Wayside Presbyterian Church Newsletter
FEBRUARY 2015
This month begins with special
services on February 1 for which
worshipers are invited to wear
parts of their scout uniforms, tie
dye clothing, or other camp attire.
Brownie Troop 70015 will be with
us at the 9:30 service and Boy Scout Troop 41
at the 11:00 service. Both services will be led by
the Donegal Worship Team as in past winter
visits in promotion of camp ministries within our
own Donegal Presbytery. A financial gift will be
given to Ruling Elder/Camp Director Amy Wade
to help provide summer scholarships. Prepare
for fun in the Son!
Sunday, February 1 is also Souper Bowl Sunday. Our
Youth & G-Beez will be holding “soup pots” when you
leave the services for your canned good donations. Our
youth will join young people in churches all over the
country to collect money and food for those that are
hungry and hurting. Last year, over 7,586 groups
participated in the “Souper Bowl of Caring” and collected
over $8,422,507! Please consider supporting our youth in
this effort to “love our neighbor”!
Wayside Presbyterian Church will hold its Annual Meeting
of the Congregation on Sunday, February 8 immediately
following the single 10:00 a.m. worship service. The
purpose of the meeting is to receive the reports of the
committees of Session and other organizations within the
church, to review Session’s budget for 2015, to hear an
update on the Indoor/Outdoor Project, and to conduct any
other business that should properly come before the
membership (none known at this time). The first order of
business will be enjoying lunch with all present.
February holidays
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Valentine’s Day - Feb. 14
Transfiguration of the Lord - Feb. 15
President’s Day - Feb. 16
Ash Wednesday - Feb. 18
First Sunday in Lent - Feb. 22
REGULAR WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Nursery available at all services
9:30 a.m. Traditional Worship / KidZone
10:30 a.m. Fellowship
11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship / KidZone
11:00 a.m. Questor’s Adult Bible Class
Sunday, February 1 the Kereczman Family will
host Wayside’s Super Bowl Party. The party
begins at 6:00PM and the game kicks off at
6:30PM. Football fan or not, Wayside’s Super
Bowl Parties are always a great time! Please
bring along snacks to share and come root for
your team and simply cheer in fellowship!
Who, Where, What & How
Ministers: The Congregation
Pastor/Head of Staff: Rev. Dr. Stephen P. Fritz
Parish Associate: Rev. Dr. Howard W. Fritz
Parish Associate: Rev. Harry Robinson
Parish Associate: Rev. Larry Moir
Pastoral Assistant: Doug Paglia
Director of Christian Formation: Jill Reichert
Administrative Secretary / Bookkeeper:
Gretchen Lichty
Nursery Coordinator: Sonja Eckert
Accompanist: Rebecca Caplan
Choir Director: Dr. Cathleen Ardrey
Praise Band Director: VACANT
Sexton: Tim Kauffman
Webmaster: Brian Kocsi
Prayer Chain Coordinator: Linda Anspach
Physical Address:
600 Stony Battery Rd./ Landisville PA 17538
Web Site: www.waysidepc.org
Office E-Mail: [email protected]
Telephone: (717) 898-1551
FAX: (717) 898-9701
There was once a young woman who, in her youth, professed her desire to
become a great writer. When asked to define great, she said, "I want to write
stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly
emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and
anger." She now works for Microsoft writing error messages!
*****
O
n February 15, Wayside will have the opportunity to meet the author of
her just released E-Book, From Shame to Glory: Mothers in the Heritage of Jesus. The 10:30 a.m. Fellowship
Time that Sunday will be held in the atrium so that we can visit with member Nancy Regensburger and
celebrate her latest work published by iUniverse.com, available now in hardback, paperback, and e-versions
also through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Arguably 15 years in the making, Nancy collaborated
with her friend and United Methodist ordained elder, the Rev. Valerie Fons, to produce a study of the women
in Matthew’s Genealogy, all of whom have some ignoble parts to their story, and all of whom were used of
God to continue the story of our salvation.
H
aving attained the level of Masters of Theological Studies and served as Christian Educator for several
churches over her career, Nancy has written for the popular devotional The Upper Room, written curricula for
both Methodist and Presbyterian denominations, and published a devotional book about her journey through
husband (and current editing manager) Dick Regensburger’s fight with cancer prior to coming to Wayside
entitled Walking Through the Waters: Biblical Reflections for Families of Cancer Patients (Upper Room
Publishing).
R eaders of Wayside’s monthly newsletter know that Nancy, like some others in our church, has submitted
periodic or serial articles to inform seasonal themes and studies in the congregation (e.g. introductions to Old/
New Testament sections in our Read through the Bible in One Year). When in the course of conversations
with Nancy I learned that she had yet to publish what could be one her last books, I urged her to make it a
goal. And with Dick as her champion, she succeeded in producing a very accessible and moving volume that
will bless all who read it.
I
was honored to receive an early edition of the book From Shame to Glory and to make it the subject matter
and outline for our 2015 Lenten series by the same name. Central to each story of the women in Matthew’s
genealogy is the transformation of a child of God. Beginning with Ash Wednesday on February 18 and
continuing each Sunday through Easter, Wayside will listen to what God has to say to us about our own
calling to be transformed from shame to glory as we consider the stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba,
and Mary, the mother of Jesus. We will start with an introduction to sin and repentance, and then consider
our own genograms on the 1st Sunday in Lent. Each week thereafter we will read the account of one of the
women, and then end the series appropriately with the Resurrection of the Lord. Services will feature theme
music and a focal image peculiar to the day’s reading, and perhaps a challenge to the congregation in Friday
eBlasts to come symbolically dressed for the occasion.
J
oin us between services for a special Fellowship Time on February 15 and congratulate Nancy (and Dick)
on the launch of From Shame to Glory. Limited volumes of the book will be available for immediate sale, and
the author would rejoice in signing your copy.
SINGLE SERVICE / ANNUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 8
Wayside will hold one service at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday February 8 followed by lunch just before the Annual
Meeting of the Congregation. During the worship service we will consider fundamental extremism and
Christian-Muslim relations, and celebrate the sacrament of Baptism of one of our young people. Review of
Reports with a PowerPoint presentation will help us appreciate ministry of the past year, while an update on
our Indoor/Outdoor Project will allow us to look forward to another year of reaching more people for Christ.
Thanks to the Membership Committee for organizing the luncheon! All Members of Wayside are urged to
attend with opportunity to send commendations and recommendations back to the ruling elders of Session.
Per Capita
Wayside will hold a Service of Ashes on Wednesday,
February 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the atrium. As the call to the
season of Lent, Ash Wednesday begins a time of penitence
with scripture reading, prayer, and the imposition of ashes.
The 45 minute service will feature congregational singing
and songs by our LOGOS Kidz, anthem by the choir, and
praise selection by our Grace Notes worship band. Pastor
Steve will introduce this year’s theme for Lent, From Shame
to Glory, based upon the new book by Nancy
Regensburger by the same name, and the congregation will
be given an opportunity to participate in a “silent witness”
as the evening’s central message on transformation. This
rare evening service would be another great opportunity to
introduce new friends to Wayside’s ministry.
Duane and Cathy Hyson, members of Hopewell Presbyterian
Church in Felton, PA, have traveled to South Africa on several
occasions as part of the Mthatha Task Force and were
privileged to be part of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Travel
Seminar in November of 2014 where they met Rev. Desmond
Tutu. We invite you to join the Hysons for an afternoon of
“Reflections of South Africa” on Sunday, February 22 at
2:30PM in the Atrium. Light refreshments will be served. This
event is sponsored by the Mthatha Partnership Bubble, which
will meet following this event. Anyone interested in traveling
to South Africa in the Fall of 2015, are welcome to stay for this
discussion after Duane and Cathy’s presentation.
This year’s donations from the “Christmas Tree of
Warmth” totaled 111 items. These items of warmth will
certainly be appreciated on these cold days of winter by
needed recipients in the Columbia. They will be distributed
to them via the “Hands Across the Street” project that
operates out of the Columbia Presbyterian Church. Thank
you for your generosity and warm hearts, from the Mission
Committee!
Wayside’s Book Group will meet Tuesday, February 24
in the conference room. This month they will be discussing
Falling to Earth by Kate Southwood. Everyone is welcome
to join in the discussion!
The per capita for Wayside Presbyterian
Church for 2015 is $32.00/person. Per capita
envelopes are in the stewardship envelope
boxes that were picked up or mailed. If you
do not have an envelope, you may write “per
capita” on your check.
The Westminster Confession of Faith says,
“all believers are, therefore, under obligation
to sustain the ordinances of the Christian
religion where they are already established,
and to contribute by their prayers, gifts, and
personal efforts to the extension of the
Kingdom of Christ throughout the whole
earth” (The Book of Confessions, 6.058).
Per capita is a fundamental way in which all
of the nearly 11,000 congregations and mid
councils of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
are connected and participate in the work of
the wider church.
Because it is rooted in the connectional and
covenantal nature of the Presbyterian
church, as affirmed by the ordination vows
taken by elders and ministers of the Word
and Sacrament, per capita could be called
the Presbyterian Covenant Community
Fund.
A small group of Waysiders has been meeting
with Pastor Steve over the past years to
consider themes and creative worship
experiences for Sunday and special services.
The schedule of themes and biblical texts is
then used as a basis for choir and band
planning, sermon and PowerPoint
preparations, LOGOS theme planning and
more. As we begin to envision through spring
and into the next year, fresh ideas are being
sought from two or three new members to this
prayer and brainstorming group. If this excites
you, please contact Judi Yarwood, Joy Ray,
Jane Kintzi or Pastor Steve for more
information.
Worship Theme Planning
meetings occur on Wednesday evenings
about twice a month and last about an hour or
so. This month’s meetings are scheduled for
Feb. 4 and Feb. 25.
From Shame to Glory: Mothers in the Heritage of Jesus
by Nancy Regensburger
W
hen I was young, energetic and lived in Michigan, I was a writer
of religious books and curricula. I collaborated with a friend, Valerie
Fons, on a book about the women in Jesus’ lineage. It was based on
Matthew, chapter 1, a genealogy that identified the women in Jesus’
heritage. It was unusual to have a genealogy naming women in those
days. This one lists five women, starting with Tamar in the Old
Testament and ending with Mary in the New Testament.
A bout 15 years have passed since we originally worked on the
manuscript and it went nowhere because no publisher showed interest
in our book. In the meantime, Valerie, her husband and 5 children
moved to Wisconsin and Dick and I moved to Lancaster County.
During those years, Valerie was diagnosed with a cancer and I my
Parkinson’s diagnosis. Our previously unpublished manuscript slept in
our two desk drawers for all that time.
O
ne day almost two years ago a publisher called Valerie and asked
if we had a manuscript that we wanted published. Valerie called me and said she was ready and wanted us to
continue as coauthors. So we decided to go ahead, but we had only hard copies of our manuscript and they
were in two different computer software formats. The texts had to be combined, on computer, because the
internet publisher, iUniverse, would work with us only in a Microsoft Word computer format. Thanks to Pastor
Steve for his encouragement, advice from Gretchen Lichty with her computer expertise and my husband, Dick,
for his assistance, we were able to put the manuscript together into a single format acceptable to the publisher.
T
he book is now ready. We hope that, as you read our new book, you will grow in faith just as Valerie and I
did as we wrote the book.
H
ow to order: The book is available at our web site, www.fromshametoglory.com, available now in hardback,
paperback, and e-versions also through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
This month we will hear from a photographer and see examples of his work. Richard
Hertzler, a photo-journalist will be our guest on Wednesday, February 11. He will share
with us a collection of his photographic work done with a creative eye and his camera
lens turned toward Lancaster’s historic architecture and the area’s bountiful natural
wonders. Richard Hertzler, a Lancaster resident, has a 40-year career as a professional
photographer and a photo-journalist with Lancaster Newspapers. Working on deadline for the area’s
largest-circulation daily newspaper, Hertzler has documented the most important events of his era for millions of
readers in print and online. But it’s been his breathtaking photographs taken in between those assignments that
have caught many a reader’s eye; the pictures feature images captured during his time traveling the rural roads
of Amish Country.
We will meet at 12 noon in the Atrium with the program to start at or about 12:30 PM. Bring your bag lunches
[we provide the beverages] and join us to welcome our guest and enjoy another interesting presentation.
Note: We invite others in the greater Wayside community, even if you are not “senior”, to attend this very
interesting presentation.
The Christian Formation Committee, who has responsibility for the spiritual
formation and nurture of all of our members - nursery through adult - is in
need of additional members. Each committee member will be asked to
“champion” one area of ministry with which we are charged. Each member
works with the committee, the Director of Christian Formation, and
volunteers to reach the goals of our ministries. The committee currently
meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00PM in the Conference
Room. Please see Dan Nimmon (chair) or Jill Reichert (Director of Christian
Formation) if you are interested in this area of ministry.
New Child Safety Laws in PA
Help Wanted
As of December 31, 2014, there are new laws in the
State of PA regarding required clearances and
mandated reporter changes. If you work with our
children and youth at Wayside and were unable to
attend our January training, we MUST have you read
and understand the information that is now required of
you. If you did not get this information, or if you did
read it and still have questions, please see Jill Reichert
as soon as possible. Thank you!
There are a couple of areas of Christian
Formation that are in need of your help. Our
KidZone Sunday morning, ministry needs
additional shepherds to lead the kids in prayer,
offering, scripture finding and reading, talking
about the story and a reinforcing activity (all of
which is provided). Shepherds are scheduled
approximately once per month. We are also in
need of additional youth leadership for
Wednesday evenings and special youth
events. Please see Jill Reichert, Dan Nimmon
or George Armold if any of these peak your
interest! Clearances are required of these
volunteers.
There were seven G-Beez
and three
adults who gathered at the Kereczman's house
for pizza, ping-pong, table soccer, an
extreme Bible Crossword and let's not forget the
movie, "How to Train Your Dragon, Part Duex.” The movie was excellent and is recommended
for all folks, young and old. It was fun to see Jake, Chase, Connor, Mia, Ansel, and Abe
successfully completing the crossword and sharing in exotic prizes while Quinn was busy
repairing everything in the house that had a battery and Christopher played lots of pingpong! We all were very appreciative of Deb and Chuck sharing their rec room; it is just awesome for events
like this...THANK YOU! Stayed tuned for the G-Beez next adventure...
Friday, Feb. 13 - Sunday, Feb. 15
Grades 6-8
Winter Retreat at Camp Donegal
You can go to http://www.campdonegal.org/media_15/
WinterRetreatBrochure2015.pdf for information and
registration paperwork. Wayside will pay ½ of the
registration fee and transportation from and back to
church. If additional financial help is needed, please
see Jill Reichert or Pastor Steve. No one is ever turned
away from camp if they have an inability to pay.
Youth who are in the 9th grade or older, who
are active in the church, are invited to consider
participating in Confirmation where the
participants confirm their baptisms and asked
to consider church membership. If you feel
that you are ready for this commitment, and
you have not received information directly,
please contact Jill Reichert or the church office
immediately.
February 4
“Getting to Know
You Night”
Wear something
from another
Country.
February 11
“Valentine’s Night”
Wear something red
or pink.
February 18
No LOGOS
Ash Wednesday
service at 6:30PM.
February 25
“Luau Night”
Wear or bring
something you would
wear/see at a luau
Wayside is sending packages of encouragement to our college students to remind them that their church
family is thinking and praying for them while they are away at school. There will be a box in the narthex by
Sunday, February 8. If you would like to participate, simply place any of the following items in the EOCS
container by Sunday, March 8th:
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Cards or notes
Devotionals
Encouraging/Inspirational magnets, bookmarkers, postcards, etc.
Treats: Gum candy, bag of microwave popcorn, etc.
Donation to cover cost of shipping
With full support of our annual Youth Mission trip (July 18-25), Wayside has the new
opportunity to join with Reformation Lutheran Church (meeting at Eastern Mennonite
Missions in Salunga) and Landisville Mennonite Church for a week of local mission in
conjunction with the Ministry of Love INC. On Sunday January 18 Scott Richards,
Howie Fritz, Jill Riechert and Pastor Steve attended an information meeting about a
Compassion Project scheduled for June 20-27, 2015. This will be the second year for
the two other churches, and would be the first for Wayside to work on vetted needs of
disabled or financially challenged neighbors of yard cleaning, light home repairs, or
special requests that each work team feels they can handle. While Session is properly apprised of this new
initiative interested persons can contact Pastor Steve for more information. A planning meeting with all
participating churches is scheduled for Sunday, February 22 at 12:30 p.m. at Landisville Mennonite Church.