December
2011 Congregational Council
|
Donna Treaster Terri Limes |
President Worship/Music |
|
Steve Henry |
Property |
|
Allen Mengel |
Treasurer |
|
Mike Hartman |
Vice President/Evangelism |
|
Judy Tunall |
Social Ministry |
|
Steven Burk |
Cemetery |
|
Mark Monroe |
Youth/Stewardship |
|
Keith Baker |
Stewardship/Property |
|
David Phillips |
Christian Ed/Worship |
|
Scott Price |
Finance/Memorials |
|
Gene Wapner |
Personnel/Property/Finance |
|
Alison Yoder |
Secretary/Evangelism |
The Congregational Council is the official decision-making body of our parish, comprised of fifteen active, confirmed members and the pastor. Each year at the Annual Meeting of the Congregation, five persons are elected to a three-year term. The group meets regularly on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Minutes of the meetings are posted in the office and at the entryway to the church.
From the Pastor
In the Church, December is about endings and beginnings, which seem to flow in streams over one another. November 27, the first Sunday of Advent, has texts about Jesus’ coming again to be with us – yet it is also about the prophet’s longing, over the course of centuries, to see the Messiah. The physical year draws to a close, while the church year has already begun again. Such a strange time of the year!
Perhaps it is a reminder to us that endings are also always beginnings. As we draw close to Christmas, as we hear the two-thousand-year-old message of the angels declare, “peace on earth among all people,” we still long for its fulfillment. We enter into the ancient story; we remember our own Christmases – as children, as young couples, the many Christmas celebrations throughout the years, even to the present. Along with them, we add our hope for a “Merry Christmas,” that the angel’s message from so long ago might ring true in our own time.
On Christmas Eve, the “hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.” We gather, aware of how the promises of the past crowd in with us around the manger. We celebrate the birth – not only of an infant two thousand years ago, but of something present – faith, hope, love, promises given, waited for, and kept – that Spirit that is always present, that draws us, again and again to the side of the manger. We eat and drink together: “This is my body; this is my blood.” The yearning takes on human flesh; hope is incarnated.
It does not end there. Our desire is not merely for today, but for the future as well – that all people may finally know peace, that brotherhood (and sisterhood!) might be restored, that the lion and lamb might lie down together, that our children might always have bright Christmases.
Our hope is rejoined to that of the prophets, who speak for us as well. And we have come full circle. Hope. Presence. Fulfillment. Endings and beginnings.
On behalf of the Council and staff of St. John’s, we wish you a very Merry and Blessed Holiday Season!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Roth
Special
Congregational Meeting
At a special congregational meeting following the 10:15 am worship service on September 25, 1011, the congregation voted to approve the expenditure of approximately $33,000 to replace windows in the parlor and Christian Education wing, ninety-one windows in all. Earlier in the year, we had been working on repair of the Main Street entrance, brownstone and brick facing of the Main Street side of the sanctuary, as well as the steeple, which were getting to be in an unsafe condition. The windows are in a deteriorated condition, and are single pane, resulting in a great amount of heat loss during the winter. We found that the cost to repair them was almost as much as replacement cost. The funds for this latest project will come from our Capital Improvement Fund. We also would like to encourage members to “buy” a window, for $300 each – the approximate replacement cost per window. We also are continuing to ask for donations to cover the costs involved in renovation of the brick and brownstone. A little over $30,000 of the approximately $100,000 needed has been raised so far.
Worship
On November 27, we begin our Advent celebrations, awaiting Jesus’ birth. We begin with the blowing of the shofar, announcing the New Year, and reminding us of John’s message: Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight! Along with that, we begin a tradition that includes the most beloved liturgy of the year: the use of the Holden Annunciation and Magnificat as our song of praise, as well as the lighting of the Advent Wreath, as we count the Sundays of Advent. The use of the Annunciation and Magnificat will continue throughout the Christmas season, until Epiphany marks the coming of the Wise Men and the end of our Christmas celebrations. This beautiful holiday season is a great time to bring friends to worship!
December 11, at the 10:30 am worship, our Sunday School children will bring us the Christmas message, “And the Angel Said....” A lovely presentation of the Christmas message, we know you will enjoy both the message and the messengers!
The music of Christmas is something special, unlike any other music! This year, the Choral Cantata, “lead Me Back to Bethlehem,” being presented at the 10:15 am service on December 18, combines the Christmas story with lovely arrangements of carols and folk songs, as well as original music by Pepper Choplin.
We will continue, this year, with the tradition of having two services on Christmas Eve. The 7:00 pm service is a Children’s Service, with carols, the reading of the Christmas story, an original Christmas story by Pastor Roth, and a birthday cake for Jesus! At 11:00 pm we have our main service of the evening, with carols, candles and communion – perhaps our loveliest service of the year! The service concludes with the proclamation of Jesus’ birth, and the congregation’s joining the angel chorus, singing “Joy to the World!”
With Christmas Eve falling on Saturday evening, we will only have one service on Sunday, Christmas Day, at 10:15 am. The “loud joy” of Christmas Eve gives way to meditation, as we join Mary and Joseph, along with the whole of creation, in wonder at what has been born among us. The service that morning will be one of Carols and Readings, as we read the story, from promise to fulfillment.
The following Sunday is New Year’s Day, with only one service, at 10:15 am. This will be a special service for a special Sunday – the beginning of a new year. We will put away the old year, and welcome in the new, with a service inspired by the Taise community in France.
Our worship on January 8 celebrates The Baptism of our Lord. The three great themes of the Epiphany season: Jesus as the Light of the World, discipleship, and baptism, will be contained in our three-part service, based on an old Anglican order for worship for that day. We begin with a hymn to the light, the Luminare, and the lovely Tallis’ Canon. The Procession of the Wise Men with their gifts follow, interspersed with stanzas of We Three Kings. Finally, we are led in Baptismal Remembrance.
On January15 we return to “Ordinary Time” in the church calendar. This is the Week of Christian Unity, when we remember that, despite differences, all Christians serve the same Lord and proclaim the same Gospel of grace. Our setting for the rest of Epiphany will be Setting 4.
Finally, reminders that the first Sunday of the month, at 1:30 pm, we have a shortened form of the Service. On January 29 we will be taking Communion to our shut-ins. If you know anyone who would like to receive communion who is home-bound, please let us know in advance.
As you can see, there is a lot going on in December and January, with some of the most wonderful services of the year! Be sure to be here – it’s a great place to contemplate the meaning of the holidays!
Sermons in December and
January
With the beginning of a new Church Year on November 27 (Advent 1), we begin a new series of pericopes (the selected texts for each Sunday), from the ‘B’ Cycle. Year B is the year of Mark, the shortest of the Gospels. Because Mark does not contain a Christmas story, the texts for Advent and Christmas come mostly from the other Gospel writers (exceptions for this are the first two Sundays of Advent, since the First Sunday focuses on Jesus’ Second Coming, and the Second focuses on John the Baptist, which is where Mark’s story begins). Because there is no year designated for John, readings from the Fourth Gospel are also interspersed throughout the year.
November 27 Advent 1 Mark 13:24-37 “The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up”
December 4 Advent 2 Mark 1:1-8 “Here Comes Santa Claus!”
10:15 am Sunday School Christmas Program
December 11 Advent 3 John 1:6-8,19-28 “Witness to the Light”
10:15 am Choral Christmas Cantata
December 18 Advent 4 Luke 1:26-38 “Mary’s Story”
December 24 Christmas Eve Luke 2:1-20
7:00 pm Children’s Service
11:00 pm Candlelight Communion Service
December 25 Christmas Day Service of Carols & Readings no sermon
10:15 am Service only
January 1 New Year’s Day Luke 2:15-21 “God’s Time”
10:15 am Service only
January 8 Baptism of our Lord Mark 1:4-11
January 15 Epiphany 2 John 1:43-51 “Come and See”
January 22 Epiphany 3 Mark 1:14-20 “Come and Follow”
January 29 Epiphany 4 Mark 1:21-28 “Battling Unclean Spirits”
You can go to our “Sermons” page and see recent sermons preached at St. Johns!
Every Sunday we have a special worship hour especially for kids Grades K-6 during our 10:15 am worship service! After the children's message, the children can leave the Sanctuary with an assigned adult and go to the chapel for instruction time, music and crafts. On Communion Sundays, the children will return to the Sanctuary in time for communion. On other Sundays, parents can pick them up in the Sunday School wing.
Stewardship
As you think about your Stewardship to St. John’s, please remember your Financial Stewardship. The costs of ministry rise every year, as our bills go up. Everything from gas to the cost of paper products, electricity and phone bills continue to rise. In these difficult economic times, we are doing the best to keep our bills down, and have cut our budget “close to the bone.” But we need your help, to enable the church to do effective ministry. Please be sure to continue your donations when you are away from church for a few weeks. And consider giving a little more each week. a few dollars, compounded by many doing the same thing, is like “Many hands make work lighter.” It helps us pay our bills!
From
the Library
Do you have a home Bible Study group, or would like some help for your personal bible Study? We have a number of DVDs featuring excellent Bible studies, led by professors in Lutheran Seminaries, along with study notes and other accompanying materials you can use for your own studies! Our latest is a study on the Revelation to St. John, entitled, “Is This the Time?” by Dr. Craig Koester. Along with its study book, “Revelation and the End of All Things,” it is an excellent way to engage this interesting book of the Bible. This, and other Bible study materials, are available in our library. Check them out!
Have you checked out the new books in our library? Every month, we normally receive several new titles, some “spiritual classics,” while others are newly published. A couple we have received this month are, Ther Sacred Journey, by Charles Foster; part of the “Ancient Practices Series,” exploring the importance of “journeying” and pilgrimages in Christian faith. In time for Christmas, we have The Purpose of Christmas, by best-selling author, Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, also in our bookshelves. For those of you who love you pets, there is Pets and Heaven: What the Bible Says, by Neal Otto Hively. Come and see what’s new in our library!
Worship
Sponsors
You can sponsor the bulletin, flowers or communion elements, either in memory of someone you love, or to honor someone special to you. Call the church office for details. We are also still accepting donations for the new hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Worship. If you would like to sponsor a hymnal, call the office.
New
Bibles?
The Sunday School is in need of new Bibles, geared to the ages of our pupils. If you would like to sponsor one or more Bibles, contact the church office.
Youth
Happenings
Our youth have a lot going on, between Scouting, Explorer Girls, and our two youth groups! Our Cub Scouts have a new leadership team who are anxious to take scouting to a new level here at St. John’s! We welcome them and their enthusiasm! They meet on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm. Our Girl Scout and Boy Scout programs have also picked up their fall schedules, with Girl Scouts meeting here on Monday nights at 6:00 pm, and Boy Scouts on Thursdays at 7:00 pm. Our Explorer Girls had a wonderful camp this summer, and are now returning to their fall schedule here, every Thursday evening at 6:30 pm.
Our Junior and Senior High Youth Groups are finalizing their fall and winter scheduling for the year, with lots of activities planned for kids in Junior and Senior High School. Our group leaders are Steve and Vicki Yohn, Caity Croyle, David Phillips and Mark Monroe for the Senior High; and Davit Yoder and Collette Croyle for the Junior High youth. Jon Farley continues to be our Youth Project Coordinator. This year, we are also working to send a group to the National Lutheran Youth Gathering in New Orleans, next July. They have begun their monthly meetings in preparation for their trip, and are working to raise funds to get them there. Currently, we have eleven kids and several adult leaders going, and estimate the total cost to be around $15,000 (most of it in air fare)! They will be setting up a display to show how far they are toward their goal – stop by and see how they are faring! And please help, either by participating in their fundraising activities, helping to sponsor a youth, and keeping them in your prayers!
Scouting
Our Scout Troops are a wonderful way to have fun, learn about the outdoors, and build character and long-term friendships. You can help, too - our Scout Troops are looking for more helpers and board members! We welcome new Cub Scout leaders this year. St. John’s charters both Cub and Boy Scouts, as well as hosting a Brownie and Girl Scout troop! Call the church office for more information.
Explorer Girls
We’re looking forward to another great year with the Explorer Girls! We have a very active group, freshly back from summer camp, and ready for a new year of excitement and fun! Explorer Girls is a faith-based program for girls, with activities, camping and a lot of fun! See Danielle Yoder or Collette Croyle for more details!
WELCA
Our Women of the ELCA are sponsors of Blanket Sunday again this year. Money received from the service goes to the purchase of blankets for the Lutheran World Relief’s Disaster Response program. Some of these were used locally in the aftermath of the flooding from the hurricane in the Susquehanna Valley this past September.
December 5 will be the annual Christmas Tureen, held in Fellowship Hall beginning at 6:00 pm. Please bring something to share. The event is open to all women, and is free.
November 13 will be the annual Thankoffering Sunday. Our speaker this year will be the Rev. Rosalie Smith of Belleville. The theme is “Our Daily Bread.”
Barnabas
Brothers
The Barnabas Brothers has begun its fall and winter season, with breakfasts for men at 8:00 am on the third Saturday of every month. There is a full breakfast, an interesting speaker, good fellowship, and opportunities for service in our community at the Barnabas Brothers every month. The Barnabas Brothers sponsors Oak Cabin at Camp Mt. Luther, helps support the ministries of Explorer Girls and the Lumina Center, and is currently raising funds for some of the renovations at the church, and for the youth who are going to New Orleans for the National Lutheran Youth Gathering in July. Come, enjoy a good breakfast, good company, and help make a difference!
Lewistown
Ice Festival
Lewistown’s Ice Festival has become a “big deal” for us – and for the town! This year, again, we are deeply involved. Listen to our bell choir director, Peter Marsh, as he leads the Community Orchestra with music of the season, with a number of members from our congregation also participating as musicians. Don’t forget to stop by our Cookie Walk, again in the Old Courthouse, and pick up a couple of dozen cookies for the holiday! Have children? Make sure they stop by our booth to decorate Gingerbread Men and Women! It’s great fun! And don’t forget to stop out to see the lights in Kish Park, and listen to our Men’s Quartet sing acapella music of the season!
Chip
Drop
On New Year’s Eve, Lewistown is celebrating First Night, with various activities, including a “Chip Drop” at midnight. Our congregation is participating as well, providing a venue for a special performance by an Oscar-winning performer! The details haven’t all been worked out yet, but there will be performances of this actor doing “Charlie Chaplain-style” physical humor at 8:00 and 10:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall! Make sure you stop by!
Mini
Mountain Laurel Concert Series
The Mini Mountain Laurel Concert Series continues on January 20 at St. John’s, with “Hello Stranger,” welcoming back legend Dale Carter Jett. Dale, a native of Southwest Virginia and a third generation member of the legendary Carter Family, the “first family” of country music, is a songwriter and singer, specializing on the autoharp. Like his grandfather, Dale is a "collector" of songs. His dedication to the preservation of traditional music, the love of Carter Family songs, and his admiration of other songwriters are evident in his performances . His performances and recordings encompass a unique combination of traditional songs blended with a mix of others that extend the boundaries of conventional country. Whether playing an original tune, or that of others, "Hello Stranger's" music will ring true to the soul.
Angel
Food Ministry
The Angel Food Ministry was affected by both the hurricane (its headquarters is in Atlanta) and the recession, and has had to close. We thank especially Mary Barr, who worked so hard to get it going, and in making it a successful program in our area, as well as all the faithful volunteers who made it work well.
Have you Considered the Ministry?
Have you thought about a career either in the ministry or in
teaching? Not sure what vocation you
would like to pursue? The Fund for
Theological Education is a leading national advocate for excellence and
diversity in Christian ministry. Their work supports the next generation of
leaders among pastors and scholars. They provide fellowships and a network of
support to gifted young people for both undergraduate and graduate work, from
all denominations and racial/ethnic backgrounds—encouraging those with gifts
for leadership to consider vocations in ministry and teaching and nurturing
them in their exploration and study. For
more information, go to http://thefund.org/ on the web!
Speaking of Christian
Vocation:
Project Connect is web of
connections among many and various parts of the church in the East—seminaries,
colleges, camps, campus ministries, pastors, lay leaders, congregations, social
ministry organizations, volunteer organizations like Lutheran Volunteer Corps
and Lutheran Student Movement, and, particularly, young adults—that works
together toward a single important goal: to involve young adults in programs
and projects and retreats and discussions about how God is calling them to
build a life, providing programs of vocational discernment for college-age
adults that take our understanding of who God is and what God calls us to be
and do seriously.
Identify programs include various
discernment events, college courses about vocation, and a variety of
opportunities for people in the network to identify young adults who might be
interested in this project.
Nurture programs focus on deepening the
discernment by making connections with outdoor ministry programs, with colleges
and campus ministries, with Lutheran Volunteer Corps, with seminaries.
Sustain programs dig deeper still by
offering opportunities for immersion experiences in congregational settings and
mini-grants that will explore fresh ideas in congregational ministry.
For
more information, go to their web site, http://projectconnect.org/
The ELCA on the Net!
Videos about the ELCA are now available on the Net! 87 videos have been posted in the last six months, and the number continues to grow! You can "Open the Door to Luther," view an introduction to the New Testament, learn about Islam, learn about "prayer scrapbooking," walk through the Luther lands, listen to messages on important topics from Presiding Bishop Mark Hansen, experience the ELCA Youth Gathering in San Antonio, and much more! Just go to youtube.com or video.google.com and type "ELCA" to see what is available!
Charitable Giving
Opportunities
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 includes a variety of charitable giving incentives, most notably a version of the long-awaited “IRA Charitable Rollover.” Individuals 70½ years old or older may make a qualified charitable distribution outright to charity in an amount up to $100,000 per year directly from an Individual Retirement Arrangement (“IRA”). Under prior law, these distributions would be taxable to the IRA owner, but under the Act, the distribution will be excluded from the donor's taxable income. The IRA Charitable Rollover is only available in 2006 and 2007. Another benefit of the IRA Charitable Rollover is that the charitable distribution may be used by the IRA owner to satisfy a portion or all of their annual minimum distribution requirements. For more information, or to learn about giving through you will, charitable gift annuities, or other giving vehicles, contact the ELCA Foundation office at 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2970. Also available are the publications, "Why Do I Need a Will?" "What Will Your Legacy Be?" "Will and Trust Workbook." For Memorial Gifts and Endowments to St. John’s, visit our Memorials page.
Shut-In Visitation
We call on members in nursing homes in the area, and on shut-ins on a monthly basis, through our "Friendly Visitor" program! Many of our shut-ins already have a visitor - if you know any one who would like a regular visit from one of our members, please call the office. We can also use folks who would like to make phone calls to our shut-ins once or twice a day, just to make sure they are o.k., for our Telephone Assurance program.
The Pennebaker Trust
In her will, Mrs. Irene Pennebaker established the
Irene Pennebaker Trust, for the care of members who
worship or worshipped at
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