1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

May 2015
A Word from Pastor Jim
Table of Contents
Greetings in the Name of Christ!
Spring is finally here! If April showers bring May flowers,
what do May flowers bring?
A Word from Pastor Jim pgs. 1-2
Office Notes
pg. 3
This is a time of renewal, a time of new birth, and a time
to sit back and experience all the great wealth the world has
to offer us: namely, allergies! Can you tell that we live in a
fallen world? Ah well! May brings us so much to look forward
to; there’s Mother’s Day (May 10th), Cinco de Mayo (May
5th), Star Wars Day (May the 4th), and we’re getting an early
start to summer this year, Memorial Day (on May 25th). It’s
enough to almost make me forget our wedding
anniversary…
Weekly & Monthly Events
pg. 4
Events of Early May
pg. 5
National Day of Prayer
pg. 5
United Methodist Women
pg. 6
Outreach & Collections
pg. 6
Parsonage Report
pg. 6
Book & Bible Studies
pg. 7
Pastor Jim’s Notes
pg. 7
Sunday Schools
pg. 8
Birthdays / Anniversaries
pg. 9
Vacation Bible School
pg.10
GTYM (Youth Ministry)
pg. 11
I love Springtime. Years ago I noticed that as the trees
begin to open their leaves, they start with the colors of
Autumn! I guess they are the “natural” colors of the leaves.
They change to green pretty quickly as the chlorophyll builds
up inside, giving life and energy to the trees.
It also seems to me that this is symbolic of the Christian
life. Let me explain. When Adam sinned in the Garden of
Eden, the whole world was plunged under a curse. (That was
not something God did to punish Adam, it was the result of
what Adam did.) Yet God withheld his stated punishment of
death; Adam did not die that day! God, through his great
love, extended mercy instead. So much so that he would
provide a way to fix the damage. Even better, God made a
way to get a restart through what Jesus did on the cross.
Educational Opportunities pg. 11
Preschool
pgs. 12-13
Easter Event Reports
pg. 14
60+
pg. 15
Community Help
pg. 15
Clyde’s Nature Note
Gap Male Chorus
Back Page
Back Page
By becoming disciples of Jesus, we gain new life. Like a tree in springtime, that new life quickly
overcomes the death brought on by sin and works within us. The power of the Holy Spirit begins
inside of us and changes us. We become conformed to the image of Christ. It’s not instantaneous,
but works within us over time. The buds slowly open and we change from a lifeless skeleton to a
new creation filled with life.
As long as we allow the Spirit to work in us, we will grow. This is why it is so important to be a
disciple. I emphasized the word “be” because it is an active word. Like the proverbial “couch
potato,” you are not a Christian simply because you accepted Christ some years ago and are still
breathing! A disciple continues to learn, and continues to be conformed to Christ. You can’t sit still;
you don’t stop.
This is why it is important to be an active part of the fellowship of the church. We learn from
each other, and we encourage each other. We study the Scriptures and discover God’s plan for our
lives. We find out what great purposes God has planned for us, and we discover how amazingly
unique we are.
Every tree has its own unique shape. They may look similar, but each one has its own twists and
turns of its branches. We too may look alike, but are unique with our own combination of different
abilities, passions, talents, affinities, likes and dislikes, and experiences, not to mention Spiritual
gifts and blessings!
Do you know what yours are? Let’s find out together! Sign up for the S.H.A.P.E. Study this
summer!
I LOVE Mondays!
… new sermon
… new bulletin
… new SW District E-alert ...
All Christ’s Love... and mine!
The Pastor is In
Note: these are the times when you
can expect the Pastor to be in the
office so that you can “drop in” on him!
His hours are subject to change.
Monday ...................... 11am - 1pm
Tuesday ..................... 10am - 2pm
Wednesday ................ 10am - 11am
Thursday ...................... 8am - 12pm
Other hours by appointment!
Please contact Pastor Jim directly if
you wish to meet with him.
(cell & text)
Pastor Jim hard at work at his computer.
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Church Staff
Office Hours
Pastor ................................................... Rev. Jim Bongard
Coordinator of Christian Education.... Sue McMillan-Gamber
Youth Director/Coordinator ................. Steve Smith
Director of Music.................................. Lisa Helock
Bell Choir Director ............................... Lynn Miller
Organist ................................................ Lorena Gockley
Sexton ................................................... Doreen Deamer
Please Submit
Name
School
Degree
Future Plans
Monday & Friday
9am – 1pm
Tuesday & Wednesday
7am – 11am
Thursday
8:30am – 2:30pm
Attention: Graduates!
Is there a Graduate in your life who you’d like to honor? Submit their
information to [email protected]. In June, we would like to
honor those graduating from high school, vocational school, college,
graduate school or postgraduate school.
Mother’s Day Flower Orders
Due May 6th
Honor or remember the special women in your life on Sunday, May 10th!
Order forms will be in the bulletins the two Sundays before Mother’s Day,
or available in the church office. We will purchase perennials that will be
used to beautify the church property for years to come. Only $4 each!
Wanted!!! Committee Chair
The Education Committee is still without a Chair, Will you consider volunteering?
Lost & Found
Missing a coat, a sweater, or anything else?
The smaller items will be in the Lost & Found
box under the mailboxes in the church office.
Please ask in the church office or leave a
note, to see the larger items.
Flowers & Bulletins
There are a few dates still available near
the end of the year to sponsor flowers, and
lots of dates available for the bulletins.
Altar flowers - $35
Bulletins - $20
Digital Photographs
We would like to build up a collection of pictures taken by our church family, to have available
when creating church publications or to use on the website or Facebook. Don’t worry about
perfect composition; we can crop out what is needed! Just email your photos to
[email protected]. Thank you!
Photo Credit - The house finch nest with eggs are courtesy of Frank Boston (bostonsphotos).
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May
Weekly Events
Monthly Events
May Day
Friday, May 1st
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Tuesdays at 10am
Room 221
(Last Day - May 19th)
Holy Communion
May 3rd
During worship
Star Wars Day
Monday, May 4th
(May the 4th be with you.)
National Teacher Day
Tuesday, May 5th
God’s Time Youth Ministry
Sundays at 6pm
Youth Room
Bell Choir Rehearsal
Wednesdays at 7pm
Sanctuary
Cinco de Mayo Prayer
Tuesday, May 5th
National Day of Prayer
Thursday, May 7th
Senior Choir Rehearsal
Wednesdays at 7:15pm
Choir Room
Mother’s Day
Sunday, May 10th
Ascension Day
Thursday, May 14th
Municipal Primaries
Tuesday, May 19th
7AM to 8PM
Men of Hope
Men’s Group Study
Thursdays at 6:30am
Room 226
Studying
“Jesus is the Question - The
307 Questions Jesus Asked
and the 3 He Answered”
by Martin B. Copenhaver.
Memorial Day
Monday, May 25th
Women’s Book & Bible
Study
Thursdays at 10:15am
Room 226
(Last Day - May 7th)
Trinity Sunday
Sunday, May 31st
Studying
“Be the Message”
by Kerry & Chris Shook.
Day of Pentecost
Sunday, May 24th
1st Sunday Giving
May 3rd
Collection during worship
60+
Wednesday, May 13th
Bus Trip to Dinner Theater
United Methodist Women
Thursday, May 14th
1pm in Room 226
Walk with Christ
Bells of Hope Ring
May 17th
Fellowship Sunday
May 17th
Join us for a special time of
fellowship and snacks
after worship.
June Newsletter Deadline
Monday, May 18th
Submission Deadline
5th Sunday Giving
May 31st
Collection during worship
for Susquehanna Valley
Pregnancy Services
Committee Meetings (7pm unless specified)
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Wednesday, 6th ....... Youth Council (6pm)
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Monday, 11th ............VBS
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Monday, 11th ......... Stewardship
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Tuesday, 19th ...........Church Council
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Monday, 11th .......... Trustees
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Wednesday, 20th ......Worship (6pm)
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April 30th - Last Chance for Preschool Ham & Cheese Sandwiches! $3
Deadline for Orders: Thursday, April 30th
Pickup in Fellowship Hall: Wednesday, May 6th · 10am - 1pm
May 2nd - Church Spring Cleaning Day
Saturday · 8am - 12:30pm
We’ll meet rain or shine to make the church sparkly clean. Bring your favorite cleaning
supplies. Coffee, snacks, and a light lunch will be provided for the worker bees. We hope
you’ll join us ... many hands make light work! Questions? Call Tony Hachkowski. 314-7044.
The VBS Buddies Offered to Help Clean.
May 3rd - Sunday Double Header: Baseball & Spaghetti Dinner
1pm: Join Hope Preschool & God’s Time Youth Ministry to cheer on our local Lancaster
Barnstormers, as they host the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
5pm: Come back home to Fellowship Hall and
have the youth serve you … all the spaghetti &
meatballs you can eat!
We are accepting donations
of ingredients & desserts.
$8 donation: adults
$4 donation: children ages 6-12
May 7th - National Day of Prayer
Thursday, May 7th · 6-8pm
Keynote Prayer Speaker · Dr. Ravi Zacharias
WJTL Junction Center
1875 Junction Road
Manheim 17545
Parking map & info on website
The program includes a worship concert with the 100-voice NDP choir. Bring blankets and chairs.
Food will be available from 4-7:30pm. Rain or shine!
The National Day of Prayer poster is on the lobby corkboard. For more information visit the
website, www.lancasterndp.com.
Ravi is considered the premier international Christian apologist of our time. His radio program, “Let
My People Think” can be heard Sundays at 8:30pm on WDAC FM94.5. To listen to past broadcasts
or read a gabillion articles, his website is www.rzim.org.
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United Methodist Women (UMW) & Outreach

UMW Meeting · May 14th · Thursday · 1pm
Our program will be Walk with Christ. All women are invited.

Baby Bottle Boomerang · Mother’s Day (May 10th) - Father’s Day (June 21st)
Take one of the bottles in the lobby and fill it with your loose change. This will help
mothers and fathers through Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services. If you know
anyone in need of some Christian help with pregnancy and more, there is an office right
here in Ephrata, on West Main Street.

5th Sunday Giving · May 31st
This last Sunday will have a second offering to benefit Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy
Services. Please be generous!
Ongoing Collections

One Great Hour of Sharing
This program benefits the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Your giving helps
support local efforts to aid disaster survivors by providing early response training for
volunteers, shipping emergency kits, and granting disaster response funds. There is a
coin jar in the lobby to collect your change for this effort.

Food
This program benefits Ephrata Area Social Services (EASS). Food is collected every
month and delivered to EASS. It is important to pick up a few extra boxes or cans of food
to help others in our community. See the baskets under the coat rack near the library.
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Recycled Metal · Tony’s Recycling Center — the bin behind the garden shed.
Drop off any recyclable metal and Tony Hachkowski will turn your trash into cash. If in
doubt, please bring a sample to Tony. No steel food cans, plastic, paper or glass, please!
Parsonage Report
The drywall work, one window replacement, duct cleaning,
cupboard cleaning, appliance cleaning, curtain cleaning, bathroom
cleaning, and upstairs carpet cleaning are complete.
Still to do:

Some interior painting, exterior pressure washing, yard work,
basement office carpet removal, gutter cleaning.
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Painting to be scheduled pending another interior job completion.
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Women’s Book & Bible Study - Room 226
Thursdays at 10:15AM
We are studying Be the Message until May 7th, and then take a break for the
summer. Call Sue McMillan-Gamber with any questions. 738-3774.
Men of Hope (Men’s Group Study) - Room 226
Thursdays at 6:30AM
Start your day with a great group of guys. New members are welcome at
any time!
We are studying Jesus is the Question - The 307 Questions Jesus Asked
and the 3 He Answered by Martin B. Copenhaver.
Questions? Please talk to Dick Erisman
or Pastor Jim.
Pastor’s Notes
Do you have a skill or hobby? Maybe you could contribute
your skills to the church! If you have some skill and/or ideas, let
me know! God has gifted you for His purpose.

Do you have a favorite praise song? I'm thinking of putting
a praise book together for our church. Let me know what you
want to sing! (Some restrictions apply!)

Pastor Jim’s No-Guilt Bible Reading Plan
Attention: Those who would love to read the Bible in some
orderly, structured fashion but are put off by the size and
weight of it…
… our very own Pastor Jim has designed and
made available a guilt-free, easy-to-follow Bible Reading
Plan! Have you started different year-long Bible reading
plans, only to find each year that you read the same five
chapters and then it all falls apart? This plan is self-paced
and divided into six themes (History, Wisdom, Prophecy,
Gospels, Psalter, and Epistles), with check boxes to track
your progress.
Remove the “over” from “overwhelming,” and pick up a
whelming Plan from the church office!
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Sunday School Classes - 10:30AM
Elective Class (room 226) ~ Leader: Dick Erisman
We are continuing our study on Renegade Gospel — the Rebel Jesus.
New Beginnings Class (Fellowship Hall) ~ Jim Frisbie and Cindy Kamide
We are studying The Disciple program: the Writings of John.
(Carl Frisbie, Norwich Terrier, patiently explains difficult
concepts of theology to office visitors.)
Seekers (Parlor) ~ Leader: Bruce Tucker
On May 3rd we start the short-term Disciple study on the Book
of Romans, “Invitation to Romans.”
Wide Awake Class (room 221) ~ Leader: Ron Lindberg
Until the beginning of May, we are studying a six-week course,
6 Things We Should Know About God by Tom Berlin.
Once this concludes, our next study will be 6 Ways We Encounter God,
also by Tom Berlin.
Have you met God? As you live, work, worship, and pray, are you
having an encounter with God? Is that encounter changing you? In
this 6-week study, Tom Berlin introduces six basic
characteristics of God. Participants of the study use
the workbook to study during the week, ponder the
Wide Awake Class Meeting
questions and write responses. Each week the group
comes together to watch a video and explore the
Saturday, May 16th
concepts together. ~ from Christianbook.com
6-8pm
Fellowship Hall
Looking Ahead … to Summer Sunday School
All or most of the adult Sunday School classes combine during the
summer. This year, Pastor Jim will lead the combined group with a
new study, S.H.A.P.E. by Eric Rees.
In a companion book to Rick Warren’s A Purpose-Driven Life, Erik
Rees more thoroughly explains the use of Spiritual Gifts, Heart,
Abilities, Personality, and Experiences that Pastor Warren first
introduced in his book twenty years ago. Identify and understand
these factors, discover God’s will in your life, and use them for his
glory! What will be the contribution of your life?
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May Birthdays
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Kay Engle
Donna Imhoff
Ann Beamesderfer
Gabe Peuler
Ray Book
Rachel Hassell
Tim Sumner
Gale Martin
17 Betty Anderson
Patricia Guers
Ferdy Hoefner
21 Ilene Bartlett
Sadie Hintz
Diane Strohl
22 Barbara Waite
23 Joanne Imhoff
Jeff Seifert
28 Jerry Gerhart
Kevin Helock
Judy McGovern
29 Raelene Hachkowski
30 Kay Hoefner
31 Joyce Eberly
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11 Eli Lapp
12 Kevin Montgomery
Early June Birthdays
1 Mackenzie Lagaza
Jodie Spoo
2 Erik Lagaza
Ron Lindberg
3 Dennis Kanuck
Melissa Heiser
Randy Montgomery
Marcia Frisbie
Betty Good
Jim Westwood Sr.
Stephanie Frymyer
Noreen Hackman
13 Sean McNamara
14 Peg Schannauer
Anniversaries
Tony & Leona Luciano celebrate their.46th anniversary on
Richard & Lila Hackman celebrate their.55th anniversary on
Jim & Karen Bongard celebrate their.26th anniversary on
Tom & Ivy Texter celebrate their.20th anniversary on
Don & Shirley Witmyer celebrate their.27th anniversary on
Barry & Shirley Kreider celebrate their.58th anniversary on
Lamar & Mary Ellen Fake celebrate their.36th anniversary on
Harold & Floy Nolt celebrate their.65th anniversary on
May 9th
May 14th
May 18th
May 20th
May 20th
June 1st
June 9th
June 10th
We apologize if we made ANY errors with your important dates!
Please let us know right away so we can correct them.
A Note from Mary McQuate
A Note from Cindy Rehlich
Thank you so much for all the cards for Ralph! He
was released from the rehab center on April 2nd
and is doing great. He has gotten his strength
back and continues to do the exercises the
therapist gave him. A lot of them in the pool! See
you all soon.
I want to thank everyone at Hope Church
for the prayers, phone calls, and get well
cards. Also, I thank those who brought
meals for me after my surgery. They were
all greatly appreciated.
~ Mary
~ Cindy
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Vacation Bible School
July 12th - 16th
We travel to Mount Everest in the Himalayas for
this year’s Vacation Bible School.
We have no budget for decorating; we depend
solely on donations of materials and upcycling
items we already have. We are looking for items
you already have, plus a few inexpensive
purchased things:
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Tents
Boots
Lanterns
Camp stools
Hiking gear/rope
Paper grocery bags
Plain white bed sheets
Pillow stuffing or batting
Artificial Christmas trees
Cold weather sleeping bags
Aluminum extension ladders
Leftover white, black, grey and blue paint
Cardboard & large refrigerator boxes, and such
White plastic tablecloths - new or used
Plastic tablecloths - 2 each: red, yellow, green, dark blue
We need hundreds or thousands of plastic bottle caps to
make “beaded” curtains to block off the upstairs hallways
that aren’t to be used during VBS. The caps can be from
water/soda bottles, gallon jugs, and such … about an inch
in diameter, but not the big ones from detergent or Gold
Peak tea bottles, etc.
We have a jar in the lobby for bottle caps. The children's
church room is the drop-off point for items. Please mark all
items you want back.
Thank you,
Mark & Cindy Kamide
What’s a markhor?
A big, stinky mountain goat!
(good thing they live where it’s cold!)
How long are those horns?
Up to 5’4” tall on the males!
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GTYM - God’s Time Youth Ministry
 Sunday · May 3rd · 5pm
~ Spaghetti Dinner
 Sundays · May 10th, 17th and 31st · 6pm
~ regular meetings
 Sunday · May 24th (Memorial Day weekend)
~ no meeting
Coming Up:
 Creation Festival · June 24th - 27th
~ Salem United Methodist Youth Fellowship extended an invitation to join them.
 A Closer Walk · Morey’s Piers, Wildwood, NJ · July 30th - August 1st
~ featuring the band Leeland, guest speaker Dave Nasser and worship leader Phil King.
~ includes beach camping on Thursday and Friday nights, and unlimited rides at Morey’s
Piers through Saturday afternoon.
 Uprise Festival · Saturday, September 19th
~ band list will be released on May 1st.
UMC Eastern PA Conference - Education Grants
Application Dates - May 1st - 16th
This is for church members who plan to attend an undergraduate institute of higher learning in the
fall of 2015. The Education Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist
Church will be offering a number of Grants to assist worthy individuals with defraying the cost of
higher education for the 2015-2016 school year. All applications received in the Conference Office
will be considered for a grant. Unless there is some disqualification, grant recipients will be
randomly selected. Questions? Please contact the Education Society Chairperson, Al Adey, at
[email protected]. The Conference website only has links to a previous version of the grant
information. The only link to the current application is through a SW E-alert (for example, April 22).
The link is to the address below:
UMC Eastern PA Conference - Vocational Internships
Application Deadline - May 15th
The Vocational Intern Program provides ten weeks’ exposure to the different types of ministries.
Intern receives a $3000.00 stipend. Our church district’s website has more information and an
application. www.southwestdistrict.us. Click on News, then click on Conference News.
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Hope Preschool & Mother’s Day Out
Dear Hope Families,
First and foremost, I want to extend my gratitude to the Hope UMC
congregation for inviting Hope Preschool to share a day of worship and
fellowship during Preschool Sunday on April 19th. The event was a success
and certainly enjoyed by all! A peak at the Art Show featuring the handiwork
of our creative young artists is on the next page.
Spring fever is in the air here at Hope Preschool! As April comes to a close
and we look forward to the start of May, our students and staff are busy
getting ready for our end-of-year festivities. Here is a look at all of the
exciting events we have coming up!
Sunday, May 3rd – Hope Preschool’s “Day at the Park” and Hope Church’s
God’s Time Youth Ministry’s Spaghetti Dinner.
Wednesday, May 6th – 4’s Parent/Teacher Conferences & Ham & Cheese
Sandwich Pick-Up
Thursday & Friday, May 7th-8th – Hope Preschool Garden Planting
Tuesday, May 12th – Hope Preschool Carnival (6pm)
Tuesday, May 19th – 3’s Promotion Day
Wednesday, May 20th – 4’s Graduation (7pm)
3 Fun Summer Camps!
Backyard Science
What’s Cooking?
Please help spread the word about
Hope Preschool Summer Camp
Programs. This year, we will offer a
June, July and August session for ages
18 months to 7 years old.
Questions? Please contact Melissa at
738-2447 or [email protected].
Outdoor Adventures
Our summer brochure and our
summer application are on the
church website’s Preschool page:
www.hopeumcephrata.org/Preschool.
Sincerely,
Missy Van Zant
Hope Preschool Director
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Report on Children’s Easter Event
Rise Up with Jesus, our annual Easter event for families, was very well attended. Of the 39 families
(with 79 children) who participated, 30 children were from the community, 30 were Hope Preschool
students, 13 were alumni, and 6 were related to Hope Church or Sunday School.
We began our celebration with a delicious breakfast, singing songs, watching and interacting with a
storyteller, and then searching (between the snowflakes) for the plastic eggs filled with candy.
Many thanks to all those who helped to make this day a successful Outreach event!
From Our First
Easter Sunrise Service
It was a beautiful morning to worship our
risen Savior. We had a good turnout for a
first time, considering how cold it was!
Afterward, we were treated to an excellent
breakfast buffet and the surprise of clever
table displays created by Peg Schannauer
and her mother, Bettie Calhoun.
Resurrection Gardens are replicas of Christ’s
tomb with the large rock rolled away, with
the three crosses on the top. Thank you to
all who attended and all who worked behind
the scenes to make the morning special!
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60+
4th Wednesdays at Noon (unless indicated by *)
* May 13
7:15am to board the bus to see “Raising Cane” at Lake Wallenpaupak
June 24
Annual Picnic
July
No Meeting
* August 26
The Timbers Dinner Theatre, Mount Gretna
Homes of Hope Mentor Workshop - Register by May 8th
Saturday, May 16th, 8AM - 4PM
Love INC is sponsoring a Homes of Hope Mentor Workshop at Grace UMC in Millersville.
Cost is $65 (scholarships are available). To register or for more information, please contact
Beth Crosby at [email protected] or 717-735-7540 ext 3.
Employment Opportunities - Apply by May 10th
Landis Homes is looking for a full-time Summer Groundskeeper and various other
positions. Call 717-581-3936 or visit www.landishomes.org for more information.
Community Help
Food & Clothing Bank at Peter’s Porch – Saturday, May 16th · 8-10:30am
Hosted by Zion Lutheran Church (435 Main Street, Akron), Peter’s Porch distributes a hot
breakfast, free clothing, household supplies, and a free bag of groceries to local families in
need. Volunteers are necessary to keep this ministry going! They’re needed on:
 Wednesdays, May 6th & 13th · 6pm (packing grocery bags & sorting clothing)
 Saturday, May 16th · 7am (serving & running).
Call 859-2100 for more details. Also, please call to ensure that volunteers are still needed on
the day you wish to volunteer; the number of volunteers needed each time varies.
The season change brings extra work for our clothing bank and we are asking for one
hour of help on one of the two Wednesday nights in May.
Blessings of Hope Food Boxes – Every Wednesday, 11:30am to 2:30pm
Boxes of food are available to all in need from the Blessings of Hope ministry (Church of
God, 111 East Chestnut Street, Ephrata). Call 733-8833 for more information.
Volunteers are needed for this local food distribution ministry. Their vision is to keep spare
food from local companies and grocery stores out of the landfill and into the hands of hungry
local families.
Ephrata Community Meals – Every Thursday 6pm · Doors Open 5:30pm
May Meals: First United Methodist Church (68 North Church Street, Ephrata) 738-2465.
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May Flowers by Clyde McMillan-Gamber
Hope
United
Methodist
Church
Join Us Sundays
We are fortunate to see many wild flowers in May, including blue
violets on lawns, red clover and yellow goats’ beard blooms along
country roads and blue Wood phlox blossoms and pink wild geranium
flowers on forest floors. Each blossom is a miracle of creation,
something we people couldn’t begin to create. We can explain that
plants grow because of genetic codes in seeds, and water, sunlight and
soil. But we can’t fully explain what the “breath of life” on Earth is.
9:00 a.m. Worship
10:30 a.m. Sunday School
Contact Us
(717) 738-3774
[email protected]
3474 Rothsville Road
Ephrata, PA 17522
Follow us on facebook:
www.facebook.com/
hopeumcephrata
There is so much of life and the universe we can’t comprehend that
we must have faith that it is God’s will, His plan. Life is so miraculous
that I don’t think we can ever understand it all. And why should we? Why can’t some things of the
universe remain mysterious and beyond our understanding? If we knew everything, what would be
left to learn to invigorate and inspire our lives. Where would the spice of life be?
Flowers provide nectar and pollen for insects and hummingbirds. They grow seeds when
fertilized, some of which feed birds and rodents. And we enjoy their beauties. The various kinds of
flowers are inspiring: and a reminder that their Creator lives.
Local wild trout, red-eared sliders, unique bird beaks and Bradford pears … you name it, and Clyde
has probably written about it. These titles and more are recent entries in Clyde’s blog. Stop in often
to see what's new in Nature's Beauty and Intrigues, at naturesbeautiesandintrigues.blogspot.com.
Gap Male Chorus
Sunday, May 31st, at 7pm
Our very own Larry Bickhart and his singing buddies are coming to Hope UMC! The Chorus has
been performing to God’s Glory every year since its formation in 1922. Admission is free, but a love
offering will be received to benefit the Chorus’ chosen mission project this year, City Gate
Ministries in Coatesville, PA. The concert will include classic hymn arrangements, southern Gospel,
spirituals, and modern styles. For concert information, call Don Brackbill at 351-0676.
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