Under the Bell Tower
JANUARY 2017
The Secret
Two girls discover I who don't know the
the secret of life secret wrote
in a sudden line of the line. They
poetry. told me
Two girls discover I who don't know the
the secret of life secret wrote
in a sudden line of the line. They
poetry. told me
(through a third person) what line it was. No doubt
they had found it by now, more than a week
but not what it was later, they have forgotten
not even the secret,
the line, the name of and for loving me
the poem. I love them for the line I wrote,
for finding what and for forgetting it
I can't find, so that
a thousand times, till death in other
finds them, they may happenings. And for
discover it again, in other wanting to know it,
lines for
assuming there is
such a secret, yes,
for that
most of all. —Denise Levertov
Have you wondered whether there is a secret to life? A way to live that will bring us happiness? A way to live so that life works? The secret of why we are alive at all?
As Christians we may believe that there is one way to live in the world. A secret for us to discover. A key which opens a door to all that we need to live happy and well. The answers to all questions are available, if only we knew the secret answers.
If you haven’t discovered the secret and held onto it, you are in good company. As the poet tells us, we may catch glimpses, epiphanies, of what we long to understand. When you do, remember them. Tuck them in your heart and ponder them, just as Mary ponders the meaning, the secret, of her firstborn son.
Did she see, as he grew up, flashes of who he was and who he would become for humankind?
Wonder. Ponder. Ask. Seek. Knock. The meaning is in the seeking.
Together may we seek the meaning of Christ in our lives as we begin this new year.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Ellen
STEWARDSHIP REPORT THROUGH – DECEMBER 31, 2016
Annual Church Budgeted Income / $217,950Budgeted / Actual / Difference / Comment
Income Weekly Budgeted / $4,191
Income Received
Income members / $122,950.00 / $ 104,009.81 / -$17,549.96 / Under donated
Transferred from Invest. Savings / $95,000.00 / $90,000.00 / - $5,000.00 / Not taken yet
Expenses to Date / $217,827.01 / $200,286.52 / -$17,540.49 / Under spent
Net Difference / -$122.99 / - $4,886.48 / -$5,009.47 / Under spent
ATTENDANCE FOR DECEMBER 2016
11/2015 / 11/2016 / Offerings
12/06 / 79 / 12/04 / 66 / $1,478.75
12/13 / 85 / 12/11 / 60 / $448.46
12/20 / 104 / 12/16
12/18 / Savings
74 / $15,000.00
$112.00
12/24 / 92 / 12/24 / 80 / $1,303.25
12/27 / 54 / 12/25 / 29 / $2,360.00
414 / 309 / $20,702.00
AVERAGE / 83 / 62 / $4,141.14
BUDGETED / $11,359.18
UNDER BUDGETED INCOME / -$3,500.54
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS 2017
01/05 Judith REED 01/05 Ethel SEDULE
01/06 Cole PETROSKY 01/05 Ruth Ann KEMP
01/08 Arthur S. LEWIS Sr. 01/08 Barbara VAN SANT
01/10 Sarah COLE 01/14 Robert ROOS III
01/15 Phyllis TARBURTON 01/17 Ryan DODD-STERLING
01/18 Clara DOWNES 01/19 Ronald ZINK
01/20 Eileen D. LOCKWOOD 01/20 Tina POTTS
01/21 Walter “Bud” WOREK 01/22 Jason HONESTY-HARRIS, JR.
01/25 Jennifer GOLDSMITH 01/25 William WHARTON
01/27 William MUNTZ 01/27 Joseph ZINGARO
01/28 Jane KENT 01/28 Nevaeh RUMBLEY
01/31 Elinor BAKER
If we missed anyone, please notify the church office to get your name on the list.
The Prayer List for Members & Friends of the Church
The list is kept current. For a copy please call the church office: 674-4177;
PRAYERS FOR MEMBERS
Maisha Britt - checking out some medical problems
Cawood Cosden – Courtland Manor
Jane Dodd – is at home recuperating
Louise Ferguson – new address, % Gwen Gibbons, 425 Ruth Road, Arnold, MD 21012-1237, phone # 410-544-7124
Daisy Hill—at home cared for by son Rick Hill recovering from a fall
Mary Johns
Amanda Middleton - recovering from medical procedures
Mary Reed – Westminster Village Assisted Living, room 242
Rose Mary Ressel – at Westminster Village Assisted Living, Apt. 243
Betty Tomlinson – Westminster Health Center
Adolf Weissenfluh – home, dealing with advancing Parkinson’s disease
Gertrude Weissenfluh
Sarah Woods – recovering from surgery
PRAYERS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS
Verna James – The Hufnal’s aunt: reoccurrence of Breast Cancer and other healthissues due to aging
Sgt. Darlene Kirk - Cleah Muntz’s niece – in service in Kuwait for 3 ½ months, 120 degrees-sandstorms
Chris Lambertson – son of Kasey Stokes, friends of the Deckers, just diagnosed with ALS decease
Jacqueline Lenox – Jim Miller’s aunt - broken pelvis, shoulder/neck pain
Keith Nicolls – Fred Hotchkiss’ uncle - kidney failure
Kayla Storr – friend of Chip & Ginny Stewart, with many health problems
Chloe Sharp – an 8 year old friend of Sally Childears, receiving chemo treatment and has been very sick
WOMEN'S RETREAT
"RELEASE, RENEW, REFRESH AND BE HAPPY"
All women of the church (members and friends) are invited to come and release your stress, renew your spirit, refresh your soul and what true happiness is all about at a Women's Retreat on Saturday, January 21, 2017, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm in the Fellowship Room. As stressful as the holidays can be, January can bring its own kind of stress. The excitement is over, the parties have stopped, there are no more Christmas Fairs to work on and attend while enjoying the fellowship it creates, and visiting family and friends have returned home taking their laughter with them. Then taking down and putting away the decorations, starting to pay off all the bills from the credit card companies, returning well-intentioned but often useless gifts and getting back to the regular routine of life can trigger depression. For some people hearing about how wonderful others holidays were while, for whatever reason, you spent yours alone, can also lead to depression for some. For many of us life in general has us feeling overworked, overscheduled and overwhelmed.
This retreat is an opportunity to give yourself permission to escape for six hours and find answers to the following questions:
• How much control do we have over our own happiness?
• Does being happy make you grateful or does being grateful make you happy?
• Why do negative thoughts stick like Velcro and positive thoughts slide off like Teflon?
• Are your prayers filled with gratitude or guilt?
• Is there enough "play" in your life?
• Just what does the Bible say about all of this?
Join us as we pray and play, celebrate and meditate, and share with and care for each other.
This retreat is free to all attendees and lunch will be provided. All that is asked of you is to bring a snack to share with others and something to put on the altar table that brings happiness to your life.
SERENA LEISER, who has been attending People's Church since she moved to Dover earlier this year, designed and will be leading the retreat. Serena holds a Certificate in Spiritual and Pastoral Care from Andover Newton Theological Seminary (ANTS). After she retired a few years ago Serena finally was able to take God's call off hold and applied for the Master of Divinity program at ANTS. This retreat is taken from the final paper she wrote for a course titled "Healing Through Joy, Celebration and Play". Serena has designed and led numerous retreats for her home church, Westborough Congregational Church, UCC, in Westborough, MA, where she has been an active member for over 25 years and where she served on numerous committees, the Board of Deacons and several visioning task forces. In addition to women's retreats she has also designed and led family retreats. Serena has a daughter who lives in Omaha, NE, a great grandson who lives in Kansas City, MO and a "heart" daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, "little" Serena, in Northeast MD.
VOLUNTEERS
Flowers Liturgist
01/01 Poinsettias 01/01 Jim Caldwell
01/08 Cheryl Goldsmith 01/08 John Downs, Jr.
01/15 Virginia & Charles Stewart 01/15 Vicky Healey
01/22 Cheryl Goldsmith 01/22 John Downs, Sr.
01/29 Fred Hotchkiss 01/29 Suzanne Schwarz-Green
Sunday Lessons Ushers
January 01 NEWS YEAR’S DAY 01/01 Cheryl Goldsmith Holy Communion Phyllis Simpkins
Isaiah 11:1 - 10 Jerry Rice
Cleah Muntz
January 08 FIRST SUNDAY after EPIPHANY 01/08 Luke 1:47 - 55
January 15 SECOND SUNDAY after EPIPHANY 01/15
Matthew 1:18 - 25
January 22 THIRD SUNDAY after EPIPHANY 01/22
Psalm 97
January 29 FOURTH SUNDAY after EPIPHANY 01/29
Isaiah 9:2 – 7
We are in need of friends to donate just a few minutes on Sunday mornings to USHER. Please choose an open slot on the sign-up sheets in the rear of the sanctuary, or call the church office.
SPECIAL THANK YOU
A special thank you goes out to those church groups and individuals who acknowledged us with cards, gifts, and treats during the holidays. Your generosity and thoughtfulness is GREATLY appreciated! Sincerely, Paul and Kathy Hanebutt
BOARD OF DIACONATE
The Diaconate Fund
Please prayerfully consider contributing to the fund so that we can have ample resources as we move into the fall and winter months. You may prepare a check to Peoples Church with “Diaconate Fund” on the memo line. Thank you for your generosity!
Pastor Relations Committee (PRC)
"While Pastor Ellen encourages and, in fact, prefers open and direct communications with all, the Diaconate's 2016 Pastor Relations Committee (PRC) was impaneled this past month and is here for you.Please feel free to contact any member if you have a question or concern you would like passed on. However,in order to be fair, comments will not be forwarded anonymously.In meetings, if having a member or members of the
PRC present will make for a more comfortable conversation with the Pastor, a member(s) will make themselves available. Members of the committee are Jean Hitchens, Jerry Rice(/302-943-8871), Phyllis Tarburton and Rev. Judy Zingaro. -- Diaconate"
Videos of the Sunday sermons are posted on the FB page. So come join the congregation online. Post a photo or comment of interest to your fellow members, post a prayer or word of praise to the Lord, or just come and see what everyone else is up to.
CHURCH VAN MINISTRY
**We are in current need of someone to help with our Sunday morning Transport Ministry. Please call or email the office if you are able to help fellow members enjoy worship. **
If you or someone you know is interested in riding to worship and back home each Sunday in the church van,OR if you would like to volunteer as a van driver for this ministry, please call the church office and let us know. The Van Ministry is ready to respond to your call. The list is kept current. For a copy please call the church office: 674-4177;
The next meeting of the Diaconate will be in January.
BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
The Board wishes to say thank you for all your hard work and dedication to our departing members: Jennifer Downs, Linda Paradee, Craig Lindsey, Helaine Jones and Alexis Jones.
Welcome to our new members: Gwen Senato and Suzanne Schwarz-Green.
January’s Sunday School classes will cover the early life of Jesus. Classes will be January 8, 15, 22, and 29.
Our Sunday School Teachers are: Mary Beth Andrews, Jennifer Childears, Jean Hitchens, Gwen Senato, Suzanne Schwarz-Green, Cheryl Goldsmith, Tracy Williams and Judy Zingaro with Peg Schwarz-Green and John Downs as substitutes.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Jennifer Childears, via email or by text at 302-535-2988.
BOARD OF FINANCE
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
If anyone from the congregation has any information regarding the building that they feel needs reviewed please mention to any members of the Board of Management.
BOARD OF MISSION & OUTREACH
The Board of Mission and Outreach would like to thank everyone for all you have done to help others especially in December. Food Bank donations have been coming in every week and will help First Baptist Church with their family food basket for Christmas. The five children we “adopted” from Caring Hearts Helping Hands all got clothes, toys, and other items they needed. They will have presents to open Christmas day that probably would not happen if it weren’t for you. Receipts for income tax purposes are in the back of the church. And now, we have Code Purple housed in our church until Christmas Day and then throughout the winter. Your donations have been pouring in and are desperately needed. See Sue if you would like to volunteer some time or make a dinner. Come to the dining hall and check it out. Thanks for bringing in cookies for the cookie walk. We made over $100 to use for the children and now Code Purple. Thank you again – you are a caring and generous congregation.
FOOD BANK
We delivered 55 food items to Holy Cross Food Bank and 68 items to First Baptists for their Christmas baskets. January items will go to Holy Cross Food Bank. Items needed are oatmeal, powdered milk, jelly, canned beef stew and chili and 1 lb cans of coffee. Monetary funds can be put in the Food Bank envelopes found in the hymnal rack. Please make checks payable to People’s Church. Thanks for your continued support; it is greatly needed.
Code Purple Ongoing Shelter Needs
Peoples Church will be hosting about 20 men for Code Purple for several weeks during the winter. Please help with the following shelter needs during the winter. They can be placed in the Food Bank bins. Thank you for your caring and kindness. We could also use volunteers. See Sue to discuss these rewarding opportunities.
Clothing Food
Athletic socks Bottled water
Underwear Cans of coffee
Boots Containers of iced tea mix
Gloves Snacks (hopefully some that are nutritious)