Shenkel United Church of Christ SHARINGS AND CONCERNS April 2012 SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 1580 Shenkel Road Pottstown PA 19465 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Shenkel United Church of Christ’s “The NEWSLETTER” is a monthly publication prepared, edited, and mailed by the leadership and staff to all members and friends of the church. It communicates news about our life, purpose, and mission as a Church of Jesus Christ. Information related to our partnership as a member of the United Church of Christ and wider church/community out- reach is included on a regular basis. The Church is located at Unionville & Shenkel Roads in North Coventry Township.
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Shenkel United
Church of Christ
SHARINGS AND CONCERNS
April 2012
SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
1580 Shenkel Road
Pottstown PA 19465
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Shenkel United Church of Christ’s “The NEWSLETTER” is a monthly publication prepared, edited, and mailed by the leadership and staff to all members and friends of the church. It communicates news about our life, purpose, and mission as a Church of Jesus Christ. Information related to our partnership as a member of the United Church of Christ and wider church/community out-reach is included on a regular basis. The Church is located at Unionville & Shenkel Roads in North Coventry Township.
April 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Palm Sunday No communion
2 3 4
Agape 7 PM
5 Community
Lunch Bunch 11:30 AM Choir: 6 PM
Service: 7 PM in social hall
6
Community Prayer Walk: 10 AM
Worship Service 7 PM
Easter Vigil follow-ing service
7
Vigil ends at 11:30 AM
8 Easter Sunday! No Sunday School today. Light Easter brunch between services
9
10
Quilters: 9:30 AM
Spiritual Council: 7 PM
Consistory: 7:30 PM
11 12
Choir 7 PM
13
Social Hall reserved for the evening
14
15
Holy Humor Sunday Youth Group meets after late worship
16
17
Mid-Day Dinner Club: Noon at The Brick House in Pottstown
18
Prayer Shawl Ministry: 7 PM
19
Healing Prayers: 9:15 AM
Card Making Class: 10 AM
Choir: 7 PM
20
Grief Workshop in social hall: 10 AM — Noon
21
―Taste of the Caribbean‖ 6 PM
22
Inquirer’s Class meets after 10:45 worship
23 24
Election Day Ursinus Asso-ciation Spring Meeting
25 26
No Choir tonight
27 28
Consistory Retreat: 9 AM
29
Inquirer’s Class meets after 10:45 worship
30
1580 Shenkel Road, Pottstown PA 19465 610.326.3535
Andrew Foss Newsletter Editor: Judy Embriani Assistant Editor: Jody Sweinhart Assistant Editor: Bill Baseley
“I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you.”
- 2 Timothy 1:6
Although plans for my sabbatical (August 18 through November 23, 2013) are still unfolding and
will be not be final until we learn if we receive the Clergy Renewal Grant for which we are apply-
ing, here are a few of the anticipated pieces that I hope will excite you as much as they excite me:
1. While I am away, Shenkel’s part-time “sabbatical interim” will be an experienced UCC pas-
tor who will be inviting preachers from various countries and backgrounds to share the pul-
pit. You will have a first-hand taste of one of the formative periods of Shenkel’s history,
when, in the 1950s, coordinated by the Rev. Dr. Ed Schlingman, Shenkel’s pulpit was filled
by speakers from around the world!
2. The parsonage will be made available for several weeks during my sabbatical to a pastor
and his family who will travel here from Liberia. You will have a chance to learn much
from them as they share about their community and ministry back home, and they will learn
from you as you orient them to what will be a very unfamiliar lifestyle!
3. For part of my sabbatical, I will have the opportunity to participate in a different kind of
ministry, serving as a volunteer at The Seeing Eye, an organization that has nourished my
spirit and provided inspiration for my ministry (as you well know!) for years. By spending
time on their campus, I will have a unique opportunity to interact with staff, volunteers, and
students at The Seeing Eye, and to use my gifts for public speaking, spiritual nurture, com-
munity outreach, and dog training in new ways. While doing so, I will also be learning from
a non-church organization that excels in helping people develop their fullest potential by
recognizing and nurturing the gifts, abilities and strengths that lie within. I have always un-
derstood that to be one of my primary tasks as a pastor; I am looking forward to gaining new
insights for parish ministry from a non-profit organization that has been “tending fire” faith-
fully for over eighty years with staff, volunteers, people receiving Seeing Eye dogs, and
even puppies and dogs!
I will be sharing more details as plans evolve, but in the meantime, if you have any questions, don’t
hesitate to speak with me or any member of the Pastoral Relations Committee. I am looking for-
ward to this sabbatical being “the gift that keeps on giving” as I know we all will benefit from this
time of “tending fire” both while I am away and after I return.
Be God’s,
Pastor Bonnie
April 1 8:30 a.m. and
10:45 a.m.
Come sing "Hosanna!" with the crowd and participate
as our Lenten journey culminates in this joy-ful celebration of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem.
April 5
7:00 p.m.
Please join us at 7 P.M., in the Social Hall, to worship and share Holy Communion together. Perhaps this night will lead each of us into a deeper commit-ment with God and help prepare us for the glori-ous Easter message that will be revealed to all the world on Easter Sunday!
April 6 10:30 a.m.
The Pottstown Community Good Friday Walk begins at 10:30 a.m. from the green between Zion’s UCC and Emmanuel Lutheran on Hanover Street. Join us as we walk and pray for our community. Children, dogs and strollers welcome!
Tenebrae Service 7:00 p.m.
The drama continues as we recall Jesus’ painful march to Golgotha, his suffering and death on the cross, and the darkness that hung over the earth.
Easter Vigil –
Following the Good Friday Service, April 6, the vigil begins, and ends on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. This is a time of solitude and meditation. It is suggested that at least two people be pre-sent for one hour all through the night. Materials will be provided on which to meditate, or you may bring your own personal meditation to read. It is a time of quiet reflection.
There is a sign up chart in the Narthex for people wishing to participate in the Vigil. If you would like more information, contact Ann Baccari or the Church office.
April 8
Come sing "Alleluia!" as we celebrate Christ’s victory over the grave, and are assured, once more, that NOTHING can separate us from God’s love. 6:30 a.m. – Community Sunrise Service in the field across from Temple United Methodist Church at the intersection of Temple and Unionville Roads, Potts-
town. Breakfast will be served following the service – all are welcome! Our 8:30 AM and 10:45 AM services of worship will include joyful, inspiring music, a celebratory message, and Holy Communion. Refreshments will be served in Fellowship Hall between services; no Sunday School will be held that morning.
PAGE 4
SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
4/1
Palm Sunday
No communion
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
Early: Carol Pearson
Late: Faye Pedrick
Early: Bill & Carolyn
Baseley
Late: Ed & Faye Pedrick
4/8
Easter Sunday
Communion
Joan and Doug
Johnson
NEED SPONSOR
Early: Jody Sweinhart
Late: Barbara Brown
*CUL:
Early: Gary McDermit
Late: Mark Dushanko
4/15
NEED SPONSOR
Sue and Gary
Stultz
Early: Carol Pearson
Late: Bob Brown
Early: Barbara Sweinhart
Late: Andrew Foss
4/22
Lynne Moyer
NEED SPONSOR
Early: Carol Pearson
Late: Jody Sweinhart
Early: Ron & Carol
Pearson
Late: Jody & Kaleena
Sweinhart
4/29
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
Early: Carol Pearson
Late: Wendy Ambrose
Early: Bill & Carolyn
Baseley
Late: Wendy Ambrose &
Judy Comishock
* CUL = Communion Usher Leaders (will recruit members to assist in serving communion.)
PAGE 5
“Flours” is a collection of pantry items or
a monetary donation of your discretion to the Cluster. If a cash donation to the Cluster is made, a wheat arrangement will be placed on the altar. Altar flowers are $30.00 and bulletin dedica-tions are $6.50. Food Sculptures are also gladly accepted.
The are many dates open for sponsorship and dedication dur-ing this and the upcoming months. Please complete one of the special flower/bulletin envelopes below the sign-up chart, enclose your payment, and either put it in the collection plate or in the Secretary’s box by the office door. You should sign your name on the chart in the narthex by the appropriate date after you have completed your envelope. Please do not sign the chart without completing an envelope.
Normally, Shenkel UCC cele-
brates the sacrament of Holy
Communion at both services on
the first Sunday of each month.
This month, however, Palm Sunday falls on the first
Sunday of the month, so we will wait until Easter Sunday to share communion. Each time commun-
ion is served, some of the bread and non-alcoholic
wine that has been consecrated at the altar will be
saved in a traveling communion kit, ready to go to
the homes or hospital rooms of members who were
unable to be present, and would like to receive the
sacrament. Please let Pastor Bonnie know if you, or
someone you know, would appreciate “distance-
communing” with their Shenkel Church family!
The third Thursday of each month is a time for prayer and anointing, and also a time for reflection. We will be
meeting in the Agape Room from 9:15 till 10:00 AM. Anyone who is in need of prayer or anointing is invited to
come.
The Prayer Chain list is being updated. At this point we will be removing all names currently on the list, unless
notified otherwise. Request for prayers should be placed in the prayer box in the Narthex, or get in touch with
any member of the Wholeness Committee. These names will be carried for one month unless notified other-
wise. If anyone is interested in ministering on the Prayer Chain, please contact Ann Baccari or Freda Wanner. Members of the
Wholeness Committee are Ann Baccari, Ted Gray, Tootie and Louise Hine, June Hartung, Carol Stubbe and Freda Wanner.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION…. PAGE 6
FROM OUR SEMINARIAN….
Friends,
I’m finding it very difficult not to have Spring
Fever these days! Between the warm
weather we’ve been experiencing and excitement over my
upcoming graduation and future plans, there’s definitely a
“spring” in my step. Besides which, I feel particularly joy-
ful right now because this is a time of year when we can
visibly see the beauty of God’s creation: bulbs bursting
forth from the ground, robins emerging from their winter
hideout’s, and fields being cultivated in preparation for
the planting of crops that will continue to bless us with
their abundance in the months to come. I encourage you
to breathe in the freshness of spring and give heartfelt
thankfulness to God our Creator, who makes all things
The choirs are excited to wait on your tables at the upcoming Caribbean
Dinner. Remember to tip well since our current choir robes are in desperate need of replacement. Randy Berriker needs a robe to cover his knees at the
very least. But all of us would appreciate your support to replace our 40 year old robes. Plus...the dinner is going to be fabulous. We’ve had Evelyn Rodriquez’s cooking before, and we’re anxious to have it again...yummo!
Easter week is upon us, and the music ministry is ready. You’ll hear from all
the groups this season. Bell Choir is playing Maundy Thursday as well as Palm Sunday. On Good Friday, the Chancel Choir is singing with a guest flutist, Allison Smith. On Palm Sunday, the Sunday School children are singing along with the Chancel Choir, and The Women of the
Chancel Choir are singing a beautiful anthem on their own...not to be missed. Then on Easter Sunday at both services, the Chancel Choir will be singing two selections.
We hope you enjoyed hearing so many different versions of Amazing Grace during Lent. You may be shocked to learn that we didn’t scratch the surface of the total number of variations of
that special hymn from John Newton. We have had a lot of great feedback from the congrega-tion...but in all honesty, the choir is pleased that they need not be confused any more with
which version we’re singing this week. So, from now until the end of May, we’ll be finishing up the choir year and awaiting our first adventure in the Grove. Thanks to all our musicians for a
wonderful Easter season together.
PAGE 11
The Adult Sunday School
Class meets every Sunday morning at
9:30 a.m. in the social hall. Everyone is
welcome to join us!
April 1st — TBA
April 8th — Easter/No Sunday School
April 15th — “MY FAITH JOURNEY” —
Led by Susan Fritz
April 22nd — TBA
April 29th — TBA
SAVE THE DATE….
Coping with Loss
Workshop Friday, April 20, 2012
10AM – Noon in Shenkel’s
Social Hall
Whenever we face loss, we experience
grief. Our reactions are unique and quite personal;
none of us experiences grief in quite the same way.
If you are suffering from the loss of a loved one, a
child, a special friend, or a sibling, you are not alone.
On Friday, April 20th, I will be hosting a free workshop
for anyone interested in learning more about coping
with grief. During this workshop, we will explore the
faces of grief, engage in different methods for process-
ing loss, and identify methods for taking care of our-
selves during these times of sorrow. I invite you to
bring along photographs, journals, letters, and cards
that remind you of your loved one. Also, feel free to
invite a friend. If you have any questions regarding
this workshop, please contact me at your convenience
During the month of April, Shenkel will be praying for these randomly selected members and friends of our congregation:
4/1 Dee Dee and Peter Wanner
Barbara Sweinhart
John Pennell
Cindi, Rick, Aimee and Julie Rohrbach
Horace Ingram
4/8 Nancy Weaver
Kathy, Joe, Joelle and Magen Perelli
Clair and Jim Faust
Celia and Jerry Phillips
Jenny Scheler
4/15 Cameron Dushanko
Erika, Terry, TJ and Ashlyn Augustine
Kim and Steve Bade
Dillon Gaul
Kelly Martin
4/29 David Phillips
Kathy and Michael Iezzi
Denise, Joe, Joseph and Dylan Yannick
Judith Andrien
Diane and David Reinert
PAGE 12
Sue Fritz, our seminary intern, will complete her field education with us on May 6. The Lay Committee, which has been offering her support and providing her feedback over the past seven months, will be working on a final evaluation to share with her in mid-April. If you have any thoughts you'd like the committee to take into consideration when preparing their report, please speak with any member of the committee be-fore April 8.
Thanks, Evelyn Rodriguez, chair; Cameron Dushanko, An-drew Foss, Bob Brown, Brenda Berriker and Sandy Rowe, committee members