Ohio United Presbyterian Church

1236 Longvue Avenue

Aliquippa, PA 15001

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

South Heights, PA 15081

Permit No. 5

The Lamplighter is a monthly publication of Ohio United Presbyterian Church

1236 Longvue Ave., Aliquippa, PA 15001

Church Office Hours-Monday thru Friday 9:00 am-1:30 pm

Church phone (724) 378-3690

Lamplighter deadline for articles-21st of each month

Make sure to pick up a copy of the updated Church Directory for

your family. Copies are available in the Narthex

“Summer Storm”

I run outside to laugh and play. Keep me safe, dear Lord, I pray.

I look about. Dark clouds roll near. The sky declares, “A storm is here!”

Then thunder rumbles, cracks and booms!

I hurry home to watch the show of lightning flashing all around

and raindrops tumbling to the ground. A rainbow, Lord, please send my way.

Then I will run outside and play.

-MaryAnn Sundby

2

The Lamplighter Ohio United Presbyterian Church

Summer 2012

Rev. Eric Powell, Interim Minister

Summer Sunday Schedule

Sunday School for children will resume in the Fall but

Wilson Bible Class continues at 9:00 am this summer!

Worship Service - 10:00 am

Church office phone: 724-378-3690

Church email: office@ohioupchurch.com

Church website: www.ohiopresbyterian.org

Church office hours: M-F 9:00 am -1:30 pm

Rev. Eric Powell’s home #: 724-743-3933

Rev. Eric Powell’s email: revdocpowell@verizon.net

INSID

E T

his

Iss

ue

P2 Rev. Powell’s message

P3 Message concl. Volunteers

P4 Pirate game

P5 News from the Pews

P6 Birthdays/Anniversaries

P7 Youth Page

P8 Mission Page

P9 Misc.

P10 Calendar

Dear Friends,

As the General Assembly prepares to meet in Pittsburgh starting June 30th, many

folks throughout the country are understandably concerned about what decisions might be

made. Some, perhaps many, believe this to be a meeting with great significance in terms

of the future of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as a whole. But whatever may happen,

The Church of Jesus Christ will continue – no matter by what names we may refer to

ourselves. And congregations will continue to meet to worship God, grow in His grace,

and serve others in His Name – no matter with whom we may affiliate. It is important, I

believe, to remember this.

But, one can quickly discern that the PCUSA is not alone in being wracked by

turmoil – but rather, our whole culture, and indeed, the world is in a very restless, highly

agitated state. And though it may seem to be simplistic, I thoroughly believe that the best

hope humans have of living life with the greatest degree of freedom and security in this

world is under the Judeo-Christian ethic. The history of world civilizations filled with

monarchies, tyrants and despots of every stripe pale in comparison to what the citizens of

the United States of America have accomplished through the creative and entrepreneurial

energies both encouraged and protected by the ethical principles held by the Founders

and derived from the Holy Bible. And yet, it is the Judeo-Christian ethic that is under a

relentless assault by those who wish to impose something different upon us – whether it is

atheistic relativism, pagan hedonism, or Sharia Law.

Because of these circumstances, I have decided to launch a new sermon series on

ethics starting on July 8th. I am using Tony Campolo’s book, 20 Hot Potatoes Christians

Are Afraid to Touch, as an inspiration. I will not be addressing all 20 of his issues, but

rather some of the ones I believe to be either of significance to our current circumstances

or ones that I have seen to be chronic issues over the past 25+ years of ordained ministry.

I do not assume that everyone will necessarily agree with me, nor am I seeking conformity

from any to my position(s). I am seeking to generate “light” and not “heat” in raising

these issues and discussing their circumstances.

Please remember one of the principles of Reformed Theology that is so very

important: “God, alone, is Lord of the conscience.” This principle is derived from the

doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers (I Peter 2:9, etc.). One way we exercise this

doctrine, believe it or not, is when we vote – for we have a strong history and tradition of

voting for our leaders in strict privacy! Only God and our own conscience know what

choices we have made with our ballots. And though we may tell others we voted for so

and so, we have no means by which to prove that to be true. But, just as it is important in

our citizenship to be engaged and informed in order to make wise decisions in choosing

leaders, so too is it important to consider what God’s Word has to say about various

issues that plague us today so that we might order our lives accordingly and be able to

speak intelligently when the opportunities arise.

3

One final comment, which I will reiterate in the sermon series is this: this is not about donkeys and

elephants. I am not interested in partisanship. If you are a member of a particular political party, I

hope you are working as diligently, if not harder, to reform that party to Godly principles as you may be

working to win – for “all have sinned.” (Romans 3:23) This is not to ignorantly say there aren’t

differences between the political parties in America, but rather to reiterate that this is a question of your

conscience before God as to whether or not you choose to belong to a political party and if so, to which

one. My only request and hope is that you make a thoughtful, deliberate choice for yourself and not

allow others to make the decision for you – but that, too, is ultimately up to you!

I hope these sermons will give us all good “food for thought” as we wrestle with the issues that

surround us. And may we be faithful to the high calling of Jesus Christ to follow Him in His steps.

(I Peter 2:21)

In Christ’s Love,

Rev. Powell

(Pastor’s article concluded)

Date Liturgist Nursery Greeters

7/1 Lynn Smith Christina Murdoch

Bev Abate/Nancy Hribar

7/8 needed Eleanor Pike

7/15 needed Lizz Ward

7/22 Linda Duganich Elaine Verostek

7/29 needed Harriet Kulha

8/5 needed Sherri Murdoch

Dana Clark/Lois Davie

8/12 needed Jen Davis

8/19 needed Nancy Shade

8/26 needed Sherri Murdoch

Your Pastor Nominating Committee: Jim Novacek

Bob Hurni

Dianne Kanitra

Chuck Adamski

Eleanor Pike

Lynn Smith

Betty Solinski

Sharon Neville

Please keep them and their families in your prayers as they

continue to work through the process of finding your next

installed pastor.

“Imperfection is the

prerequisite for grace.

Light only gets in

through the cracks.”

-Philip Yancey

4

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Come watch the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Milwaukee Brewers

Sunday, August 26th 1:35 pm

Tickets: $9.00 for adults

$6.00 for children 14 & under Bus leaves the church at Noon!

Every Sunday Pirates home game is a Kids Day at PNC Park.

Start out with the #1 Cochran Family Fun Zone on Federal Street from 11:00 to 1:00, get a kid-friendly Pirates item (a gym bag this Sunday) at the gates and stick around

after the game when all kids are invited to run the bases, courtesy of HK Anderson Pretzels, right down on the field.

LET’S GO BUCS!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yes, I want to purchase Pirates Tickets!

Name:________________________________________ Phone:________________________________________ Email:________________________________________ #Adult tickets:______@$9.00=____________ #Kids tickets:_______@$6.00=____________

Place in offering plate or turn in to church office by July 15th to guarantee tickets.

5

NE

WS

FR

OM

TH

E P

EW

S Sunday School

Attendance

The following are recognized for having

75% or better attendance in Sunday School

from January thru May:

Elementary-Chris Hurni, Teacher

Ava Dicicco

Holly Dicicco

Jr. High-Bob Hurni, Teacher

Nicholas Barth

Sr. High-Elaine Verostek, Teacher

Evelyn Moss

Path Class-Eleanor Pike, Teacher

Sharon Neville

Sonshine Class-Eric Powell, Teacher

Sallie Alviani

Shirley Fluharty

Joe Glatz

John Martin

Jon Moss

Wilson Bible Class-Lois Davie, Vi Young &

Mary McCartney-Adair, Teachers

Mary McCartney-Adair

Jeff Barth

Sue Berry

Scott Cribbs

Lois Dancer

Lois Davie

Ed Lawson

Evelyn Lawson

Nancy Shade

Ella Mae Spieker

Vi Young

Sunday Sandwich Sale-

August

Homemade Italian or

Turkey Hoagie, Chips & Cookie

$6.50 per lunch w/ option of adding a

bottle of water for total cost of $7.00

This will be a great lunch for those headed

to the Pirate Game!

Sign up for your lunch(es) with the bulletin

insert or call the church office by August 22.

This year’s VBS was a huge success! As

many as 139 children from age 4 thru 12th

grade attended each day-a big increase

from the previous 2 years!! It would not

have been possible without all the many

volunteers who took time off from their

work and regular activities to spend the

week with these children of God.

Approximately $800 was collected for the

Aliquippa Mission Program (AMP) and

many school supplies were donated for the

McCormack Foundation, too-the missions

supported this year.

Wanted-Sunday School Teacher!

We are in need of a 5th-8th grade Sunday

School teacher this coming year. If you are

interested in helping with this, please

contact Lynn Smith or Linda Duganich as

soon as possible.

Our Sympathy

Our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of

Norma Ferguson, who passed away on June 22nd.

6

July Birthdays

4 Grace Novacek

5 Carolyn Harmotto

6 Bonnie Martin

Louise Broadwater

7 Joshua Magee

Margaret Ward

8 Jennifer Psik

Janice Adamski

9 Chris Otto

17 Steve Ward

19 Lee Tolfa

20 Kingsley Sebastian

21 MacKenzie Fouse

24 Lois Delaney

25 Susan Palochak

Chelsea Atwell

26 Jennifer Pavlisko

Rob Harmotto

28 Edna Petrella

Alexa Burak

29 Janet Laird

30 Paige Alviani

Jesseca Muslin

Kennedy Sebastian

Jennifer Davis

31 Nicole Newman

July Anniversaries

5 Drew & Janis Lewis

7 Jim & Julie Novacek

Ed & Sue Burak

9 Roger & Belinda Nolte

10 Ken & Andrea Tamburrino

20 Dean & Terri Sanders

23 Robert & Nicole Newman

31 Jim & Vanessa Augspurger

August Birthdays

4 Fred Lech

5 Kristy Otto

6 Margaret Zakrajsek

7 Charmaine Lang

8 Marian Douglass

Janice Angelo

10 Robert Newman

11 Nancy Hribar

15 Nolan Harmotto

16 Karen Barth

17 Harriet Kulha

18 Vi Young

Hayden Lewis

22 Shirley Fluharty

23 Jim Young

24 Sue Berry

25 Edward Leheny

26 Joshua Leheny

30 Richard Williams

August Anniversaries

8 Steve & Monica Ward

Vic & Tracy Pasquarelli

16 Homer & Shelly Summy

17 Fred & Jerri Lech

21 Merle & Betty Lou Conrad

23 Ed & Nora Cunningham

28 Ken & Trevis Gregory

7

8

U p d a t ed Totals

Aliquippa Impact

A.M.P.-Aliquippa Mission

Programs (*new)

Campus Crusade for Christ

International-Pacific Islands

Christians United in Beaver

County

Church Army USA-

UnCommon Grounds Café

Five Points Meals on

Wheels

Habitat for Humanity

Manna

Mars Home for Youth

Chaplaincy

Presbyterian Frontier

Fellowship

Salvation Army

Wycliffe Bible Translators

Young Life

On May 1, 2012, many gathered for the Uncommon Grounds Café Faith

Promise Banquet! Among the 95 guests, there were people from around

the country who care-pastors, Café volunteers, long-time Church Army

USA ministry partners and Board members and some folks learning

about the Café ministry for the first time.

The faithful volunteer team organized, staged and even performed at St.

Stephen’s Church-where they brought a taste of the Café to Sewickley to

make Grace Commons uncommonly-beautiful!

The theme for the night was, “Unless someone like you cares a whole

awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”-a quote from Dr. Seuss’

The Lorax-which really sums up the Aliquippa Story as we have experi-

enced it. Many, many, many people in the past 11 years have cared-about

Church Army USA-about John and Alison Stanley and their family-about

a hurting community and have made things better in Aliquippa. But there

is a lot more caring to do.

Each Banquet guest took home a hand-made “clover” as a reminder of

their promise to care...because caring is the basis of all ministry, all

giving, and making all things better-the way God intended them to be.

Before and during the Banquet, friends of Uncommon Grounds Café gave

gifts totaling $11,114.51. Other friends made Faith Promises of

$27,698.69. Join them in praying that all of their Promises, made in faith,

will be fulfilled for the Uncommon Grounds Café ministry.

Local and International

Missions Supported by

Ohio UP Church:

Spotlight on:

UnCommon Grounds Café & the Faith Promise Banquet

UnCommon Grounds Café

P.O. Box 413

380 Franklin Ave.

Aliquippa, PA 15001

724.375.6141

www.UncommonGroundsCafe.org

For more information:

AS OF: CURRENT BALANCE

IN FUND:

6/17 $14,156.91

A Faith Promise is not a pledge made from

monies already in hand, but a promise made,

in faith, that God will provide a gift from

some unexpected source that only He knows

about. We, in turn, promise to give that

unexpected gift to Uncommon Grounds Café

through Church Army USA.

9

FINDING YOUR WAY

Need directions? These days,

online map services can tell you

how to get to just about any

destination. Yet even these sites

make no guarantees.

Disclaimers absolve them of responsibility if the

directions run awry. “These directions are for

planning purposes only,” one site warns. “You

may find that construction projects, traffic,

weather or other events may cause conditions

to differ from the map results, and you should

plan your route accordingly.”

Fortunately, the Bible has no such disclaimers.

God’s Word always gets us where we need to

go. In fact, when the unexpected happens,

that’s when Scripture is at its best!

ON SIGHTSEEING

Sinclair Lewis said, “He who has seen one cathedral 10 times has seen something; he who

has seen 10 cathedrals once has seen but little; and he who has spent half an hour in each

of a hundred cathedrals has seen nothing at all.”

That’s good sightseeing advice, but it also prompts reflection on how we spend our time.

Instead of trying to do and be as many things as possible, it’s usually wiser to choose

which commitments or activities are most important and focus on doing them well.

Celebrating Freedom Luncheon

(affiliated w/Stonecroft Ministries)

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

For Reservations, Complimentary Nursery, or Cancellations Contact

Pat at 724-375-5757 or email Pathaller44@hotmail.com

by Friday, July 6th. Price is $10 inclusive.

The FEZ Special Feature Guest Speaker

2312 Brodhead Rd. Debbie Shaffer Marilou Johnson

Hopewell, PA Local Vocalist, “Finding Your Way

11:45 am-1:30 pm Teacher in Hopewell Through Fear, Stress,

Doors open 11:00 am School District and Disappointment”

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July 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 Rev. Powell return from vacation

3

4 Office closed for 4th of July

5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 New Wilmington Mission Conference

23 24 Presbytery Mtg. in Bridgewater

25 Friendship Group picnic

26 27 28

29 Worship Com. Mtg.

30 31

August 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 Membership mtg.

6 7 Ohio UP serving at Manna Vision/Property mtg.

8 9 10 11

12 All Church Picnic MOW Desserts

13 14 Session 7:00 pm

15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 Pirates game

27 28 29 30 Choir practice resumes

31

General Assembly Meets in Pittsburgh