Joyful Noiz - Zion Mennonite Church
Transcription
Joyful Noiz - Zion Mennonite Church
Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May2016 2006 April Page 20 Page 20 The Word Around Zion Property Committee Spring Work Day, Thursday, April 14 beginning at 3:00 p.m. Come when you can, leave when you must. Tasks will include cleaning, edging and mulching beds, picking up sticks and downed branches in preparation for lawn mowing. Pizza and beverages will be served for supper. Rain date will be Thursday, April 21. Is your child interested is attending summer camp this year? Remember Zion will pay half tuition if you choose to go to Spruce Lake or to Camp Men-O-Lan. See Nicole Musselman for details. Zion’s AnnuAl Golf outinG is scheduled for Saturday, June 11, 2016 at Butter Valley Golf Port, Bally, Pa. All levels of golfers, both men and women are invited and encouraged to play. A better-ball format will be played. A light lunch will be provided after your round of golf. The Joyful Noiz is published monthly by Zion Mennonite Church. The editor is Jennifer Moyer. Contributors this month included: Scott Benner, Alice Green, Tim Groff, Suzanne Gunden, Art Landis, Laura Martin, Eric Musselman, Klaudia Smucker. Stories and information for the newsletter can be submitted to Jennifer via email <jenn@zionmennonite.org> or left in the mailbox marked “Joyful Noiz” in the church office. Next Deadline: April 10, 2016 Joyful Noiz April 2016 Live like it matters! By the time you get this newsletter, Easter will be upon us, and spring break will be a memory with a few family pictures to record the event. But I hope that we don’t just close the chapter on Easter until next year. Easter reminds us that we are people of the resurrection; people who have been given the tools we need for life and death. This is something to celebrate everyday. Even when times get hard, the life-giving spirit of Jesus is still with us. This Easter season, I am filled with gratitude for all the ways God has walked with me through this past year. For some reason, in my pondering, I thought of a woman I knew a long time ago who demonstrated the Easter spirit like no other. My 95 year old friend Clara would pray daily, “Lord, show me how I can live for you today. Help me to see what I am supposed to see, and love the way you want me to love; and in all things, give you thanks.” Every day was difficult for Clara because every day the osteoporosis that racked her body put her in incredible pain. But this didn’t stop her from seeking God and being grateful. When I’d walk into her apartment, she would say, “Give me a word from God today! I wonder what God wants me to learn today?” When she went into skilled nursing care, I sat by her bedside as I would watch nurse’s aides, activities directors, housekeepers, and even other residents come in, sometimes sharing deeply about their difficult lives. Clara was a person who understood herself as a sinner but immensely enjoyed God’s grace. Clara extended that same grace she enjoyed, to each person who cared and shared with her. She’d look right at the young woman getting ready to turn her and say, “First tell me how your daughter is.” When the activities director would come in she’d say, “How is your husband?” With each loss of bodily mobility and ability, I learned from her that it was possible to continue to “in everything give thanks, ” and to care about others. She is one of the few people I know who did this consistently through constant pain and suffering. Continued to page 2... Zion Mennonite Church ° www.zionmennonite.org 149 Cherry Lane ° Souderton, PA 18964 215-723-3592 ° Fax: 215-723-0573 Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May 2006 April 2016 Page Page 2 2 Live like it Matters!, continued from front page, I long for an attitude of gratitude like Clara had. I hope that in sunshine and rain, that I will look for and notice God’s life-giving surprises all around me. Most of all, my hope is that I can live as courageously as Clara who showed that courage by worshiping, loving, and giving thanks in the midst of difficult circumstances. She was a woman who lived with peace in her heart, while her body was dying, and she still managed to make every moment count. It takes courage to live like Easter people. This Easter season, once again, we are reminded of the great courage that Jesus had; not just in his walk toward crucifixion, but in the way he lived his life. Like he did, I hope that we will live like what we do really matters. As we continue to grow more like him, may the courage of Jesus be in our speaking even if it is risky. Words from two songs in Sing The Journey help me remember this, reminding me that God doesn’t leave us hanging all alone, but walks with us. I leave the words from these two songs, “Here I am,” and “Don’t Be Afraid,” with you. May they give you courage and strength as you continue to live as people of the resurrection! “Here I Am” STJ 100 “Here I am, standing right beside you. Here I am; do not be afraid. Here I am, waiting like a lover, I am here; here I am. Do not fear when the tempter calls you, Do not fear even though you fall. Do not fear, I have conquered evil. Do not fear; never be afraid. I am here in the face of every child. I am here in every warm embrace. I am here with tenderness and mercy. Here I am. I am here. I am here in the midst of every trial. I am here in the face of despair. I am here when pardoning your brother. Here I am; I am here.” “Don’t be afraid” STJ 105 Don’t be afraid, my love is stronger; my love is stronger than your fear. Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger and I have promised, promised to be always near.” * STJ - Sing the Journey ~Klaudia Smucker Joyful Noiz April 2016 Page 19 May Children’s Ministries Bible Mania Children’s Church May 1 Heidi Borisow Sherry & Ben Russell Brad & Susan Schanz May 8 Enjoy Time in Worship Tim & Julie Wallace May 15 Heidi Borisow Sherry & Ben Russell Eric & Katie Musselman May 22 Enjoy Time in Worship Chelsea Picon & Gail Grim May 29 Enjoy Time in Worship Andy & Erin Constanzer Sunday Morning Child Care Nursery Attendant: Tammy Smith Infant & Toddler Nursery Worship Service Sunday School May 1 Andy & Erin Constanzer Amy Leight & Wendy Levins May 8 Matt & Laura Musselman Barb Schanz & Judy McVaugh May 15 Mike & Stef Helfrich Amanda Evans & Ashlen Godshall May 22 Lori Groff & Katie Musselman Donna Halteman & Eric Musselman May 29 Nathan & Bekki Dibble No Sunday School Today Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May2016 2006 April Page 18 Page 18 April Children’s Ministries Joyful Noiz April 2016 Page 3 Women’s Tea Party Bible Mania Children’s Church April 3 Enjoy Time in Worship Erin & Andy Constanzer Date: Saturday, April 9, 2016 Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Place: Fellowship Hall April 10 Heidi Borisow Sherry & Ben Russell Laura & Matt Musselman Look for a sign up sheet to be posted soon. There will be a charge of $5.00, children under 10 are free. Bring your favorite tea cup and invite your friends! April 17 Enjoy Time in Worship Lori Groff & Dawn Repsher The Late Night Youth Event April 24 Heidi Borisow Sherry & Ben Russell Amy & Dan McDonough Sunday Morning Child Care Nursery Attendant: Tammy Smith Infant & Toddler Nursery Worship Service Sunday School April 3 Nancy Detwiler & Tina Rhoads Donna Halteman & Eric Musselman April 10 Betty Bergstresser & Edie Landis Suzanne Gunden & Eric Musselman April 17 Amy Bergstresser & Chelsea Picon Carrie & Mike Dennis April 24 Sue High & Terri Musselman Trish & Mark Watkins The Christopher Dock Lock-in was always one of the biggest events Junior High students could participate in during the year. It was an all-night event that was held in the gymnasiums, chapel and lobbies of the Longacre Center. While students loved this event, it was not so much loved by the adults that had to attend as advisors or the parents that had to deal with their kids the next day! After hearing complaints for a number of years, last year it was decided to change this event to a late night event. It runs from 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm. This allows students and advisor to head home and get some rest before heading off to sporting events and school plays. This year’s event was not too different from ones in the past. Basically, we compressed an all-night event into 5 hours. We play the regular games like gaga, basketball, soccer, walleyball and spike ball. Some of the special add-ons for this year were, nerf target games and life-size hungry hippos. The only major thing that was missing were the sick and twisted games, along with the crafts that were accidentally left behind by those leading that part of the event. Along with the games we also enjoyed a time of worship. We played a few games and each group was asked to do a cheer to introduce what church they were from. Following this time of checking in and games, was followed up by praise music, lead by Philadelphia Praise Center’s worship team. We then listened to a challenging talk by Marcus Brunstetter, who has spoken as a Bible teacher at both Spruce Lake and Camp Men-o-lan. Since we have so many things going on through out the night, the 5 hours spent at CD go by in the blink of an eye! ~ Scott Benner Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May 2006 April 2016 Page Page 4 4 Youth News Joyful Noiz April 2016 Page 17 March Church Board Highlights 2016 year-to-date giving totals through February are $7,500 ahead of budget. On a very mild weekend in February our Senior High students headed up to Great Bend, Pennsylvania for their annual winter retreat at The Loft. This year’s trip was a bit different from ones in the past. This year we opened up the retreat to young adults, as well. Our current youth group is made up of a larger number of younger students that have never experienced a retreat at the Loft. It was nice to have some young adults to help them to know what to expect and get them excited for the food and events that would take place. This year we invited Darrell Pearson, professor at Eastern University in St. David, Pennsylvania to be our speaker for the weekend. Darrell did a really nice job to melt together stories from his past with Bible stories to teach us the importance of sharing the story of Jesus’ love for us. Beyond these times of teaching, Darrell was good at engaging folks during our times of fellowship and games. When we weren’t gathered for worship, which was most of the time, we enjoyed a bunch of games. Some of the games were planned and others just happened spontaneously. We played a lot of spike ball, basketball, Polish ping-pong, pool and board games. Since the weather was super mild some folks went for hikes or even played Frisbee outside in t-shirts and shorts. One of the highlights of the weekend was the Saturday night lip-syncing challenge. Of course, those with really extraverted personalities excel at this fun activity! After the lip-syncing, Pastor Scott became a DJ for 10-15 minutes, offering a mash-up of a bunch of different songs that everyone danced and sang along with. As with years in the past, we had a great time being together and deepening our faith. It would be great to have the entire church experience an event like this together! Board discussed the process of storing and filing Church records, including meeting minutes, etc. Intent is to provide complete records keeping as to be available in the future as needed. Board affirmed creating a Gift Discernment Committee of 4-5 persons, one of which would be a Board member, who would work throughout the year at discerning persons to fill ministry rep positions when terms expire. Bathroom project on track to be completed in April. Ongoing work on the Policy and Procedure Handbook continues with much progress being made. ~Tim Groff Church Directory Updates Please add to your directory: Betty Zendt 207 W. Summit Street Apt. 3226 Souderton, Pa. 18964 215-723-3573 Elizabeth M. Sell 235 Washington Street Apt. 104 Telford, Pa. 18969 Please remember to contact the church office with any changes to your address, phone or email address. Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May2016 2006 April Page 16 Page 16 April Birthdays & Anniversaries Birthdays 1- Scott Heckler 1 - Chadd Ziegler 2 - Nicole Yoder 3 - Betty Musselman 3 - Edna Scholl 4– Jim Grasse 4 - Phil Schanz 5 - Sarah Bergstresser 5 - Erica Robbins 6 - Isaac Martin 6 - Brad Schanz 7 - Abe Landes 7 - Cheri Ziegler 8– Kyler Mannon 9 - Tallon Dalbey 9 - Gail Grim 10 - Angela Borisow 11 - Pat Kratz 12 - Ben Russell 12 - Jed Slagel 13 - Betty Sell 14 - Bryn Constanzer 14 - Bob Kershaw 14 - Trisha Watkins Anniversary 4 - Scott & Darlene Humphrey 6 - Christopher & Rebekah Solt 7 - Ray & Linda Landis 8 - Aaron & Megan Baum 8 - Lito & Lisa Reinoso 10 - Bill & Donna Baum 10 - Dave & Bonnie Moyer 15 - Amy McDonough 15 - Bryce Reinoso 16 - Leah High 16 - Victor Reinoso 17 - Emily Freed 17 - Barb Schanz 18 - Sandi Hershey 20 - Millie Linsinbigler 21 - Jonathan Landis 21 - Katie Musselman 22 - Sarah Gerjovich 23 - Liam Musselman 24 - George Gaugler 24 - Peg Lauderback 24 - Larraine Moyer 25 - Wyatt Dalbey 25 - Tim Groff 26 - Brenda Huggins 26 - Barb Musselman 27 - Kerry Mannon 30 - Juliana Borisow 30 - Nate Dibble 30 - Priscilla Newman 11 - Willis & Jeannette Delp 15 - Barry & Jackie Murphy 16 - Jim & Suzanne Gunden 17 - Dennis & Nancy Detwiler 21 - Randy & Nancy Hartzel 24 - Glenn & Lee Ann Esbenshade 24 - Kurt & Andrea Keller 30 - Donald & Jean Shelly If your birthday or anniversary is incorrect or missing, please notify the office. Joyful Noiz April 2016 Page 5 Zion Mennonite Nursery School is holding a Used Clothing Collection Drive! Saturday, April 23 10:00 a.m. — 1:30 p.m. Clothing - men’s, women’s, children’s Shoes – children’s, men’s & women’s (We prefer all clothing & shoes to be in tied bags) Soft Toys - stuffed animals, dolls, etc Hard Toys like mini figures, all kinds of dolls, blocks, loose Legos, small cars, beach toys, dolls, strollers, play dough sets, etc. (We prefer them in boxes because in bags toys could break easily.) Household items - sheets, quilts, pillows, linens Bicycles Accessories - hats, scarves, purses, belts Just a note of Thanks… Thank you to my church family for the cards, visits, phone calls and prayers during my illness. It was greatly appreciated. God Bless You. Irma Scheetz Thank you, Zion Mennonite Church for giving $32,675.00 to Mennonite Mission Network for 2015! Your donations, prayers, participation and enthusiasm for mission are deeply felt across the street and around the world. Marissa Smucker Thank you for the many shared remembrances and expressions of sympathy at the passing of our mom, Anna M. Moyer. We are grateful for our Zion family! Dave and Bonnie Moyer Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May 2006 April 2016 Page Page 6 6 Creatin Care Tidbits Trees for the Earth Many of my childhood memories involve fond experiences with trees. I am sure you also can picture specific trees that were part of the fabric of your environment throughout the years, almost like old friends or at least a constant, unchanging presence in your life. As a child growing up on Diamond Street in Souderton, I especially remember our sour cherry tree in our backyard. It was the only tree on our small property, but every spring it flowered beautifully below my bedroom window and what excitement to climb it and pick every cherry for mom's delicious pies! It is no longer there, having long ago died from disease. Likewise, a neighbor's cherry tree fell down in a snowstorm. Down the street was a maple tree at the corner at Wile Avenue. Often we kids would congregate there and hang from the branches - before it was cut down to build an apartment building. Up at Souderton Park, there were many big oak trees that shaded us as we rode our bikes on the paths or played in the big old sandboxes or later as teenagers, shaded us from the summer heat after swimming at the pool across the street. Many of the majestic street trees along Wile and Reliance still stand, but many of them are reaching the end of their lifespans and being taken down one by one. My brother Eric recalls picking black walnuts under trees near Zwingli Church with my great grandmother, who was our childhood babysitter. He also remembers planting 2 trees with his elementary school teacher, Mr. Fox, at Franconia Elementary School. Those trees are now quite large. Continued to page 7... Joyful Noiz April 2016 Page 15 Recipes Worth Sharing Cheeseburger Soup 1 pound ground beef ¾ cup chopped onion ¾ cup shredded carrots ¾ cup diced celery 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley flakes 4 tablespoons butter, divided 3 cups chicken broth 4 cups diced, peeled potatoes (1 ¾ pound) ¼ cup flour 2 cups (9 ounces) VELVEETA cheese 1 ½ cups milk ¾ teaspoon salt ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper In 3-qt saucepan brown beef, drain and set aside. In the same saucepan sauté onion, carrot, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes till potatoes are tender. In small skillet melt remaining butter, add flour, cook and stir and slowly add milk. Add to soup. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, salt and pepper. Cook until cheese melts. ~ Alice Green Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May2016 2006 April Page 14 Page 14 Joyful Noiz April 2016 Page 7 Trees for the Earth, continued from page 6. The Pinewood Derby races were held on Tuesday night, March 15, 2016. This event is something the children look forward to all year. The excitement begins in January when everyone is given the opportunity to choose a car. Sanding the car and priming it in white paint follows. Then plans and many discussions of painting the car multiple colors or just one color. Finally, it is race night. The track has been set up by three men the night before with test runs completed to make sure the computer lights worked correctly. The night of the races arrived and everyone was excited. This year there were 34 participants and cars. All 34 participants raced a minimum of three races each. Racers were awarded 0 points for a win, 1 point for second place and 2 points for third place. The less points the better. Racers were eliminated after reaching 5 points. The winners were: Julia Smith – 1st place, Ana Picon – 2nd place, Addison Iannetta – 3rd, place, Kate Repsher – 4th A place and Brayden Helfrich – 4th B place. Thank you to all who participated and supported this exciting evening. ~ Each spring, Eric and I would go down the alley to pick pussy willows from the tree near the Bell Telephone Building. At Nana and Pop Pop's house, we fondly remember the birch tree on the corner of their house. Next door at Great Grammy's house, we picked yummy Lodi apples from her tree, near the garage. These trees have since died a natural death. So too, are many of our trees here on our Zion campus being lost to old age, disease or storms. Replacing trees that have been lost at Zion is a topic that Creation Care has been discussing. Our group is excited to be partnering with the Property Committee and a landscape architect to create an overall tree replacement plan for our grounds. Proper planning will ensure that the trees that are planted will look great aesthetically and will provide the shade needed at the appropriate places. By planting native trees, we will provide a friendly environment for wildlife and will save costs using trees that grow well with little maintenance. The 2016 Earth Day theme is "Trees for the Earth". On Creation Care Sunday, tree saplings will be given to the children at the cross to take home to plant (heads up parents!) "And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food." (Genesis 2:9) The story of creation teaches us that we need to get a balance between making use of and caring for what God has given us in creation, including trees. We need to work with rather than against creation. This is a challenge we need to work through. "The LORD God took man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (REAP - A Biblical View of Trees- God's Gift to Us for our Provision bible study) Creation Care Committee Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May 2006 April 2016 Page Page 8 8 The Daily Positive There's good in every situation When I was little my mom told me that there were pots of gold at the end of every rainbow. After it rained I would run outside and try to find them. I never did. But even now I see a rainbow and wonder if I'll be able to find that gold. It wasn't until I was old enough to understand what a metaphor was until I realized the pot of gold was a metaphor. I was waiting for the storm to pass so I could go play outside, and my mom wanted me to know that good things were coming. When we're in a storm, we can rest assured it will pass. Good things are coming, at the end of the rainbow. Even in storms, let’s train ourselves to look on the bright side. That's something I need a lot of training in. So I look to the stars. The stars are always in the sky. It's not until it gets dark out that we can actually see them. It often takes a dark time in life for us to notice the blessings we have, as well. When it gets dark they shine the brightest, because we can look to those things for comfort and joy. It's hard to remember they're there even in the day, too. But wouldn't remembering that make the bright times that much brighter? Here's to counting our blessings, through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Maybe even carve some time out of each day to write some of your blessings on paper. They're the real pots of gold in our lives. Joyful Noiz April 2016 Page 13 Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May2016 2006 April Page 12 Page 12 Joyful Noiz The Young Peoples Union volleyball tournament has been held for over 30 years. The number of players and spectators has decreased since the heydays of the tournament during the 80’s and 90’s, but the goal of the event has not changed. It is the hope of the planners to get high school and college students together for a fun day of fellowship and worship. This event brings together churches from the Eastern District Conference (EDC), and those that used to be a part of the EDC before the merger of the Mennonite Church. What is also great about this event is that it also gathers students that enjoy Camp Men-o-lan’s summer programs for what seems like a mini-reunion. This year we only had eight teams involved in the event, but we still had a great time. Beyond a round robin time, teams played in a double elimination tournament in the latter part of the day. Between the two styles of play, Deep Run West Mennonite’s youth group led everyone in a time of singing. Following the singing of a number of praise songs, Mark Hagar from Butter Valley Community Church (formerly Hereford Mennonite) led us in a time of study. Mark used an improvisational skit, which included Pastor Scott, to remind us of some truths of the Bible and being faithful followers of Christ. Zion had one team at this event that was made up of both high school and college students. They ended up having a lot of fun and managed to end up in third place in the double elimination tournament. Page 9 Library News Youth News Volleyball Tournament April 2016 Children's Picture Books: 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy - Kimeli Naiyomah returned home to his Maasai village from New York City with news of 9/11 terrorist attacks. His story prompted the villagers to give a heartfelt gift to help America heal. Children's Chapter Books: Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (Age 7+) - Clementine, is a precocious third-grader who frequently gets into mischief, though with the good intention to solve problems. Portraits of Little Women (Meg's Story, Jo's Story, Beth's Story, & Amy's Story) by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Age 8+) - Original stories, inspired by the timeless classic Little Women, which capture each of the March sisters at age 10, as they experience the joys and sorrows of sisterhood, family life, and a changing America. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (Age 10+) - In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love. I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda (Age 12+) - The true story of an all-American girl from Hatfield, PA and a boy from Zimbabwe and the pen-pal letter that changed both of their lives forever. Adult Titles: Joseph's Dilemma by Ervin Stutzman (sequel to Jacob's Choice) - Amish teen Joseph Hochstetler is taken into captivity by Native Americans during the French and Indian War. Love Finds You in Nazareth, PA by Melanie Dobson - Christian and Susanna had never met when they were chosen by lot to marry in a Moravian community in Germany. But in 1755, they traveled with a dozen other newly married couples to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, to help establish a Moravian borough and share their faith with the surrounding Indian nations. Still Alice by Lisa Genova - An accomplished professor diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease learns that her worth is comprised of more than her ability to remember. Joyful Noiz Joyful Noiz May2016 2006 April Page 10 Page 10 Joyful Noiz April 2016 Page 11
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Joyful Noiz - Zion Mennonite Church
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