Vol. 13- No. 49 – Friday, December 7, 2018, Karen Bowman-Editor secretary@yorkfirst.org
Web Site: yorkfirst.org Facebook: “York First Church of the Brethren”
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, December 9, 2018
9:00 a.m. – Advent Breakfast – FH
10:30 a.m. – Worship, Sanctuary
– SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:68-79, Luke 3:1-6
– MESSAGE: “Darkness into Peace”
______________________________________________________________________
ATTACHMENTS: Calendar of Events, Friends to Remember in Prayer, & Sunday School Schedule and Tax – Free Charitable Giving Document
ATTENDANCE – December 2, 2018, 10:30 a.m. Worship Service – 98
COPIES OF this week’s e-news and the December calendar are available to be picked up on the table in the narthex and can be viewed at yorkfirst.org
ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BOOKS are available in the Gathering Area: “Wait and Hope” by Rhonda Pittman Gingrich. Please take one and use it this Advent Season.
___________________________________________________________________________
Advent Offering Project:
This season, preparing to enter the Advent season and looking forward to celebrating Christ’s birth, several of the children in our congregation have expressed interest in leading a special offering project to benefit immigrant and refugee children. We intend to direct funds raised to Church World Service to support their local and international programs of refugee resettlement and immigrant support. This project is truly the birthed from the minds and hearts of children, and children will be leading the way in supporting it. Please plan to support them and give toward this offering project as an extension of our faithfulness to Jesus, who himself fled a dangerous situation and found refuge in a foreign land as a child.
Christmas Eve Offering:
Our Christmas Eve Offering this year will go to support the work of two service organizations. Half will go to LifePath Christian Ministries (formerly York Rescue Mission), which serves many people in need in the City of York. Half will go to Brethren Disaster Ministries, specifically Children’s Disaster Services, which provides crisis care for children following disasters of many kinds. Thank you in advance for your gifts toward these important and faithful ministries that the church is eager to support.
___________________________________________________________________________
York First Church of the Brethren Children’s Ministry
| December | |||
| Nursery 9:00-10:15
(birth-K) |
K-5th Teacher
9:00-10:00 |
Nursery 10:15-11:45
(Birth-1st) |
|
| 2 | Tom McCracken | Jill McCracken | Tom & Jill McCracken |
| 9 | Advent Breakfast | Kathy Kovacs & Gail Rutland | |
| 16 | Bob & Stephanie Stoolmaker | John Anderson | Judy Yingling & Tonya/Ashley DeHoff |
| 23 | Kathy Kovacs & Gail Rutland | Michele Gibbel | Sam & Alicia Weyant |
| 30 | Michele Gibbel & Jolene Zeigler | Barbara Jo Brown | Marie & Greg Bachman |
Thank you to all those who help with Children’s Ministry. Your time, energy, and dedication are appreciated. If you need to make a schedule change or would like to serve as a teacher or in the nursery, please contact Michele Gibbel (717) 318-5442 or mgibbel@yahoo.com.
__________________________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DECEMBER 7 & 8, 2018 ~Camp Eder’s Christmas Tree Festival – Friday & Saturday, 5pm-9pm – Camp Eder invites you to celebrate the coming of Christ with us at our 8th Annual Christmas Tree Festival. Bring your whole family and enjoy cookies, hot cocoa, holiday lights, decorated trees, horse drawn carriage rides on Friday, luminaries, kids activities, bake sale, holiday music, vote for your favorite tree, live Christmas message painting with Dave Weiss, and make memories that will last a life time. Please see the poster on the bulletin board for more information and if you have any questions, contact Kathy Kovacs at (717) 309-0678.
DECEMBER 9, 2018 ~ Advent Breakfast during the Sunday School Hour 9:00 to 10:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall Bring your appetite! The Fellowship and Recreation Team will be providing the food and drinks. Crafts/games are being planned for the children. There will be a free-will offering basket at the door to help defray the costs.
DECEMBER 10, 2018 ~ 3RD ANNUAL YORK WALK-A-CHRISTMAS MILE – Monday, Dec. 10th at 6:30 pm at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, 1165 E. Prospect Street. Join us for a one mile journey into Christmas featuring scripture, song, and prayer focused on the theme: “Follow the Star”. Five east end churches in York will serve as wayside stations on your worship excursion: Begins at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church and ends at the 4th United Methodist Church, 1067 E. Market St. with snacks, fellowship, and a puppet Ministry program. Limited transportation is available for those unable to walk the distance. Bring a flashlight. . . . Bring the family. . . . Bring a Friend!
DECEMBER 13, 2018 ~ O.W.L.S. CHRISTMAS TEA – Please plan to join us for a High Noon Tea on Thursday, December 13 in the Homebuilders room for different flavorful teas, Cream of Crab Soup, Chicken Corn Soup, a variety of tea sandwiches along with delicious homemade Christmas cookies. Program is a DVD of selections from “An Old-Fashioned Christmas”. You’ll be enchanted by all you see and hear as your favorite Yuletide songs come alive in a beautiful video that captures the true meaning of Christmas. Come, relax, and enjoy good food and a cup of tea with friends! Please sign up on the sheet in the narthex by December 9 so we know how many to prepare for. (Tearoom seating is limited)
DECEMBER 14, 2018 ~ 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 14, 2018 (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.
_____________________________________________________________________
CARD SHOWER for Walter Bachman ~ Walter will be turning 99 on December 19th. His family invites you to send a birthday card to celebrate with him.
Please send to: Walter Bachman, 2572 Grandview Park Drive, York PA 17408
_____________________________________________________________________
APPLE BUTTER FOR SALE – Whether it is the Christmas season, birthday, or just a special occasion, think about giving someone a gift of delicious homemade Apple Butter. It really doesn’t get any better than that. A recipe that is carried down and made in copper Kettles at Camp Eder over an open fire is just the best memory ever. Regular and Sugar Free. 1/2 Pint Jar – $3.00 Pint Jar – $5. Apple Butter will be available all year long. So see Kathy Kovacs for that special gift.
____________________________________________________________________________
GIANT and WEIS GIFT CARDS They make great gifts! Purchase for those last minute gifts, food pantry, and your own holiday shopping. Thanks for your support of the Cash for Causes program. – Carole Bradfield
____________________________________________________________________________
THANK YOU. . . . . . . . . .
A BIG thank you to everyone who once again helped to make “The Cookies for Truckers Project” a terrific success! Glenn and Anna Miller delivered 265 bags of cookies to the Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry. Many hands make light work and that is so true in this outreach ministry. You certainly made many people happy by providing them with a yummy taste of the Holidays. Spreading God’s love to others is what Christmas i s all about. Thanks again to all who made it happen!! – Elizabeth Eisenhart
THANK YOU to all the folks that have provided casseroles for Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in 2018. And to those that transport and serve the casseroles. We have been providing 12 to 15 spaghetti casseroles the 2nd Friday of each month to feed those less fortunate. It is one of our ways to help fight hunger. If you would like to help …. 1.You can make a casserole at your convenience. (pans & recipe available) 2. Put your casserole in the freezer in the church kitchen anytime during the month. OR
- Bring your casserole to the church by 8:30 a.m. the 2nd Friday of each month. Please add your name to the sign up sheet so we can tell Our Daily Bread how many casseroles to expect. Your help is very much appreciated. ~ A. Ginder
____________________________________________________________________________
2019 OFFERING ENVELOPES ~ Your box of 2019 Offering envelopes is available in the narthex. Please pick yours up at your earliest convenience. If there is none with your name and you would like a set, let the office or John Minnich know and they will get a set for you. Please continue using your 2018 envelopes thru the end of this year and start using the new ones in 2019 to assure proper credit. Thank you.
____________________________________________________________________________
Our church now offers Online Giving, a web-based electronic contribution application. We are providing this service so that you have the option to manage your contributions online or with your offering envelopes. This service is safe and secure. And it is convenient for you and for our church staff. Once you set up your account, you select the donation amount, the fund you are supporting, and date(s) funds will be transferred. It’s that simple! No weekly checks to write, you may change your donation at any time and you can donate to special funds as well.
This convenient new system accessed through our website does not require you to contact your bank to sign up or to make changes. You can use any of your checking or savings accounts and the funds will be automatically transferred to our church bank account. You can also see reports on your contribution history and generate tax statements at each year’s end.
Sign up for Online Giving by going to our church website at: www.yorkfirst.org and click on the Online Giving Link or go directly to the Online Giving website at: www.acionlinegiving.com/4706.
You simply complete the information including your name, address, email address, and bank information. Then choose the fund, date and frequency for your contribution. Choose General Fund for tithes/offerings.
For assistance setting up your account, call Donor Support at: 800-348-2886 – Option 2 – Online Giving – Questions? Contact Sheryl Leaman – Thank you for your support!!!!!
Update: 5 new members need to enroll!!
_ ___________________________________________________________________________
LOOKING AHEAD. . . . . . . .
DECEMBER 23, 2018 ~ Choir Cantata during the 10:30 Worship Hour in the Sanctuary -The Chancel Choir, with narration, and accompanied by strings, piano and organ will present the cantata “Sing Joy to All the World!”. The overriding theme of this inspiring Christmas work by Lloyd Larson is Joy. The music incorporates original melodies and familiar carols in a work that ranges from contemplative to celebratory.
DECEMBER 24, 2018 ~ Christmas Eve Service – Monday, December 24 at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary -Traditional Christmas hymns and carols, scriptures and readings, candle lighting, and special music.
_____________________________________________________________________________
CONTACTING THE PASTOR: Pastor Joel can be reached most mornings in the church office Monday—Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Afternoons and evenings are set aside for visiting those in need, for meetings, and for other pastoral duties. Pastor Joel is also available for Pastoral Counseling by appointment. If you need to reach the pastor outside of office hours, his home phone number is (717) 318-5442, and his cell number is (717) 271-4888 . You can also email him at pastor@yorkfirst.org. By the way, HIPAA laws prevent the hospital from contacting the pastor when you are admitted, so you will need to let hospital staff know that you would like the hospital to contact your pastor.
_____________________________________________________________________________
York First Church of the Brethren, 2710 Kingston Road, York, PA 17402, Ph: 717-755-0307, Fax: 717-755-1382, yorkfirst.org
