News of the

Clinton

United

Presbyterian

Church

The CUP

The Rev.

Laura E.

Strauss

Minister

Declare God’s glory among the nations, God’s

marvelous deeds among all peoples.

– Psalm 96:3

I am the church. You are the church. We are the

church together.

– Hymn, ‘We Are the Church’

I, like many of you, am mourning the loss of

Youthtowne. The green space located behind

our church cemetery is one of those sacred

areas where deer roam free, the sky is vast,

and fields are wide. Its’ loss will be felt by a

significant portion of our congregation, as well

as by many of God’s creatures who call

Youthtowne home.

And yet….where might God be at work in this?

The answer to that question is easy: the arrival

of hundreds of God’s children in our

immediate area! As Mister Rogers once said,

“Isn’t it amazing that every person has their

own unique story?” With the new houses

coming into Youthtowne, we have the

opportunity to hear countless unique stories,

as well as to become a part of those stories.

How will we hear and join the stories of our

new post-Youthtowne neighbors?

We have heard the stories of the children of

our neighborhood at Vacation Bible School,

the St. Patrick’s Family Party, and Trunk or

Treat. It’s time for our Evangelism Team to

grow so that we can do a better job of hearing

the stories of these children’s grown-up’s, too.

The Evangelism Team meets on the third

Sunday of every month at 9:00 a.m. Elder

Jennifer Rossman leads the team, which is

currently preparing for the upcoming Findlay

Twp. Fair in the Woodlands and Parade. All

creative and/or hardworking hands are

needed. In the months and years to come, this

committee will continue to discern how to

share Jesus Christ with our growing

community.

My hope is that our congregation will rally

together to give new Findlay Twp. Residents a

proper “little church with a BIG heart”

welcome. I hope that our fantastic bakers will

bake, that our extroverts will knock on doors

with those baked goods, that our introverts

will nurture meaningful relationships with

those who enter our doors, and that our

members will welcome new visitors by sharing

their pew. I hope that unknown faces at

church potlucks will find a new friend at their

side, new members will find an invitation to

lunch after worship, and no one will drive by

our yellow brick building without knowing that

they are cared for by this special place. I hope

that we will not only go to church, but that we

will continue to BE the church for the sake of

this community in this most particular of

seasons.

You are invited to be a part of the Evangelism

Team by joining their monthly meetings, or by

engaging in any of the above. You can, and

you do, make a difference for the sake of

God’s kingdom. Now is an opportune moment

for us to grieve the loss of one blessing, and to

open our hearts to a new blessing.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Laura

Scripture Readings in August

August 6, 2017: Youth Sunday

Responsive Psalm: Psalm 67

Gospel Reading: Matthew 28:16-20

New Testament Reading: Acts 1:6-9

August 13, 2017:

The 10th Sunday after Pentecost

Responsive Psalm: Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

August 20, 2017:

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Responsive Psalm: Psalm 133

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 45:1-15

August 27, 2017: Rally Day

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 1:8 – 2:10

Fair in the Woodlands

We are looking for people to help us come up with

ideas on how to decorate the float and fair booth.

Contact Jennifer Rossman if you would like to join

our committee and participate in this fun event so

we can draw people to our church! 412.848.9399

We also need volunteers to run the booth during the

event. We want to attract people to our church so

we will be doing games and giving out prizes. Ideas

are welcome!

CROP Hunger Walk Planning Meeting:

If you would like to be a part of planning this year's

CROP Walk to end local and global hunger, join

Pastor Laura for a meeting a Clinton U.P. Church on

Thursday, August 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Christian

Ed. building.

Back to School

Attention all children and

youth, please bring your

backpack on Sunday,

August 20th. We will be

“blessing the backpacks”

during the Children’s Sermon. Thank you!

Rally Day

Join us for Rally Day on Sunday, August 27th

during our 10:00 a.m. worship service. We will

celebrate all of our children who are, "crossing the

bridge" into a new year.

Time Change

Worship will begin at 11:00 a.m. beginning on

Sunday, September 3rd. There will be Sunday

School for all ages at 9:45 a.m.

Save the Date:

The CROP Hunger Walk will be on Sunday,

October 15.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taste and see that

the Lord is good

- Psalm 34:8

All members of Youth Group are invited to

join us on

Sunday, September 10 from

12:30 - 2:30 p.m. at Clinton U.P. Church

Lunch will be provided.

Hope to see you there!

Yum Groom 7

Emma Ayers 7

Bill Marburger 10

Mark McConnell 11

Brayden McCullough 13

Billy Thomas 14

Irma Groom 20

Rev. Dr. Cindy McClung 23

Joan Downs 24

Skip Clydesdale 25

Joshua Wilson 27

Emily Metz 28

Linda Wade 28

Jennifer Resio 31

Worldwide Communion Sunday:

The sacrament of communion will be

observed on Sunday, October 1. This is

Worldwide Communion Sunday. Please

prepare your hearts for this sacrament by

being reconciled to one another.

Reformation Sunday is Coming!

2017 marks 500 years since the start of the

Reformation. Start breaking out your plaid as

we get ready to celebrate on Sunday, October

29. More information to follow.

It has been a difficult journey over the last two years. I

wish that I could tell you that the journey is over but it is

not. This is a journey that I could not and would not

have survived without your support in the form of cards,

meals, and especially prayer. I began a new treatment in

May and now that the dosage has been adjusted the

side effects have been minimized. Now it is a matter of

monitoring in the form of bloodwork and scans to look

for any indications that the chemo is keeping the cancer

in check. This treatment will last several years and has

the potential to eliminate the cancer. I feel healthy and

have been able to return to teaching full time.

It is a blessing to be part of such a caring church family. I

truly feel that I have experienced a miracle in the

healing that I have experienced so far. A miracle in

which all of you have played a part. Thank you so very

much for your support and please keep me in your

prayers as I continue this journey of healing.

~Diane Boustead

Dear Friends of Clinton U.P. Church,

To our small church with a Big Heart, you truly

have been a blessing to me when I was in the

hospital, nursing home and now home to my

apartment. I am so thankful to be home.

May God Bless all of you for your kindness and

prayers.

A special thanks to Rev. Dr. Bob for his prayers and

visits.

Thank you,

Lena Cool

VBS 2017: Bug Safari Thank you to our director, Elder Brenda Metz,

for her steadfast leadership of Vacation Bible

School!

A special ‘Thank You’ to all the volunteers,

teachers, team leaders, and kitchen aids, who

helped with an average of 80 children per day,

and made VBS “Bug Safari” a success this year!!

During the week of July 17th, our church

welcomed 80+ children through our doors every

day to learn about Jesus. While here, the

children learned songs of praise, played games,

listened to stories in the cave, made colorful

crafts, and learned about Jesus at their daily

Bible story.

On Thursday night, families gathered together

in our church for a cookie reception and

presentation by the children. The children also

donated food items to support the WA Food

Pantry!

Thank you to Rachel Miller Ayers and

Scott Hilpert for leading our Youth

Group Mission Trip, along with a call

to pray for our youth as they serve in

West Virginia from

July 31 - August 4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Youth Group Resumes on

September 10 Taste and see that the LORD is good!

All youth in grades 6-12 are invited to

join us on September 10 at 12:30 p.m.

for Youth Group. Lunch will be provided.

The Church is in need of a Kid’s Group Leader for the 2017-18 year. Please contact Pastor Laura if you

are interested. The Kid’s Group Meet every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.

Thank you!

Thank you to everybody who

participated in the pepperoni Sale.

The total amount raised for the Youth

Group Mission Trip was $559!

Out of the Dust and Us

Blog written by the Ludwig’s

Routines and Choices July 25, 2017

It is summer time, so I am sure many of you can

relate. I have found that it really wears on me to be

traveling for over three months and out of routine. I

long to be ‘settled’. It is so easy to have my mind

wonder into the grass is greener thinking. We drive

past a home and I find myself thinking about how

comforting it would be in that home, as if settling

there would ease all my discomfort. It gets me

dreaming a lot about what life would or will be like

returning to the US.

As I was continuing to reflect on this lack of

routine and my rising discontentment, I was led to

think about all the people who have no choice in life

of where they live or what they eat. Think about the

young mom juggling multiple children in a single room

of the homeless shelter or taking her children through

the cafeteria line for another round of hot dogs. The

noise. The disruption. The confusion.

I recently read an article about refugees in a

troubled area in our region and the disruption that BH

has caused to them recently. The lack of food,

comfort and schooling in this area is humbling. The

lack of hope for the future is discouraging.

Tears come to my eyes as I think of the men,

women and children around this world trafficked. No

control. Stuck in the corrupt system of greedy people.

Not to mention the many people in the world with

enough resources, control, choice and power who

have broken hearts or feel stuck in the success wheel.

And so I come to the conclusion that I act in so

many non-disciplined and weak ways. I could focus

more on routine – even when traveling. But even

more important, I must spend my days being more

grateful and seeing the joy and gift that God has given

me each and every day. In addition, praying for ways

to still my greedy and selfish heart.

Last year at New Wilmington Mission Conference, I

had the privilege of listening to my cousin, Mike

Moore lead a Bible study a couple of days. One

challenge the Holy Spirit placed on my heart from his

teaching was how true worship comes from

thankfulness. I have had thankfulness as a focus this

year, but out of routine I tend to so quickly slip into

discontentment.

Please pray for the many people in the world

without choice and together today let's choose to be

grateful for our many choices and enough.

~Posted by La Maestra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lectures at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

PTS is hosting Dr. Amos Young, Professor of Theology

and Mission and Director of the Center for

Missiological Research at Fuller Theological Seminary,

on Monday, September 25 for a series of lectures

entitled, "The Spirit's Mission of Hospitality in a

Pluralistic World." The first lecture at 4:00 p.m. is

entitled, 'Guests, Hosts, and the Spirit in an Imperial

World,' and the second lecture at 7:30 p.m. is entitled,

'Pentecost and Hospitable Witness in a Postcolonial

World.' Reservations are not necessary, and you are

welcome to attend one of both lectures. A World

Mission Initiative dinner will take place at 5:30 p.m.

Online reservation for the dinner can be made at

www.pts.edu/McClure_2017. The seminary is located

at 616 N. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15206.

Community Involvement

The Deacon’s Giving Campaign If you know someone

that needs a visit or a meal taken to them, we can help

with that. Our job is to serve our congregation and

community in helpful ways. The Deacon giving

campaign for August is Kid’s Stuff (Mac n Cheese,

Spaghetti O’s, fruit cups, applesauce). The Food

Pantry is always in need of paper products, soups, and

cereal. You can bring these items to church and place

on the table in the Narthex.

Faith In Action We are still here for our seniors for Dr.

appts., etc… we are in need of drivers. If you have a few

hours a month, please consider driving for this cause.

Contact Judy Heck for more information (724) 899-

3159.

Ecumenical Events Biblical Botanical Garden

Rodef Shalom Congregation

4905 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4 Pittsburgh, PA 15213

(412) 621-6566 www.biblicalgardenpittsburgh.org

Pleasing God and Man:

Taste and Smell-Spices and Incense

Dates: June 1 – Sept 15

Times: Sun-Thurs 10 am – 2 pm, Weds. 7 pm- 9 pm

through August, Saturdays 12 pm- 1 pm

Celebrating its thirtieth Season, the garden combines

beauty, education, meditation and spiritual renewal

for hundreds of visitors each summer. No admission

charge and handicapped accessible. Group tours

(eight or more) by appointment.

St. Paul Cathedral

108 N. Dithridge Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

(412) 621-4951 http://www.stpaulpgh.org

2017 Summer Concert Series

Sundays at 4:00 pm through August 20th

August 6: Nicholas Will

August 13: Christopher Berr

August 20: Don Fellows

Choir

Notes

The choir will start practicing on Tuesday,

August 29th at 7:00. We are getting ready for

another season on songs to praise God. Please

come and join our little group. We have plenty

of room for more singers and remember God

only wants us to make a joyful noise. See you

then.

Down the Bowling Alley

The bowling league is fast

approaching another season

of fun and fellowship. We will

be picking teams soon and

looking forward to returning to

Center lanes in Hopewell Township on

Wednesday evenings at 6:30 starting August

30th. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to

join this fun group of folks for a great winter

activity. Call Yum Groom or Leah Clydesdale if

you are interested or just show up. We look

forward to seeing you all there

The women’s group will be starting our regular

monthly meetings this fall starting on Thursday,

September 7th at 6:30. This is an active group

in our church and we encourage all the ladies

from Clinton to join us this year. We will be

discussing “Gods at War” this year. Come and

find out what that is all about.

Golfing Shots

The golf league is

still going strong and will continue into

September as long as the weather is good.

There is still time to come and join us for this fun

summer activity on Friday evenings at

Ponderosa Golf lands, tee off time is 5:00.

Hopefully see you there.

Sunday School will resume on

September 3rd at 9:45 am.

Hope to see you there!

Findlay Township’s “Fair in the Woodland’s” August 18th and 19th Parade Saturday aug 19th –look for our float!! And don’t forget to visit our Booth at the Fair!

Well it is almost time for the annual Attic Treasure

and Bake Sale to be held at the church in August.

Please see the attached schedule so that you can

plan a time to come and be a part of our mission

project to serve others. There will be posters

available to take to a local restaurant, business, or

place of employment to display, with permission.

We have been blessed with the congregations

support for many years and we want to thank you

all for everything that you do to make this project

a huge success. If you have never helped out

before, take a look at the schedule and see where

you may want to help. All are welcome! If you

have any questions please give Dale Huemmrich a

call at 724-457-7194

Bible Quiz

Jacob had two wives, two concubines (his wives’ maids), 12 sons and one daughter. Who gave birth to the daughter, Dinah? A. Zilpah B. Bilhah C. Leah D. Rachel Answer: C (See Genesis 30:19-21.)