Weekly News
Vol. 9-No. 21 Friday, May 22, 2015
Karen Bowman, Editor, secretary@yorkfirst.org
Our Vision Statement: “To become a community of committed Christians who Love God, Share Christ, and Serve the World”
Our Mission Statement: “People dedicated to Spiritual Growth, Loving Relationship, and Sacrificial Service”
SUNDAY, May 24, 2015 – Music Appreciation
9:00 am – Sunday School
10:30 am – Worship Service
Sanctuary: “The Truth of the Matter”
Scripture: John 15: 26 – 27/ John 16: 4 – 15
Thoughts on the Word: As Jesus’ disciples huddled together in fear behind locked doors, the Holy Spirit entered the dwelling as a rushing wind and tongues of fire according to Acts 2:1-21. From this event, the Church was born! We put on elaborate celebrations for Christmas and Easter, but Pentecost, which is equally as important, is hardly talked about in the life of the Church. Without Pentecost, the disciples would not have had the courage to go forth and spread the gospel of Jesus to the world. Without Pentecost, the Spirit promised to the prophet Joel would not be the active force it is in our world today: granting visions and dreams to our old and young alike. The power of God to create and renew life is the power of the Holy Spirit. We see this power in the psalmist’s hymn of praise for this week from Psalm 104:24-34. We behold this power in Paul’s discussion of adoption in Christ through the Spirit in Romans 8:22-27. And we see the promise of this power in Jesus, as he comforts his disciples before his death in the passages from the Gospel of John chapters 15:26-27 and 16:4b-15. Take time to read these passages and prepare your hearts for worship this Sunday.
On Sunday, May 31, Christian composer and singer, Ken Medema will present our morning worship service. Plan to attend and invite others. Also, a part of this service will be baby dedication.
WORSHIP ATTENDANCE – May 17, 2015, 10:30 a.m. – 147
Parent-child dedication service is being scheduled for Sunday, May 31st during morning worship. If you are interested in having your child dedicated to the Lord please let Pastor Don as soon as possible. This will be a very special time of celebrating the precious gift of life that God has given, and the challenge of raising children that requires the presence of God in the family and the needed support of the faith community.
HELP IS NEEDED for the Food Pantry. A volunteer is needed for the food pantry team for the second Tuesday of each month. You will have to come to the church at 9:00 and get the food ready for pick up. If anyone is interested, please contact Dan Snook.
YARD SALE! YARD SALE! YARD SALE! Did everyone hear First Church is having a yard sale? Oh yes, and it will be held June 13 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., in our air conditioned Fellowship Hall. Very convenient for everyone. No rain and no hot sun. Just lots of fun shopping and eating lunch. Bring in your good used items from home that you either no longer want, don’t need, or just want to get rid of. We are open in the garage for more things. We need to keep Jeanette and Kathy pricing all the wonderful treasures coming in. Don’t forget! we will have chicken corn soup again to take out and eat for lunch- (bring your own containers). Also Ham bean soup just for lunch – no take outs and Brian LeGrand’s awesome chili. So come out for a great day of fun, and fellowship and lunch. All proceeds benefit the Youth Fund for NYC 2018.
FOOD ITEMS NEEDED FOR YARD SALE: HOT DOGS – “Ball Park” , HOT DOG ROLLS, HAMBURGER ROLLS, SODA (Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew, Sprite), CASES OF WATER, PLASTIC BOWLS (please no styrofoam), SALTINES or OYSTER CRACKERS, LUNCH SIZE BAG CHIPS, BAGELS, DONUTS, and USED GROCERY BAGS. Please indicate on sign up sheets in Narthex items what you can donate. Items may be dropped off on June 10 – 12 and placed in the lounge. Any questions – contact Kathy Kovacs.
THIS WEEK….
BABY BOTTLE BOMMERANG IS “ON” – Starting May 10, Mother’s Day. Pick up baby bottles in narthex (lobby), fill bottles with change, and return to church office by June 21, Father’s Day. Funds will help young families at Human Life Services of York.
MAY 27, 2015 – SENIOR CITIZEN’S DAY – Camp Eder – 10:00 am Summit Search & Rescue – Jim & Terri Heck will present an educational, interactive and fun Program on mantrailing blood-hound teams who are utilized to locate missing persons and for criminal investigations. 12:00 Lunch ~ Menu: Grilled Pork Chops, Pasta Salad, Baked Potato, Corn, Dessert, 1:00 pm Roz Santay, Susan & Dane Wagle, & Sue & Jim Welsh – Enjoy the musical talents of these long time friends who perform locally at the Pippinfest, campgrounds and Lower Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church. They play guitar, box drum, harmonica, & electric bass. “The Women’s Trio” specialty is blending their beautiful voices in three part harmony. $ 15/Person (covers all food and activities) See flyer on bulletin board or contact Kathy Kovacs
MAY 31, 2015 – PRAISE AND WORSHIP – Madison Avenue Church of the Brethren will be hosting a benefit event to raise funds for EYN. Come for an evening of Praise and Worship led by the Madison Avenue Praise Team and Friends on Sunday, May 31, 7:00 p.m. at Madison Avenue Church of the Brethren. We will lift our voices to praise our Lord and Savior, and we will join together in prayer and giving generously in a free will offering for our Brothers and Sisters in Nigeria
LADIES BIBLE STUDY will continue to meet once a month on the following dates noted below during the summer months and we will continue our study “Traveling Light” with Max Lucado.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015 – Lesson #7 – “It’s a Jungle Out There”
Tuesday, July 14, 2015 – Lesson #8 – “A Heavenly Exchange”
Tuesday, August 11, 2015 – Lesson #9 “Get Over Yourself”
BEGIN NEW YEAR –
September 15, 2015 – Lesson #10 “I will Lead You Home”
First Church is beginning an effort aimed at strengthening marriages. To start, we are establishing a new couples small group called “Two to One” . This is meant to be for couples intending to be married and those married for short or long times. Our purpose is to develop friendships and support among couples as well as learn about ways to strengthen the marriage relationships we have. We are pretty excited about this and hope we can communicate that excitement to everyone! Our first meeting is set for Friday, June 5 at 7PM at Carol and Ken Gordon’s house- 1250 Gardenia Drive, Windsor, PA. We’ll add more information between now and then, but hope to see you. Questions/comments/suggestions can be directed to Carol and Ken via phone or email. Marriage Thought for the Day: Depending on what we read or to whom we listen, we’ll find many “keys” to a good marriage. Different “keys” will be meaningful to some couples but not meaningful to others. In this space each week, we’ll write these with the hope that every once in a while one will strike a chord! This week, the quote below is from Greg Laurie’s book, Becoming One: You and your mate have enormous differences, and no amount of work can bridge that gap. As a result, you have to learn to manage your relationship despite the differences. What’s more, you need to embrace those differences, find value in them. Resisting the differences by being judgmental about them will cause you nothing but pain….God didn’t design us to be the same, he designed us to be different. –Dr., Phillip C McGraw
THANK YOU –
Thank you to Pastor Don for the beautiful service for my mom. Also, thank you to all for your cards, thoughts, and prayers since she’s passed. To know so many people care really means a lot to me and my family.- Bev Raney and family
SYMPATHY AND CONDOLENCES:
To the family of Jay Striebig, Jay passed away on May 15, 2015. Please keep his wife Carolyn, his son Brad & his wife, Lisa, and grandchildren in your thoughts and prayers. To the family of Merle Caldwell, Merle passed away on May 7, 2015. Please keep Merle’s family in your thoughts and prayers.
DIRECTORY CHANGE: Added: Samuel Weyant & Alicia Hilley, 439 Woodland View Dr., York, PA 17406 (571) 232-4057
LOOKING AHEAD…….
JUNE 7, 2015 – TEACHER APPRECIATION BREAKFAST – 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. The Christian Education Ministry Team would like to thank those individuals who have shared their time and talents to benefit the Sunday School Program at York First church during the past year. To show our appreciation, we would like to invite all Sunday school teachers, children’s church, and Nursery Care Providers, to a Breakfast held in their honor. We would like members of the Sunday School Classes to help provide the food such as casseroles, fruit, breads, and muffins. Sign-up sheets will be placed in your rooms. Thank you! Questions: see Nancy Gipe or Vivian Hubbell
JUNE 12, 2015 – SOUP KITCHEN – PLEASE BRING CASSEROLES TO CHURCH BY 8:30 AM ON FRIDAY.
Sign up in the narthex to make a casserole or to work at the Soup Kitchen on Friday, June 12, 2015, (10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) PLEASE add your name and number of casseroles, to the SIGN UP sheet, so we can let the Soup Kitchen know how many casseroles to expect.
JUNE 13, 2015 – 2015 KICKOFF BANQUET FOR THE BRETHREN DISATER RELIEF AUCTION. SATURDAY, JUNE 13 — 6:00 P.M.
FAMILY STYLE DINNER AND CONCERT AT YODER’S RESTURANT, NEW HOLLAND, PA. FEATURING THE TRIBUTE QUARTET.
FOR TICKETS AND INFOMATION, CONTACT SALLY BINGAMAN OR JOLENE ZEIGLER
JUNE 19 – 21, 2015 – National Junior High Conference 2015, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA ~ LIVING THE CHANGE: Our offering to God, Come for a weekend packed with powerful worship, fun workshops, music and recreation! For junior high youth (those who have completed grades 6 – 8) and their advisors, www.brethren.org/njhc ~ $185.00 per person and First Church will pay half the cost.
JULY 3, 2015 – The Women’s Fellowship Choir of EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan-uwa, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) will perform on Friday, July 3, at 7:00 pm in the Nicarry Meetinghouse on the campus of CKV-TBHC. This free, public concert is in appreciation of the support Nigerians have received from American Brethren during the recent persecution, violence and hardship related to the Boko Haram jihadist group, which is estimated to have killed 10,000 civilians in Nigeria last year. The choir is part of a larger group touring the U.S. in June and July, concluding at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Florida. Come and hear the inspirational sounds of these women at their only appearance in South Central Pennsylvania.
Information on the bus trip to the Annual Conference July 11-15, Tampa, Florida This is to inform you that I will be hosting an Elite Coach to the July 11 – 15 Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida this summer. People have been inquiring about this possibility.
With a minimum of 35 participants, the cost will be $789 per person double occupancy and that is all inclusive, conference lodging, enroute lodging, ,transportation and driver gratuity. It does not include meals (except breakfasts along the way) while traveling or at conference.
Since reservations for lodging open in late February, I cannot assure A.C. lodging, but I have requested and am assured that our conference stay will be at the Marriott Hotel which is across the street from the convention center. This trip of approximately 1100 miles will take two and one-half days with stops along the way. We will leave July 9 from Brethren Village at 7:30 a.m., pick up people along the way and return on July 17 around 6 p.m. We will take appropriate breaks but it will not be much of a sightseeing tour. We hope to stop at one or two interesting sites along the way. The minimum participants will be 35 persons to stay within the above price. Happy New Year and God bless! Earl K. Ziegler (See letter on the bulletin board) VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL – July 19 – 23, 2015, 6:00 – 8:30, children ages 4 – 5th grade The theme this year is: EVEREST: Conquering Challenges with God’s Mighty Power. Volunteers are needed to help in a variety of ways, so if we haven’t contacted you yet and you would like to help, please contact Carol Gordon @ momfornine@aol.com or Judy Deitch @ judy@deitchgroup.com and we will find a spot for you. Supplies are always needed and you can help with your donations. Sign-up sheets will soon be posted. You can sponsor a child, provide Everest Sing & Play Music CDs, sponsor a science project, purchase snack items… There are so many ways to help.
Contacting the Pastor: Pastor Don can be reached most mornings in the church office Monday-Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The pastor reserves afternoons and evenings for visitation, meetings, and other pastoral-related activities. If you need to reach a Pastor Don outside of office hours, please call him at home at 792-4090, or cell phone 818-6266, and leave a message on his home answering machine. He will return your call at his earliest opportunity.If you would specifically like a pastoral visit, please contact the pastor. HIPA laws prevent the hospital from contacting the pastor when you are admitted. You MUST specifically note to hospital staff that you would like the hospital to contact your pastor.
