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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: [email protected] www.shenkelucc.org
PAGE 4
The Pastor’s Pen
Pastor Bonnie L. Moore
484.524.8280
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
[email protected] 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 ([email protected]) 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 [email protected]
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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