Mountville Church of the Brethren The New Vision Vol. 37, No. 1 Inside This Issue Regular Features 3 - Bits n Pieces 4 - Inside Outreach 6 - November 2018 Offerings 6 - Birthdays & Anniversaries 6 - Members and Friends 7 - January 2019 Calendar 8 - January Servers 8 - Just for Kids 8 - January Calendar Around the Church 2 - Welcome, Mary Rudy! 2 - Adult Sunday School 2 - Winter Weather Cancellations 2 - Getting to Know You! 5 - A Few Reminders for 2019! www.mountvillecob.org THE SWEET LIFE!! Our youth and their mentors, parents, and grandparents are already thinking about the delectable, sweet desserts they will make for our Annual Youth Group Dessert Auction on Sunday, January 27. The silent dessert auction will take place during a covered-dish luncheon after worship. Our Deacons will manage the details of the meal and request that each family unit bring one hot or cold dish to share. Hot dishes should be fully cooked and warmed. Our kitchen crew will keep things warm, but are not be able to actually cook or bake your food. During our meal, an assortment of yummy desserts and home-made goodies will be on display. You can bid on your favorite food item or items as often as you like during the bidding period. Proceeds from the Dessert Auction will be used to send our junior and senior high youth to summer work camps. Do something sweet for yourself and something sweet for our youth group by attending our Dessert Auction. All are invited to participate in our adult and Children s Sunday School Classes at 9:00 a.m. and Coffee Hour at 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship Service begins at 10:15 a.m. Nursery is available for younger children. Our Staff: Becky Fuchs Pastor John Hess Director of Music Gloria Hess Organist Amy Sensenig Puppet Ministry Jackie Sands Secretary Mary Rudy Custodian Mountville Church of the Brethren is located at the corner of College, Hoover, & Clay Streets in Mountville, PA. If you have further questions regarding the Mountville Church, please feel free to call the church office at 717-285-5122 or 717-285-7424 or email Office@Mountvillecob.org January 2019 Dessert Auction 2018 What goodies might be at this year s auction?
Welcome, Mary Rudy! You may notice a new face at MCOB on weekdays. Mary Rudy, our new custodian, begins January 2. Mary lives with her husband and two dogs in the Lampeter area. She is the mother of five children. Mary and her husband enjoy trips to the mountains to relax. Mary is no stranger to custodial work. She recently completed nine years of service at Penn State Medical Group - Oyster Point. Mary is also in her sixteenth year as a bus driver for Penn Manor School District. Please make Mary feel welcome as she joins the MCOB staff! The Power of Simple Prayer for Adult Sunday School The month of January we will study Max Lucado s video series entitled Before Amen: The Power of Simple Prayer. In keeping with our Brethren understanding of the priesthood of all believers, Lucado emphasizes that prayer is not a privilege for the pious or the chosen few. He provides some simple tools to help us communicate with God. We shall all learn to have a stronger, deeper, more meaningful prayer life. All are invited to join us downstairs at 9:00 a.m. every Sunday. Getting to Know You! Inquirer s Classes for persons who would like explore their faith and get to know the Mountville Church of the Brethren a bit better will begin in late January. This class will be helpful to anyone who is considering membership in our congregation or who has recently started attending worship and would like to know more about this church. There will be four class sessions held at time that is convenient for all members of the group. Participation in the class is not a commitment to church membership, but rather a chance to get to know some other people who attend worship here and to grow in faith. If you are interested in learning more about this Inquirer s Class please speak with Becky Fuchs. Cancellation Policy in Winter Weather As we saw in mid-november, snow and ice are in the neighborhood. In the event that bad weather necessitates a cancellation of activities or worship services, these are the ways you will be notified: Mountville Church of the Brethren website; Facebook notice; or a phone call if you have requested phone notification. If you would like a personal call, and have not already done so, please indicate your desire by calling the church office A.S.A.P. Cancellation notices will be posted no later than 8:00 a.m. If you are unable to access any of these methods, please call Becky Fuchs, Jerry Bushong, Forrest Collier or Nancy Hess. Decisions to cancel are made jointly by the Chair of Stewards, Jerry Bushong; the Leadership Team Chair, Nancy Hess; and the Pastor. The decision is made after carefully considering the weather forecast and the condition of the roads in Mountville and our parking lot. It is our hope that all persons will give priority to their health and safety -2-
Bits n Pieces Thanks for all the birthday cards and wishes with which you blessed me. You made the day a truly memorable event. Thanks, Forrest Collier From Jessica Johnson Vinton, Director of Development at Brethren Housing Association: This was in response to our benevolent giving in the amount of $1,000. Thank you for your generous contributions to BHA. Your gift helps to provide safe housing and supportive services for the individuals and families in our programs. At our recent Annual Celebration, we heard from graduates of BHA about the impact that being in the Transitions program had on their lives. One mom said that for her, BHA was a life saver. She went on to say, If it wasn t for all of the love, help and support of BHA, I honestly do not know where we would be right now. I thank God for placing this life saving gift in my reach during my time of trouble. We are so honored to walk alongside our participants in their journey from homelessness to hope. We provide the resources and support, but our moms are the ones who do the hard work to learn the skills needed to successfully maintain permanent housing. We are so grateful to you for making an investment in the lives of the extraordinary families of BHA. Christmas Caroling 2018 On December 9 about 25 people from age 3-80 sang Christmas carols at the residences of members and friends of our congregation. We enjoyed the smiles, the tears of joy, the hugs, and making music together. Following our singing, the group gathered at the home of Dave and Becky Fuchs for some warm food and lots of warm fellowship. Pictured is our group singing for Ella Eckenrod and the residents at Oak Leaf Manor North. -3-
Inside Outreach Mountville COB Reached Out In Big Way At Christmas! Brethren Housing Association was a project for December. Again this year, many of you provided gifts for families to give to each other. We collected 12 large Christmas bags of gifts that were taken to BHA on Monday, Dec. 3 by Norman and Marian Bollinger. They provided a much more dignified, and happy Christmas to mothers and their children, who are becoming more independent through the help of BHA. Thank you for your generosity to this project! Mountville Elementary was the recipient of our December project to help families struggling with poverty this Christmas. Our partnership with the school for the second quarter of the school year was to purchase requested Christmas gifts for these children. After a mission moment on Nov. 25 many from the congregation picked up a mitten with a short list, and went shopping. Others generously donated money to purchase gifts and to provide much needed gift cards for food supplies. The result was that close to 60 individual gifts were purchased and returned so that they could go to families in time for Christmas. Our congregational response to this was just amazing! Thanks so much to everyone! Our Mitten Tree was another huge success this year. It was loaded with hats, gloves, scarves, and mittens for the Columbia Food Bank, Columbia and Mountville Elementary Schools. They will be distributed in January. Thanks for caring and sharing in this important effort! A Look Ahead to January Our church began supporting Hands Across the Street a few years ago. This month please watch for more information about this familiar project. -4-
A Few Reminders for 2019! Deadlines New Vision articles are due in the church office the 2nd Sunday of the month. Articles received after the deadline will be put in the following month's newsletter. Bulletin announcements are due in the church office Wednesdays by 2:00 p.m. Announcements received after 2:00 p.m. will be included in the following week's bulletin. It would very much be appreciated if bulletin and newsletter announcements would be emailed or written. Church Key Fobs In 2012 key fobs were distributed to church members/friends who desired to enter the church building other than during office hours. If you have never had a key fob and would like one, stop by, or give the church office a call and Jackie will see that you receive an activated fob. If you had a fob and no longer need it, please drop it off in the church office or mailbox # 174. The cost for a replacement fob is $5. Please contact the church office with any questions. Thank you. Room Reservations If you would like to reserve the sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen or a class room for an event or a meeting, please call the church office to see if your date and room are available. Jackie will then give you a Building Use Form to fill out and return to the church office. Thank you for helping to keep the church calendar accurate. Church Table and Chair Loan Policy Church members are allowed to borrow a maximum of 4 tables and chairs as needed. They are to be returned a.s.a.p. or within 4 days after pick-up. We ask that the tables be cleaned before returning and notify Jackie if there is any damage. Please call the church office to check on availability and to reserve the tables / chairs you need. Flowers for the Worship Center If you would like to place flowers in the worship center in memory or in honor of someone, please see the flower chart located in the hallway by the kitchen. There you may sign up for your special date and write what you would like put in the bulletin. Orders are placed monthly with Royer s Flowers about 1 week prior to the upcoming month. You will receive a bill directly from Royer s Flowers for your 2 vases which cost $35. You may call Royer s directly to place a special request. You may also choose a different florist. Please contact the church office if you plan to use a different florist so you won t be billed twice. Thank you. Placing Items in the Refrigerator / Freezer When placing items in the refrigerator or freezer please attach a filled out label on each item remembering to include your name and date. Labels are located on both the freezer and refrigerator. This will help keep your items from being taken accidently and will help us know who to contact if there are any questions about the food. -5-
January Birthday Blessings to: 2 Tom Musser 6 Ruthie Bushong 7 Alan Over 9 Nicole Bushong 10 Joyce Kerns 13 Harry Light Fiona Schulz 14 Julie Ament 17 Joyce Williams 16 Geoff Hess 20 Glenn Bushong 21 Chaz Harmes Please contact the church office if your birthday or Anniversary was missed. Thank you. Mountville COB November 2018 Offerings For General Fund $ 17,122.00 Continuing Our Vision $ 12,543.00 Designated $ 1,397.00 The Health Ministry Team is providing this list of Members and Friends who are unable to attend church regularly. Flora Jean Beam 6655 Red House Rd. Phenix, VA 23959 434-208-0702 Birthday: Flora Jean 8/7 Gretchen Brock Elizabeth Manor 320 S. Market St. Elizabethtown, PA 17022 Birthday: 5/5 Ruth H. Bushong 4 Conestoga Dr., Rm. 234 Lititz, PA 17543 717-560-4929 Birthday: 10/10 Ethel Good Legends of Lancaster 31 Millersville Rd. Lancaster, PA 17603 717-208-8696 Birthday: 9/26 Kathy Lenox Meadow View Rehab & Nursing 9209 Ridge Pike Philadelphia, PA 19128 Mary Mellinger Legends of Lancaster 31 Millersville Rd., Rm. 143 Lancaster, PA 17603 Birthday: 9/15 Gene & Barbara Swords 151 Fairview Dr., Apt. 238 Lititz, PA 17543 717-560-0345 Anniv: 8/26 Birthdays: Gene 10/25 Barbara 1/31 Margaret Trimble 2012 N 4th St. 3rd Fl. Harrisburg, PA 17102-1538 Ray & Anna Ruth Enders 375 Primrose Lane Mountville, PA 17554 717-285-4289 Anniv: 12/28 Birthdays: Ray 12/4 Anna Ruth 11/10 Miriam Sampsel 2401 McKee II 551 Free Mason Dr. Elizabethtown PA 17022 717-361-5601 Birthday: 10/19 Please remember these persons in your prayers, and reach out to them with cards, phone calls and visits. -6-
JANUARY SERVERS Ushers Worship Leaders Acolytes Jeff Harmes 6 - Kathy Long 6 - Catherine Repkoe Joel Musser 13 - Steve Hess 13 - McKenna Wolford John Musser 20 - Dottie Light 20 - Tom Musser 27 - Amanda Ritchie 27 - Children s Ministry 6 - Joyce Kerns, A J Taylor, Joan Boshnaugle, Catherine Repkoe 13 - Kitty Collier, Beth Hess, Amy Sensenig, Love Simegn 20 - Margie Musser, Fikir Simegn, Carey Taylor, Alexa Taylor 27 - Betsy Thomas, Sue Beiler, Lisa Boshnaugle, Catherine Repkoe -8-
LOOKING AHEAD January 6 - Bread & Cup Communion, 10:15 a.m. January 14 - Tots n Tunes, 9:30 a.m. January 27 - Youth Dessert Auction, following covered-dish luncheon February 24 - Youth Fundraiser Luncheon & Congregational Forum Deadline for the February 2019 New Vision articles is Sunday, January 13, 2019. Address Service Requested Dated Material Enclosed