CURRENT OFFICERS AND CONSISTORY MEMBERS | President | Deb Dietrich |
| Vice President | Allen Dennis |
| Secretary | Brad Bunnell |
| Treasurer | Chris Dietrich |
| Trustees | Diana Decker |
| Sandy Kleger |
| Jim Stewart |
|
I have always been interested, as a minister, in apologetics. The word could be deceiving, and has nothing to do with making an apology. On the contrary, Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present historical, reasoned, and evidential bases for Christianity, defending it against objections.
At times, I feel as Christians we have the right and duty to defend our beliefs. Currently. I am studying a book titled “Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers & Skeptics Find Faith” by Alister McGrath. According to McGrath, our mandate has been given by Christ in the Great
Commission both with content for teaching and power for execution. Christ’s word is what we teach and God’s presence is what Jesus promised. That’s why when we are about doing the Masters business never are we to think we’re alone.
We are to understand apologetics as the reasoned defense of the Faith which must be practiced with gentleness and respect toward outsiders—even those who are our persecutors. Apologetics defends, commends, and translates the Faith to seekers and believers. When defending we must answer honest questions and be person relative. When commending we must show the wonder and splendor of the kingdom. And when translating, we must do so exegetically, hermeneutically and humanly explain terms so that a child can understand our meaning.
Christians wanting to grow in their faith need to and must find answers to their questions. They must mine the riches of the faith and get proficient at explaining it creatively without losing the substance of the gospel. How desperate we are for church goers to be gospel proclaimers, not just attendees to hear a message.
It all begins with each and every one of us studying and knowing the Word of God. One reason to study the Bible is to learn what it has to say firsthand. Whether one is a supporter or critic of the Bible, or perhaps just neutral or uninterested in the topic, history has demonstrated that the Bible cannot be ignored. Considering that the Bible is important to three major world religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – it is worthy of study. Also, the recent rise of hostile criticism towards the Bible itself and religion in general also makes it worthy of study. Sometimes the critics do not always quote the Bible correctly or in context.
Knowing what it says firsthand and having some knowledge of the context is helpful in understanding not only current events, but key ideas the Bible addresses such as the nature and existence of God, the human condition, the biblical pattern of redemption and salvation and ethics.
We learn together, every Sunday, another wonderful lesson from the Word of God. My message is that we make apologists instead of the uninformed and lost critic. By taking a friend to church, we will continue to expand those who will finally find the truth in life, and help the lost.
We do this not just for our church, but for the community, and the greater community, our world. So, if you have some tough questions and need answers, that magnificent book, The Bible will help you along the way. Let’s study it together, every Sunday!
Peace be with you,
 Share on Facebook
The Readler Family would like to thank everyone for their best wishes, cards, prayers and phone calls for Clifford Readler.
Share on Facebook
The profit for the Script Card Fundraiser for June is $41.01.
Share on Facebook
Worship begins at 6:00 pm Sunday evenings beginning July 9 and continues to the end of August. If you can help with refreshments for July 9 when we are host, please see Cindy.
| July 9 |
Emmanuel UCC |
| July 16 |
St. Peter’s UCC |
| July 23 |
Mt. Zion UCC |
| July 30 |
St. James Lutheran |
| Aug. 6 |
New Hope UMC |
| Aug. 13 |
St. Mark’s Lutheran |
| Aug. 20 |
St. John’s UCC |
| Aug. 27 |
Cemetery Association |
We hope everyone will find time to worship in this historic setting.
Share on Facebook
It’s summer and time for our choirs to be on vacation. But that doesn’t mean that we want a vacation from music. Anyone who will sing, play an instrument or (if you’re really talented) do both, is welcome to pick a Sunday to make a joyful noise to our God. Please see Denise Dean so we can fill the air with music on Sunday mornings.
Share on Facebook
Aaron Kleger is shown amongst the Crestwood High School and Middle School students who participated in Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science state meeting. Aaron won Pennsylvania Science Talent Search Award.
Sharon and Edmund Sieminski are shown filling their plates at our annual family style spring turkey dinner on Saturday, May 20th.
Pastor Lou Aita is shown participating in the Memorial Day service along with representatives of Ashley Post 673, American Legion Post 781, Sons of the Legion, the Ladies Auxilliary, Slocum VFW and Dorrance VFW Post 288.
 
Emmanuel UCC recently honored their confirmation class. Shown are Kelsey Rinehimer, Kiersten Whitmire, Brooke Rinehimer, Samantha Kotarsky, Leah Dietrich, Morgan Hodle and Pastor Aita.
Share on Facebook
For anyone interested in tickets, message me! $35 for 2 people and chance to win$$$$! Please share
 2017 300 club Share on Facebook
| DINNER INCOME |
|
| Door Sales |
|
|
|
205 @ $10.00 |
2,050.00 |
|
7 @ $4.00 |
28.00 |
| Advance Sales |
|
|
|
292 @ $10.00 |
2,920.00 |
| Donations |
|
45.00 |
| Surplus Sold |
|
170.50 |
| TOTAL INCOME |
|
5213.50 |
| DINNER EXPENSE |
|
|
Bread |
37.50 |
|
Decaf, Paper
Towels, DrinkMix,
Margarine |
44.38 |
|
Turkeys, Veggies,
Broth, Cranberry,
Potatoes, bread, etc. |
1973.62 |
|
Milk |
15.65 |
| TOTAL EXPENSE |
|
2,071.15 |
|
TOTAL INCOME |
5213.50 |
|
TOTAL EXPENSE |
-2,071.15 |
|
DINNER PROFIT |
3,142.35 |
Share on Facebook
Welcome to June! As we contemplate this month and all of the church activity we have planned, I cannot help in reminiscing over all of the great events in May! We had a great time of fellowship showing up for our photos to be included in the new church directory. With this new directory, we will have the opportunity to see some new faces as well as old friends. What makes me the happiest is seeing old friends returning to church after a hospital stay or an illness. Many I visit long to be back in the sanctuary worshipping. But, I always reassure those I visit that we will take church to them, and they will never be forgotten. Our recent turkey dinner was a success! We couldn’t do this without help in various jobs, and the showing of young people was exemplary. The feedback from those who came to eat from the community was a resounding positive. Remember, purchasing tickets and enjoying the food is an important part of this type of fundraiser also! One of the Gospel lessons for May was Acts 2: 42-27. It reads: And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, … This truly mirrors our Turkey Dinner fundraiser. It is always wonderful when the community gets together, in church, and shares with each other. June holds many exciting events. We ushered in June with a rousing Memorial Day celebration on Sunday, May 28th. We got to see first-hand how we are all connected to our service men and woman, and how we as Christians are an example of this country’s cohesiveness. Most importantly, we confirmed six young women from our congregation. I have spent six months with this class and I assure you there are no better prepared young United Church of Christ folks as this confirmation class. This is because of their commitment to the church of Jesus Christ, and their enthusiasm for learning. So let’s make June and all of the months that follow a time for reaching out our hands to each other and the world, and striving for the Christian maturity God wants! Shalom,
Share on Facebook
We offer our sincere condolences to Kristina and Eric Walck on the passing of Kristina’s grandmother, Mary Baker, on May 2, 2017. Mary was also the great-grandmother of Clayton and Mikayla Walck. We pray that God’s love and strength will sustain you in your time of need and sorrow.
Share on Facebook
Worship begins at 6:00 pm Sunday evenings
beginning July 9 and continues to the end of
August. If you can help with refreshments for
July 9 when we are host, please see Cindy.
| July 9 |
Emmanuel UCC |
| July 16 |
St. Peter’s UCC |
| July 23 |
Mt. Zion UCC |
| July 30 |
St. James Lutheran |
| Aug. 6 |
New Hope UMC |
| Aug. 13 |
St. Mark’s Lutheran |
| Aug. 20 |
St. John’s UCC |
| Aug. 27 |
Cemetery Association |
We hope everyone will find time to worship in
this historic setting.
Share on Facebook
Only 300 tickets are sold for this “exclusive” Club!! Hurry up and get your ticket for our 8 th annual 300 Club fundraiser! Where else can you get great food, excellent entertainment and terrific cash prizes for two people for $35!! AT OUR ANNUAL 300 CLUB ON JUNE 17 FROM NOON TO 6 PM! That’s a bargain! And if you’re not into the prizes, you can still come and enjoy all that food and music for only $15 a person. There will be two bands: The Mud Pond Boys and Sundance. On top of that, every hour from 1:00 to 5:00 there will be a drawing for five CA$H prizes ranging from $25 to $50. At the 6:00 pm drawing, we award the grand prizes of $1,000, $500, 5 at $100, and the remaining $50 and $25 prizes. Plus, all during the event, you will be able to bid on items for our Silent Auction which will be called at 5:00 pm. It’s going to be a wonderful day with lots of excitement – so don’t miss out!
Share on Facebook
We always need items for the Silent Auction. These need to be new items for a Silent Auction. Many items are donated by local merchants and businesses. If you have something to donate or think of someone who might donate, please take some of the donation memos on the table in the narthex. Fill in the person/business name, the date, and the item and its value and give it to the person/business for their tax records. Also note the value of the item for us so we can put that on the bid sheets for the auction. We’ve had some amazing items in the past, from kid’s toys to kitchenware, hand-made clocks to fine jewelry, and everything in between. We’d like to have an even greater variety for this year’s auction. So please see what you can find to add to our assortment. THANKS!!
Share on Facebook
If you walked by a $20 bill on the ground, would you stop and pick it up? Of course you would and it would probably make your day! $20 isn’t a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but what if every person in church today walked outside and found a twenty dollar bill just lying on the ground? Now we’re talkin! Last Summer Jim and I decided to buy two new air conditioners. We priced them at Home Depot and realized that a Scrip purchased gift card from Jim Rinehimer wouldn’t cost us an extra dime! But would net the church twenty free dollars! Scrip is great for more than the daily essentials like gasoline and groceries. Are you buying patio furniture for a 4th of July celebration? Do you need to replace that leaky kitchen faucet? Is your garden needing a few bags of mulch? Will you be in the market for pillows, sheets or towels this year? From kitchen appliances to wall art, Scrip gift cards cost you nothing but preplanning and a phone call to Jim! Or you can get a list of all the rebate cards from the table in the narthex, fill it out and hand it to him. It’s important that we all do what we can to benefit our church family and I encourage everyone to participate as much as you possibly can. No matter where your talents lie, we all shop for things. So consider your family’s future needs and check with Jim Rinehimer or visit the website ShopWithScrip.com. That $5, $10 or even $20 rebate could go a long way at our church when combined with everyone else’s rebate!
Share on Facebook
Welcome to the beautiful month of May! This month surely does provide for us at Emmanuel UCC some wonderful opportunities for fellowship and worship. Let’s start with the long awaited and well planned for Turkey Supper. Our fundraisers are very important as they keep our church running and open for worship. I would personally like to thank all those who have helped in the past. You have shown the future that through hard work, the flower will thrive, And that flower is our church. Please remember, the kitchen is not a closed off society! Anyone is welcome to come and lend a hand. Traci and I are very excited about being able to come and help the cause, so join us in fellowship.
Another highlight of May is our confirmands moving closer to confirmation. These six young ladies are enjoying being together and learning about God and our Savior Jesus Christ, as well as the history of our church and the history of the United Church of Christ. They will be writing liturgy and leading all of us in worship May 28th, so come out and experience our future leaders at work.
Did you know that we had two families join our church? You will get a chance to meet them shortly as I plan a new member Sunday this month. One family joined because they said, “We have never experienced a welcome from a congregation as we did here.” So, great work for Christ! Your attitude reflects our church.
So let’s keep up the good work! Continue to be mindful of our home communion/visitation sign-up sheet, as always encourage one another as we all move closer to knowing God better.
Shalom,
Share on Facebook
I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. — Psalm 119:60 (NIV)
|
|
