Shenkel United

Church of Christ

SHARINGS AND CONCERNS

December 2014 January 2015

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.

and

December 2014

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

BOCE: 7 PM

3

Agape and Book Study: 7 PM

4

Community Lunch Bunch: 11:30 AM *Thursday Choirs

5

6 Christmas

Cantata Re-hearsal: 8:30—11 AM

Advent Labyrinth Walk: 4 PM

Shack-A-Thon: Begins at Noon

7

Communion *Sunday Choirs

8 9

Consistory Meeting: 7 PM

10

11

*Thursday Choirs

12 13

Advent Labyrinth Walk: 4 PM

Youth Group Christmas Party at the Gray’s home: 6 PM

14

*Sunday Choirs Christmas Cantata at the 10:45 service

15 16

Mid-Day Dinner Club: Noon at Sunnybrook

17

18

Card Making Class: 10 AM

*Thursday Choirs

19 20

Advent Labyrinth Walk: 4 PM

21 *Sunday

Choirs

Healing Prayers

Congregational Meeting: 9:30 AM

All Church Caroling after lunch

Longest Night: 7 PM

22 23 24

Worship: 7 & 10 PM

25

26 27

28

One Service Only: 9:30 AM

29 30 31

* THURSDAY CHOIR SCHEDULE: Cherub Choir: 6:15—6:45 PM Joyful Noise Choir: 6:45—7:30 PM

SUNDAY CHOIR SCHEDULE: Chime Choir: 8:30—9:30 AM Youth Choir: 12-1 PM

January 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

3

4

Communion *Sunday Choirs

5 6

Music & Wor-ship Meeting: 7 PM

7

Agape and Book Study: 7 PM

8

Community Lunch Bunch: 11:30 AM *Thursday Choirs

9 10

11

*Sunday Choirs

12 13

Consistory Meeting: 7 PM

14 15

Newsletter deadline *Thursday Choirs

16 17

18

Healing Prayers *Sunday Choirs

19 20

Mid-Day Din-ner Club: Noon at Yellow House PRC Meeting: 7 PM

21 22

*Thursday Choirs

23 24

25

Annual Con-gregational Meeting: 9:30 AM

26 27 28 29

*Thursday Choirs

30 31

*SUNDAY CHOIR SCHEDULE: Chime Choir: 8:30—9:30 AM Youth Choir: 12-1 PM

* THURSDAY CHOIR SCHEDULE: Cherub Choir: 6:15—6:45 PM Joyful Noise Choir: 6:45—7:30 PM

1580 Shenkel Road, Pottstown PA 19465 610.326.3535

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

PAGE 4

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

Deacons

Lynne Moyer

Andrew Foss

Ann Hartzell

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

“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.

-John 1:23

An Advent /Christmas Prayer

Gracious God,

We remember John the Baptist’s words, and in this season, we will seek to make straight

the way of Lord, to make room in our lives to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus

Christ. Spiritually, we yearn to prepare a quiet and peace-filled place in our hearts for your

son. Yet our physical preparations for this wonderful gift from you – our decorating, our

card writing, our baking, our shopping – often consume much more of our time and energy

than we intend.

We know that you do not require a beautiful setting for the birth of the Holy Child – a

manger in a stable is sufficient. Yet we pray: please remind us of that in the weeks to

come. Slow us down, and as we busily prepare for our Savior’s birth, transform our ef-

forts, so they may be known to us as they are received by you: heartfelt expressions of

faith, hope and love, welling up from the depths of our souls.

With every sign and symbol of Christ’s advent and birth, help us point the way, as did

John, to the Light which has come into the world. Amen.

“Watch...

for you know not when

God comes.

Watch, that you might be found

whenever

wherever

God comes.”

Ann Weems, “The Coming of God”

Be God’s,

Pastor Bonnie

Need

Sponsor

12/7

Ruth Klein

Need Sponsor

Need

Sponsor

Early:

Dave Derman

Late:

Sandy Rowe

Consistory CUL

12/14

Need Sponsor

Need Sponsor

Need

Sponsor

Early:

Bill Faust

Late:

Early:

Late:

12/21

Need Sponsor

Need Sponsor

Need

Sponsor

Early:

Carol Pearson

Late:

Carol Lykens

Early:

Late:

Carol Lykens and

Sam Pennell

12/24

Christmas Eve

12/28

One service

Only 9:30

Need Sponsor

Need Sponsor

Need

Sponsor

Tootie Hine

Tootie & Louise

Hine

SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

1/4

Need Sponsor

Need Sponsor

Need

Sponsor

Early:

Bill Faust

Late:

Louise Hine

Consistory CUL

1/11

Need Sponsor

Need Sponsor

Need

Sponsor

Early:

Late:

Dave Derman

Early:

Late:

Dave Derman

1/18

Need Sponsor

Need Sponsor

Need

Sponsor

Early:

Late:

Sandy Rowe

Early:

Late:

1/25

Need Sponsor

Need Sponsor

Need

Sponsor

Early:

Late:

Carol Lykens

Early:

Late:

Carol Lykens and

Sam Pennell

PAGE 5

PAGE 6

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 Sculptures 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 spe-

cial, an event in your life, or just to the fact that

you love music. Thank you for this

needed contribution to Shen-

kel. Blue envelopes are in the Nar-

thex for your sponsorships.

Healing prayers are offered on the third Sunday of

each month at worship.

The Prayer Chain list is continually being updated. Request for prayers

should be placed in the prayer box in the Narthex, or get in touch with

any member of the Wholeness Committee. If anyone has a special

prayer request, or is interested in ministering on the Prayer Chain,

please contact Freda Wanner. Prayer requests will be carried for one

month.

Shenkel UCC celebrates the sacra-

ment of Holy Communion at both

services on the first Sunday of each

month. Communion will also be

served at both services on Christ-

mas Eve. 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!

HERE AT SHENKEL UCC….

The mission of the Christmas

Fund is to provide assistance

dollars in situations of critical

need, including Pension Supple-

mentation, Health Premium Sup-

plementation, Emergency Grants,

and Christmas “Thank You” Gift Checks to lower-

income retired UCC pastors.

The offering on Christmas Eve benefits Shenkel’s

Help Fund.

January's Special

Offering…. is Bethany Children's Home -

Bethany Children's Home pro-

vides residential services for chil-

dren and adolescents who are un-

able to live with their own or a substitute family.

Founded in 1863 and related to the United Church

of Christ, Bethany serves more than 300 boys and

girls each year on its Womelsdorf, PA campus.

November Consistory Highlights….

Received a thank-you from The Pennsylvania Southeast Conference for UCC offerings giving

Appointed Pete Wanner to serve as Cemetery Superintendent

Affirmed that a Congregational Meeting will be held on 12/21 at 9:30 to elect next year’s officers and

Board of Christian Education members, and to approve the 2015 budget

Expressed appreciation for the work Joel Sweinhart, Lori Scharneck and Barry Yocom did at the Fall Clean-

up on November 8

Finalized a process and application for the Bill Boyer Scholarship - to be revealed at the December congre-

gational meeting!

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

ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS…. PAGE 7

RECYCLING REMINDER….

We still accept aluminum cans at

the church for recycling. Please

continue to recycle your plastic

bottles and other recyclables at home.

As of October 31, 2014

YTD Current Fund O.C.W.M

Actual 109,520.76 9,802.50

Budget 129,791.80 9,166.67

Over/Under (20,271.04) 635.83

DO YOU HAVE NEWS FOR THE

BULLETIN OR THE NEWSLETTER?

Just a reminder that all bulletin announce-

ments should be at the church office by each

Tuesday at noon to be included 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 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 Red-

ner’s donates a percentage of your total purchase to the

church.

Be careful to bring your tapes in regularly instead of saving

them at home, as they do expire if not redeemed within a

certain time period. Also, please return the entire register

tape. Redner’s will not accept any register receipt that has

any part of it removed.

Keep up the good work and thank you, Redner’s!

On Sunday, December 21st, we will have a congregational meeting at

9:30AM, prior to the late worship ser-

vice. The agenda includes election of

officers and Board of Christian Educa-

tion members, and adoption of the 2015

budget. Please make every effort to attend.

On Sunday, January 25th,we will hold the An-

nual Congregational Meeting . Copies of the

2014 Annual Report and new Shenkel UCC

Church Directory will be available for you to

order.

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 cartridges 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

December 2014

The Cluster welcomes all cash and food

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: tuna fish, chunky soup, gravy, broth, lima beans,

chicken/dumplings, collard greens, spinach

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

tion

Dry Goods Department items needed: Winter coats and

clothing for men, women and children. The clothing needs to be

clean, no tears, not dated and seasonal. sheets and blan-

kets (cleaned), pots and pans, small appliances, toiletries

(toothpaste, soap/bodywash, deodorants, shampoo/cream

rinse), cleaning products (clothes detergent, dish detergent,

multi-purpose cleaners - ALL SMALL CONTAINERS), diapers

sizes 3, 4, 5 only

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

information. Or visit WWW.POTTSTOWNCLUSTER.ORG for

up-to-the minute information.

PAGE 8

THE GIVING TREE

Once again, Shenkel will spon-

sor a Giving Tree to help make

the holidays of those less fortu-

nate a bit merrier. The tree,

which is in the narthex, will

hold ornaments that can be

used to identify holiday gifts

and toys to be donated to the

Pottstown Cluster Toy Drive.

Gift requests for the Cluster will be printed on the

back of the ornaments. Please help make the holi-

day special for these children by taking an orna-

ment and returning it to church, attached to an un-

wrapped toy or gift certificate. Watch the Sunday

bulletins for updated information. Deadline to re-

ceive gifts at the church is December 21st. If you

have any questions, please contact Carol Stubbe

at 610-326-5301 or see Pastor Bonnie.

Calling all Giant

Shoppers:

How about participating in an

easy ongoing fundraiser with no

extra costs or strings attached?

All you have to do is purchase

gift cards in the amount that you

will spend anyway, and then just go shopping! There is no

additional charge for the cards and you continue to use

your Bonus Card and accumulate points as usual. Giant

then gives us 5% back. It’s that simple!

Contact Chris Gray for cards, available in denominations

of $10, $25, $50 and $100. To assure availability, you

may pre-order cards. Order forms are in the narthex and

may be completed and dropped in the offering plate with

payment (checks payable to Shenkel). Card orders will

be placed through Giant on the 15th and 30th of each

month and typically are available within 2 weeks of order-

ing. Contact Chris with any questions at

cgcal@comcast.net or (610) 970-2793.

MEALS ON WHEELS

North Coventry Chapter….

Is in dire need of drivers for their week-

day delivery program! The entire proc-

ess takes about 1 1/2 hours for your

time, and you can choose the day of the week you want

to participate. It’s fun, rewarding, and so very appreci-

ated!! Please call Sam or Jane Yocom at 610-845-6006

for further information.

BULLETIN BOARD….

PAGE 9

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! Our next event will be on Tuesday, December 16th

and we will be meeting at Sunnybrook. Our January

outing will be held on January 20th and we will be eat-

ing at Yellow House.

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. If you are a

“regular” and plan to come, please remember to check off

your name on the plate in the narthex no later than the

Sunday before the lunch so your reserva-

tion can be made on time. If you are a

“newbie,” please call the church office

no later than the Thursday before (or

just add your name to the plate on Sun-

day) if you’re able to join us!

SHENKEL QUILTERS

The Shenkel Quilters will soon be ready

to sew all our quilt blocks together and

make the final adjustments. Then it will

go to a professional machine quilter. We

will discuss and decide what chairty we

want the raffle proceeds to benefit. It's a

long process from the inception of a quilt

to the organization of the raffle. But it's

been fun and also a little sad to know that someone will put

that final stitch on the quilt. Sooo...hopefully by spring you

will see the results of our creative efforts.

We will only meet in December on Tuesday the 2nd for our

Christmas celebration. Please bring a "nibble" for us to share.

January's meetings will be on Tuesday the 13th and Tuesday

the 27th at 9:30 in the Church Social Hall. Thanksgiving is

almost here as I'm writing this. We all send you Christmas

Blessings!

Margie Allen

CARD MAKING CLASS

The card making class meets on the third

Thursday of each month at 10 AM in our

social hall. The cost of the class is $8.00

which provides each participant with three

beautiful cards.

The next two meeting dates will be Thurs-

day, December 18th and Thursday, January 21st. To

insure there will be enough materials prepared for every-

one, please call Connie Armbruster at 610-326-6516 if

you plan to attend.

ARE YOU A COMMITTEE OR A MINISTRY

TEAM CHAIRPERSON?

Something to think about….

believe it or not, the end of the year is

fast approaching, and your annual com-

mittee report will be due at the church of-

fice no later than December 15th in order

for the annual report to be completed on time. Ministry

team coordinators are also welcome to submit a yearly

update for the annual report. Please consider

this suggestion for annual reports You can either just add

bullets under these categories, or incorporate these into a

more narrative report --

-- accomplishments during 2014

-- concerns or questions that arose

during the year

-- hopes and plans for 2015.

Thank you.

Do you need a special gift?

We still have some copies of Collin Gray’s

CD of original piano music, Reflections,

available for purchase. The CDs cost $15,

and are available from the church office. All proceeds will

go to support Shenkel work camps.

COMMUNITY

LUNCH BUNCH Thursday, December 6th

at 11:30 AM

Joan Johnson, former Director of Ministry of Music

here at Shenkel, will be here to entertain us with her

wonderful musical talents on the piano. We will also get

the opportunity to sing along with her to jump start our

holiday spirit.

Come out for a good lunch, great music, and lots of fes-

tive holiday fun! Bring your friends and neighbors too.

If you haven't already signed up, please do so on the

sheet in the narthex.

The cost of the event is $6.50, which covers your lunch

and the cost of the program. If you have any questions,

feel free to call Ruth Klein at 610-326-4520.

Sharing the Love (again!)

Spaces are still available for an Urban

Work Camp over Valentine’s weekend,

February 13 – 15, at Old First UCC in

Center City, Philadelphia. This trip is

for adults and youth ages 13 and up.

Space is limited, so contact the church

office for a registration packet – your spot will be secured

once all the registration materials have been turned in.

Questions? Talk to any of last year’s participants:

Wanda, Tesia and Michaela Craner, Gary McDermit, Rick,

Angeline and Jaden Viti, Lynne Moyer, Lucas Gray, Olivia

Dushanko, Kaleena Sweinhart, or Pastor Bonnie.

PAGE 10

Sunday, December 21 at

7 PM —

Longest Night Service, designed

to offer hope and healing.

Wednesday, December 24 at 7 PM —

Children and Families Christmas Eve Service, geared

toward families with children, and will include com-

munion, light sticks, and a unique presentation of the

Christmas story.

Wednesday, December 24 at 10 PM —

A traditional Christmas Eve candlelight service with

communion and special Christmas music.

ALL CHURCH

CHRISTMAS CAROLING

On December 21st, after a light lunch in

the Social Hall following the late service,

we will all go Christmas caroling together.

This is always a fun holiday experience, so be sure to

participate. No RSVP is needed. Just show up and

help spread the JOY!!

The Bible and Marriage Equality

In the groups that met earlier this Fall to

talk about the impact of Pennsylvania’s

marriage equality ruling, several questions

arose about what the Bible does and does

not say about same-sex marriage. Join us

for an introduction to this topic from 9:30 -

10:20 in the Social Hall on Sundays, January 11 and

18th. If you have any specific questions or topics you

want to be sure are covered, let Pastor Bonnie know!

Shenkel Sunday School Students Need YOU!

As we look to the winter and spring months, our roster for volunteers to teach our young-est people is somewhat bare. I thank all those people who have already volunteered to teach a unit but I still have eight open-ings to get us through to the end of Sunday School.

Would you please consider leaving an imprint on our young children by sharing your talents in one of our classrooms –

- Creation Station (if you like Arts and Crafts), - Activity Alley (if you like singing or playing games) - or everyone’s favorite Garden of

Eatin’ (if you like cooking)

This will only require two Sundays of your time but could leave a lasting impression on the kids. If you can help us out, please contact Linda Foss – either by e-mail (pover@comcast.net) or phone

her at 610-741-6949.

Reminder - one service only on Sun-

day, December 28th at 9:30 AM. There

will be no Sunday School that day.

MORE INFORMATION….

PAGE 11

STEWARD’S CORNER

I did have to sit in the corner recently because I didn't have the whole story about the

land Shenkel bought and developed some time around 1968. So, I went to the person

who was there at the time and she told me all about it. She probably is too shy to let you

know it was Barbara Sweinhart, but I won't tell. Here's her story.

There was approximately 6 acres and this new property had to be cleared. The pastor

at that time was Rev. Robert Reiff and he was eager to see an area cleared to serve as outdoor worship

grove for summer months. When that was completed, Pastor Bob’s successor, Rev. Daniel Moser

asked some of the men of the church to help find something to serve as an altar. So a group of men,

including Mickey Sweinhart, Bill Boyer, Dick Walters, Lester Yocom, and Charlie Kersch went with Pas-

tor Dan into the woods of Camp Fernbrook, searching for something that might serve as an altar. Fi-

nally they came across a gigantic rock....but how could they get it down the hill and into the area where

they wanted to place it? Then Charlie Kersch said he had access to a truck with a hoist. He went to get

the truck and brought it back to the huge rock. The men all struggled to get it on the truck. Finally they

managed to get the rock on the truck and back through the woods and down to the spot where Pastor

Dan felt it was perfect!

And from that day on to this very day that ALTAR will always remain where it is!

Stewart

Adult Sunday School Held each Sunday morning at

9:30 in the social hall.

All are welcome.

December 7: INTER-GENERATIONAL

BIBLE STUDY

Leader: Cameron Dushanko

December 14: ARIEL ROYER -

SKYPING to us FROM THE HOLY LANDS

(Everyone is welcome)

December 21: CONGREGATIONAL MEETING:

No Sunday School

December 28: No Sunday School

January 4: INTER-GENERATIONAL BIBLE

STUDY

Leader: Cameron Dushanko

January 11 &18: Topic: INTRODUCTION TO

MARRIAGE EQUALITY & THE BIBLE

Leader: Pastor Bonnie Moore

GOOD STUFF….

Thirty copies of “Joy in Jesus”,

Daily Devotions for Advent have

arrived at the office for your use

during the season of Advent. Pick

up your copy in the narthex.

Journeying Through

Advent –

Advent Labyrinth

Walk Join us any or every Saturday, 12/6, 12/13 and 12/20

at 4 pm for a special time of Advent worship and

walking Shenkel’s labyrinth. We will meet at the pa-

vilion, rain, snow or shine. A personal journal is rec-

ommended, but not required.

The Music Ministry at Shenkel UCC!

Chancel Choir (adult choir)- Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 7:30-9:00 in

the sanctuary at Shenkel UCC. All are welcome and encouraged to attend! In addition,

the Chancel Choir will be performing a Christmas Cantata on December 14th, 2014! We

will learn the cantata not only during our regular Thursday evening rehearsals, but also

during one more extensive Saturday practice: December 6th: 8:30-11:00 AM in the Sanc-

tuary.

The cantata, called “The Christmas Story,” tells the story of Jesus’ birth through a number of more unconventional

Christmas carols. Be prepared to hear the Christmas story in a new and unique way. We encourage you to join us

for the presentation of this excellent musical offering featuring both the Chancel and the Youth Choirs! J

Cherub Choir- Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 6:15-6:45 in the Sanctuary for children in Kinder-

garten - 2nd grade.

Joyful Noise Choir- Practices are held on Thursday evenings in the Sanctuary from 6:45-7:30. This ensemble is

open to children in 3rd-5th grade.

Chime Choir- Practices are held on Sunday mornings during the early service from 8:30-9:30 in the Social Room.

This ensemble is open to adults and youth who are in 6th grade and older.

Youth Choir- Rehearsals for this ensemble are held on Sunday afternoons from 12:15-1:00 in the Sanctuary at

Shenkel UCC for students in 6th-12th grade. Furthermore, singers in this group will be joining the Chancel Choir in

their presentation of the Christmas Cantata on 12/14/14.

**All of our awesome musical ensembles will be singing and playing for the Christmas Eve services (‘tis the sea-

son)! If you are not in one of our groups and would still like to provide special music on Christmas Eve, let me

know! There will be opportunities to give of our talents during the 7:00 service as well as during a musical prelude

before the 10:00 service. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have an interest in offering special music on

Christmas Eve.

We are looking for a few dedicated volunteers to form a “Tech Team.” These folks would be responsible for the

set-up and maintenance of any technological needs of the church (i.e. helping to set up the sound system in the

grove for summer services). For more information, please contact Pastor Bonnie or myself!

For the cost of $30, you can sponsor a choir anthem at Shenkel UCC. Kim Yocom and Barry Peterman sponsored

the Chancel Choir anthem on 9/14/14 (“The Prayer”) to honor their 5th wedding anniversary. Blue envelopes are

available in the Narthex to make your dedications, or feel free to contact me for more details! Your contributions

are greatly appreciated and will be used to continue the tradition of excellent music at Shenkel!

In Christ,

Kaitlyn

267-566-6973 or kaitlyn.waterson@gmail.com

FROM THE MUSIC MINISTRY DIRECTOR…. PAGE 12

PAGE 13

12/03 Kyle Hudick

12/04 Mari O'Drain

12/04 KORTNE HUDICK

12/04 Taylor Baker

12/04 Isabelle Chidawu

12/05 DAVID REINERT

12/06 Carl Bade

12/07 Maggie McCullagh

12/09 Abigail Dise

12/10 ELLEN FAUST

12/10 ROBIN KLEIN

12/10 CHRISTINE DECKMAN

12/15 Verna Walters

12/15 Analexis Foss

12/16 DAVID ELLIS

12/17 PATRICIA KERLIN

12/17 ELLA WOODMAN

12/18 Gillian Caplan

12/18 Sierra Miller

12/20 Judith Gergle

12/20 Amy Shenk

12/21 Betty Bortz

12/22 Sara Helmers

12/22 TIMOTHY KLEIN

12/22 Jim FAUST

12/23 Dave Miller

12/23 Josh Palubinsky

12/24 TJ AUGUSTINE III

12/26 Jeffrey Luckenbach

12/26 Anna Bevan

12/27 TOM MCKIERNAN

12/28 ADDISON MARKLEY

12/29 GEORGE HAMPTON

12/31 MELISSA MELLINGER

01/01 Lori Brewer

01/03 Tammy Baker

01/04 Wendy Ambrose

01/04 Kimberly Yocom

01/04 Jenny Scheler

01/05 Susan Miller

01/05 DENISE YANNICK

01/05 Noah Apgar

01/09 Olivia Dushanko

01/10 James Heath

01/13 Freda Wanner

01/13 Andrew Andrien

01/13 Brandon Foss

01/17 ADELYNN WOODMAN

01/18 Delia Sanseverino

01/20 Frank Brewer

01/21 Mike Martin

01/21 Kailyn Painter

01/22 STEFAN BILINSKI

01/22 Aurora Keim

01/24 DAVID KLEIN

01/25 JARED DEVINE

01/26 Richard Walters

01/26 SHARON WOODMAN

01/27 ERIC KLEIN

01/29 Brian Iezzi

01/30 JILL HUDICK

01/31 Crystal Heimbach

SHARING & CARING WITH OUR CHURCH FAMILY

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

12/7 Jim White

Rebecca Painter

Brian Iezzi

Kurt Kutz

Lori, John and Kaya Skulski and

Jordon Gerhardt-Skulski

12/14 Charlotte White

Gene, Emily and Nick Takach and

Eric Croom

Adele and Wayne Klein

Marie and Carl Bade

Emily Lloyd

12/21 Erika, TJ and Ashlyn Augustine

Elaine and Jim Bevan

Maryln Rohrbach

June and Frank Hartung

Joan and Joe Granger

12/28 Marilyn and Dave Lloyd

Aaron Gray

Katie Hudick

Karen, Randy, Christian and

Nathan Gerber

SHARING & CARING WITH OUR CHURCH FAMILY PAGE 14

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

1/4 Matt Terrell

Stephanie and Jaden Viti

Heather, Tom Jr. and Jaxson Coyne

Pat and Don Laverty

Samantha Pennell

1/11 Scott Kutz

Bonnie Moore

Brenda and Randy Berriker

Collin Gray

Mari, Christian and Connor O’Drain

1/18 Connie and Sam Armbruster

Mary Sue Moyer

Pat and Fred Kerlin

Lucas Gray

Rachel Berriker

1/25 Julianne Wanner

Carol and Stan Stubbe

Jody and Joel Sweinhart

Anna Bevan

Sherri and Bob Mocarski

Betty Bortz would like to extend her sincere appreciation to all those in

the Shenkel Church Family who visited, sent cards of support and/or

prayed for her dear friend , Ann Baccari, before she passed on to be with

God. Thank you also to all who participated at the funeral and helped

with the luncheon that followed.

LONGEST NIGHT

SERVICE

Christmas can be a painful time for

some individuals. It may be the first

Christmas without a loved family mem-

ber who has recently died; it may be a

time that has always been difficult.

The constant refrain on radio and television, in shopping

malls and churches about the happiness of the season,

about getting together with family and friends, reminds

many people of what they have lost or have never had.

The anguish of broken relationships, the insecurity of un-

employment, the weariness of ill health, the pain of isola-

tion—all these can make us feel very alone in the midst of

the celebrating and shopping.

We need the opportunity and time to acknowledge our

sadness and concern. We need to know that we are not

alone.

Our spirits sink, as days grow shorter. We feel the dark-

ness growing deeper around us. We need encourage-

ment to live the days ahead of us.

For these reasons, a special “Longest Night” Peace Ser-

vice is being offered on Sunday., December 21, at 7:00

p.m. at Shenkel United Church of Christ, 1580 Shenkel

Road, Pottstown. Come and join us in sharing and hear-

ing prayers, Scripture, and music that acknowledge that

God’s presence is for those who mourn, for those who

struggle - and that God’s Word comes to shine light into

our darkness.

Everyone, regardless of church background (or lack of it),

is welcome. Please extend an invitation to your friends,

neighbors and colleagues.

PSEC News… Penn Southeast Conference held their Fall meeting Satur-

day, November 8, at St. Paul’s UCC in Douglassville.

Lynne Moyer and Chris Gray joined Pastor Bonnie and

Eric Martens to represent Shenkel. It was a very well at-

tended event and a great opportunity to enjoy celebration

and fellowship with other conference churches. Highlight-

ing the day was the Installation of Rev. Bill Worley as Con-

ference Minister. An afternoon session of “Dreaming/

Visioning” led by Rev Worley served to validate a common

thread in challenges felt by virtually all of the attending

churches, and more importantly an energetic eagerness

to move toward positive change. It is encouraging to see

that Shenkel’s “Gather, Grow, Go” vision is very much in

line with the aspirations of the conference ministry under

Rev Worley’s leadership.

Chris Gray and Lynne Moyer,

Shenkel's delegates to the Fall Meeting

Youth Update!

Thank You! Thanks to everyone who sup-

ported Shenkel’s youth at our

hot dog and baked goods fund raiser at the Wanner’s

Garden Center on Saturday, October 25th and after

worship the following morning. The youth raised over

$260 – woo hoo! Special thanks to Jody Sweinhart

and Lori Scharneck for coordinating this fundraiser.

Shack– A- thon….

Please keep Kaleena Sweinhart, TJ Augustine, Angela

Viti, Samantha Pennell, Lucas Gray, and Lynne Moyer

in your prayers on Saturday, December 6 - Sunday the

7th - they will be sleeping outside in cardboard boxes

with youth from a number of other churches to bring

attention to the challenges of homelessness. Please

speak to any one of them if you would like to support

them with a donation of supplies for, or a donation to

Hopewell Love, INC (In the Name of Christ) in honor of

the 2014 Shack-a-thon.

Luminaries…. The Youth will once again be

seeking sponsors for the luminar-

ies that grace our church’s walk-

way on Christmas Eve. Donation

envelopes will be available in

early December. Thank you!

YOU SHOULD KNOW….

Sunday worship is never

cancelled due to snow or

inclement weather. If possi-

ble, though, please plan to

attend the 10:45 service to

give the snow removal crew

time to clear the parking lot

and sidewalks. The choir directors and Sunday School

teachers will contact you if there is a cancellation of any

programs. Of course, you should always use your judgment

as to whether it is safe enough to drive.

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