st. mark’s lutheran church pastor’s message...

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Worship With Us:

Saturday, December 2

2017

6:30pm, Spoken Communion

Sundays:

Worship, 9am;

Sunday School 10:30am

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

5 Brooke Manor, Birdsboro, PA 19508

Phone: 610-582-8167 | Fax: 610-404-0302

[email protected]

www.stmarkbirdsboro.org

www.facebook.com/StMarksBirdsboro

Pastor James T. Farnsworth

[email protected] cell: 610-246-4278

St. Mark’s Mission Statement: As a family of God’s people,

our mission is:

to CELEBRATE Christ,

to HEAR His Word,

to GROW in faith,

to REACH OUT

to all with His love.

THE PRAYER LIST needs

your help to stay updated.

Please let Pastor Jim or the of-

fice at 610-582-8167 or secre-

[email protected]

know of any corrections, addi-

tion, or deletions.

Volume LVIVI, Issue XII December, 2017


PASTOR’S MESSAGE

Welcome to the season of Advent – a time when we prepare

our homes, our churches and ourselves for the coming of our Savior.

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning

“coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. During

this four week season, which starts this Sunday, December 3rd, we

prepare for the coming of our Lord as that little baby born in the

manger. We place our hope in a helpless and innocent baby – a child

that cannot fend for himself, who is dependent on his parents and

family to care for him, nurture him, raise him, educate him and em-

power him to stand for the suffering, the marginalized, the forgotten.

So much hope is in this helpless baby.

One of my favorite songs of the season is “Mary Did You

Know” by Pentatonix. When I hear it on the radio, I turn up the vol-

ume and I am not afraid to admit that the lyrics choke me up a bit. I

often wonder what Mary and Joseph were thinking during their prep-

arations for the birth of Jesus. I mean, they both knew that this was

the son of God. How terrifying that must have been. Talk about

pressure as a parent. How do you prepare for such an event when

you have practically nothing to your name? Did they have any concept

of what it meant to give birth to the son of God and what that little

baby would grow up to do and to be? Did they have any concept of

the pain that they would endure watching their son sacrifice himself

for the world? I would like to share some lyrics to this song with you

below:

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and

daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind

man?

Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his

hand?

December 2017

Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God

How do we prepare for Christ during this season of Advent? Every

church and family has its own traditions. Setting up a nativity scene,

cleaning the house, decorating outside, putting up a tree and decorat-

ing it, visiting family, going caroling, cooking special food, baking cook-

ies, going to church, attending Christmas Eve Services, working in a

soup kitchen, giving to charity, ringing bells for Salvation Army, listen-

ing to Christmas songs on the radio. All these are wonderful tradi-

tions. I don’t think it is important how we prepare but the fact that

we do prepare. It is important that we prepare our minds and hearts

for the coming of our Lord. It’s also important that we take time to

pause and reflect on the significance of this event – this birth of a ba-

by in a small insignificant town in present-day Palestine, in a stable

surrounded by animals and straw – born to marginalized parents who

are just trying to make their way through life.

It’s time for us to reflect on what this little baby will do and

how he continues to affect our lives over 2000 years later. Do you

know that this baby boy will walk on water, heal the sick, give sight to

the blind, drive out demons, feed the multitudes, teach the disciples

and give up his own life for ours? Did you know? It’s also time for us

to reflect on how we are called to serve this little baby and through

him, how we are called to serve our neighbors. What does this baby

call us to do? How has this baby healed us? How has he given us

new sight, new life? When things begin to get crazy this season, take

a break, take a moment to pause and to reflect on what this celebra-

tion is all about and how this birth has changed our lives.

Blessings to you and your families,

Pastor Jim


Thank You Notes

The phrase is simple and the words are few,

But behind them is a whole lot of appreciation.

With Heart felt Thanks

The Wednesday 7:30 PM AA Meeting

To all my friends,

Just a little note to say it was nice to hear from all of you. It

makes me happy. I have to cut it short, the writing is bad. I am

sorry. I don’t want anyone to get a headache trying to read it.

God loves you all,

Rhoda Pyle

Dear St Mark’s Church,

On behalf of the staff, board, volunteers and animals at Humane

Pennsylvania, Berks. Thank you for your generous gift of

$203.20 to our nonprofit organization. Your donation supports

our mission of caring for homeless and neglected animals by

helping us to address the root causes of animal homelessness

and animal cruelty, preventing animals from entering our shel-

ters in the first place.

Your partner in animal welfare,

Karel Minor

Chief Executive Officer

December 2017

Bier Brats and Bible Klub (BB&B)

The next meeting will be Monday.

December 18 at 7 PM. Location to

be determined. For more information,

please contact Pastor Jim.

Welcome New Council Members:

At our Annual Meeting, the congregation elected new members

of Church Council who will begin their service in January.

Please take time to congratulate and thank: Kristi Lopuski, Sha-

ron Dragovich, Charlotte Swoyer and Marsha Springel. They

will be joining returning council members Ashley Care, Charles

Rubendall, Mary Kilareski and Lauren Mounce.

Air Conditioner Capital Campaign

The congregation also decided to kick off a Capital Funding

Campaign in order to replace the two air conditioning units

servicing the church building. The current units are over 30

years old and only one of the units is functioning. They were

built only to last 15-20 years. They need to be replaced. We

will be starting a capital campaign in order to raise the $31,000

needed to replace the units. Please keep this in mind if you

need to make last minute donations for tax purposes. If you

want to contribute to the campaign, please mark your enve-

lopes “Air Conditioning.”

Mutual Ministry Committee:

The church has established a Mutual Ministry Committee to

serve as a liaison between Pastor Jim and the congregation. If

you have any concerns or questions for the pastor but do not

feel comfortable talking directly to the pastor, please contact a

member of the committee. Mutual Ministry Committee mem-

bers include: Kathie Benson, Charles Rubendall, Kristi Lopuski

and David Myers.


Visits From Pastor Jim

If you would like a visit from Pastor Jim, please give him a call in

the office or on his cell phone (610-246-4278) so he can put you

on his calendar.

Bible Study Group:

Pastor Jim will host a weekly Bible Study Hour at 10 AM in the

Parlor. Each week the group will gather to read, study and dis-

cuss the Gospel reading for the coming Sunday. The study

group will last no longer than one hour. You do not need to be

a bible expert or academic scholar to be a part of this group. It

is designed for the average Joe who just wants to learn more

about the Gospel through discussion and dialog. The big ques-

tion for each week will be, “what does this Gospel mean to me,

today?” Bring your favorite bible with you or use one from the

parlor. Snacks and refreshments will be provided each week.

Knitting

The next knitting session is December 27 at 7 PM in the parlor.

There is no meeting in November. Finished dishcloths should be

placed in the basket in the narthex. Mary and Sharon Dragovich

will deliver them on December 18. For more information please

contact Mary Kilareski at 610-582-4377.

Wi-Fi – Internet

We now have Wi-Fi throughout the church building, sanctuary

and the school building. If you would like to utilize the Wi-Fi,

click on Guest Network and use the password “sanctuary”.

Musicians and Singers Wanted:

Do you sing? Do you play a musical instrument (piano, French

horn, trumpet, sax, and guitar)? Would you be willing to share

your talent with the congregation on Christmas Eve? The Wor-

ship and Music committee is planning our Christmas Eve Ser-

vices. The committee is looking for individuals to share their

talents as preludes to the 10:00 PM Christmas Eve Service. If

you are willing to perform a prelude, please contact Pastor Jim.

December 2017


Decorating for Advent:

Please join us on Saturday, December 2 at 9 AM to decorate the

Church for Advent.

Candy Making

All are welcome on December 2 at 10 AM. We will be making

Glass Candy to be given out at Christmas in Birdsboro. We

would like to make at least 250 pieces.

New Member Welcome and Recognition:

St Mark’s is planning a new member welcome and recognition of

former members returning to St. Mark’s on Sunday, December

3, 2017. If you would like to officially join (or rejoin) the con-

gregation on this date, please contact Pastor Jim.

Live Nativity at First Energy:

St. Mark’s will be participating in the Live nativity Scene at First Energy Stadium (Reading Phils Stadium) on Friday, December

15th. The stadium will supply all necessary costumes. Please

sign up to be a part of this. The sign-up sheet can be found in

the narthex. Contact Ashley Care for more information.

Outreach Oppurtunities

The “Giving Tree” is now set up in the Narthex with Angels and

Wings listing the names and gift suggestions for folks in our

community. Please take note of the return dates for both pro-

jects.

Labels and Cards are available for the Christmas card shower to

our “Members to Remember”. If you would like help with post-

age, please return cards by December 17th. Place them in the

mailbox located on the table in the Narthex.

December 2017

Thank you to those who gave in Memorial

In Memory of Peggy Lou Trate

David & Judy Focht

Birdsboro High School Class of 1950

Jacqueline Hurchalla

In Memory of Jean Dadey

William & Ethel Hughes

In Memory of Virginia D’Augustine

Birdsboro High School Class of 1950

Joyful Noise

Thank you for your contributions to Joyful Noise. In Novem-

ber, the youth collected $127.96 for Operation Gratitude. This

money along with thank you cards and survivor bracelets will be

sent to Operation Gratitude in support of their care packages

for our deployed military. Trevor has selected the charity for

Joyful Noise for the month of December. He has decided we

should support the Animal Rescue League of Berks County

(down on Route 724 towards Shillington). If you remember,

during our first month we supported the Humane Society of

Berks County. This is a different charity looking out for God’s

creatures. Help us make a joyful noise to support our furry

friends.


3 Heather Favinger 19 Kayla Arantowicz

3 Robert Rimby 20 Holly Favinger

6 Kristina Flanagan 20 Mark Mountz Jr.

7 Sage Bolonski 21 John Doaty

11 Jodi Key 22 Kathy Wheeler

11 Shirel Little 25 Robert Boettcher

13 Ashley Care 25 Robin Lincoln

13 Carlee Mountz 25 Sharon Petitjean

14 Ian Flanagan 26 Nancy Nagle

15 Jan Lopuski 29 Susanne Dengler

15 Maxwell Raneiri 29 Janet Oxenford

17 William Jaquis 31 Karen Reed

18 Nancy Yohn

December Birthdays!

December 2017

SUNDAY SCHOOL HAPPENINGS:

The Morning of Christmas Eve at Sunday School

December 24th at 10:30 AM

Hear the reading of “Twas the Evening of Christmas

Make seed ornaments for the birds and the squirrels and

help hang them on the trees

Receive a gift and an ornament and enjoy Christmas cookies

and fellowship.

Parents and family members invited and expected!

Thrivent Action Teams:

If you have accounts with Thrivent and you have Thrivent Ac-

tion Teams available, please make sure you use them. For each

Action Team, Thrivent sends you a $250 Visa card to spend on

the specified project. This is free money for the various minis-

tries of the church. If you still have any unused Action Teams

for this year and you do not have an idea on how to use them,

please contact Pastor Jim. We have several projects coming up

that need some funding.


Prayer Line: : Jane Altmann, Brian Boettcher, Gloria

Boettcher, Clara Carter, Richard & Shirley Delp, Grace Fox, C.

Dan Fullmer, Dave Johnson, Barbara & Tom Kupp, John & the

Maicher Family, Nancy Moyer, Christy Petitjean, Harold “Oakie”

Prince, Robert Reitz, and Virginia Reitz.

Relatives & Friends: Ryan Baer, Jena Bateman, Dana Bux, Jo-

anne Ellingsworth, James Favinger, Glenn Gates, Evan Gehman,

Ken Gorski, Lester & Evelyn Hart, Carol Himmelreich, Rachel

Hohl, Deanne LaBella, Steve Mammarella, Tanya Mills, Michael

Mosera, Donnie Schaeffer, Sandra Seibold, Carol Sholl, Earl Su-

chomelly, Tyler Szablowski, Dale Tobolski, Philip Wilcox, Dan-

ielle Yohn, and Zander Zaharis. Members to Remember:

Ethel Angstadt, Luther Benson, Leonard Bitler, Clara Carter, Joyce Cooper, Richard & Shirley Delp, Barbara Druce, Joann El-

lingsworth, Marie Geyer, Mary Godfrey, Bruce & Mary Hoffman,

Barbara Jacoby, Myrtle Krapf, Ruth Krause, Tom & Barbara

Kupp, Gloria Lutz, Al Maicher Family. Audrey Minnich, Mary

Minotto, Edith Moyer, Nancy Moyer, Dan & Joanne Fullmer, Elis-

abeth Murray, Harvey Painter, Paul Painter, Kathryn Pennypack-

er, Val & Ookie Prince, Rhoda Pyle, Virginia Reitz, Carol Rimby,

Kathy Romig, Hugh Swoyer Jr., William & Grace Weiler

Members, Friends & Relatives, Serving in the Armed

Forces: Jason Church, Col. Brandt, Shannon Deck & family,

David Cyphers, Lt. Col. Douglass Downey, Jacob Drumheller,

and Michael Erb.

PRAYER LINE GUIDELINES

1. Prayer Line names are kept on the Prayer Line until they are

asked to be taken off.

2. Please be certain you have permission for the

person’s name to be on our Prayer Line.

Legal privacy issues require permission be granted.

3. To be added or removed from the Members to Remember

list, simply contact the church office.

ST . MARK ’S

DECEMBER

PRAYER L INE

December 2017

DECEMBER 2017


DECEMBER 2017

December 2017

Advent Prayer

Advent God, We journey with you to Bethlehem’s stable and a new-born King. Ears attuned to the song of Angels. Eyes alert for Bethlehem’s Star.

Forgive us if on our journey we are distracted by tempting offers of this World.

Keep our hearts aflame with the hope of Christmas and the promise of a Saviour.

Amen

A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessings which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy chil-dren, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

May God bless your family this Advent

and Christmas Season


December 2017

Recycling:

Our cub Scout Pack is collecting aluminum cans as a fund rais-

er. Please consider separating your aluminum cans at home and

bringing them to church with you on Sundays. A collection box

for the cans is located at the back of the parking lot

Annual Christmas Luncheon

Will be hosted by the Daniel Boone Interact Club for Senior

Citizens will be Thursday, December 7 at 12 Noon. If interest-

ed please call 610-582-6100 X2213 or email Ni-

[email protected].

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

Financially the income is up but the dividends are down.

Finances look good for the ending of the year.

Budget draft was presented and accepted. to be presented

at the Annual meeting

Updated rental fees were reviewed and accepted.

Names of interested members to run for 2018 Council to

be presented and voted on at Annual Meeting.

Christmas in Birdsboro:

Visit our booth at Christmas in Birdsboro on Saturday,

December 9.


Common Ground Recovery:

Common Ground Recovery Community is now available at St

Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Douglassville. Please call Russ

McClellan at 610-451-4966. This group is dedicated to support-

ing individuals and families recovering from addiction, abuse,

mental illness, loss and life.

.

Blue Christmas: Service of Hope & Light / Thurs, Dec. 14th,

6:30-7:30pm / Daniel Boone Library, 129 N Mill St, Birds-

boro –

Focusing on our common need for God to rekindle hope and

light within our lives, you are invited to take an evening’s pause

from the pace and expectations of this season in order to be reminded of the love and grace God has and continues to birth

within this world. Though especially caring for those who have

experienced loss or carry heavy hearts this season, all who have

longing for peace, wonder, and grace will discover blessings of

hope and light through this service. All are welcome.

Coventry Singers Presents

Songs of the Season, a musical program of sacred and secular

works to welcome the holidays! Conductor, Daniel

Kershetsky and Accompanist, Nadine Lydic Join us on Sunday,

December 3, 2017 at 3 PM. Freewill Offering.

www.coventrysingers.org

December 2017

POINSETTIAS FOR CHRISTMAS

It’s time to order Poinsettias that will be displayed

in the worship area.

Deadline for the orders is December 12 2017.

6.5 inch pots – Cost $7.50

Red Quantity Ordered ______ Total Cost: _____

White Quantity Ordered ______Total Cost: _____

Total Amount Due: _________

You are invited to identify someone for whom you

present these flowers.

In Honor of :

In Memory of:

Your Name:______________________________

For more information contact Marsha at

610.582.8167;[email protected]

Flowers can be taken home following the

Christmas Eve worship.

Please place order form & payment in the

collection box on the table in the Narthex.


Church Leadership and Staff Directory:

Rev. James T. Farnsworth , Pastor

Members of Council:

Eileen Mounce, President

Kristina Flanagan, Vice President

Ashley Care Lauren Mounce

Mary Kilareski Charles Rubendall

Marsha Springel, Council Secretary (non-voting member)

Staff:

Marsha Springel, Secretary

Craig Seidel, Sexton

Gretchen Jameson-Wilcox, Treasurer

Ben Modica, Organist John Hartline, Financial Secretary

Committee Chairpersons & Ministry Coordinators

Altar Guild: Kristina Flanagan

Birdsboro Food Pantry: Mary Kilareski

Birdsboro Preschool Liaison: Carol Seidel

Christian Education: Carol Seidel

Home Communion: Della Drey, Stewart Hughes,

Charlotte Swoyer

Facebook Page Editor: Greg Smith

Finance: Gretchen Jameson-Wilcox, Nancy Nagle

Meals from Warm Hearts: Judy Colvin

Outreach & Congregational Life: Kristi Lopuski

Prayer Partners: Della Drey

Property: Charlie Benson,

Worship & Music: Kristina Flanagan,

Youth Group: Kristina Flanagan, Eileen Mounce, Greg Smith

Mailboxes are located in the coatroom for anyone who has written

information for staff, chairpersons, or other leaders. Emails may be

sent to the church office and they will be forwarded to them.

st. mark’s lutheran church pastor’s message...

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