May 2018 Newsletter
Pastor's Message
As May is upon us there are finally signs of trees getting their leaves, flowers pushing through, and green grass that will need cut twice a week. There are many blessings to be thankful for and much to be hopeful of and look forward to. This month I will be taking a trip to San Francisco sponsored by the leadership program that I am a part of. The experience that I will be a part of is entitled “Creativity and Design Field Trip”. It is set up to be a think outside of the box experience in order to solve problems of today. Those problems may be traditional church problems or societal problems that the church may play a role in being part of the solution.
I will be attending a maker faire on this trip (https://makerfaire.com/bay-area/ ). A maker faire is a yearly event that showcases many creative ideas and solutions to human situations and it is an opportunity to share those ideas and seek wisdom of each other in solving even bigger ones. The idea for this type of brainstorming and creating comes out of a think tank group that created a design kit called: The Field Guide to Human Centered Design. This is a collection of ideas and plans that work to get to the heart of the big problems we encounter today and in to the future. There is a real push to use art, design, and creativity to bring forth solutions to the needs of today.
Certainly this is an unorthodox way of attempting to bring about church growth and faithful ministry, but that is just it, solving problems of today is not always about using the tools and plans that have always worked, it is also about creating and connecting other tools that may play a role in what is next. Some of what I expect to be exposed to is new ways of solving and working through problems in community, gathering insight into creating plans for thinking and building with the gifts and resources we have, and finding ways to connect and partner with others in ways that may not have ever been explored before in the context of faith community development. With so many in society not growing up in the church today there is a lack of foundational knowledge about what faith is and about what church is. The church of tomorrow has to do a good job of breaking down the language barriers of church talk and the disconnect of those in and out of the church in order to be a place where we can connect in meaningful ways with those that are yet to experience how our life of faith in Jesus Christ can fulfill our lives and help us be the change agents and difference makers that so many in our world today want to be.
We will also visit a few other sites in the area that are doing meaningful and transforming work in new ways. One of those is a UCC church in the heart of the city another is a ministry called The Kitchen (https://www.thekitchensf.org/) that is a community of Jewish leaders who are inviting people into that faith in creative and meaningful ways. Please pray for a safe trip for me and the 30 others that will join me on this trip and please pray for my family as they have a number of sports and activity running filled days without me.
Blessings and Prayers to All,
Pastor Nate
THE SHACK
There is a group forming in order to read and reflect on the book by William Paul Young entitled “The Shack, Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity.” The book came out in 2007 and has been widely read in the last 10 years. Most recently the book has been made into a movie. We invite you to join us in sharing together in a small group setting as we read the book and see how it affects our connection with God and our understandings of God’s interactions with us. If you are interested in joining with this book group opportunity please let Pastor Nate know as soon as possible; as we will attempt to shape the gathering time around those who are interested in taking part. Right now there is a group of at least 6 people interested and we are looking at reading a few chapters each week and then gathering for discussion and reflection on the sections we have read.
Strengthen the Church Offering
You will find an envelope in your newsletter this month that is for the Strengthen the Church offering of the United Church of Christ (www.ucc.org/stc). This is one of the special offerings of the UCC and this one is split between the national setting of the denomination and the Conference setting of the denomination. Meaning half of the money goes to the national setting in order for them to give out grants to local churches doing new and creative ministry and also makes possible for leadership training of local pastors and curriculum creations that are for the local churches. The other half of the offering goes to our conference, the Penn Central Conference, which allows for them to support our area local churches with programming and support to us and the churches in our area. This offering is vital to the creation of meaningful and transforming ideas and programs that make a difference in the lives of our neighbors and our local churches. We will be collecting this offering during the month of May, so please fill your envelope and return during one of our weekly worship experiences.
Worship Schedule this month:
May 6th - (Theme of Worship: Friends Together) Acts 10:44-48; 1st John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17. First Sunday Fellowship, No Sunday School.
May 13th – (ToW: Guided in Prayer) Mother’s Day, Acts 1:15-17,21-26; 1st John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19. Normal Sunday School following worship.
May 20th – (ToW: Spirit for All) Children’s Sunday, Acts 2:1-21; Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15.
May 27th – (ToW: Mysterious Encounter) Memorial Day Weekend, Isaiah 6:1-8; Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17.
Looking Ahead a Little Further:
June 3rd – (ToW: Stretch out your Hand) 1st Samuel 3:1-20; 2nd Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6. First Sunday Fellowship.
Membership Committee Update
The Membership Committee would like to thank everyone who participated in our Mariana's hoagie and pizza sale last month. Our profit of $703 will be used towards events the committee is working on as outlined below. We heard great things from everyone on your satisfaction with the items. We may consider another sale later this year. Stay tuned!
The Membership Committee is working on the following events for all to enjoy later this year! Please SAVE THESE DATES!
9/22/18 - Dreisbach's 230th Birthday Party. Balloon Magic Show, Dueling Pianos, Photo Booth, and More! Details announced this summer!
10/27/18 - Inaugural Halloween Party For All Ages - Christian Style. Details announced by early fall.
12/15/18 - 2nd Annual Veterans Christmas Remembrance Celebration.
The committee will meet again on 5/9/18 @ 8PM following the Taste Messy Church event. Our meeting will include guest, Mr. Andy Mahoney of the Bucknell Military Science Department, and his daughter, to begin initial planning for the 2nd Annual Veterans Christmas Remembrance Celebration. The committee will also meet on May 14 @ 7PM to continue to plan for the 230th Birthday Party.
We welcome anyone who participates at Dreisbach to join our committee that focuses on hosting events and other activities to ensure the thriving sustainability of Dreisbach in the Buffalo Valley.
Vacation Bible School
Shipwrecked
“Rescued by Jesus”
Venture onto an unchartered island where kids survive and thrive. Anchor kids in the truth that Jesus carries them through life’s storms.
Summer is nearly upon us and so is VBS!
June 11th – 16th 6:30 -8:30pm
Closing will take place during the morning worship service on June 17th followed by our auctions which make this fun and inspirational week possible for our children. Registration forms are available in the back of the sanctuary. Kids ages 3 through 6th grade are encouraged to attend. Bring your kids, grandkids, friends and neighbors. All are welcome. If you are able to help out a little or a lot please let one of our coordinators know. Your help is necessary and greatly appreciated!
Judy, Pam & Stacy, VBS Coordinators
Mother Daughter Banquet
The annual Mother Daughter Banquet will take place on May 12th at 6:00pm. Tickets are $11.00 for adults and $5.50 for children ages 4-10. They are available to purchase from Sue Leitzel, Samantha Kratzer or Joy Catherman. Suzanne Stackhouse will entertain us with her wonderful storytelling abilities.
“Remember on this one thing, said Badger. The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. That is why we put these stories in each other's memories. This is how people care for themselves. ”
― Barry López, Crow and Weasel
For at least three decades, Suzanne Stackhouse has been telling tales memorized from the heart. She entertained us at our Mother Daughter Banquet in 1993, around the time when her father, Rev. Ned Weller, was our interim pastor. A forty year resident of New Berlin, she spent most of that time as the librarian at the Lewisburg Middle School.
People in all times and all places have sat down at night and told stories. Stories tell us who we are in this world, how we fit in this world, and how to behave in this world. They create the foundation upon which we base our sense of reality. They connect the old generation with the new. They give us roots and they give us wings. Suzanne has a way of stirring up the old words to make new soup; story soup for the soul. Let’s cross the generations with an evening filled with stories about daughters, mothers, and grandmothers.
Messy Church
As some of you may recall our last Messy Church was postponed due to snow. A new date has been picked, Wednesday, May 9th at 6:00. The meal will be a potluck so please bring a tasty dish to share. A special project is planned for the evening as we create a family tree for Dreisbach in honor of our church’s 230 years of history. If you missed out during Lent we hope you’ll join us now for this fun time of fellowship with our church family.
Children’s Day
Susan Klein, ventriloquist, will be bringing her family of friends to Dreisbach during our morning worship service on Children’s Day, May 20, which is the kickoff for our VBS program. Her love of ventriloquism started 24 years ago. She has touched the hearts of young and old alike through music, learning, laughter and fun. She puts her abilities to work in her puppets to teach life’s lessons. This wonderful program will be followed up downstairs with snacks for all and crafts for the children.
Graduates
Looking ahead, we plan to honor our graduates on June 10th. If you or a family member has or will graduate this year please contact Pam Pfirman or Pastor Nate no later than May 27th so we may plan accordingly.
Prayer Shawl
The next meeting of the Prayer Shawl group will be Tuesday, May 29th at 6:30 in the back of the church. All are welcome.
Prime Timer’s Lunch
The Dreisbach UCC Prime Timer’s will be meeting again at the Old Turnpike Restaurant, Thursday May 17th at 12:30 PM. Come and enjoy lunch and a time of fellowship. Lunch will be Dutch treat. Anyone 50 or older is welcome to join the group. A signup sheet is located on the table in the back of the church.
Mother’s Day Offering
Our annual Mother’s Day Offering envelopes are being included with this newsletter. Your offering may be placed in the offering plate any Sunday in May and will benefit the Devitt House.
90th Birthday
The family of Mabel June Walter would like to invite her church family, friends and relatives to help celebrate her 90th birthday. Please join us at Carriage Corner from 2-4 on Saturday, June 2nd to celebrate this milestone. If planning to join us in this special occasion; kindly RSVP to Joanne Lloyd (570-966-1605 - leave message) or Fay Richard (570-966-0182 frichard@dejazzd.com) by May 23. If you'd like to bring a card and/or memory, it would be appreciated. Hope that you can join us!
May Birthdays & Anniversaries
Remember the following people in your prayers as they celebrate special days this month.
1 Derrick Moyer 18 Karen Mensch
Larry Gotshall 19 Joan Amabile
5 Doris Gardner 20 Hannah Pierce
8 Teresa Harvey 22 Gerald Lloyd, Jr.
Joanna Romig Robinson 24 Jerry & Diane Amabile
Jerry Amabile Ray Pletcher
9 Clyde & Donna Chappell 26 Kareem Elsayed
12 Aida Ruhl Sarah Walter
13 Larry Snook 27 Kathleen Swartzlander
15 George & Roxie Trutt Scott Sanders
Linda Mensch 30 Joyce Hackenberg
If you know of any additions or corrections to the birthday and anniversary list, please give or email them to Pam Pfirman.