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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 8, 2019 SCRIPTURE LESSON:   Isaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-7,12-13                               MESSAGE:      “Where the Spirit Rests”

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 ADVENT BREAKFAST, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019 , 9:00 am - Start off your day at the annual Advent Breakfast. Food is being provided. Activities for the children and crafts for all ages are being planned. No Sunday School classes will meet this week, and no sign-up is needed. Just come and enjoy! O.W.L.S.   ANNUAL   CHRISTMAS   TEA On Thursday, December 12 the Homebuilder’s Classroom 154 will be transformed into the OWLS TEA-ROOM and decorated for the season. Join us at noon for tea, soup and sandwiches prepared by Dolly Furst, cookies shared by those gathered, (bring along a half dozen of your favorites to share if you want to) and enjoy a time of good food and fellowship in the Christmas Spirit. The program will be a 45 minute DVD of “ An Old Fashioned Christmas ” – familiar Christmas songs & carols, sung in beautiful surroundings.  Please sign up on the sheet in the narthex by December 8 so we know how many to prepare for.  Coming events – January 9 – Reorganize and plan for 2020 SOUP KITCHEN - Friday, Dec. 13, 2019 -  Sign up in the narthex to make a casserole or to work at the Soup Kitchen on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019 (10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) 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.  ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BOOKS are available in the Gathering Area : “Ready” by Frank Ramirez. Please take one and use it this Advent Season.

Click on button to access the complete list of Holiday Happenings!

Holiday Happenings

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

9th ANNUAL CAMP EDER CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL A Celebration of the Birth of Jesus Friday - Dec. 6th and Saturday - Dec. 7th , Daily 5 PM to 8 PM ➤ Christmas Lights & Music ➤ Horse Carriage Rides Friday Night ➤ Hayrides Saturday Night ➤ Tree Decorating Contest ➤ Delicious Turkey Dinner & Soup (per donation) ➤ Luminary Garden (honoring our loved ones) ➤ Decorated Trees ➤ Warm Drinks and Lots of Cookies (free) ➤ Bake Sale ➤ Kid's Activities ➤ Cozy Fires "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." John 1:5-11 Come join us for an evening of family festive fun! The woods will be illuminated with lots and lots of Christmas lights, warm Fires, hot cocoa and children activities will be happening each night. This is a beautiful festival you most certainly will not want to miss!

Click on tab for the Sponsorship Form for this event. This form is also on the bulletin board.

Sponsorship Form

Dec. 22, 2019 (Sunday morning worship service) 10:30am - Chancel Choir Cantata Dec. 24, 2019 (Tuesday evening in the sanctuary) 7:00 pm - Christmas Eve Candlelight Service - Our Christmas Eve offering will go entirely to the Brethren Disaster Ministries and its Rebuild Program for hurricane and flood recovering sites in NC, SC, FL, and the Midwest. Please click here http://www.brethren.org/bdm/rebuild/ for information about this offering project.

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!

LADIES BIBLE STUDY INFORMATION  December 10 - Will be our last lesson for the 2019 year. December 17 - Will be our Christmas Luncheon at the Eagles Nest Restaurant. We will meet at the restaurant at 11:45 a.m.  SIGN UP SHEET will be on snack table next Tuesday if you wish to attend. We will need to place reservations.   DEADLINE FOR SIGN UP is December 10 . January 7 - We will reconvene for Ladies Bible Study for the 2020 Winter session.

A WISH LIST for Heather Gibson and her 5 children that have been displaced due to a failed electrical inspection where they were told to leave quickly and was only able to take a few things from the house. These are the children that come to church with Diane Gibble.  If you have any of the small items new or used you can give them to Diane. Thank you so much for helping and showing God's love. Pray they will find affordable housing. Please click on the tab for what they will need once they get housing.

Wish List

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 at:  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

THANK YOU to all the folks that have provided casseroles for Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in 2019. And to those that transport and serve the casseroles. We have been providing 9 to 12 casseroles of baked spaghetti to Our Daily Bread the 2 nd Friday of each month to feed those less fortunate. It is one of our ways to help fight hunger in York. If you would like to help …. 1.You can make a casserole at your convenience. (pans & recipe available) 2. Put your casserole in the freezer in the church kitchen anytime during the month. OR 3. Bring your casserole to the church by 8:30 a.m. the 2 nd Friday of each month. Please add your name to the sign up sheet so we can tell Our Daily Bread how many casseroles to expect. Your help is needed and very much appreciated. Audrey Ginder (717-755-6785) A BIG thank you to everyone who once again helped to make "The Cookies for Truckers Project" a terrific success! Glenn and Anna Miller delivered 202 bags of cookies to the Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry. Many hands make light work and that is so true in this outreach ministry. You certainly made many people happy by providing them with a yummy taste of the Holidays. Spreading God's love to others is what Christmas is all about. Thanks again to all who made it happen!! Elizabeth Eisenhart Thanks to everyone who supported the Friends of Cross Keys Village for 2019 with your prayers, gifts of your time as you volunteer for the activities that help the residents enjoy the activities that take place all year long. Thank you for the used stamps, keep them coming. God Bless You. Keyperson, Anna Miller I am slowly recovering from my surgery. Thank you to Pastor Joel and deacons, Greg and Deb Klinedinst for the anointing service. I truly appreciate the cards, phone calls, prayers and prayer shawl. These expressions of your care and concern mean a great deal to me. Thank you! Nancy Jones Thank You for the Many Donations ~Thank you for your overwhelming response to the request for donations to our Food Pantry. We received so many food items it took over an hour to place them all on the shelves. We also received over $225 in cash and gift card donations. Your generous outpouring is appreciated and allows us to continue to serve those in our community who need food. A big, heart-felt thank you, First Church! From your Witness Team

2 Melinda Carlson 2 Larry Logue 4 Haley Grace Yingling 4 Paige Noelle Yingling 7 Brynleigh McCracken  8 Todd Plymire  10 Barbara Rollman 12 Bob Stoolmaker 12 Tim Beckwith 14 Peggy Metzger 14 Christina Deitch 14 Kelly Boogher  If your birthday is in  DECEMBER and it is not on the below list or is listed incorrectly, please call the church office. 15 Dave Bradfield, Sr 16 Brad Shenk 17 Jon Beuschlein 17 Linda Min 18 Eric Brickner 18 Julie Ilyes 21 Lindsey McCracken 23 Dave McCracken 24 Matthew Klinedinst 26 Emma Stoolmaker

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 20, By Mike Frock "What are all those little numbers?" Part 9-Origins Until the invention of the printing press, circa 1455, most hymn singing was done from memory. Even after the printing press, the first hymnals would have only included the texts of the hymns without any music. There would have been several reasons for this. First, in the 1500s-1700s, only the elite members in society could even read music. Second, there was the belief that the focus should be kept on the words and not the music. And third, before the Industrial Revolution (starting circa 1760), printing music was not readily available nor affordable. As a result, the hymns (both music and poetry) were usually kept simple, and poets had to write texts that matched a tune with which people were already familiar. Therefore, the poetry usually fit within one of the “Big 3” meters (Common Meter/Ballad Meter, Long Meter, and Short Meter).  There arose two “schools” of hymn writing—a German/French school and an English school (as in United Kingdom English, not American English). The English school is represented by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), and Charles Wesley (1707-1788). For the most part Isaac Watts stuck to the Big 3. In the Brethren Hymnal, there are 21 hymns by Watts, of which 18 are one of the Big 3, and the remaining three are simple combinations of 6-syllable and 8-syllable lines (86.86, 888.888, and 66.66.888). Charles Wesley used the Big 3 as a starting place, but also included many 7-syllable lines. So, many of Wesley’s hymns take the structure of 77.77 (#280 “Christ the Lord is risen today), 77.77D (#201 “Hark! the herald angels sing), and 87.87D (#178 “Come, thou long-expected Jesus” and #592 “Love divine, all loves excelling”). Of Wesley’s 23 hymns in the Brethren hymnal, 7 fit one of the Big 3, but 21 of the 23 consist entirely of 6-, 7-, and 8-syllable lines. On the other hand, the German/French school of hymn writing used more metrical variety and did not stick to any standard or simple meters. If we take Martin Luther (1483-1546) as an example of the German/French school, of the six hymns in the Brethren hymnal whose texts were written by Luther, there are six different meters: one LM, one 77.77, one 87.87.887, one 87.87.66.66.7, one 87.87.78.74, and one 87.87.555.67. So, the Metrical Index would have had its origins and been used more in English school-based denominations (e.g. Methodist) than in German/French school-based denominations (e.g. Lutheran).

LAST SUNDAY IN WORSHIP

Scripture Lesson:   Isaiah 2:1-5, Luke 1:76-79   Message:      “War No More” Worship Attendance: 86

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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”