Shenkel United

Church of Christ

SHARINGS AND CONCERNS

February 2010

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.

February 2010

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

1

2

Quilters 9:30 AM Consistory Retreat 6:30 PM

3

Agape 7 PM

4

Community Lunch Bunch 11:30 AM

5 6

7

Winter In-quirer’s Class after 10:45 worship

8 9

Spiritual Council 7 PM Consistory 7:30 PM

10

Confirmation Class 7:00-8:30 PM BOCE 7 PM

11 12 13

Family Bingo Night 6 PM

14

Healing Prayers Winter In-quirer’s Class after 10:45 worship

15 16

Quilters 9:30 AM

Fastnacht Day

17 Prayer

Shawl Ministry 9:30 AM

7 PM

18

Healing Prayer Service 9:15 AM Prayer Shawl Ministry 7-9 PM

19 20

Confirmation Re-treat at Lancaster Semi-nary

21 Baptism

Ella Clair Woodman 10:45 with reception fol-lowing service

Peace Service 7 PM

22

Community Meal 12 Noon

23 24

Confirmation Class 7:00-8:30 PM

25 26 27

28

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

Monday—Sabbath Day

Office Hours:

Tues., Wed., Thurs

9:00 AM—1:00 PM

CONSISTORY

OFFICERS

President

Kimberly Yocom

Vice President

Barry Miller

Secretary

Sandy Rowe

Treasurer

Ken Bevan

Financial Secretary

Doug Allen

Assistant Financial

Secretary

Lori Scharneck

Elders

Glen Hoff

Carol Lykens

Barry Miller

Sandy Rowe

Wayne Klein

Deacons

Barbara Burhans

Richard Golden

Vera Hoff

Claire Faust

Kim Yocom

Secretary: Judy Embriani Newsletter Editor: Kim Metzger Assistant Editor: Betty Kreiger

The refrain from the Disney song, ―It’s a Small World After All‖ has been running through my

head a lot this past week. After all, I was sitting on the beach of one of the countries included in

the tsunami watch for countries bordering the Caribbean Sea (thankfully, the watch was can-

celled the next day) when I first heard the news about the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

I immediately thought about Bryan Sirchio and his friends and ministry in Haiti, and I wondered

how the children we raised funds for last year through the What If? Foundation were doing. In

her 1/19 blog, Margaret Trost wrote, ―The cooks are planning to resume the food program to-

morrow. They are preparing to serve as many people as possible, far more than the 1500 chil-

dren and adults they served last Tuesday just before the earthquake struck. Using supplies that

have been trucked in from the Dominican Republic, plate after plate of rice and beans will be

passed out. The plates will be washed and filled again. I imagine there will be an endless flow

of people all day.‖

When I returned home, I received an email from Katie Eames, who had received this email from

a Haitian friend she worked with in Limerick, ―Unfortunately, my family was directly affected

by this disaster. I recently found out that two of my great-aunts were killed. Another aunt made

a phone call to family indicating that she was trapped and her legs were broken; however, we

don’t know if she was ever rescued. My cousin, his wife, and kids also live in Port Au Prince,

near the collapsed capital building, and we have yet to hear from them.‖

The UCC Wider Church Ministries reported, ―Our Global Ministries partners in Haiti, Patrick

and Kim Bentrott, had just returned home with their infant son Solomon when the earthquake

struck. They were able to descend from their third floor apartment to join others on the street

who lived in the building. Though the building's first floor, stairwell and balconies collapsed,

no one was harmed.‖

It’s a small world – Haiti does not seem so very far away. One of the blessings of being part of

the UCC is that we are literally already there, ministering with our ecumenical partners to offer

help, support and care for both emergency relief and long term recovery in multiple forms

(check out www.ucc.org for details). Your prayers and your contributions (checks made pay-

able to Shenkel UCC and marked ―Haiti‖ will be quickly forwarded to our ministry partners in

Haiti) really can make a difference – it’s a small world, after all!

Be God’s,

Pastor Bonnie

Are you interested in motivating others to share in the life and

work of the church? Sharing your time and talents to fulfill the

larger mission of Shenkel United Church of Christ in the com-munity, conference, denomination and the world?

If so, please join several members of the church and Pastor Bon-

nie for a workshop at St. Paul’s UCC in Amityville on Saturday,

April 10th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. You will become energized about the dynamics

of giving. For more information, contact Kim Yocom at 215-519-4861. Hurry…. We need to register by the end of February.

PAGE 4 SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

EARLY

LATE

2/7

Jessie and Barbara

Painter

NEED SPONSOR

Carol and Ron

Pearson

2 Ushers needed

Wayne Klein

Barry Miller

Carol Lykens

Vera Hoff

2/14

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

Bill and Carolyn

Baseley

Forrest and Betty

Kreiger

2/21

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

Lynn and Mary Sue

Moyer

Andrew and Linda

Foss

2/28

NEED SPONSOR

NEED SPONSOR

The

Terrell Family

The

Gray Family

In church each Sunday, you can sponsor altar flowers, bulletins, or “Flours.” “Flours” is a collection of pantry items or a monetary donations to the pantry. If a cash donation to the pantry is made, a wheat arrangement will be placed on the altar. Altar flowers are $30.00 and bulletin dedications are $6.50. Food Sculptures are also gladly accepted.

Look for the pretty new envelopes in the narthex for you to use to make your dedications. The yellow one is specifically to order altar flowers/”flours” or to announce donatation of a food sculpture. The green one is to be used only for bulletins. Hopefully, this will simplify the process.

But please, do not submit payment without an envelope. This makes it difficult for proper bookkeeping. When your envelope is completed, you should then sign your name on the chart in the narthex by the appropriate date and put your envelope either in the collection plate or drop in the secretary’s mailbox on the wall next to the office door. Thank you!

Healing Prayers

We have healing prayers during both services on the second Sunday of each month. It is our hope that you will use this opportunity to participate. During the collection of the offering, anyone who desires prayer for themselves or on be-half of another is invited to go to the back of the church, where a prayer team will join you for prayer. A prayer team will also be available in the front of the church at the conclu-sion of the service. Healing prayers are also offered the third Thursday of every month at 9:15 a.m. in the sanctuary. Anyone in need of prayers for themselves or on behalf of another is welcome !

PAGE 5

FOR YOUR INFORMATION….

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL Every Sunday at

9:30 a.m. in the social room

Coming to the Adult class in the month of

FEBRUARY:

PASTOR WANDA CRANER

“A TREE FULL OF ANGELS:

SEEING THE HOLY IN THE ORDINARY”

Based on the book of the same title

By

MACRINA WIEDERKEHR

Feb. 7 … ―LITTLE-GREAT ONE, COME HOME‖

Feb. 14 … ―FRAIL AND GLORIOUS‖

Feb. 21 … ―GATHER UP THE CRUMBS‖

Feb. 28 … ―A TREE FULL OF ANGELS‖

Or

"FINDING GOD IN THE MAILBOX‖

Everyone is welcome!

WINTER

INQUIRER’S CLASS

Are you, or is someone you

know, interested in learning

more about Shenkel UCC?

Our Winter Inquirer’s Class, scheduled for Sun-

days, February 7 and 14 following the 10:45 ser-

vice of worship is a great way to learn about the

theology, mission and ministry of both the United

Church of Christ and our unique congregation.

Church membership is an option, but not a re-

quirement, for those who complete both sessions.

Please contact the church office at 610-326-3535

or shenkelucc@aol.com to register. Childcare may

be available upon request.

World Day of Prayer, a worldwide ecumenical movement, will be celebrated on Friday, March 5th, at St. Paul's United Church of Christ, corner of Grace and Franklin Streets at 2 p.m. sponsored by Pottstown Church Women United. The theme is "Let everything that has breath praise God". The women of Cameroon,West Africa invite us to their country through slides, worship and song. They remind us that, with every breath, we re-new the gift of life, and for this we praise God! Everyone is welcome!

Board of Christian Education Requests:

We are in need of a second

teacher/assistant for the Pre-K

Sunday School class. What a

great way to share your love and

talents with the younger members

of our congregation! If interested,

please contact Sunday School Su-

perintendents Linda Foss at Pover@comcast.net (610)

741-6949 or Tracy Dise at mrsfuzzy-

dise2005@verizon.net, (610) 323-1575.

--We would like to capture the ―Kodak moments‖ of

Shenkel’s Sunday School and many educational/social

events and are in need of a camera. Please contact

Chris Gray, cgcal@comcast.net, (610) 970-

2793 if you have a digital camera that you are

no longer using and would be willing to donate

to the church. The camera will be available for

use by ALL areas of the church. Thanks!

Accompanying Him with Singing

Lent 2010

During Sunday worship this Lent,

we will be using Psalms, the

church's oldest hymns, to accom-

pany Jesus from the time he

shares his final Passover meal

with his disciples to his solo

prayer on the Mount of Ol-

ives. We will have

the opportunity to reflect in

greater depth on portions of the

passion narrative that we nor-

mally hear only on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and

Good Friday as we pair portions of Luke 22 with the ancient

words of the Psalms.

Join us from February 21 - March 14 as we accompany Je-

sus to the cross with singing.

Homeless Ministry Update

After being notified in mid December that North Coventry

Township was going to be considering passing an amend-

ment to the Zoning Ordinance to provide for temporary shel-

ter, our lead attorney, Lou Moffa, recommended we wait for

the outcome of the Township’s 12/28 meeting before de-

ciding on a course of action. The amendment was adopted;

we are awaiting the advice of our attorneys before taking

our next steps.

December and January Consistory Highlights

December and January Consistory Highlights

Received a thank-you from the North Coventry Food Pantry for the donation of toilet

paper, and thanked Jody Sweinhart for her leadership of our ―TP Party‖

Approved looking into hosting a seminarian again for the 2010-11 school year

Approved a bid from Todd Miller Landscaping for snow removal this winter

Elected officers for 2010: Kim Yocom, President; Barry Miller, Vice President; Sandy Rowe, Secretary

Received a thank you from the PSEC for our 2009 OCWM contributions of $11,669, and from Lancaster Theo-

logical Seminary for our donation of $248.

Learned that the insulation of the parsonage attic has been completed (thank you, Keith Baker and Mike De-

Vito)

Planned a Consistory Retreat for Tuesday, February 2 to review Shenkel’s Safe Church Policy

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

ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS…. Page 6

DO YOU HAVE NEWS FOR THE

BULLETIN OR THE NEWSLETTER?

Just a reminder that all bulletin announcements should be

at the church office by each Tuesday at noon to be in-

cluded in that week’s bulletin. Newsletter articles must be

submitted by the 15th of each month to be included in the

next issue.

SAVE-A-TAPE PROGRAM

This is one of the easiest ways to help our church

financially!

Just ask for a Save-A-Tape card at the cus-

tomer 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 col-

lected routinely, presented to the store, and Redner’s do-

nates a percentage of your total purchase to the church.

Be careful to bring your tapes in regularly instead of sav-

ing them at home, as they do expire if not redeemed

within a certain time period. Also, please return the en-

tire register tape. Redner’s will not accept any register

receipt that has any part of it removed.

Thank you.

as of December 31, 2009

YTD Current Fund O.C.W.M

Budget 136,395.02 11,000.00

Actual 135,993.15 11,210.50

Difference (401.87) 210.50

If you have a computer, you can save

paper and trees…..Just ask to have

your church newsletter e-mailed!

Please call Judy at the church office

at 610-326-3535 or e-mail her at

shenkelucc@aol.com to request the change.

You should have received your

2009 annual giving statement

by now. If have not received it,

please contact the Doug Allen

at 610-326-1519.

MORE INFORMATION….

AND DON’T FORGET….

The Pottstown Cluster Food Bank

collection at Shenkel is the 1st Sunday of each month. Please place

your items in the large plastic bins in the narthex.

AND...Please bring in your used cell phones and

empty ink cartridges and place them in the box across from the nurs-

ery, or in the box located on the coat rack shelf across from the office.

These cartridges are re-cycled to Staples, and the church receives

credits toward the purchase of office supplies. In December and Janu-

ary, the credit from your donated cartridges paid for all the office sup-

plies we need for the next couple months.

Thank you!

The used cell phones are given to the police department to

be distributed to abused women.

The Pottstown Cluster Outreach Center is now open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM -12:00 pm for client services and to accept donations.

News from the Pottstown Cluster – February 2010

Pantry Needs: Laundry and dish detergent, All purpose Cleaner, Shampoo, Ensure, Unopened Diabetic Test Strips and Infant Formula.

Clothes Closet Wish List: Towels & Washcloths, Sheets – (full size), Ladies and Kids Socks, Ladies Underwear, Kid’s Winter Pajamas & Sleepers, Boy’s Jeans – Size 7-18, Baby’s Winter Jackets (size newborn- 2T), and Girl’s Tops (Size 24 mo.- 2T) Diapers (size 4-6), Baby wipes, Diaper rash cream, Baby Oil, Baby shampoo, and Large Print Bibles.

From Barbara Wilhelmy, Director of Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities:

A note of thanks to all of our delegates and worship centers for your generous and faithful support throughout the year. Despite the struggles with the economy and the increase in need we saw in the building, your support has continued to be strong. For that, we are very grateful.

Volunteers needed: Volunteers are needed at the Food Pantry at the Cluster every Tuesday, Wednesday and

Friday 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Also Clothes Closet Sorters are needed every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 am to 12 pm.

The Cluster is currently in need of a receptionist — volunteers are welcome.

Please contact the Cluster at 610 970-5995 if you are able to help. Visit the website: www.pottstowncluster.org.

Page 7

IN CASE OF ICE OR SNOW…

Shenkel's Sunday wor-ship services are NOT

cancelled (some people, including Pastor Bonnie, can always walk to church!) but please use your judgment about whether it is safe for you to drive. We encourage you to plan to attend the 10:45 a.m. service rather than the 8:30 a.m. service to allow extra time for plowing the parking lot and shoveling and salting the sidewalks. For other church events, such as choir prac-tices, youth events, etc., please contact the event leader for cancellation or re-scheduling information.

.

During the month of February, we will be accept-ing offerings for Mensch Mill Camperships. This offering provides scholarships for children and youth from Shenkel who are attending camp at Mensch Mill this summer. Please give as generously as you can.

Thank you.

BULLETIN BOARD…. PAGE 8

The Community Lunch

Bunch Thursday, February 4th

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

Program: ―The Button Lady‖

Ruth Fisher, of Coventryville, will

talk about the history of buttons.

Please bring any old buttons you may have. The ―Button

Lady‖ may be able to identify them.

All participants are asked to contribute $6.00 to cover the

cost of the lunch. Please sign up on the sheet in the nar-

thex or call the Shenkel UCC church office at 610-326-3535

by the Monday prior to the program to reserve your spot.

For more information, please call

Ruth Klein

at 610-326-4520

Family Bingo Night All Ages Welcome! On Saturday, February 13 Shenkel Kids Club will be sponsoring a Family Bingo Night which is open to the entire church. Bring your special valentine (spouse, child, mother, father or sibling) and join us for a fun night of regular Bingo and even some games of Valentine Bingo.

Please bring a wrapped (tissue paper and newspaper comics work great) Bingo prize val-ued at under $5.00. Make sure to mark the gift for a boy or girl and for what age the prize is appropriate. We also ask that each family bring a dessert to share with the group.

The evening will begin at 6:00 PM and run until 8:00 PM. There will be an offering plate avail-able to collect funds to benefit the victims of the Haiti earthquake. This will be the "admission" cost for the evening.

Please sign the chart in the narthex so we have enough supplies. Any questions, please call Linda or Andrew Foss at 610-741-6949.

THE SHENKEL

QUILTERS….

are proud to announce that our beautiful

quilt is finished! On Tuesday, February

2nd at 9:30 a.m., we will celebrate with a

little party in the social hall. At that time,

we will meet with the machine quilter to discuss the final step —

the actual quilting of our masterpiece. When quilted, the final

product quilt will be raffled off, and the proceeds will be donated

to a charity yet to be determined. We will continue to meet

every other Tuesday morning to begin a new project and enjoy

each other’s company. Anyone interested in quilting is encour-

aged to join the group. February’s meeting dates are the 2nd and

the 16th.

Wait till you see our work of art!

The Community Lunch Bunch is

planning a bus trip to the

Dutch Apple Dinner Theater in

Lancaster on Wednesday, March

10 to see RENT. The cost of $75

includes transportation from Shen-

kel, lunch, and the show. Cash or

checks payable to Sam Armbruster will be due by

February 4. All are welcome to join us. See Con-

nie Armbruster with any questions. A signup sheet

is in the narthex.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets

every third Wednesday morning at

9:30 and every third Thursday eve-

ning of the month from 7-9 PM. The

dates for this month are February 17th and 18th.

Our labors of love are available to anyone of any

age or circumstance who requests a shawl. If

you know of someone who would benefit from

having a prayer shawl for any reason, or if you

are interested in joining us, please contact June

Hartung at 610-323-5617.

Fund…. Do you know that Shenkel

has a Help Fund that is specifically for

helping members and neighbors with

emergency needs? In the past, funds have been used

to help with mortgage payments, medical bills, utilities,

food and clothing. If you, or someone you know needs

financial assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact

Pastor Bonnie. All requests and disbursements are

held in strict confidence.

PAGE 9

STEWARD’S CORNER L- O –V- -E……LOVE!

L –O V – E… LOVE!

This is why we are so happy –

Because of L-O-V- E ….LOVE!

That’s a song the children sang in the church where I used to

live.. I always liked the song and especially the words and

their meaning.

I looked up the word “LOVE“ in my dictionary and found lots of information.

How about this one:

“LOVE” is

a. “God’s benevolent concern for mankind”;

b. “ Man’s devout attachment to God!”

c. The feeling of benevolence and brotherhood that people should have for

one another”!

That all sounds like what Shenkel Church is all about…loving God, being loved by

God, and loving one another.

There is a song in the hymnal that says

something about that idea:

BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS OUR HEARTS IN CHRISTIAN LOVE;

THE FELLOWSHIP OF KINDRED MINDS IS LIKE TO THAT ABOVE

WE SHARE OUR MUTUAL WOES, OUR MUTUAL BURDENS BEAR,

AND OFTEN FOR EACH OTHER FLOWS THE SYMPATHIZING TEAR!

February is the LOVE MONTH – A SPECIAL time and opportunity to live up to its

meaning and to be thankful for LIFE and LOVE, FAMILY and FRIENDS.

LOVE,

Shenkel UCC celebrates the sacrament of Holy

Communion 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 consecrated 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 sacrament. Please let Pastor Bonnie know if you, or

someone you know, would appreciate ―distance-communing‖ with

their Shenkel Church family!

AS ALWAYS AT SHENKEL…

Ash Wednesday

Worship Wednesday, February

17, 7:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday marks

the beginning of the sea-

son of Lent, a period of

forty days (excluding

Sundays) set aside by Christians since the

fourth Sunday of the Christian era as a time

of penitence and renewal, and of prepara-

tion for the high point of the Christian year –

Easter.

Plan to join us for worship on 2/17 to begin

your observance of a Holy Lent.

02/04 Jesse Painter

02/04 Barry Miller

02/04 AUSTIN ATKINS-DWINCHICK

02/08 RONALD CHRISTMAN

02/08 CHRISTINA M. FAUST-HERD-BEALER

02/08 Anna Shenk

02/10 Nicole Miller

02/11 Doug Allen

02/12 Georgina Heimbach

02/15 LORI SKULSKI

02/15 RACHEL LLOYD

02/16 Eden Richard

02/17 Sherri Dushanko

02/18 George Ellis

02/18 SETH DAWICKI

02/22 JACOB DWINCHICK

02/25 EMILY LLOYD

02/26 Gary McDermit

02/26 AMERIC MCCULLAGH

02/26 Isheunesu Chidawu

02/27 Kathy Iezzi

OUR CHURCH FAMILY AND FRIENDS….

2/7 Carole, Henry and

Stephanie Bailey

Michael Yannick

Nancy, Peter, Jane, Lucy,

and Olivia Body

Julie, Michael, Madison and Jonathan Miller

Rebecca Nester

2/14 Barbara and Jesse Painter

Ann Baccari

Sarah and Justin Hardy

Robyn, Michael, Hannah and Noah Apgar

Yvonne Strom

2/21 Laurie and Kurt Painter

Tammy, Jeffrey and Ethan Graef

Amy, Craig, Nina and Anna Shenk

Jessica, Brandan and Gavin Knauer

Cole Bevan

2/28 Kailyn Painter

Jennifer and Jeffrey Dyott

Sharon and John Sabo

Linda and John Jonides

To all our friends at Shenkel ,

Thank you for the cookies and flowers delivered to our home on December 20th. We are grateful for the love and friend-ship from Shenkel.

God Bless you all. Karl and Janice Metka

Ella Clair Woodman will be baptized on Sunday, February 21st, at the 10:45 worship ser-vice. Her parents, Sharon and Bobby Woodman, cor-dially invite you to join in the celebration of this joyous sac-rament. There will be a re-

ception in the social hall immediately follow-ing the service for everyone who would like to meet and greet little Ella (otherwise known as our precious Baby Jesus on Christ-mas Eve).

Welcome to our church family, Ella.

Page 10