GOOD NEWS nOTES€¦ · GOOD NEWS nOTES The United Church of Christ East Goshen 1201 North Chester Road, West Chester, PA 19380 Worship 5:30 Saturday & 10:00 am Sunday 610-692-2951

GOOD NEWS nOTES The United Church of Christ East Goshen

1201 North Chester Road, West Chester, PA 19380 Worship 5:30 Saturday & 10:00 am Sunday

610-692-2951 Rev. Angelee Benner-Smith, Pastor www.ucceastgoshen.org Caroline A. Dunleavy, Director of Music Ministry

SUMMER 2018 Phyllis Kinser, Administrative Assistant

From Our Pastor…

Six Degrees of Separation

I have been thinking about peace lately: peace

between countries, people of varying skin colors and

languages; peace as the absence of war, anger,

prejudice and terror; peace in a global, BIG way!!!

I am remembering international pen pal buddies. I

am thinking of exchange students, and backpacking

in many countries. I am thinking of breaking bread

around the world on the first Sunday of October. I

am thinking of a cease of fighting on Christmas Day.

The Christmas Truce, when British and German

soldiers were said to have suddenly stopped fighting

on the Western Front for a few hours on Christmas

Day 1914, is written in history. What started with the

singing of “Stille Nacht” on the German side,

followed by a response of “Silent Night,” was said to

have included an impromptu soccer game on the No

Man’s Land between. I am thinking of the quote,

“walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins.”

I am thinking of how often we make a list of groups

of people, or nationalities, countries we wouldn’t

feel safe travelling to, and how many citizens from

other countries are scared to come here to the USA.

We are getting known as a country where gun

violence -- even at movies or marathons and schools

-- is something to expect -- violence and fear.

Walking down the street as a person who looks or

loves a bit differently is a reason, where we live, to

have violence erupt. I am thinking that children over

the world don’t feel safe and they have no

experience of PEACE.

Our family has a friend, Lilya. We met over 15 years

ago and we keep in touch. We met her as a translator

and a college student. She didn’t know us and

received no material benefits from befriending us,

but through her gentle, loving kindness, her guidance

and openness to Americans, we became friends, in

Russia! Our friendship has grown.. I think about

Alec, a pen pal I have from New Zealand whom I

met in 1979, and we still send cards, and I am

remembering the young girl I worked with one

summer from Malesia, who gave me her “rice bowl”

which I kept! I even think of the man with the

machine gun, across his chest, who entered a bus in

Israel which our group was on, and we struck up a

conversation for the long hot ride.

I don’t think peace, which we are truly seeking as a

country and world, will come from policies through

governments, or in missile diplomacy, or by

increased tariffs on selling or purchasing. It won’t

come by beautiful photographs of world leaders

sitting together at a gorgeous meal, or First Ladies

wearing native dress.

I believe peace will come with the one to one

touching, and exchanges of friendship and support

from the common, you-and-me folks. Peace can

happen when we know those unlike us, and are

curious to discover our six degrees of separation

(the theory that any person on the planet can be

connected to any other person on the planet through

a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five

intermediaries).

Peace will come as the “other”, is not called

“Enemy” but one of God’s beloved too. As The

Russians, by the musician Sting from his album

“Dream of the Blue Turtle” says, “We share the

same biology, regardless of ideology. But what

might save us, me and you, is if the Russians love

their children, too “

May you be adventurers this summer and meet a

stranger who doesn’t speak your language, make a

pen-pal and allow Peace to grow!

Pastor Angelee

Volunteers Where there are open spots, members are encouraged to volunteer. Call Patty Yarnall or use www.signupgenius.com

SUNDAY

VOLUNTEERS JUNE 3 Communion

June 10

June 17 Father’s Day

June 24

Greeters Michelle & Anna Lubnow

Sue Ogram Benner-Smith Family Todd Speece & Carol Swingle

Acolyte Cole Benner-Smith Lily Yost Sofia Keith Anna Lubnow

Children’s Chat Rev. Wanda Craner Carol Swingle Bonnie Yost

Scripture Scott Burkhart Todd Speece

Hospitality Keates Family Baily Family Don & Gloria Rising Andy Mahard & Chuck Gosselink

Counters Bart Yost& Leslie Siebert

Bath Sayler & Carol Swingle

Bonnie Yost & Candice Keith

Linda Ardao & Pam Onyx

6/3 Communion Servers: Patty Yarnall, Andrei Benner-Smith, Bart Yost, Linda Ardao

SUNDAY

VOLUNTEERS JULY 1 Comm. July 8 July 15 Family July 22 July 29

Greeters Benner-Smith Family

Sue Ogram, Patty Yarnall

Michelle, Anna Lubnow

Acolyte Cole Benner-Smith

Children’s Chat n/a n/a Beth Sayler n/a n/a

Scripture Al Benner-Smith Linda Ardao Patty Yarnall

Hospitality Janae & Andrei Benner-Smith

Ray Hunter, Linda Ardao

Tina Larsen, Jessica Minot

Lubnow Family Gloria & Don Rising

Counters Patty Yarnall & Tina Larsen

Bart Yost & Al Benner-Smith

Beth Sayler & Andrei Benner-Smith

Bonnie Yost & Carol Swingle

Linda Ardao & Leslie Siebert

7/1 Comm. Servers: Leslie Siebert, Al Benner-Smith, Tina Larsen, Bob Pauli

SUNDAY

VOLUNTEERS AUGUST 5 Comm.

August 12 August 19 Family August 26

Greeters

Acolyte

Children’s Chat n/a n/a Todd Speece n/a

Scripture Linda Ardao

Hospitality Bonnie Jackson & Avalon Wittig

Pam Onyx & Tina Erhardt

Bill Edrington & Israel Gonzales

Burkhart Family

Counters Patty Yarnall, Pam Onyx

Bonnie Yost, Tina Larsen

Bart Yost, Al Benner-Smith

Beth Sayler, Andrei Benner-Smith

8/5 Comm. Servers: Patty Yarnall, Bart Yost, Bonnie Yost, Jane Resides

“Café Script,” the Pastor’s discussion group

will take a break for the month of

June and meet starting July 3, on

Tuesday mornings from 10:30 to

12:00 noon beginning. Please

come out and share in this

opportunity for in-depth discussion. As we share

where we each are in our life, we will seek together

to hear God’s voice and direction on our journey.

Our time will include prayer, feedback from others

in the group, spiritual direction, support and listening

for God’s insight as we hear each other’s stories.

Breakfast̶ - Tuesday, June12 & July 10 From 8:30 to 10:00 am, join others

of all ages for breakfast and

fellowship. We meet at the West

Chester Senior Center on East

Union Street to enjoy a full

breakfast. Price is $4.00 per person.

Please join others for this fun outing!

Our Saturday Worship Service

United Church of Christ East Goshen has been

enjoying an additional service on Saturdays at 5:30

pm. We pray that folks seeking a Saturday evening

worship experience can come to know the

unconditional love of God that is presented every

Sunday morning from our pulpit!

For all those looking for a new time of day to sing

God’s praise; a more informal setting (we gather in

Fellowship Hall), a new experience of refreshing

spiritual uplift, come and give our Roots & Roofs a

try. You will be welcomed with a UCC East Goshen

extravagant welcome!

Follow us on Facebook: Roots and Roofs

AMAZON SMILE

Thank you to those who have shopped on Amazon

Smile and chosen UCCEG as their charity! We've

only begun this program, and have just received a

payment of $6.06. Please spread the word and

encourage your friends and family to choose

UCCEG. Every little bit helps!

Amazon’s fundraising program will donate .5%

of all qualified purchases directly to UCC EG. Log on to smileamazon.com. Select United Church

of Christ East Goshen (spell out full name) as your

charity. You will see the same website as

amazon.com. So, shop as you normally would and

support UCC East Goshen while you shop at

smile.amazon.com.

Color Run/Walk at East Goshen Park

Interested in a “walk in the park?” On Saturday, June

23 at 10am there will be a 5K (about 3 miles) Color

Run/Walk supporting a youth mentoring program at

East Goshen Park. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a

“team” from UCC-EG walking together? The cost is

$35 for adults and $15 for youth. Please sign up in

the Narthex if you are interested!

Bonnie Yost

Children’s Recognition Sunday – June 17

On June 17th we will celebrate the children in our

congregation from the youngest to the graduates!

The children will be sharing their many talents and

will play a major role in the service. Don’t miss this

chance to show our children how important they are

to us and to UCCEG!

Parents: If you would like you child/ children to

participate, please contact Bonnie Yost by email,

[email protected]

Rally Day- September 9

Yes, September seems a long way off, and there

we’ll be lots of vacations and summer fun before it

comes, but it will be here before you know it! The

return of regular Sunday School (2 classes) begins

on Rally Day. Come home to UCCEG rested and

revitalized!

Adult Ed – June 3

The last session “Church and Society” will be held

June 3rd following the service. Lots of wonderful

discussion occurred during the first two well

attended sessions. Watch the Sunday bulletin for

dates during the summer when we will continue with

the thoughtful videos of Dr. Brene Brown! Lively

discussions are sure to follow!

Congregational Life Meeting – June 10

Please come to the Congregational Life meeting after

church on JUNE 10. We will discuss the traditional

social activities (Sundae Sunday and Salad Sunday)

and are looking for some fresh ideas, or fresh

interpretations of old ideas. One idea is to have a

"Jewelry Night.” Participants could bring in old

jewelry to swap or learn jewelry repair/making

techniques. Please let Tina Larsen know if you have

any interest or expertise in this event. Several people

have also asked about having a White Elephant

auction, game night, pot luck, or other similar

events. Please continue to share your ideas and come

on June 10! Tina Larsen and Carol Swingle, co-

chairs

Financial Update

Thank you for your continuous,

faithful giving to UCC East Goshen.

This is a gentle reminder that our bills

continue in the summer when attendance drops off.

When you're away this summer, you can mail your

offering using the offering envelope. No need to put

it in another - just include your return address and a

stamp and send it off!

Several members are using their bank's bill pay to

schedule their regular giving. That's another way to

stay current with giving so we can stay current with

bills. It can be set up for just one period of time or

can continue until you stop it.

To enhance our Giant card program, we will be

participating in Shop with Script. This program is

similar to Giant's - the church will receive a

percentage of the cards purchased. This new

program will include department and specialty

stores. Many of the gift cards will be able to be

"reloaded", meaning that you can go on-line and add

money to the card instead of using up the card and

disposing of it, and then buying another card. The

church still receives a percentage of the money

reloaded to cards. We will begin this program in

July/August so that you will have your cards ready to

use for back to school! Watch for information

sessions after worship this summer! Todd Speece is

heading up this new program.

Stewardship has many times been discussed only at

the end of the calendar year when Council is

beginning to work on the next year's budget. But

Stewardship is not just a plea for money to balance

budgets. Stewardship is a way of life. We give not

only money, but our time and talents, too. And we

give all year. So why don't we talk about it more

often than the last two months of the year?

We are looking for a few people who would like to

work together in sharing opportunities in and

presentations about stewardship. The program and

how it will be shared have not been established.

There are many resources and supplies available

through the UCC national site. Please speak with

Beth Sayler, Patty Yarnall, Leslie Siebert, Linda

Ardao or Todd Speece if you are interested or if you

have questions. Thank you!

Beth Sayler and the Financial Team

Food Donations Please remember

that non-perishable food items are

always being collected for the Chester

County Food Bank! Take a red bag

from the Narthex home with you and bring it back

the next week. No need to completely fill it! Our

neighbors in need will be most appreciative!

Apple Butter Festival 2018 - Saturday, Sept. 29

Mark your calendars for this year’s Apple Butter

Festival! On Saturday, September 29, 2018, we will

gather on the lawn of the church for a church

tradition that is a community favorite. We will be

striving to make this year’s festival the best ever —

for that we will need your help. Todd Speece will be

the Chairman of this upcoming ABF, and he is

asking that you take an active role in the planning

and preparations for this wonderful event. Join in the

fun! Please contact Todd and find out how you can

help make this year’s festival a memorable event. Todd Speece - (610) 639-9268 [email protected]

Growth Committee

Have you checked out the church website lately

(www.ucceastgoshen.org)? We would love to hear

your feedback. The site was updated about a year

ago, and we are hoping that it constantly evolves and

grows to reflect who we are as a church and what we

offer the West Chester area community and beyond.

Similarly, our church Facebook page

(https://www.facebook.com/UnitedChurchOfChristE

astGoshen/) is something to check out periodically.

Roots & Roofs is on Facebook, too. Again,

suggestions or comments are welcome. Please send

them to the church office

([email protected]) attention Growth

Committee.

When you attend our regular services Sunday

mornings at 10 am, please try to stay for Fellowship

and say hi. You might also want to try the Saturday

evening service, "Roots and Roofs," held at 5:30 for

a different kind of worship experience. Held in

Fellowship Hall, Roots and Roofs has a more

contemporary, informal flavor in both the music and

worship. It doesn't need to be an "either or"

proposition as far as which service you attend, and

many of us choose to attend both.

If you would like to participate in Growth

Committee (helping us to spread the word about our

church), we would be very happy to welcome you.

Just drop me an email at [email protected].

Pam Onyx, Growth Committee Chair

Sunday June 17, after 10 am worship, stay for

outside games with parents/ youth

Meet at 11:30 am for a Parent/ youth game (Of Frisbee

or football or soccer, depending who is there) at our

church.

Summer Lunch Bunch – 1 PM

Open to all ages, to enjoy lunch

these Fridays!

June 8 Oriental Pearl, 1550 Paoli Pike

July 6 Sabatino’s, Ship & Boot Roads

Aug. 3 Oriental Pearl, 1550 Paoli Pike

Let’s Do Lunch!

Our next lunch/ brunch will be Sunday June 24. The

Grapevine Cuisine in Downingtown features

delicious, authentic Greek food! This restaurant is

family owned and a BYOB. Please sign up to attend,

we can purchase from the menu and pay separately.

Please see www.grapevinecuisine.com for more

information. For questions, see Angelee Al or Cole

(A Greek Mythology buff!) All are welcome!

Calling All Youth

On Wednesday, June 27,

9:00 am – 12:00 noon

youth 12 and above are

invited join Pastor

touring and helping at the Chester County Food

Bank. Learn about the Food Bank and how hunger

and food insecurity affect our community here in

Chester County

Please let Pastor Angelee know you are planning to

be a part of this experience and sign up in Narthex

of church. A few adults of the congregation who are

interested may also travel with us.

Please meet at church at 8:15 am, and we will travel

together to the Chester County Food bank for a tour

and short service in the kitchen/ stocking area.

Lunch Option: We will get Chick-Fil-A food for

lunch and go to Bell Tavern Park in Downingtown

for some fun and to eat lunch there. All ages invited

to meet at the Park for lunch at about 1 pm.

Let’s Have a Card Shower!

Ms. Mary Betty Roeder will be 97

years old on June 17, 2018. Why not

send a card or a note to her:

1361 Boot Road, Apt. #236,

West Chester, PA 19380

Congratulations to our High school Graduates!

Aidan Dunleavy will

graduate from Conestoga High

School on June 5, 2018. Aidan

earned a Varsity letter in Football during his Senior

year at Conestoga. Aidan has been admitted as a

Finance major to the John L. Grove College of

Business at Shippensburg University in

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Hayden Keljikian has been attending UCCEG

for 10 years, and was baptized and confirmed by

Pastor Angelee. Hayden loves to sing and dance, and

spends her down time babysitting, working out,

reading, playing games with her family, and hanging

out with her friends. Hayden is a graduate of West

Chester East High School. While there, Hayden was

on the Dance Team, the Cross Country Team,

National Honor Society, and various clubs. Hayden

will be attending University of Delaware in the fall,

majoring in Early Childhood Education.

Music Ministry Celebration

Thank you for another spirit-

filled year of music at UCCEG!

The annual Music Ministry

celebration will take place on

Wednesday, June 13th @ 6:30

PM @ Buhna Faun, 152

Lancaster Avenue, Malvern.

Please RSVP to Caroline as soon as possible if you

plan to attend! [email protected]

Equal Exchange Update

Thank you to everyone who has supported our Equal

Exchange product sales of coffee, tea

and chocolate! Over the past six

months, we have held sales for

Christmas, at the Annual Meeting in

January, for Easter, and at the Primary

Election Day Bake Sale in May. We

are taking a break for the summer

months. Please look for us again

around the time of Rally Day in September and for

Christmas 2018!

VBS This Summer

UCCEG will not be holding our own Vacation Bible

School this summer, but our sister UCC church, St.

Paul’s in Exton, will be holding a great week – July

23-27, 9:30 to noon. The theme will be Global

Ministries Embrace the Fruits of the Spirit. You are

invited to join in their daily VBS experience. Please

contact [email protected] to sign up and gain

more information. You are encouraged to discover

our Global God!

UCCEG Rental Space - Spread the Word!

Our building is conveniently located and includes

areas for a wide variety of groups and events.

Remember, the best advertising is word of mouth!

Brochures with this information are available in the

Church Narthex. (Steve Yost and Todd Speece are

our church rental contact people.)

Flowers at the front of the Sanctuary

If you are interested in sponsoring

flowers in memory of a loved one or in

celebration of an event, please pick a

date and sign up on the sheet hanging

on the bulletin board in the Narthex! The cost is

$15.00 for one vase or $25.00 for two vases.

JUNE CALENDAR

June 2 5:30 pm Roots & Roofs Worship

June 3 10:00 am Sunday Worship

Holy Communion Shared

11:15 am Fellowship

11:30 am Adult Education Program

June 7 by 10:30am Salvation Army Meal

June 8 1:00 pm Lunch Bunch meets at

Oriental Pearl

June 9 5:30 pm Roots & Roofs Worship

June 10 10:00 am Sunday Worship -

Mother’s Day

11:15 am Fellowship

10:30 am Congregational Life Mtg.

June 12 8:30 am West Chester Senior

Center Breakfast

June 13 6:30 pm Music Ministry Dinner at

Buhna Faun

June 16 5:30 pm Roots & Roofs Worship

June 17 10:00 am Family Worship /

Children’s Recognition

11:15 am Fellowship

11:30 am Youth v. Adult Outdoor

Games

June 18 7:00 pm Council Meeting

June 23 10:00 am Color Run/Walk at

East Goshen Park

5:30 pm Roots & Roofs Worship

June 24 10:00 am Sunday Worship

11:15 am Fellowship

3:00 pm Wedding Service

June 27 8:15 am Youth Visit to Food Bank

1:00 pm Lunch - Bell Tavern Park

June 30 5:30 pm Roots & Roofs Worship

_______________

Every Monday 7:00 pm – AA Meeting

Every Tuesday 7:30 pm – GA Meeting

JULY CALENDAR

July 1 10:00 am Sunday Worship

Holy Communion Shared

11:15 am Fellowship

July 3 10:30 am Café Script

July 5 by 10:30am Salvation Army Meal

July 6 1:00 pm Lunch Bunch meets at

Sabatino’s – Boot Road

July 7 5:30 pm Roots & Roofs Worship

July 8 10:00 am Sunday Worship -

July 10 8:30 am West Chester Senior

Center Breakfast

10:30 am Café Script

July 14 5:30 Roots & Roofs

July 15 10:00 am Family Worship

July 16 7:00 pm Council Meeting

July 17 10:30 am Café Script

July 21 5:30 pm Roots & Roofs

July 22 10:00 am Sunday Worship

11:15 am Fellowship

July 24 10:30 am Café Script

July 28 5:30 pm Roots & Roofs

July 29 10:00 am Sunday Worship

11:15 am Fellowship

July 31 10:30 am Café Script