The Messenger

March 2016

First Christian Church

Disciples of Christ

442 Hummel Ave,

Lemoyne, PA 17043

717-763-4537

www.lemoynedisciples.org

Church Office Hours:

M 8:00 am—3:00 pm|

W & F 8:00 am—2:00 pm

Pastor’s Page & Holy Week

Info (cont.) 2

Board Update & Outreach 3

Outreach (cont.) 4-5

Serving Schedule & Prayers 5

Finance, Mark Your Calendar,

Fundraising & Thank You’s 6

Calendar 7

9th Annual Pancake Breakfast

Fundraiser 8

Inside This Issue

Senior Pastor: Delores M. Neal

Organist: Mary E. Snyder

Administrative Assistant: Jessica E. Spicher

Celebrate Holy Week The conclusion of Lent is

quickly approaching as we enter

into the Holy Week, the week

leading up to Easter Sunday.

Join us as we remember moments of joy and sorrow in worship, prayer,

communion, music and celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

Palm Sunday, March 20

Why do we celebrate Palm Sunday? On Palm

Sunday Christians celebrate the triumphal

entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. This

Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday,

March 27th. The Bible reveals that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds

greeted him by waving palms and covering his path with palm branches. We will

be passing around your own palm to have as a symbol on this significant day.

Maundy Thursday Service, March 24 7 PM Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, is

celebrated on the day before Good Friday. Its name was given on the day on

which Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, known as the Last Supper.

The last supper and communion, two important events which

are the focus and significance of Maundy Thursday.

Good Friday, Procession & Final Lenten

Lunch, March 25 11 AM Procession begins Calvary United Methodist & ends at Trinity

Evangelical Lutheran Church. Lunch served upon return at Noon.

A procession of the cross will be held on Good Friday. It will start at Calvary

United Methodist. The procession will start at 11:00 am, weaving its way through

the Lemoyne Community making various short stops and ending at Trinity

Evangelical Lutheran Church for the final Lenten lunch. Pastor Rich Cline of

Cornerstone Assembly of God will lead the discussion. If it's cold, dress warm!!!

Sunrise Service, 6:45 AM (dawn)

We will gather in the pre-dawn hours at Negley

Park. We gather in the upper pavilion on Indiana

Avenue. The service will be conducted by the Pastors and musicians of the 17043

churches. Pastor Delores Neal will be the speaker. We hope you will consider

joining us early and then stop by the Church’s Fellowship Hall for breakfast

before Worship. (More information on page 2)

2

Pastor’s Page/Holy Week Info (cont.)

spiritual journey such as, reading your bible more,

completing daily devotions, become a mentor,

participate in a community service, or any other

activity you believe will intensify your prayer life in

preparation for the fulfillment of your God given

purpose.

There may be moments the journey appears

challenging, but keep pressing because there’s a great

resurrection in the horizon!

Pastor Delores

Celebrating Holy Week

(cont.)

First Christian Church

Annual Easter Breakfast

7:30—9:30 AM Free & OPEN to ALL

Following the Lemoyne Ministerium’s Sunrise Service

at Negley Park, join us in the Church Fellowship Hall

for a homemade, made to order breakfast!

Menu Includes: Pancakes, Eggs, Toast and Sausage,

Orange Juice, Milk, Coffee & Tea

PLEASE RSVP March 20th by returning the RSVP

card found in the bulletin, calling the Church Office or

emailing Jessica at lemoymedisciples@gmail.com.

When RSVPing, please designate if you will be

arriving at 7:30 AM or after 8:30 AM and if you want

your eggs to order or how many eggs you and your

family intend to eat so we have enough for everyone!

Resurrection Sunday! He is Risen!

Sunday, March 27, 10:15 AM

After enjoying your Easter breakfast in the Fellowship

Hall, please join us for Worship in the Sanctuary where

we celebrate the day Jesus rose from dead. This is

going to be a great morning of celebrating Jesus Christ,

our Lord and Savior. Without His sacrifice, we would

not have the hope, grace and mercy that was gained

when he gave up his life for ours.

Happy Easter 2016!

Pastor’s Page

“Prayer, Preparation & Purpose”

We are journeying through the

season of Lent!

Lent is a very significant season

in the Christian liturgical

calendar for a variety of reasons. For some people

Lent is significant because it is the period of the year

set aside to the commemoration of the awesome

actions of Jesus Christ, performed at Calvary. For

some, Lent is a period of anticipation of the grand

celebration of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus

Christ. Many people like myself believe Lent is

significant for both Calvary and resurrection.

Throughout the years many traditions have been

adapted within Christianity to symbolize the

significance this period has within our lives. One of

the most popular has been the rejection or denial of

various foods. As the Church has grown, the

category of self-denial have grown to not only

include food but become inclusive of activities,

behaviors, and any other thing one personally feels

they have previously overindulged in. Many people

outside of Christian communities have often

questioned why, we choose to place so much

emphases on self-sacrifice during this period of the

year. The easiest answer is simply, Jesus’ action his

entire time on earth were reflective of self-

sacrifice.

However the self-sacrificial Jesus was not the only

image of Jesus seen during this period that we should

imitate. Jesus’ actions outlined in the gospel

narratives let us know while being self-sacrificial,

Jesus was simultaneously on his own personal

spiritual journey. A journey leading him into intense

prayer in preparation for the fulfillment of his

purpose.

During this time we see a Jesus who is focused on,

“Prayer, Preparation, and Purpose”.

Over the remaining weeks, I invite everyone to enter

into your own personal spiritual journey focused on

“Prayer, Preparation, and Purpose.” I would

however petition you this year, to allow Lent to

evolve into a deeper spiritual meaning more than you

may have in the past. Instead of primarily focusing

on things you can give up, look for new things to

take on that will be beneficial to your personal

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Board Update/Outreach

FCC Board Meeting Update

1. Pastor Delores opened the meeting with prayer.

2. Minutes from the November meeting were approved.

3. The Ministry Planning calendar was reviewed and the following change

was made:

A. Finance Meeting will be May 15th after Worship

4. Diaconate Committee: Glenn Haagen reported that the Diaconate are working well. It would be helpful if

we could find a few more volunteers to help set up communion and the coffee hour for after Worship. If

you are interested please see Glenn.

5. Elders: Lois Miller reported that the Elders are also looking for one person. Please see Lois if you are

interested in volunteering

6. Property: As always we thank Glenn Haagen for all his work keeping the building heated and in good

repair. Glenn shared he is working with PAWC concerning a valve that is now required by the state. He is

also working with the furnace repair person to get the furnace updated. A special thank you to our neighbor

Dave who VOLUNTEERS to help clear the sidewalks and pathways of snow!

7. Prosperity Center Update. The Money In Your Pocket (MIYP), Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Program (VITA), is seeing clients in the Parlor three times a week on a Mondays from 1-4 PM, Tuesdays

from 6:30-8:30 PM and Saturdays from 9:00 AM to Noon. Thank you Volunteers!

8. Personnel Committee: We voted to give Jessica, our Administrative Assistant, more office hours. The

increase to 19 hours a week began in March.

9. Finance: Barb Plaza and Harold Turner presented the financial report, which is found on page 6 in this

newsletter.

10. New Business: A special board meeting was set for April 17th immediately after Worship. There will be a

pot luck lunch and a meeting. The meeting will be to discuss Pastor Delores’s position. Her contract is for

a 6 month interim position with the option to hire as our permanent Senior Pastor. This will be the ONLY

topic on the agenda. All are welcome to attend.

11. A special Congregation al Meeting is set for Sunday, May 1st, after Worship, to vote on the decisions the

Board discussed at the April 17th board meeting.

12. The building use policy was reviewed and the following change approved:

“If a party desires that a wedding be performed by a Pastor other than a Pastor of First Christian Church

of Lemoyne, approval will be determined by the Executive Board and Pastor on an individual basis.”

13. The meeting closed with a prayer.

*Please note that only Members are permitted to vote on Church business. Be sure to mark your calendars for

the dates listed above. Thank you!*

Mat Making Workshops

Help your Community and help make mats for the homeless men and women in our area!

Dates: 4/24, 9/25 & 10/23; Potluck lunch begins at 11:45 AM after Worship, followed

by mat making from 12:15-3:00 PM

For questions related to the Mat Making Workshop, please see Barb Plaza at barbplaza@gmail.com or

717-395-2403

4

Outreach Ministries Reaching out...Partnering with others….To serve our community

Girl Scout Corner!

Activities & Events we have done in the past month:

Brownies learned about philanthropy. They made Tzedakah (a Hebrew word meaning

“Justice,” commonly used for charity) boxes. Each girl was asked to add to their

boxes every day based on how many good things happened that day. This helped

them to not only give to others, but allowed them to think about how much they have!

We made dog treats and cat toys for a local animal shelter.

The Scouts made favors to be added to each tray of food for the Meals on Wheels program.

We began selling cookies! With all the girl scouts around, there is no shortage of cookies to go around.

We celebrated and learned about physical handicaps and how to include everyone in a different sports

activity.

We began to plan for Thinking Day, which is a day where Scouts around the world celebrate our

differences and similarities.

The older Scouts went camping to relax after final exams. The younger girls also went camping to enjoy

the winter weather and warm fireplaces.

We continue to make mats for the homeless with FCC during our Mat Making Workshops.

We went tubing at Ski Roundtop with the youth from FCC and Pastor Delores! It was a great time!

Monthly Giving Basket—March 2016

Donation: Sugar for the Bethesda Mission

As Christians we are called to give, but sometimes we become overwhelmed by how we

can make a difference. As we all donate the same items each month, we will experience

what a difference we can all make in people’s lives every day. You can bring your items

to Church through the end of the month and place them in the giving basket. The last

Sunday to donate Sugar is March 27, 2016. Please place your donation in the giving

basket.

To learn more about the Bethesda Mission and it’s Mission, please go to their website at:

www.bethesdamission.org

Update from our African American Heritage “Everyday Contribution’s Service, February 28

On Sunday, February 28th we gathered for a special Worship celebration and had many

Community Members who make an impact in our local community. Mayor Larissa York

of Lemoyne attended and presented our Church with a Mayoral Proclamation. To view the

full proclamation, please visit the Church’s website. To sum up the proclamation, it states

that First Christian Church and Pastor Delores Neal is making history by holding

Lemoyne’s first African American Heritage Worship Service. And, officially, February

28th is now First Christian Church Day in Lemoyne!

5

Scheduling/Prayers/Outreach (cont.)

March Serving Schedule

March 6

Elder: Linda Runkle

Diaconate: Joyce Arbogast &

Glenn & Lois Haagen

Communion: Joyce Arbogast & Jane Welsh

Greeter: Jean Trout & Dottie Michels

March 13

Elder: Rev. Ed Arbogast

Diaconate: Kelly Manning, Linda Runkle

& Glenn Haagen

Communion: Joyce Arbogast & Jane Welsh

Greeters: Glenn & Lois Haagen

March 20

Elder: Lois Miller

Diaconate: Joyce Arbogast &

Ken & Debbie Holler

Communion: Ken & Debbie Holler

Greeters: Linda Runkle & Dottie Michels

March 27

Elder: Diana Onstott

Diaconate: Lynne Weber, Jane Welsh

& Kelly Manning

Communion: Ken & Debbie Holler

Greeter: Dottie Michels

Prayer Requests

John (L. Weber)

Plaza Family (J. Kain)

Mia & Dave (J. Spicher)

Baby William, needs to add weight

(L. Miller)

Family of Gerry Faust (M. Snyder)

Family of Dan Keating (M. Snyder)

Jewell Will & Family (M. Pauling)

healthy congregation

Ken’s Mother (Diana O.)

Heather Simpson’s Daughter, Hannah, &

Regional Director, Thad Allen (D. Chafin)

Dave & Joan Prediger

Jessica Spicher

Michelle Grubb

Henry Miller

Kieth Putnam (B. Eldridge)

all Military men & women

Scott Boltz

Goudy/Frey Family

Free Computer Lab—West Shore Prosperity Center

The Church will be open on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:00 PM, by appointment only, for

individuals who do not have access to computers, internet, or to job search, create a resume,

check email, enroll in state or health insurance benefits, etc.

We will be utilizing 4 laptops and a printer given to us through the United Way and will have a

volunteer each Tuesday evening to help those individuals who could use this FREE service. To

make an appointment, please call the Church office at 717-763-4537.

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Income and Expenses

Month of December Congregational Offerings Received $4,301.33

Fundraisers $787.00

Christmas Offering $288.00

Outreach $75.00

Bibles $130.00

Church Reserve Fund $82.50

Flowers $35.85

Total $5,699.68

Bills Received and Paid $7,209.03

Received from Trust Funds $4,525.88

Received for Memorial Fund $400.00

Thank you for your continued support!

Finances/Mark Your Calendar/Fundraising/Thank You’s

Flower Sign Up Help us make the Church even more beautiful by signing up to donate flowers

for Sunday mornings. The cost of flowers remains $35.00. They are provided by Royer’s. Please contact the Church office to reserve the date of your choice or simply sign your name on the flower chart in the back of the Sanctuary. Days are available for March.

Grocery Store Card Please remember to support your Church

by getting grocery store cards. Karns,

Giant and Weis cards help us meet our

Church budget by providing small, but

steady fundraiser income. You may place

orders in the offering plate or give to Diana Onstott any

Sunday morning. The Church receives $50.00 every time

we purchase $1,000.00 worth of cards. Remember to give

generously and purchase an extra $25.00 gift card for the

Church to use for those in need. We receive requests

weekly!

Mark Your Calendar:

3/28: Church Office Closed—Easter Monday

4/3: Ministry Planning Team Meeting after Worship

Girl Scout Sunday

4/9: 6-8 PM Funnel Cake Fest (Fellowship Hall)

4/10: Finance Meeting after Worship

Progressive Dinner with Ministerium Churches

4/17: Potluck after worship followed by FCC

3:30-5:30 PM Bowling at Trindle Bowl

4/24: Elder Meeting after Worship

4/30: Annual Spaghetti Dinner

Funnel Cake Fest

March 12 & April 9 (Saturdays)

6:00 PM—8:00 PM

We will have soup and salad followed by

FUNNEL CAKES!! Bring your favorite card or

board game and join us for a fun evening! This is an

outreach event, so bring a friend or neighbor. The

more the merrier! We hope to see you there.

Thank You’s were received from the following…

...from Nina Tran from Girl Scouts in the Heart of

Central PA for our ongoing support of the Girl Scout

Troops that meet at the Church regularly.

...from Krissy Marshall (Family Promise) for allowing

them to utilize our facility in February for overnight stays

for families in need. And, she also wanted to send her

gratitude for honoring her with the Harriet Tubman Award

during our special service on 2/28/16

...from Pastor Linda: I would like to say THANK YOU

to everyone who shared in my retirement celebration. I

am sorry that I couldn't say anymore than, thank you for

the beautiful plaque that was presented to me. You know,

it is rare that I am speechless. For 65 years I have been

coming to this church. Thank God for my next door

neighbor who took me under her wing when I was 4 years

old and brought me to Church with her. I don't know if I

would have had a faith journey without her. I loved going

to Sunday School because of Mammy.. My children and I

were baptized in this Church. We were all married in this

Church. We have buried family members through this

Church. As the gentleman said in the last sermon I gave, I

have done it all. I have taught Sunday School, lead the

youth group, was a camp counselor and later on a director,

was a Deacon, Elder, Board Chair,"funmeister" and I even

played the organ one Sunday. Twelve years ago I was

commissioned as Pastor to serve First Christian Church,

Lemoyne. All that for just nine points towards heaven. The

other 93 were by the grace of God who has helped me on

my journey. There have been many mountain top

experiences and unfortunately some valley experiences, but

that is life. We get to a point where we are worn out,

physically and mentally. That is where I am. It was time to

step down and be in a position to enjoy the Church in a

different manner. I want to sit back and appreciate God's

work that someone else is doing. I want to sit and listen

until I get a second wind. Thank you for listening, helping

out and encouraging me on my journey. Thank you for the

many cards, gifts and well wishes. Thank you be being my

friends, Linda

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March 2016

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1

6:30—8:00 PM:

Cub Scout Mtg. (Snoopy RM & GS

RM)

6:30—8:00 PM: Prosperity Center

Computer Lab

6:30—8:30 PM:

MIYP Tax Prep

2

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

Noon: Lenten Lunch

@ FCC

3

6:30—8 PM: (4)

Girl Scout Troop Mtgs. (GS RM,

Snoopy RM & FH)

4

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

6-9:30 PM: GS

Pinewood Derby FH)

World Day of Prayer

5

Girl Scout’s

Pinewood Derby

(FH): all day

9:00 AM—Noon:

MIYP Tax Prep

(Parlor)

6

10:15 AM: Worship

Ministry Planning

Mtg. after Worship

4-7 PM: Girl Scouts

(GS RM)

7

8:00 AM—3:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

1-4 PM: MIYP Tax

Prep (Parlor)

8

6:30—8:00 PM:

Prosperity Center

Computer Lab

6:30—8:30 PM:

MIYP Tax Prep

9

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

Noon: Lenten Lunch

@ Grace UM

10

6:30—8 PM: (4)

Girl Scout Troop Mtgs. (GS RM,

Snoopy RM & FH)

11

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

12

9:00 AM—Noon:

MIYP Tax Prep

(Parlor)

6-8 PM: Funnel

Cake Fest (FH)

13

Spring Forward

9:00 AM Finance

Mtg.

10:15 AM: Worship

4-7 PM: Girl Scouts

(GS RM)

14

8:00 AM—3:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

1-4 PM: MIYP Tax

Prep (Parlor)

15

6:30—8:00 PM:

Cub Scout Mtg. (Snoopy RM & GS

RM)

6:30—8:00 PM: Prosperity Center

Computer Lab

6:30—8:30 PM:

MIYP Tax Prep

16

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

Noon: Lenten Lunch

@ Grace UM

17

6:30—8 PM: (4)

Girl Scout Troop Mtgs. (GS RM,

Snoopy RM & FH)

18

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

19

9:00 AM—Noon:

MIYP Tax Prep

(Parlor)

20

Palm Sunday

Special Easter

Offering

10:15 AM: Worship

4-7 PM: Girl Scouts

(GS RM)

Easter Breakfast

RSVP’s due today

21

8:00 AM—3:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

1-4 PM: MIYP Tax

Prep (Parlor)

22

6:30—8:00 PM:

Prosperity Center

Computer Lab

6:30—8:30 PM:

MIYP Tax Prep

23

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

24

Maundy Thursday

6:30—8 PM: (4) Girl Scout Troop

Mtgs. (GS RM,

Snoopy RM & FH)

7:00 PM: Maundy

Thursday Worship

Service

25

Good Friday

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

11 AM: Procession

of the Cross

Noon: Final Lenten

Lunch @ Trinity

Lutheran Church

26

Holy Saturday

7 AM—Noon: Pancake Breakfast

Fundraiser (FH)

9:00 AM—Noon: MIYP Tax Prep

(Parlor)

27

Easter Sunday

Special Easter

Offering

6:45 AM: Sunrise

Service @ Negley

Park

7:30—9:30 AM:

Easter Breakfast

10:15 AM: Worship

4-7 PM: Girl Scouts

(GS RM)

28

Church Office Closed:

Easter Monday

1-4 PM: MIYP Tax

Prep (Parlor)

29

6:30—8:00 PM:

Cub Scout Mtg. (Snoopy RM & GS

RM)

6:30—8:00 PM: Prosperity Center

Computer Lab

6:30—8:30 PM:

MIYP Tax Prep

30

8:00 AM—2:00 PM:

Church Office Hours

31

6:30—8 PM: (4)

Girl Scout Troop Mtgs. (GS RM,

Snoopy RM & FH)

Happy Birthday!

March Birthdays:

Al White: March 6

JoAnn Haubert: March 10

Ted Willoughby: March 13

Nicholas Frey: March 14

No March Anniversaries

If you are on Facebook,

please like our Facebook

Page: First Christian

Church, Lemoyne!!!

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First Christian Church

Disciples of Christ

442 Hummel Ave,

Lemoyne, PA 17043

PH: 717-763-4537

www.lemoynedisciples.org

March 2016

9th ANNUAL PANCAKE

EXTRAVAGANZA!

Saturday, March 26, 2016 from 7 AM to 12 Noon

First Christian Church, 442 Hummel Avenue, Lemoyne

ALL YOU CAN EAT!

OOTW (Out of this World) Pancakes

Chocolate Chip, Blueberry, Strawberry, Rainbow, Banana, and more!

Sausage, Juice and Coffee

Tickets: $6.00

100% of your donation will be used by First Christian Church to further their ministries including: The Girl Scouts,

Cub Scouts &The Prosperity Center.

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY TO THIS GREAT EVENT!

Tickets may be pre-ordered at a special rate of $5.50 per ticket by March 20th. Questions, please see Diana Onstott. WALK INS ARE WELCOME!!!