship 1st Thursday 11:00am Meet at Ruth s home, 67 Lou Drive, Depew Callers 1st Thursday 10:30am Meet at Ruth s home Samaritan Society meet at St. Stephens/Bethlehem UCC on Wehrle Drive Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 4 Communion 12-10pm Labor Day Parking pm Labor Day Parking :30am Callers 11am Women s Fellowship 6:30pm Leadership pm Labor Day Parking Rally Sunday & Church Cookout pm Church Pictorial 13 6:30pm Finance pm Facilities pm Bel Canto Choir using Building 17 8:30-6pm Bel Canto Choir using Building 4pm 18 Conference Minister Rev. David Gaewski 11am Spiritual Growth pm Samaritan Society pm Outreach pm UB vs Army Football game pm Church Pictorial 30

7 PLEASE THE TIMES SUPPORT OF EPIPHANY THE BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT EPIPHANY! Page

Epiphany United Church of Christ 9365 Clarence Center Rd. Clarence Center, NY 14032 Return Service Requested THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 8 Upcoming Event.

Epiphany is planning on getting a group and attending the UB Bulls vs Army Game on Saturday, September 24th at noon. Cost of the ticket is $20.

8 Epiphany United Church of Christ 9365 Clarence Center Rd. Clarence Center, NY Return Service Requested THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 8 Upcoming Event. Do you like football?. the season has arrived! Epiphany is planning on getting a group and attending the UB Bulls vs Army Game on Saturday, September 24th at noon. Cost of the ticket is $20. Sign up in church or call the office. Dunkirk News Dunkirk check the website for all the great camps that are offered this fall! August 20th was the picnic- a few of our members went and had a good time! It was a picnic theme and people swam and there was a beautiful service at vesper point.

THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY UCC

THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY UCC 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence Center, NY 14032 (716) 741-1441 E-mail: secretary@epiphanyucc.us Website: www.epiphanyucc.us Minister: Parson Mark G. Dibelka Home Phone # (716)