Envoy Volume 28, No. 5 May 2017 Intergenerational? Palmyra Church of the Brethren What does being an intergenerational congregation mean? This is one of the questions that emerged from the recent Ministry Architect s listening groups. Join us for worship in May as we seek deeper understanding of this concept. On May 7th Pastor Lohr will explore the biblical texts and theories that support intergenerational faith formation and worship. On May 14th our youth will lead us in a worship service that focuses on intergenerational storytelling. On May 21st Pastor Lohr will explore the generational dynamics of mental health and wholeness. That same evening we will host the Laughter is Sacred Space tour with Ted & Company, a dramatic program that focuses on mental health (see below). On May 28th Pastor Cave will explore how generations can bless each other through building intergenerational mentoring and caring relationships. This will only begin our study of what it means to be an intergenerational congregation. Pastor Lohr will be exploring this concept more deeply as part of his upcoming Sabbatical study. Why have other congregations decided that being intergenerational is important? What kinds of things are they doing to become more intergenerational? What else can we learn from them? How is fostering intergenerational understandings and experiences strengthening these churches and their ministries in their communities? Laughter Is Sacred Space - May 21, 2017 at 7:00pm We are excited to be hosting Ted Swartz and Company on Sunday evening, May 21st, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in our sanctuary. Please plan to join us and arrive a few minutes early for seating. This event is being promoted among area churches and Church of the Brethren congregations. Ted is a very well-known dramatist within Brethren and Mennonite congregations, and beyond. This Laughter is Sacred Space tour is a particularly powerful performance, bringing focus, through both laughter and tears, to the realities and challenges of our struggles with mental health. Much of this performance is the result of Ted using his craft to emotionally and theologically work through the suicide death of his drama partner Lee a number of years ago. With both honesty and courage Ted shares his journey as he wrestles with God and in the end discovers God s compassion, love and healing. Following the performance Ted will engage in a talk back time with the audience, sharing insights and resources for mental health care. Area mental health agencies will also be on hand with information and resources to share. This event is free and open to the public. It is being funded through the upfront contributions of many, but a generous free-will offering, to be taken during the evening, will be important in covering all the costs. May those who are able be generous, so that all can attend.
2 Overnight Lodging Needed! Activity at the church doesn't end on Sunday, June 25th following worship and study time. That afternoon a busload of Handbell Ringers and chaperones will roll into our parking lot. Hopefully, you have already seen postings of this concert by the Carol and Celebration Ringers from the St. Matthew's UM Church in Annandale, VA. These choirs are made up of junior and senior high youth and have had many experiences in high profile performances. Please plan to attend the concert at 7:00 p.m. in our sanctuary. Overnight lodging for our guests will be needed following the concert. There will be 19 girls, 12 boys, 4 women and 2 men. Girls and women can share a bed, men and boys in separate beds. The youth usually enjoy a snack at night. (They will have had a meal at church prior to the concert.) Breakfast will be with the host families. All participants will need to be returned to the church by 8:00 a.m. the following morning, June 26th. If you are willing to host, please contact DeeAnn Daniels, dawdaniels@gmail.com or 838-6026 or Sue Collins, secollins1@verizon.net or 838-6215. Congregational Updates! We pray for the following persons for health concerns: Dale, Auer, Ray Bashore, Lennie DiMatteo, Vera Freed, Alma Hesiey, David Kulp, Wally Landes, Lawrence Reynolds, Harry Smith, Harry Stoup, Roy Summers, Junior Waybright, and Linda Williams. Please extend sympathy to the following families : Kathy Cuthie and her family on the death of her mother, Pauline Bucher on April 20. Randy Schreckengast and his family on the passing of his father, Jay, on April 19. Derek Ulrich and his family on the death of his grandfather on April 12. Contact information changes: Jeff & Liz Daniels: 6402 Dublin Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111 Greg & Bonnie Deininger: PO Box 605 Folly Beach, SC 29439 Alma Heisey: Carbs9.fats0@gmail.com Jan Wessell: wesselljm@gmail.com Friday, May 5, 7:00 p.m. In The Youth Room The name of the movie will be listed on the homepage of our website www.palmyracob.org on Thursday, May 4.
3 The Caring Church From Infancy to Primetime By Pastor Bill Cave The book of Job entertains the question: Will Job turn against God if he experiences a multitude of losses, i.e. his oxen, sheep, camels, servants, and his children or will he remain faithful? Remaining as faithful to God during hard times as one has been during good times is always a significant and sometimes overwhelming challenge. So it was for Job. our faith strengthens us when life doesn t make sense, when it doesn t fit our schemes or our theology. As it was for Job, so it will be for us- God will grace us with his presence, he will come near to us. In the midst of the inexplicables of life, we will be helped to hold onto our faith. We are a community that equips one another to go in faith where explanations cannot go. And, what about if Job were to become sick in body or mind? That would surely be reason enough to turn against God. It has been said that half truths are very attractive to people who half-think. In Job s time, this presented as a theology which advanced the notion that God will reward you if you if you do good things. You will in turn be exempt from experiencing hard times and mean-spirited people. This theology easily underscored the further notion that if you have done bad things, God will surely punish you. Afterall, God will not punish a good person. Bad things don t happen to good people. Job, however, was a good person who was suffering. His circumstances, therefore, did not fit the standard theology of his friends who were content with halftruths. It is so easy to believe that God is warm and kind and always ready to come near to us at our faintest prayer. Yet there are ample scriptural references to God as the One who is beyond our understanding. We need to be careful about allowing halftruths to become absolutes. God did not snuggle up to Job but instead expected that he trust God on God s terms. Though Job did not get an explanation for his suffering, he did receive God s presence. God did come near to Job. Within this caring community here at Palmyra COB, we are all encouraged to deepen our faith when hard times come rather than throwing it away. Deepening Upcoming Events Summer Lunch Program Food Drive Saturday, June 03, 2017 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Join us at Grocery Outlet, Walmart, Weis, and Redner s as we collect items and monetary donations for the Summer Lunch Program. 11th Annual Caring Cupboard Golf Outing Deer Valley Golf Course Saturday, August 19, 2017 8:00 a.m. Our largest fundraiser of the year, the golf outing has become a favorite of all golf abilities. Come out and enjoy a morning on the links at a picturesque course. Looking for a simple way to help? Donate your gently used and new reusable bags or your plastic grocery bags. We are open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; if no one is around, simply drop them on the dock and we'll get them. Thanks so much in advance!
4 Serving in May Date Ushers Child Care Sunday On Sunday, June 4, we will be honoring the graduating class of 2017 with a special worship service. 5/7 5/14 5/21 John Rhine Randy & Lori Schreckengast Miriam Runkle Brenda Heisey Samantha Auer Cindy Groff Donna Fawber Via Jeanie Small Sherry Baiocchi Rebekah Houff, Chaplin at Manchester University and daughter of Marlin & Jeanne Houff, will be our guest speaker. Those graduating from high school, college, trade, or graduate school are asked to email Bethany Hoffer (bhoffer@palmyracob.org) or Rachel Witkovsky (rwitkovsky@palmyracob.org) with their name, school, degree and future plans by Sunday, May 28th. Please also send two photos, current and childhood, and let us know if you plan to attend Sunday s service. Following the worship service, all are invited to join in the Fellowship Hall for refreshments and to greet our graduates. 5/28 Betty Smith Shirley Spahr Introduction to Yoga Led by Emily Kimak, Registered Yoga Teacher Thursdays, May 4 - June 22 7:00-8:15 p.m., in the Fellowship hall $42 (if borrowing a yoga mat) $35 (if bringing your own yoga mat) I d like to express my deep appreciation for your cards, phone calls, meals, transportation (and willingness to even clean litter boxes!) during my recent recuperation from surgery. Blessings on your generous spirits. Bonnie Rhoads A thank you to our church family for the prayers, visits, calls, and cards during Roy s health problems in March. Roy & Jean Summers Introduction to Yoga is an 8-week course led by Emily Kimak, Registered Yoga Teacher and Pre-K Teacher. Drawing on her practice, training, and teaching with populations ages 4-70, Emily enjoys making yoga an accessible and compassionate practice. Introduction to Yoga participants will be guided through a weekly practice in gentle yoga postures, breathing exercises, and guided relaxation, at a suitable pace. Mats, props, and adaptations will be provided, as well as take-home materials and suggestions for building a home practice. Questions or to sign up, contact Teresa Keller 329-8507 or parishnurse0407@gmail.com
5 HEALTH MINISTRY NEWS By Teresa Keller, Parish Nurse May! Wonderful month! We will soon roll into summer and all the fun that warmer weather brings. The early-blooming flowers and shrubs are awake and glorious and the rest of the vegetation is budded out and soon to follow. I love this time of year. So, with warmer weather, I hope all of you are thinking time to stop being a couch potato and get out and move my body! or something along those lines! I know that most of us are at least thinking of spring cleaning and sprucing up those flowerbeds, so I wanted to give just a few pointers on how to tackle those tasks without hurting those bodies that have been a bit more sedentary during the winter months. First, you should gently begin exercise not go from couch potato to biking junkie or running fool or anything that takes you from very little exercise to a ton of exercise. Your muscles and lungs are not used to it so be kind and start gently. are hand friendly. Be sure to use a kneeling pad or scooter wagons for the low-to-the-ground tasks. Rest on schedule - plan rest periods every 15, 30, 0r 60 minutes to conserve energy. Use correct posture - let your larger/stronger joints and muscles do the work whenever possible. Instead of lifting with your fingers, for instance, use the palm of your hand, your forearms, or even your elbows, and keep items close to your body as you carry to properly distribute the load. Take it with you - think ahead and plan for items you ll need to avoid repeated trips to the storage areas for supplies. Practice these tips and your lesserly-used fall/ winter body will thank you as it becomes your much -used spring/summer body! Now, let s see let s try these tips to gently get ourselves up and running into that spring cleaning and gardening. Prioritize - decide which cleaning or gardening projects truly need to be done now and leave the rest for summer, fall or winter. Ask for help - examine your to-do list and determine which tasks you can easily do and which may need assistance. Plan your attack - tackle the tasks in an efficient order. Switch from hand work to reaching work to bending work. Avoid the urge to do it all at once - the tasks didn t become tasks overnight so you should not try to fix them overnight or in one day. Spread them out. Use joint-friendly tools - long handled tools allow you to stand, not stoop, and easy-to-grip tools
6 By Jeff Clouser, Director of Music Thank You to all the Taizé participants and those in worship! What a very thoughtful and meaningful Taizé service. A beautiful service that was very much appreciated by me and many others, especially by those new to the church that evening. I hope the service provided some rest and comfort for you as we began our journey through Holy Week to the glorious resurrection of Easter. May you always find peace in this grief stricken and uncertain world in which we live. Blessings to each and every one of you and many thanks for your service to our music ministry and to those who support our program. Easter thanks and blessings! A heartfelt thank you to all the musicians, including Praise Team, Choirs, Bells, and Instrumentalists, for your dedication and commitment to our music ministry during Lent and Easter. Your beautiful musical offerings were indicative of the great amount of time spent preparing for our worship experiences. You are a blessing to all of us at PCoB and beyond. May 21st is Music Appreciation Sunday! The Praise Team, Choir, Bells, and Instrumentalists will be honored during this special service of music. Be sure to attend and show your appreciation for the musicians and music ministry of PCoB. Thank you substitutes! The Music Ministry thanks Sondra Simmons, Karen Haldeman, Kim Witkovsky and Joel Smith for serving as Canticle Bell substitutes. Your service to the bell choir and the church is greatly appreciated. Mark your calendars for this bell concert! Summer melodies return and WE NEED YOU! 2017 Special Music Summer Schedule: June 11 through September 17 Vocal / Instrumental / Drama / Art / Liturgical Dance Please Volunteer and Sign Up Today Outside the Choir Room! Program note: Our music director, Jeff Clouser, will be singing Vivaldi's "Gloria" with the Elizabethtown College Community Choir on Sunday, May 7th at 3:00 p.m. at Leffler Chapel on the campus of Elizabethtown College. Men's Ensemble: Just a reminder that we will begin rehearsing for our July 30th musical offerings as follows: 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday May 3rd, 10th, and 24th and then we will reconvene in July at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday the 12th, 19th, and 26th. With summer vacations my hope is that you can at least make it to 3 of these 6 rehearsals especially the July 26th rehearsal. Mark your calendars for this concert! The Carol Ringers and Celebration Ringers, under the direction of Nancy Cappel & Tammy Freeman, will present a handbell concert on Sunday evening, June 25th, at 7:00 p.m. in our sanctuary. These junior and senior high school ringers from St. Matthews UMC in Annandale, VA, have played handbells at the White House, the State Department, Constitution Hall and every year at the Kennedy Center s Millennium Stage. We look forward to opening our doors and having you join us as we welcome the Carol and Celebration Ringers. A good will offering will be taken.
7 Nibbles (The Church Mouse) Attends a Banquet After months of pounding, digging, wires, pipes, painting and all kinds of noise making, things began to settle down so my naps weren't disturbed as much. Sometimes a workman would come through or Pastor Dennis would come down and do his funny airplane movements with his arms. On occasion Gail would also walk in with a camera and she would check everything.i mean EVERY THING! The kitchen was full of bright shiny equipment, the library books were on shelves and there were some comfortable chairs in there where I could crawl up for my nap. Things had really quieted down. And then one day I heard noises of poking around in the kitchen. I heard someone call the lady Lisa. She even tried the ovens to see how they worked. I got the feeling something big was about to happen. Charlie was in to set up tables and chairs---a lot of them. Colored tablecloths were placed on the tables and pretty balloons were put up. It looked like a celebration was about to take place. On a Saturday, Lisa was there again and all sorts of wonderful smells began to come my way. That evening a lot of people started coming into the church and going upstairs. I heard some singing and talking and then they began to come down to the room called the Fellowship Hall. It wasn't long before the reasons for the delicious aroma became evident. Large pans of chicken cordon blue, oven roasted potatoes, green beans almondine and gravy were brought from the kitchen and buffet serving began. Homemade applesauce was also served and dessert of pineapple cake and ice cream came at the end of the meal. Oh, these Brethren and the ability to have wonderful meals. Can't wait until they all leave and I can check out the floor for any crumbs. Note to self: Get out there before Elaine has it all cleaned up. But there was more to come after dinner. Pastor Dennis acted as emcee, introducing guests from the construction company. He also recognized all of the church people who had helped in any way for the renovation. When they were finished with all of that, the Brethren did something I hadn't seen before. They took little pieces of some kind of special bread and after saying something, they began to eat it, breaking it up in little pieces. Something was very familiar about that bread I remember now. There were about 30 people who invaded my kitchen one Saturday earlier and after a lot of fixings, they leaned on the dough and flopped it around and leaned on it some more. After forming it in strips and pricking it with pointed forks (Ouch!), they put it in the oven. Back to my story.when they had eaten the bread, they had little tiny glasses of a purple drink. Then the choir that I listen to every Thursday night came up and sang a pretty song about Jesus. I like listening to songs about Jesus. It helps me to feel even safer in the church. Elevator Repairs Scheduled! As part of Phase 1 of renovation, the elevator will be completely refurbished. The car will be rebuilt and the mechanicals will be updated. Beginning Monday, June 26 through Friday, July 14, the elevator will not be operational. We apologize for this inconvenience but look forward to having the elevator modernized and available for years to come.
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Palmyra Church of the Brethren Continuing the work of Jesus. Peacefully Simply Together 10 45 North Chestnut Street, Palmyra, PA 17078 Office: 717-838-6369 palmyracob@palmyracob.org www.palmyracob.org STAFF Lead Pastor Dennis M. Lohr Coordinator of Congregational Care Bill Cave Director of Young Adults Ministries Rachel Witkovsky Director of Youth Ministries Bethany Hoffer Director of Children Ministries Missy Thompson Music Director Jeff Clouser Office Administrator Gail Wagner The mission of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren is to invite, welcome, nurture, disciple, equip, empower and inspire all persons to live and to serve in the way of Jesus. Envoy is the official publication of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren. It is published 11 times a year. Editors are DeeAnn Daniels, Deb Wilson and Gail Wagner. Deadline for the June 2017 s Envoy is May 11, 2017 Email articles to: envoy@palmyracob.org Please include the month the article is to be published.