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As we continue on our journey to Jerusalem with Jesus I have been very pleased with the folks
that have been traveling out on Wednesday nights to be together for supper and a Lenten
service. We have had lots of good fellowship and meaningful worship. Thanks to those who
volunteered to fix meals (we have had some great meals) and to those who take the time to
worship together. We will continue our journey to Jerusalem during April on Wednesday nights
until we arrive there on Palm Sunday. During Holy Week
we will have a special dinner on Maundy Thursday (instead of Wednesday)
and a service celebrating the institution of our Lord’s Supper. On Good Friday we will worship
together with our friends and neighbors in the community at Mountain Top Presbyterian Church
at noon. After that service, hopefully, we will all be in prayer and mediation as we go through a
most solemn weekend as Jesus is nailed to the cross and laid in a tomb.
Then on Easter Sunday morning we will arrive at the tomb and find that Jesus is not there! He has
risen – just as he said. And through him we are all given the gift of grace and eternal life. And we
will celebrate at 6:30 and 10:30 and we will flower the cross as we wonder at God’s wonderful love
for us and we will raise our voices in joyful singing to celebrate! Hallelujah!!
We now have four girls starting the process of Confirmation. I ask for your prayers for us as we
begin our study and preparation for becoming responsible members of the church.
Today the sun is shining which is quite an anomaly these days. Since we have moved the offices
around in our space I now have two windows where I can enjoy looking out. I look forward to
soon seeing the trees budding and the grass turning green. It has been white long enough.
Anyway – God blesses us in all situations – cold or hot or just perfect. Let us all praise God
together! Amen.
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For the last several years, our Turkey Supper has been
held on the third Saturday in April. This year, Holy
Week and Easter will be that weekend so we have
rescheduled the Turkey Supper for the third Saturday in
May. Please help us get the word out that we will still be
serving this delicious dinner, just a month later.
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We received a thank you letter from the Veterans Affairs
Medical Center for the Valentines for Vets. Each year we
send these greeting cards and the vets look forward to
receiving them. Gail K. Benner, Voluntary Service
Officer at the Medical Center, notes that they gladly
accept cards for any holiday and so we are collecting
some for Easter now and will do so for future holidays.
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This is what we’re up to now:
1. THANK YOU!!!! We made $318 from our Mardi
Gras Brunch. That’s almost enough for one youth to
go on our Mission Trip. We appreciate our church
family and all you do to support us.
2. This Summer’s Mission Trip – There will be 12
youth and adults again cleaning up after Sandy (and
whatever else has hit that area since then). The
reservation fee of $89 per person has been paid. We
leave on June 30 and return July 5. We need to keep
promoting Hire the Youth Group to raise some
money. Also, anyone having ideas on other
fundraisers, please see Marc, Lisa or Caroline to see
if it’s possible for us do them.
Remember to get your Weis and Carone’s cards
This is a great way to support the Youth Group without
spending anything extra. You’re just going to spend
that money at the grocery store anyway so why not
give the Youth Group some help with their finances?
For every $1,000 worth of cards they sell, they make
$50. Please see Marc on Sunday mornings or you can
call Denise at the church office (868-5675) during the
week.
Keep on believing
Marc, Lisa and Caroline
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Once more, we are going to serve others “right in our
own backyard”. Our mission trip will again take us to
Lakewood Township where cleanup efforts are still
woefully inadequate. Sandy had a terrible impact on that
area and we want to do something about it. The only
thing is that it costs money to help others. Just like last
year, each youth needs $289 just to get to Lakewood.
That doesn’t include any spending money – just the
mission trip cost. So please help us pay for our trip by
supporting our fundraisers. We really appreciate all
our church family does for us. We realize we wouldn’t
be able to make such a difference if it wasn’t for you.
Thanks. (Your) Emmanuel Youth Group
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Ethel Fine is one proud great-grandma. Her great-grandson, Rich Supkowski won the Senior High Earth
and Space Award at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy
of Science Region 2 meeting with a perfect score. He
and 38 other students from Crestwood High and Middle
Schools presented science and math projects at the
meeting held on March 1 at Wilkes University. Region
2 includes Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike, Monroe,
Lackawanna, Wyoming and Luzerne Counties. That’s
a lot of competition! Congratulations to Rich for an
outstanding job!
The 2nd
Quarter Honor Roll at Crestwood High is out
and we’ve got some smart kids on it:
High Honors: Brad Kotarsky, Hunter Rinehimer,
Autumn Atkinson, Kimmy Bernetski
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Today I sit here in my new office at this little tiny desk waiting to get my big grown-up desk. The next time you
come by the offices you will see a big difference. I have moved into Denise’s office, Denise has moved out into the
front room, and my old office is now a much needed storage space. Once we get settled I know that we will wonder
why this hadn’t been done sooner. Jim and Lynne Stewart have been moving and arranging furniture and will be
painting my office very soon. Give us a little more time before you come by to see what we are doing – please.
While in the planning stages of their summer mission trip, the youth are excited about the Mardi Gras brunch that
they have held for the last three years to make a little money to cover some of the expenses. We pray that all of you
will be able to attend and make a donation to the cause. We will be decorating on Saturday morning which is a good
time for fun and fellowship as well as the actual event. COME & ENJOY ON SUNDAY!!!
After Mardi Gras, on Wednesday we enter the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday. We are once again planning to
have a small meal on Wednesday evenings at 6pm before our services begin at 7pm. If you would like to be
responsible for fixing a small meal please sign up on paper in the Narthex – just a light meal. On Ash Wednesday
communion will be served at the service as well on Maundy Thursday. The community Good Friday service will be
at Mountain Top Presbyterian Church at noon. These services will be a wonderful way to prepare your mind and
hearts as you look forward to the lows and highs of Holy Week and Easter.
I have some Lenten Devotional Booklets available for our church families or you may take one to a friend. Some are
geared toward younger families and some for adult study. I would encourage each family to take one and set apart a
time each day for reading and prayer even if it’s only a few minutes. This will be very beneficial especially if you can
take a little time in the morning to get your day off to a good start. And maybe that will get some into the habit of
having a devotional time every day of the year – not just during this season of Lent. I know some of you already take
this time and I commend you for your faithfulness.
God’s blessings to you all!
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We offer our sincere sympathy to Doris Stec and her
family at the passing of her mother, Arline Rinehimer,
on January 22. Arline was a lifelong member of
Emmanuel and had been on our homebound list for
several years. May our thoughts and prayers give you
comfort and support in your time of grief.
Our support and compassion is given to Diana Decker
and Morgan Hodel and their family as Diana’s husband
and Morgan’s grandfather, David, entered eternal rest on
February 23. May God’s peace sustain you.
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Doris Stec gratefully thanks everyone for their cards,
prayers and calls on the passing of her mother, Arline.
Your concern is comforting.
Lex Koons would like to thank everyone for their
expressions of concern over his recent heart problems.
He is doing well and appreciates the many well wishes,
cards and prayers.
We received thank you letters for some recent
benevolence donations. On the bulletin board in the bell
tower are letters from:
Paul and Patricia Cybulski who recently lost their home
to a fire.
Alzheimer’s Associate for our donation of $100 to the
2013 Walk to End Alzheimer’s Event.
Lancaster Theological Seminary thanked us for our
2013 annual benevolence offering of $1,000. This
offering is included in their Annual Fund which
supports the ministry of theological education to prepare
students to become leaders for congregations, other
settings of ministry and for society.
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This is a list compiled by our Financial Secretary,
Connie Davis, showing a breakdown of our member’s
offerings by how much they gave for the year. I hope
that you will think about where you want your heart to
be and the importance of your church in your life as you
review this list. Thank you for believing in Emmanuel
and our mission as a community of Christ’s followers.
Recording Secretary, Denise Dean
|
Amount Given Last Year
|
Number of Members Who
Gave That Amount |
| 0 to 25 |
| 1.00 to 49.00 |
31 |
| 50.00 to 100.00 |
12 |
| 101.00 to 200.00 |
10 |
| 201.00 to 300.00 |
10 |
| 301.00 to 400.00 |
4 |
| 401.00 to 500.00 |
2 |
| 501.00 to 600.00 |
8 |
| 601.00 to 700.00 |
3 |
| 701.00 to 800.00 |
3 |
| 801.00 to 900.00 |
3 |
| 901.00 to 1,000.00 |
5 |
| 1,001.00 to 1,200.00 |
6 |
| 1,201.00 to 1,500.00 |
3 |
| 1,501.00 to 2,000.00 |
3 |
| 2,001.00 to 2,500.00 |
3 |
| 2,501.00 to 3,000.00 |
2 |
| 3,001.00 to 3,500.00 |
4 |
| 4,000.00 to 4,500.00 |
2 |
| 6,000.00 to 6,200.00 |
1 |
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We have had several inquiries about receiving automatic
contributions for offerings.
Some of our members have
decided to use this method to schedule their weekly, semi-weekly,
monthly, etc. offerings. One member is using
automatic withdrawal so that she isn’t bothered writing a
check every week. Another couple uses this method when
they are out of the area. They realize the importance of
regular giving. If you overlook making out your check or
if you’re not here, the bills still come and those businesses
expect, and rightly so, to be paid on time. Your offering
ensures that funds are available when needed. It is
processed the same way as any other automatic
withdrawal from your account, such as car payments,
insurance premiums, or mortgage payments. You set up
with your bank when and how much is forwarded to the
church. A check arrives in our mail and is counted with
the offering on Sunday mornings. It’s that simple.
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This is what we’re up to now:
1. Mardi Gras – On March 2, we’ll celebrate Mardi
Gras with a brunch and fun time. Diners are asked to
make a donation that will be used for our Mission Trip
2. This Summer’s Mission Trip – Hurricane Sandy
Part 2 – We’re going back to the Jersey shore to
continue the cleanup there. It’s just mind-blowing
that one storm can cause so much damage.
Keep on believing
Marc, Lisa and Caroline
Remember to get your
Weis and Carone’s cards!
This is a great way to support the Youth Group without
spending anything extra. You’re just going to spend
that money at the grocery store anyway so why not
give the Youth Group some help with their finances?
For every $1,000 worth of cards they sell, they make
$50. Please see Marc on Sunday mornings or you can
call Denise at the church office (868-5675) during the
week.
Share on Facebook Tweet This Post
Once more, we are going to serve others “right in our
own backyard”. Our mission trip will again take us to
Lakewood Township where cleanup efforts are still
woefully inadequate. Sandy had a terrible impact on
that area and we want to do something about it. The
only thing is that it costs money to help others. Just
like last year, each youth needs $289 just to get to
Lakewood. That doesn’t include any spending money
– just the mission trip cost. So please help us pay for
our trip by supporting our fundraisers. We really
appreciate all our church family does for us. We
realize we wouldn’t be able to make such a difference
if it wasn’t for you. Thanks.
(Your) Emmanuel Youth Group
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Crestwood Middle School:
Principal’s Honors: Michelle Bernetski, Kimmy
Bernetksi
High Honors: Kristen Kania, Aaron Kleger, Hunter
Rinehimer
Honors: Morgan Rinehimer, Autumn Atkinson, Glynis
Dean
Misericordia University Dean’s List: Rachelle Heller
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[Love Fulfills the Law] Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. — Romans 13:8 (NIV)
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Upcoming:
Emmanuel UCC Calendar
- Wednesday, April 16, 2014
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- Thursday, April 17, 2014
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- Friday, April 18, 2014
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- Sunday, April 20, 2014
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- Wednesday, April 23, 2014
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