Envoy Palmyra Church of the Brethren Volume 24, No. 9 October 2013 A Different Kind of Love Feast Join us on Sunday, October 6, for a different kind of Love Feast, which we are calling A Meal With Jesus! It will have the three basic parts of Love Feast: a shared meal, footwashing and communion, but with a less formal, intergenerational style. The time will also be different from our normal evening gathering. Instead, we will begin at 11:30 a.m., right after our second morning worship service. Come anticipating a different menu, a different way of doing foot/hand washing, and a different experience with Jesus. COME TO TABLE TALK! Join Pastor Lohr for breakfast on Thursday, October 24, at 7:30 a.m. at Funck's Restaurant. Each month Pastor Lohr will share some devotional thoughts, give a report on things happening in the church, and open the floor for conversation, questions and the sharing of ideas. Please RSVP to the church office or register on our website www.palmyracob.org. Look under announcements on the homepage and follow the prompts. Update From the Facility Options Task Team The Facility Options Task Team has been assembled by the Church Board to provide options for the Congregation to discern the direction we need to go with our church building. The members of the team in alphabetical order are Beth Barlet, Art Gingrich, Secretary, Dale Gingrich, Elaine Hoffer, Chair, John Holsinger, Dennis Shaak, and Ed Wallace. Ex-officio members are John Grace, Dennis Lohr, John Rhine, and Charles Runkle. Our mission is to provide the congregation with information on several options to consider. Do we renovate the current church building? There is a list of items that need attention. Do we build a new smaller structure on the existing premises or on the South Forge property? Do we build a smaller church at the Pinewoods? Facility operating, maintenance and repair expenses are averaging $10,350 per month over the last 6 years, and many areas of the church are not being used but still require maintenance. To date our committee has walked and discussed the current church building. We also walked the property off South Forge Road and reviewed the Pinewoods property. We also had a meeting with Arthur Funk & Sons, who are very reputable builder in the area, to pursue our options and provide costs for each option. The Church Board has approved our continued use of Arthur Funk & Sons as consultants for this task.
2 ANTHEM AVAILABLE ON CD The anthem "We Believe" that was commissioned by our congregation to honor the retirement of Wally Landes has been included on a new CD recorded by Nancy Price. The text has been slightly altered for the solo voice. The CD includes 11 additional compositions by Don Besig and Nancy Price. The cost is $16. If you are interested in purchasing this CD, contact DeeAnn Daniels, 838-6026 or dawdaniels@gmail.com. Worship in October October 6 World Communion Speaker: Dennis Lohr Title: Unity Speaks October 13 Speaker: Bethany Clark Title: Courage Speaks October 20 Speaker: Dennis Lohr Title: Silence Speaks October 27 Speaker: TBA Title: Wisdom Speaks SERVING IN OCTOBER Date Greeters Ushers Flowers Child Care 10/6 Betty Smith Steve & Michele Gottshall Brenda Heisey 10/13 Don Kensinger George Bell, Earl Smith Carl Grubb, Vicki Ford Donna Fawber Via 10/20 Betty Smith Carl Scriniere John & Carol Grace Dawn Nye 10/27 Elaine Hoffer Lois Brubaker Gloria Pavone Betty Smith Shirley Spahr
3 CUPBOARD NEEDS What we don t need right now: cereal canned corn canned green beans spaghetti noodles elbow macaroni As always we rely heavily on you for these: paper supplies personal care items Critical needs for now: spaghetti sauce canned tuna boxed mac and cheese Nice to have: canned red beets canned carrots canned spinach canned beans. We definitely need some perishable food drives to replenish our basic stock items. Money is also running short lately. NEEDED ITEMS FOR THE THANKSGIVING MEALS 10-14 lb.turkeys 10-14 lb. Turkeys 8-10 lb. Roasting Chickens Chicken Breasts Fresh Regular Potatoes Fresh Yams or Sweet Potatoes Canned Corn, Greenn Beans, Carrots, or Peas Canned Fruit, Pears, Peaches, Fruit Cocktail Cranberry Sauce Stuffing Mix Boxed Baking Mixes, Cake,w/icing, Brownie, Cookie, or Muffin Gravy DROP OFF TIMES: November 4 to 15 Mondays, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm Wednesdays. 9:00 am to 11:30 am AND 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Fridays, 11:30 am to 2:00 pm
4 Desserts are needed for the Pastabilities Dinner. 8 th Annual Pastabilities Dinner Benefiting the Caring Cupboard Saturday, October 12 th 4:00-7:00 p.m. Palm Lutheran Church 11 W Cherry Street, Palmyra, PA MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM CHERRY STREET ENTRANCE Please contact Judy Jurell at pacccaremanager@verizon.net if you can donate a dessert. Drop them off at Palm Lutheran Church on Friday, October 11 from 4 pm to 7 pm, and Saturday, October 12 from Noon to 4 pm. AND Help us celebrate National Pasta Day (October 17th) by bringing a non-perishable food donation and you will be entered to win a gift basket full of goodies. OH, THE PASTABILITIES! By Donation All-You-Can-Eat Pasta Dinner Lasagna Spaghetti Choice of Sauces Meatballs Side Salad Rolls/Garlic Knots Variety of Desserts TAKE OUT AVAILABLE! Please join us for great food, fun and fellowship while supporting a very important community needs organization! For further information or to make a donation, please call 717-838-9493. The Caring Cupboard Walk October 13 Not sure what to do with all the weight you gained at the Caring Cupboard's Pastabilities fundraiser? Why not burn it off at the Caring Cupboard Walk. The walk will begin and end at the Caring Cupboard. Registration will be at 1:30 p.m. and the walk will begin at 1:45 p.m. Despite what we hear about the recession being over, The Caring Cupboard continues to serve about 130 families, or 1,600 individuals a year throughout the western half of Lebanon county and continues to need our support to serve the community. To register to walk or sponsor someone who is walking, contact Michael Witmer, 673-6533 or witmer9@verizon.net.
5 Come to the Brethren Housing Association Celebrating Their 20/20 Vision Campaign October 29, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey The event will include a silent auction and remarks by former BHA client Marsha Banks state representative Patty Kim. The cost is $30 to attend. The 20/20 Vission Campaign's goals include to serve more families, restore the BHA's city block, and invest in youth and long term collaboration. You can assist in this cause by either taking the 20/20 challenge agreeing to donate $20 a month for 20 months to the BHA or donate items such as gift baskets, gift certificates, or sports memorabilia to the action. For more information or to donate contact Janice Ruhl at 888-425-8292 or auction@bha-pa.org. DONATIONS NEEDED FOR BHA AUCTION We are looking for folks who would be willing to donate items for either the live or silent auction. These can be hand-crafted or newly purchased. Perhaps you would like to join with a friend and assemble a theme basket. Are you an artist and have a painting someone would enjoy? Are you someone who enjoys working with wood? Do you relax with knitting, crocheting or some other kind of handwork? How about a gift card for a meal in your home? Get your creative juices flowing and support this most worthy cause. Contact DeeAnn Daniels at 838-6026 or dawdaniels@gmail.com CALL OF CHURCH OFFICERS Members of the congregation are asked to take part in the call process for 2014 Church officers at our worship services on Sunday, October 29. Our Leadership Calling Team is preparing a slate of nominees for various offices that will be printed in the bulletin two weeks prior to the meeting. Come prepared to affirm or not affirm the candidates. Thanks to all our churches for you generous participation in the children s summer lunch program, and for your contributions of school supplies. Without you, we could not make these programs work. God Bless. The Caring Cupboard Staff
6 Dinner at Wendy s Wendy s Wednesday s are back in action! Meet us at the Palmyra Wendy s on October 16 from 5:00 8:00 p.m. You are guaranteed to run into someone you recognize! Wendy s will donate 10% of all sales at their Palmyra store to the PCoB Youth Fund. You don t even have to mention our name just go and eat. Jr. High Sunday Join us at the 10:30am worship service on Sunday, November 3 rd as the Junior High youth work to provide a special worship experience. Youth Sundays are wonderful opportunities for youth to lead worship and for the congregation to encourage and empower them as they share their gifts and experiences. This year s theme Love Speaks comes from 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. STORYTIME IS COMING Cookies and Milk Included! (Children Preschool through Second Grade) Hey Kids Pumpkin Party! Games, pumpkin carving and snacks Sunday, October 13 th at the Pine Woods 2:30-4:00 p.m. RSVP to Missy Thompson @ 838-5544 by October 6 October 22, 7:00-8:00 p.m. In the Preschool Room Bring a friend and wear your favorite PJs! For more information, contact Missy Thompson @ 838-5544 No registration required!
7 Welcome, Rachel! As you know, the Search Team has been in place and working diligently for about a year and a half. Yes, they were searching for a part-time Director of Young Adult Ministries. Yes, good things take time. Yes, the search has ended with the recent congregational vote to hire Rachel Witkovsky for that position. Who is Rachel? She s a 2010 graduate of Elizabethtown College whose home is Huntingdon, PA, where she attended the Stone Church of the Brethren. She has spent two years in BVS (Brethren Volunteer Service) in Elgin, Illinois, where she acted as the Workcamp Ministries Coordinator. She also coordinated the 2012 National Junior High Conference. Yes, she s got organizational skills. Lebanon Valley Brethren Home Auxiliary Fall Harvest and Christmas Bazaar Rachel has attended various Church of the Brethren young adult conferences, where she has often provided small group or workshop leadership. While living in Elgin, she attended the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren where she was actively involved in a young adult Sunday school class. Yes, young adult activities have been a focus for her. OCTOBER 26, 2013 8:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Ham & Egg Breakfast 7:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Needed items: White Elephant items Home Canned items Produce & plants Baked goods: cookies, pies, cakes, cupcakes, and breads Rachel s responsibilities here at PCoB will include providing leadership and oversight of our Young Adult ministry, engaging in creating and resourcing vibrant, relevant programs, recruiting and mentoring young adult leaders and ministering to the young adults of our church family and beyond. Yes, that s quite the job description, but we know Rachel brings quite an array of skills to this position. Yes, we know you ll offer Rachel a warm welcome as she joins the PCoB staff, and our church family.. Pastoral Relations Team
8 Library News The book entitled Tears Within My Heart, written by Kay M. Bowman, has been donated to the Palmyra Church of the Brethren library by Ann Groff and Don Rummel. Harold (now deceased) and Kay were part of the Pastoral team of our church many years ago. The chapter titles indicate the many moods and emotions of life. You will likely find your own experiences and feelings put into words by the author. Chapter 1 Prayers when I face trials. Chapter 2 Prayers when I am struggling. Chapter 3 Prayers in the loss of a loved one. Chapter 4 Prayers for deliverance. Chapter 5 - Prayers for Restoration. Chapter 6 Prayers when I need God s guidance. Chapter 7 Prayers When I seek God s Leading Chapter 8 Prayers for peace and comfort Ponder these prayers in your moments with God. Where are we? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? On Sunday, October 13, 2:00 p.m., in The Gathering Place, the Worship Team will host another Town Hall meeting to discuss future worship at Palmyra Church of the Brethren. Thank you to everyone who participated in the conversation on worship at the September 14th Town Hall Meeting. On June 18, the Church Board unanimously affirmed the following recommendations from Worship Team: What kind of worshipping community shall we become? Worship Team recommended the Board direct staff and worship planners to design worship experiences, both 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., that are multigenerational, contain variety and experimentation, and to allow conversation regarding worship to happen. Worship Team further recommended that the congregation hold two Town Hall meetings in September and October to discuss whether Palmyra Church of the Brethren will be a congregation that has a single worship experience or multiple worship experiences. Worship Team further recommended a congregational vote on this matter in a called Congregational Council meeting in November, being careful to stay away from the Congregational Council meeting at which the budget is discussed and voted upon. Join the on-going conversation about worship by attending the October Town Hall meeting. A vote regarding future worship at Palmyra Church of the Brethren on Sunday, November 3, after the Celebration service led by our Junior High youth. Worship Team: Lorrie Fackler-Long, Deb Lorher, Kathy Veal, Heidi Neiswender, and Carol Hoke
9 Health Ministries News: Autism DO YOU KNOW THIS CHILD? With back-to-school so recently on the tongues of many of us in this community, it s a good time to discuss the different children with whom we may be acquainted. There are many children blessing the halls of our schools who have autism. Autism is a group of developmental disorders that affect a child s ability to socialize and communicate with others. In this set of disorders, there is a gene variant that affects the healthy development of the brain itself. Asperger s Syndrome (AS) is one of the mildest forms of these types of disorders. Neither a mental illness nor a sign of poor parenting, Asperger s causes problems in the life of a child, by making it difficult for him/her to comprehend and respond to the feelings and behaviors of others. Normal, yet different, children with AS are often quite gifted. They have an ability to focus in ways that many of us are incapable of they feel feelings more strongly, experience textures, taste and temperature in ways most of us cannot comprehend. As a result, many go on to become great artists, scientists or musicians. Their intense focus on one or two narrowly defined subjects may lead them toward becoming experts in a variety of fields. Along with difficulty relating to others, additional common signs of Asperger s may include an inability to maintain eye contact, a tendency to carry on long one-sided conversations, speaking in a monotone, or displaying stiff or awkward movements, but the disorder is different for each child. Though there is no cure for autistic spectrum disorders, it is possible to help these children navigate relationships more successfully. This requires flexibility on the part of caring adults in dealing with behavior, learning to really listen to what the child needs/ wants, an ability to recognize situations that may precipitate an emotional melt-down, diverting of negative behavior patterns, and serving as an interpreter in social situations. It s important to praise the child for his strengths and become involved in his/her interests, acknowledge his expressions of frustration, and respect her fears. Adults who are in the care of such children must control their own frustrations and anger, avoid teasing, shaming, threatening, or comparing them to siblings. Because there are few visible signs of the disorder, it is up to the adult to alert teachers, coaches, and other adults to the child s special needs, and to advocate for special learning assistance when necessary. Early diagnosis and treatment are key to the child s success in becoming a well-adjusted adult. Early subtle signs among toddlers include: language delays; not turning when called by name; not turning to look when the parent points at an object; lack of babbling; failure to smile and failure to make eye contact. Those toddlers with such signs should trigger referrals to an audiologist to rule out hearing problems and to autism diagnostic specialists. Treating Asperger s syndrome and other autistic spectrum disorders requires a team approach to ensure that each child has the best possible opportunity to develop into a happy and successful adult. And remember, they are truly one of God s blessings to us!
10 Thank You, God, for Evelyn Dietz On Sunday, August 25, Liana, Maya and Tom Smith expressed appreciation on behalf of the congregation to Evelyn Dietz for her many years of service as a PCOB Sunday school teacher. Evelyn shared with us that she had taught Sunday school for 50 years, but that is not exactly true. In fact, she was actively sharing the story of Jesus and her love for the gospels for a bit longer than that. Evelyn s journey in the role of teacher began when she was a youth of 16 helping out during summer Bible School. When the assigned teacher contracted laryngitis, she and Evelyn exchanged roles, with the assigned teacher acting as mentor for Evelyn. Since 1961, Evelyn has served as 5th grade teacher, a member of the Christian Education Commission, Director of Children s Work, member of the Curriculum Committee, secretary and vice chair of Ministry Commission, member of District Children s Workers Cabinet, and a Camp Swatara volunteer. For Evelyn, sharing her gifts with children has been an enriching experience. To hear a child reach beyond the printed material and interpret it in understandable, meaningful ways is a gold star reward, she said. Chances are that many of you reading this article have been students of Evelyn s. Whether she was your teacher, your child s teacher, or someone that you ve worked with in one of the numerous committees and commissions in which she s served over the years, please take a moment over the next month or so and let Evelyn know how much you appreciate her and the sharing of her gifts and talents with us. Be encouraged by her, and encourage others to follow in her footsteps. Evelyn has been an important part of the Sunday school program for many years. Her contributions will forever be cherished, and the hearts and minds she s touched will forever be changed. Thank you, Evelyn, for all you ve given us. The Annual Drive will be on November 9 & 16 On November 9 bags will be distributed to homes in Lancaster-Lebanon counties and on November 16 the bags with food will be collected. All food that is collected will be given to the Caring Cupboard. Mark your calendars! Congregational Council meeting (Budget)... Sunday, November 17 Harvest Home... Sunday, November 24 Thanksgiving... Thursday, November 28 1 st Sunday in Advent... Sunday, December 1 Christmas Breakfast... Saturday, December 7 Kid s Christmas Party... Saturday, December 14 Peace Walk... Saturday, December 14 Christmas Eve service... Tuesday, December 24 (7:00 p.m. Fellowship & 7:30 p.m. - Service in Sanctuary )
11 Clocks "Fall Back" On November 3 This is a reminder that on Saturday night, November 2, you should turn your clocks back one hour and enjoy the extra hour of sleep! See you at church, rested and refreshed! CAMP SWATARA ANNUAL CONTRIBUTOR S DINNER Come celebrate the ministry of Camp Swatara November 1, 6:00 p.m. Call: 717-933-8510, Fax: 717-933-7064 CONGREGATIONAL TIDBITS FOR OCTOBER HEALTH CONCERNS: Alice Ruth Gingrich, Scott Garrison, Alma Heisey, Bob Rhine, Edith Blouch, Anna G. Wagner OUR SYMPATHY TO: The family of Marlin Buck who passed away on September 4. The family of Gladys Nagy who passed away on September 11 The family of Norman Yeater, Chaplin of Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, who passed away on September 12. CONGRATULATIONS TO: Katie Schrekengast who participated in the Miss America s Outstanding Teen Pageant and earned the Non- Finalist Interview Award, Non-Finalist Evening Wear and On-Stage Question Award, and the Community Service Award for raising the most money for the Children s Miracle Network. She was also awarded the Bronze Medal for the Duke of Edinburgh Award and was one of the finalists for the Teens In Action Award, which is based on her work with the Caring Cupboard and the National Hunger Prevention organization, No Kid Hungry. DIRECTORY UPDATE: Robert & Betty Smith: rbbjsmith@aol.com Marlin Houff: mdhblue.mt@gmail.com, 926-2454 Jeanine Houff: jeaninehouff@gmail.com, 926-2170 Upcoming Senior Adult Events! October 23: Fall Foliage Tour & Dutch treat lunch at Red Lion Restaurant in Pine Grove. We will leave the church at 10:30 a.m. and return around 2:30 p.m. A sign-up sheet is at the mail slot. December 11: Christmas Lunch (Dutch treat) at the Hometown Restaurant at 12:00 noon.
12
13
14