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SUNDAY SCHEDULE 9:00 AM - Sunday School Classes for all ages - click here for more information  10:30 AM - Worship, Sanctuary THIS SUNDAY IN WORSHIP December 29, 2019   SCRIPTURE LESSON:         Isaiah 63:7-9, Matthew 2:13-23     MESSAGE:     “Every Day Christmas”

Contents :  This Week  Upcoming Events Children's Ministry Schedule J.A.M. Choir News Online Giving Thank You Birthdays Notes from the Console   Last Week Contacting the Pastor

Happening This Week 2020 Epiphany Concert Series Held at Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 2935 Kingston Road, York, PA Please join the York Community as we celebrate Christmas through Music on January 3, 4, & 5. Groups and soloists from around York will be offering a different variety of music at each of the evening concerts starting at 7:00 pm. Refreshments will be served. Concerts are open to the public. York First Chancel Choir will be singing on Sat., Jan. 4th at 7:00 pm. We hope you will come and join us for this concert. BREAD AND CUP COMMUNION Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020 during worship (Epiphany Sunday). There is a place for you at the Lord's table. Pastor Joel will not be available from Dec. 25 to Dec. 30th. While Pastor Joel is away, you may contact Melinda Carlson for any pastoral care needs: Home (717)792-9511, Cell (717)891-4699

The following resources are available on the table in the Gathering Area: This week's e-news and the December calendar, which can also be viewed here December Church of the Brethren Newsline Digest

Events, Prayer Requests, and Classes

Click for Calendar of Events, Friends to Remember in Prayer, & Sunday School

Upcoming Events

RECEIVING NEW MEMBERS BY BAPTISM - Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020 during worship. Please plan to attend this very special time of welcoming new members into our church, recalling and affirming our own baptismal vows as we do so.

SOUP KITCHEN - Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 -  Sign up in the narthex to make a casserole or to work at the Soup Kitchen on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 (10:30 AM to 1:00 PM) PLEASE add your name and number of casseroles, to the SIGN-UP sheet, so we can let the Soup Kitchen know how many casseroles to expect.

WINTER CAMP at Camp Eder - Jan. 24-26, 2020 ​ - 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 Read more and register online at campeder.org/winter-camp

2020 OFFERING ENVELOPES ~ Your box of 2020 Offering envelopes is available in the narthex. Please pick yours up at your earliest convenience. If there is none with your name and you would like a set, let the office or John Minnich know and they will get a set for you. Please continue using your 2019 envelopes thru the end of this year and start using the new ones in 2020 to assure proper credit. Thank you.

Children's Ministry Schedule

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

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.

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!

Blood Donation: Giving Life Due to his recent Leukemia diagnosis, Larry Gibble has required numerous blood transfusions this week and will need many more in weeks to come. It has been suggested that a donation of blood would be a helpful way to let Larry and Pat Gibble know that you are remembering them during Larry’s illness and treatment. Information on making a donation at the Wellspan Blood Donor Center is listed below. Blood donations made at the WellSpan Donor Center stay in York. Please see the Information below for details and a phone number If you have questions. Thanks in advance for your support of Pat and Larry. https://www.wellspan.org/offices-locations/wellspan-blood-donor-services (717) 741-8307 WellSpan Blood Donor Services Apple Hill Medical Center 25 Monument Rd. , Suite 198 York, PA 17403 (717) 741-8307 Get Directions * Please note that the Donor Center closes temporarily on Wednesdays at 2:30 pm and re-opens at 3:30 pm. Monday 12:00pm - 7:00pm Tuesday Please call for hours Wednesday 8:00am - 7:00pm Thursday 8:00am - 3:00pm Friday 8:00am - 3:00pm Saturday 8:00am - 10:00am Sunday Closed  Blood Donor Services invites you to give the gift of life by donating blood. Apple Hill Medical Center is a member of the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank. A donation of blood received here stays within the central Pennsylvania area to be used by patients who have an emergency or who have surgery, cancer, or some other condition where they need blood.

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!

Church Website

Online Giving

I would like to thank everyone for the cards, gifts, and poinsettias. I really appreciate everything that you all do for me. I am truly blessed. Karen Bowman

6  Ruby Nicholas   6 Tom Klinedinst   7  Greg Minnich   9  Jeffrey Yingling      11  Nathan Beuschlein 14  Beth Drawbaugh 14  Clarence Sauder 15  Ron Horner 15  Steven Fitzkee

If your birthday is in  JANUARY and it is not on the below list or is listed incorrectly, please call the church office. 16  Cathy McCracken 16  Tanner Ferro 18  Melanie Schaefer 19  Greg Bachman 19  Luke Miller 20  Spencer Ginder 20 Dana Stump 23  Danielle Gibbel 25  Valerie Sauder 27  Larry Gibble

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. 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. You will need to complete these transactions prior to December 31 st for the 2019 tax year. 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.

"Notes from the Console," Article 23, By Mike Frock "What are all those little numbers?" Part 11-Variations and the Brethren Index Even after the switch to the newer system of formatting, there are still some minor variations between different hymnals. If we look at the tune HYFRYDOL (“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”), it is listed four different ways in four different hymnals. In the burgundy 1975 and 1979 printings of the Brethren Hymnal, spaces separate every number (8 7 8 7 D). In the Moravian Hymnal there is a period between every number (8.7.8.7.D.). In the Lutheran hymnal spaces indicate different phrases (87 87 D). And In the current blue 1992 Brethren Hymnal, periods indicate different phrases (87.87D). Because every hymnal is going to have a different editor for its Metrical Index, and as hymns start to gain greater metrical variety, there are emerging different notations to try to describe the tunes. The Celebration Hymnal has a hymn listed as “11.10.11.10 with Coda,” and the United Methodist Hymnal has a hymn listed as “66.66 with Antiphon.” There is a Metrical Index for an online hymnal which has a section titled “Round” (i.e. “we are going to sing this song in a round”). It is interesting to see the changes within the Metrical Index over the course of the several hymnals that the Brethren denomination has produced. The black 1901 Brethren Hymnal used the old system of notation and the older abbreviations. The blue 1925 Brethren Hymnal did not include a Metrical Index and there were no metrical markings on individual pages or anywhere through the hymnal. When the burgundy 1951 Brethren Hymnal first came out and for at least the first fifteen printings (1967), it did not have a Metrical Index in the back, but the metrical markings were listed on each hymn page. This is true for the spiral-bound accompanist version too. This seems very odd to me because the metrical markings on each page give no benefit unless there is a collated index somewhere. I wonder if the Metrical Index was available as part of a supplement to the hymnal. By the time the eighteenth printing came out (1975), a Metrical Index was included in the back. This version again did not include periods and did not use any abbreviations (e.g. the tune AMAZING GRACE is listed simply as 8 6 8 6, instead of Common Meter). And of course, by the time the blue 1992 hymnal came out, the Metrical Index had taken on its modern-day form. 

LAST SUNDAY IN WORSHIP

Message:   Chancel Choir Cantata and Worship Service Worship Attendance: 141

View Message (YouTube)

CONTACTING THE PASTOR 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.

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.

Our Mission Statement: “People dedicated to Spiritual Growth, Loving Relationship, and Sacrificial Service” Our Vision Statement: “To become a community of committed Christians who Love God, Share Christ, and Serve the World”