ZION UNITED CHURCH OF CHRISTARENDTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA MAY/JUNE 2017

EMBODYING THE LOVE OF GOD IN WORD AND ACTION

REVEREND DR. KIM BLOCHER, PASTOR CRAIG LONG, CONSISTORY PRESIDENT

FROM THE PASTOR. . .GAPS IN THE CANOPY: “AS IT IS, THERE ARE MANY MEMBERS, YET ONE BODY.” I

Corinthians 12:20

Recently I’ve been reading a fascinating book, The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben. I have learned so much from the study presented in this work and its central question—Are trees social beings? Well, it turns out trees are social beings, and we can learn much from observing the social network of the forest. I began to wonder if that learning can be applied to the social network of church life, as well. I am now convinced that the trees have much to teach us. Please bear with me as I attempt to make this analogy.Wohlleben asks, “Why are trees such social beings?” He goes on, “The reasons are the same as for human communities: there are advantages to working together. Together, many trees create an ecosystem that moderates extremes of cold and heat, stores a great deal of water, and generates a great deal of humidity. And in this protected environment, trees can live to be very old. To get to this point, though, the community must remain intact no matter what. If every tree were looking out only for itself, then quite a few of them would never reach old age. Regular fatalities would result in large gaps in the tree canopy, which would make it easier for storms to get inside the forest and uproot more trees. The heat of summer would reach the forest floor and dry it out. Every tree would suffer.”One of my basic assumptions about forest management was challenged. “Thinning out” trees to make room does not make a forest healthier. Trees like to be elbow to elbow, and receive great advantage from crowded conditions by adapting to receive the nutrients and light needed; while benefitting from the support of a close neighbor. Apparently, gaps in the canopy are not a good thing.Friends, as I stand at the pulpit and look out at our beloved fellowship, there are big gaps in the canopy. I can look out and mentally picture individuals and even whole families who are no longer in the pews. Some are not with us because they are now saints in the Church Triumphant. Others are just gone. If you are among that latter group, please know that we are not looking for more elbow room in the pews! We miss you. And we were stronger when you were here. Just as every tree is valuable to the forest community, every member of Zion is valuable to the whole. The Apostle Paul, in First Corinthians, marks out an identity for the Christian community in a new way. He insists that every single member is just as indispensable as any other. “For the body, indeed is not one member but many. If the foot were to say, ‘because I’m not a hand I’m not part of the body,’ that wouldn’t make it any less a part of the body, would it?” Paul wants every one of us in the church to value every other Christian and to care for him or her. We then extend that care and compassion to those outside the church walls. These are

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challenging times in the world. It is best if we can meet that challenge together, as a community of faithful friends.Elbow to elbow, we share the load and travel the miles together, knowing that we have been called into relationship by the same Creator. There are advantages to working together! Namely—more laughter, more hands, more hearts—and definitely more hope. See you in church, Pastor Kim

WORSHIP IN MAY, JUNE, AND JULYWorship: 9:00 a.m.

Sunday School: 10:15 a.m. (excluding June – August) Worship is the best way to praise God for all your blessings.

SUNDAY, MAY 7 SUNDAY, JUNE 4 SUNDAY, JULY 2Fourth Sunday of Easter Pentecost Sunday; communion Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary

TimeThe Story, Ch. 29: Paul’s Acts 2: 1-21; John 7: 37-39 Romans 6: 12-23; Matthew 10:

37-42 Mission Special congregational meetingJohn 10: 1-10 SUNDAY, JULY 9

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

SUNDAY, MAY 14 SUNDAY, JUNE 11 Romans 7: 15-25a; Matthew 11: 16-19,

Fifth Sunday of Easter Trinity Sunday 25-30 Mother’s Day Picnic and worship at Oakside: 10

a.m.The Story, Ch. 30: Paul’s Genesis 1: 1-2:4; Psalm 8; Matthew

28: 16-20SUNDAY, JULY 16

Final Days Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

John 14: 1-14 Romans 8: 1-11; Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23

SUNDAY, MAY 21 SUNDAY, JUNE 18Sixth Sunday of Easter Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time SUNDAY, JULY 23The Story, Ch. 31: Heaven

Romans 5: 1-8; Matthew 9: 35-10:8 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

John 14: 15-21 Genesis 28: 10-19a; Matthew 13: 24- 30, 36-43

SUNDAY, MAY 28Seventh Sunday of Easter SUNDAY, JUNE 25 SUNDAY, JULY 30John 17: 1-11 Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Seventeenth Sunday in

Ordinary TimeChildren walk to cemetery Romans 6: 1b-11; Matthew 10: 24-39 Genesis 29: 15-28; Matthew 13:

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31- 33, 44-52

MAY/JUNE EVENT AND BIRTHDAY/ANNIVERSARY CALENDARS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CREDENZA

►WORSHIP CDS◄We are set up to provide CDs of Sunday worship services. Just call the office, and we will mail one

to you.

THE STORY – Chapter AssignmentsHere is the outline we will be following in worship, to cover the 31 chapters of The Story. The adult study curriculum will be covered during Sunday School time.

WORSHIP AND PICNIC – June 11 at 10 a.m. at Oakside ParkRemember when we used to have a church picnic and worship in the summer? Our worship committee decided to revive this tradition. So grab your lawn chair and come to Oakside – note that we are starting at 10 a.m. We will have coffee and donuts as we gather. After worship we will enjoy a meal provided by the fellowship committee. Just bring yourself, the family, and maybe a neighbor or two. We will have a sign-up sheet in the sanctuary. There will be an opportunity to contribute to the cost of the meal, but we want to keep this simple and enjoyable. Mark your calendars and join us!

TOOL OF COMMUNICATION – GETTYSBURG ASSOCIATION OF PENN CENTRAL CONFERENCE Website: www.gapccucc.org. Soon to be live online.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/661885517297459/ or search on Facebook for the group, Gettysburg Association of the PCCUCC and ask to join.Rev. Sterling Fritz is currently managing the Facebook page and also the website. Items can be sent to him at this email address: revfritz@gmail.com.All content for Communications should be submitted if possible at least four weeks before the activity, event, and program will be held. All content for Communications should respect copyright laws.The purpose of the website: www.gapccucc.org will be to serve as the most up-to-date source of information and resources for all Gettysburg Association churches, pastors, church leadership, and members.

REACH MISSION WORK CAMP

Sunday Date Chapter5/7/2017 29 – Paul’s Mission

5/14/2017 30 – Paul’s Final Days5/21/2017 31 – Heaven

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We have a group of 18 youth and adults going to Crossville, Tennessee, from July 16-22. Our Upper Adams group is joining with our friends from Hanover, so our total group consists of over 30 youth and adults. What an exciting mission project!

YOU KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER! Zion’s ancient boiler gave up the ghost. We limped through the heating season with some repairs, but the consensus opinion is that it won’t make it through the next winter. We suppose that fifty years is long enough for a boiler, and we have been lucky with it. But still, replacing it will entail a substantial outlay of money.On June 4, we will hold a congregational meeting, following worship, to vote on the expenditure and plan for replacement. At this point we are still seeking estimates and detailed proposals from three vendors. Our initial work with the vendors tell us the cost to replace it is in the neighborhood of $80,000. When we have final details, we will send a mailing to all members with the Property Committee and Consistory’s recommendation for a heating system replacement and the expected cost. It is imperative that as many of our members as possible be in worship for this important vote. You may, if needed, vote by proxy by contacting the office. Included in the mailing will be a proposal from the Finance Committee for financing the new heating system. Basically, we have sufficient capital reserves to make the down payment and will begin a capital campaign to secure the rest of the funds. A Capital Campaign Committee is forming, and you will be hearing from us! Expect a mailing in the next few weeks and please be in touch with Consistory members with concerns and questions.

UACT (UPPER ADAMS CHRISTIANS TOGETHER) We are official! The IRS recognizes us as a 501c3. UACT is comprised of nine church partners engaged in mutual ministry. We are preparing to finish this year’s Confirmation program on Pentecost Sunday, with joint worship at Flohr’s Lutheran at 3 p.m. Our three confirmands will continue in the fall for their last year of confirmation. We are hoping that some of our UACT friends will join us at the Totem Pole Playhouse in August.

FAMILIES OF ZION’S HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE GRADUATES Please notify the office about the future plans for your graduate. This would include plans for further education, the military, employment, etc. School/college activities, accomplishments, and awards may be stated. To keep our members informed about our young people, a short paragraph about each graduate will be included in our July/August newsletter. Please phone 677-8319, email (Zion_UCC_Arendtsville@comcast.net) or place the information in church mailbox #2.

BOOK GROUP MEETING The Book Group will meet on May 9, 2017, in the Mustard Seed room at 7:00 p.m., to discuss “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Beckman.Synopsis of May’s selectionMeet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty

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young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul; all of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

The June meeting will be on June 21 at 6:00 p.m. at the residence of Tony and Gina Bushey. “Before the Fall” by Noah Hawley is the selection.Synopsis of June’s selectionOn a foggy summer night, eleven people (ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter) depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: The plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are the painter (Scott) and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family.

With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members (including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot), the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame (that borders on notoriety), the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage.

Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

JOHN’S MEALS  As John's Meals looks to expand our program in September, we are requesting additional packing/delivery volunteer teams to assist this ministry.  Packing/delivery of food bags is an approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hour time commitment usually once per month with deliveries and hand out of the food bags at 3:15 p.m. on Fridays before the students dismiss for the weekend.  If you are able to volunteer with our teams or have any questions, please contact Angie Vines (677-9654) or Chris Parker (965-6614).  Thank you for your support to John's Meals. With John's Meals joining under the UACT umbrella and its 501(c)3 status,  monetary donations may now be made payable to "UACT-John's Meals" and may be put into the offering plate or mailed to: UACT, PO Box 593, Arendtsville, PA 17303. 

MATTHEW 25 UPDATE Our Matthew 25 fund is set up to provide assistance to families in need, whether members or non-members. It is not designated for general mission or relief work. The current balance in the Matthew 25 account is $1,968.15.

Date Amount and Referral From Type of Assistance4-12-2017 $200.00 Referral from a Gettysburg Assoc.

pastorMet Ed

SUMMER SPECIAL MUSIC

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Special music for the summer is now being scheduled. Anyone interested in providing the summer anthem kindly contact Sharon.

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KNITTING/CROCHETING CLUB AND PRAYER SHAWLS Zion's family of knitters and crocheters has successfully completed its project for the year.  Warm, comfortable prayer shawls were created in a variety of colors and yarns, crafted with talent and energy, and given to Zion's visiting team to distribute to our members who cannot attend services.  It is the club's hope that wearing the shawls will envelop our friends in the warmth and caring that went into the shawls' creation.  The club is also grateful for the opportunity to use its needles and hooks to bring light and fellowship to others.  The club cheerfully welcomes anyone who loves to create or wants to learn as well as suggestions for future projects.  Meetings will begin again in September.

TRIVIA NITE Congratulations to “Rather Be Bowling” who pulled out a win on the second tie breaker against “Snowball’s Chance.”  They made a donation of $285 to support McKenna Voss and her family during her fight against Bi-Phenotypic Acute Leukemia.  Mark your calendars...our next Trivia Nite will be Sunday, June 25.

LADIES BREAKFAST The May 8 and June 12 Ladies’ Breakfast will be held at the Apple Bin at 9:00 a.m.   See you then. Bring a neighbor!

LABELS FOR EDUCATION UPDATE Campbell's reports that due to recent decline in their Labels for Education program, they have decided to wind down the program. From now until August 2017, only UPCs with the Labels for Education logo will be accepted and be able to be redeemed for points. Campbell's has begun the process of removing the Labels for Education logo, and state that there will be a limited number of products that contain these labels in stores through August 2017.  Zion's Sunday School currently has 10,204 points banked in our account, and have a goal to reach 25,000 by August for our third and final $250 Visa Gift Card to be used towards Sunday School activities for Zion's children.  Now is the time to check your pantry shelves, grab a pair of scissors, and clip those UPC codes with the Labels for Education logo off of those emergency cans of Campbell's soups, Prego pasta sauces, Pepperidge farm products, Swanson broths, etc.  Please bring in any

stashes of labels you have at home, and drop them in the square, red Labels for Education boxes located in the vestibule upon entering the sanctuary, or on the side table in the main Sunday School room.  Zion's kids thank you for your help in wrapping up this project successfully over the next few months!

SOUTH MOUNTAIN RAMBLERS We will hike on June 3 at 9:30 a.m. Meet at Kim and Larry’s house for a ramble on a new trail being constructed.

MACARONI AND CHEESE TO BENEFIT JOHN’S MEALS We are collecting single serve, microwaveable cups of  macaroni & cheese to benefit John’s Meals.  The cups need not be a brand name (like Kraft); store brand is fine.  We will be providing 100 cups each month and they may be placed in the cupboard in the rear of the church (just like before).  Any questions, please see Gina or Chris.  As always, thank you so much for your faithful support of this ministry. (We are no longer collecting canned meat for the Food Pantry at Centenary in Biglerville.)

HOSS’S COMMUNITY NIGHT Our next Hoss’s Community Night is on Monday, June 12, 2017.

COMMUNITY AID DONATION BIN Please consider donating items to the Community Aid donation bin located in the Zion parking lot near Zion House.  We receive

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funds each quarter based upon the weight of items deposited in the container and those funds are used toward the Mission Budget.  For the fourth quarter, $160 was received. Acceptable items include clothing, shoes, accessories like purses and belts, linens,

curtains and draperies.  Please place donations in plastic bags before dropping them into the bin.  After your yard sales, consider donating unsold appropriate items to the bin. 

The 2017 Flower Calendar is posted in the vestibule. Please be sure to sign up.Available dates are June 18; July 2; August 13; September 3; October 29; November 12; and

December 17.

To Meet the Budget 2017Annual Budget = $189,911.00

Weekly Offering Needed = $3,572.85Offering Needed Offering Received

Needed to Date

Received to Date

January $17,864.25 $14,922.00 $17,864.25 $14,922.00February $14,291.40 $13,942.00 $32,155.65 $28,864.00March $14,291.40 $16,274.00 $46,447.05 $45,138.00April $17,864.25 $17,181.25 $64,311.30 $62,319.25

CONSISTORY NEWS FROM. . .Consistory President, Personnel (Craig)

Many thanks to our April 22 Work Day participants. Much work was accomplished by Dan, Roger, Cindy, Wayne, Valerie, Tony, Bob, Jay, Bill, John, Jamie, Peggy Sue, Isabelle, Curt, Cooley, Craig, Jim, Deb, and Paul.

Consistory Vice President, Mission (Donna)

Zion's members continued our commitment to veterans by providing refreshments at the Barlow Fire Hall on Sunday, April 30, as the riders completed all but one lap of their ride into Gettysburg.  With the help of Roger and Cindy, Wayne and Valerie, Chris and Jessica and family, Kitty, Bob, Rob and Kathy with the Arendtsville Boy Scout troop, we provided our wonderful cookies and drinks to the group of riders who stopped to visit.  Thanks to everyone who baked, shopped and provided assistance at the rest stop.

Consistory Secretary, Christian Ed (Kim)

The Sunday School has had a successful year, with nearly 30 children involved. Thanks to all who help.

Fellowship (Deb) Totem Pole Playhouse Outing – The Fellowship Committee is organizing an outing to the Totem Pole Playhouse on August 5 to attend the matinee performance of “Million Dollar Quartet,” the smash-hit musical inspired by the famed December 4, 1956, recording session that brought together rock ‘n’ roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins inside the Sun Records’ recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee for one unforgettable night. The musical features a treasure trove of the

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greatest rock, rockabilly, gospel, R&B and country standards of the 1950s, over 20 hits such as “Great Balls of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “See You Later, Alligator,” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” Tickets will be available at a reduced rate and, if needed, transportation from Zion can be provided. A sign-up sheet is available in the rear of the sanctuary. More details to follow.

What better deal for a great afternoon at Caledonia and the Totem Pole!

Finance (Dan) Plans are being made for a capital campaign for the new boiler.Membership, (Kim) On Mother’s Day, May 14, all women are invited for light

refreshments and flowers after church. Please plan to join us in the back of the church to honor all of our special “mothers.”College care package gift cards were mailed in mid-April.

Stewardship (Sally) Now more than ever, we need your financial participation in the life of our church. Consider using the “EFT” automatic withdrawal for your regular giving.

THANKS FROM OUR COMMUNITY . . . It is with a grateful heart that we thank you for your meaningful 2016 contribution to the HACC Foundation to benefit HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College: $1,000 for the Community Endowed Gettysburg Campus Nursing Scholarship and $1,000 for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 15, Gettysburg Scholarship. Because of your generosity, better opportunities await HACC students. Your support of the College’s strategic initiatives, programs, capital improvements and academic excellence will have a lasting impact. ~John Sygielski, Ed.D., President, HACC