Website Home Connect Visit Us Contact Us

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 January 5, 2020   SCRIPTURE LESSON: John 1:1-14     MESSAGE: “In Him Was Life”

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. There is a place for you at the Lord's table. Come and see. 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.

LADIES BIBLE STUDY: For the next 10 weeks or more, Ladies Bible Study will delve into the study of “Living Crazy Love” by Frances Chan. . If you are a woman seeking something different in a Bible Study, please join us every Tuesday morning, in the Church Lounge from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Our winter session starts Tuesday, January 14.   Do you truly believe – in a life-altering awe-inspiring, dream-changing way – that the God of the universe loves you? “ Living Crazy Love” will help you embrace God’s intense relentless love and watch that love transform every respect of your being. Frances Chan’s thought-provoking teaching will help you pursue God as you never have before as you grapple with the hard questions about the love of God and how that love should change the way you live. This is a great study for the new Christian woman seeking more meaning to her life as well as the seasoned one who wants a deeper meaning in her relationship with God. No matter your age, God wishes to draw us nearer to Him every day through thought, word and deed.  If you wish to purchase a study book, please email Dolly Furst at furstdol@aol.com or call 717-244-8218 no later than Sunday, January 5.

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

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.

Events, Prayer Requests, and Classes

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

Upcoming Events

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

GUEST PREACHER AND PRESENTER David Radcliff - Sunday January 26, 2020 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.

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 Singing next week Jan 12th! 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!

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

Since 2011 our Witness Team has sponsored the Cash for Causes program by selling Giant & Weis gift cards. The church receives 5% of sales to support various ministries. For 2019 the money is sent quarterly to LifePath Ministries, Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry, and Children’s Aid Society. You may purchase the cards ($100, $50, $25, $10) by cash or check made out to York First Church. The cards make great gifts, especially at holidays. Consider donating cards to the Food Pantry or using them yourself any time you shop at Giant or Weis. Call me at (717) 793-9320, send an email rwenger643@aol.com , or just see me on Sunday morning at church. Thank you for supporting this program. Becky Wenger, Cash for Causes representative

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. 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.

Notes from the Console," Article 24, By Mike Frock My Thank You List Thank you to all the musicians who made the Christmas cantata and Christmas season services possible and a success this year. I had fun getting to play with Dianne Bowders on the two pieces written for piano four hands, and it was nice to get to hear her play the little-used handbell stop on the organ for two other pieces. As always it is a pleasure to have Nonie and Ben Detrick play their violins here at YFCOB. The choir was fortunate to have Caroline Wolfe, Anne Moul, Brian Moul, and Stephen Carey sing with them for the cantata, especially with their other obligations at other churches and elsewhere. To have a professional-level singer reinforcing each of the four voice parts was fantastic. It was also great to have the Christmas Eve preservice music in the Narthex presented by Nikki Coria Vandersloot on soprano and tenor saxophones and her father Joe Coria on drums. This instrumental variety was a wonderful addition to the service this year. The quiet pieces chosen by Ben Detrick on violin and accompanied by Yoanna Kotyorova on piano allowed for a time of reflection during the Christmas Eve service. I had fun playing the piano-organ duet with Stephen Carry on December 29 th , and it was exciting to hear his Special Music he provided for that service.   Thank you to Jayne Baldwin and Peggy Metzger for their donations of piano music to the church’s music library. With the busy Christmas season, I have not had much time to file them away, or even to look at them in much depth other than thumbing through them, but it is on my list of things to do now that things are going to quiet down for a month or two. Thank you to the choir and everyone in the congregation who gave me Christmas cards, cookies, and other gifts. They are all very much appreciated. And finally, thank you to the church for having me as your organist for the past fifteen months or so. It has been a privilege to get to play on such a terrific instrument, and I have had a lot of fun learning some great pieces of organ literature like Bach’s ‘Toccata’ from his “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” Widor’s “Toccata,” and Percy Fletcher’s “Festival Toccata.”  I have already been working on some other neat pieces, so stay tuned for those.

LAST SUNDAY IN WORSHIP

Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 63:7-9, Matthew 2:13-23 Message:     “Every Day Christmas”” Worship Attendance: 69

View Message (YouTube) from Christmas Eve Service

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”