CURRENT OFFICERS AND CONSISTORY MEMBERS
Vice President
Jim Stewart
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The last week of July, 2018, with consistory approval, I mailed out letters to
approximately 27 of our brothers and sisters in Christ about what’s happening at
Emmanuel UCC.
Those who received letters were the folks on our directory list whom I haven’t
met before, or have not seen in a while. I want them to know all of the great things we
have to offer at Emmanuel UCC in Dorrance. Worship, fellowship, Bible study,
youth group, choirs, confirmation, all here under the roof of the house of God.
On Sunday, July 29th, 2018 we heard again the miracle story of Jesus feeding
the 5,000 according to the Gospel of John (6:1-22). What I find so significant in this
story is Jesus’ empowerment to His disciples in delivering the food to the masses.
Discipleship equips the Christian with God’s Word, prayer, doctrine, worship,
encouragement, and service. We can then add to our list of offerings from Emmanuel
UCC the making of disciples.
Yes, you are being prepared through the Word of God to provide service to those
in need. Bearing that in mind, let us begin by inviting friend’s neighbors, and family
members to join us for worship. We are all concerned with falling attendance rates in
all of the Christian denominations, but it is more than that. It is our concern that the
unchurched are missing out in a chance to have a real personal relationship to God.
The education we receive through our Sunday service cannot be replaced by staying
home. Yes, we could pray to God anywhere, anytime, yet let’s be concerned with
getting even more from those prayers.
God wants us to be 100%. He is always there for us, even when we stray. So
let’s practice our discipleship and feed the masses. Those that hunger for the word of
God can share at the banquet set before us. Not just Sunday morning, but every day.
Through the work of Christ, we have the opportunity to be transformed into the
person we strive to be. UI am speaking of fulfillment here.
The good have a chance to be better. So as disciples of Christ, let’s hold out our
hand and say, come, I have found a better way. Always remember, God wants the
best for you, and so does Emmanuel UCC!
Shalom,
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Ethel Fine will be celebrating her 95th birthday on August 7. Let’s all give her a great birthday by sending her cards showing her how much she means to our church family.
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Some of our graduates are pictured with their class. Crestwood’s graduating class included Aaron Kleger. We wish them God’s guidance and encourage them as they pursue the next phases of their lives.
Robert Duffy is shown with his teammates from the Mountaintop All-Stars team.
Our annual 300 Club and Silent Auction was enjoyed by many people. The very popular Mud Pond Boys are shown performing during the day for the large crowd of fans. Megs Yenchik, her grandson Mason and sister Jeannie Haydt are shown enjoying some of the delicious food. Our thanks to all who came out to support this fundraiser.
Morgan Hodle, Robert Duffy, Nick Aita, Victor Saraceno are shown helping animals. They collected various donations including
dog food, biscuits, paper towels, and bedding for Mureille’s Place, a senior dog sanctuary.
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| Silent Auction Profit: |
$1740.00 |
300 Club:
Income: 259 tickets @ $35.00 each |
$9,065.00 |
| 8 Guests @ $15.00 each |
$120.00 |
| 50/50 raffles |
$206.00 |
| Donations from winners |
$225.00 |
| Additional Donations |
$5.00 |
| Extra Sausage & hot dogs sold |
$65.00 |
|
$9686.00 |
| Expenses: Prizes from drawings |
$ 3500.00 |
| 2 Bands |
$775.00 |
| Small games license |
$125.00 |
| Moonwalk for children |
$225.00 |
| Supplies |
$432.39 |
| Hot Dogs – Maine source |
$175.82 |
|
$5233.21 |
| Income: |
$9,686.00 |
| Expenses: |
$5233.21 |
| Profit from 300 Club |
$ 4,452.79 |
| Profit from Silent Auction |
$1740.00 |
| Grand Total Profit |
$ 6,192.79 |
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For our July Newsletter, I thought it would be appropriate to include this important
pastoral newsletter found on the UCC website, UCC.org. As a minister, I do not preach
politics from the pulpit, but I do feel it is important for us as Christians to allow our voice
to be heard in government decisions. We, as a people, are affected by these decisions.
Condemning the unconscionable assertion that migrant children should be separated
from their parents because of ‘orderly and lawful processes that protect the weak and
lawful,’ — a Biblical statement used to justify U.S. immigration policies — United Church of
Christ National Leadership has issued this pastoral letter, urging the people of the
denomination’s almost 5,000 congregations to take action now! First, by contacting their
Congressional representatives, and then by providing funds to keep families together. Money
to be used to support the people sleeping in the streets at the borders of this country, or
those parents and children separated upon entry!
“Still, when God saw the trouble they were in and heard their cries for help,
God remembered God’s Covenant with them, and, immense with love, took them by
the hand. God poured out God’s mercy on them while their captors looked on,
amazed.”
Psalm 106:44-47 (MSG)
Friends, once again we stand at the brink of a moral precipice in our society and the
question before us is will we choose to act in covenant with God on behalf of God’s people
or will we sacrifice our soul. The United Church of Christ has long been a supporter of
migrant families seeking refuge within our borders from intolerable and unsafe living
conditions in their homelands. As people of God committed to the sacredness of all
creation and the sanctity of every life, we are compelled to heed the cries of families now
being violently torn apart at our borders for political expediency and profitability. Such
violent acts are unnecessarily punitive and place at risk the physical, emotional,
psychological, spiritual, and developmental stability of hundreds of families who now find
themselves separated, caged, and commodified in a strange land.
All of our sacred texts, no matter the faith, identify the disregard of the humanity of
the vulnerable as sin.
And God hears the cries of God’s people. The plight of black and brown migrant
families whose children are ripped from their care cannot be the policy of a civilized land.
We’ve been here before. Our nation’s history bears witness to a legacy of lost love. We
separated the children of Native people from their families. We separated the children of
enslaved people from their families. We separated the children of Japanese people from
their families. Many of these families were never made whole again. This legacy of white
supremacist ideology is idolatrous and leaves an indelible mark of evil that can only be
redeemed by a conscious act of spiritual repentance and repair.
We must resist the evil of dehumanization enacted upon the vulnerable among us.
The United Church of Christ strongly condemns the dismantling of families, the
criminalization of the quest for freedom, and the caging of those whose only crime is to
seek shelter from harm. How we treat those who seek shelter in our midst is a direct
reflection of how we treat God. We call upon our 5,000 member churches to write letters to
your representatives in Congress as an act of worship this month. Remind Congress there
is a law that supersedes partisanship and political bantering, and that is the sanctity of all
people of God.
Faithfully yours,
The National Officers of the United Church of Christ
The Rev. John C. Dorhauer, General Minister and President
The Rev. Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister, Justice and Witness Ministries
The Rev. James Moos, Executive Minister, Wider Church Ministries
The Council of Conference Ministers of the United Church of Christ
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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.
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THANKS to everyone who helped in any way to make this year’s 300 Club and Silent
Auction a fantastic success. Almost all the 300 tickets were sold, ensuring us a good profit.
We also had additional guests who each donated $15 to enjoy the great food and bands. We
are still waiting for some of the Silent Auction payments to be collected and will have and
update of the profit as soon as it becomes available.
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 Members of Emmanuel UCC are shown
remembering the fallen at the Memorial Day
ceremony which also featured several area
American Legion Posts, color guard, choir,
rifle squad and taps by Al Finn of the
Mountain Top American Legion Post 781.
Aaron Kleger is “READY TO GRADUATE”
and also shown performing ‘LITTLE
WONDERS’ with classmate Megan Wood a
song by American singer-song writer Rob
Thomas, during Crestwood High S
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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. The Bible stories are based on the relationship between Jesus and Peter.
Accepted: Jesus chooses Peter as one of his disciples.
Protected: Jesus protects Peter when he
tries to walk on water.
Saved: Peter’s
confession that Jesus is Lord allows him
salvation.
Forgiven: Even though Peter
denied knowing Jesus three times, Jesus
forgave him.
Living: Through the power of
Jesus, Peter heals a lame man.
Registration sheets are on the table in the narthex and there are posters for putting up around the neighborhoods, too. If possible, would you pre-register your child(ren) so that there is less confusion on the first day? I am also asking all adult and teen volunteers to fill out a form since it contains contact information in case of an emergency. If there are no registration sheets, please ask me to make more. Thanks.
At our last meeting on May 25, we made some of our props for the different areas. We will need to complete them when we do the final decoration on July 21. We were so busy with decorations that we forgot to set a date for our next meeting. I will try to get that publicized so everyone who wants to participate will know about it. That meeting will be to ensure we have all props for the skits and station areas so that decorating on the 21st will go smoothly. We also need a Mission Project. Please see me with any ideas. In the past, we gave to GoJoe, Janet Weiss Children’s Hospital, and local families with children who had serious medical needs.
I’d like to thank everyone who helped clean up and out old VBS materials. I’m not sure who they all are, but they got things where they needed to be so that they could be gone through and sorted.
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The Youth Group will be helping with refreshments at the Old River Church Service to be held on July 15th.
**A meeting will be held prior to the service the time is To Be Announced.
**The Youth Group will be going to Beech Mountain Lake Area on July 29th. They will meet at the church at 1:30 pm.
** Leah Dietrich, Brooke Rinehimer and Morgan Hodle will be going on the mission trip to Blue Knob, Pa July 8th – 14th.
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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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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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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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Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. — 1 John 5:12 (NIV)
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