Christ Chronicles Christ United Church of Christ, 1414 Ligonier Street

Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650

Mission Statement: To reflect Christ’s love in everything we do

Vision Statement: Not our will, but God’s

December 2015/January 2016

Sunday Schedule

Fellowship in the Chapel

10:30 AM

Worship - 11 AM

12/6 Holy Communion

Advent Covered Dish after

worship

12/13 Cantata during

worship

12/24 Christmas Eve

worship 7 PM at Christ

Church; 9 PM at St. Johns

------------ 1/3 Holy Communion

(Please watch for

announcement of the

Congregational Meeting in

January)

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

Join in to celebrate Advent So often we are caught up in the frenzied rush toward Christmas that we forget to stop and enjoy fellowship with one another. Please help celebrate the Advent Season by joining us for a covered dish luncheon after worship on Sunday, December 6th. The Lay Life and Mission Committee will provide beverages and table settings. Bring a dish to share and start our Christmas festivities on a happy note.

Pastor

The Rev. Cindy Parker

Pastor Emeritus

The Rev. Wayne D.

Sautter

Ministerium sponsors festive Christmas Dinner The dinner at St. John Evangelist Church, 306 St. John Drive, is free to Latrobe residents on Friday, December 25. Free tickets are now available Mondays through Fridays until December 18 at the following distribution centers: Dainty Pastry, Medicine Shoppe, Adams Memorial Library, and Precision Care Pharmacy. Limited seating at the eat-in event is handicap accessible with transportation available. Doors open at 12 Noon and the ham dinner will be served at 1 PM. This fellowship opportunity is for those who would be alone on Christmas Day.

Welcome to Belva

Belva McKlveen is the new secretary at Christ Church. She lives in Stahlstown with her husband and two children. Also employed part-time with the Penn State Cooperative Extension office Belva works there with the 4-H youth program. Stop by Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. - noon at the church and introduce yourself . She would love to meet you.

Our Communion Servers

December 5

Elder/Deacon - Sandy Gregory, Jim O’Connor

Deacons/Main Servers - Jim O’Connor, Mickey

Mattern, Brian Musick, Ellen Sautter

Deacons/Auxiliary Servers - Dorthy Paulovich,

Ed Kubicek

Christmas Eve Elder/Deacon - Ron King, Mickey

Deacons/Main Servers - Mickey, Brian, Ellen,

Dorthy

Deacons/Auxiliary Servers - Ed, Jim

January 3 Elder/Deacon - Ron, Brian

Deacons/Main Servers - Brian, Ellen, Dorthy, Ed

Deacons/Auxiliary Servers - Jim, Mickey

Our website: www.ucclatrobe.org

Check it out today!

Please pray for: Ann Adams, Connie Baker,

Rich Baker, Sr., Bella and her family, Edith

Bridge, the family of Betty Brinker, Douglas

Facemyer, Lois Feather, August Heining, Frank

Jobe, Keith, Thomas Kellner, Ava Klug, Louisa

(Nan) Mattern, Evelyn Neighly, Jean Noel,

Walter Obstarczyk, Irene Patty, Irving and

Beverly Penrose, Paul Petrazonni, Louise

Quitko, Mildred Repko, Walter Robb, Terri

Selembo, Laken Smith, Kathy Somerville, Russ

Upholster, Kit and Eddie Young.

Joys and Concerns of the Congregation

Y ou are asked to keep these families in your

thoughts and prayers for the entire week.

Everyone on the church roster will have a turn at

experiencing the comfort and peace of intentional

prayer. We are family -- and families pray for

one another!

Week of December 6

Virginia Marcinik

Theodore J. (Mark)

Michal Mattern

December 13

Jennifer McMahon

Beverly McMaster

Jacob and Megan Stahl Messmer

December 20

Sarah Moyer

Randall Murry

Brian and Shirley Musick

December 27

Jodi Musick

Joan Musick

Bob and Evelyn Neighly

January 3

Rosella Nessmith

Betty Newman

Harvey Noel

January 10

James and Karen O’Connor

Larry and Pastor Cindy Parker

Dorthy and Mel Paulovich

January 17

Irene Patty

Sandy and Blaise Pezek

Dorothy and Franklin Piper

January 24

Louise Quitko

Susan, Jamie & Kellie Renz

January 31

Kenny Repko

Linda Repko

Mildred Repko

The members of Christ Church grieve the

death of Betty Brinker, a lifelong member

of Christ Church. She is survived by her

husband Don, a daughter Linda (Ollie)

and sons Larry and Bob (Barb) and three

grandchildren.

From Your Pastor

Dear Beloved, As chair of the Committee on Ministry for the Westmoreland Association, I spent Monday evening with a church family whose pastor is leaving due to health issues in the family. The church is anxious and afraid-not only about their pastor leaving, but also about their future. People spoke up and out about their fears: the church is financially unstable, only a small group of committed people do everything, their membership is declining. They wondered about their mission and what exactly it was and is that God is calling them to do and to be. In the midst of their fear, the Holy Spirit nudged me to say something and as I looked out at those scared faces in the pews, my heart was bolstered by HOPE. Probably because there was so much love in that sanctuary it was palpable. HOPE. A small little four letter word that promises so much. We all need HOPE-for the times when everything around us is falling apart. When the world and everything in it seems crazy, when we are losing our pastor, or serving the church because we believe it is our duty, or when we worry about the church’s finances or that there is no one who wants to serve on consistory. We need HOPE. HOPE is the only thing stronger than fear. And so the Spirit gave me words of HOPE to reassure the people of that church- that whatever the future might bring, they will not face those things alone. I reminded them of the One who is to come, the reason we celebrate this season called Advent, we call His name Emmanuel, God-with-us. What is it that you hope for, beloved? What are your hopes for yourself? What do you hope for those you love? And what is your hope for your church? Rest assured, this is the season of HOPE restored and renewed. Emmanuel is coming! Emmanuel who is our greatest HOPE!

I pray for you and yours this Christmastide, that you are filled with the HOPE and peace which

only Emmauel can bring!

With Peace and Joy, Pastor Cindy

CONTACT US Pastor

revcindyparker@gmail.com

Secretary

Belva McKlveen

Organist/Choir Director

Elizabeth Visnesky - 724-672-6674

Church e-mail:

ChristChurchUCC@verizon.net

Help Wanted Do you like working with numbers? Did you like math in school? Perhaps God is calling you to help the church in either the capacity of Treasurer or Financial Secretary. Sally Walker and Larry Staruk have provided faithful service in those capacities and will resign at the end of the year. The church is in need of people to serve in both positions. Please see Rosella Holzer or Stephanie Albaugh if you have questions.

180 in Faith

December 11-We are going to

see “3 Shades of Blue” with

youth from all over the Penn

West conference! We will meet

at the church and go to

Adelphoi together. Watch the

bulletin for times!

December 20-Caroling after

church! Bring a bag lunch and

join us as we sing Christmas

carols to those who might not

hear them! Afterwards, we’ll

return to the church for

cookies and hot cocoa!

Important National Youth Event

Reminders!

The Conference has set a registration deadline

of January 15th, 2016. At this time we will need

to know which youth are planning to attend,

payment for their registration ($549) and the

names of chaperones and their registration

payment ($549) as well. We acknowledge that

this is an early deadline, however to coordinate

a trip of this size to Disney World we need to

prepare well in advance for travel. Once we

know how many people will be attending, we

can begin planning group travel arrangements.

If you have youth that would like to attend, but

are unable to send a chaperone please contact

me as soon as possible. We will be able to pair

them up with other groups.

The success of this event is dependent on the

support of our pastors and local churches!

Please contact for additional information:

Valarie Poole

Penn West Conference of the

United Church of Christ

312 S. Maple Ave., Greensburg, PA 15601

A Blessed Christmas to all from the staff at

Christ Church!

Meet Christ Church’s new sponsored

child

O ur previous child is no longer attending the

Rawdat El-Zuhur School. With our

permission, the Global Ministries Child

Sponsorship program through the United

Church of Christ Our Church’s Wider Mission

has assigned us another child.

Aseel Hami Hab-Rumman is 8 years old and

her birthdate is February 11th, 2006. Her father,

Hani, is a worker, her mother, Suha is a

housewife. She has one sister and one brother.

The family lives in Jerusalem in the old city in a

two bedroom rented apartment. Aseel has some

kidney problems and some learning difficulties.

Both Aseel and the school administrators are

happy that Christ Church has agreed to sponsor

her.

Rawdat El-Zuhur School is a co-ed elementary

school in East Jerusalem that serves lower

income Palestinian children from kindergarten

to sixth grade. The school provides equitable

opportunities for children and nurtures their

relationship with society. Both Christianity and

Islam are taught. Classes include reading,

research, computers, music, arts and sports.

Church supplies our mission in

December and January

The Lay Life and Mission committee wishes

you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

and thanks you for all of your support in the

year’s fundraising and mission efforts. Now it

is time to support our own congregation with

“Christmas for Christ Church.” Donations of

the following supplies will be welcome during

the months of December and January:

Kleenex ( square or flat boxes), Ziploc bags,

liquid dishwashing soap, toilet paper, paper

towels, copier paper, tall kitchen trash bags,

rolls of plastic table covering, heavy plastic

silverware (especially forks), ground coffee

(regular and decaf), dry creamer, Styrofoam

cups, scotch tape (in rolls for dispenser), Pine

Sol –lavender, rolls of stamps, Splenda, dinner

napkins, heavy paper plates, Draino, bleach,

Renuzit air freshener (stand alones - not spray)

and Soft soap antibacterial liquid hand soap for

dispensers.

Book Group selects holiday theme

Christ Church's Book Discussion Group will

meet Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 10 AM.

The selection is Fannie Flagg's A Redbird

Christmas: A Novel. This book presents an

enchanting Christmas story of faith and hope for

all ages. The reader meets the people of a little

Alabama community known as Lost River and a

little redbird named Jack, who is at the center of

this tale.

Continuing the holiday theme, the group will

read Seven Stories of Christmas Love by Leo

Buscaglia for its meeting Tuesday, January 12,

2016 at 10:00 AM. In his warm, humorous way,

Dr. Buscaglia shares seven holiday episodes

from his life.

Needed: Creative person willing to

share time and talent Christ Church is in need of a volunteer to take

charge of the monthly newsletter beginning in

January of 2016. If you are interested or have

further questions please call Rosella Holzer at

724-537-8077.

Kiva Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

In October of 2005 Kiva was founded as a

nonprofit organization that provided a means for

individuals or groups to lend money to

entrepreneurs in developing countries. During

the past ten years, 1.4 million Kiva lenders

provided $774 million in loans to 1.8 million

borrowers.

The Lay Life and Mission Committee began

making loans through Kiva in August of 2009.

We have provided $15,100 in loans to 518

entrepreneurs in 55 countries.

More information about Kiva is available at

www.Kiva.org or by contacting Stephanie

Albaugh.

Greater Latrobe Ministerium asks for

food donations

Members of local churches are being asked to

donate granola bars in the month of December

and tuna fish and tuna helper in January

to supplement the Ministerium sponsored food

pantry. A box in the back of the sanctuary is

provided for your donations.

Thank you all so much!

Dear Friends,

Thank you so very much for all you did to honor

me and make me feel so special as I retired from

Christ United Church of Christ. The gifts were

awesome and the luncheon was wonderful. So

many of you worked so hard to make that day

one I won’t forget.

Most of all thank you for your friendship, love

and support as I served as secretary at Christ

Church.

A special thank you to the staff and the

wonderful volunteers who made my job so much

easier. You are all greatly appreciated.

May God bless you abundantly.

Sincerely,

Loretta

Christ Church hosts Latrobe Community Blood Drive

The Blood Drive will be held Saturday, January 2, 2016, from 8 AM to 1:30 PM at Christ United Church of Christ, Fellowship Hall. Please call 1-800-Red Cross or visit redcrossblood.org and enter Latrobe to schedule an appointment. Donors can now use Rapid Pass which enables them to complete their pre-reading and donation questions online from the comfort and privacy of their home or office, reducing the time they spend at the blood drive by as much as 15 minutes. To use rapid pass go to redcrossblood.org/RapidPass.

Donors will receive a Red Cross long-sleeve t-shirt, while supplies last. Come out and donate and give something that means something - schedule your appointment today.

Advent at Christ Church 2015

Advent is a time of waiting, longing, promise, and preparation; Advent is a reminder

that we live in the “not yet” time.

During the Advent season, Christ United Church of Christ offers various services and

activities as we wait together, as we long together, as we await the promise together, as we

prepare together. We hope you’ll join us for these events and special services of worship as we

commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ together.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things

were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or

powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

Colossians 1:15-16

Second Sunday of Advent - Sunday, December 6 - 11AM, Sanctuary - Communion

We continue our advent preparations with the words of Zechariah speaking to his newborn

son. We will light the advent wreath and join together at Christ’s Table as we await the

coming of the Messiah.

Advent Luncheon - Sunday, December 6 - 12PM - Chapel

You are invited to a special luncheon after worship as we wait for the King together. Please

sign up on the sheet in the chapel and join us for delicious food and fellowship.

Third Sunday of Advent - Sunday, December 13 - 11AM - Sanctuary

Cantata! The Chancel Choir presents Sing A Song of Christmas, with scripture readings and

candle lighting.

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Sunday, December 20 - 11AM - Sanctuary

Lessons and Carols is a service of scripture and song that dates to the late 19th century. In this

service we read scripture lessons that tell of the Good News! Each lesson is followed by a

carol or special music that reflects on the lesson’s message and follows with prayer.

Caroling - Sunday, December 20 - after worship

Bring a bag lunch and stay after worship where we’ll eat together before departing to carol

around the neighborhood and nursing homes. We’ll return to the church afterwards to warm

up with mugs of steaming cocoa and Christmas cookies. If you would like a visit from our

carolers, please call Shirley Musick at 724-537-8180.

Christmas Eve -Thursday, December 24 -7 PM - Sanctuary - Communion & Candlelight

with musical prelude at 6:30 PM. In this service we focus on the beautiful things of

Christmas, that connection we feel with God’s Word and the One we celebrate! He has

arrived! Let’s welcome the new born King with a special service of LIGHT and

communion!

Epiphany - Sunday, January 3 -11AM - Sanctuary - Communion & Three Kings

This service celebrates the journey of the Three Kings and begins with worship in the sanctuary.

You are invited to join us as we journey with the Three Kings to see the new born KING!

Order your Sib’s candy now!

Candy from Sib’s Sweet Shoppe in

Youngwood can be ordered now using the

brochures on the table in the chapel. Please

complete and submit them by December 6 to

have your candy for Christmas.

A Woman Who Does the Unthinkable It is a dark night in the 1840’s in Hampton,

Virginia. A young woman, Mary Peake, finds

herself in a cemetery garden. She is wrestling with

a call to do the unthinkable—to defy the law of

the land; the law that forbids the education of

colored people.

Mary’s mother was a free African American and

her father an Englishman. They valued education

so highly that they found a way around Virginia

law and sent Mary to live with an aunt and uncle

in Alexandria—part of the District of Columbia—

for her education. As a free woman of privilege

she carved out a good life as a dressmaker.

However, the call to teach does not let her go.

God’s Spirit calls her to share her love of learning

and her favorite book—the Holy Bible—with her

people. She knows that there might be a cost for

embarking on this course. She struggles to

overcome her fears. In that cemetery something

happens. A light breaks through the darkness and

she finds herself in communion with God. A song

fills her soul—a Watts hymn—“Stand Up My

Soul, Shake Off Thy Fears.”

Mary has her answer! She devotes the rest of her

life to the education and betterment of African

Americans. She creates an organization called the

Daughters of Zion to aid the poor and the sick.

She works as a seamstress by day, but defies the

law of Virginia by teaching at night.

Eventually Mary is able to teach openly at Fort

Monroe, a place of safety for former slaves near

Hampton, Virginia. In 1861, sponsored by the

American Missionary Association, she founds the

first Black school in Hampton VA, a forerunner of

Hampton University. Mary Peake, guided by her

love of learning and led by the Holy Spirit, is a

remarkable woman who did the unthinkable.

Yvonne Delk: Contributor, ucc.org

Ponder this... "I do not believe that just because you're

opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-

life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality

is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born

but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a

child housed. And why would I think that you

don't? Because you don't want any tax money to

go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth. We

need a much broader conversation on what the

morality of pro-life is."

Sister Joan Chittester, OSB Catholic Nun.

Thanks to all…

We wish to say thanks to all our members who

have served Christ Church in the past year.

Those of you who have been ushers, greeters,

worship participants, choir and committee

members. Your service is much appreciated --

some of you have served more than once and

some in all of these ways. Those who have not

served, please know that you don’t have to wait

to be asked but you can sign up in the chapel to

volunteer. There is definitely room for all!