Weekly News
Vol. 9-No. 47 Friday, November 20, 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, NOVEMBER 22, 2015
Sunday School
10:30 a.m. Worship Service
Sanctuary: “What is truth?”
John 18:33-38
Thoughts on the Word: The kingdom language from scripture for this week doesn’t translate well in the 21st century we live in. Very few people in the Western world have ever experienced life with the rule of an absolute monarchy. For those whose reality has been modern democracy, the analogy of a kingdom has little to no meaning what so ever. A single ruling individual or family, wielding unlimited power and absolute authority, is rarely viewed as a good thing. We live under the “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely” cloud. We love our rugged individualism and our personal freedoms. Those who dislike “big government” would absolutely hate having a king, yet as Christians, we acknowledge that this is God’s will for our lives.
NOVEMBER 22 and 29, 2015 – INGATHERING – Two thousand years after Jesus fed the hungry people there are still people who need to be fed. On Sunday, November 22nd and November 29th we will hold our annual Ingathering for our food pantry. There are many ongoing needs. A variety of canned goods including vegetables and soup, fruits, peanut butter and jelly, and meats including spam, beef stew and tuna will be greatly appreciated. Non-perishable dry goods including cereal, rice, and pasta (and sauce) of all varieties are certainly most welcome. Financial donations (Designate for Food Pantry) are also appreciated Thank you, The Food Pantry Witness Team
___________________________________________________________________________________
ATTACHMENT: Calendar of Events, Friends to Remember in Prayer, & Sunday School Schedule
WORSHIP ATTENDANCE – November 15, 2015, 10:30 a.m. Worship Service – Total Attendance – 85
COPIES OF this week’s e-news, November calendar, and November Mission and Ministry newsletter are available to be picked up on the table in the narthex and at YorkFirst.org
Copies of the pastor’s sermons will be available on our website at http://yorkfirst.org/sermons.SHTML You may also contact the church office to request a copy.
First Church of the Brethren calendars and pens will be available in the narthex. Please feel free to pick up your calendar and pen (one of each per family please). – Hospitality Ministry Team
REMINDER – STATEMENTS are available for pick up in the narthex.
_________________________________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK…………….
NOVEMBER 24, 2015 – EAST YORK ECUMENICAL THANKSGIVING SERVICE, 7:00 PM AT ADVENT LUTHERAN- Offering goes to Church World Service – refugee resettlement – Middle-East/European relief.
NOVEMBER 28, 2015 – Cross Keys Village-The Brethren Home Community Event ~ Christmas Bazaar held in the Nicarry Meetinghouse on Saturday, November 28, 2015, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM Crafters from the Cross Keys Village community will offer their works for sale just in time for holiday gift shopping. Many of the items available will be Christmas-related. Woodwork, fiber arts, textiles and many more crafts will be available at most reasonable prices. Proceeds benefit residents at Cross Keys Village.
NOVEMBER 29, 2015 – ADVENT BREAKFAST – Please join us for breakfast on Sunday, November 29th, at 8:30 in the fellowship hall, followed by a combined Sunday school class with carol singing and Bill Waugh teaching about JOY! Also, there are still more trees to choose from on the “Spreading Joy” bulletin board for gift ideas for Destiney, Dylan and Liyana, the family we are sponsoring at the Lehman Center. So, pick a tree and bring your unwrapped gift to the Advent breakfast. If you are not going to be here for the breakfast and are purchasing a gift, please leave your gift(s) in the office. In addition, WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF PEOPLE TO SIGN UP TO BRING FOOD ITEMS TO THE BREAKFAST – casseroles, baked oatmeal, fruit/fruit salad, juices, muffins and breads. We need a few more people to decorate and host tables, too, so please sign up now! Thanks!
________________________________________________________________________________
POINSETTIAS – It’s time to think Christmas at First Church. Orders for Poinsettias will be taken Sunday, Nov. 29 and Sunday, Dec. 6 in the narthex. The cost for red or pink will be
$ 10.00 each for five plus blooms. Flowers can be placed in memory or in honor of someone. Linda Horner will be in the narthex between Sunday School and church and after church to take your order. Orders may also be placed through the church office.
FOR ALL TEAM CHAIRS: For the 2016 Directory, please provide all the information for your team – Chair, Vice-Chair, and all members by December 7, 2015 – Thank you, Pastor Don
Do you know that First Church has a prayer chain? The prayer chain gives you the opportunity to request prayer for friends, family or yourself. The information is passed on to the people on the chain who later, pray for the need that was requested. It workes via email and is available for all members and friends of the church. If you are not on the prayer chain, but would like to be (and you have an email address), please contact either Larry Gibble or Tim Beckwith and ask them to add you to the prayer chain.
If you do not have email but would like to be part of a telephone prayer chain, please contact Mary Esther Anderson.
APPLES, APPLES AND LOTS OF APPLES! So, what do you do with all those apples? Of course…WE MADE DELICIOUS, HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER. Lots of hands were involved in this large project at Camp Eder on October 17. PINTS – $6 and Half-PINTS – $3 … AND we did not forget those who cannot have sugar in their diet. SUGAR FREE APPLE BUTTER AVAILABLE TOO.
~ See Kathy Kovacs in the Narthex either in the beginning or end of service for your APPLE BUTTER TREAT! Can’t you just taste your toast tomorrow morning for breakfast? YUM!
CASH FOR CAUSES
November>>>Thanksgiving>>>FOOD
Purchase Giant &/or Weis cards for those extra grocery purchases;
and don’t forget our Food Pantry needs restocking.
See me in church to buy your cards. ~ Carole Bradfield
Women’s Tuesday Morning Bible Study- There is a change for the dates of November 24, December 1, 8, and 15. No study on November 24th. On the dates of Dec. 1, 8, and 15 we will explore a video and lessons on Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas. We will finish this study on January 12 and 19. Our study of Paul will begin on January 26. On December 15 we will end our year with a group luncheon at a restaurant. Please join us for these sessions of love and joy. Blessings Dolly and Pat
LAST WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY IN THE LOUNGE WILL BE DECEMBER 8TH. We will meet again on January 12, 2016.
_______________________________________________________________________________
ADVENT PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
November 29th – The annual Advent Breakfast will be held on the first Sunday of Advent, November 29th at 8:30 am. JOY! JOY! JOY! The theme for our Advent breakfast on is JOY! Bill Waugh will be teaching a combined Sunday School class in the fellowship hall following the breakfast.
December 6 – Nutmeg and Ginger – Sanctuary at 4:00 pm- Nutmeg and Ginger is a small musical ensemble dedicated to the recreation of Medieval/Renaissance Music.
December 13 – 9:00 am – Intergenerational Sunday School Time – Join us at the Fellowship Hall on December 13thfrom 9:00 AM to 10:15 AM for a special puppet program. It will be presented by the Yadah Ministries of Christ American Baptist Church from Spring Grove. Light refreshments will be served. 7:00 pm- Annual Dallastown Choir & Strings Concert and Jubilee Ringers Bell Choir from First Church
December 20 – 10:30 am – Chancel Choir Cantata- “Festival of Lessons and Carols” by Hal Hopson – Morning Worship Service
December 24 – Christmas Eve Services – 7:00 pm – Family Service
December 27 – Jared Bueschlein will be preaching.
__________________________________________________________________________________
SYMPATHY AND CONDOLENCES…….
To the family of Gail Wynn. Gail passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. Please keep her son, Randall and the rest of the Wynn family in your thoughts and prayers.
To the family of Jean Sheaffer. Jean passed away on Sat., Nov. 7, 2015. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.
__________________________________________________________________________________
THANKS…….
THANK YOU casserole makers. I am very thankful to all who take the time to make casseroles for Our Daily Bread soup kitchen each month. I also appreciate those who help serve. Keep up the good work. There are a lot of thankful people you are feeding.
Thanks Dan, for delivering the casseroles each month.
THANK YOU to Pastor Don, Melinda, and Deacons for all the visits and phone calls, and also for all the cards I received. I really appreciated it!.- Elmer Allison
__________________________________________________________________________________
LOOKING AHEAD . . . . . . . . . . .
DECEMBER 5, 2015 & DECEMBER 12, 2015 –JOY, A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION with The National Christian Choir, Kathy Bowman, Director/ 170 Auditioned Voices, Full Orchestra, 5th Annual Children’s Christmas Choir. Sat., Dec. 5th, 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm at Immanuel’s Church, Silver Spring, MD 20905 AND Sat., Dec. 12th, 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm at Hempfield High School, Landisville, PA 17538. Order tickets online at www.NationalChristianChoir.org or by phone at 301-670-6331 or toll free 800-599-4710. By mail: P O Box 1600, Germantown, MD 20875, General Admission: $ 20, Director’s Circle: $ 25, Children (12 & Under): $ 12, Call for Group Rates
DECEMBER 6, 2015 – HERSHEY HANDBELL ENSEMBLE ~ Christmas Concert, Sunday, Dec. 6th at 3:00 pm, Black Rock Church of the Brethren, 3864 Glenville Road, Free Will Offering – Reception Following, blackrockchurch.org, 717-637-6170 – hersheyhandbellensemble.org 717-298-7071
DECEMBER 10, 2015 ~ OWLS NEWS -OWLS ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TEA. This is always the highlight of the year! Sign up now to be assured a seat, and join us on Thursday December 10 at noon. The tea room, aka the Homebuilders classroom 154, will be decorated for Christmas. The food, provided by Dolly and Suzanne, will be delicious as always. The program will be a DVD of a chalk talk by Elva Hurst, titled “The Story of Christmas in Chalk”. You may have seen and heard Elva at one of her presentations at Camp Eder. We look forward to seeing her Christmas Story DVD. PLEASE SIGNUP BY DECEMBER 6 so we know how many to prepare for.
DECEMBER 11, 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, December 11, 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.
DECEMBER 11, 12, & 13, 2015 – Camp Eder’s 5th Annual Celebration of the Birth of Christ & Christmas Tree Festival – Friday, Dec. 11th, Sat., Dec. 12th, & Sunday, Dec. 13th – 5:00 – 8:30 pm – Christmas Tree Festival is free to attend and focused on celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The Christmas Tree Festival features a Christmas Tree Decorating Contest, cookies & hot beverages, Christmas Carols shared at the Campfire, and a moving candle-lit reading of the Nativity story. Come and experience Camp Eder covered in Christmas Lights, vote on your favorite Christmas tree, and worship at one of the Candlelight services. See Kathy Kovacs for more information.
DECEMBER 13, 2015 – York First Church of the Brethren invites children, youth, and their parents/grandparents to a Sunday School Christmas Party! Join us at the Fellowship Hall on December 13thfrom 9:00 AM to 10:15 AM for a special puppet program. It will be presented by the Yadah Ministries of Christ American Baptist Church from Spring Grove. Light refreshments will be served. Please consider bringing a donation for our food pantry. Items most needed are peanut butter, jelly, cereal, soup, canned fruit, and macaroni and cheese. We hope you can join us for a morning of holiday fun as we celebrate Jesus’ birthday! Everyone in the Church is invited to attend this event.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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 rese rves 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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Weather Related *CHURCH CANCELLATIONS
A. Cancellations will be announced through our church phone system.
Please use the following process:
1. Call the church office at 755-0307.
2. When answering machine message begins, press 6
3. A recorded message will indicate the status of church services/activities.
B. Cancellations will be announced on the church’s web site at www.yorkfirst.org, and when possible, emails will be sent to all online mailing list members and added to our Facebook page and Twitter, and in that 1, 2, 3, 4 order. *Weather related cancellations will not be announced on radio or TV.
