faithworks · faithworks october 2014 page 4 project serve is an initiative designed to explore the...

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!

Faith United Church of Christ State College, PA 16801 814.237.3904 Worship: 10:45 amAn Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ

Works!FaithOctober 2014

In ThIs Issue...Pastor’s Letter ............................ 2Consistory Corner .................... 3Project Serve Update ................ 4Caring Network ........................ 5Stewardship .......................... 6- 7Penn Central Conference ........ 8Faith Happenings ..................... 8Outreach and Service ........ 9- 10New Member Welcome ......... 11Cider Press Pictures ........ 12- 13October Events ........................ 14

Photo: Parents and children from Sunday School Enjoyed a visit to the Arboretum at Penn State on Sunday, August 31st

In my short time serving as your Pastor, I can identify a few things that are unique about this church ministry. There is so much good happening among us and through us, and there is still much we can do to improve, but indulge me as I acknowledge some of the good.

New members (and non-members) seem to be experiencing a sense of belonging, forming respectful and meaningful relationships with others and stepping up to the plate to provide leadership for new ministries… even our children. Jordan Reed’s idea for a Penguin Packs weekend food program was featured in the CDT and UCC National news (KYP – September 30th) http://www.centredaily.com/2014/09/19/4361629_on-centre-centre-region-si(xth.html?rh=1).

Established members continue to serve and maintain important ministries while remaining open to innovative approaches and ideas. People of all ages, gender, race and sexual orientation feel welcomed to serve the church of Jesus Christ, according to their God-given gifts and talents, to fulfill God’s mission for our church in this time and community. I’m truly thankful for all of you and the many ways you show your faithfulness.

May God continue to enliven and strengthen us as we reach out to serve God and those whom God loves!

In Christ,Pastor Monica

p.s. remember to hit the “like” button to join our Facebook page … we’re up to 255 likes!

FrOm Our PasTOr

Dear Friends,

A single fall daisy in our church’s garden reminded me of the difference one per-son can make in the lives of others – for good! As members of the body of Christ, my hope is always that we choose to do good, reflecting Christ in us.

I’m thankful for all places of spiritual nurture: churches, synagogues, mosques, etc. Have you paused recently to reflect on the spiritual journey that has brought you here to Faith church? What is it about this congregation that keeps you con-nected? Perhaps you can identify one or several reasons. Whatever your reasons, I am thankful God’s Spirit guided you here at this time in the church’s history.

FaithWorks October 2014


COnsIsTOry COrnerThe Consistory reconvened after the summer months for its regular monthly meeting on September 13, 2014. Much attention has been focused in recent months on “housekeeping chores”—particularly the preparation of the fiscal budget for 2015. The newly created Finance Committee is aiming to steer the budgeting process away from a reliance on the Reserve Fund to balance the bottom line. Planning and implementation of a fall stewardship campaign are underway.

The Consistory is also involved in reviewing the organizational structure of the congregation and revising the charges, or “job descriptions,” of the Consistory, its committees and Ministry Teams. As the Nominating Committee seeks candidates to fill the positions of five “retiring” Consistory members, an orientation manual for new members is being created.

But it’s not all business! The Consistory also has given enthusiastic support to the efforts and initiatives of the Ministry Teams—see their individual reports for details—and especially to the new Project Serve focus, the Penguin Packs Project. Faith UCC is an exciting place to get involved!


PrOjeCT serve is an initiative designed to explore the question:“How does God want us to reacH out and serve tHe needs of our community?”

Many thanks to everyone who has already signed up to help get the Penguin Packs Project started! We are on track to provide weekend food to hungry kids at Park Forest Elementary School starting in October. If you did not get a chance to sign up to volunteer – it’s not too late! We will need help ordering food, packing sacks, transporting sacks to the school, fundraising and publicity. Just let Cindy Reed know your interests ([email protected], 814-954-7441). If you are not sure how you might want to help, please consider joining our contact list.

A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks, here are some highlights:

1) Thank you to the volunteers who helped during the Wednesday Work Day! As a result of your efforts, we now have a clean, secure storage room for food.

2) A Central PA Food Bank representative visited our church to inspect our facility for food storage. We passed! Now we can start ordering food from the Food Bank.

3) Rev. Ann Graves submitted a proposal on our behalf to the State College Kiwanis Club. The board voted to donate $1,000 to the Penguin Pack Project! The community is excited about this project too!

4) Jordan Reed presented Penguin Packs to Park Forest Elementary School parents. A parent in the audience notified the Centre Daily Times regarding the project resulting in the following newspaper article: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/09/19/4361629/on-centre-centre-region-sixth.html?sp=/99/116/479/

5) The school sent home a letter to families on Friday to allow them to opt into the program. We should know the number of Packs we will need to provide by October 1.


CarInG neTWOrKA little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met a long-haired, bearded biker sitting by his motorcycle. He was in the park just relaxing amongst nature and staring at some gulls. The boy sat down next to the biker and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the bearded man looked a little hungry so he offered him a Twinkie. The biker gratefully accepted it and smiled warmly at the boy. His smile was so pretty and his eyes gleamed so warmly that the boy wished to see the smile again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, the friendly man smiled nicely at the boy. The child was delighted!

The two of them sat there all afternoon munching on twinkies and smiling happily, but they never exchanged a word.

As darkness came, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps he turned around, ran back to the handsome bearded man and gave him a hug. The biker gave _ the boy his big-gest, warmest smile ever as the boy ran off to his home. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face.

She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so hap-py?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the coolest motor-cycle I've ever seen!"

His Mom just stood there with her mouth wide open.

Meanwhile, the lonely beareded, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His pet mouse was so awestruck by the look of peace on his face that he asked, "Hey, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God."

And before the little pet mouse responded, he added, "You know, Mouse, God's much younger than I expected."

Moral: Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to tum a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

submitted by Marcia Hegeman


Thank you for your gifts and generosity…

Time. Treasure. Talent.stewardship

Have you considered ONliNe giviNg via the church’s website? It’s really easy and convenient!

FaithWorks October 2014 Page 6

If you give weekly, monthly or occasionally, electronic giving is a great option. Go to www.faithucc.info and click on donations (at top of webpage) to create an “online profile” [or simply scan the QR code with your smartphone to be directed to our online donation page.] After you’ve set up an online profile, you can select donations to happen automatically! Really… it’s that easy! Consider creating your profile today…

sTeWardshIP-- an ImPOrTanT OPPOrTunITy

October is stewardship month and October 12 is Stewardship Sunday. You will receive soon a packet of information about the exciting ministry opportunities at Faith UCC and will asked to consider how you will support them through your time, talents, and financial offerings. We are requesting that all members and friends bring their Pledge Forms to church on October 12 and contribute them as part of our worship service. If you are unable to attend on that Sunday, please bring them on October 19 or mail them to the church office marked confidential, “Stewardship Team.” We are looking forward to a 100% response.

The financial pledges will be totaled to help determine what our income will be for next year’s an-nual operating budget, and an expense budget will be developed that reflects what we intend to give. That’s why it is important to return your pledge form.

~Finance Committee


stewardshipTime. Treasure. Talent.

Total Regular Offerings Received Total Regular Offerings & Reserve Funds Budgeted Budget to Actual Difference $ 13,546 $ 14,217 $ -‐671 Total Regular Offerings Received Total Regular Offerings Budgeted Budget to Actual Difference $ 13,546 $ 12,500 $ +1046

Reporting for August 2014

Total Regular Offerings Received Total Regular Offerings & Reserve Funds Budgeted Budget to Actual Difference $ 12575 $ 14,217 $ -‐1642 Total Regular Offerings Received Total Regular Offerings Budgeted Budget to Actual Difference $ 12575 $ 12,500 $ + 75

Reporting for September 2014


Penn CenTral COnFerenCe neWs

Upcoming Dates

Fall Festival - October 18, Hartman Center

Safe Church Facilitator Training - November 4-6, Hartman Center

Lumberjack Weekend - November

7-9, Hartman Center

Pension Board Pre-retirement Seminar - November 13, Colonial

Park, Harrisburg

Conference Women's Retreat - No-vember 14-16, Hartman Center

Conference Youth Retreat - Novem-

ber 21-23, Hartman Center

PCC Night at the Hershey Bears - January 18, 5pm

Clergy Convocation - February 3-5,

Hotel Hershey

Conference Annual Meeting - June 12-14, Susquehanna University

General Synod 30 - June 26-30, Cleveland, OH

FaITh haPPenInGs

SAVE THE DATE! Nov. 23 (after church)

Faith's Family Thanksgiving Potluck

Dinner

Many thanks for the prayers, cards, phone calls and expressions of concern following my hospitalization Labor Day weekend.

~Vaughn Shirk

The evening Guild group will meet on Monday, October 20, at 7:00 pm at the home of Jean Cole (131 W Marylyn Ave). If you would like a ride or need di-rections, please call 308-9508 (you can leave a mes-sage). We will be making plans for the Christmas bags for Centre Crest residents.

All adults are welcome and encouraged to join the ADULT FORUM which meets each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in Meyer Library. The group chooses to study interesting current, and sometimes not so current, literature pertaining to religious thought and action. In addition, articles of interest are often included. Our study always leads to lively conversation and different points of view are always encouraged and welcome. Won't you join us for a time of learning

Welcome to Michael Sennett, our new administrative assistant!


WhaT’s haPPenInG In The OuTreaCh and servICe mInIsTry Team

As Autumn leaves begin to rustle around us, activities abound associated with Outreach and Service at Faith Church. This activity is blessfully not based on membership to this ministry team, but is in fact the because of the gracious and giving spirit of Faith Church’s members and friends and our nurturing community which affords us opportunities. Some of those are:

In conjunction with neighboring congregations, University Baptist and Brethren Church and The State College Friends and our own commitment to furthering our Open and Affirming covenant, Peterson Toscano will come to State College on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 7:00PM to present his performance lecture Transfigurations which speaks to gender variance in the bible. Admittance is free and open to the public!

Weatherization First initiative led by our own Seann Reed is ongoing. If you wish to help, please contact Seann. Opportunities to assist in this initiative before cold weather hits are available. Seann represents our part of this initiative with the Interfaith Power and Light folks in conjunction with Centers for Community Action.

Faith Church’s participation in the Out of the Cold initiative will have additional leadership this year. Chris Coble has agreed to lead us through this endeavor along with guidance from the “Pro”, Greg Fox! Thank you both!

Virginia and Bob Biber have been very involved with activities through Interfaith Initiative of Centre County which hopes to bring together people of differing faith traditions so people can learn love, respect and tolerance through social interactions. There are weekly discussion Tuesday evenings in Panera Bread restaurant in downtown State College, as well as spring and fall picnics. For more detailed information, please contact Virginia Biber.

Bell Ringing outside Myer Dairy on behalf of Interfaith Human Services will be coordinated by June Irvin. More details forth-coming!

CROP Walk 2014, to benefit the cause of eradicating world hunger will be held in downtown State College on Sunday, October 19, 2014. Joe Krabill and Mark Meckstroth have information, pledge forms and information.

The special offering for October will be Neighbors in Need, one of the United Church of Christ’s sanc-tioned offerings. Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports minis-tries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry(CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries(JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants.


OuTreaCh sPOnsOred evenT

Transfigurations–Transgressing Gender in the Bible Peterson Toscano has shaken up Bible academics and received high praise for his ground-break-ing, genre-bending, gender blending Bible scholarship. By unearthing the stories of gender-vari-ant people in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, Toscano’s original performance-lecture deep-ens well-known (and lesser-known) Bible stories and presents an array of Bible characters with an array of genders.

Drawing on inspiration from interviews with transgender and genderqueer individuals, Peterson Toscano weaves their experiences into the stories of transgender and gender-variant people from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Hilarious and moving, Toscano’s one-person show deepens well-known (and lesser-known) Bible stories as he presents an array of characters with an array of genders.

Toscano brings a deep reverence for the Biblical text with him into his exploration of gender transgression. This play is mesmerizing and compels the viewer to see well known Bible stories in a brave new light.

Saturday, October 4th, 2014 7:00 pmUniversity Baptist and Brethren Church

411 South Burrowes StreetState College, PA 16801

(814) 237-2708

Co-Sponsored by Faith UCC, State College Friends Meeting and UBBC


WelCOme neW member

Faith UCC recently welcomed a new member, Nan Diehl Sennett. Nan provided a brief biography, as follows below, for the newsletter.

The majority of my life has been spent in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Two years ago, following my retirement from teaching, I moved to State College. My son, Michael, joined me after his move from Boston.

Central Pennsylvania has provided me with many opportunities for growth and devel-opment, beginning in my youth and college days at Penn State and continuing through to present day. Community service has been a strong part of my family life. Both parents, my two sisters and one brother each made important contributions to our community. It was natural for me to seek volunteer opportunities. While I was in high school, I volunteered to work with children. My work with children spanned more than forty years. My teaching career included pre-school through high school. Most of my experience was with grades one and two; however, for a time, I was an instructional support teacher who helped classroom teachers and parents focus on special needs for their child.

In my free time, I love to appreciate the gifts and talents of others—especially musical and theatrical pro-ductions. I hope to visit Broadway at least twice a year, annually.


CIder Press 2014


OCTOber evenTsOctober Birthdays1 Chris Finton Jim Welsh2 Tom Weller8 Jean Frank11 Max Engle Alayna Woleslagle12 Jack Keck Cyndi Vincenti14 Tom Daubert15 David Bowers Tamra Fountaine16 John Bair17 Bob Hunt Cheryl Meyer21 Susan Doran Ken Hertzog23 Edna Bicehouse Wyeth Frank Richard Meyer26 Chris Coble28 Larry Bair29 Sofia Filko Marilyn Morrisson30 Brent Frank

October Anniversaries1 Chris & Leslie Finton7 Kees & Susan Brandse20 Vaughn & Kay Shirk24 Seann & Cindy Reed26 Tom & Lisa Weller Giles & Nancy de Streel

Acolyte5 Lukas Filko 12 Jordan Reed 19 Scotty Meyer-Hoess26 Jules Carr-Chellman

Prayer requests:

liturgist5 Pastor Monica, Lois Bair, Jaye Herrick, Ines Meyer-Hoess12 JoAnn Edwards19 Sue Cromwell26 None (Psalm 23 program)

Children’s Message5 Alva Chellman12 Pastor Monica19 Chris Coble 26 None (Psalm 23 program)

Ushers5 Alva Chellman, Dan Pfaff, Eileen Pfaff12 Tom Daubert, Bob Ritzmann, Jeff Wiest19 Wayne & Edna Bicehouse, Cyndi Vincenti26 Ben Harris, Jean Frank, Sue Cromwell Flowers5 Sue Doran12 Linda & Tom Daubert19 C. Meyer26 D. Klein

Fellowship Hour5 Wayne & Edna Bicehouse12 Jean Cole19 OPEN 26 OPEN

Sunday Trustees5 Shih-In Ma12 Tom Daubert 19 Dan Pfaff26 OPEN

Nursery5 Jeff Filko12 Jean Frank19 Jeff Davidson26 Melissa Coble

Harrison S. (Lisa Hogan’s father), Cecil I, Richard C (Ali’s father), Ken H., Phyllis H., Linda M., Susan M., Allie (Jean’s granddaughter), Vickie and family (Lisa Hogan’s mother), Diane L. (John Leeman’s mother), Christopher and his family (Cyndi’s great nephew), Vicky (Bryan’s wife), Sue P. and twins, John H., Project Serve Penguin Packs pilot program.


Pastor: [email protected]: [email protected] Site: www.faithucc.info

We welcome children. Care provided for infants and toddlers during the service. We also offer Sunday School during the service for children ages 3 through 6th grade.

Communion is celebrated the first Sunday of every month.

Works!Faith

Faith United Church of Christ State College, PA 16801 Phone: 814-237-3904 Fax: 814-237-0336

Worship: 10:45 AM

Facebook: facebook.com/SCFaithUCCTwitter: twitter.com/FaithUCCSCPA

Faith United Church of Christ300 East College AvenueState College, PA 16801

faithworks · faithworks october 2014 page 4 project serve is an initiative designed to explore the...

Documents