May Lamplighter
From the Pastor’s Desk
In the Scottish highlands sheep will often wander off into the rocky crags and get into places that they can’t escape. The grass on the mountains is especially tasty and the sheep try to eat all of it they can reach. They will sometimes jump down 10 – 12 feet to a rock outcropping to eat some grass and then discover they simply cannot jump that high to escape their predicament. So they stand there and bleat in distress.The bleating soon attracts the attention of the shepherd who will come and in many cases leave the sheep standing on the rocks for days, until they’ve eaten all the grass and become so weakened and nearly faint that they cannot even stand. Then the shepherd will put a rope around them and lift them to safety.
So why, you ask, does the shepherd not rescue the sheep right away? “Because,” replied one shepherd, “Sheep are so foolish they would get excited and run right off the cliff and kill themselves if you tried that move.” Seems you have to wait until they give up, until they run out of options, until they simply have no choice but to submit to the shepherd. And so I wonder, might the Good Shepherd try the same thing with some of us ‘sheep’ on occasion? We get ourselves into all kinds of trouble and wonder why God allows this world to treat us so badly and why He doesn’t rescue us from all the evils around us. Perhaps He already knows we won’t listen to Him until we’re exhausted in trying to ‘rescue’ ourselves and realize that unless we submit fully and totally to Him, we haven’t a chance for rescue. And while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us – to rescue us from ourselves. Jesus came to give us life – abundant life – if we will only obey Him, follow His Word, follow His leading and teaching, follow His voice calling us and guiding us. Oh, if we could only learn truly to ‘trust and obey’ we could avoid so many of the dangerous pitfalls in this life. Are you listening to the Shepherd? Golden Age DinnerBy the time you read this, you should have already received your invitation to the Golden Age Dinner - Sunday, April 29th, following Worship - assuming that you are over 65 years of age and therefore eligible for inclusion in that momentous event! However, if we missed you, please come to the dinner and enjoy a time of fun, food, and entertainment. The dinner will have a ‘Down Home Country’ theme this year, so come and enjoy a fried chicken dinner with all the fixin’s. Be sure to join us for the food, fun, fellowship, and who knows what else!! You never know about those ‘younger’ Deacons!
Bible Challenge Questions1. Who was Zebedee and for what is he best known in the Bible?2. What was Jesus’ caution to those who would not ‘abide’ (live) in Him and follow His Word, as a branch must ‘abide’ in the vine or tree in order to live.
3. How did Jesus say that everyone would know who Jesus’ disciples are? Church Activity Schedule for May 4/29 Noon Golden Age Dinner
5/2 6:30 PM Ham & Cheese sandwich pick-up
5/3 6:30 PM Handbell Choir practice (every Thurs.)
7:30 PM Senior Choir practice (every Thurs.)5/6 9:00 AM Sunday school
10:15 AM Worship “# 1 Priority” Mark 1:16 - 205/8 6:00 PM Mother and Daughter Banquet
5/13 9:00 AM Sunday school
10:15 AM Worship “Happy Pills??” John 15:1 - 8 5/15 6:00 PM Church Board meeting (Commissions - 6:30)
5/19 7:30 AM Men’s Prayer Breakfast
5/20 9:00 AM Sunday school 10:15 AM Worship “Absence makes the heart…” John 13:31 - 35
Lamplighter articles due today5/27 9:00 AM Sunday School
10:15 AM Worship “A Memorial to Ordinary People” Romans 12:9 - 18Ralph Miller speaking
Women’s Fellowship News
May 1 Meeting/Prayer Group 9 AMMay 8 Mother/Daughter Banquet 6 PMJune 4 & 5 Annual Women’s Retreat
June 12 Annual Picnic at the Ness home 10 AM
Mother & Daughter Banquet : May 8thOur Annual Mother/Daughter Banquet is on May 8th, one week earlier than usual. It will be a covered dish with meat furnished. The time is 6 PM with the Rev. James W. Herman as the entertainment. He performs with a dummy named “Chester” as a ventriloquist, magician & illusionist. Please some for fellowship with good food and fun.
The 59th Annual Women’s Camp Retreat is June 4th & 5th, 2007 with Theme Hospitality A – Z and guest speaker Bernice Wagner. She is a member of the White Oak COB, Manheim, PA.
Registration must be completed by May 11th. If interested, see anyone in the Women’s Group.
Missions & Service News May is Messenger month. Please see Frances Dellinger to renew your subscription or to begin subscribing to our denominational magazine. This magazine is well worth the price! It enables us to keep up with all the ‘happenings’ of our denomination and it’s work worldwide, as well as providing us with many challenging, uplifting, and thought provoking articles written by our brothers and sisters. Please consider making an investment in the Messenger - the “return” will far exceed the “expense.”Christian Education CommissionWith the neighborhood co-sponsoring, we had an “eggs-cellent” turn out for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Forty-six children searched out dozens of plastic eggs and enjoyed snacks, a story, prizes and a video.
Thanks to all who helped to make this community outreach a success!
Ministry Commission Arrangements have been made for filling the pulpit during the Pastors’ times of vacation and travel (Annual Conference, Camp Eder, seminars, etc.) as well as covering for pastoral needs whenever one of them is away. We are blessed to have such depth of leadership and staff to handle such needs in the absence of a Pastor. We continue to seek your input/ comments/suggestions/ critiques of the Commission’s work, the staff, and the Worship services. The recent increase in Worship attendance says a lot in itself, and we continue to try to provide varied, energetic, and meaningful Worship experiences for all.
Out of the OfficePastor Godfrey will be on vacation from Monday, May 22nd through Thursday, May 31st. He and his wife are planning on backpacking a portion of the Appalachian Trail in the area of the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia. Ten days, good weather, an absence of broken limbs, and God’s grace, should get them 100 - 120 miles or so south of Front Royal into middle Virginia. During that time period, in the absence of the pastor, requests for pastoral care should be left on the answering machine at the Church office, or you may call directly to Pastor Kim Gingerich, Ralph Miller (Deacon and Licensed Minister), Dick Rishel (Stewards), or Denny Strawbridge (Ministry Chair). Ralph Miller will be bringing the morning message for Worship on Sunday, May 27th. Answers to Bible Challenge questions1. Father of disciples James and John (Mark 1:19) 2. They would be cut off and destroyed (John 15:6)3. By their love for one another (John 13:35)
by the Lord and Angel
Missions & Service News
Another Way to Live and Serve: On Christmas Eve 2006, about midnight, the Black River Church of the Brethren in Spencer, Ohio burned to the ground. This was quite a shock to the 150 year old congregation, which only hours earlier had celebrated Christmas with a candlelight service. It was a complete loss. The fire was the second catastrophic event the Church had suffered since 2001, when a tornado tore away part of its roof and caused extensive water damage. Despite adversity, the people of Black River COB are being sustained by their faith.
It was decided at our Board meeting on March 13th, to set aside Sunday, May 6th as a day to share in a special offering to give to the reconstruction of the Black River Church. Please consider how you may be able to share in this offering. In addition, we are going to have a Ham & Cheese pretzel sandwich sale on May 3rd, with all the proceeds going to the Black River COB as well. You may help by selling and/or buying sandwiches. Order forms will be available from April 1st thru April 22nd. The sandwiches will be made on Wednesday, May 2nd. You may pick up your orders after 6:30 PM.
WAHOO! Vacation Bible School will be held June 17-22 this summer. Sunday evening from 6:30 to 7:30 will be registration and an introduction to the theme, Avalanche Ranch. Monday through Friday we will meet with the children from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. each evening. We’re lucky to have a lot staff returning, but more vounteers are needed.
Please contact Becky Rishel (428-3732 or rishels2@earthlink.net) if you can help. You won’t regret giving up a week of evenings to spend time with a country-western theme teaching a lively group of children about Jesus’s love.
May Birthdays
2 Jay Keeny 10 Mark Baugher, Jr. 25 Merilea Ritchey
3 Dan Knause 11 Tim Ritchey 29 Richard Godfrey
6 Tina Veverka 16 Catherine Craig
7 Russell Chronister 21 Guy Kintzel
9 Linda Knause