PASTOR S COLUMN Snow-Yes Snow! I am writing this piece for the newsletter as the first snowflakes are falling in November, before Thanksgiving. It s a good day to be home doing some paperwork, but it s also a crazy day, announcing the arrival of winter a few weeks earlier than expected. Of course, if you head out to the stores you know that everything is decked out for Christmas already. The shelves are stocked with bargain gifts and on Facebook the annual battle about whether to say Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas is being waged. Thank God that the church asks us to slow down a bit by celebrating Advent before the arrival of Christmas. Instead of belting out carols, we will be singing the more subdued, but no less beautiful, Advent hymns when we gather for worship. And instead of decorating everything in red, green and gold, our sanctuary is decked out in the color blue, the color of hope for a future joy. We even take our sweet old time to put up the trees. It is not a bad thing to slow down a bit, to cherish the season of waiting and anticipation for its own sake; to not keep up with the pace of the rest of the world. Today s early snow storm is making many of us do so already. Sitting at home with a fresh cup of coffee and watching the snowflakes dance outside helps me remember God s goodness at this very moment in my life. And that is enough. ~Pastor Anne ST. PAUL S NEWS DECEMBER 2018 1
And Speaking of Snow......or ice, or any other type of bad weather that might cause us to close... Please check our website, facebook page, call any Council member, or refer to the following TV channels: ABC WHTM-TV 27 CBS WHP-TV 21 NBC WGAL 8 CHRISTMAS WORSHIP SCHEDULE Christmas Eve German Service, 4:00pm Christmas Eve Festival Service, 6:30pm Christmas Day No service December 30 Lessons & Carols Service Cookie elves are needed for the St. Nicholas Festival. Please bring your cookies to church in time for the Festival. Thanks! 2
AREA ADVENT EVENTS Wednesday, December 12, 6:45pm: A Service of Hope & Healing, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lemoyne Wendesday, December 19, 6:45pm: A Musical Journey from Advent to Christmas, Zion Lutheran Church, Enola Thanks to the hard-working folks (and CV Key Club students) who collectively made this year s Bazaar & Food Fest a success. This event is the only fundraiser that supports our local efforts with, among others, Paxton Ministries; Bethesda Mission; Ronald McDonald House; Meals on Wheels; Domestic Disaster Fund; New Hope Ministries; and allows us to assist area families with needs such as fuel oil and medical bills. This two-day event is labor-intensive, and kudos needs to go out to Donna Shawler and Deb Stoner, without whom this event (and the resulting outreach) would not happen! Yes, we will be producing an Annual Report this year; however, it will look a bit different than years past. We hope to streamline the report and revamp the ways in which certain information is distributed. Pertinent changes include the Church Directory and Christian Duty Schedule becoming stand-alone documents rather than being incorporated into the Annual Report. The Church Constitution and By- Laws will be on file in the church office if anyone should need them. If you know that your contact information (address, phone, email) has changed since the last publication, please provide updated information to the church office as soon as possible: StPaulsEnola@yahoo.com or 717-697-9675. Also, if you previously served in some capacity (i.e. lay reader, usher, etc.) and no longer wish to do so, please let the office know. Conversely, if you would like to start serving, please do the same. 3
WELCOME ABOARD......Gary Dolbin and Cheryl Gilbert to St. Paul s Council! And welcome back to David Wood, who re-upped for another term. We thank you in advance for your time and efforts as part of the wonderful leadership team of our church! After Pastor Anne closes with prayer, there will be a brief meeting in the parking lot to determine what, if anything, was actually decided in this Council meeting. It s FREE to BE St. Paul s Can you spare it to be it? One hour a month? One hour a week? One afternoon a year? During this time of gift-giving, we ask you to consider free giving. We all know that cold-hard cash is necessary to support the church; however, there is one free donation that is paramount to the life and mission of St. Paul s your priceless time. As you debate what to buy your loved ones for Christmas or what to do for your New Year s resolution, challenge yourself to increase your free giving to St. Paul s. You might find that by giving a bit of your time, you get so much in return. It s free to be St. Paul s. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Mahatma Gandhi As we prepare for 2019, we would love to hear from you regarding items and information you would like to see in the Newsletter. We welcome your ideas for articles or submit your own! 4
NEW HOPE MINISTRIES HOLIDAY BASKETS Please help fill holiday baskets for local families. Items needed are canned vegetables, gravy, potatoes, canned fruit, pie filling, pie crust, cereal, macaroni and cheese. You can put them in the basket in the Narthex or upper Sunday School room. Next collection date is Sunday, December 9 th. DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES 4 Sam & Anita Cox 18 Edward & Nola Benbow JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES 21 Gerald & Joann Meek December 1 Kim Getz January 10 Miste Diehl 1 Catherine Yeager 13 Kylie Hunter 7 Jay Umbrell 13 Sandra Moncayo 10 Colin Casella 15 Julie Foore 12 Cheryl Gilbert 17 Shelby Herman 14 Ken Thorn 18 McKenna Stitzel 17 Jean Clawser 20 Harold Kramer 17 Nevin Sweger 22 Karina Keller 19 Gary Stitzel 23 Kenneth Sgrignoli 23 Criste Allen 24 Joan Kugler 26 Kris Getz 25 Bronwyn Glasbrenner January 4 Seana Miller 25 Alanis Keller 4 Ronald Shawler 26 David Wood 5 Vincent Beaston 29 Ruth Price 9 Edward Benbow 30 Cheryll Hultberg 31 Michael Stoner 5