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 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: 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.
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