Pastor Mick’s Musings…

Biblical Correctness

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and decep-tive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the ele-mental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colos-sians 2:8

I believe that there is a virtual smorgasbord of philosophical truths in our culture today. Truth has become irrelevant to such a point nowadays that you can pick and choose your truths and no one would argue. After all, your truth is your truth and mine is mine. At least that is what the prevalent religion in our country is proclaiming. Secular humanism takes God out of the equation and, along with our heavenly Father, eliminates the concept of sin and the idea that humanity is inherently bad. To a humanist, man-kind is good. Humanists believe that we can solve our own prob-lems. Society can fix society. A major component of a utopian so-ciety would be inclusivity and tolerance – we all must get along. If that is the case, a secular humanist will have a big problem with religion, especially Christianity. Christianity has become the fly in the ointment. We are ex-clusive in our beliefs. We believe that Jesus is the only way to heav-en and that the Bible is God’s words of truth. If the Bible is the ab-solute truth, then it excludes other “truths. Humanists find this in-tolerable! Ironically, those who advocate tolerance and inclusive-ness are the same people who are attempting to remove all traces of Biblical standards from society. They, themselves, have become intolerant. And so there lies the dilemma – to be biblically correct in a culture that seeks to exclude my beliefs and at the same time love those who find me intolerable. Christians have to rely on God to help us overcome the “deceptive philosophies” of the day and encourage one another to stay focused on Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. I encourage you to live according to God’s principles instead of spending your time and energy on the goals and ideas promoted by the prevalent culture of our day. Joe Battaglia, in his book, “The Politically Incorrect Jesus,” suggests practical ways to live a Biblical, countercultural life:

1. Surrender your will and desires to God. Recognize that

WGT Calendar 2

2015 Graduates 3

VBS 4

Scriptures, Servants, Stats 5

Uganda Update 6 & 7

Ladies Tea 8 & 9

Inside this issue:

June 2015

Life Lessons

You may have thought I didn’t see,

Or that I hadn’t heard, Life lessons that you taught

to me, But I got every word.

Perhaps you thought I missed it all,

And that we’d grow apart, But Dad, I picked up everything,

It’s written on my heart.

Without you, Dad, I wouldn’t be The person I am today;

You built a strong foundation No one can take away.

I’ve grown up with your values, And I’m very glad I did;

So here’s to you, dear father, From your forever grateful kid.

By Joanna Fuchs

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1

Noon Prayer

2 Men’s Bible

Study 7 pm

3 Jr. & Sr. High

Clubs 7 pm

4

5

6

Youth Sunday 7

Combined Worship 10:30 am

8 Noon Prayer

9 Men’s Bible

Study 7 pm

10 Jr. & Sr. High

Clubs 7 pm

11

12 13 Clothing Bank

@ GEARS Community

Center 9 am

14 Worship 8:00 am

Sunday School 9:15 am Worship 10:30 am

15 Noon Prayer

16 Men’s Bible

Study 7 pm

17

Jr. & Sr. High Clubs 7 pm

18

19 20

Father’s Day 21 Worship 8:00 am

Sunday School 9:15 am Worship 10:30 am

Summer Begins

22 Noon Prayer

23 Deacon Mtg.

7 pm

Men’s Bible Study 7 pm

24

Jr. & Sr. High Clubs 7 pm

25 Prayer in the

Garden 7:30 pm

26

27

28 Worship 8:00 am Sunday School

9:15 am Worship 10:30 am

29 Noon Prayer

30 Men’s Bible

Study 7 pm

we best realize security when we stop our pursuit of being in control, and trust Him. 2. Resist temptation. It is Satan’s way of getting us to focus on ourselves rather than on God’s Kingdom. 3. Exercise forgiveness. It has the power to transform lives, as well as your own. 4. Have a thankful spirit. 5. Live according to the moral compass presented by God in the Bible, even when the world accuses you of intolerance. 6. Demonstrate God’s love for humanity by serving others, including those who Je-sus refers to as “the least of these.” (Mat. 25:40) 7. Be salt and light (Mat. 5:13-15) Seek to bring life to barren lives and aid in the growth of those who can’t make it alone; illuminate the beauty and presence of God; and dispel the darkness that would blind men to all that is good in the world.

Finally, be loving and tolerant to those who believe that they are inclusive and tolerant but are actually intolerant. (You may have to read that sentence again.)

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and over-flowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 May God bless you and give you peace!

Page 3

Congratulations! Congratulations to Alec Drawbaugh & Shauna Sieber - our 2015 Graduates! Alec is graduating from Lancaster Mennonite High School on June 6th. Alec will be doing some construction work as a sub-contractor this summer and will attend Waynesburg University in the fall to study Information Technolo-gy. One of his favorite Bible verses is, “Make a joy-ful noise to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with sing-ing! Know that the Lord is God! It is He Who has

made us, not we ourselves! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and praise His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting. His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.” Psalm 100

Shauna Sieber will graduate from Elizabethtown Area High School on June 4th and has been accepted to Elizabethtown College for the fall.

Please remember these two young adults in prayer as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Pray for God’s direction & blessing on their lives & be sure to wish them well as you pass them in the church hallways!

Page 4

E-Town Clothing Bank

The E-town Clothing Bank is held the second Saturday of each month from 9 am - 10 am at GEARS Community Center. WGT is responsible for organizing & hosting the clothing bank on June 13th. Clothing donations for men, women, girls, boys, & babies are needed. Please separate and label your clothing in those categories when donating. Clothing may be placed in the pavilion. We will also need help on Clothing Bank day. Please see Angie Har-nish to volunteer!

VBS VBS is just around the corner (55 days from 5/19/15) and we are starting to look for more specific help in various areas for this exciting week. Do you or your family have any items that would be used for camping, hiking, rock climbing that we could use to help decorate around the church? If you do we would love to use them. We will be looking for items to be here at the church the beginning of July. If you could make sure that you mark the items so that we can get them back to you when VBS is completed. We will also be looking for volunteers so be in prayer for how you can help out. Pray for God to show you what area he would have you help out. We can utilize people with no matter how many evenings that you are available. Any questions please contact me directly!

Allison Huber (717)669-1946

AuntAlli1976@gmail.com

Anniversaries 6/1 - Charles & Tracy Drescher 6/10 - Lloyd & Jackie Hemperly 6/11 - Brad & Brenda Drawbaugh 6/13 - Gary & Dawn Dupler 6/14 - Julie & Clint Arndt Dale & Lois Hernley 6/16 - George & Sarah Clugston 6/18 - Justin & Beth Mease 6/21 - Dave & Jan Hawthorne 6/26 - John & Amy Burkhart

Birthdays 6/1 - Steve Ginder 6/2 - Ally Dupler 6/3 - Sophie Slater 6/4 - Miranda Ginder 6/5 - Chad Garber 6/9 - Jim Kolp 6/15 - Chester Kile 6/17 - Heather Saylor 6/20 - Marlin Hibshman Joe Shoemaker 6/22 - Connie Brown-Miller 6/23 - Rickard Dickason 6/24 - June Kolp 6/25 - Duane Martin 6/29 - Beth Mease 6/30 - Barry Miller

Dick Dickason’s Famous Sweet & Sour Radishes **Ingredients;:2 Tablespoons honey, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon vinegar, 1 Tablespoon ol-ive oil, 2 large bunches of radishes (trimmed & cut into bite size pieces), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper (I used white pepper), 1 Tablespoon chopped chives. **Directions: Whisk honey, lemon juice & vinegar in a small bowl. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat, add radishes & sauté for 2 minutes, add honey mixture & stir to coat. Reduce heat to medi-um, cover & cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper & chives. **Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. Serves 4 Hope you enjoy it!

Prayers in the Garden Meet in the parking area near “Jesus” in the garden for a time of sharing, music, & prayers on Thursday, June 25th, at 7:30 pm. Bring a lawn chair. The topic for sharing is, “There are no coin-cidences but are, instead, God-incidents.” We want to hear about your God-incidents. Come prepared to share about a time in y our life when God showed up...a God sighting...a miracle...a God intervention in your life. Let us share about how POWER-FUL we know God to be. We want to hear your testimony!

June Servants

June 7 Youth Sunday

June 14 June 21 June 28

Sermon , Scripture & Messenger

Alex C., Andi C., Ben Y., Nicole D.

At the Feet of Our Redeemer

Ruth 3:1-13 Pastor Mick

Love Received & Given Ruth 3:14-18 Pastor Mick

Paying the Price for Redemption Ruth 4:1-12 Pastor Mick

Pianist/Organist Ryan Arndt Sylvia Weaver Leslie Allen Brenda Geib

Special Music Youth Mixed Group Kari Slater Audrey Garber

Offertory

Chorister Youth Glenn Weaver Regena Tripp Regena Tripp

Greeters 8 am Combined Clint & Julie Arndt Jason & Kari Slater Jerry & Julie Ruhl

Greeters 10:30 am

Youth Jason & Holly Leonard Kathy & Duane Martin

Marlin & Rose Hib-shman

Worship Leader Youth

Ushers Youth New Horizons SS Class Faith Seekers SS Class Sojourners SS Class

Deacons/Anointing Jeff & Dori Schwanger Matt & Heather Haverkamp

Dennis & Ann Saylor Jun e Kolp

Sound Room 8 am

Combined Duane Martin & Justin Arndt

Jerry Huber & Zane Seitz

Jerry & JJ Huber

Sound Room 10:30 am

Nick S., Shane S., Jordyn G.

Jeff Schwanger & Andi Collman

Duane Martin & Nicole Drescher

Jeff Schwanger & Jason Leonard

8 am Nursery/Toddler

Combined Abigail Ramsey & Kari Slater

10:30 am Nursery

Jason & Holly Leonard Sarah Kolp & Nick Miller

10:30 am Toddler

Dane & Lauren Youtz The Haverkamp Family

Chad & Audrey Garber

Page 5

April/May Stats April 26 May 3 May 10 May 17

Total Worship 193 450 188 15

Sunday School 90 None/Tractor Sunday 107 113

General $3,845.25 $7,139.00 $3,320.00 $5,314.80

Building

Deacon $65.00 $50.00

Seminary $50.00 $25.00 $65.00

Page 6

Adventures in Uganda: God is my Constant Hello church family! I hope this update finds you all doing well! I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful spring weather! For me, it is strange not to experience the 4 different seasons because in Uganda there are only 2 seasons. Wet and dry. When I first arrived, it was the middle of the dry season and it was very apparent. It was very hot, the dirt roads were very dusty, the trees and bushes beside the road were half covered with a red dust, and it never rained. Then in April, we finally got some relief and the wet season began. Every couple of days we have pouring rain and it helps to ease the hot temperatures. However, in the village where all of the roads are made of dirt, it creates muddy roads and walkways. So, it’s definitely a struggle to keep my long skirts, feet, and sandals clean!

And I learned something interesting when it rains. No one goes outside when it rains in the village (unless they absolutely have to). It makes sense though. They don’t have rain jackets, rain boots, umbrellas, or cars to protect them from the rain. Many times in the past couple of months, it would rain in the morning from 6 a.m. to about 9 a.m., the time when the children have to walk to school. This means that the children either have to stay in their homes until the rain stops or because they have to come to school, they walk in the pouring rain. So some children practically run to school and their uniform is still soaked when they get to class, and they have to sit in class and do their work in a wet uniform until it dries. My heart feels for them because I realize that I never had these issues going to school as a child. To be honest, I didn’t even like it when it was raining outside when it was time to get the bus, and I had to walk outside in the rain from my door to the end of the short driveway. And I was even wearing a rain jacket with a hood. These kids put me to shame and they continue to amaze me. They desire to come to school so much that they are willing to walk for twenty minutes or more in the pour-ing rain, when they arrive at school they don’t complain, and they sit down in their seats as if it’s just another normal day. These days also teach me to be flexible as a teacher. The children come in at different times typically during the first lesson, so I’ve learned to go about the day as planned but make necessary adjustments and also help explain the lesson to those who come in late. It’s wonderful to see that as I teach these children, they are also teaching me in so many ways. In the classroom, I am enjoying teaching the children and watching them grow academically, but every day still has its struggles. Over the past two months, we have been learning about certain topics like Things at Home, Me and My Family, Things in the Classroom, Domestic Animals, and Community Helpers. It’s been wonderful helping them learn how to say the names of familiar objects and people in English and teaching them how to recognize and spell these words. In a typical Ugandan classroom, these children would learn these objects and people by just drawing pictures and writing the words in their exercise books and doing lots of activities in their books to help them memorize the objects. However, my goal in my classroom is to bring in and use as much real and concrete objects as I can so these children get a better understanding of what they are learning. So, when we learned about Things at Home, I brought real objects into the classroom to help them in the learning process. My favorite was the week we discussed Community Helpers. We discussed how there are people in our community who help us and we focused on 6 helpers—doctors, teachers, pastors, farmers, builders, and boda boda drivers (people who drive motorcycles as a form of public transportation). Then on the last day of the week, I had the children role play and pretend to be these community helpers. Each table was a different helper and the children used real or play materials, like a pretend doctor kit, to engage in pretend play. This type of activity is very, very rare in a Ugandan classroom (especially in a village) but I know how important it is for children to act out real scenarios to help them learn, so it was great to be able to bring this type of experience into the classroom and see the smiles on the children’s faces as they had the opportunity to play and learn! I hope that throughout the year, I will be able to continue to provide the children with these types of learning experiences!

I am also impressed that the children are beginning to comprehend more English. Sometimes I am skeptical when I ask them questions in English, but every time when I ask, there are multiple children who understand what I am asking and are able to answer my questions. This is very encouraging to me and gives me hope that teaching them will get easier throughout the year. Even though many children understand me better, there are still a handful of children who are strug-gling to follow my directions, and it can be very frustrating to try to explain the directions in a way that they can under-stand. The language barrier is still the most difficult part of my job. When I try to explain directions in many different ways and the children still don’t understand, it gets to be very frustrating, because I know that if I could just explain the directions in Luganda they would understand easily. Also, trying to manage a classroom of 39 children is still challenging. Just like typi-cal children, some are compliant and then others are quite stubborn. So, they definitely test my patience every day. Howev-er, it’s a true learning experience and I know that in order for me to have the patience and strength to make it through each day, it needs to come from God. And He is always faithful and He gives me the grace, patience, and strength to teach them

Dorothy, pretending to be a teacher, while

learning about Community Helpers

Page 7

every day. In the hard moments though, I realize that I am human and at times I might shout or show my frustrations but I know that God shows me grace and I need to show that same kind of grace towards the children. It’s hard to do in the frustrating moments, but if I want these children to see Christ through me, then I need to stay calm, be gentle, and work to have the attitude of Christ. Despite these hardships, I realize that it teaches me to rely on God and know that He is my Constant, and He is there for me always.

During my experience so far, I had another U.S. volunteer, Tim, who was also living in the village and working at the school. It was wonderful having him in the village; I could easily relate to him, we would cook meals together on the weekends we were in the village, and he was a great en-courager. However, in the beginning of April, right before he left to spend 4 weeks in America, he informed me that instead of returning back to EAC, he felt God was calling him away from EAC and he felt led to another area of Uganda to help with a school there. So now I am the only EAC volunteer who lives full-time in the village. Tim had a bunch of boys who would help him with little projects around the school, and one of the boys that was the closest to him was a boy named Jimmy. He has a difficult family situation and was basically living on his own in the village, so Tim took him under his wing and cared for him. However, when Tim left, Jimmy turned to me

for support and I was glad to be there for him. Plus, I was a little unsure of myself cooking with a small charcoal stove, and I knew that Jimmy was used to cooking like this, so I felt that we could help each other out. He could help me cook, and we could eat together, and I could help him in any little way that he needed. It seemed like a great plan. However, 2 weeks later, an EAC staff member who deals with all of the kids on the sponsorship program, informed me that Jimmy needed a stable place to live and his dad lived in the next town, so Jimmy was going to start living permanently with his father. So, on April 24th, we had the last day of the first school term, and on that same day, Jimmy left. As he left, I felt this emptiness because these two people, Tim and Jimmy, had helped me the most in the village and were always there when I needed them. I felt I was left by myself and I wondered why these relationships were being taken away from me. As I began to feel all alone, I felt something, or rather someone, within me say, “You’re not alone. You will never be alone. I will always be here with you.” I knew God was reminding me that even when people come and go, He is always constant, and that gave me a great feeling. I had to focus on the positive and realize that I still have people around me and I can form new relationships or deep-en other relationships, and ultimately I had to remember that God is always with me, and He promises that He will never leave me or forsake me. This experience so far has taught me a lot about trust. I know that in this experi-ence, I can’t depend on myself like I could at home. I have to trust that God is going to provide everything I need and He is looking out for what is best for me, even when I don’t completely understand. So, I just have to surren-der to Him and His will and know that in all things, no matter what happens, I have to praise Him because He loves me, takes care of me, and is always there for me.

It was God’s beautiful timing that just as Jimmy left, the first school term was ending, and I have been able to spend the 3 week school holiday at the guesthouse in Kampala with all of the staff and the other volunteers. It’s been a great time for me to rest, relax, and spend time with the other volunteers. It’s been such a blessing, after 12 challenging weeks of the first term of school, to get a rest from teaching. Now I pray that after this break, I can go back with renewed strength, energy, and passion!

I am so thankful for the beautiful cards that I have received in the mail, and for all of the encouraging words that you say in comments on my pictures on Facebook. I truly appreciate it; and God uses your encouragement to strengthen me! Please continue to pray for me. Pray that even though some of my close relationships with people in the village have ended, that I can form new relationships, and God’s presence is closer to me than ever. Also, please pray that God would give me the grace and gentleness to teach the children and not get frustrated when the children don’t understand me because of the language barrier. Pray that the 2nd term of school will go more smoothly and that I can continue to build relationships with the children. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support as I continue this experience of serving and teaching in Uganda. They are greatly appreciated, and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful and loving church family!

Blessings to you, Kelsey Hollinger

Playing a game with Emma, Jimmy, and Vincent

Page 8

Daughters in Christ Tea On May 14th, approximately sixty women enjoyed an evening together at Trellis Place in Elizabethtown. Participants sported hats of every variety as they celebrated the many hats women wear as mothers, grandmothers, wives, daughters, sisters, and aunts. After a buffet of tea, scones, sandwiches, salads, and desserts, we had fun modeling the hats we wear as nurse, chef, chauffeur, and teacher, to name a few. We were reminded that we all wear a tiara as daughters of the King and a bridal veil as the Bride of Christ. What fun we had!

Page 9

740 Greentree Road Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Mick Allen, Senior Pastor pastormickallen@gmail.com

Paula Jones, Administrative Assistant westgreentree@embarqmail.com

Phone: 717-653-5367

Fax: 717-653-5056

www.westgreentree.org

WEST GREEN TREE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

WEST GREEN TREE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

Our Purpose Statement “We intentionally develop friends of Jesus Christ by sharing God’s love

through words and deeds.”

Sunday Service Times:

Contemporary Worship 8:00 am

Sunday School 9:15 am

Traditional Worship 10:30 am

Wednesday Service Times:

Jr. High Clubs @ 7:00 pm

Sr. High Clubs @ 7:00 pm