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Monongahela, PA

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First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

630 Chess Street

Monongahela, PA 15063

Phone 724.258.3255

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RECEIVED MAY 24 - JUNE 28 From May 24-June 28, Disciples Women’s Ministries will receive donations to support the Church World Service Blankets+ minis-try. For over 60 years, CWS has worked in partnership with local communities to identify needs & access resources needed to build the foundation for a more viable future: Blankets, tents, food & other emergency supplies in the wake of a disaster; Tools and seeds for refugees returning home to replant their fields; Wells for families living in drought prone areas to provide clean, safe water to drink and to irrigate crops and gardens; Lit-eracy training & microcredit for women struggling to realize their potential. $10 buys 1 blanket. Make checks payable to DWM.

We were blessed to have Ana Elisa Bermudez Lopez from Lima, Peru, speak during the morning worship on May 24. Some of her Peruvian family from eastern Pennsylvania surprised her by driving to Monongahela and coming to church. Above are some of the ladies at church with Ana Elisa.

The

Proclaimer The Voice of

First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Monongahela, Pennsylvania

Volume 25, Issue 3

May—June 2015

PROMISE KEEPERS

JUNE 19-20 @ CAL U

PASTOR GERALD HAS 10 ($79 VALUE) TICKETS FOR FREE!

Begins at 6:00 PM Friday & Ends at 4:00 PM Saturday

California University of Pennsylvania Center (250 University Ave—California, PA)

► Call or Tell Pastor Gerald by June 14 ♦ First 10 Get the Free Tickets!! ◄

Promise Keepers is a catalytic event for men, challenging them to embrace their calling to lead their families, churches, and communities in

worship of, and obedience to, Jesus the Messiah. Through powerful worship and anointed preaching, men are called to become everything that

God has created them to be, and then to return to their families, churches, and communities with a commitment to hear and obey God’s

Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

FLEATIQUE - SATURDAY, JUNE 6

8 AM - 2 PM Barb Henderson, Lunch Coordinator

●Please bring items for the yard sale by Friday, June 5

● Workers needed to help serve the meal

● Desserts needed for the bake sale

CHURCH PICNIC - JUNE 14

ORGANIZATIONAL V.B.S. MEETING

THURSDAY, JUNE 4 @ 7:00 PM

George Lyons & Kathy Petrosky would like to meet with

everyone who can help in any way with this year’s V.B.S.

The Proclaimer

Greetings. Many heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who shared in some way the celebration of my 30th anniversary of ordination! The cards, the gifts, the calls, the joy of your presence at the dinner on May 17th, and most importantly the prayers really mean a lot to Cindy and me. The kind words said in private or publically by the deputy regional minister David Chafin, and the other clergy and missionaries present were encour-aging and are much appreciated. I echo Paul’s thoughts in Romans 1:8-13 about the saints with whom I’ve had the privilege of sharing life and ministry over the course of these last 30 years let alone the 55 years of my life: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, be-cause your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I re-member you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may im-part to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually en-couraged by each other's faith.” NIV Christianity is simply all about per-sonal relationships – with God, with neighbors, within church families, with your chosen family, and with yourself. Relationships

PASTOR’S PEN

Page 2

The Proclaimer

are about giving and receiving, about blessing and being blessed. It is by God’s amazing grace that strength and wholeness is realized in our life as we are mutually en-couraged by each other’s faith experience on our journey through place and time together. The greatest blessing in my life in Christ Jesus are the people with whom I have the privilege to share in ministry as we all grow in and through God’s grace. Thank each of you for being the blessing that you are to Cindy and me, and allowing us to uniquely be a bless-ing to you. I have come to know and to love many wonderful people through-out the 55 years of my life. I’m grateful for having Christian par-ents whose faith included taking me to church with them so I could learn about Jesus through all the various ministries of First Christian Church (DOC) in Greeley CO for the first 17 years of life. Out of all these experiences in church and among Christian groups while in high school, I came to better know the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and felt the call into full-time Christian service. Neighborhood Hispanic friends and the experience of going with the high school choir to Mexico City allowed me to see the world beyond my isolated and ethnically superior perspective and led to my understanding of being in-volved in missionary evangelism as part of fulfilling my call from God into full-time service to God. I’m grateful for the mutual en-couragement that resulted from

my encounters with people and places during un-dergraduate and graduate studies at ORU, including intercessory pray-er group sessions, and two spring-break mission trips to Mexico City that all enriched my understand-ing and practice of Christian faith and ministry. Professors and fel-low students remain influential in my theological understandings. Working for two summers selling Bibles and Christian children’s books door to door in Tennessee and Kentucky also allowed me to learn more about myself and oth-ers from all walks of life as I shared the gospel of Jesus through that job experience. My senor project for undergradu-ate studies involved studying the cross-cultural communication of the gospel to the Southern Ute Indians of Ignacio CO and also being among the Inuit Church in Wakeham Bay Quebec Canada teaching and preaching for a month. I experienced the blessing of working with the International Students, Inc. ministry in Tulsa, meeting weekly with international students and sharing about why I was a follower of Jesus as I un-derstood more about their faith backgrounds. The congregations of Tulsa Chris-tian Fellowship, Christview Chris-tian Church, and Faith Christian Fellowship expanded my ecumeni-cal appreciation for God’s Church. The people of 41st Street Chris-tian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Tulsa allowed me to spread my

Dr. Gerald Demarest

continued on next page Page 7

Volume 25, Issue 3

SOME PICS FROM THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER ON MAY 17

The Proclaimer

Page 6

HUGH W. MILLER JANUARY 4, 1937 - APRIL 23, 2015

Hugh W. Miller, 78, of Finleyville, died April 23, 2015 in the Allegheny

General Hospital, Pittsburgh. Born January 4, 1937 in Library, the son of Alexander and Stella

Miller, Hugh was a 1954 graduate of Snowden High School and a US Army peacetime veteran

stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was a retired hammersmith from Tamco in Monongahela

with over 40 years of employment & a member of the First Christian Church, Disciples of

Christ in Monongahela where he was a trustee and deacon for many years. Hugh loved

spending time with his family, watching old movies & was an avid Pittsburgh sports fan. He is

survived by his daughter, Patty Miller with whom he made his home; son, Douglas Miller; granddaughter,

Kylie Miller; sister, Sandy Rogowski & husband Alan; several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great neph-

ews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Jacqueline Gregory Miller who died

October 19, 2007. Services were held in the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on April 27 with the

Rev. Dr. Gerald Demarest officiating. Interment followed in Jefferson Memorial Park, Pittsburgh.

Bobby Crafton and Leah Swasey were

married on May 30 in the First United

Methodist Church in New Castle, PA.

Bobby is the son of Bob and Marie

Crafton of Donora. Leah is the daughter

of Bob and Sue Swasey of New Castle.

We extend our congratulations and best

wishes, and pray that God will bless

Bobby and Leah in their married life.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER SERVICE

Front Row: Stephanie Woods, Cora Russell, Jennifer Frazier, Wanda McMahon. 2nd Row:

Virginia Day, Francine Mizwa, Jessica Sarnoskie, Audrey Minjock, Gerald Demarest, Lois

Morrison, Debbie Yohe, Jackie Leaver, Mildred Carey, Grace Kahl. Back Row: Anna Mary

Frye, Jeri Roman, Kathleen Petrosky, Alan Morrison, Charles Cochran, Laurie Cochran

First Christian Church (DOC) hosted the World Day of Prayer Service

where participants from Bethel A.M.E. Church, First Baptist Church,

First Christian Church Charleroi, First Christian Church Monongahela,

First United Methodist Church, and St. Damien of Molokai Parish

Catholic Church presented the worship service written by the wom-

en of the Bahamas on the theme of “Radical Love” taken from the

Gospel of John 13:1-7. Debby Petrosky shared a vocal solo, and The

Rev. Lois C. G. Morrison gave the sermon. Thanks to D.J. Fogiato

who was the audio visual technician for the service.

Volume 25, Issue 3

Page 3

Volume 25, Issue 3

THANK YOU SUNDAY, JUNE 14

1:00 PM

SHEKINAH RANCH

77 Chestnut Rd.

Charleroi, PA

- bring a dish to share

wings during seminary training. Both pastoral and lay leadership in all these church settings influ-enced who I became and how I responded to God’s call on my life, for which I am truly thankful. On May 5, 1985, I graduated from Seminary at ORU in the afternoon and then celebrated my service of Ordination at 41st Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that evening. My parents were there as The Rev. Bill Carson and the elders of the church, along with representatives from the Oklaho-ma Regional Commission on the Ministry and two professors, laid hands on me, praying for God’s blessing as I embarked on ful-filling my calling through the or-dained ministry among the Church of Jesus Christ. Since the only real way for the world to be a better place is for people to become better. Through knowing Jesus, lives are trans-formed, and my hope is that sharing the Gospel in word and deed with those in my sphere of influence will contribute to making a real difference.

Over the course of these last 30 years, my path has crossed many wonderful “human” people in plac-es of mutual ministry, spiritual en-richment, and encouragement in the faith. My practice of pastoral ministry was enhanced and broad-ened as I earned the Doctor of Ministry degree with the people at Phillips Theological Seminary. Ministry settings and church com-munities in Oklahoma, Texas, Col-orado, Georgia, Honduras, Peru, and Pennsylvania have a special place in my heart and memories, each with stories too numerous to recall on this occasion. With my dearest friend and wife, Cindy, by my side assisting, encouraging and praying for me as she minis-ters in Jesus’ Kingdom as well, I have truly been blessed, and hope to have been a blessing to those in the communities of faith of which I’ve been a part. Thanks for your continued prayers and participation in my life as we journey day to day growing in and through God’s grace. Pastor Gerald

PASTOR’S PEN continued from previous page

Dear Friends,

Where do I start?......"Thank You"

are two beautiful words, but are

not enough to express the feel-

ings in my heart. My First Chris-

tian Church family means the

world to me. My absence from

my church has been a rough ex-

perience and my recent, ongoing

illness has made me realize the

importance of my faith. I have

set my heart and life back to the

peace and comfort of God. As

soon as I am strong enough, I

hope to see each and every one

of you. God Bless you all for your

caring thoughts and prayers. It

took me a bit of time to realize

God was, in fact, hearing my

pleas for healing and happiness.

Love you all, Betsy Price

Dear Church,

We are so lucky to have such a

supportive church family! Thank

you for everything!

Patty & Kylie Miller

Rev. Demarest, Mr. Fogiato,

Mr. Karnack, & Mr. & Mrs. Hyslop:

I want to thank you all for coming

to my mother’s and my mother’s

neighbor’s and picking up all of

the furniture and other stuff for

the Fleatique. My mother and I

appreciate all the help and kind-

ness. April Leyda

Page 4

The Proclaimer

► V.B.S. JULY 27-31 ◄

TRI-COUNTY MEN - JUNE 11

The Tri-County Men’s Fellowship quarterly

meeting is at Lone Pine Christian Church in

Lone Pine on June 11. Registration is at 5:30

and the meal cost is $8. Let Frank Karnack

know before June 7th if you will attend.

GRADUATE RECOGNITION - SUNDAY, JUNE 7

Cara Scagline graduated with high honors and received a B.A. degree in Anthropology with a concentra-tion in Forensics and a minor in Justice Studies

from California University of Penn-sylvania. She was a member of Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society, and the National Society of Leadership and Success. She was the recipient of the Peter Alosio Commitment and Service Award and the Distinguished Service Award. Cara plans to earn a Master's Degree in Criminology from California University of PA. Cara is a member of the diaconate of the First Christian Church, Monongahela. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

Joe Fogiato received a B.S. degree in Business Administration with dual majors in Supply Chain Management and Marketing.

During college, Joe held an in-ternship position with the sports merchandising department at General Nutrition Centers (GNC) at their headquarters in down-town Pittsburgh. Following gradu-ation, he accepted a position with the candy merchandising depart-ment at Giant Eagle's corporate offices in Fox Chapel.

Bobby Crafton received a B.A. degree in Stu-dent Ministries with a minor in Music from Geneva College. He will begin a full-time paid internship with

Orchard Hill Church in Wexford in their Music and Student Ministries programs, leading and directing students in worship primarily in a band setting. During college, Bobby was a Timothy of the Tri-County Men’s Fellowship, and was under the care of the Commission

on Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He played gui-tar with the FCCM praise band.

Gabe Cannoni is a graduate of Belle Vernon Area High School. During his high school years, he participated in & enjoyed playing both offensive and defensive

positions in football, track & field, and wrestling. Gabe is also a grad-uate of the Central Westmoreland Career and Technical School. He was at the top of his class in plumbing, and received the “Top Student” Award in Plumbing. Gabe is a member of the diaconate of the First Christian Church, Monon-gahela.

Jared Harbaugh is a graduate of Ringgold High School. During his high school years, he participated in and excelled in hockey for the Ringgold High

School hockey team in the Pennsyl-vania Interscholastic Hockey League. Jared played forward and ranked 4th on his team roster for PPGA.

Volume 25, Issue 3

The General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is July 18-22 in Columbus, Ohio — one of the closest assemblies to us in many years. Register online (www.disciples.org/ga) or through the mail. More information about the General Assembly, hotels, and meals may be found at www.disciples.org/ga The theme to call us into ministry is taken from the biblical text, Isaiah 40:28-31, NIV. As a whole, the 40th chapter of Isaiah has a message for the Church in this time and place. Comfort, preparation, call, chal-lenge – all are contained in this single chapter. And there is also the promise of fresh strength to SOAR! If you’ve never attended GA before, please consider doing to this year since it is so close to us.

GIFT CARDS FUNDRAISER

The congregation is participating in a gift card fundraiser to benefit the church’s general fund. You may pur-chase gift cards from Patty Miller, coordinator, before or after church services. This is a great way to help the church while remembering and celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or holidays — or just while shopping at grocery or retail stores, or dining out!

Our church receives a percentage for each card purchased. Some of the more popular ones include gas sta-tions, Giant Eagle, Sheetz, GFS Marketplace, Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Darden, Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc), Disney, cruise lines, hotels, and car rental. A lengthy list and order forms are available in the narthex.

Page 5

PERU MISSION TRIP - MARCH 16-26

Josh Green, Tom Ravasio, Gerald Demarest,

DJ Fogiato, David Bagan, Tom Kahl; Brittany

Robertson, Sherri Fogiato, Grace Kahl

Our team at Miguel Castro Castro Prison, largest prison

in Peru. These Peruvian ladies organize Christian ministry

and Bible studies, & provide fresh food for the inmates.

Steps Leading to

Mount Horeb Three of the

many children

in the poorest

areas of Lima.

Always smiling,

Always grateful