September 2014 In This Issue: Labor Ministry Highlights and Updates Fair Trade Coffee
Labor In the church, when we think about labor, the conversation often focuses on vocation or calling. In a sense, all Christians have the same calling Jesus Great Commandment love God and others. Yet, we carry out this calling in jobs and careers that are very different. For some, their career and the calling of Jesus are the same; for others they are separate. More specifically, when I was a child, I thought the only way you could really serve God was to be a pastor or a missionary. Therefore, I decided that I wanted to be a minister. Today, we realize that some Christians carry out the calling to serve God and others in secular jobs. A photographer uses his pictures to highlight the plight of AIDS victims and their families. An educational television producer develops ads that turn around the underperforming school system in his town. A money manager funds poor people to start small businesses. An advertiser designs water bottles to promote a water purification project in a rural community. A stay-at-home mom volunteers for projects to improve her community playground and her public school. A government official introduces legislation to make alcohol and pornography less accessible to minors. It is certainly true that we can carry out our vocation to love God and others in secular jobs. Yet, the idea that persons can serve God in secular employment has led to a move away from calling people to fulltime ministry. Indeed, God calls some to ministry professions. Those might be in the church like the youth pastor in a local church, who also spends time in the schools talking to kids and sharing Jesus with them. Yet, the ministry might be outside the church, like the student who decides to leave medical school to train to teach in a Christian college, or the young lawyer who rejects a job in a high profile law firm to do public interest work for people who are too poor to afford an attorney. Some are called to fulltime service of God and others. So, both people who engage in secular employment and those who are in jobs that involve fulltime ministry can fulfill their Christian vocation to serve God and others. Yet, there is still another option. Some Christians work at a fulltime job, but their real vocation is in their spare time a machinist or postman who teaches an adult Learning Community at his church, a college professor who serves breakfast once a week at a home for disadvantaged people, or a real- estate salesman who leads a prison ministry on the side. Some persons find their vocation not in their day job but in time they might otherwise use for leisure. In summary, God calls all of us to the same vocation: love God and others. God especially calls some to devote themselves fulltime to that vocation. Others carry out the calling of God in secular careers. Still others have a secular job, where they witness to those they work with, but their real calling is found in their spare time outside the work day. We may have different jobs or careers, but we all have the same calling: to love God and others. Indeed, finding the call of God is what we are about at Grantham Church. Our vision statement is: To make disciples who love God and others. Each year on Labor Day, we can reflect on the last year: did we carry out the call of Jesus to love God and others? Indeed, that is the question that we should also ask ourselves throughout the coming year. ~ Pastor John Yeatts page 2 Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014
Facility Usage Policy Updates It s that time of year again when the seasons are changing, college students are saying good-bye to family and friends, and young families are sending their children back to school. To be sure, the Grantham Church office is busy with preparations for another year of ministry that is committed to making disciples that love God and love others. As a part of our preparations for the upcoming ministry year, we want to share some developments in our office procedures. For close to two years our Facility Team has been working with the church board and the Property and Facilities Commission to update the Property & Facility Usage Policies and Guidelines. Our goal has been to align our property and facility usage with the mission of the church in making disciples that love Jesus and others. The facility usage policy has been a work in progress up until this point. However, we believe that we have finally worked out all the bugs such that the church board has approved the Property & Facility Usage Policies and Guidelines. Key elements in this policy is attention to maintaining the condition of our facility, keeping the policy simple for community groups who utilize our facility, and creating a safe and welcoming environment for church attenders and community members. We appreciate your prayers and welcome your flexibility and patience as we seek to utilize our facility in a manner that glorifies the Lord while serving our mission of making disciples that love God and others. If you would like to view the policy in part or entirety, please contact the church office at 717-766-0531 or office@granthamchurch.org or visit the resources tab on our church website, www.granthamchurch.org. If you have any questions or concerns about the policy, please contact Pastor Ru Wideman, Executive Pastor at rwideman@granthamchurch.org. PASTORAL STAFF John Yeatts Senior Pastor, Ext. 7075 Ru Wideman Executive Pastor, Ext. 7076 Kimberly Ickler Pastor of Children & Youth Ministry Ext. 6707 Otto Monroy Director of Worship Arts Ext. 7078 MINISTERS All members of the Grantham Church PRAYER CHAIN CONTACT 766-0531, ext. 2970 (during office hours 8:00 am 3:00 pm Mon. Fri.) Wayne Cassel, 697-1824 (after office hours & weekends) OFFICE STAFF Becky Coover Office Manager, Ext. 6706 Melanie Schubert Office Assistant, Ext. 6705 Ray Dourte Facility Coordinator CONNECTIONS Sherri Long Layout & Design GRANTHAM CHURCH 421 Grantham Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 Phone: (717) 766-0531 Email: office@granthamchurch.org www.granthamchurch.org Grantham Church Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014 page 3
Youth Ministry Update After a fun and exciting summer, the youth are preparing to jump back into the fall routine! We closed out our summer activities with a fun family picnic at Pinchot Park on Saturday, August 30th! We are glad to be welcoming our new 6th graders into youth group this year, starting on Sunday, September 7 and Wednesday, September 10! We are excited to grow closer in our relationships with each other and with Christ this fall. This fall the youth will assist with Kids Klubs the first Wednesday of each month. This will be a wonderful mentoring opportunity for our youth to bond with younger children of the church. The youth will take kids from station to station and help them participate in games, crafts, and Bible stories. Another exciting change we have this year will be a new Sunday Night Youth Group curriculum. This fall we will begin Simply Youth Ministry s, LIVE Curriculum. I am excited for this curriculum and to see the conversations and growth spurred from these lessons. Here is a short explanation of the new curriculum: Middle and high school years are a formative season in a teenager s life. Friends, parents, teachers, coaches, and culture all influence your students decisions, including what to focus on and where to invest their time. Because the pressures on young people today are more intense than ever, a Jesus-centered perspective is essential. LIVE Curriculum will speak into students lives amid all the other voices and help them discover the value of placing Jesus at the center of everything. This curriculum is a cohesive, 4-year plan (based on a 36-week ministry calendar). All 144 lessons feature topics, illustrations, activities, and questions that will engage and involve your students more effectively than generic, lecture-oriented curriculum. This curriculum will tackle timely topics and biblical truths through engaging conversations. Students will discover how Scripture directly relates to what they re dealing with right now, and challenge them to think critically and figure out why they believe what they believe. Also, a friendly reminder: I will be out of the office from September 11 September 22 for my wedding/honeymoon. If you would need anything during this time regarding Youth Ministry, please contact Ken Sechrist at kensechristjr@yahoo.com. If you have any questions regarding Children s Ministry, please contact Sally Young. Important Dates: September 7th- Learning Communities Resume 9:00-10:00 a.m. September 7th Sunday Night Youth Group Resumes 6:00-7:30 p.m. September 10th- Wednesday Night Hang Out Resumes 6:30-8:00 p.m. Ameranouche in Concert Saturday, October 25, 7:30 p.m. Grantham Church 421 Grantham Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 Contact: Rebecca Coover (717) 766-0531, rcoover@granthamchurch.org Further info at: The Arts Hub- www.facebook.com/theartshub Ameranouche - www.ameranouche.com Ralph Hocker - www.sevenlivelyartists.com The Arts Hub is pleased to host the award winning and premier gypsy jazz trio in the United States AMERANOUCHE! A veteran of the New Port Jazz Festival this rip-roaring ensemble is a super force of hot acoustic jazz, mixed with soul, flamenco, and bebop influences. Played on traditional French jazz guitars, the music is rhythmic, vigorous, and elegant. Whether they re playing a musette waltz from 1930 or a funkinspired original tune, Ameranouche is the sound of gypsy jazz in the 21st century. Join us for this free event! Before the show, there will be an art gallery reception featuring the work of painter Ralph Hocker. Ralph paints beautiful landscapes of central PA and will be sharing several of his pieces with us starting at 6:45 p.m. page 4 Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014
Children s Ministry Update It s hard to believe our summer is coming to an end and fall semester is underway! All children moving up a grade, will transition to new rooms starting, September 7th! You will notice some fun and exciting changes in the children s wing this coming ministry year: The year two-year olds will stay in the nursery. A 3-5 year old class will still be offered. We are excited to start using our new BIC SHINE Curriculum in Learning Communities on September 7. Children s Choir Rehearsal will be on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month from 10:00-10:20 a.m. On Sundays when there is NO choir, children will need to be picked up in their classrooms at 10:00 a.m. If you have any questions regarding the children s choir or would be interested in helping lead, please contact Natalie Einsig or Hannah Sollenberger. This year Kids Klubs will be offered on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Kids Klubs will begin on Wednesday, October 1. In today s society, safety is of utmost importance in regards to caring for our children. In order to better secure our children s wing and ensure the safety of our children, we will be implementing a new security protocol starting September 7. This protocol will involve the following: 1) Each child will receive a numbered tag when they are checked in. 2) The child s parent(s)/guardian(s) checking them in will receive the other part of the numbered tag. 3) In order to pick up a child, parent(s)/ guardian(s) must have the numbered tag that corresponds to their child. We believe this protocol will be particularly helpful for our volunteers because many of us don t know everyone who attends on a Sunday morning. In addition, we believe this will increase comfort for visitors and new families while also taking every extra step to keep our kids, visitors, and volunteers protected. We covet your prayers for Pastor Kim, the Family Ministries Team, our many volunteers, and our children as we look ahead to these changes in the fall. Please continue to pray for the Lord s direction and guidance as we serve children and families here at Grantham Church and ones who have yet to come. If you have any questions or concerns, regarding any of the changes listed above, please contact Pastor Kim at kickler@granthamchurch.org or 717-766-0531. Volunteers Needed: We still need volunteers to teach Learning Communities, Kids Own Worship, and Kids Klubs. If you would be willing and able to help in any capacity, please contact Pastor Kim at kickler@granthamchurch.org. Also, a friendly reminder: Pastor Kim will be out of the office from September 11 September 22 for my wedding/honeymoon. If you have any questions regarding Children s Ministry, please contact Sally Young. If you would need anything during this time regarding Youth Ministry, please contact Ken Sechrist at kensechristjr@yahoo.com. IMPORTANT DATES: This Fall Learning Communities Resume 9:00-10:00 a.m. September 19th Sing N Play Resumes October 1st Kids Klubs resumes (1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month) October 3rd Children s Choir Resumes 10:00-10:20 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays of the month) Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014 page 5
Upcoming Sermon Series Faith that Works (The Epistle of James) September 14 - Quick to Listen (James 1:19-27) September 21 - Favoritism Forbidden (James 2:1-13) September 27 - Robert Ives October 5 - Useless Faith (James 2:14-26) October 12 - Valerie Rempel, Mennonite World Conference October 19 - Taming the Tongue (James 3:1-12) October 26 - True Wisdom (James 3:13-18) November 2 - Near to God (James 4:1-12) November 9 - Danisa Ndlovu, Missions Sunday Calling All Singers! This year the Grantham Choir is reinventing itself to accommodate all interested singers. We are seeking singers from high school age and up to join in song and take part in our services every 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We will rehearse every Sunday from 9:45-10:15 a.m. in the choir room and hold study sessions every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. in the choir room. This will allow singers of all levels to get the preparation they need and also make accommodation for singers with families or other commitments during the week. Additionally we are planning more challenging repertoire, special events, and a Christmas concert that this group will take part in. COME ONE COME ALL! Email Otto Monroy, Director of Worship Arts at omonroy@granthamchurch.org if you are interest in joining or want more information. Letters from Our Missionaries If you would like to read updates from our missionaries all over the world, please visit the Missions Bulletin Board in the lobby near the main entrance of the church. Sunday, September 28 4:00-7:00 p.m. The first Arts Hub event of the year is Harvest Happening. This outdoor community event will feature dinner for all, games for kids and adults, and live musical entertainment by two bands. Featured guests this year include Jazz Fusion a group of jazz musicians from Messiah College. Opening before them will be the Celtic band from Perfect 5th Musical Arts Studio. The evening will start with dinner and musical performance followed by games, dessert and camp fire songs. Join us on September 28 at 4:00 p.m. and bring a friend! Hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided. If your last name begins with A-G, bring a salad to share; H-R, bring a hot dish to share; and S-Z, bring a cold dish to share. Please remember to make extra for people from our community! Also, if you have extra lawn chairs please bring them to share with college students. page 6 Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014
How Can I Help? Grantham BIC Church believes it is important to give back to our community. Therefore, the Missions, Peace, and Service Commission provides a number of on-going ways that you can be involved with supporting our local community through material resources. 1. New Hope Ministries is a Christian social service agency that shows the love and hope of Christ by serving our neighbors in times of need and supporting their efforts towards stability. We provide a variety of assistance and services in the Dillsburg, Dover, Hanover, Mechanicsburg, and West Shore areas of Pennsylvania. New Hope Ministries is currently in need of the following items for their food bank: peanut butter, canned fruit, canned vegetables, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, mac & cheese, soup, canned tuna, and instant potatoes. 2. Harrisburg BIC Church Food Pantry: Harrisburg BIC Church has a food pantry which it opens to the community twice a month. Food is always appreciated and warm clothing is welcomed during the winter months. 3. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC): We are also now collecting items for health, newborn care and school kits for Mennonite Central Committee. These kits are distributed to people in need in many parts of the world. As you think about it while you re shopping for school and health supplies for your family or for a new baby in the community, consider adding a few items to contribute to someone in need. A list of requested items can be found on top of the donation bin. Donations for all projects can be dropped off anytime in the marked bins under the coat rack by the library. Thank You! Grantham Church Congregation Thanks for all the love and labor you poured out recently at Brethren Housing Association. You helped provide a brighter future to homeless families. We really appreciate it! The Staff of BHA Thank you for your donation to Brethren Housing Association as part of your volunteering here last month! The apartment your team worked on is nearly ready for a new family, thanks to everyone there who sweated and donated to it. Your support makes a difference. I just talked to one of our ladies, who rode her bike and pulled a bike trailer 10 miles in our Spring Thaw Bike Tour. She has been ecstatic. She not only got a job recently, but she just got a promotion to assistant manager this week. Now she s working with Marilyn, her case manager on a budget and plan to pass her GED test. That s what can happen when you support single mothers to BHA. The stability you provide allows them to weather storms and emerge stronger. ~ Christopher Fitz, Director of Development Thank you so much for supporting our ministry in London, and for the many years of prayer support you and your church have given us. Judy and I could not continue to do what we do without your support. Your church has supported my family and ourselves longer than almost any other church, so we cherish our ongoing relationship with you. Thanks also for the honorarium which we received from you for our recent visit to the church. That was generous. It s great to be on the same team together. ~ Jay Smith Thank you for allowing us to utilize your facility. It is a blessing to be able to teach our children a Christ-centered curriculum in a world where they are fed so many other things. I was thinking today about Corinthians where it says we are all parts of one body and how each part is placed where it is for a reason. When we work together, we really can accomplish anything; nothing is impossible for us. Thank you! ~ A thank you from the street Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014 page 7
Preparing Churches to Protect Children and Youth Workshop presented by Dove s Nest on Saturday, October 11 at Grantham Church. 8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Preparing Churches to Protect Children and Youth Workshop This workshop will include a good review of child abuse and neglect prevention practices, tips for policy implementation, and the basic components of a strong policy. It will also connect participants with local professionals who will be of help in these areas. This workshop will serve to train your church leaders and teachers in safe practices as well as provide a good overview of the church s role in child safety. Panelists: Jon Stanton, Executive Director, Dove s Nest, Facilitator Wendy B. Hoverter, LCSW, Administrator, Department of Children and Youth Services, Cumberland County Deb Helt, Pastor of Congregational Life at Hosanna! A Fellowship of Christians, Lititz, PA, and Safe Church Cluster Facilitator Sandy Evans, CASA, Cumberland County CASA Program Shannon Cossaboom, Senior Child Interview Specialist, PinnacleHealth System s Children s Resource Center in Harrisburg Gregory Wahl, County Detective, Lancaster County Office of the District Attorney David M. Zilka, MSW, Western Regional Team Supervisor, The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center, University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work 10:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Circle of Grace Training* This session will present the Circle of Grace curriculum and train teachers in its use. You may attend just to learn about Circle of Grace OR bring all your teachers so they can be trained to implement it. Circle of Grace is a faith-based safe environment curriculum suitable for Sunday school or Christian education/formation programs. It consists of 1 4 lessons per grade per year, so they easily fit in with your standard curriculum. Circle of Grace is a biblically based and clinically sound curriculum that educates and empowers children and youth to actively participate in a safe environment for themselves and others. * The first 10 churches to register will receive a free copy of Circle of Grace. (It s normally available for a suggested donation of $65 to cover our costs.) Each of these training sessions presents a unique opportunity to equip your church to create a safe environment for children. Please register at www.eventbrite.com/o/doves-nest-6683804401 or by contacting Kathy Haake, volunteer and events coordinator for Dove Nest, at Kathy@DovesNest.net or 402-476-0357. There is no cost to attend these events, though there will be a freewill offering collected to help support the work of Dove s Nest and cover their travel expenses. 10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Break page 8 Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014
Children & Youth Volunteer Training Saturday, October 11 On Saturday October 11th, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Grantham Church will host a regional workshop for Protecting Our Children provided by Dove s Nest. The mission of Dove s Nest is to empower and equip faith communities to keep children and youth safe. They live out that mission by offering training and resources to faith communities on a variety of topics related to child and youth protection. On Saturday, from 8:00-10:00 a.m. they will provide a workshop, Preparing Churches to Protect Children and Youth, which is a comprehensive introduction to building awareness in faith communities about the importance of keeping children and youth safe in their homes, churches, and communities while also addressing the role of the church in accomplishing this. All children and youth volunteers at Grantham Church are strongly encouraged to attend the morning session of this conference, however all interested persons are welcome to attend. In addition, there will be a short AED presentation to teach volunteers how to use the new AED machine that is located outside the church office. For more information about the conference and to register, please visit our church website, www. granthamchurch.org, or read page 8 of Connections. Don t Forget to Mark it Down: Capital Area Pregnancy Center Walk for Life Saturday, September 27, 2014; 9:00 a.m. Memorial Park, Mechanicsburg Put your feet to work, and enjoy a great morning of fellowship with other faithful CAPC supporters! Exciting prizes will be awarded to those who raise at least $150. It s never too early to start getting sponsorships, so get started today and plan on joining us on September 27th. You can find out more and register to walk at www.capc4u.org/events.html, or email Jeni at jeni@capchelp.org. The Capital Area Pregnancy Center s vision is to be instruments of God s love reaching out to those in the Greater Harrisburg area who are at risk of and affected by pregnancy and abortion, through counseling, teaching and witnessing. Does Church Membership Still Matter in the 21st Century? That s the question at the center of this year s Annual Brethren in Christ Study Conference, sponsored by the Sider Institute for Anabaptist, Pietist and Wesleyan Studies at Messiah College. Join us on October 9-10, 2014, at the Carlisle BIC Church for a thought-provoking series of presentations and discussions around the meaning of belonging in a post-christian society. Register online at www.messiah.edu/siderinstitute or contact siderinstitute@messiah.edu for more information. PrimeTimers MCC Work Day Thursday, October 9, 7:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Registration due by October 5. Contact Anita Hare at 790-0603 or anitahare@msn.com with questions. Grantham Women s Book Club The women s book club will meet on Monday, October 6 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Grantham Church in the parlor (Room A4). If you have questions or want to know what book is going to be discussed, please contact Shirley Groff, groff@messiah.edu or 717-697-8678. All women are welcome. Ladies, mark your calendars to join the Grantham Women s Club for these fall events: Monday, October 13, 2014 at Grantham Church, 7:00 p.m. Wheat Weaving, by Bekka Rousek Sunday, November 2, 2014 at Grantham Church, 2:00 p.m. Fashion Show, by Christopher & Banks Sunday, December 7, 2014 at the Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg, 2:00 p.m. Christmas Belles Men are also welcome to attend this event. More details later. Knitting/Crocheting Group Meets Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the church parlor (Room A4) Bring your own project to work on or bring your needles and help make prayer shawls for our prayer shawl ministry. Contact Carol Young at 717-502-6292 with questions. Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014 page 9
Meet the 2014-2015 Worship Arts Interns Luke Forshey is a senior Music Education Major at Messiah College. He focuses on trumpet and plays in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Jazz Fusion ensembles. He also plays piano and works as an accompanist for the music department. Recently, Luke is in the production of his own piano album based off of classic hymns entitled Revolution. After college, Luke is hoping to go into international teaching or mission work before becoming a band director. In Luke s free time, he enjoys running, playing tennis, and watching sports. Luke helped lead worship a number of times at Grantham Church last year and he is excited to be back at Grantham Church. Luke joins us this year to work specifically with our ensembles. He is committed to helping build the choral program here at Grantham and will play a central role as a recruiter and assistant conductor with our choir. With our orchestra that plays about once a month, Luke will plan services and help lead that ensemble as they enhance our worship. Service on the worship commission will round out his internship position of this year. Ellie Keller is a fifth year student at Messiah College as a Music & Worship Major. She is originally from Hershey, PA, where her family currently resides. Apart from her parents, she has three siblings; two brothers, both juniors in college, and one sister, a senior in high school. Ellie also has a Yorkshire Terrier puppy whose name is MacGregor (Mac), named after her family s Scottish clan. This summer Ellie traveled both internationally and nationally. First, she traveled with Messiah College s Concert Choir to Italy for nine days, performing in spaces such as St. Peter s Basilica in Vatican City. She threw her coins in the fountain and held the Leaning Tower of Pisa with her own two hands! Then she hopped on a train with her parents and spent a week in Switzerland, where her father s family originated. They visited the town of Basel, hiked Mount Pilatus and took a boat ride on Lake Lucern. Ellie s second summer adventure was a missions trip to a Native American Reservation in Warm Springs, Oregon. She spent a week and a half learning how to use a power saw, build an enclosure for an underground irrigation system, and play with the children of the Rez, teaching them about the love of Jesus Christ. Her summer has kept her busy, but Ellie is so excited for the time that lies ahead. You may remember seeing Ellie around last year helping coordinate Arts Hub events. She looks forward to meeting more people at Grantham Church this year and can t wait to serve and lead with all of you. Her prayer for this year is that we all continue to grow with one another and together further the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ellie returns this year to provide logistical support specifically to our Arts Hub initiatives. Ellie will be working to stage each event in the series by managing volunteers, taking care of facility arrangements, and driving publicity. page 10 Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014
Matt Wood is a senior at Messiah College, studying Church Music with a concentration in Guitar. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia. Matt is no stranger to ministry in the church. His mother works in children s ministry and his father is a youth and facilities minister. Matt was involved in many worship and jam bands throughout high school. During his college years, Matt has been a part of the Messiah College Big Band, Messiah College Jazz Fusion Band, Messiah College Guitar Ensemble, and United Voices of Praise, playing guitar for each. Matt spent two summers leading worship at Columbia at Crossroads, a small church plant of Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia. Though guitar is Matt s primary instrument, he can also sing and play piano, bass guitar, and violin. Matt enjoyed being a part of one of Grantham s weekly worship teams last year and is excited and thankful for the opportunity to grow and serve God and His people through this internship at Grantham Church. Some of Matt s other interests, besides music; include reading classic literature, watching movies, playing Frisbee and Ping-Pong. Matt joins us as a worship leader for the 1st Sunday worship team. Working closely with Otto he will be planning services, rehearsing the worship team, and facilitating worship. He will also contribute to Worship Commission discussions. Fellowship Hall Floor Gets New Life As we are now in our 16th year of operation in this facility, I think we can all agree that the Fellowship Hall floor has held up exceptionally well as a sports court. It has shown no wear and required no maintenance. As a food court, however, it has become a veritable magnet and repository for every dropped cookie, piece of cake and spilled bowl of soup since the first meal served there 16 years ago; all of those spills have remained trapped in the voluminous crevasses of the floor. The only effective way to clean this floor would be to remove it, tile by tile, (being attentive to all of the lines) and clean each tile individually, not a task any of us relished. But for years now, in PFC meetings, we ve been discussing the necessity of finding a way to get this floor cleaned. And so it was with great joy we heard Chris Young say, I will see that this floor is cleaned! Chris worked with a number of volunteers over two weekends in August. This is a great gift to everyone who uses our Fellowship Hall within the congregation and the community! So when you see Chris, be sure to thank him for a job well done. We are grateful to all of you who helped with this project, but we are especially indebted to Chris for taking the initiative to undertake and oversee this project, working faithfully with the volunteers to see this task to fruition. God bless you, Chris! Financial Update as of September 2, 2014 ~ Ray Dourte, PFC Chair Giving for the fiscal year 2013-2014 has been completed. You can see the details below. There is much work yet to be done before we will have the final details for this fiscal year, but when they are completed all the information will be shared in this report. Final expenditures for the fiscal year are expected to be below budgeted levels, and are anticipated to be comparable to the final contribution total shown below. Current Budget (September 1, 2013 thru August 31, 2014) $709,142 Contributions and other Receipts as of August 31, 2014 $697,585 Difference $11,557 Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014 page 11
We Now Serve Fair Trade Coffee! Grantham Church is committed to being and becoming stewards for all creation. That statement is Goal 7 from Imagining the Future, the list of goals for our congregation that came out of the all-church strategic planning conference in 2012. One of the action steps for achieving that goal was to serve fair-trade coffee and tea at hospitality tables on Sundays. Starting this fall, we are serving Equal Exchange fair trade coffee and tea. How does serving fair trade coffee and tea make a difference? According to Equal Exchange, the company supplying the coffee and tea, there are a number of ways that it matters what we serve. Fair trade coffee farmers: Protect and improve forest cover and habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife; Improve the soil and prevent erosion; Keep toxic pesticides out of the land and water; Are able to support their families and stay on their land; Build their own businesses and have control of their livelihoods as members of democratically run cooperatives; Improve their communities with investments in education, health programs, and social services The Discipleship Commission (which includes the Hospitality Commission responsible for all foodrelated programming) and the Missions, Peace and Service Commission (with overall responsibility for implementing Goal 7 of the Imagining the Future document) are working together to begin the process of switching to fair trade throughout the church. To start, we now serve fair trade coffee and tea on Sunday mornings at the hospitality tables, while during Eat and Run and other events, we will continue to use up the supply of coffee and tea we already had. Once the old supply of coffee is all gone, we will switch completely to fair trade coffee and tea. Equal Exchange s mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, to foster mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate, through our success, the contribution of worker cooperatives and Fair Trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world. This mission fits well with our commitment as Christians and as a congregation to taking care of the earth that God has given to us. You can find out more about fair trade products in general and Equal Exchange in particular at www.equalexchange.coop. page 12 Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014
ARTS-CENTERED EVENTS TO BUILD CULTURE AND FRIENDSHIPS Featuring DONNA KNOTT YORK COUNTY JR. HONORS CHOIR AMERANOUCHE ALETHEIA SCHMIDT Harvest Happening - Sep. 28, 4pm An outdoor family festival featuring Celtic and Jazz bands with dinner, games, and campfire.! Ameranouche - Oct. 25, 7:30pm The premier gypsy jazz trio in the US in concert with a rip roaring eclectic mix of styles!! A Beautiful Mess - Nov. 15, 1pm Loosen the grip of perfectionism and come paint with artist Aletheia Schmidt. Christmas Celebration - Dec. 14, 6:30pm A musical feast for the holiday with orchestra, choirs, handbells and cookies afterward.! Pinterest Favorites - Feb. 21, 1pm A workshop highlighting 2-3 stellar projects from Pinterest. Come create and make new friends!! York County Jr. Honors Choir - Mar. 29, 3pm Join conductor Donna Knott as she leads this fantastic 100 voice youth choir in song. 421 Grantham Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 (717) 766-0531 ~ www.granthamchurch.org omonroy@granthamchurch.org Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/theartshub
Ministry Highlight: College Student Ministry Thanks for Caring About Our College Kids Thank you to everyone who made the Messiah College students feel welcomed over the past few weeks. It has been a blessing to have these students with us on Sunday mornings. Being adjacent to Messiah College provides Grantham Church the unique opportunity to serve and minister to college students. The College Ministry Team, led by Denise Fogelsanger and Patty Ross, is charged with reaching out to college students, both those attending Messiah College and those raised at Grantham Church, who attend college out of the area. Our hope is to be a support and encouragement to these young adults who are finding their way through an exciting, yet stressful stage of life. Through activities such as Sunday lunches, afternoons of playing games, goodie bags, and survival packages, the College Ministry Team tries to meet a variety of needs. Some college students crave a home cooked meal, while others are just looking for a place to unwind and relax for a little bit. Others just enjoy a little pick-me up in the form of a care package full of treats, school supplies and other goodies. Beyond these activities, the team has handed out water bottles to the college students on move in day as they arrive to campus, provided used coats and winter necessities to international students, and hosted an international student orientation luncheon. In addition to reaching out to Messiah College students, the team also sends goodie bags to college students who grew up attending Grantham Church, but attend college away from home. Typically the team sends a Christmas treat in early December and a final exam goodie bag in late April. The gifts are greatly appreciated by these students as we ve heard from both students and their parents. Dawn Isley, mother of college student, Micah Isley, expressed her gratitude after Micah received a care package, Thanks so much for doing this for Micah, I know that he still thinks of Grantham as his home church. College student, Doug Addleman, expressed his sentiments as well in a note stating, I just wanted to let you know that I got the care package a few days ago. Thanks so much to you and all the other Granthamites who put it together! I really appreciate it--and the cookies are great! If you are interested in getting involved with this ministry, please contact Denise Fogelsanger at fogelsanger@messiah.edu or 717-432-0967. The team is also always looking for donations towards the gift bags. There is a box in the coat area across from the library to place your nonperishable items. A list of items that could be donated to include in college gift bags include: School supplies such as pens, highlighters post-it notes, note cards Snacks, candy & gum microwave popcorn, individually wrapped snacks and candy Toiletries toothbrushes, hand sanitizer, lotion Homemade baked goods page 14 Connections A Grantham Church Publication September 2014