THE MARCH EAGLE - St. John's United Church of Christ (UCC...

THE

EAGLE

MARCH

St. John’s UCC

1050 Buffalo Road

Lewisburg, PA 17837

stjohnslewisburg.org

NON-PROFIT ORG.

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Lewisburg, PA

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MARCH 25 MARCH 25 MARCH 25 MARCH 25 ---- PALM SUNDAY SERVICEPALM SUNDAY SERVICEPALM SUNDAY SERVICEPALM SUNDAY SERVICE

MARCH 25 MARCH 25 MARCH 25 MARCH 25 ---- FELLOWSHIP HOURFELLOWSHIP HOURFELLOWSHIP HOURFELLOWSHIP HOUR

MARCH 29 MARCH 29 MARCH 29 MARCH 29 ---- MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE 7:00 P.M.MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE 7:00 P.M.MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE 7:00 P.M.MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE 7:00 P.M.

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Some weeks ago, a story was told to me by one of our own here at St. John’s.

A woman was having a conversation with a female friend of hers who apparently attends another church. She was going on and on with her friend about all the great things that are happening at St. John’s these days, associating them with my personal presence at the moment.

Her friend listened to all the good news for a bit, then countered with a statement to the effect, “Yeah, but he’ll be gone in another year or so.”

Meaning what? That what’s going on here is simply a random flash in the proverbial pan, and that it will cease just as soon as I am no longer on the premises in any official capacity? The mere thought of that suggestion is more than enough to irritate me.

The “yeah, but” retort on the part of her friend sounds a little sour-grapey to me. More important than that, though, it speaks volumes about perceptions pertaining to a congregation’s “interim” months--that they should be essentially a fallow period, that nothing of real consequence could possibly be produced in the course of them, and that the best that a congregation can hope for during them is just to hold things together until the next Settled Pastor is finally hired and congregational process can resume once more.

I confess to having had some of these thoughts before actually having the experience of serving as an In-terim Pastor. Forgive me, but, prior to my being here, I simply didn’t know any better. Sure, it’s an abbreviated time-frame that we have compared to, say, a fifteen or twenty year pastorate, but you’ve taught me to understand that a shorter runway doesn’t mean there can’t be any take-off.

Quite to the contrary, having only two or three years means that we have to get to what is important as di-rectly and as efficiently as possible. After all, if time is limited, then there is no time to waste, and there is no luxury of wandering around in circles without aim or focus. If time is limited, then opportunities for taking strides ahead cannot be dawdled away.

In short, there is an urgency to the interim period which, in the best situations, creates motivation to take a quantum leap or two. There is a brief opening to accomplish new things and to make changes, all of which can get bogged down by the thought that we have a decade or more to attend to them. Remember, my previous experience was one where I served a single congregation for forty years, so I know the down sides to the feeling that we have all the time in the word to address or resolve something of genuine importance. All too often, they never get ad-dressed, nor are they ever resolved.

We at St. John’s know that we do not have all the time in the world and that, true enough, “he’ll be gone in another year or so.” But in the meantime, we’ll be doing more than simply providing for a voice in the pulpit on Sun-day mornings and insuring that the shut-in and hospitalized will be visited. Beyond the basic “maintenance” areas of ministry, we are actively exploring where the growing edges at St. John’s are to be found, and we are capitalizing on opportunities to put some major new pieces into place before the next Settled Pastor preaches his or her first ser-mon.

I see my job as helping to put us in the best possible position of being able to hire the best possible candi-date who is out there. In my heart of hearts, I believe that St. John’s deserves nothing less.

Thanking you for helping me to accomplish that, I hope that we all prove our “yeah, but-ing” friend of the con-gregation quite wrong, and that what is taking place these days outlasts me and serves as a platform from which even greater new initiatives will be launched.

Cordially,

Bob Stoudt

JANUARY 2018 REPORT

Current Operating Receipts $ 19,782.43

Current Operating Disbursements $ - 19,978.03

Current Operating Balance $ - 195.60

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THE EAGLE

MARCH VOLUNTEERS Ushers: BRIAN GRIFFITH, CAROL BERRY

Lock-up Person: MARK SATTESON

Lay-Reader: KAY NOTTIS

Preparation of Communion Elements: ANNA BROUSE / DIANNA SPICKLER

MARCH Children's Church OPENER/FLOWER DEL.

4 LINDA WILLIAMS

11 ANGIE DONLIN

18 LIZ DeSANTIS

25 DON ADAMS

MARCH FLOWER SPONSORS Acolyte Drivers Route 1*

4 DIANNA/ROGER SPICKLER JAMES DONLIN BAISH

11 MILLE SATTESON SPICKLER

18 BETH MOSER ADDIE MILLER ADAMS

MARCH GREETERS

4 MARTHA/BRUCE RAUCH

11 DOT/ART BOWER

18 TESS/FRED GROOVER

25 LINDA & WAYNE WILLIAMS

25 KAY/GARY NOTTIS ERIN DeSANTIS BAISH

If you need a ride to church, please contact Ron Zug (570-523-3987) who schedules the drivers.

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THE EAGLE

“Red Book” Memories II“Red Book” Memories II“Red Book” Memories II“Red Book” Memories II Small Beginnings

Did you know that our congregation began as a small group within the Dreisbach church? It’s true. Ac-cording to our “Red Book” history, that gathering of Dreisbach congregants started meeting in Lewis-burg in 1824 in order to serve their particular vision of faith and satisfy their need to worship closer to town. This small group continued its relationship with the Dreisbach church for another eight years. Then, in 1832 and with the blessing of Dreisbach pastor, Rev. Fries, that little faith community became the independent congregation that we now know as St. John’s. No doubt, it made a positive contribu-tion to the wellbeing of the Dreisbach congregation before it separated from the “Mother Church.” Small groups play a vital role in the life of any church. Indeed, such gatherings enhance the sort of in-teractions and energy that are needed to safeguard the health of a congregation and drive its growth. Certainly, that has been the case for St. John’s. Our “Red Book” makes reference to several small groups of the past, including the Fellowship Class, Zwingli Class, and the Women’s Guild. And, let us not forget the Secret Pals, Quilters, Men’s Bowling Group, and the Life Tradition Study Group. Even our church choirs have each played the role of a small group. Small groups generally form around the common interests of several individuals. Those interests can include sports, music, hobbies, service opportunities, faith formation, and more. Such groups create a sense of a warm and caring community for congregational members. They can also provide great op-portunities for people outside of a church to participate in an activity that may encourage them to ulti-mately join a faith community. Anything is possible with small groups. They can transform a congregation’s worship experience and inspire new mission outreach. Small groups can evolve into teams to meet important congregational needs. They can also give rise to small communities of worship affiliated with the home church, and even bring about the birth of a brand-new congregation, just as was the case for St. John’s. In recent years, the number of small groups functioning at St. John’s has declined and our congrega-tional life has experienced the impact. In fact, some people have indicated they don’t feel a sense of community when they come to our church. The “right kind” of small group could remedy that situation. As we look forward to a brighter future at St. John’s, we need to foster the formation and growth of small groups. What kind of small group would appeal to you? Let’s move to celebrate our upcoming bicentennial with a revival of small groups at St. John’s, something that is part of our history and can ensure another 200 years for our church.

Gary Nottis

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“Red Book” Memories III“Red Book” Memories III“Red Book” Memories III“Red Book” Memories III

Sharing and Caring

Sharing and caring beyond ourselves, or engaging in “wider mission,” is the hallmark of genuine ser-vants of God and followers of Jesus. It is something that the people of St. John’s have done and con-tinue to do, but don’t highlight very often. Indeed, our “Red Book” is not explicit about how our congre-gation has engaged in wider mission throughout its history. Yet, if we look carefully, we can find exam-ples, as well as an important lesson to embrace and enact. The first mention of a wider mission effort at St. John’s appears in regards to the pastorate of Rev. Charles H. Leinbach (1859-1864), who led the congregation to support the Home Missions movement, which sought to bring social and moral change to American society, especially in the West. We next read of a wider mission effort taking place during the pastoral tenure of Rev. Henry Harbaugh Rupp (1920-1937). During that time, the people of St. John’s began offering “social services” to the commu-nity, which was something new for Lewisburg and the surrounding area. Then in 1946, when Rev. Perry Smith served St. John’s, congregational members opened the church’s doors and provided a Christian program for the younger children of Lewisburg, called the “Happy Hour.” In more recent years, the congregation took part in other acts of wider mission. The church provided financial support to Devitt Home in Allenwood and members visited residents, there. The Zwingli Class even maintained a garden and grew fresh vegetables for the home! In addition, the people of St. John’s made resources and facility space available to Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, as well as a Prison Visitor’s Service, which served hot breakfasts for families visiting with inmates at the Lewisburg Peniten-tiary. Further, church members made it a point to visit individuals at the Selinsgrove State School and Hospital and the Laurelton School, and to host parties in those places at Christmas time. Interestingly, if you look through our “Red Book,” you can see something else was happening at the same time in the life of our congregation. Each notable moment of wider mission occurred during a pe-riod when congregational enthusiasm and faith in the future of the church were high. This was particu-larly true when there was greater contact between congregants and the people they sought to help. And that should not be a surprise. Vibrant congregations are created, in part, by a strong desire to help others know they are loved, valued, and supported as they cope with the hurts and hopes of their lives. This can involve the donation of money and goods. But, most often, it requires personal contact be-tween ourselves and those we can help. Our congregation does a wonderful job of caring and sharing through OCWM contributions, financial gifts to worthy causes, and donations of clothing and food. But, as our “Red Book” reminds us, we need to do more, especially in personal and meaningful ways. As we move forward toward an exciting future, let’s make this happen! God will reward us with an active church, ready for the future. It would be a fit-ting tribute to the St. John’s of our past. Gary Nottis

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The children in Sunday School recently learned that parts of the Bible were written in acrostic form, where each line starts with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Most of the Bi-ble acrostics are in Psalms, but others can be found in Proverbs and Lamentations. The kids worked together to write their own acros-tic poem of praise. Enjoy!

GOD IS:GOD IS:GOD IS:GOD IS:

Awesome

Beautiful

Colorful

Delightful

Excellent

Fabulous

Great

Holy

Invincible

Joyful

Kind

Loving

Marvelous

Nice

Outstanding

Priceless

Quick

Remarkable

Super

Terrific

Unstopable

Very nice

Wonderous

eXtraordinary

Yahweh

Zero to infinity!

Family Easter Donations

As in past years, our Mission and

Social Action Committee will partner

with Family Services of Union County

to support area families in need this

Easter season. Recognizing the year-

round need for neighborly support,

this is similar to the drive we regu-

larly do at Christmas and Thanksgiv-

ing.

We are hoping to support 15 families

this year and are asking anyone who is

able to bring canned goods and pre-

packaged candy items to the narthex

between now and Sunday, March 25th.

You may also help with a monetary do-

nation by clearly marking an envelope

for "Easter dinners" and placing it in

the offering plate on any Sunday up to

and including March 25th. These funds

will be used to purchase any other

items that might be needed to complete

an Easter dinner.

The hams for the dinners have already

been provided!

Watch for the designated boxes in

the narthex in the coming weeks.

Sincerely....your Mission and Social

Action Committee

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03/01 Matthew Brouse

03/03 Richard Heaton

03/07 Ruth Richard

03/15 Joseph Ireland

03/15 John Letteer

03/15 Thomas Ransdorf

03/17 Ethel Moser

03/18 Edward Donlin

03/19 Dr. Jonathan

Hahn

03/19 Dianna Spickler

03/23 Travis Brouse

03/23 Katharyn Nottis

03/26 Kayla Brouse

03/26 Angela Donlin

03/28 Alan Richard

03/31 Martha Rauch

03/07 Mary & Bill Geyer

1. Congregational Meeting. The Congregational Meeting will be held on January 28, 2018. The consistory will provide the meat dishes. Deb Catherman will purchase the plates, cups, and drinks. Set-up people (Carol Berry, Brian Griffith, and Catherman Boys and anyone else that would like to help) will set up the room prior to the Sunday service. We will need people to take down the tables and clean up.

2. Constitution and By-Laws rewrite. Rev. Bob Stoudt gave us a paper comparing the old constitution to the revised constitution by Gary Nottis to the revised constitution by Rev. Bob Stoudt. We need to look this paper over and continue working on it. We need to get the rewritten constitution and by-laws to the congregation before the election of new members since the way consistory is formed will be changing.

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THIS YEAR’S “SOUP AND SCRIPTURE” SERIES

For many years the churches of the Lewisburg Ministerium have shared in an ecumenical series called “Soup and Scripture,” which has involved light lunches followed by brief devotional messages prepared by area clergy.

This very popular series will be repeated this year again, held as usual at the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, on Third Street, in Lewisburg, over the Wednesdays in Lent, starting with lunch at 12 noon.

If you’d like to bring a bit more focus and enrichment to your Lenten experi-ence, be sure to check out one or more of these gatherings.

WHAT’S A CHRISTIAN TO DO?WHAT’S A CHRISTIAN TO DO?WHAT’S A CHRISTIAN TO DO?WHAT’S A CHRISTIAN TO DO?

Join the Sunday morning adult Christian education class as we continue to examine and discuss personal and social issues that frequently challenge the practice of our faith. Our conversations will take place in the Library at 9 AM, each Sunday in March. Each class discussions will be devoted to one specific issue, enhanced by Bible study and instruction. Remember: There is no cost for any class materials. You don’t need to make a commitment to participate every Sunday. Just come on those Sundays when the topic is of interest to you.

The tentative schedule for March is: Income Disparity – March 4th Slavery and Social Welfare – March 11th Holding Christian Values in a Changing Political Climate – March 18th Forgiveness – March 25th

We hope to see you on Sunday morning!

ROADROADROADROAD----TESTING AN IDEATESTING AN IDEATESTING AN IDEATESTING AN IDEA

In response to the stated desire (per the several congregational surveys that have been completed over the years) to have higher visibility for Adult Enrichment for the members and friends of St. John’s, several opportunities have been offered over the past fifteen months--from a study of who the historical Jesus was, to the provocative thinking of depth psychologist Carl Jung, to the place of dreams within the spectrum of religious experience, and to an experiential approach to Christian spirituality.

Looking ahead, there are thoughts possibly to offer a five-week seminar focused on the Qur’an (Koran), the holy book of Islam--which is much in the news these days and much misunderstood.

Tentatively, the seminar would begin on Tuesday, April 3rd (the Tuesday following Easter), and conclude on Tuesday, May 1st, and is wholly dependent on advance interest in the subject.

If you wish to indicate your desire to participate possibly in such a study (and so improve the odds

that it will be officially offered), please call the church office (524-7606) or talk to Pastor Bob, who will be

leading these sessions.

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In Our Thoughts and Prayers This MorningIn Our Thoughts and Prayers This MorningIn Our Thoughts and Prayers This MorningIn Our Thoughts and Prayers This Morning (please contact the church office, at 524-7606, with any updates):

At HomeAt HomeAt HomeAt Home---- Brad Bingaman (after shoulder surgery), Deb Blanford (after a fall), Sid Bower-sox, Ruth Brouse, Gary & Betty Hackenberg, Jeanne Letteer, Mary Stover, Wayne Wil-liams, Merdyth Updegraff.

ShutShutShutShut----In/HomeboundIn/HomeboundIn/HomeboundIn/Homebound---- Ann Beasom, Fred Brouse, Marilyn Correll, Leona Fertig, Pearl Fisher, Bill & Lola Fuller, Louise Heistand, Lois Hummel, Evelyn Mabus, Ethel Moser, Robert Ritter, Shirley Seese, Alda Wagner.

In our Prayers In our Prayers In our Prayers In our Prayers –––– The Family William Richard, Christine Sartwell, Sheila Seaman.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Thank you for your gift to Our Church’s Wider Mission. We are deeply

grateful for you congregation’s gift.

Thank you for your vital support and faithful partnership. Please accept

our sincere thanks and good wishes.

Nichole M. Collins - Assoc. Dir., Annual giving and Special Events

William RichardWilliam RichardWilliam RichardWilliam Richard

December 25, 1924 - February 10, 2018

In memory of Elaine KlinglerElaine KlinglerElaine KlinglerElaine Klingler by Kay & Gary Nottis

by Todd R. Hummel

Maundy Thursday Worship Maundy Thursday Worship Maundy Thursday Worship Maundy Thursday Worship ---- March 29th, 2018, at 7:00 p.m..March 29th, 2018, at 7:00 p.m..March 29th, 2018, at 7:00 p.m..March 29th, 2018, at 7:00 p.m..

This service will begin in the sanctuary and for those who are able,

move to the community room where twelve at a time will be shar-

ing in communion. If you are not able to stand or move to that

room, we will bring communion to you in the pews.

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The Communion offering for March is dedicated to One Great Hour of Sharing.

The Communion offering for April is dedicated to Habitat for Humanity.

Thanks for your continued support of St. John’s missions!

Visit us on the Web!

www.stjohnslewisburg.org

St. John’s

United Church of Christ

WORSHIP HOURS

Sunday School: 9:00 a.m.

Worship: 10:00 a.m.

1050 Buffalo Road

Lewisburg, PA 17837

Phone: 570-523-0162

E-mail: [email protected]

No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome

here!

One Great Hour of SharingOne Great Hour of SharingOne Great Hour of SharingOne Great Hour of Sharing, as part of Our Churches Wider Mission, is the

special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that carries God’s

message of love and hope to people in crisis. The UCC works with interna-

tional partners to provide sources of clean water, food, education and

health care, small business micro-credit, advocacy and resettlement for

refugees and displaced persons, and emergency relief and rehabilitation.

OGHS OGHS OGHS OGHS also supports domestic and international ministries for disaster pre-

paredness and response.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIMEDAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIMEDAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIMEDAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

It’s that time of the year!

Daylight Savings Time will begin on Sunday, March Sunday, March Sunday, March Sunday, March

11111111thththth....

When retiring for the night, please remember to turn

your clocks aheadaheadaheadahead one hour.

THE MARCH EAGLE - St. John's United Church of Christ (UCC...

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