Issue 3, October 2015 Inside this Issue: Good News Club... 1 Trunk or Treat... 1 Sunday School Programs... 2 The Good News Club An interview with Marnie Kostishion Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) sponsors their after school Bible study, the Good News Club at John M. Grasse Elementary School. The program runs for several Fridays in the fall and then again, in the spring. St. Peter s has the opportunity to be involved with this ministry. This October, we will be observing, so that we might take a leadership role in the spring. We welcome the opportunity to reach out to students at J.M. Grasse! Proverbs Bible Study... 2 Announcements... 2 PULSE Survey... 3 Eugenio Restropo... 3 Pastor Fox s 2-Year Program... 3 Spotlight Recipe... 3 Vacation Bible School Review... 4 Appalachia Service Project... 4 Contact Information... 4 Pastor s Corner... 5 Trunk or Treat October 31st Led by Daphne Fox The Trunk or Treat Committee needs your help! For a successful community event, we'd like to have at least 15 cars participating as trunks. We currently have 5 trunks and would love for you to join in the fun! If you are unable to participate as a trunk during the event, we are also looking to start a candy drive to help provide candy for the trick-or-treaters. These bags will be collected on the table downstairs by the FISH drive. If you would rather provide a monetary donation toward candy, please see Pastor Fox. Invitations are available downstairs by the candy donation table for you to take with you and distribute to friends and family. Thank you all for your help! 1
Sunday School Programs For both adults and children ADULT PROGRAM: Koos Reintjes and Tom Trumbower are leading an adult Sunday School program on Sunday mornings at 9:00. The program is called Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus. Believe is a unique spiritual growth experience that takes Sunday School attendees on a journey to think, act, and be more like Jesus. Each chapter uses short topical passages from the New International Version to help you live the story of the Bible. CHILD PROGRAM: Exciting changes are happening in St. Peter's nursery with a brand new curriculum in the works. The children will follow the Jesus Storybook Bible which teaches children about how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. With memory verses, stories, crafts and music - the program is engaging for everyone. Lori Fox will teach songs that tie into the curriculum in addition to the video series that follows along. Lastly, each child will receive his very own Jesus Storybook Bible! At this time, there are four adult volunteers to help teach the program; however, more are needed! When children are baptized at St. Peter's, we, as the congregation, respond by promising to help the parents lead their child into the Christian faith. Being a volunteer to teach is a great way to be a part of their walk. The first meeting for volunteers is October 20, 2015. Please see Robin Fox for more details. Announcements: + Expect to hear from Nick Kratz and Nick Garrety about their journeys into ministry. + Our October emphasis is mission : -AA dinner -Open 1,000 Doors -Eugenia Pestropo (missionary speaking October 29th). + We rejoice in the marriage of Janelle Kostishion and David Lear (married September 26, 2015). + We mourn the passing of Rose Souder (mother of Rose LePosa) who passed away at age 99 and a half, on September 4, 2015. Proverbs Bible Study Led by Tom and Donna Trumbower A Bible study of the book of Proverbs is being led by Tom and Donna Trumbower, at their home on Wednesday nights at 7:00. The study will run through the end of October. All are welcome to attend. 2
PULSE Survey a Great Opportunity Complete at home or at church From Sunday, October 11 to Sunday, October 25, members and friends of St. Peter s Covenant Church will have the opportunity to take the PULSE survey. The PULSE survey is a wonderful tool developed by Dr. John Wenrich and his team from the Covenant Church Office of Congregational Vitality. Dr. Wenrich says, PULSE is an assessment designed to determine the measure of St. Peter s Covenant Church s health and vitality. This is a valuable opportunity for you to reflect honestly and accurately on the well-being of your church. There are 52 questions, which should take less than 30 minutes to complete. You may take the survey online at home, or volunteers will be available after worship to help you complete PULSE at church. ECC Missionary Eugenio Restrepo to Visit Sunday, October 25, Rev. Eugenio Restrepo will preach during our worship service. Eugenio and his wife, Pia, are Covenant Missionaries to Latin America whom we support through designated missionary giving to the Covenant. Following worship there will be a luncheon with opportunity for questions and answers. Spotlight Recipe: Submitted to the St. Peter s cookbook by Ann Marie Fellman Crescent Roll Cheese Coffee Cake 2 cans crescent rolls 2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. sugar 2 eggs Topping: 1/2 c. sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 c. chopped nuts Place one can crescent rolls on bottom of 9x13-inch pan. Mix cheese, eggs, vanilla and 1 cup sugar. Pour over crescent rolls. Cover cheese mixture with second package of crescent rolls. Mix nuts, sugar, and cinnamon. Top crust with mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Pastor Fox Begins Spiritual Direction Program Spiritual direction is an ancient practice of the church, which many Protestants have only recently rediscovered. For the last six years, Pastor Jim Fox has seen a spiritual director once a month, and has found the experience to be helpful in his walk with God. Barry and Connelly in their definitive work, The Practice of Spiritual Direction state, We define Christian spiritual direction as help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God s personal communication.to respond grow in intimacy with God, and to live out the consequences of this relationship. Pastor Fox has begun a two-year certificate program in Spiritual Direction at the Spiritual Renewal Center in Syracuse, New York. If you have questions about the program, or an interest in spiritual direction, please see Jim Fox. 3
Vacation Bible School Review Bible Blast to the Past! This past July, children ages 3-12 enjoyed a Bible Blast to the Past! as they explored God s everlasting love. Vacation Bible School attendees zoomed back on a time-travel adventure to discover God s love His INCREDIBLE, INVINCIBLE, UN- CONDITIONAL, and REAL love. Children were reminded that God s love is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Thank you to all of the volunteers who made VBS possible this year. Appalachia Service Project A week of service in Virginia St. Peter s youth traveled to Appalachia, Virginia to help make homes warmer, safer, and drier this past July. Through this ministry, volunteers were able to inspire hope through home repair. Contact Information: Church Address: 1006 Hilltown Pike Hilltown, PA 18927 Church Telephone: (215) 822-9375 Church Website: Pastor s Email: pastor@ Secretary s Email: secretary@ 4
Confessing Christ at Caesarea Philippi Turning a Blind Eye By Pastor Fox In answer to the question, Who is my neighbor? Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan. The poor victim of the crime had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. He is lying beside the road, hoping for someone with compassion to see, stop, and help. In Jesus story it is one good religious person after another who sees the stricken stranger, and passes by on the other side. In our day we call it Turning a blind eye. Pretending not to notice. Making sure we don t get involved. Minding our own business. I have recently been deeply troubled by the way others are turning a blind eye. It is always easier to notice other peoples sins and inconsistencies than my own. I have had a growing, pervasive disdain for nearly all things emanating from Washington, D.C. Therefore some of the first inconsistencies that are easiest to notice are those by our elected officials. Let me give two particulars that are extremely troubling. This summer a series of undercover videos were released that show Planned Parenthood officials clearly and coldly describing the business of harvesting and selling body parts of aborted babies. Some of the details are too gruesome to mention. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. It is a private organization, but receives $500 million in taxpayers money. Neither political party had either the conscience or the moral courage to withhold our tax dollars from a private organization, under current criminal investigation. With the threat of a Government shut-down it was easier to turn a blind eye. Wherever radical Islam is afoot there are increasing incidents of Christian persecution. Not only persecution, but enslavement, sex trafficking, and martyrdom. Crucifixions and beheadings which seem like something from ancient history are again common practice. Have you seen or read much in the media? Have you seen any indication that our president will take action to save persecuted Christians, or to stop those who persecute them? Are these not the vilest of hate crimes? Where is our moral authority? Our moral outrage? It seems that many in a position to do something, anything - have turned a blind eye. As I said it is easier to see others sins and inconsistencies. What have I done? Do complaining and writing an article for our church newsletter count? Using the metaphor of the religious people who passed by on the other side, I have noticed, left the victim, and went and complained to friends and family about the violence in our culture. The point of the Jesus parable, is an answer to the question Who is my neighbor? We see that our neighbor is anyone we see in need of help, who is unable to help themselves. How can I be of help in the two situations that I mentioned? Who are those in need of help? Who is my neighbor? Do I turn a blind eye, and then share my moral outrage? Is that really caring, or helping? How can we care about others? The first thing we must do is simply notice. Open our eyes, and SEE! During October we are challenged to Open a Thousand Doors. As you open doors for others notice, see, care, and pray for that stranger. A simple act, but perhaps such a simple act can help us to open our eyes, instead of turning a blind eye. 5