SUNDAY SCHEDULE
9:00 AM - Sunday School Classes for all ages - click
here
for more information
10:30 AM - Worship, Sanctuary
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THIS SUNDAY IN WORSHIP
January 19, 2020
SCRIPTURE LESSON:
Matthew 4:12-23
MESSAGE:
“Heaven is at Hand”
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Contents
:
This Week
Upcoming Events
Children's Ministry Schedule
J.A.M. Choir News
Online Giving
Notes from the Console
Last Week
Contacting the Pastor
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WINTER CAMP AT CAMP EDER
January 24 - 26TH
For Children and Youth Grades 1-12
Join us for an action-packed weekend full of camp fun, great food, friends, and most importantly grow your relationship with God. Grab your sleds and pack your bags, because we are going to have an absolute BLAST!
Arrive 7 pm Friday and dismiss 2 pm Sunday
* York First Church will pay 80% of registration cost *
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GUEST PREACHER AND PRESENTER
DAVID RADCLIFF
Sunday, January 26th
during Worship and the Sunday School hour
David Radcliff from New Community Project will be sharing many stories and photos (during a combined Sunday School program in the sanctuary) from his travels and his work of building justice and peace. He will be giving a message during worship as well. Please plan to come and learn from, support, and be challenged through David's ministry.
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The following resources are available on the table in the Gathering Area:
- This week's e-news and the January calendar, which can also be viewed here
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YOUR HELP IS NEEDED FOR THE 2020 DIRECTORY:
There is a copy of the member’s pages of this year’s directory on the table in the Gathering Area.
PLEASE review and make any necessary changes on this copy. We hope to have the most accurate information to print the 2020 directory.
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FLOWERS FOR WORSHIP
- As always, church members are invited to contribute flowers that will be placed at the front of the sanctuary during worship. Sign up for any available date on the poster in Gathering Area to do so, perhaps in memory of a loved one or in honor of a special person or occasion. Note that the requested fee will be
$35 effective February 2020 in order to cover costs and provide a worthy arrangement. Thank you to all who contribute and bless us the beauty of these flowers. - Worship Team
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Click for Calendar of Events, Friends to Remember in Prayer, & Sunday School
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Men’s Spiritual Leadership Summit & Breakfast
The Matthew 18 Mandate
Guest Speaker: Paul Mundey, 2020 CoB AC Moderator
Saturday - February 22, 2020
Location: Mechanicsburg Church of the Brethren, 301 Gale St., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
$ 16.00 Registration Fee
Send check payable to SOPA District COB & mail to 6035 York Rd. New Oxford, PA 17350
7:30 am - 8:00 am - Registration
8:10 am - 8:55 am - Welcome & Session I
9:00 am - 9:50 am - Breakfast
10:00 am - 12:00 noon - Session 2
Registration Deadline: Thursday, February 6, 2020 (Posted on Bulletin Board)
Sponsored By: Southern PA District Church of the Brethren
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BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE CHOIR CONCERT
- March 14, 2020
Mark your calendars now and plan to attend an evening of song. First Church will be hosting the Bridgewater College Choir on Saturday evening March 14, at 7:00 PM as part their tour in the area.
***Volunteers will be needed *** to host students overnight on the 14th following their performance, returning them to the church on Sunday morning March 15th. If you live nearby and have a spare bed to offer, please be prepared to serve in this way. Opportunities to sign up will be forthcoming.
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It is time to renew (or begin) your subscription to Messenger Magazine!
I will be collecting your payments on 19th between Sunday School and Worship, or you may mail your payment to church.
$14.50 is the renewal cost for this year. NEW subscriptions can be purchased for the 1st year cost of only $7.25.
Please make your checks payable to York First Church of the Brethren.
Thank you, Carole Bradfield
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Children's Ministry Schedule
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Thank you to all who assist with Children's Ministry. Your time, energy, and dedication are appreciated. If you need to make a schedule change or would like to serve as a teacher or in the nursery, please contact Michele Gibbel (717)318-5442 or
mgibbel@yahoo.com
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Nursery Caregivers Needed!
In the recent weeks we have experienced a boom of young ones in the nursery during both Sunday School and Worship. This is so exciting! But to care for these little ones, we need more help. There are between 16-20 volunteer slots to fill each month. How can you help out?
Qualifications:
* A love for children
* A desire to support and encourage parents of young children
* An interest in seeing our congregation grow
* Background checks are required.
Please contact Michele Gibbel (
mgibbel@yahoo.com
) to be added to the rotation or with any questions. Thank you.
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J.A.M. Choir News
Children ages 4 to 6th grade J.A.M. (Jesus And Me) Choir is practicing Sundays from 9:50 am to 10:10 am in the basement choir room. For those children in Sunday school you will be escorted to the choir room and return to the Sunday school room to meet your parents after practice each week. J.A.M. Choir is scheduled to sing in worship every 2nd Sunday of the month. We will be singing, moving, using puppets, and playing musical instruments. Join us every Sunday as we make music for our Lord!
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY - We have received a request from Madison Avenue Church of the Brethren for a volunteer who may be able to drive a church van to transport school-aged children in York City to and from a Bible study program on Tuesday afternoons that they are hosting. If anyone has interest, please contact pastor Joel and we can further explore potential for serving. Thank you.
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ONLINE GIVING
~ If you wish to begin contributing to the church using online giving, please visit our website at:
yorkfirst.org
and click on the Online Giving link or go directly to the Online Giving website t:
www.acionlinegiving.com/4706
.
For assistance setting up your account, call Donor Support at: 800-348-2886 – Option 2 – Online Giving Questions? Contact Sheryl Leaman if necessary, and thank you for your support!
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SUGGESTIONS FROM THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE
“Catch the Spirit, Build for the Future” has been chosen as the theme for our Capital Fund Campaign. Campaign visits are beginning, and we hope you will prayerfully consider making a pledge to support our church's future.
As we prepare to launch the campaign, we want to share with you two tax saving options that may be available to you as you consider your pledge to the campaign. These options are qualified charitable distributions and donation of appreciated securities.
Qualified Charitable Distribution
If you are age 70½ or older, IRS rules require you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from your tax-deferred IRA’s. This additional taxable income may push you into a higher tax bracket and may also reduce your eligibility for certain tax credits and deductions. For example, your taxable income helps determine the amount of your Social Security benefits that are subject to taxes. Keeping your taxable income level lower may also help reduce your potential exposure to higher Medicare premiums. To eliminate or reduce the impact of RMD income, you may want to consider making a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from an IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity. Amounts distributed as a QCD can be counted toward satisfying your RMD for the year and can also be excluded from your taxable income. This is not the case with a regular withdrawal from an IRA, even if you use the money to make a charitable contribution later on. In this scenario, the withdrawal would be counted as taxable income. You must be at least 70½ years old at the time you request a QCD. If you process a distribution prior to reaching age 70½, the distribution will be treated as taxable income.
Funds must be transferred directly from your IRA custodian to the qualified charity. This is accomplished by requesting your IRA custodian issue a check from your IRA payable to the charity. You can then request that the check be mailed to the charity, or forward the check to the charity yourself.
Donation of Appreciated Securities
With the stock market setting all-time record highs, many investors are holding securities in their taxable accounts that have appreciated in value. Appreciated securities are investments that have increased in value from the time they were purchased, and can take the form of publicly traded stock, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), closely held stock, or mutual funds. For example, if a stock was purchased for $30 per share and sold for $50 per share, the stock has appreciated by $20 per share. When appreciated stock is sold, the owner generally realizes capital gains equal to the appreciation and may be liable for either short-term or long-term capital gains taxes. With a charitable gift of appreciated securities, the donation you make and the deduction you get are greater than they would be if you were to sell the shares and donate the cash proceeds instead. That is because when you donate shares, you avoid paying the capital gains tax. The church will receive the full market value of the securities donated.
We encourage you to take advantage of these tax saving measures as you finalize your year-end giving.
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"Notes from the Console," Article 26, By Mike Frock
Confession and Apology
I finished playing all 41 pieces out of the book ‘Bach for Beginners in Organ Playing’ back in September. The ones I liked best were the Preludes and Fugues (especially the Preludes) from what is collectively called “Eight Little Preludes and Fugues.” Of these eight pieces, four were presented in the book. So, after I finished the book, in October, November, and January I decided to learn the other four pieces. These eight pieces are very popular amongst church organists because they are relatively melodic, relatively accessible (i.e. relatively easy), and relatively short (i.e. about 3 minutes), and because of all of this, they function well as preludes. These pieces are numbered in J.S. Bach’s catalog of music, four of them were included in the “Bach for Beginners in Organ Playing” book, and anywhere you look them up, you will see that they are attributed to Bach. However, I confess that there is some debate as to whether he wrote these eight pieces or not. There is some thought that they may have been written by Johann Tobias Krebs or his son Johann Ludwig Krebs. However, these pieces are not numbered in either of these composers’ catalogs of music. So, I guess until someone comes along with some more definitive proof, these pieces will continue to be attributed to Bach.
Every major composer’s compositions (and some minor composers’ compositions) have been cataloged by musicologists and given numbers. Bach’s compositions are cataloged according to BWV numbers. The numbers run from BWV1 to BWV1128 with his organ works being numbered between BWV525 and BWV771. His larger Preludes and Fugues are numbered from BWV531 to BWV552, and the “Eight Little Preludes and Fugues” are numbered from BWV553 to BWV560. The last couple of weeks I have been including the word “Little” in the title. I should have been including this word for the previous pieces as well, as to not confuse the pieces I have been playing with some of Bach’s other larger Preludes and Fugues. E.g. I played “Little Prelude and Fugue in C Major” BWV553, but without the word “Little,” the title would be indistinguishable from the larger “Prelude and Fugue in C Major” BWV531. I know this has been keeping many of you awake at night, so I apologize.
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Scripture Lesson: Matthew 3:13-17
Message:
“This Is My Beloved”
Worship Attendance: 107
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Pastor Joel Gibbel can be reached most mornings in the church office Monday - Thursday from 9:00 AM to noon. Afternoons and evenings are often set aside for visiting those in need, for meetings, and for other pastoral duties. Pastor Joel is also available for Pastoral Counseling by appointment.
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If you need to reach the pastor outside of office hours, his home phone number is
(717)318-5442, and his cell number is (717)271-4888 . You can also email him at
pastor@yorkfirst.org. Note that laws prevent hospitals from contacting a pastor without your permission when you are admitted, so you will need to let hospital staff know that you would like the hospital to contact your pastor.
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Our Mission Statement:
“People dedicated to Spiritual Growth, Loving Relationship, and Sacrificial Service”
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Our Vision Statement:
“To become a community of committed Christians who Love God, Share Christ, and Serve the World”
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