Weekly News
Vol. 13-No. 6 Friday, February 9, 2018
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, February 11, 2018
9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
10:30 a.m. – Worship Service, Sanctuary
– MESSAGE: “God Unveiled”
– SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9
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ATTACHMENTS: Calendar of Events, Friends to Remember in Prayer, & Sunday School Schedule
ATTENDANCE – February 4, 2018, 10:30 a.m. Worship Service – 83
COPIES OF this week’s e-news, the February calendar, and January/February Newsline Digest are available to be picked up on the table in the narthex and can be viewed at www.yorkfirst.org
LENTEN DEVOTIONALS, “Growing in God’s Garden” by Erin Matteson, are available for pick up on the table in the narthex. ~ Please only one per family.
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THIS WEEK . . . . . . . . . .
FEBRUARY 11, 2018 ~ ALL CHURCH GAME NIGHT, THIS SUNDAY February 11th at 3:30 pm – 6:00 pm in the Gym presented by the Fellowship & Hospitality Team. Bring your favorite board/card/etc. games to share! All ages welcome, plus pickleball is back! This game is less strenuous than tennis, and is played with a paddle and a wiffle ball. Everyone can learn! Come fine out what it is all about!! Bring a dessert or snack food item to share. Pizza, salad, and drinks will be provided! Questions? Please contact Tim Beckwith.
FEBRUARY 15, 22, AND MARCH 1, 2018 ~ The Peace and Justice Group is sponsoring a 3-part Lenten experience: On Waging Peace by David Radcliff
Session 1 – Thursday, Feb. 15, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Session 2 – Thursday, Feb 22, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Session 3 – Thursday, March 1, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
In the Ensemble Room (Harmony Ridge) at Cross Keys Village
The sessions are based on a Study booklet written for the Witness Commission of the Church of the Brethren, and will include a Biblical reference, a brief presentation, and discussion. Sessions will be led by Villager Norman Cain (retired pastor). All are welcome to attend any or all sessions. For information, please contact: Merle Forney, Ext. 5685, Charles Snyder, Ext. 5965
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SYMPATHY & CONDOLENCES . . . . . . . . . . .
To the family of Elmer Allison. Elmer passed away Jan. 31, 2018. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held at York First on Monday, April 9, 2018. More details will follow.
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February Birthday ~ Today, Feb. 9th – Calla Michelle Stehr is celebrating her 1st birthday ~ She is the daughter of Jarret & Katie Stehr, Grandparents are Barry & Tammy Stehr, and Great grandmother is Dolores Mann.
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In January the Spiritual Enrichment Team shared the first three of “The Top 10 Ways to Reduce Violence” by Dr. Phillip E. Humbert. This month in keeping with our pacifist Church of the Brethren roots, we will look at four more ways.
- TAKE ALL VIOLENCE SERIOUSLY. Playground bullies and sibling rivalries do not have to be accepted as part of life, at least not when children are getting hurt. Kids squabbling over ‘my toy’ is one thing; hitting or pulling hair is something else. We do not have to accept it as normal behavior.
- TAKE TROUBLED, ANGRY PEOPLE SERIOUSLY. We talk about needing more early intervention with troubled kids, and I agree. But people of all ages get trapped in situations they can’t handle, with emotions they don’t know how to express. Domestic violence, violence among co-workers and among children should always be treated as a serious matter. Hitting and hurting, and threatening to hurt, are not OK.
- DEAL WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF GUNS. Knives, cars, and a thousand other things also kill people, but guns have a unique place in the American imagination. Of course, they also have a place in the rich tradition of hunting and target shooting. I don’t have all the answers, but hunting seems different than having military-style weapons available to millions of homes across the country. There must be a better system.
- ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN VIOLENT IMAGES AND VIOLENT BEHAVIOR. I abhor censorship, so this is a tough one. But if 30-second images can sell up lipstick and Buicks, and change the way we vote, it seems likely that hours and hours of explosions, shootings, fights and mayhem may also influence behavior. To be blunt, I am particularly troubled by the violence in video games and the number of violent ‘action adventure’ movies we support as a culture. This is not healthy!
In March we will be sharing the last of the ten ways. Please try to practice these four new ones, in conjunction with the first three from January. Let us dedicate ourselves to non-violence and live out our faith in this way, continuing to seek the mind of Christ and the will of God.
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LOOKING AHEAD. . . . . . . .
FEBRUARY 20, 2018 – Elizabethtown College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies presents “Embedded: Quilts and Their Stories,” an interactive presentation by Janneken Smucker, on Tues., Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m., in Hoover 212. Smucker, a fifth generation quiltmaker and the author of Amish Quilts: Crafting an American Icon, teaches history at West Chester University. For more information, call 717-361-1470 or visit www.etown.edu/youngctr/events.
FEB. 24, & MARCH 3, 2018 ~ STRAWBERRY HILL’S ANNUAL MOUNT HOPE MAPLE MADNESS maple sugaring festival – Held at Camp Eder, 914 Mount Hope Road, Fairfield, PA 17320 – Sat., Feb. 24 & Sat., March 3, 7:30 – 11:30am Pancake Breakfast and Local Art & Craft Vendors
9:00am – 12:00pm Maple Sugaring Tours (90 minute tour; last tour begins at 12pm and runs until 1:30pm) Tickets available at the door. All-you-care-to-eat Pancake Breakfast: $8 Adult / $4 Child Maple Sugaring Tour: $8 Adult / $5 Child
“SWEET DEAL”: Best Price — Breakfast & a Tour $12 Adult / $7 Child (under 3 Free)
FEBRUARY 24, 2018 – MAN 2 MAN Workshop 2018, Men’s Spiritual Leadership Summit & Breakfast – Sat., Feb. 24th, 8 am – noon, Mechanicsburg Church of the Brethren, Man Enough to Follow the Son of Man? Guest Speaker: David Radcliff
Registration deadline: Sat., Feb. 10, 2018 See the bulletin board for additional information and for registration forms, and let Pastor Joel know if you plan to attend.
MARCH 3, 2018 – The Friends of Cross Keys Village/The Brethren Home Community – The Spring Meeting of The Friends, Saturday, March 3rd (snow date March 31) 10:00 a.m., Nicarry Meetinghouse – Our program will feature Rev. Christian Elliott, from the Knobsville Church of the Brethren. He will speak about his mission work in Africa. A light lunch will follow. (Free will offering will be taken) Please RSVP by Feb. 23rd to Volunteer Services by telephone at 717-624-5227 or E-mail Ruth Wilson at r.wilson@crosskeysvillage.org so we can adequately prepare for the meeting and lunch.
MARCH 22, 2018 – Young Center Durnbaugh Lecture 2018, Thursday, March 22, 2018, 7:30 – 9pm, Durnbaugh Lectures: Update on the Boko Haram Crisis in Northeastern Nigeria” and “The Founding of CCEPI and Its Mission to the Displaced”
Samuel Dali, former president of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, presents an overview of the Boko Haram crisis, the devastation to the Church of the Brethren, and the church’s response. Rebecca Dali, founder and executive director of the Centre for Caring, Empowerment and Peace Initiatives (CCEPI), gives a brief history of the organization and discusses the plight of women in northeastern Nigeria, and IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and refugees in Cameroon.
Cost: Free, Contact: Young Center at 717-361-1470 or youngctr@etown.edu , Location: Esbenshade Gibble Auditorium, Organization: YOUNG CENTER, Web Site:www.etown.edu
JULY 21-26, 2018 – CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE (NYC) in Fort Collins, Colorado. Youth who have completed grades 9-12 are invited to attend this exciting gathering of thousands of youth from across the country. It happens only once every 4 years, and includes many times of worship, small groups, workshops, service projects, recreation, social activities, and more! Visithttp://www.brethren.org/yya/nyc/ for details. Please contact Pastor Joel if you or your children may have interest in attending. The church will cover most expenses, and it promises to be a life-giving experience that is not to be missed!
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CAMP EDER ~ LIFE OUTDOORS ~ LIFESKILLS WORKSHOP, Free and open to the public RSVP @ 717-642-8256, Workshops will fill fast. Please R.S.V.P. – Register online now
First Thursday of every month. 6:30p – 8p at Camp Eder
March 1, 2018 – Outdoor Survival Skills ‘no problems’
April 5, 2018 – Beekeeping ‘bee ready for Spring’
Come hang out & learn the basics of some awesome life skills.
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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 atpastor@yorkfirst.org. By the way, HIPA 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.
