March 2018

The message of the cross is foolish for those who are headed for destruction. But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. I Cor. 1:18 NLT Did you ever do anything foolish? One time I played my guitar in worship. Because our daughter was in a dance recital that afternoon, we were in a hurry to go when worship was over and so I left my guitar on the front pew bench, intending to retrieve it later that day. As the sun set, it began to snow. The roads became hazardous and I decided to wait until morning to retrieve the guitar. The church was locked and, I reasoned, “no one will break in with 6 inches of powder on the ground.” You can finish this story. I went to the church first thing in the morning; a television set and my guitar were gone, never to be recovered. God left his only child on a cross – left him among thieves to be robbed of his dignity and majesty and taken out of life. Sometimes when I stop and really think about what happened Good Friday, I wonder why God wasn’t wiser than to let the most precious thing God had slip through his fingers and die. Yet, Isaiah 53 makes it clear that it was for our sakes Jesus died. A punishment that brought us peace was laid upon him and by his wounds we are healed. Easter falls on April Fools’ Day this year? And why not? The very thing that seems foolish became sheer genius when the saving power of God rolled away the stone on Easter morning and recovered what was lost – you and me. Crucified, and laid behind a stone; You lived to die, rejected and alone. Like a rose, trampled on the ground, You took the fall and thought of me above all. ©1999 Hosanna! Music

Joel

Good Friday Prayer Vigil

from Thursday, March 29 at 6:00 p.m. through

Friday, March 30 at 6:00 p.m.

On the evening of his arrest, Jesus was troubled in his spirit and spent time alone in prayer

with the Father. While he did this, he asked three of his disciples to, “Watch and pray with me

one hour.” Mt. 26:36ff

You are invited to watch and pray with the Lord

from the hours of his last supper through

the removal of his body from the cross and its burial.

Beginning Sunday, March 4, a sign-up sheet will be in the Brethren Life Center lobby. You

may pick the hour you prefer to pray. More than one person may choose the same hour. Your

prayer time can be either from the church on Friday when it is open or you may pray at home.

The main doors will be unlocked at 6 a.m. Friday morning until 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. The

sanctuary will be lighted and available for your use.

Pastor Joel will be in the church library

from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Good Friday

for anyone who desires prayer, anointing or bread and cup communion.

On Sunday, March 25th, a guided prayer/meditation will be available for you to use during

your hour if you find it to be helpful.

Celebrate the Family! A New Pictorial Directory is coming!

It has been exactly six years since our last “picture book” church directory. If you have a copy and you’ve looked at it recently, you are aware a lot has changed in that short amount of time!!! A brand new pictorial directory from Lifetouch Photography is being prepared for publication and we need YOU to make our directory complete! It isn’t really a family album if you’re not part of it. Why? Because YOU are part of our church family!

The dates when pictures will be taken are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, May 3rd thru May 5th, and Tuesday and Wednesday, May 8th and 9th.

*Photo sessions generally take about 55 minutes.

We will begin signing-up for our family sessions on Palm Sunday, March 25th. You will be receiving more information as the time approaches. Be sure you take advantage of this opportunity to be professionally photographed and celebrate the family. We look forward to seeing your smile with everyone’s smile in our brand new directory!

CHAMBERSBURG CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

NURSERY SCHOOL NEWS February has been a very busy month at Nursery School. February is Dental Health Month, so we have been learning how to take care of our teeth and eat healthy. We celebrated Valentine's Day and had a friendship party and did various Valentine's Day activities. We learned about the love of God and how He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us and giving us the best Valentine's Day gift of all. On February 14th, we celebrated the 100th day of school. The students

made some fantastic projects and came to school dressed as a 100-year-old person. On Friday, February 16th we had a dental hygienist come to school to teach the students about keeping their teeth healthy. We have been learning the letters M-P this month, the numbers 9-10, and about Jesus selecting His 12 disciples and the Wise Man/Foolish Man lessons. The end of February leads us into Dr. Seuss Day and we have a lot of exciting activities planned. In March we will begin our community workers theme and the classroom will have new dramatic play centers based on the community job we are learning about. We will have a doctor's office, supermarket, fire station, and post office for the students to explore and play in. We have exciting field trips planned as well for the month. Upcoming March Events 2nd – Read Across America (Dr. Seuss Day) 7th – Nursery School Open House 6:45PM-7:45PM 11th – Daylight Savings Time 14th- Field Trip to Giant Supermarket 16th – Aileana's Birthday Celebration 17th- St. Patrick's Day 19th- Field Trip to Marion Fire Company 19th – 22nd – Parent/ Teacher Conferences 20th – First Day of Spring 30th – April 3rd – Easter Vacation

March

Note:

Due to the winter season, Please be advised that if Chambersburg Area School District is closed or is

dismissed early due to weather conditions, REVOLUTION will NOT be in session.

• REVOLUTION: March 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. Come and join us for Worship, a youth message, small groups, games and great food! Don’t forget to bring a friend and your Bible!!

• Fry Tasting Night!! The youth will meet in the Gym on March 28th at 6:00pm. We will be going to 5 different restaurants to see who has the best fry’s in town!

• Easter Egg Hunt Pancake Breakfast: On Saturday, March 24th, 2018 from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. in Brethren Life Center the youth will be hosting a Pancake Breakfast. All youth need to be at the church no later than 7:00AM. All proceeds will benefit National Youth Conference. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, muffins, orange juice and coffee will be served. Following at 10:00 am the Annual Easter Hunt will be held. We will have a story time before the hunt begins. Please come and bring a friend!

Hershey Bears Ice Hockey Game

Sunday, March 25, 2018. Church vans leaving at 2:30 p.m. Cost of a ticket, payable by February 28th, is $15.00 per person. Sign up in the Narthex or Brethren Life Center Lobby. The Bears play the Hartford-Wolfpack. Game is at 5:00 p.m., doors open at 3:30 p.m. The Searchers Sunday School Class is taking reservations to attend the new production of “Jesus” at Sight and Sound on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. The show is at 11:00 a.m. with lunch to follow. More information will follow. If interested, please call Jane Hughes at 717-264-4761.

New York City Bus Trip – Saturday, June 2, 2018 A day on your own in New York. Full bus cost is $61 per person plus tip for bus driver (full bus is 56 people). Less than 56 people, cost will be higher. Tickets also available for The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum (2-hour tour). Payment is needed at time of sign-up to Rhonda Deshong, Hope Parson or the office. Sign-up sheets are available in Narthex and Brethren Life Center Lobby!

March Church Family

Upcoming Events

Chambersburg Church of the Brethren Invites You to Joins Us For…

Pancake Breakfast! On Saturday, March 24th 2018 from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. in Brethren Life Center the youth will be hosting a Pancake Breakfast. All proceeds will benefit the 2018 National Youth Conference. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, muffins, orange juice and coffee will be served. Come hungry and bring a friend!

Easter Egg Hunt! On Saturday, March 24th at 10:00am the Annual Easter Hunt will be held for Pre-Schoolers thru 5th Graders. We will have a story time before the hunt begins. Please come and bring a friend!

• KidNection: For Children Pre-K (age 4) thru 5th grade. Come and join us on Thursday, March 8th, and will continue every 2nd Thursday of the month. We will be meeting in the BLC for Worship, Bible Story, Games and a Craft!!

Due to the winter season, Please be advised that if Chambersburg Area School District is

closed or is dismissed early due to weather conditions, KidNection will NOT be in session.

Dear Chambersburg Church of the Brethren, The Salvation Army of Chambersburg would like to thank you for generously giving your time during our Red Kettle Campaign this past Christmas season. During your time ringing the bell at Bon Ton you raised $206.71, helping to bring our grand total to $90,716.10. We sincerely hope that you will participate in the Red Kettle Campaign again next year. Blessings! --Jaclyn Brewer, Lieutenant Assistant Corps Officer, Pastor Yard Sale Update! We had a profit of $4,000.00. This was distributed 60% to our church Good Samaritan Fund, 20% to Salvation Army, and 20% to BOPIC. Left-over items went to the Salvation Army thrift store and Habitat Re-store. Thank you to all who helped in many different ways! “Soup”er Bowl Food Drive - The Philadelphia Eagles won the “Soup”er Bowl with 254 cans and New England Patriots had 103 cans for a total of 357 collected for the local food pantry! Thank you everyone for your participation. We exceeded our goal of 300 cans and Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles for their first Super Bowl win! --Missions & Service Commission

Thank you to the congregation for your many words of encouragement, support, and get well wishes before, during, and after my recent knee surgery. They were very much appreciated. And to Pastor Joel for his anointing as well as his visits to home and hospital. As it's been said before, you truly are a loving, caring, responding congregation!! ---Vicki Shreiner

Wanda, Tenni, Tom and all of Adin's family would like to express their sincere gratitude and thanks for the support our Church family has provided, with your meals, cards, prayers and meeting our needs during Adin's illness and passing. We Love you All and covet your prayers. ---Wanda Ebersole & Family

Dear Church Family and Friends, Bob and I feel so very blessed to have each of you in our lives. God truly knew what He was doing sending us to the 4th Street Church of the Brethren. We have grown in so many ways – so many positive ways because of the love, examples and teaching of God’s people here, yes His servants. We have grown in ways we never expected and blessed in so many ways. You are our “family”. We have gone thru some tough times and you are always there for us. And we have witnessed how you are always there for everyone. A very special thank you to the Deacons and to you all as you have given to the Samaritan’s Fund. It has helped us more than once. And we know it has helped many others in our church family. We are so very grateful. We all go thru hardships and tight spots, and through your great generosity and love, each family the Samaritan Fund helps touches knows your love. God loves each of us so much and shows it each day. We truly are very blessed to have such a God, our Lord. And to each person (you know) who have helped us in so many ways with your love, words, hugs and those extras. And to my secret friend – every time I get a card, I feel your love in the words you don’t say. Thank you so much! And to our church staff – always there for us. Pastor Joel – thank you for being a good shepherd and challenging us each Sunday and leading God’s flock in the right path and our Searchers Class! Thank you Carol W. for all you do. There are so many to thank. I am going to end with ...you are all beautiful servants and stewards of God’s love. With all our love and appreciation. ---God Bless each of you Bob & Gail Appenzellar

Our Sympathy To: Ray L. Etter and Family following

the death of his beloved wife, Doris Jean “Dodie” Etter on Saturday, January 13, 2018.

Wanda Ebersole and Family;

Tenni and Phil Pyles and Family; Zachary and Rayanne Garnes and Family following the death of their beloved husband, father and grandfather, Adin R. Ebersole on Friday, January 19, 2018.

Richard and Mary Grace

Brown and Family following the death of Richard’s step-daughter, Del Barton on Sunday, February 18, 2018.

Finances at a Glance February 18, 2018

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.

*********

Congratulations to: Jamie and Travis Rhodes on the birth of their son, Eli Thomas Rhodes, on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 12:25 am. He weighed 7 lbs. 10 ounces and was 20.25 inches long.

Congratulations to: Zachary Garnes on taking 2nd Place in the Grand National Calling Championship - Gobbling Division at the 42nd Annual National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in Nashville, Tennessee! Great Job Zach!

Daylight Savings Time begins at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 11. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead an hour!

Chambersburg Church of the Brethren invites you to:

Mid – Week Connection

Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Meal served at 5:30 p.m.

Menu:

Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Brownies and Ice-Cream

Come join us for our BINGO night!

260 South Fourth Street Chambersburg, PA 17201

717-264-6957

Mid-Week Connection’s purpose is connecting our Brethren family to the community through

fellowship and service.

March Book List DVD Unbroken – True Story Almost Home Fiction Where We Belong by Lynn Austin God Bless the Broken Road by Jennifer Dornbush

A Promise Kept by Robin Hatcher

Chambersburg Church of the Brethren

260 South Fourth Street, Chambersburg 717-264-6957

Chicken & Waffle Dinner

March 3, 2018

(Snow Date March 10, 2018)

4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Free-Will Offering To Benefit

Southern PA District Meat Canning

No reservations needed

Serving Our Neighbor (S.O.N.)

Serving Our Neighbors (S.O.N.) will be collecting during the month of March non-perishable breakfast items such as cereal, breakfast bars and oatmeal packets. Place all items in the blue collection containers and we will distribute at the April Mid-Week meal.

For the Kids of Chambersburg

Seventeen artists created items for ARTfest, in a variety of mediums, from ice to wood. The auction raised $824.64. It was an interesting, fun day. Thank you for attending.

Taste of the Valley is the next event. It will be the evening of April 10. Tickets are $25. (See Lora Bucher)

Seventeen eateries have volunteered to bring Yummy food. There will be a live auction and a silent auction plus entertainment. We would love to have YOU join us. Poster and an album of last year’s event are in the narthex. if you wish to donate an item put it on the table (mark with your name) or contact Lora Bucher.

For the Kids of Chambersburg is a small group who raise funds and give it to non-profit agencies that support children in our area. We have no paid workers, so all monies raised goes to the kids.

Watch for Sign-Up Sheets Soon!

Love Feast and Holy Communion

Palm Sunday, March 25th 11:05 a.m.

Brethren Life Center

Theme: The Images of Jesus

One Combined Worship in the Sanctuary at 10:00 a.m.

Sunday School will be held at 9:00 a.m.

Children’s Church - 9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. There will be no 10:45 PERK Service.

Our Deacons invite all to come and experience the upper room of Jesus as we eat a simple meal together, serve one another through the washing of hands or feet, and celebrate his death and resurrection with the traditional bread and juice of holy communion. The Love Feast will be family friendly

with children, ages 5 and older welcome to participate.

*Childcare for younger children will be provided at no cost.

Easter Flower Orders

Orders must be returned by March 11,

2018 Please place your order in the baskets provided in the narthex and the lobby. Payment in full is expected when you

place your order.

Please check which flower you would like to purchase:

_____Easter Lilies $9.00 _______Tulips $9.00 ____Hyacinths $9.00 ____ Mini-Daffodils $10.00

Name_______________________________________________________________

Phone #__________________________

In Honor____________________________________________________________

In Memory of_______________________________________________________

Given by____________________________________________________________

Placed in (circle one) Sanctuary Brethren Life Center

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Pastoral Education for Laypersons The Department of Pastoral Services of Summit Health is accepting applications for Clinical Pastoral Education for Laypersons. The training is designed to give dedicated and talented persons an opportunity to grow and mature as laypersons. The course begins on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. and will meet each Tuesday for 9 consecutive weeks. Each class session lasts approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes and includes power point presentations, group discussion, clinical learning methods and visitation practicum in the hospital. The course concludes with a one-day off-campus retreat to be held on Saturday, June 2. Other than the cost of the course books, the training itself is free. In exchange for the free training, participates are asked to commit to a visitation period of three hours per week for six months. Upon

successful completion of the program, participates may be eligible to be commissioned as Lay Pastoral Caregiver. Course applicants will need a letter of recommendation from their pastor and must be able to successfully meet requirements to become a hospital volunteer. For more information or to register, interested persons should contact Beth Shetter Ray at 717-262-4526 or via email at bshetter@summithealth.org. The application deadline is March 1, 2018.

Save the Date!!

Attention Ladies!

Mark your Calendars for our Annual Woman’s Retreat.

May 18th – 19th, 2018

Chambersburg Church of the Brethren (Please note new location this year)

Cost and Schedule Coming Soon!

Guest Speaker is Diane Swan.

1 Properties Commission Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Library 3 Chicken and Waffle Dinner - benefit District Meat Canning from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. in Brethren Life Center 5 Pickleball at 6:30 p.m. in Brethren Life Center 6 Worship & Music Commission Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room 7 Puzzle & Tables Games at 1:00 p.m. in the Brethren Haus Mid-Week Connection at 5:30 p.m. in Brethren Life Center – Bingo! Nursery School Open House at 6:45 p.m. Revolution at 6:00 p.m. in Sanctuary Hand Bell Rehearsal at 6:00 p.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. 8 KidNection at 6:30 p.m. in Brethren Life Center & Mini-Fellowship Hall 10 SNOW DATE for Chicken and Waffle Dinner 11 Deadline to order Easter Flowers 12 Pickleball at 6:30 p.m. in the Brethren Life Center Church Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room 13 Mid-Week Connection Planning Committee Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room 14 Pickleball at 8:30 a.m. in Brethren Life Center Puzzle & Tables Games at 1:00 p.m. in the Brethren Haus Fellowship & Recreation Commission Meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room Revolution at 6:00 p.m. in Sanctuary Hand Bell Rehearsal at 6:00 p.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. 15 Loving Hearts Lunch at Stoner’s Restaurant at 12 noon. Bingo to follow lunch! 18 Newsletter Deadline for April 19 Pickleball at 6:30 p.m. in Brethren Life Center Deacons Commission Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in Conference Room 20 Helping Hands Circle Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in Mini-Fellowship Hall 21 Pickleball at 8:30 a.m. in Brethren Life Center Puzzle & Tables Games at 1:00 p.m. in the Brethren Haus Revolution at 6:00 p.m. in Sanctuary Hand Bell Rehearsal at 6:00 p.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. 22 Christian Education Commission filling Easter Eggs and short meeting at 5:00 p.m. in Conference Room 24 Youth Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser from 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. in Brethren Life Center Easter Egg Hunt for Church Family & Friends at 10:00 a.m. in Brethren Life Center 25 Palm Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary with Pastor Joel preaching

Love Feast & Communion at 11:05 a.m. in BLC; Sunday School & Children’s Church at 9:00 a.m. Hershey Bears Ice Hockey Game – Leaving at 2:30 p.m.; Game time 5:00 p.m. 26 Pickleball at 6:30 p.m. in Brethren Life Center 28 Pickleball at 8:30 a.m. in Brethren Life Center Puzzle & Tables Games at 1:00 p.m. in the Brethren Haus Revolution at 6:00 p.m. – French Fry Tasting Night! Hand Bell Rehearsal at 6:00 p.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. 29-30 Good Friday Prayer Vigil from 6:00 p.m. Thursday thru Friday at 6:00 p.m.