Shenkel United

Church of Christ

SHARINGS AND CONCERNS

May 2014

SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

1580 Shenkel Road

Pottstown PA 19465

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Shenkel United Church of Christ’s “The NEWSLETTER” is a monthly publication prepared, edited, and mailed by the leadership and staff to all members and friends of the church. It communicates news about our life, purpose, and mission as a Church of Jesus Christ. Information related to our partnership as a member of the United Church of Christ and wider church/community out-reach is included on a regular basis. The Church is located at Unionville & Shenkel Roads in North Coventry Township.

May 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Community Lunch Bunch 11:30 AM

2 3

4 Communion Choir practice after late worship Spring Inquirer’s Class: after 10;45 worship

5 6

Church Office Closed

7

Church Office Closed

Agape: 7 PM

8

Church Office Closed

9 10

Celebration of Mothers in So-cial Hall

11

Choir practice after late worship

12 13

Quilters: 9:30 AM Consistory: 7 PM

14

15

Card Making Classs: 10 AM Stewardship Meeting: 7 PM

16

May Friendship Day: St. Paul’s UCC at 6 PM

17

18

Healing Prayers

Youth Group Bake Sale

Choir practice after late worship

Coventry Woods Festival 1—5 PM

19 20

Mid-Day Dinner Club: Greshville Hotel at noon

21 22 23 24

25

Memorial Service in the cemetery: 9:30 AM

Choir practice after late wor-ship

26

27

Quilters: 9:30 AM

28 29 30 31

PSEC Spring Meeting

1580 Shenkel Road, Pottstown PA 19465 610.326.3535

Email: shenkelucc@aol.com www.shenkelucc.org

PAGE 3

The Pastor’s Pen Pastor Bonnie L. Moore

484.524.8280

blmoore@comcast.net

Office Hours:

Tues., Wed., Thurs.

9 AM to 1 PM

CONSISTORY

OFFICERS

President

Lynne Moyer

Vice President

Chris Gray

Secretary

Bill Faust

Treasurer

Ken Bevan

Financial Secretary

Chris Gray

Assistant Financial

Secretaries

Doug Allen

Judy Embriani

Director of

Music Ministry

Kaitlyn Waterson

Elders

Sherri Mocarski

Bill Faust

Chris Gray

Rick Viti

Deacons

Lynne Moyer

Aaron Gray

Andrew Foss

Ann Hartzell

Newsletter Editor: Judy Embriani Assistant Editors: Bill Baseley, Erika Augustine and Carol Lykens

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,

will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

- Luke 6:38

As we have seen our operating budget deficit (the B.I.T.E! Appeal) and the balance due on our

stained glass window restoration project decrease over the past several months (we’re down to

$8,388 and $945.75 respectively), we have also seen giving to this year’s operating budget increase

– God is good! Thanks to everyone who has been giving prayerful consideration to how they can

best support the mission and ministry of Shenkel UCC, we have much to celebrate, as you will see

as you read through this month’s newsletter.

It’s always good to reflect about stewardship. Since Old Testament times, money and personal fi-

nance have been directly linked to one’s identity as a child of God. Giving of one’s time, talent and

financial resources has always been understood as an integral part of a healthy spiritual life.

A colleague recently shared a book with me which includes a chapter called “How to Pass the

Plate.” The Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ1, edited by Quinn Caldwell and

Curtis J. Preston, is often tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also pretty down to earth. I think some of the

ideas included in this chapter about “passing the plate” are worth repeating:

1. Stop digging in your wallet and pay attention to what’s said about the offering. No pastor

worth her or his salt will just stand up and say, “We will now receive an offering.” They will likely

also say some words designed to help you think about what you’re doing. Resist the temptation to

start going for the cash until after you’ve heard and digested this.

2. Pray. Before deciding on an amount, ask God to show you how much to give today.

3. Avoid watching your neighbor or making judgments about his or her offering. Many peo-

ple contribute once a month by mail and some by automatic withdrawal from a bank account.

[Note: we do have that option at Shenkel – call the church office if you want to learn more!] If your

neighbor passes the plate to you without placing an envelope, check, or cash in it, do not assume

they didn’t contribute.

Place your offering in the plate as you pass it politely to the next person. Do not attempt to

make change from the plate if your offering is in cash. Avoid letting the plate rest in your lap as you

finish writing a check. Simply pass it on and hand your check to an usher as you leave at the end of

worship.

Jesus also said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34) Where do

you want your heart to end up?

Be God’s,

Pastor Bonnie

_______

1 Quinn Caldwell and Curtis J. Preston, The Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ.Cleveland:

United Church Press, 2011.

SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST PAGE 4

5/4th

Carol Stubbe

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

8:30 : Bill Faust

10:45: Tootie Hine

8:30 CUL:

Lynne Moyer

10:45 CUL:

Chris Gray

5/11th

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

8:30: Lori Scharneck

10:45: Cameron

Dushanko

8:30 : Lori & Mor-

gan Scharneck

10:45: Sherri and

Mark Dushanko

5/18th

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

8:30: Carol Pearson

10:45: Faye Pedrick

8:30: Ron & Carol

Pearson

10:45: Ed & Faye

Pedrick

5/25th

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

8:30: Chris Gray

10:45: Ben Mocarski

8:30: Judy Gergle

and Carol Stubbe

10:45: Sherri and

Ben Mocarski

“Flours” is a collection of pantry items or a monetary donation of

your discretion to the Cluster. If a cash donation to the Cluster is

made, a wheat arrangement will be placed on the altar. Altar

flowers are $30.00 and bulletin dedications are $6.50. Food Sculp-

tures are also gladly accepted.

You can also dedicate a Choir Anthem with a donation of

$30. With ever-increasing costs of choral music, this sponsorship

will help stretch our budget and continue to bring quality music

to Shenkel. Dedicate your anthem to someone special, an event in

your life, or just to the fact that you love music. Thank you for

this needed contribution to Shenkel. Blue envelopes are in the

Narthex for your sponsorships.

There are many dates open for sponsorship and dedication during

this and the upcoming months. Please complete one of the special

flower/bulletin/anthem envelopes below the sign-up chart, enclose

your payment, and either put it in the collection plate or in the Sec-

retary’s box by the office door. You should sign your name on the

chart in the narthex by the appropriate date after you have com-

pleted your envelope.

HOLY

COMMUNION

Shenkel UCC celebrates the

sacrament of Holy Commun-

ion at both services on the first

Sunday of each month.

Each time communion is served, some of the

bread and non-alcoholic wine that has been con-

secrated at the altar will be saved in a traveling

communion kit, ready to go to the homes or

hospital rooms of members who were unable to

be present, and would like to receive the sacra-

ment. Please let Pastor Bonnie know if you, or

someone you know, would appreciate “distance-

communing” with their Shenkel Church family!

April Consistory Highlights…

Approved $250 per youth and chaperone attending the UCC

Regional Youth Event from the Program, Mission and Service

Fund

Approved two fundraisers (Bake Sale 5/18 and Car Wash 6/1) proposed by youth attending the UCC

RYE

Learned who the new officers of the Board of Christian Education are: Erika Augustine, President;

Lara Faust, Vice-President; Sherri Dushanko, Secretary

Heard a recommendation by the PRC that $750 be set aside annually beginning in 2015 to pay for a

part time sabbatical pastor during the next sabbatical time

Approved up to $100 from the Music Fund to create a Shenkel Songbook to have available for sum-

mer worship

Appointed Chris Gary and Lynne Moyer to serve as Shenkel’s delegates to the Ursinus Association

Meeting

Appointed Lynne Moyer and Ann Hartzell to serve as Shenkel’s delegates at the PSEC Spring Meeting

Complete copies of Consistory Minutes are available from the church office upon request.

ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS…. PAGE 5

DO YOU HAVE NEWS FOR

THE BULLETIN OR THE

NEWSLETTER? Just a reminder that all bulletin an-

nouncements should be at the church

office by each Tuesday at noon to be in-

cluded in that week’s bulletin. Newslet-

ter articles must be submitted by the

15th of each month to be included in the

next issue.

SAVE-A-TAPE

PROGRAM

This is the easiest

way to help our

church financially.

Just ask for a Save-A-

Tape card at the customer service spot at your local

Redner’s store. Show your card at the register when

you check out, then bring your register tapes to church

and deposit them in the box in the Narthex. These

tapes are collected routinely, presented to the store,

and Redner’s donates a percentage of your total pur-

chase to the church.

Be careful to bring your tapes in regularly instead of

saving them at home, as they do expire if not re-

deemed within a certain time period. Also, please re-

turn the entire register tape. Redner’s will not accept

any register receipt that has any part of it removed.

In April, we received a check at the office from

Redner's, in the amount of $208.60! WOW! Keep

those register tapes coming!

RECYCLING REMINDER….

We still accept aluminum cans at

the church for recycling. Please

continue to recycle your plastic

bottles and other recyclables at home.

PAGE 6 FOR YOUR INFORMATION….

CAMPING

OPPORTUNITIES With the closing of Mensch Mill, the Penn Central Conference,

United Church of Christ, has graciously offered us the program

at Hartman Center Camp, Conference and Retreat Center as a

way to keep lifting up the importance of outdoor ministry for us

here at Shenkel. The Hartman Center offers weekly camping

sessions from June 15th through August 2nd with a variety of

specialty camps. They also offer discounted pricing for early

bird registration ($50 off camp fee if registered by April 1st.)

Please visit www.hartmancenter.com to check it out. Bro-

chures and registration forms are available at the church office.

And as always, Shenkel will reimburse campers from Shenkel

50% of the registration fee from our Campership Fund.

COMING UP….

6th Annual COVENTRY

WOODS FESTIVAL at CAMP FERNBROOK

Sunday, May 18, 2014 from 1:00 — 5:00 PM

North Coventry Township will be hosting the 6th An-

nual Coventry Woods Festival on Sunday, May 18th

from 1-5 PM at the Fernbrook Access of Coventry

Woods, 1954 St. Peters Road, North Coventry. This

festival is designed to recognize and celebrate North

Coventry Township as a healthy community and

healthy lands. The event will include food, music ,

community dIsplays, games and the 6th annual Fern-

brook Derby Goat Race. Come, enjoy a Spring day at

Camp Fernbrook. Shenkel UCC will

have a table at the festival to spread

the word about our church. We need

volunteers to man the table for 1 hour

shifts. Please call the church office at

610-326-3721 if you can help.

SAVE THE DATE Friday, August 22, 2014

Reading Fightin Phils vs. Erie Seawolves

Game Time: 7:05 PM

Keep this date open to help Shenkel cheer

on our Reading Phillies. As usual, we will have bus transporta-

tion provided, leaving the church at 5:15 PM. We have 25

seats reserved and the ticket price is $10. Please sign-up on

the sheet in the narthex. See Barb Burhans with any ques-

tions.

Hello Shenkel Families,

As a registered nurse, one of the greatest

needs in regards to healthcare is prevention.

Currently I have been at The Reading Hospital

for almost three years now, working the week-

ends. Something new they are implementing is

personal goals that meet the organization’s pil-

lars of excellence in providing care to the com-

munity. I have chosen to assist the Pottstown

Senior Center with collecting seventy-five

toothbrushes and/or toothpastes by the end of May. If anyone

is interested in helping out with this, it would be greatly appre-

ciated. There will be a collection basket located in the Narthex

now until the end of May.

Thank you so much!!!

Stephanie Viti

Summer Camp 2014 At New Goshenhoppen

Park

Offering children and youth a

place to enjoy the outdoors and

learn about God's Love. Experi-

ence God’s world with our outdoor day and

overnight camping opportunities!

In addition to 2 weeks of Kids Day Camp,

we’re offering new programs that include

themed weeks for children and teens, Grand-

parents Weekend, and a Bicycle Camp led by

Reverend Allen Kramer-Moyer. Our camps are

open to all area children, youth, and adults!

You can visit New Goshenhoppen’s website

at www.newgoshucc.org and follow the link for

camping to see details and rates for the different

camp programs. Please note: If you register by

May 31st, you will receive the Early Bird Discount,

Chelsea Cornwell will again be organizing and

running our summer programs and events.

Email her at camp@newgoshucc.org with any

questions you may have. And as always, Shen-

kel will reimburse campers from Shenkel 50% of

the registration fee from our Campership Fund.

SHENKEL LOVES TO GIVE….

REMEMBER

TOO…. The Pottstown Cluster

Food Bank collection at Shenkel is the 1st Sunday of

each month. Please place your items in the large plas-

tic bins in the narthex.

AND...Please bring in your used cell

phones and empty ink car-

tridges and place them in

the box across from the nursery, or in the

box located on the coat rack shelf across

from the office. The cartridges are recycled to Staples,

and the church receives credits toward the purchase of

office supplies. The used cell phones are given to the

police department to be distributed to abused women.

Pottstown Cluster News

May 2014 The Cluster welcomes all cash, food

and clothing donations between the

hours of 8:30 am to 12:00 pm on

Monday through Friday. We are

located at 57 North Franklin Street

in Pottstown. Please come to the

back door off the alley. Parking

spaces at the rear of the building

are reserved for people dropping off donations.

Pantry Oatmeal, juice, jelly , boxed potatoes, canned fruit, canned

soup or stew, spaghetti sauce, dry cereal, soy baby formula,

gentle baby formula.

Please contact Sherrie at 610-970-5995 for more informa-

tion

Dry Goods Spring/Summer clothing; please be sure they are clean,

no tears and dated

Sheets and Blankets (cleaned)

Pots and Pans

Small Appliances

Toiletries: toothpaste, soap/bodywash, deodorants,

shampoo/cream rinse

Cleaning Products: Clothes detergent, dish detergent,

toilet cleaners, multi-purpose cleaners (Mr. Clean or

Spic/Span

Diapers: Sizes 3, 4, 5 ONLY

Please contact Ashley or Kelli at 610-970-5995 for more

information.

PAGE 7

B.I.T.E! B.I.T.E! APPEAL UPDATE

No new guesses were received since

April 13th, and the prize remains un-

claimed. As of April 23rd, we only have

$8,388 to go! We’re on the home-

stretch....and we have two months to go! Thanks, eve-

ryone, for your guesses, and for your contributions to

eliminate our operating budget debt

Mail, email or call the church office with your guesses

or drop them in the offering plate on Sunday – there is

no limit to the number of guesses you may submit!

NEW ACRONYM: Y.E.A.R.T.G. - T.Y!

YTD Current Fund O.C.W.M

Actual 33,683.92 2,913.00

Budget 38,937.44 2,750.00

Over/

Under

(5,253.52)

163.00

During the month of May,

we will be accepting offer-

ings for the Help Fund.

The Help Fund provides confidential financial

assistance for people in times of crisis. Please

be as generous as you can.

Thank you.

The In-town Mission Week, organized by Trinity

UCC will be July 24 to 29 this year. Local work sites are

needed - painting, yard work, cleaning out, etc. Contact

Pastor Bonnie if you have a pro-

ject a group of young people can

help you with!

AS OF

MARCH 31, 2014

BULLETIN BOARD…. PAGE 8

Mid-Day Dinner Club

Shenkel's Mid-day Dinner Club meets at 12 noon on

the third Tuesday of each month – and you’re invited

to join us! The next meeting date is Tuesday, May

20th and we’ll be eating at Greshville Hotel in Boyer-

town.

Mid-day Dinner Club is open to

young-at-heart adults of any age

who enjoy eating out and would

like to get to know other Shenkel

members a little better. Call the

church office if you’re able to join us!

SHENKEL QUILTERS

The Shenkel Quilters will meet in May

on Tuesday the 13th and the 27nd at

9:30 AM in the Church Social Hall. I

can't believe it is almost May! It certainly was a

loooong winter! Happy Spring everyone!

Margie Allen

COME ONE, COME ALL….

FOR: Lunch,* fellowship and an interesting program.

You won't want to miss our May event. Debbie Bessert

will be here to talk about the famous Will Rogers. Wil-

liam Penn Adair "Will" Rogers was an American cowboy,

vaudeville performer, humorist, social commentator and

motion picture actor. He was one of the world's best-

known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s. This will be a

fascinating program.

WHEN: Thursday, May 1, 2014

from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Shenkel UCC’s Fellowship Hall

1580 Shenkel Rd

Pottstown, PA 19465

*All participants are asked to contribute $6.50 to cover the cost of the lunch and the program. Please sign up on the sheet in the narthex, or call the Shenkel UCC church

office at 610-326-3535 by the Monday prior to the pro-gram to reserve your spot.

COMMUNITY

LUNCH BUNCH

May 1, 2014

CARD MAKING CLASS

The card making class meets

on the third Thursday of each

month at 10 AM. The cost of

the class is $8.00 which will

provide all participants with

three beautiful cards.

In May, the meeting date will be May 15th. To

insure there will be enough materials prepared

for everyone, please call Connie Armbruster at

610-326-6516 if you plan to attend.

Hope to see you on May 15th!

Upcoming Fellowship Events:

May 10 – Mark your calendars for

a “Celebration of Mothers” to be

held in the Social Hall – more infor-

mation to follow in the bulletin.

June 1 – All Church Picnic will

be starting after the late service.

We will have Jerry’s Chicken and you

bring the rest of the fixings, games

and a fun afternoon will round out

the day.

July – Brings outdoor worship and

refreshments after the services. We

will put up a sign up chart in the

Narthex starting in June.

Also, July 20 will be the Ice

Cream Sundae Social which will

be held after the service.

Any questions, call Louise Hine at 610-385-3716.

PAGE 9

STEWARD’S CORNER

IT'S SPRING! The flowers are blooming! The birds are singing and so are the people in the

church choir!

I happened to be under the pews in the back of the church one day when the choir was prac-

ticing with that nice young lady named Susan who plays the piano and the organ for us (and

she was directing the choir for us back then too.) I love to hear them sing.

The day they were practicing for was something called "Holy Humor Sunday,” which was held on Sunday,

April 27th. It was interesting to hear some of the music for that day. There also was a special "out of this

world" guest that joined them. I hope you didn’t miss it! Anyone who came even got to share their own

jokes! It was fun! And a great way to celebrate resurrection joy!

Happy Me,

STEWARD

Healing prayers are offered

on the third Sunday of each

month at both services of

worship.

The Prayer Chain list is continually be-

ing updated. Request for prayers should

be placed in the prayer box in the Nar-

thex, or get in touch with any member of

the Wholeness Committee. If anyone

has a special prayer request, or is inter-

ested in ministering on the Prayer

Chain, please contact Freda Wan-

ner. Prayer requests will be carried for

one month.

Members of the Whole-

ness Committee are

Ann Baccari, Ted Gray,

Tootie and Louise Hine,

June Hartung, Carol

Stubbe and Freda Wan-

ner.

MAY FRIENDSHIP DAY

The celebration of May Friendship Day will be held at

St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Grace and Franklin

Streets on Friday, May 16th at 6 pm. This ecumenical

service is sponsored by Pottstown Church Women

United. The theme will be "We are in God's hands and

we are God's hands" - "Through God Our Hands Can Serve".

The Fellowship of the Least Coin will be celebrated. Coins that have

been collected throughout the year by various individuals and groups

within the churches represented are collected and dedicated for use as

grants given by the International Fellowship of the Least Coin.

Refreshments will be served and all are invited to attend.

AGAPE

Wednesday, May 7th at 7 PM

The next Agape meeting is planned for May 7th at the church in the Agape room (downstairs near the nursery) and we are hoping to see some new faces! We will be discussing the future of this group, and if we have interest in doing more discussion type meetings (The Upper Room publication has group discussion topics) or any other

ideas to help revitalize our prayer group and continue our spiritual growth. Please feel free to join us!

Adult Sunday School meets every Sunday morning at 9:30

AM in the social hall. All are welcome to attend!

May 4th — "Reflections from Jordan"

Leader: Susan Royer

May 11th -- Mother's Day -- "Adoption"

Leader: Jennie Hauze

May 18th — TBA

May 25th — TBA

PAGE 10

Spring Inquirer’s Class

Would you like to learn more about the theol-

ogy, mission and ministry of the United Church

of Christ and of Shenkel UCC? Join us for a

one day Inquirer’s Class on Sunday, May 4,

following 10:45 service of worship. You are

welcome at this session whether you are a long

-time member of Shenkel, or are considering

becoming a member. Membership is an op-

tion, but not a requirement, for those who at-

tend. Please contact the church office at 610-

326-3535 or shenkelucc@aol.com to register.

Childcare may be available upon request.

It is with much pleasure the Search Committee is very happy to an-

nounce that a Director of Music/Choir Director has been approved by

Consistory and this candidate enthusiastically accepts our offer.

Kaitlyn Waterson graduated from West Chester University with a

Bachelor Degree in vocal performance and music education a year

ago. Kaitlyn not only brings her music directing talents to Shenkel but

we are hopeful she will be sharing her beautiful voice with us.

Kaitlyn is a candidate that stood out with this committee from the first

interview with her as a good match for Shenkel. Kaitlyn has ambition,

drive and desire to revitalize the music program at Shenkel. Not only

do we feel she is a wonderful match for our choirs (adult, youth and

children’s choirs) but with Susan Royer, who will continue as organist.

Kaitlyn is very excited about restarting our children’s choirs – a youth

choir and a choir for children from Kindergarten through 6th grade.

She also has offered to direct our chime choir.

Kaitlyn will begin her duties in May. During the month of May, choir

rehearsals will remain on Sundays following our 10:45 service as this

schedule works best for both Kaitlyn and Susan. However, rehearsals

will go back to an evening rehearsal once choir begins again in the

Fall.

This committee is so excited to welcome Kaitlyn

and we sincerely thank Susan Royer for agree-

ing to stay on as our organist.

Linda Foss, Chairperson, Brenda Berriker

and Lara Faust

Memorial Day Observance

On Sunday, May 25, we will

gather at 9:30 a.m. in the

cemetery for a brief (10-15

minute) service of prayer to

remember and honor those

who have served our coun-

try and protected our free-

dom. Join us!

MORE INFORMATION….

Healing Retreat: Resolving Grief and Resentment,

led by Dr. Rob Voyle, Saturday,

June 14, 2014, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm at

Shenkel UCC, 1580 Shenkel Road,

Pottstown, PA.

Are you strug-

gling from an

inability to free

yourself from

resentment,

overwhelming grief, or shame and

self-criticism? This retreat is for

you! Cost: $55 (includes lunch) To

register, go to http://

www.clergyleadership.com/

training/schedule.cfm. For addi-

tional information contact Rev.

Bonnie Moore at 610-326-3535.

VACATION ASSIGNMENT….

Will you be heading to an ocean, lake or

other body of water any time this summer?

If so, please collect a small amount of water

(no more than a couple of ounces) and label

it with your name, the date it was collected,

and where it was collected.

Keep it in a safe place – we’ll be doing

something special will all our water samples

in September!

Support Our Youth!! To raise funds for their participation in the UCC’s Regional Youth Event being held this July 9-13 at Susquehanna Uni-versity in Selinsgrove PA, Shenkel’s youth will be holding a Bake Sale on Sunday, May 18. You can help by purchasing something yummy that day fol-lowing either worship service. (If you’d like to con-tribute a baked good to their sale, please contact Pastor Bonnie!)

Then, on Sunday, June 1, during the all-church picnic which will follow the 10:45 service of worship, the youth will be washing cars. Plan to have them wash

off the last bits of salt and grime from winter for you – they will make your car shine!

Practicing Compassion and

Forgiveness in an Angry World

We all know that Jesus regularly

exhorted his followers to forgive,

but if he ever taught them ex-

actly how they were to do that,

that information (unfortunately)

did not get recorded in the Bible.

During worship in May, we will be exploring forgive-

ness as a response to the love and forgiveness

God shared with us in resurrection of the One who

challenged us to forgive “seventy-seven” times.

Join us!

Sunday, May 4: Matthew 5:43-45 – Living in the

Reality of Unconditional Love

Sunday, May 11: Psalm 139 – Finding the

Golden Thread of Life

Sunday, May 18: Matthew 18:18-22 –

Discovering How to Forgive

What in God’s Name is Going on at Shenkel UCC?

On Sunday, June 8, we will engage in an all-church Appreciative Inquiry Summit, sharing stories in or-

der to discern the core values of Shenkel UCC and (hopefully) create a shared, provocative purpose

statement that will bridge the past and present with the future, and provide a touchstone for our fu-

ture ministry planning.

The Summit, led by the Rev. Deborah Winters and Pastor Bonnie, will begin during the 9:30 service of worship. Al-

though those who need to may leave at the end of worship, I hope that most of you will plan to stay to continue with this

exciting process. I am anticipating some great conversations, and by the grace of God, some wonderful insights! Lunch

will be served, and childcare will be available (although older children will participate in the Summit). The event will con-

clude at 1:30 p.m.

There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex – if you don’t sign up, expect a phone call asking if you can attend. Your

stories, your opinions and your hopes for Shenkel UCC will be a valuable part of this process!

God’s Precious Children

Have you been wondering how Pastor Deb’s trip to

Liberia in January went? On Sunday, August 10,

she and her husband Gary will be at Shenkel to

tell us first hand, and to deliver letters that chil-

dren we sponsored may have written to us! That

day you will have an opportunity to continue your

child’s sponsorship if you would like to, and there will be new students

available for anyone who would like to sponsor and was not able to do

so last year.

As Gary wrote in his April update to us, “Always remember the reason.

The benefit from our efforts paying tuition would be temporal and futile

if it was not for the fact that we explain to each student and family that

it is the love of Jesus Christ that motivates sponsors to pay their school

tuition; and that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their life. Praise

God!”

You can always check their website, www.godspreciouschildren.com, if

you want to know more before August 10th!

COMING UP AT SHENKEL UCC…. PAGE 11

05/02 GALE, GAIL MUNION

05/02 DEVINE, JOSHUA

05/03 Ellis, Kay

05/03 Martin, Robin

05/04 ZOGHEIB, KAREN METKA

05/06 Lykens, Carol

05/06 Painter, Rebecca

05/06 Rice, Nate

05/07 Trego, Emily

05/08 O'Drain, Connor

05/09 Sweinhart, Jody

05/10 Miller, Brooke

05/11 Baker, Keith

05/12 Scharneck, Matthew

05/12 Graef, Ethan

05/13 Kulp, Michael

05/13 BAILEY, STEPHANIE

05/17 Burkhardt, Bette

05/17 GALE, KENNETH L.

05/19 LLOYD, KATHY

05/19 Scanlan, Katie

05/20 Derman, Lynn

05/20 GUNDRUM, GWEN

05/20 Craner, Michaela

05/21 Berriker, Randy

05/21 Hauze, Christina

05/23 Mocarski, Bob

05/23 Shenk, Nina

05/24 Andrien, Ruth

05/29 Foss, Andrew

SHARING WITH OUR CHURCH FAMILY AND FRIENDS…. PAGE 12

During the month of May, Shenkel will be praying for these randomly selected members and friends of our congregation:

5/4 Josh Palubinsky

Carol and Ron Pearson

Linda and John Jonides

Stacey, Bill, Lilly

and Aurora Keim

Katie and Ed Scanlan and Jacob and Liza Eames

5/11 Ariel Royer

Peg and Dan Moser

Matthew Scharneck

Eric Klein

Dawn and Joseph Yannick

5/18 Vicki, Noah, Ethan and Dylan Scharneck

Sue and Gary Stultz

Olivia Dushanko

Betsy and Ken Bevan

Tami and David Bade

5/25 Judith Andrien

Betty and Forrest Kreiger

Alicia and Mike Kline

Robin, David and Timothy Klein

Sandra Weller

Congratulations,

Quest!

Remember this sweet little

guy? Well, he is now a full-

fledged Seeing Eye dog.

He and his blind person

are living a full and produc-

tive life in Ohio. All reports

have been extremely positive and we wish both his

owner and Quest a long and happy partnership.