441 Pine Street, Williamsport PA 17701 (570) 323-4604 - office

Pastor Douglas M. Eberly www.pinestreetumc.org streetpine@hotmail.com

Change is Hard! Acts 9:1-19

My friends in Christ,

As I think about things that have changed, let me just share a short list of what once was and is now.

• Manual typewriters → computers → emails/text • Carbon copies & mimeograph copies → color copiers • Rotary dial party line phones → wireless smart phones • Ringer washers → automatic washers and dryers • Window fans → central air conditioning • Black & white TV with aerial and a few channels → cable or satellite color TV’s with giant screens

Change happens all around us! We all respond differently to change. Innovators and early adopters will stand in line to get the latest smart phone. The early and late majority will wait for the bugs to be worked out. The laggards will proudly declare that their flip phone is good enough for them. But like it or not, change happens and in our lifetime it is happening at an ever quickening pace.

The church is not immune from change either. We’ve talked about change for most of the year as we make changes in worship, make changes to keep everyone safer, considering change in leadership structure, and anticipate other changes from the upcoming General Conference in February 2019.

Change means moving beyond our traditions and preferences and being open to new things. Change is hard. I can remember my grandparents and now my parents resisting change and not trusting the new “fan dangled” thing. The old was good enough. But in spite of their initial resistance, they aren’t about to give up their wireless phone, AC or color TV.

As we move forward as a congregation, I ask that you would prayerfully remain open to the new ways God will move in our midst both as a congregation and a denomination. Trust that God is with us especially in these changing times.

I love the story about the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus. Paul was persecuting the Christians and had a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Blindly he was led into town. Then Jesus spoke to Ananias who wanted to have nothing to do with Saul—he knew about the evil Saul had done. But Jesus told Ananias that He had chosen Saul to go to the Gentiles. And Ananias went and did as he was told.

Ananias went from “NO WAY” to “Yes, Lord.” Let us have that same spirit in us—that we trust God and our leaders as we move forward. Let’s be sincere in together praying, “Lord, what changes are you asking us to make?” And then let us faithfully join Ananias in saying, “Yes, Lord.” and move forward.

Pastor Doug

Witnessing to our faith and serving Christ from Pine Street for 192 years!

UPCOMING SERMON SCHEDULE Oct. 7 Living out our Faith…How do we pray for each other. James 5:13-20 Oct. 14 What are you holding back? Mark 10:17-31 Oct. 21 Laity Sunday Oct. 28 Stepping Out in Faith Mark 10:46-52 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Roman 10:17

• 9:45AM Sunday School • 8:30AM & 11AM Worship Service

We also broadcast the 11:00AM service on WWPA 1340AM and 101.3FM

*Monday – Thursday 8:00AM – 3:00PM Friday – 8:00AM – 1:30PM Email: streetpine@hotmail.com Website: www.pinestreetumc.org Also find us on Facebook under Pine Street United Methodist Church.

October: Cathy Marr 570-433-0244 November: Juanita Shaw 570-327-9500 December: Barb Flock 570-326-6970

OCTOBER SPECIAL OFFERING October 7th

In our offering packets, the special offering for October is for World Communion Sunday.

This is a church-wide special offering begun in 1936 to fund graduate racial-ethnic World Communion Scholarships, with at least half of the annual amount reserved for ministries beyond the United States. Donations also provide for undergraduate U.S. Ethnic Scholarships and Ethnic In-Service Training programs, and in the past five years have enabled 1,384 scholarships from $2,832,425. Total giving over 5 years has been $4,133,612, which serves as a unifying force in our fractured world. Please read the bulletin insert for how our gifts help.

SEPTEMBER ECUMENICAL LUNCH Plan to join us Wednesdays this fall for a delicious lunch, warm ecumenical fellowship and an enriching program! These luncheons are every week of the school year at Pine Street United Methodist Church, 441 Pine Street, Williamsport. The lunch line opens about 11:45 a.m. and you are assured of a tasty $6 lunch. Parking will be free during that day from 11 - 1:30 in the lot north of the church. To help with planning please RSVP at 570-322-1110 or director@uclc.org if you are not a regular attender. OCTOBER: 3- Mr. Bruce Huffman, Local Historical Investigator, “Williamsport, Government, and the Struggle for Change” 10- Rev. Harlan Frank Showers, Retired Lutheran Pastor, “Songs and a Prayer for a New Day” 17- Mrs. Roberta Updegraff, Local author who often writes for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Mission Mosaic, “Immigration Solutions Don’t Take Sides” 24- Ms. Nicole Miller, Executive Director, Transitional Living Center, “Helping Women Stay Out of Prison” 31- Rev. Bradley Walmer, Pastor, New Covenant United Church of Christ, “A Reformation Worship Service”

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Would you like to provide altar flowers in memory or honor of someone? Please contact the altar guild member below:

VANCO-ELECTRONIC GIVING

Enjoy the Convenience of Electronic Giving. Pine Street wants to remind you that we offer electronic giving as a way to automate your regular weekly/monthly offering. Electronic giving offers convenience for individual congregation members and provides much-needed donation consistency for our congregation.

Direct Debit Giving is used to automatically transfer funds from your checking or savings account to the church’s bank account.

Online giving allows you to go to our website, www.pinestreetumc.org at any time to set up an automatic donation plan, change your donation plan, make a one-time donation or view your online donation history.

As you contemplate future contributions, please consider electronic giving. For questions or more information, contact Gail Maurer at 570-419-4781.

NOVEMBER PINE NEEDLE Please have any material for the November Pine Needle in the church office no later than Wednesday, October 17th. Any early articles are appreciated and helpful. Articles not received by October 17th may not be included in the November Pine Needle.

DID YOU KNOW? You can receive your Pine Needle sooner by visiting www.pinestreetumc.org or by email. Not only do you benefit by getting it early, you can also help the church be good stewards of their finances by helping to save on postage. If you would like to be added to the email mailing, please contact the church office. Thank you.

UNITED METHODIST

WOMEN

The Pine Street United Methodist Women will host a cluster brunch on Wednesday, October 17th in Wesley Hall at 9:30 am. Following the brunch Dr. John Piper will be our guest speaker. He will discuss what the UMW should know about the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. All women of the church are invited. Please let Pat Wittig know if you will be attending. Karen Cook, Suzanne Heilman, Marion Reeser and Pat Wittig attended District Annual Day at Hughesville. Three of our long-time and faithful members were honored. They were Mary Dodge, Margaret Schell and Juanita Shaw. World Community Day, sponsored by Church Women United will be held at First Church of Christ, Disciples on Almond Street on Friday, November 2nd at 1:30 p.m. A fellowship our will follow the service. All women are invited to attend.

FRIDAY NIGHTERS PSUMC's first Friday Nighters' event of the new season will be held on Friday, October 26th. The program will feature writer, genealogist and quilter Carol Sones Shetler. Her presentation will focus on Williamsport during WWI and highlight local women, families, and events of the time period in observance of the 100th anniversary of the Great War. As usual, a potluck luck dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. with the program to follow. Sign-up in the courtyard hallway or on the connect card. Cost is $5.00 per person. Each group is asked to bring a designated dish to share. See you there!

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ALTERNATIVE STRUCTURE:

SIMPLIFYING FOR MISSIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

An Ad Hoc Alternative Structure committee was formed by Church Council this spring to study the possibilities of a new structure for leadership. Members of the committee are Don Metzger, Mark Nevill, Kathryn Penfield, Jack Rhoads, Pastor Doug and Margaret Piper, Chairperson.

What is Alternative Structure all about? This new structure combines the administrative functions of Trustees, Finance, Church Council, and SPRC into one leadership board.

Benefits

Streamlines decision making

Fewer, more comprehensive meetings with less over-lap

Shorter response time for addressing business of the church

Changes our focus from managing to ministry

Challenges

Changing our response from “This is how we’ve always done it” to “Let’s see if Alternative Structure works better!”

Identifying leadership committed to developing this new structure

Commitment by our members to learn about it

On-going communication and follow-up with our members

How did we get to this point?

The committee has had 12 meeting since March

• With chairs of our administrative committees and with Church Council multiple times,

• With pastor and lay leader of Faith Church, Montoursville which uses Alternative structure and

• Studied literature provided by our Susquehanna Conference and other churches using Alternative Structure.

If you were unable to attend the September 23rd congregational briefing, please join us October 14th following the early service to hear more about this proposal.

Our committee encourages you to prayerfully consider the possibilities of this new leadership structure which we believe will allow us to be more responsive and efficient in our decision-making.

Margaret Piper, Chairperson

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Those serving in November

We would like to thank all who give of their time each Sunday morning. If you would like to help in any of these areas, please contact the office or make a note on your connection card and we will get you in touch with the proper person.

WORSHIP LEADERS

Oct. 7 Nick Grimes Oct. 14 Gail Maurer Oct. 21 Dale Diermyer Oct. 28 Donna Diermyer

USHERS AND GREETERS

Oct. 7 Bill Burd, Larry Fryda, Pat Bailey Wayne & Shari Poust

Oct. 14 Gail Maurer, Karen Wynn, Bill Burd Dale & Donna Diermyer Oct. 21 Donna Diermyer, Bill Burd,

Karen Wynn, Larry Fryda, Pat Bailey

Oct. 28 Gail Maurer, Dale Diermyer, Bill Burd, Larry Fryda

ACOLYTES Oct. 7 Rylie French Oct. 14 Collin Porter Oct. 21 Juliette Grimes Oct. 28 Ciara Beaghley

NURSERY VOLUNTEERS

Oct. 7 Sarah Keiser Oct. 14 Kate Thompson Oct. 21 Jenna McWilliams Oct. 28 Kate Heaster

CRIB NURSERY Tammy LaBarre

FELLOWSHIP FOLLOWING 11:00AM

SERVICE Oct. 7 Lynne & Leo Koskie Oct. 14 Glenda & Larry Breon Oct. 21 Diane & Mike Stanzione Oct. 28 Shari & Wayne Poust

PERSONALS Thank you to those who helped assemble the August Pine Needle. We could not do this each month without your help

SERVING GOD BY SERVING OTHERS

West End Christian Community Center gives food to children each weekend during the school year. Currently there are 100 children enrolled in the program. The Outreach Committee will be collecting the following food items: Individual size packs of raisins, packs of fruit, peaches or mixed fruit, individual pack of pudding and Nature Valley fruit and nut bars. The collection will run from Sunday, October 7th through October 21st. There will be a box in the Lobby.

Thank you for supporting

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LORD MAKE ME A SERVANT

To love my brother, to serve like you do.

I humble my spirit, I bow before you. And through my service, I’ll be just like you. So make me a servant, make me like you.

Open my hand Lord and teach me to share,

Open my heart Lord and teach me to care, for service to others is service to you.

Make me a servant, make me like you.

UNICEF Sunday, October 28th the children will be collecting for UNICEF after each service. The money will help provide needy children around the world with basic needs such as food, water and health care. 90.4% of the money goes to programs, 6.7% goes to fundraising and 2.9% goes to administration. The Outreach Committee will match the donated amount collected. For more information on UNICEF, go to www.unicefusa.org.

TRUNK OR TREAT

Pine Street will be hosting our first Trunk or Treat event for the children of our community on Saturday, October 27 from 1:00 to 3:00 in our parking lot (weather permitting - otherwise Fellowship Hall). Our success is only possible with your help. The following help will be needed: 15 to 20 cars with some type of fall decoration - pumpkins, jack o lanterns, scarecrows, balloons etc. (a few items to use will be at the church), bags of candy, gallons of apple cider, doughnut holes and a few adults or youth to serve cider and doughnuts, as well as pass out our brochures about Sunday School and Pine Street Church. All donations of cider and doughnut holes need to be at the church by Friday, October 26. A sign up board will be in the Lobby. Thank you!

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Bryan Bausinger October 3 Polly Lehman October 3 Patricia Bausinger October 4 Barbara Flock October 4 Michael J. Miller October 4 Corey Miller October 4 Lynda McWilliams October 5 Kaylie Slye October 5 Jessica Gower October 6 Hadley Heaster October 6 Kristen Sweigert October 9 James Beck October 10 Dale Bower *October 14 Alison George October 16 Kieren Kindon-Horwath October 16 Karen Wynn October 16 Aaron Burget October 17 Wilma Robson October 18 Margaret Piper October 19 Sandra Schappell October 20 Frances Herz *October 22 Abby Nevill October 23 Donna Powers October 23 Gail Bair October 24 Sherry Kerstetter October 25 Virla Ocker October 26 Kathryn Peterson October 28 Joseph Bielski October 30

*Jubilee Birthdays (85 years old and above)

Hall, William & Bertha October 10 Stanzione, Michael & Diane October 11 Thompson, Micheal & Kate October 13 Stanzione, Matthew & Amanda October 14 Weigle, Gene & Kathryn Penfield October14 Ocker, George & Virla October 16 Poust, Kenneth & Shari (Hamilton) October 16 Heaster, Sherman & Katie October 18 Page, Allen & Diane October 22

Congratulations to Matthew and Amanda Stanzione on their

1st year anniversary.

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Pine Street United Methodist Church 441 Pine Street Williamsport PA 17701

Address Service Request

2018

Please be sure to read your newsletter for the details of the events happening at Pine Street UMC for the months of September.

Have you checked out the website for Pine Street? www.pinestreetumc.org

Check out Pine Street UMC Facebook page

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Williamsport, PA PERMIT No. 36

Pine Street United Methodist Church Our Vision

Show Christ’s Love

Teach God’s Truth

Share the Gospel

How is God calling you to fulfill our vision?