PENNSBURG UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 775 Main Street

Pennsburg, PA 18073

Address Service Requested

DATED MATERIAL

PLEASE EXPEDITE To our Members & Friends

December 2019 CHURCH DIRECTORY

Pastor: Rev. Matthew Gorkos

Consistory Officers:

President .............................................. Dana Heimbach

Vice President..................................... Irv Lash

Treasurer ............................................ Sharon Burns

Secretary ............................................ Jessica Huff

Director of Music: .......................... Audrey Reinhart

Custodian ............................................. Lynn Sturdevant

Administrative Assistant……………… Jane MacNeill

Groundskeeper: .................................. Larry Hoff

Inside This Issue:

Page 2…………….. Pastor’s Page

Page 3……………..Attendance & Offering, Film Group, Valley Choral Society

Page 4 .............. Birthday, Anniversaries, Vacation Bible School, Concert

Page 5 …………..Volunteers, SS Christmas program

Page 6……………1st Monday Meal, Advent party, Advent Devotionals, Cemetery committee

Christmas Eve Worship Service

Page 7…………..Poinsettia order form

Page 8…………. December Calendar

Our Mission Statement: We are a welcoming

congregation that celebrates and shares God’s

unconditional love with each other,

the community and the world.

Pennsburg U.C.C. 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:15AM Morning Worship

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The other day, a friend of mine from college announced on Facebook that she was going to begin a 150-day journey through the book of Psalms. Each day, she was going to pray and reflect on one psalm. In addition to the announcement, she invited anyone else who wanted to participate to participate. I decided to join in, and I am already thankful for how the practice has nourished my soul. The Psalms, as many of you probably know, are ancient hymns and prayers of God’s people. We may not still have the music that once accompanied the poetry, but we know that they would have been sung in the context of worship. The Psalms, when we incorporate them into our worship, are seldom sung. Sometimes, they are the lyrics to the Call to Worship. Sometimes, we read them as scripture. But, there’s a mood about them that we lose when they’re not seen as musical. We get focused on the words rather than the feeling. What I’ve tried to do in my daily reflections is to connect with the feeling. I read the psalm, but I don’t try to analyze the words. Instead, I try to imagine the feelings going on in the heart of the one who wrote them. What emotion are they trying to capture? As I’ve begun doing that, I’ve realized how timely this whole exercise is. It is especially fitting to meditate on the Psalms as we enter into the Advent season, because Advent is emotionally involved. And, while a lot of the scriptures we read throughout Advent are from the prophets, many of the psalms were being composed around that same time—capturing the emotions of the community in a way the prophets could not. So many of the psalms are about waiting for salvation and rescue. Advent is about waiting for Christ to arrive. It’s about anticipation—waiting and praying and preparing for the Messiah. It’s about longing and hoping and trying to remain patient. It’s about joy and praise and God’s promise to make everything all right. That’s what the Psalms are about, too. As we move into the Advent season and approach Christmas, I invite you to remember the psalms. Don’t move through this season with stoicism. Rather, face the emotion of it. Acknowledge the sadness of first holidays without loved ones. Acknowledge the worry of not have found the right gift. Acknowledge the excitement of gatherings an parties. Acknowledge the frustration of life being not quite right. Acknowledge the joy of knowing Christ is coming soon. Merry Christmas, Pastor Matt

News From The Pews Dec. 2019

Pennsburg United Church Of Christ

775 Main Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073

215-679-7513

Rev. Matthew Gorkos, Pastor

www.pennsburgucc.org pennsburgucc@gmail.com

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ATTENDANCE & OFFERING REPORT

October/November 2019 to date Amount Amount Received Received Date 2019 2018 Attendance Oct. 27 456.00 903.00 40 Nov. 3 1,473.00 1,394.00 55 Nov. 10 931.00 716.73 53 Nov. 17 954.00 3,519.00 59

Total $ 3,814.00 $6,532.73 Avg. 51

Faith in Film Group Here are the upcoming showings for the fall: • December 6th - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (PG) - An adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ beloved

book that is equal parts magical and inspiring. Come take a trip to Narnia! • January 24th - Dogma (R) - A raunchy comedy about two fallen angels trying to sneak back into

heaven that features a star-studded cast and some unexpectedly deep theology. • February 21st - 500 Days of Summer (PG-13) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel star in a

creative and quirky romantic-comedy about quickly falling in and out of “love.” • March 20th - Jesus de Montreal (R) - Powerful Canadian film about an acting troupe hired to

perform a Passion play, whose lives end up paralleling the characters they portray. All showings begin at 6 PM in Miller Hall (unless otherwise noted). Bring your own popcorn!

Valley Choral Society Christmas Concerts Come ring in the holiday season with selections highlighting the many ways bells toll in our lives-in celebration, in mourning, in new life, and even into heaven. Valley Choral Society takes a journey celebrating and proclaiming the Christmas message while highlighting one of the oldest man-made instruments. A Christmas Carol: Saturday, December 14th, 2019 at 7:00 pm at St. Mark’s Lutheran church in Pennsburg and Sunday, December 15th at 4:00 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church in Perkasie. These are free will offering performances.

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12/2: Derik Wimmer 12/3: Clinton Haney 12/9: Robert Burns 12/11: Frank Falk 12/13: Grace Grubb 12/14: Rachael Ruth 12/19: Jana Butler 12/21: Donald Way 12/26: Jacob Busch, Adam Conrad, Donna Haws 12/28: David Weller 12/29: Matthew Cron 12/30: Grace Cleary, Benjamin Royer 12/31: Todd Dallas

12/8: Larry & Emily Hoff (62) 12/9: Raymond & Eileen Koffroth (56) 12/21: Scott & Paula Wehr (51) 12/24: Dennis & Joyce Hess (48) As we approach Christmas many of us think the stores start way too early with their sale of Christmas trees and decorations. This year I even heard that "Black Friday" sales were starting on Veteran's Day. Really? So when I tell you that I am already thinking about next Summer's Vacation Bible School, I hope you don't think I've lost my mind. I will need LOTS of paper towel and toilet paper rolls so I thought I better start collecting now. A box will be placed in the Narthex to collect these through early July so please keep saving them. Thank you, Wendy. On Sunday, December 8th at 3PM the St. Philip Neri Church in Pennsburg will hold a concert by the Commonwealth Youth Choirs. The concert will feature Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” and a selection of holiday favorites. No tickets required. Free will offering.

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DECEMBER 2019 VOLUNTEERS

GREETERS Dana Heimbach, Jane Bernhard, Paula Sell

OFFERING STEWARDS 12/1: Irv & Holly Lash & Tom & Mary Jane May 12/8: C hildren & Youth 12/15: Bill Kurz, Cliff Lauchnor, Scott Mest, Aidan Lash 12/22: Frank & Donna Falk, Lori Kern, Morgan Dwornik 12/24: Consistory Members 12/29: Helen Mensch, Donna Haws, Sandy Mest, Jana Butler NURSERY 12/1: Jane Bernhard & Baylee Cleaver 12/8: Holly Lash & Jana Bulter 12/15: Jane Bernhard & Christine Henry 12/22: Jessica Huff & Hallie Huff 12/24: No coverage 12/29: Jane Bernhard & Baylee Cleaver ACOLYTE 12/1: Madison Dwornik 12/8: Chase Henry 12/15: Magdelena Bittermann 12/22: Ezra Gorkos 12/24: Madison Dwornik 12/29: Chase Henry

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Sunday School Christmas Program Advent will be here sooner than you think! Once again, our Sunday school children will be working on a Sunday morning program. This year’s program is a third installment featuring the characters we’ve loved for the past two years (along with some fun new twists). The title of this year’s program is “The Story Above All Stories”. Make sure you plan to be here on December 15th to worship and witness their hard work.

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First Monday Meal will be served on December 2nd at 6pm Menu will be Chili & rice, side salad and dinner roll with cake for dessert.

Last week, the congregation voted to assure that the First Monday Meal ministry would continue to occur at Pennsburg UCC. The next step is for everyone interested in stepping up and getting involved in the ministry to learn what all goes into making a meal happen. On Tuesday, December 3rd at 6:30 PM, Sharon, Donna, and Deb will help provide a detailed overview. Please plan to attend!

Advent Devotionals Beginning November 17th, Advent devotionals will be available in Miller Hall. The devotional is called “God Bless Us, Every One”. It features a scripture and reflection for every day of Advent along with a short excerpt from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to accompany each passage. We invite any family who wants to pick up a booklet for a $1 donation to help cover the purchase costs. Cemetery Committee At the end of the year, Larry Hoff and Bud Wisler will be stepping down from their positions on the Cemetery Committee. We are looking for one or two volunteer members who are willing to learn how to mark graves, as well as do some other grounds-keeping tasks. No grass cutting is involved. In addition, attendance at a few meetings throughout the year to discuss cemetery operations and policies is required. Meeting dates and times are flexible. If you are interested, please talk to Donna Falk.

Advent Party! This year, December 1st is the first Sunday in Advent, and it is a big day here at Pennsburg UCC! First, let’s join around Christ’s table upstairs for Advent Communion; and then, join around the table downstairs for a fun party! There will be a variety of crafts to make, a yummy light lunch, and more! Again this year we will have a gift exchange. If you would like to participate, bring a wrapped gift that is valued at $5 or less to exchange in a fun circle game. When we are done with our party, feel free to stay and watch the Hometown Christmas parade from the sidewalk. Please join us!

Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship service-Please join us on December 24th to celebrate the miracle of Christ’s birth in song, scripture, and a Christmas Eve message from Pastor Matt. Please note that the time has been changed from 7:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

2019 CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA

ORDER FORM

6” Pots - $6.00 each

Presented by________________________

In Honor of_________________________

In Memory of________________________

Please specify which color plant you would like.

Pink ________ White_______ Red_________

Number Wanted @ $6.00 = $

Please return order form to Kathy Badman, Sharon Burns,

Mary Jane May or Ginger Witman by

Deadline to order is Sunday, December 1st, 2019

Flowers may be picked up after the Christmas Eve Worship Service.

Please make out checks to Pennsburg UCC

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S Sunday

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 9am-Sunday Sch school 10:15 am Wo Worship (Advent Party)

2

6pm-1st Monday Meal

3

7pm-Worship Committee 6:30 pm-1st Monday Meal meeting 8am-noon Office hours

4 7pm-Choir Rehearsal

5 9am-noon Office Hours

6 9am-noon Office hours

6pm-Movie “The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe”

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777 77 8

9am-Sunday School

10:15 am Worship

9 10

8am-noon Office Hours

11

7pm Choir rehearsal

12

9am-noon Office Hours

13

9am-noon Office hours

14

15

16

6:30pm Consistory Mtg.

17 8am-noon Office Hours

18 7pm Choir rehearsal

19 9am-noon Office Hours

20

9am-noon Office Hours

21

22 9am

Sunday School

10:15 am Worship

23

6:30pm Consistory Meeting

24 8am-noon Office Hours 7:00 pm Christmas Eve Worship

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26 9am-noon Office Hours

27 9am-noon Office Hours

28

29 9am-Sunday

School 10:15 am Worship

30 31 8am-noon Office Hours

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