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The Cent-I-Gram Centennial Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kimberton, PA 19442

Vol. 23, No. 5 May 2020

Mother’s Day Sunday, May 10

Memorial Day Monday, May 25

Pentecost Sunday, May 31

2 The Cent-I-Gram May 2020

April 29, 2020 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life… 23rd Psalm If you are like me, living in this pandemic isolation, it is as though one day just seems to melt into the next. Time, which is at best an elusive component to our lives, has gotten even more elusive. It’s getting so that it’s hard to remember what life was like for us as a faith community just a few months ago, before the coronavirus came into our lives. At our Congregation Council meeting on Tuesday, we shared some thoughts and ideas about what re-opening the church for worship might look like; what our new normal might be when the time comes to safely gather again in reality, and not just virtually. (Please see the letter from Bishop Davenport on page 4 in this newsletter on the subject). This has me thinking about who we really are as a faith community; what kind of character we display. You may recall our Congregation meeting from the end of January, just three short months ago. There were plenty of hurdles to overcome back then, even without an unforeseen pandemic. But you, the people of Centennial were taking on these challenges with a forward-looking spirit. After all, we are children of a loving God, brothers and sisters of Christ, baptized in the promise of eternal, abundant life. One of the biggest issues we had to face was a looming financial shortfall. Based on people’s estimates of giving for 2020, we were coming up way short. If our congregation were to have any chance of remaining viable, we needed a plan to generate additional giving. It was with these thoughts in mind that we adopted a spending plan for 2020 that was significantly less than 2019, and at the recommendation of our stewardship team and council, we embarked on a three-year capital appeal. The appeal has a goal of raising an additional $250,000. Renew, Revitalize, Rejoice became our rallying cry. Fred Stoudt was named as the chairperson for our appeal. I remember Fred giving some stirring remarks about his memories of earlier years at Centennial, and challenging us to rise to the occasion. Please see Fred’s article in this May newsletter (page 3). As Fred will tell you, we’ve made some nice progress toward our three-year goal of $250,000. But the capital appeal relies on continued regular giving. And our commitment to continue in our financial stewardship seems to now be in question. In reality, our first quarter giving was strong. A combination of regular giving and some early giving to the capital appeal have us ahead of expected giving by about $15,000. However, when we look at regular giving in March, we find a troubling indicator - $5,600 of regular giving was $5,200 less than the $10,800 expected! Now, I don’t like throwing all these numbers at you, but I’m doing so in the interest of transparency, and to possibly nip a potential problem in the bud. I believe that some of our shortfall can be attributed to the fact that March was our first month without actual in-person worship; I pray that is the case, and that giving will pick up again soon. We are incurring expenses whether we are at worship or not. I urge you to be in prayer about your giving, and either mail regular checks to the church, or set up an automatic draw from your checking or savings account. Feel free to be in touch with me or any member of our congregation council to discuss this. God bless all of you. Please stay safe.

Pastor Jerry

May 2020 The Cent-I-Gram 3

.

A Message from the Capital Appeal Chairperson: The COVID-19 virus has affected our way of life in a manner that is just unimaginable. For the past seven

weeks, by practicing social distancing we are unable to worship together, and also Centennial had to

curtail Sunday services and community activities. We know this is necessary to keep us all safe. However,

Centennial needs our help more than ever.

While we find ourselves in this waiting period, financial support is needed to meet continuing monthly

obligations. Each of us can help by contributing weekly, or monthly envelope offering by mail to:

Centennial Lutheran Church, PO Box 840, Kimberton, PA 19442.

At the same time the Capital Appeal, in only its fourth month, received pledges in the amount of $123,000

donated by 16 families. This represents 48% of our three year goal given by 33% of family members.

Prayerfully consider how you can help support the Church, either through mail in offerings, and/or a

pledge to the Capital Campaign. Every gift no matter how small, like the gift from the Little Drummer

Boy, will help.

Thank you very much in advance for helping the people of Centennial continue its mission, while we

navigate these challenging times. May God bless you and your family until we can worship together again

in HIS SERVICE. Until then, please KEEP SAFE.

In His Service,

Fred Stoudt


(continued on page 6)


(continued from page 5)



Church Council has made the decision to cancel the worship services through the month of May. This decision is in response to the Governor’s

recommendations and the Bishop’s recommendation to follow local Government policies, and to protect people from exposure to Covid-19 virus.

Council will revisit the decision to cancel worship in the future as conditions change.

————————————————————————————————

A Prayer for

Memorial Day We remember, O Lord, all

those people throughout the

years who have made the

supreme sacrifice for our

country, for liberty, for us.

Whenever we breathe the air of freedom or claim the

right to justice or enjoy the privilege of worship, fill

us with gratitude for those who selflessly gave the

last full measure of devotion — their very lives —

for our benefit .

May these brave men and women now know the joy

of eternity and your presence. And may the families

of the fallen receive comfort and peace amid their

grief. Help us as we minister to their needs. Through

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.



Praising God During a Pandemic

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.—Psalm 34:1

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

I pray this letter finds you and your loved ones well and making the best of this unexpected time together.

These are challenging times for you, I’m sure.

I wanted to reach out and encourage you, dear friend in Christ. 365 times in the Bible the Word tells us to

“fear not.” One reminder for every day of the year, more than enough to get us through the current health

crisis or any crisis you may be facing or in the future. God is more than enough. He is in control.

Give praise and thanks to Him for all things. Everything is a God thing...even COVID-19. Before the

beginning of time, He knew this pandemic would occur, and He alone controls the outcome. Fear not! He

holds you and your loved ones in the palm of His hand. He is in control.

During this challenging time I urge you to:

• Be in prayer.

• Stay in God’s Holy Word.

• Be leaders in your community. Follow the rules placed by your local officials. Demonstrate your

leadership by being the first follower. Leadership knows no age, no gender, and no color.

• Find new ways to reach out and stay connected to your loved ones via social media, online worship

services, email, texts, and phone calls.

• Cast all your worries and cares upon Him.

• Focus on the amazing things He is doing in this time of crisis...not the negative or sensational. God is

doing amazing things through ordinary people right now!

God is indeed in control of all things. He will watch over you and guide you as you as you seek His will

and His way. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have

been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

I praise God for all of you. I praise God for the prayer warriors you are and the gifts you give to this

ministry. I praise God for how He is using this time to strengthen and condition all of us for the battles

ahead because we will need one another more than ever when this is over.



We would like to thank Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' (SM) and those people who have designated Choice Dollars via the Thrivent Choice(R) program. This month we gratefully acknowledge gifts designated by the following people: Carole Stoudt Fred Stoudt Patt Shumaker Larry Shumaker Jerene Gladfelter Barbara Ray Rick Henricks If you have any questions about Choice Dollars or how to designate them to our church, please contact [email protected].

And be encouraged, God is still using Lutheran Indian Ministries to touch and transform the lives of

Native peoples...even during this pandemic. We are tireless and relentless in accomplishing His will

because that is what He has called us to do.

In fact, thanks to our wonderful staff leadership, I was able to “go” to church in Gallup, New Mexico;

Mesa, Arizona; Neah Beach, Washington; and Lawrence, Kansas all on one Sunday in March!

It was fun and interesting to see how each member of our ministry team crafted, created, and stylized a

worship experience unique to the people they serve. You should be so very proud of them!

Please know the ministry staff of Lutheran Indian Ministries is lifting you up in prayer each and every

day. We are grateful you have supported this ministry so generously and so faithfully; now it is our turn

to support you through our prayers on your behalf.

I do not have all the answers, but our awesome God does. Our God is able. He is fearless. He is faithful.

He NEVER sleeps!

Praise God from whom all blessing flow!

In Him,

Tim Young Eagle

Executive Director

___________________________________________________________________________________


mailto:[email protected]


Scripture Reading: Psalm 138

Only in the darkness can you see the stars. —Martin Luther King Jr.

They still tell the story at William and Mary College of daffy, magnificent

President Ewell. For a century and a half, this prestigious Virginia school

had been a leader among American universities. Then came the Civil War.

In the hard days of reconstruction that followed, William and Mary went

bankrupt. Soon it had a deserted campus, decaying buildings and no

students.

As with so many Southern schools after that tragic war, everyone wrote it off as dead. Everyone, except its

president. He had given his best years to advancing the liberal arts through that school. He refused to give up

now. So, every morning, President Ewell went to the deserted campus, climbed the tower of its main building,

and rang the bells, calling the school to class.

He behaved as though the school was still there.

People thought he was crazy. Nevertheless, every day for seven years, President Ewell rang the bells at

William and Mary, in defiance of the despair and hopelessness that would destroy everything he held

valuable.

Eventually and miraculously, it worked. Others caught his vision. Students, teachers and money returned.

Today, America’s second oldest university thrives again, because of the hope of a single man.

Today, people suffer all around the world. Churches are shuttered by the threat of disease and uncertainty and

scattered by the fear of disease and uncertainty.

Many people are shut up in their homes or apartments having no else to go: no work, no restaurants, nor

entertainment venues. It’s such a different atmosphere from the bustle and high-energy life we’re used to.

But we persist, wherever we are.

We worship God in our homes and online with a virtual community of believers. We read the Bible. We pray

on bended knee. We give thanks. We help others in their time of need. We walk humbly with God.

We’re ringing the bells of hope. And someday, we shall have our reward.

—Timothy Merrill

Prayer: God of grace and mercy, you are our hope. We cast ourselves upon you in utter faith and confidence.

There is none besides you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(reprinted with permission from HomeTouchMinistries.com)


Answers to puzzle are on last page of

newsletter

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.


Wednesday Bible Study

Come join Pastor Jerry at the

church on Wednesday mornings at

10:30 AM for a time of studying

the scripture lessons for the upcom-

ing Sunday. All are welcome!

If you have any questions please

contact Pastor Jerry at the church

office (610-933-1528) or by e-mail

[email protected].

Bible study will resume once the

church building is able to re-open.

Coming Events

Coming Events is a weekly

publication listing the calendar for

the week and telling you about

anything special coming up along

with general church announce-

ments. Coming Events is posted to

the website (usually by Tuesday

afternoons) and a link is emailed to

everyone on our church-wide email

list. If you are not on this email list

and would like to be, please email

[email protected].

You can also access the Coming

Events publication on the website

at www.centenniallutheran.org un-

der the Coming Events tab.

Giant Grocery Cards

Purchase a $25 or $50 Giant

grocery card! Available every

Sunday. Contact Beth Wise (610-

935-1727) or contact the church

office to buy a $25 or $50 grocery

card redeemable at any Giant Food

Store. Giant will donate 5% of the

proceeds to support the youth.

Prayer List

To request prayer, first request permission from the individual

in need of prayer (as requested by our Synod). Then send an

email to [email protected] or call Joanne

Cantwell at 610-933-0341 or Jerene Gladfelter at 610-933-3542.

Please list the individual’s name and a BRIEF description of the

situation (i.e. chemo, dementia, auto accident, comfort and

peace, etc.) along with the name of the requester and

association (brother, co-worker, friend, etc.). Please also advise

us when a prayer request is no longer valid. Printed prayer lists

are issued at the beginning of each month as a bulletin

insert. Please update us by the 25th of each month to ensure that

your request is listed. In addition, there is an email list of

individuals desiring to be on the Prayer Chain to receive

immediate prayer requests other than those listed monthly. If

you wish to be included on this email list, please contact Joanne

(610-933-0341) or Jerene (610-933-3542) with your email

address or telephone number.

2 Robert Jorgensen 5 Megan Paxton 6 John Ackroyd 7 Kathy Geiger 12 Dylan Miller 16 Caellie Cobb 18 Mason Wright 19 Melanie Wise 23 Cora Perrone 28 Mark West 29 Gwenna Kiley

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and

be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24 Do you notice any missing birthdays? We want to be sure to include everyone on our birthday list. If

you notice that a birthday is missing from our list, please take a moment to let the office know. You can leave a note in the of-

fice or sent an email to Rebecca @centenniallutheran.org. Thank you!

mailto:[email protected]


Life in the New “Normal” —Rebecca Benecke

As we are all acutely aware, so much of our daily lives have changed during this COVID-19 pandemic with

the accompanying “shelter in place” mandates, many of which have no specific end dates. While there are

many difficulties and challenges that have come with this situation, and in no way do I intend to minimize

the sadness and loss, there have also been some unexpected things that have brought joy to us in the midst

of these unprecedented times.

For instance, I am noticing that so many more people than usual are walking around

my neighborhood and will actually wave and greet one another (from a safe distance,

of course) and it has brought a smile to my face. I have also been noticing how

beautiful the blooms are this spring, especially the roses out in front of several homes

in my neighborhood, providing a lovely invitation to literally “stop and smell the

roses” along with the opportunity to compliment the neighbors who cultivate them.

From the caring group of people who call Centennial their church home, I have heard heartwarming stories

of those showing compassion to others by delivering homemade food, puzzles, and magazines to people

who are unable to get out of their homes; of people being willing to shop for groceries and deliver them to

those who are at higher risk of complications from COVID-19; of sewing masks for medical personnel on

the front lines of fighting the virus; of people making innovative accommodations to safely continue to

provide meals for those in need in the community; and on it goes.

People also are demonstrating creativity in their responses to the limitations of

sheltering in place. I have seen groups of people hold conversations with others while

maintaining a safe distance between them, sometimes hollering across the street to

each other; a “tailgating party” with a small number of trucks parked about 12 feet

apart in an empty retail lot; and some fantastic chalk art on the sidewalks in town,

many including notes of thanks to the essential workers serving us in this difficult time along with notes of

encouragement for people to know we will get through this time. Our community organized a “Bear Hunt”

for children by asking people to place stuffed teddy bears in their windows so that children could search for

them while they were out walking. Instead of a traditional Easter egg hunt, people painted words of

encouragement on rocks and left them scattered along a walking path for others to find.

On a personal note, I have had the opportunity to participate in a remote Game Night with my daughters on

the computer. How fun to play games while we were in 3 different states and get to see their adorable cats

meowing into the camera. Also, since our hair salons were deemed unessential in early March, my husband

kindly offered last week to color my “sparkles” (i.e., my gray roots); he was much more confident and

excited at this prospect than I was but he did a great job. It is possible that he may have a future career as a

hair colorist!

I am curious to know how this sheltering in place is playing out in the lives of the people at Centennial.

What are some of the things that you have experienced during this time that have brought joy or

humor to you or have challenged you to think creatively? Have you found ways to occupy your

new-found time such as resuming a hobby you previously enjoyed, making phone calls or even writing

letters to encourage friends and family, getting caught up on organizing and spring cleaning? If you would

like to share your experiences, simply email them to me so that they can be passed on as

encouragement to others in our next newsletter ([email protected]). I look forward to

hearing from you!


MINISTRY LEADERS

Church Council Members Jim Fowler (President) [email protected]

Harry Gladfelter (Vice President) [email protected]

Ed Kalmbach (Secretary) [email protected]

Denise Ackroyd (Treasurer) [email protected]

Bill Donovan 610-933-4374

Rick Henricks [email protected]

Christine Holmes [email protected]

Barbara Ray [email protected]

Reggie Ryberg [email protected]

Larry Shumaker [email protected]

Pastor Jerry [email protected]

Team Leaders Property Team Leader: Ed Kalmbach [email protected]

Finance Team Leaders: Kathy Geiger [email protected]

Financial Secretary: Denise Ackroyd [email protected]

Asst. Treasurer: Patt Shumaker

Worship Team Leader: John Miller [email protected]

Director of Music Ministry:

Jack Charles [email protected]

Altar Guild Leader: Frances Warren [email protected]

Faith Development Leader: Reggie Ryberg [email protected]

Social Ministry/Global Missions Leaders:

Beth Wise [email protected]

Nancy Miller [email protected]

Dave Winning [email protected]

Care Team Leaders:

Deanna Kalmbach [email protected]

Diana Moffett [email protected]

Hospitality Team Leader:

Sue Nizio [email protected]

Stewardship Team Leader:

Dave Winning [email protected]

Prayer Chain Coordinators: [email protected]

Joanne Cantwell, Jerene Gladfelter

Evangelism Leaders: Christine Holmes [email protected]

Barbara Ray [email protected]

In this issue....

Pastor’s Page 2

Capital Appeal Message 3

Letter from Bishop Davenport 4

Church Council Minutes 5

Memorial Day Prayer 7

St. Mary’s Thank You Note 8

Update from Lutheran Indian Missions 9

Thrivent Giving 10

Devotional 11

Update from the Brindleys 12

Puzzle Page 13

May Birthdays 14

May Prayer List 15

Life in the New “Normal” 16

Ministry Leaders 17

The Cent-I-Gram is published by Centennial: A Church for the Entire Community

We are chosen, blessed and sent to share the Gospel of Christ, for the healing of our world.

1330 Hare’s Hill Road, Kimberton PA 19442 Sunday Worship 9:30 A.M., Education Hour 10:30 A.M. 610-933-1528

The Rev. Gerald Tancredi, Pastor - Rebecca Benecke, Editor e-mail: [email protected] webpage at: http://www.centenniallutheran.org

Need for Pastoral Care: Please notify us if you or a family member is hospitalized and/or in need of a pastoral call or visit. We have no other way of knowing of a hospitalization or a pastoral need. Please call Pastor Jerry on his cell phone at

215-260-9755 or notify the church office at 610-933-1528.

The Wine of the Spirit “No one puts new wine into old wineskins,” said Jesus (Luke 5:37). Drawing on this statement, a preacher in sixth-century Africa proclaimed in a Pentecost homily: “It was with good reason, then, that some people, when they heard the apostles speaking in every tongue, said, ‘They are filled with the new wine.’ For they had become fresh wineskins, they had been renewed by the grace of holiness, so that when they were filled with the new wine, that is, with the Holy Spirit, they spoke with fervor in every tongue. … "Celebrate, then, this day as members of the one body of Christ. Your celebration will not be in vain if you are what you celebrate, if you hold fast to the church which the Lord filled with his Holy Spirit.” Fifteen centuries later, may that call still resonate with us. May we be so renewed by God’s grace as to be worthy vessels of the new wine of the Holy Spirit — and to share it with the world.

Many folks want to serve God, But only as advisers.

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