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January 2021
Church Council will be help monthly meeting in January 10th
ATTENTION MILLCREEK: JANUARY DATES AND ACTIVITIES Funeral Luncheon Committee Many members of Millcreek Lutheran Church choose to have their funerals at the church followed by a luncheon in the multi-purpose room. The committee that has helped families with these luncheons has dwindled over the years and is being reorganized. Although this committee will not be preparing the food, they will be available to serve, help with the organization, set up and clean up when there is a request from the family. Church members are willing to donate homemade desserts for the luncheons when requested. Families may bring in their own food, contract with a local caterer or order trays to be made up by local stores or vendors. We have 2 needs - people willing to serve on this committee and people willing to make desserts when contacted. If you have not already signed up and would be interested in helping in either capacity, please contact Rachel Mock at (717)949-3813 or Nancy Deiter at (717)866-4665. NO SWEET SECOND SUNDAY
 WEATHER ALERT
In case of bad weather, please listen to WLBR 1270AM for notices of cancellation of church services. Channel 8 will only show church cancellations if there is a major snowstorm on a Saturday, but you can check online at WGAL.com which has a less restrictive posting for church services than the on-air part of their operation. Monthly Church Breakfast
Everyone is welcome to join us for our monthly church breakfast at Country Fare Restaurant in Myerstown at 8:00 am on the Second Saturday of each month. Just come and enjoy good food and fellowship. MONTHLY BREAKFAST ON JANUARY 9TH YOUTH ACTIVITIES Thanks! KRISTEN HECK
RELAY FOR RELAY FOR LIFE UPDATE I have signed us up for the new year of Relay. Last year's relay ended without actually having our relay event. Of course, we have no idea how this year will go either, but if you are interested in signing up for the team or just want to learn more, please let me know. In the meantime, you can sign up at acs.org. The 2021 relay will be scaled back to a 6 hour event on Saturday May 15, 2021 from 4 pm - 10 pm. That is as much as I know right now. Watch the newsletter and bulletin for more information and fundraisers as they become available. Deb Tice RECYCLE ALUMINUM CANS for the American Cancer Society. Please place any bags of ALUMINUM (NOT STEEL) cans at the kitchen entrance to the church. COLLECT DIMES in a bottle (or any container with any change) for Relay for Life. Collect pull tabs from soda cans, etc. for the dialysis machine at the Ronald McDonald House. A container is on the table in the narthex. Thanks as always for your support!! Debbie Tice, Rachel Mock, Theresa Sites, Jen Rosengrant, Steph Seldomridge, Donald & Donna Collins, Lauren Sweitzer, Bill & Mary Shaak, Shurie Shaak. Donations to American Cancer Society are always welcome. AMAZON SMILE PROGRAM Music Ministry The Senior Choir is working towards resuming regular activities. I would like to personally thank those that have helped me the last 6 months of keeping the music alive - Deb Buffington has been by my side every week, along with these others as available - Steph Sheetz, Gerry & Julie Strickler, Rachel Mock and Lisa Martin. We hope to resume regular rehearsals soon, but in the meantime, we are planning and working to enhance our worship services. I also thank Brothers in Grace, Brian Klinger, as well as all those who played in the band for Christmas in July. Now that Sunday School has resumed, we hope to have the children singing again soon on their usual second Sunday of the month. Coming up in November, mark the dates for November 1 - All Saints and November 8 - Saluting our Veterans. Thanks to all who support and make the music at Millcreek! Any questions--Contact Deb Tice via phone at 717-926-4273 or email at MusicDirector@millcreeklutheran.com
Deadline for the February Parish Echo newsletter is January 15th. ACOLYTES Please remember, if you are unable to acolyte on your scheduled Sunday, call a replacement. If you cannot find a replacement, please call the church 610-589-2570, or Linda Sheetz at 717-866-4273 as soon as possible.
Please sign up to sponsor flowers and bulletins. Cost of flowers is $25 and cost of bulletins is $10. Contact Linda Hauck Sheetz or sign-up on the list in the narthex. Please note: we have purchased flower vase carriers for you to transport your alter flowers home. They will be marked "Property of MLC". Please bring the vases back the following week for the next person to use.
COLLEGE ADDRESSES Part of Evangelism’s ministry is keeping in touch with our college students. We need their addresses while in college in order to do that. Please respond ASAP by calling Dara Wolfe at 717-866-5909 or email reded4evr@comcast.net. Thank you.If you give us their e-mail addresses, the Parish Echo will be sent to them via e-mail.
The Evangelism Committee Next meeting is currently scheduled for January 13, 2021 at 2 PM at the church. This may be subject to change. CHRISTMAS PROJECT The Share Our Warmth project proved to be a really HOT idea which we will probably repeat again next winter. Totals are as follows: 44 scarves, 91 caps, and 80 pairs of gloves = 215 pcs. Phenomenal! We also had $20 donation for the project. Thank you, Millcreek. Evangelism committee GOODY BOXES Due to the uptick in covid cases and the logistics of how and where to send the Goody boxes, etc., the evangelism committee feels that it is necessary to postpone this project. Feel free to send notes of encouragement to our college students. We’re sure they’d appreciate it! Thanks. Evangelism committee Evangelism Committee Other Evangelism Activities: 1) Providing drivers to transport members to medical appointments. Dotti Hoglund is now the contact person. She can be reached at 717-228-8177 (cell) or 610-655-7692 (home). We’d like to re-build our list of volunteer drivers for this program and we need your help! 2) Collecting used ink and toner cartridges and old cell phones to be recycled after taking to Jubilee Ministries. Place in bin in hall leading to multi-purpose room. 3) Collecting new and lightly used small tools and building supplies (nails, tiles, electrical outlets, etc.) for Habitat for Humanity. Place smaller items in the bins in the hall leading to the multi-purpose room. To arrange for pick up of large items (cabinets, furniture, light fixtures, sinks, etc.), contact the Lancaster Lebanon Habitat ReStore at 717-293-0250 ext.4.
CAMP KIRCHENWALD YOUR SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CHURCH NEED YOU! We are in need of a Sunday School Kindergarten teacher. Talk to those that teach now and find out how they always get more than they give! We have not had a staffed nursery during worship for several years now - we need a scheduler and volunteers. Lay readers are needed to serve during worship, as we have lost a few over the past year. Most times you are only listed to read 2-3 times per year. There is a sign-up sheet on the narthex table outside the office, or contact Linda Sheetz at church or at 717-866-4273 for more information. Thanks in advance. Ushers, male and female, are needed as well. There is a sign-up sheet on the narthex table. If you presently help to usher, it is not necessary to sign up—you will be kept on the list. I need someone to assist me as head usher in the event that I cannot be at church. If interested, please see me, Brian Webber. Thanks. Give all of these needs some prayerful consideration as we move forward. We also need your presence in the pews for worship.
Can you help a senior citizen in need of assistance 1 - 2 hours a day, 2 days a week, with the possible expansion to 5 days a week? Duties would be to make sure the senior takes her medicine and eats her meals, light laundry, and the occasional trip to the hairdresser. The helper must be female. Payment for services will be negotiated with the family. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please call Sue at 717-949-3857 or Kathy at 610-533-3022.
THANK YOU TO OUR VETERANS
Military Personnel
January Birthdays 1 Amy Moyer 3 LeAnna Capretti 4 Pat Sharp 5 Seth Kapp Shaun Kapp Ryan Risser Bambi Griffe 8 Layne Strickler Scott Johnson 10 Brett Flory 11 Dotti Hoglund 12 Nicholas Kitsch 15 Scott Wartluft Bob Scipioni 16 Joseph Tice 18 Mark Sova 19 Nathan Tracy Kathy Madara Joan Zerby 21 Brigitta Scheib 22 Matthew Kapp Kathy Custer 23 Lois Garloff Kiya Kahl Angie Bentz 24 Rachelle Keath 25 Stephanie Sheetz Donna Collins 29 Michele Angstadt 30 Frank Wolfskill 31 Alissa Griffe If you want to be included on the birthday list, please submit your name to use by placing a note in the Newsletter mailbox in the church office, calling 610-655-7692, or emailing to Newsletter@millcreeklutheran.com. Also if there is a name that should be removed from the list, or a correction made, please use one of the above ways to notify us. Thank you. Spang Crest All activities still continue to be on hold for the residents at Spang Crest Nursing Home through the month of January. In December, the Christmas parties were not held as in past years with outside volunteers helping. However, a Santa sleigh in-house program was provided for residents. The gifts were graciously donated from the Lutheran congregations of the county. Millcreek donated two gifts-one being for our own member resident, Betty Gibble. Please continue to pray for all the residents and caretakers at Spang Crest and all nursing facilities for their continued safety through these challenging times, and pray that 2021 will bring better things and health their way. Thrivent Financial News If you are a Thrivent Financial member, you are eligible to apply for a $250 grant for a church community project. This grant could be for the schoolbags or personal care kits that we do each year. It’s a great way to get extra funds for these worthwhile projects. It’s exciting to learn that a Thrivent member from our congregation applied for one of these $250 grants for the High School Sunday School class quilt project and that the application was approved! They are making quilts for the pediatric unit at Reading Hospital. This money will be used to purchase materials for this project. Thrivent members are allotted two of these $250 grants each year for community type projects. There are Thrivent members in our congregation, so let’s see what we can do to gain some worthwhile monies for some of our church community projects. Thrivent members should contact their Thrivent representative for more information about this exciting program. |
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Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.