CURRENT OFFICERS AND CONSISTORY MEMBERS
Vice President
Jim Stewart
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I must confess I’m always unimpressed by the Statements of Faith that churches post on their
sites. They just lie there, impassive, motionless, like an impressive monument artfully designed,
yet lifeless. What’s a Statement of Faith anyways? It is supposed to be a compilation of our core
beliefs, the foundation on which we stand, right? Yet, although all Churches have one, upon
closer examination, most of them don’t live by it.
Yet, recently I found one Statement that impressed me. Its brevity and clarity immediately
grabbed my attention. I could picture those people actually believing what they said they
believed. That led me to the question: How do I know I believe these things? The obvious
answers was, “By the way I live my life.” Do I believe there is a heaven and a hell? If I really do, I
must be teaching my children to strive to go to heaven and to avoid going to hell, because if I
don’t do I really believe it?
What follows is a Living Statement of Faith, as opposed to a lifeless one. It’s the
conclusion of my musings on the purpose of the Statement of Faith.
As you read it, ask yourself, “Is this the way I live?” Your answer will either challenge the validity
of your faith, validate it, or point you to those areas in which your faith needs to grow. I hope it’ll
help you as much as it helped me.
My Statement of Faith
I believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible and authoritative Word of God. Therefore, I
read it every day, trust it and obey it. I believe there is an eternal God, existent in three persons.
Therefore, I submit equally to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and seek to know each of
them intimately. I believe in the deity of Jesus, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His
vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the
Father, and His personal return in power and glory. Therefore, I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
I don’t despair in times of trouble, and live a life that glorifies God while waiting for His return.
I believe in regeneration. Therefore, I am mindful of my inner inclinations and outward behavior
to make sure I’m in the faith. I believe the ministry of the Holy Spirit enables me to live a holy
life. Therefore, I forsake and avoid anything that grieves Him while at the same time, pursue
holiness. I believe there is a heaven and a hell. Therefore, I actively seek the salvation of my
family, instructing them and praying for them. I seek the salvation of those around me as well. I
believe in the spiritual unity of Christians in our Lord Jesus. Therefore, I worship at church. I
cultivate a healthy relationship with my brothers and sisters, pray for them and help them. I
seek their company over that of unbelievers. I believe all these things, therefore I’ll live them.
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Please join the Youth Group tomorrow, June 10th for our trip to Mureille’s Place. All youths from the ages of 10-teens are welcome to attend and we cordially invite everyone from outside of the Emmanuel family as well. We will meet at Emmanuel UCC at 2:30 PM where we will gather the donations and head to Mureille’s Place from 3PM until around 4PM. At that time we will help with feeding, cleaning, and any other help that is needed at the senior dog sanctuary.
Donations will be accepted up until Sunday afternoon. A donation bin has been setup in the Narthex of Emmanuel UCC. Tax deductible donation information can be found at Murielle’s Place website:
http://www.mureillesplace.org/donate.html
MUREILLE’S PLACE IS A 501C3 CHARITY LOCATED IN WAPWALLOPEN, PA. ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE (TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW). TAX ID# 27-1159266
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Thanks to everyone who came out on May 19
to lend a hand for our spring clean-up day.
There was plenty to do
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Worship begins at 6:00 pm Sunday evenings
beginning July 8 and continues to the end of
August. If you can help with refreshments for
July 8 when we are host, please see Cindy.
July 8 Emmanuel UCC
July 15 St. Peter’s UCC
July 22 St. John’s UCC
July 29 St. James Lutheran
Aug. 5 New Hope UMC
Aug. 12 St. Mark’s Lutheran
Aug. 19 Mt. Zion UCC
Aug. 26 Cemetery Association
We hope everyone will find time to worship in
this historic setting.
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June 16 – 300 Club & Silent Auction
TBD – 2nd Annual Car Show
October 20 – Fall Turkey Supper
November 10 – Pork & Sauerkraut Dinner
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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!!
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Only 300 tickets are sold for
this “exclusive” Club!! Hurry
up and get your ticket for our
9
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 16 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!
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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!
Two summers ago 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!
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Son Rock Kids Camp
July 22 – July 26
Come out for a great camping trip at
our Vacation Bible School. This year’s theme
is SonRock Kids Camp, where kids build
their lives on the Rock, Jesus! We will learn
that we are Accepted by Jesus, Protected by
Jesus, Saved by Jesus, Forgiven by Jesus
and Living for Jesus. There are cool songs,
spirited games, nature crafts, sweet treats
and rock-solid lessons, all with a camping
theme.
Our first meeting was on May 14. We
decided to hold our program from Sunday,
July 22, through Thursday, July 26. We
reviewed the materials and discussed
preliminary decorating ideas. We have
leaders for all the centers but for everyone
who would like to help, assistants are
needed for the snacks, crafts and PreK areas.
The PreK leader is asking for one or two
adults for extra hands for in-class projects.
Please see Cindy if you can help with snacks
or Denise for other areas.
Our next meeting with be on June 4 at
6:30 pm. We will continue discussing
decorating and what will be our mission.
Each year, our VBS decides on a mission
project. Our projects have helped children
here locally and around the world. All ideas
are welcome and we will all decide then
which one is right for this year.
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The youth group get together scheduled for April 29th has been moved to May 6th. Come out on May 6th for game night and pizza. The youth group is open to everyone and anyone 10 and up. Church membership is not required.
No Matter Who You Are Or Where You Are On Life’s Journey, You’re Welcome Here
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May brings the newness of sunshine and flowers to our community. After a long winter, this is something we all welcome with open arms. The seasons are something that affects our vitality. Vitality, simply put, means the state of being strong and active; energy. In the beautiful summer months ahead we can sense this vitality coming into our own minds and bodies.
But our minds and bodies are not the only things that vitality affects. It is infecting our church as well. The Penn Northeast Conference (PNEC) has taken the word vitality and put it into action! The PNEC has recently formed a Congregational Vitality Team. The function of this team is to work to revitalize and support our congregations. This is all going to start with an assessment that will be given out to congregations for their input on how we could re-vitalize our churches.
What a great idea in this fast paced changing world! The congregation members of Emmanuel United Church of Christ are going to receive this assessment in May. Once that assessment is compiled, I will be meeting with the team to review their recommendations. This is the beginning of a new Emmanuel UCC. Not that there is anything wrong with our existing church. In fact, I see quite a bit of untapped potential here.
We at Emmanuel UCC are concerned with folks who are missing out on a great opportunity to change, to heal, and to become whole. Are you seeking any of this? Perhaps you are church shopping, or are a former member who is thinking about coming back home to Emmanuel. Well, we have much to offer to you.
For our young people there is Sunday school, kids choir, and our newly re-formed youth group for those ages 10 and up. Actually, we have planned a mission trip to Blue Knob PA, through Team Effort, for the week of July 8th. Also, we will be holding our annual Summer Bible Camp during the evenings this summer.
For everyone we continue to meet on Sunday morning at 10:30 am. for worship. We also are now offering Bible study group to supplement this worship. And, of course, lots of opportunities for fellowship.
Did I miss anything? Is there something you would like to see happen in our church? Well, come with you suggestions because we also offer an extravagant welcome to everyone no matter where you are on life’s journey.
So, consider this May newsletter article an invitation to come and be re-vitalized. Our church is already vitalized but we could only get stronger. We want you to come and enjoy everything God has given us! We hope to see you soon!
God Bless You!
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9th Annual 300 CLUB and
SILENT AUCTION
June 16, 2018
Hurry up and get your tickets!
Only 300 tickets are sold to have a chance to win 43 prizes. That’s better odds than the PA lottery! Tickets are $35 for 2 people to come for a day of delicious food and excellent entertainment. There are 5 hourly drawings starting at 1:00 pm for 2 prizes at $50 and 3 prizes at $25. At 6:00 pm the final prizes are drawn, which everyone has a chance at since we put all previous winners back “in the pot.” Grand prize is $1,000, 2nd prize is $500 and 3rd prize is $250 plus 5 prizes each of $100, $50 and $25. Add to that all the great eats and music by Mud Pond Boys and Jesse and Friends and you have a terrific afternoon filled with fun. If you want to attend but don’t care about the prizes, just pay $15 per person and still enjoy all the food and entertainment.
DONATIONS ITEMS ARE NEEDED 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. See Sandy Kleger for more information.
300 CLUB POSTERS and SILENT AUCTION DONATION LETTERS are on the table in the narthex. Please take some posters and get them around the area. Also on the table are donation letters for those who provide auction items. Please let me know if more posters or letters are needed
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The North East Pa. Music Teachers Association recently announced that Leah Dietrich qualified after auditioning at Wilkes University to perform at Carnegie Hall, New York on March 31st.
Myra Belanchik was excited to start hunting for eggs at Fairview/Wright Easter Festival.
 
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We will have our last day of Sunday School on May 13. I appreciate all the effort and work that the teachers put into the lessons. When you bring your children, you can count on them learning more about our faith through these volunteers.
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Hurry up and get your tickets for our annual 300 Club fundraiser!
Mark your calendars and get ready for a great day of fun, food and prizes. On Saturday, June 16, we will hold our annual 300 Club from 12 to 6 pm. For tickets or to help out, please see Allen Dennis or any Consistory member
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What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? — Mark 8:36 (NIV)
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