In this issue:
Ascension Day Service – 1
Cemetery Maintenance – 1
Church Leadership – 2
Service Notes – 2
Candy Report – 2
Head Deacons – 3
Altar Committees – 3
Acolytes – 3
From the Pastor – 3
Welcomers – 4
Assisting Ministers – 4
Council Corner – 4
W/ELCA – 4
Here ’n’ There – 5
Welcomers & Lectors –
5
VHE BASEMENV – 5
Parish Life Committee – 6
Property Committee – 6
A Moment with Luther – 7
Evangelism Committee – 8
Spaghetti Dinner – 8
Elias Library – 9
Wed. Morning Service - 9
Copyright
© 2008,
Ascension Day Service
Ascension Day falls on May 1 this year -
very early, like everything else associated with Easter. As is our custom,
Elias will recognize this very important day in the church year with a worship
service beginning at
All Christians agree that Christ died to
atone for our sins on Good Friday, and that He rose again on Easter Sunday. He
appeared to various small groups of believers in the following days, and then,
on what we call Ascension Day, He ascended into Heaven to be with His Heavenly
Father. So far, it's pretty basic Christianity 101. The importance of Ascension
Day, however, is that it signifies not just Christ's taking His place in
Heaven, but also His going ahead to prepare a place for us there as well.
We see the image of Christ's ascension
every time we enter the Elias sanctuary, and while we're waiting to receive
Holy Communion, but how often do we consider the true significance of that
painting? When we attend an Ascension Day service, we are showing our
appreciation to Christ for preparing the way for us to join Him in Heaven. It's
a pretty important piece of "retirement planning" that has already
been taken care of for us, and the least we can do is show our thanks. Yes, we gather to celebrate the Ascension of
Jesus, but with equal intensity, we gather to celebrate our faithfulness to
live out His Life in the community and ministry of the Church. Please plan to
attend the Ascension Day service on May 1.
Cemetery Maintenance
The mowing season has begun and so we
want to be sure that our Elias cemetery is maintained as easily as
possible. Please be sure all flower urns and wreaths are either
removed or out of the path of the mower. If you are aware of a loved one’s or
distant relative’s tombstone in disrepair, please consider having it
professionally repaired, or you may be able to do the repair yourself, but
please check with a member of the Elias Property Committee before
proceeding. Thanks for everyone's cooperation.
If you have a special interest in
restoring or helping with some of our ancient tombstones in disrepair, please
call Pastor Jon to discuss this. Our cemetery is a very significant part
of the history of Elias; we need everyone’s help to maintain it.
Church
Leadership
Pastor:
Rev. Jon Greenstone
(301-447-6239)
Officers:
Wes Mumm – president
Frank Potts – vice-president
Betty
Valentine – secretary
Staff:
Cheryl Carney – choir director
Cheryl
Crum – custodian
Meg
Garnett - organist
Bonnie
Hahn - treasurer
Bob
Hampson – sexton
Polly Kittinger – administrative secretary
Council:
Jay
Gros
Bonnie Hahn
Phil
Jeffcoat
Polly
Kittinger
Linda
Littell
Wes
Mumm
Frank
Potts
Allyson
Rohrbaugh
Frank
Schmersal
Nita
Shank
Betty
Valentine
Pat
Zimmerman
Committees:
Audit
Communications & Archives
Evangelism
Finance
Memorials
Mutual
Ministry
Nominating
Parish
Education & Youth
Parish
Life
Property
Special
Events
Stewardship
Worship
& Music
Service Notes
May 1 The Ascension of Our Lord; St.
Paul
May 4 Special guest, the Rev. Derrick Trautman from Mar-Lu-Ridge Camp
will speak with us about this year at Mar-Lu Ridge. Pastor Trautman will do the
Children’s Sermon and Pastor Jon’s sermon will consider What We Expect Life to Be as Christ is Ascended.
May 11 PENTECOST SUNDAY! Everyone is encouraged to wear Red, to
celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit—the Church is Born! Any man who wears a Red Suit will be given a
special honor! The sermon will consider The
Spirit’s Power to Work Through Us.
May 18 Sermon: Putting
Things In Order for GOD! Based on 2
Corinthians 13:11-13
May 25 Guest preacher – Pastor Jon on weekend
vacation. (And no, you won’t be stuck with Frank again! – Ed.)
June 1 CHURCH PICNIC, Outdoor worship at Tom’s
Creek UMC picnic ground
June 8 Sermon: Does Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder?
June 15 Theme of the day: Four Lowly Fishermen, Two
Tax Collectors and a Traitor; and Christ chose these unqualified men to bring
about the
June 22 Are we
Better People for Going to Church? A
Dialogue Sermon
June 29 Sermon: Will
the Real Prophet, Please Stand Up?
Chocolate
Peanut Butter Drops
A special thanks to all
who helped to mix, roll, dip, and pack the peanut butter drops in March. We
made and sold 242 half-pound packages – and our profit was $815.50! Thanks also
to all of you who purchased candy. Mr. Harry Hahn, Sr., keeps his title of “top
salesman”. Congratulations and Thanks!
The profit from this
project will be used for unexpected expenses at Elias. The donations of
materials and cash help make this project successful. Thanks to Dick Herring
and Bryant Hoffman for working all three days. A special thanks to Dick Herring
for all the support he gives to our endeavor.
The Peanut Butter Candy Committee
Deadline
for the next issue of the Elias Communicator
is June 8.
Head Deacons
May: Phil
Jeffcoat
Frank Schmersal
June: Bonnie Hahn
Nita Shank
Altar Committees
May: Linda Shriver
Bryant Hoffman
June: Deb Zimmerman
Acolytes
May 4: Jimmy Hoffman
Davis Holdcraft
May 11: Hannah Fannin
Parker Rohrbaugh
May 18: Bradley Reaver
Carrie Reaver
May 25: Isaiah Fannin
Jacob Fannin
June 1: Church Picnic
June 8: David Gros
Hannah Fannin
June 15: Jimmy Hoffman
Bryant Hoffman
June 22: Bradley Reaver
Isaiah Fannin
June 29: Carrie Reaver
Hannah Fannin
NOTE: If we go to two services during the
summer, acolytes will serve only at the later service.
Since we’re at the time of
Good Shepherd Sunday as I write this, I think it is appropriate to share an
update of my own joys and concerns over our flock here at Elias. Beginning with
things to be celebrated and thankful for:
We had a very rich and meaningful Lenten Season, particularly during
Holy Week. The special services during Holy Week provided a diversity of
experiences for everyone to engage with as we journeyed with Jesus from life to
death to resurrection. In all of this, I believe we were truly moved by the
Spirit to experience God’s power and grace at work in present and eternal time.
I know that our Church Council worked very hard in providing communion
assistants, taking offerings and other duties during Holy Week and Easter
morning. Thanks to everyone who gave of their time and talents, you are great
examples of how we Shepherd one another in the church.
All
of our committees have various seasons of busy-ness, some times are more
intense than others. The Special Events Committee pulled off yet another
greatly successful Church Supper (March 1). As we all know, the Suppers are
more than just fund raising events, they are times when we (like sheep!) must
work closely together in cooperative relationship. This is time for bonding,
for problem solving, for laughter and for celebrating our common connection in
Christ through the church, even at the kitchen sink! Peanut butter egg making
has a similar appeal, it offers us a time for sharing beyond the “Hi, how are
you?” and the “Fine, thank you very much.”
Our
Property Committee continues to work diligently on numerous tasks related to our
church building and grounds. As you will note in their report, we are still
working to determine the best possible outcome for the bell tower, there are
also a couple of upcoming work days where additional hands will be welcomed. We
could say the church building provides our central corral – I hesitate to use
the word barn,” but definitely the place we worship is where we get fed,
watered and looked after.
Now
for the more difficult discussion, the time we gather for our weekly “feeding”
especially during summer months is presently in discussion. Since we all have
different lives and schedules beyond Sunday, we all have different preferences
on what time we’d prefer to meet for church. What I have learned from the
recent survey is that while we cannot agree on what time is best – there is
agreement that we prefer to meet together. This is a good reflection on our
relationship with one another; we don’t want to be separated from other members
of the flock. As a shepherd, this is a comforting thought. We are One body in
this One Lord and we like it that way for worship. Nevertheless, there are
practical matters that also weigh heavily in the equation, such as the time for
Elias’ Sunday School, the need for altar setting and cleanup, musical
accompaniment, individuals and families with children who are on set schedules,
both early and late, and what is best the best scenario to keep overall
attendance high. It is a very complex equation. I confess, I don’t see an ideal
answer that will
(continued on page 5)
Welcomers
May 4: Bonnie & Bub Hahn
May 11: Linda & Steve Wantz
May 18: Julia & Sandy Hartle
May 25: Tina & Wes Mumm
June 1: Joan & Phil Jeffcoat
June 8: Christy & Ernie
Fannin
June 15: Betty & Jim Brown
June 22: Deidra & Eric Himes
June 29: Carrie & Bill Boyd
* - bulletins
Assisting Ministers
May 4: Frank Potts
May 11: Bonnie Hahn
May 18: Polly Knox
May 25: Frank Schmersal
June 1: Frank Potts
June 8: Bonnie Hahn
June 15: Polly Knox
June 22: Frank Schmersal
June 29: Frank Potts
Some incredible positive “stuff” has been
happening recently at Elias. I’m
continually amazed and re-energized at God’s spirit among us.
Did you know
that Elias has a website? It’s found at http://www.
emmitsburg.net/elias/index.htm. For those of us that don’t speak internet,
it’s a gathering place on the web for our members and visitors to learn about
Elias. Pastor Jon posts some of his sermons
there, and we provide information on our
worship schedule and other activities. We took a look at the number of visitors
to the Elias website and found out that we average 110 visitors a day, and when
Pastor Jon updates the site with a new sermon, the “hits” spike to 300-400 for
the first few days the sermon is on the web. Think of this as 110 visitors a
day showing up at the church’s front door to look around and learn.
Your church council feels that this is an
important tool for our members to use, and also to make available to non-members
seeking God’s word.
So, we have created a temporary committee
known as the technology committee to explore how to further use our website.
We’ll make sure to keep the congregation informed about when this committee
will meet so that you can, if you are interested, participate.
Our property committee is continuing to
work the situation with the church steeple. As every member of Elias has
probably experienced at one time or another, sometimes events don’t happen
exactly as planned. Your church council and property committee members take
this issue very seriously, and want to make sure that we do not “rush” into a
situation that is not prudent for Elias. We are hoping to bring some new
information to the congregation shortly that will require decisions from you.
Thank you for making our new visitors
from Mountain Manor welcome. Elias provides a positive experience to these
folks, who are extremely appreciative of our efforts to include them in our
worship service.
Wes Mumm
Council President
W/ELCA
The W/ELCA met on Saturday, March 8 for the first
meeting of the year. Viola Noffsinger was the speaker, and told of her trip to
The women served
a luncheon on March 31, following the funeral of Ida Mae Hahn Sklarevski, niece
of Mr. Harry Hahn, Sr.
The Spring
Cluster Meeting is on Saturday, April 12, at
We will be
hosting Family Night on Sunday, May 4, beginning at
- Audrey Baumgardner
Here ‘n’ There
The Emmitsburg Council
of Churches
will meet at
The community Vacation Bible School will be held at Elias during the week of July
20, sponsored as usual by the Emmitsburg Council of Churches.
Elias will conduct the Protestant worship
service at St. Catherine’s Nursing
Center on June 8 at
The Sunday School will hold a Bowling Party
immediately after Church on Sunday, May 5. There will be a pizza lunch down at
Pizza Hut, then bowling from
Also on May 4, there
will be a Family Night covered dish supper beginning at
Welcomers and Lectors
For the past few months, the scheduling
of welcomers and lay readers has been accomplished, in a rather brute force
method, by the editor of the Elias Communicator. (And a fine job he did, too! -
Ed.) Now Nita Shank has graciously offered to maintain the lists of welcomers
and readers.
Being a welcomer or lay reader is neither
difficult nor time-consuming. You serve one Sunday every couple of months,
depending upon how many others are on the list. If you can't make your assigned
date, you just trade with somebody else. Being a welcomer is mostly a matter of
saying "Good morning!" to people as they enter the church; it's a
great opportunity to get to know other members of the congregation. And you
don't have to have a big, booming voice to be a reader – we have microphones
for that!
If you would like to join either of these teams, or both,
now would be an excellent time to contact Nita and have her add your name to
the list(s). If, on the other hand, you feel you've served your time and would
like to step down, just let Nita know who you've recruited to take your place.
You can reach Nita by phone at 717-642-9589, or by e-mail at shankgebhart@embarqmail.com.
VHE BASEMENV
Elias Coffee House
Ministry! May
9 and June13; 7-9 PM. Featuring:
May: Praise Band from Grace
United Brethren,
June: Common
Clay and Silver Lining.
The Children’s Praise Choir may also be sharing
their gifts of music at one or the other of these coffee house evenings. See you at VHE BASEMENV for
the BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC in Emmitsburg!
From
the Pastor (continued)
please
everyone. As your Shepherd, I can only ask and pray that we will all seek and
act out of God’s wisdom, Christ’s peace, and the Holy Spirit’s direction as we
live into whatever is decided or if service time remains with the 8 a.m. and
10:30 a.m. services. See you in church!
Peace be unto you and yours,
Pr.
Jon
Parish
Life Committee
This committee hosted a fellowship following the
ecumenical Lenten Service at Elias.
There is to be a recycling informational program
scheduled by the Town of
A Habitat for Humanity project is scheduled for
We will all
Our sincere sympathy and prayers to the families and
friends of: Dustin Bauer, Barbara Cole, Bill Crawford, Joan Ecker, Billy Eyler,
Joe and Phyllis Landrieu, Larry Mohr, Betty Ridge, and Ida May Hahn Sklarevsky.
Property
Committee
Rounds at the parsonage on
March 24 showed that several areas need attention from Property Committee
volunteers: the kitchen countertop, shelf over the sink, outside hose, etc.
Pastor Jon had sprayed foam insulation around the basement windows, which
resulted in a great reduction in the flow of cold air.
The west side of the
Parish House roof needs an application of rubber roofing. Mike Hobbs is to be
contacted.
Spraying and paint of
exterior church windowsills is to be done on Saturday, May 10. All are welcome
to come and help!
On April 3, Phil Jeffcoat and Pastor Jon
met with Mr. Dale Forney, estimator with Conewago Enterprises, Inc., to
begin the process of obtaining a bid for the steeple project in accordance with
the Council's instructions to obtain a bid from this company. Mr.
Forney took some preliminary measurements and photos. He will need to
gather more information before he is ready to give Elias a proposal and
bid for the work. He indicated it may take a month or so to complete the
estimate as the company has many projects. We gave him some samples
of the PVC product we have been considering and a brochure from this
company. Mr Forney liked the idea of this material for our project, given that
we want it to be long-lasting and architecturally accurate. Conewago has
completed many high-profile church restoration projects in the area, including
the St. Patrick's Catholic Church in downtown
A Moment with Martin Luther
November 30—December 14, 1531 , Germany
God Wants Us to Have Joy!
“God wants us to be Cheerful, and he hates sadness. For had He wanted us to be sad, He would not
have given us the sun, the moon, and the various fruits of the earth. All these He gave for our good cheer.” Only
Christian Joy Is Real and Lasting . . .
Here the good Doctor provides more instruction on the Joy of a Christian:
“To achieve this joy we must cling wholeheartedly to the Word and find
comfort in the thought that Christ has so solemnly promised to be with us,
together with the Father, and to protect us, so that no misfortune will harm
us, no power of the devil and the world will crush us or tear us away from
Him. In this way we constantly find
comfort and joy, and we become increasingly happy as time goes on, allowing no
suffering or adverse circumstance to make us depressed or despondent. In fact, bearing all manner of suffering, for
the love of Christ actually becomes pleasant and delightful. Aside from this, a Christian cannot have any
joy on earth that is perfect and genuine . . . . The joy of the Christian
endures forever (as its foundation stands forever), remains firm and increases
in the midst of external sorrow and misfortune.
Therefore a person is able to forego and despise all the joy of the
world with a cheerful heart.
Luther
certainly understood adversity and even self-defeating thoughts, but his
emphasis on Joy gives us a hopeful outlook on our faith, as indeed, we look
with joy-filled hearts and joyous faith to see what God will do in and through
us. The world cannot take away the Joy
of a Christian! Thanks be to God. Your contemporary editor: P.J.
FOUND!!
We’re
powerful thankful that Betty Valentine and Wes Mumm saw fit to “turn themselves
in” and attend the annual Delaware-Maryland Synod assembly! It was real kind of
them to surrender their time and talents on behalf of the congregation at Elias.
So, If you happen by their place, be sure to stop in and give them a good ol’
fashioned ‘Thank ye” for serving the Lord in this way. We look forward to
learning all about what they and the parson, Pastor Jon, experienced at the
assembly. Remember, we’re all called to serve Christ by serving His church. Be
sure and turn yourself in regularly to Jesus, because His grace will be sure
and set you free! Synod Assembly takes place June 19-21. Y’all come back now, ya hear?
Deadline for the next issue of the Elias Communicator is June 8.
Evangelism Committee
Just a word about our ministry to
Mountain Manor. We have been blessed with some guests from this drug and
alcohol rehabilitation facility over the last year or so. Most of these
people are staying there long term (6 months to a year) and are working very
hard on making their lives better. Some have spent time in jail and have
been involuntarily committed to the program, while others have made the
decision to better themselves on their own. This has been a very rewarding
ministry for me and others who have participated (Wes Mumm and Pastor
Jon). Thank you all for opening your arms and your hearts in welcoming
these people to our worship services. They have all expressed how welcome
they feel.
There may be some other opportunities to
expand this ministry, as there is another part of that facility called
- Jay Gros
Spaghetti Dinner Night
Church Legend has been passed down through the
millennia that the “Good Thief” was named Dysmas. He is the one who defended
Christ from the cross as he told the other thief, “. . . We are getting what we
deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” And then Dysmas
demonstrated great faith when he asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into
your kingdom” (Luke
Through St. Dysmas congregations, the ELCA supports
ministry to prison inmates across the country. Elias will hold a spaghetti
dinner on Friday, June 13, to support St. Dysmas Lutheran Prison Ministry. Come
and learn more about this ministry to inmates who are also Christians, members
of the Body of Christ. Funds generated will assist with this ministry at nearby
Thank
God for church ladies with typewriters! These sentences actually appeared in
church bulletins or were announced in church services:
”The sermon this morning: ‘Jesus Walks on the
Water.’ The sermon tonight: ‘Searching for Jesus.’”
“Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a
chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring
your husbands.”
The Elias Library
(Ed.
Note: With this issue we begin a series of reviews of books in the Elias
library, written by Linda Knox. We hope they pique your interest, and we
encourage you to see what our library has to offer.)
Just what is in that library off the big Sunday School room? Maybe you have asked yourself that question, but never bothered to look. Let us take you through that frequently-closed door.
Quite a few books in our library
deal with individual heroes; levels range from very easy to full-length
biographies for adult readers. Divided into two major sections, Chosen To Serve by Bonnie Vaught opens
with the saga of Paul Henkel, a “Wilderness Pastor” of early
Have you ever wondered about the details that are not present in the oft-repeated stories of “famous men” like Francis of Assissi or Martin Luther? Catherine Herzel in H of the C gives short biographies of fifteen great characters from Roman times (year 155) to the 20th Century. Most chapters have eight pages, even with illustrations, so length is certainly not a forbidding factor. Characters like Amalie Sieveking, Richard Allen, and Jean Frederic Oberlin may be less familiar than St. Francis or Luther, but all are worth knowing. Pick up this slim paperback and you will be surprised.
The Elias library currently is located in the northeast corner of the Parish House, off the big Sunday School room. Soon we hope to move it to a more open and accessible location.
By the way, there is one “mistake” in this review – can you discover what is wrong? The first one to correctly report the mistake will be mentioned in the next issue!
- Linda Knox
Wednesday Morning Holy Communion
Our midweek Holy Communion service is held on
Wednesday morning from
And one more:
”Next Thursday there will be
tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.”