Your weekly news & information
October 10, 2018
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If you are dropping something off,
please call before coming to the office
to ensure someone is here as the DS and DRA attend off-site meetings. There is no external drop box or mail slot at this time.
- Regular hours Monday through Friday, 9am-4pm.
- No one will be in the office on Wednesday, October 17 as we will be offsite for our quarterly training event in Lansdale.
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Please be sure to read the entire newsletter so you don't miss things. Things are often rotated weekly to ensure enough coverage.
In some email platforms, you may have to expand your view by clicking
MORE
at the bottom of your email - this is not something the district can change.
It is an issue within your email client.
Pulpit Supply List is at the bottom of this email.
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PRAYER REQUEST THANK YOU NOTE
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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I have wanted to take this opportunity for some time. Let me thank you so very much for your prayers, hospital visits, and phone calls to me over the summer months. All of these were a great source of support for me during a very difficult time. I met with a kidney specialist this past Monday and he assured me that there was and no residual damage nor permanent damage to my kidneys due to the kidney failure I experienced. I am convinced that my recovery was due to the prayers of so many on my behalf.
Gratefully in Christ,
Gene Errickson
Paradise: St. John's
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ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM LUMINA
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LUMINA has an urgent need for a van driver to transport children to and from their weekly Kids’ Night program at
New Creation UMC, Farnum and South Queen Sts. Must be 25 or older, with safe sanctuary clearances on file. Time commitment is 5:45-8:15 pm most Monday evenings through May. Please contact
Correen.lumina@gmail.com to volunteer.
Manifest, Lancaster’s urban alliance of Methodist churches, is looking for more volunteers who enjoy working with their hands, to join the teams who are rebuilding 112 New Dorwart under IMPACT Missions’ leadership. No experience is necessary. Learn new skills, meet some new friends, and make a difference in our community! Choose the day and time which suits you best: any time Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, and Saturdays 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. Contact
Correen.lumina@gmail.com for more info.
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CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR INMATES PROJECT
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It's that special time of the year again. The Eastern PA Conference Prison Ministry & Restorative Justice (PMRJ) Team is asking church and conference members and friends to download, print and sign its online selection of Christmas greeting cards to be delivered and shared, in an act of Christian love, with thousands of prison inmates across our region. The
deadline for cards to be delivered to the Conference Office or to District offices is Monday
, Nov. 5, 2018.
The
Christmas Cards for Inmates Project has grown each year. Last December nearly 9,500 Christmas cards were, in the words of a popular song, "signed, sealed, delivered," mostly to recipients in 11 of our region's county and state correctional facilities. That total exceeded the roughly 8,000 signed cards collected in 2016.
All it takes to succeed each year is for more people to pen a few caring words and sign their names to simple,
photocopied greeting cards . The cards are carefully designed and vetted, bearing modest but meaningful messages of Christmas hope and joy. They inspire in many inmates grace and gratitude, emotions perhaps rarely felt living in a penal institution.
Note: Inmate mail screening and delivery restrictions were recently imposed at PA state prisons after employees were exposed to dangerous drugs and other unknown substances through the mail. The PMRJ Team is working with prison authorities to continue bulk delivery of our Christmas cards to state and county institutions in November.
The District Office will serve as a drop off location again this year. Please remember to drop off your cards no later than
Monday, November 5.
Please make sure you CALL before you come to the office to make sure someone is here!! There is no place dry or safe you can leave things outside.
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ANCHORAGE'S BREAKFAST CELEBRATION
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One church is needed to sponsor Anchorage Breakfast Ministry's Monthly Birthday Celebration on Friday, December 14 from 8:15am to 10am at Lancaster: First UMC, 29 Walnut Street, Lancaster. Looking for 2 to 3 people to serve birthday cake and hand out birthday gifts (you provide) to the neighbors who visit Anchorage.
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Who should come?
Persons fighting cancer and caregivers
Friends and family
Churches considering Cancer Care Ministry
Anyone interested in knowing more about cancer
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WEST DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
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Save the Dates for the following UMW Events:
- Saturday, October 20, 8am to 3pm, EPA-UMW 45th Annual Celebration
- Lansdale: First UMC, 300 North Broad Street, Lansale, PA 19446
- Registration Deadline - September 30, 2018 (registration form in the newsletter above)
- Mail registration to: Mary Ann Repsher, 164 South 9th St, Bangor, PA 18013 or email to: rep164@frontiernet.net
- Cost: $18.00, lunch is provided
- Retired Deaconess, Clara Ester will share how her spirituality has led to a life of activism and advocacy
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WORKSHOP
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When: Saturday, November 17, 2018, 9am to 2pm
Where: West Lawn UMC, 15 Woodside Avenue, Reading, PA 19609
Cost: $15.00 before November 1; $20.00 after November 1
CEUs: 0.20 CEUs offered for this event
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ENERGIZE YOUR WORSHIP: A WORKSHOP WITH AD LIB MUSIC, SPONSORED BY THE DISTRICT RESOURCE TEAM
Date:
Saturday, October 27, 8am to 12:30pm (light continental breakfast included)
Location:
Cornwall UMC, 50 Freeman Drive, Lebanon, PA (GPS address)
Target Audience:
Pastors, Choir/worship team, instrumentalists, and those who design liturgy, audio visual and artistic aspects of the service
This event has now been opened to the public as of September 15, 2018. It's imperative to register today so you can ensure your seat. Limited space is available.
REGISTRATION ENDS OCTOBER 15, 2018!!!
Will include ideas for ANY church size and worship styles.
Are there ways that you would like to enhance and energize your worship services? Are you struggling to make rehearsals effective, efficient and more spiritually focused?
This interactive workshop will allow worship teams, pastors and tech support crews to develop new skills and approaches to the planning, rehearsing and leading of worship services. The experts from
adLIB Music
(
https://adlibmusic.com
) will provide training that is experiential, interactive and allows for discussion in small and large groups. At the end of the day, you will have materials and plans that you can take back and use in your home church.
There is a limited number of seats available so think about who you'd like to bring and register early so you don't miss your chance. We cannot take walk-ins at this event.
This event is open to the conference.
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**IMPORTANT CHARGE CONFERENCE UPDATES**
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Dates for Charge Conferences have been secured.
Click here for schedule.
Not sure which ConneXion you belong to?
Click here for the complete listing of ConneXions.
***Where/How to Submit Your Forms***
- Please submit forms to the District Office via email at epawestdistrict@comcast.net. Since we're in the transition of going paperless, this helps everyone involved.
- Submitted documents requiring signature, must be signed otherwise we cannot accept them, if you cannot scan your signed documents, please fax them to: 717-569-2038
- Please do not send one email per document - this really helps no one and bogs down the system.
- If at all possible, please do not take a photo of your documents and send them. Most of the time the photo is low quality or too dark and we cannot read the document. If you have a smartphone or tablet, a great app to capture a photo of documents is CamScanner - it's free and converts your photo to a PDF - we can accept those! (https://www.camscanner.com/user/download)
- Last resort if you are unable to scan or fax, mail your documents to: West District Office, PO Box 271, Bird in Hand, PA 17505. Save yourself multiple trips to the post office, group your documents together and mail them in one large envelope.
- For all other questions and/or clarification, please contact the district office before your due date at 717-569-9673. We'll be happy to answer any of your questions. We can't help you if we don't know there's an issue!
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PEN-DEL & EPA - RETREAT FOR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS, LOCAL PASTORS, STUDENT PASTORS AND CLMs
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For full flyer and registration details, please
click here.
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- Laity Sunday - Sunday, October 21 - YOUR CHURCH!
- Energizing Your Worship Workshop with Ad Lib Music - Saturday, October 27 - Cornwall UMC, 8am - 12:30pm [Directions]
- Extraordinary Give 2018, Breakfast for Dinner - Friday, November 16 - Anchorage Breakfast Ministries at Lancaster: First UMC [Directions]
- Domestic Violence Workshop - Saturday, November 17 - West Lawn UMC [Directions]
2019 Events
- Deacon Day Apart - Saturday, January 12, 2019
- Equipping Church Leaders - Saturday, January 19, 2019
- Tools for Ministry 2019 - Saturday, March 2, 2019 - Lititz UMC
- Tools for Ministry 2019 SNOW DATE - Saturday, March 23, 2019 - Lititz UMC
- Anchorage Breakfast Ministries Giant Yard Sale - March 30, 2019
- Deacon Gathering with Bishop Johnson - Saturday, April 13, 2019
- Annual Conference 2019 - Thursday, June 13 - Saturday, June 15, 2019
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INTERESTED IN BECOMING A CERTIFIED LAY MINISTER?
Register now for Orientation/Admission Sessions for the Certified Lay Ministry Class of 2019, which begins in April 2019. All prospective candidates must attend one of the Orientation/Admission sessions, which are held from September to December at locations in the four districts of the Eastern PA Conference, see dates and locations on the website
ChristServantMinistries.net
Certified Lay Minister page
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FREE YOUTH GROUP NIGHTS @ GRETNA GLEN
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What is it?:
At Gretna Glen we are committed to supporting the ministry that is already active in your church. We are inviting you and your Middle & High School youth to camp every 3rd Sunday of the month through the fall, winter, and spring.
We usually start the evening off with an open activity time. If the weather is nice, we will open up some of camp's general activities for the students to enjoy. This sometimes includes archery, boating, fishing, ga-ga ball, 9-square, sports in the field. After that, we'll gather everyone together for an all group welcome and large group games. Following the games we move into worship, a message from our speaker or specialty presentation and a snack.
What will they learn?
This school year, we will be following a central theme of "Squad Goals". This theme will cover different aspects of aspiring towards strong Christian community. The purpose of life is our relationship with God and our relationship with others. God did not design us to live a life in solitude. This lesson shows students the importance of relationship and community, while encouraging them to build up a supportive faith community. So get your squad ready and come on out to camp this year!
Dates: October 21, November 18, January 20, February 17, and March 17
Time: 4pm - 6:30pm
**Reminder - adults must be present with youth
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UPCOMING DEACON EVENTS
January 12: Deacon Day Apart
April 13: Deacon Gathering with Bishop Johnson
The times and locations are still to be determined, but keeping the deacons and deacon candidates informed of these upcoming events would be greatly appreciated. When I have more details, I will certainly send them out.
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LOCAL CHURCH & MISSION CONNEXION EVENTS
Please don't forget that we love sharing the events you have going on in your churches and Mission ConneXions. Be sure to share them with the district either on
Facebook
or via
email
. We can't share what we don't know is happening!
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PULPIT SUPPLY LIST
If you would like to be added to this list, please contact the
district office with your name, which category you're in, phone number and area you can cover. We have limited names for the Lebanon area, if you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible!
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Rev. Tim Smith, Chair of District Committee on Ordained Ministry
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ts3707@gmail.com
Mrs. Lynn McCord, District Christ Servant Minister Coordinato
r,
Conference Office
- 610-666-9090 / 800-828-9093
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MISSION CENTRAL HUBS IN OUR DISTRICT
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1)
Elizabethtown: St. Paul’s
(Liz Helm, coordinator), 398 N. Locust Street, Elizabethtown, PA. 717-367-1889 **call to make sure someone will be there**
2)
Lebanon: Covenant
(Mariellen Lantz, coordinator), 346 N. 9
th
Street, Lebanon, PA. 717-272-0672
3)
Cleona: Immanuel
(Jeanne Earnshaw, coordinator), 29 E. Maple Street, Cleona, PA. 717-926-2305 **call to make sure someone will be there**
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Editorial Policy of the West District E-Alert:
The West District E-alert is published on an as-needed basis on Wednesdays. Articles will appear once as new information; thereafter, they will be Reminders or Calendar Items. Spaghetti dinners, fundraisers, concerts, VBSs, bazaars, etc. are included only on the
Local Church and ConneXion Events page
. Job postings can be found in the
Classifieds
section of the website. The E-Alert is sent to Pastors and Church Offices on the West District and to lay people who have requested having their names added to the distribution list. Please feel free to copy any article for your church’s bulletin or newsletter. Appointed clergy may not unsubscribe. All articles and announcements should be sent to the District Resource Assistant at
epawestdistrict@comcast.net
by 3:00pm Tuesday afternoon for consideration. Articles should be in the body of an email or an attached Word document (please no PDFs). Submissions made by telephone will
not
be accepted. Articles may be edited for clarity and space. The District Office makes all decisions regarding publication.
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