Scroll down
for messages from
- Pastor Bob, Church Council, Trustees & Finance
- Updates on Worship, Youth, Family and Children's Minsitries
- Highlights from our current Missions.
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A Message from the Pastor -
WOW, JUST WOW!
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
(John 14:27)
Wow! What a mess! When I wrote my last article for Footprints back in February everything seemed to be normal. There was talk of the coronavirus, but we were still meeting in the church for worship every Sunday. But, by the third week in March, everything changed. The pandemic hit hard…things were shut down…and we haven’t met inside for worship since. What a mess!
However, it has not been all bad. We were able to start worship in the parking lot without missing a Sunday. Our staff has had to learn how to do their jobs differently or learn completely new jobs. Special thanks to all those who help make Sunday morning happen: Jean, Wendy, Lisa, Sheri, Kelly, Rick & Mark (who built the platform); to our parking lot team – Greg, David, Ken, Mike, Ray, Craig, Bob, Tom, Steve, Barry & Keegan. We have added Facebook Live so that people can watch from home or check out the service later in the week.
Just when things seemed to be calming down in our country and people were getting ready to reopen their businesses and other areas of our economy, we witnessed the horrible death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a police officer in Minneapolis. This led to protests which, in some cases, became riots in our cities and opened the wounds of the sin of racism. What a mess! But, perhaps this too can lead to something positive and reform the systems of injustice in our society.
Along the way, we have learned of murder bees out west, we are taping our trees to catch the baby spotted lanternflys, and this is supposed to be the year of cicadas (emerging after 17 years). What a mess!
Guess what? Biblical faith moves toward messes. What does that mean? It means real faith sees problems and acts on them. Real faith gets involved in the messy, broken lives of people who may or may not have faith of their own. So faith is something that works and it displays a life-changing, helping, serving, problem-tackling kind of life.
So the question is – has your faith been working like that? Here’s how you can tell. When someone opens up about a problem or burden in their lives, do you quiet down and hope the conversation ends soon? Or, do you say I’m going to help and do something about that? I’m going to encourage them, I’m going to help them, I’m going to give to them, I’m going to walk them through this.
I am thrilled to see so many in our church rise to the occasion! Throughout this newsletter you will see ways that you can help people overcome the mess.
Do you move away from messes or do you move toward messes?
“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Pastor Bob
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A Word from Church Council
Hellllooooo! I am so proud of our Pastor, our Staff, our volunteers and our Church. Over the past 3 months, faced with what many believed to be an impossible situation, they have organized and executed common sense and out of the box plans to keep us together, to keep us whole and to keep us praising the Lord. GOD IS GOOD! Sunday worship has evolved into an excellent experience in the parking lot. We should give everyone involved with making that happen a HUGE round of horn honking (I know you like that)! The sense of togetherness, the heartfelt and moving messages from Pastor Bob, the uplifting music with Sheri, and those special moments when Kelly really nails it! (She’s good all the time but I know you know what I mean). Several people have told me they like the parking lot services so much that they are in no rush to go back inside.
All the committees continue to meet via Zoom. The Trustees are meeting and doing necessary work indoors while it is empty and also maintaining the property as a whole. SPR meets to support our Pastor and Staff. Finance reports are rock solid! Even though it’s less convenient, you are continuing to give as you have in the past and that is so greatly appreciated. It is possible that some are giving more and some are not able to give. If that is the case and you need our help, PLEASE reach out to one of us. We will help you discreetly and with pleasure.
Our missions are doing the best they possibly can. The garden is planted (could use a few more people), food to feed the hungry is being prepared, the pantry is active, we are reaching out to people to let them know they are cared about and loved, and so on and so on....
As I write this, we have moved into the yellow phase of the State action plan. That means we are “permitted” to have services indoors. Plans are being made to do that safely and use common sense to return us to normal but there is NO RUSH. I don’t want to get ahead of the plans but it will be a transition, not a switch. We did not ask for this terrible situation but perhaps we can walk away from it with some new ideas that will make us better. Better people and better Christians. As I said above, if any of you need support in any way including a shoulder to lean on or an open ear, please call one of us.
God bless you all! Greg Diehl - 215-219-3567
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A Minute on Finance
It seems like years, not months, since the last time we were together in worship and fellowship, doesn’t it? Having the parking lot and on-line opportunities has been at least a point of contact to each other and a feeling of continuity that goes a long way in keeping us on track.
Continuity has been a very meaningful word in terms of finance, too. While we in Finance had our qualms about the ability of our congregation and friends to keep up with the expenses of just the bare minimums we trusted that we would find a way. We have been overwhelmed at the faithfulness of all of you who have mailed in your offerings, dropped them off on Sunday in the parking lot or in the office in person and those who have depended on electronic systems to keep our church and staff operating. Pastor Bob and the staff have been hard at work to make sure our ministries and missions continue to operate so that they can serve the congregation and community.
Summer time is usually a time when financial support decreases because of vacations and travelling, but this year may be different in those respects due to current restrictions. So we pray that you may be able to continue your support the way you have over the past few months so that when we come back to full open our impact on the community can be bigger and better. In that vein, we just want to remind everyone of the opportunities for electronic giving. It’s quick, secure and can keep you all safe if you still feel unsure about venturing out. If you would like more info on how that works, please call the church office to find out about all the options available to you.
Blessings to you all, The Finance Team
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A Message from the Trustees
When we are all able to celebrate worship services together inside the buildings you will notice some changes. The Trustees have taken this opportunity during the pandemic to complete some of the projects that have been on their list.
The lighting projects in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall are nearing completion. Lighting in both locations have been replaced with brighter, more efficient LED replacement bulbs. View the picture below to see what it took to change the lights in the Sanctuary. The carpeting in Friendship Center has been in dire need of replacement. Below is a preview of what to expect when we can once again fellowship together in the Friendship Center.
These changes would not have been possible without your continued support throughout these pandemic times. As always, we encourage input from all and welcome your feedback as we continue to make Jarrettown a welcoming place to gather and worship.
In his service, Steve Hamilton, Trustee Chair
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Plans for Reopening Church
While we know some of you cannot wait to get back in the sanctuary for worship (and may be wondering why we haven’t moved back in already), others are feeling it is much too soon to open up. We do have a transition plan! Check the Friday Week-At-A-Glance emails for the latest information.
Here are some of the basics:
1) Parking lot worship will continue for the foreseeable future.
- We plan to change the time to 9:30 am on June 21 (to avoid the heat of the day).
2) Although there is no planned date as of yet, we will initially offer an inside service in the sanctuary, in addition to parking lot worship (both services will be similiar). We will be following the CDC guidelines. More information to follow.
3) Facebook Live will continue into the future. (We can use a few volunteers who will help keep this going.)
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Help us stay in touch with you!
You may have gotten a call from one of the church staff just to check in with you. We are here for you if you need anything. There are many ways you can keep in touch.
- Call the office (if no one answers please leave a message)
- Email the office or a staff member
- Let us know you were at worship (use the online connect card link)
Can we pray for you or someone you know in need of prayer?
Use the online connect card to submit a prayer request
Email
Marie Poos
to activate the email prayer chain
Message us on facebook (either on our page or during a live service)
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Youth Events Coming - Stay Tuned!
As soon as we are able, we will get together for some youth events. Starting with a firepit where we can still social distance.
Click
here
for our Youth Ministries web page.
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Confirmation Class Celebration
On Pentecost we had 3 students celebrate confirmation. We met with them 3 times in person and then finished up with zoom meetings! We welcomed them as members at the Parking Lot Worship on May 31, 2020.
Paige Teufel
Colin Teufel
Anthony Kent
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Sunday School
Sunday School curriculum is emailed to families each week on Friday so the children can continue to have their lesson every Sunday. This will remain throughout the summer session, which begins on Sunday, June 7.
The children are also receiving their annual Sunday School craft materials/activities (via mail or delivery), so they can continue to have joyful gifts and fun for the holidays with their families. Thus far this has included Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
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Family Playgroup Zoom
Our Family Playgroup will meet via Zoom on Sunday, June 28 at 1 pm via Zoom. An email with details will be sent to any JUMC Family that signs up. The playgroup zoom will be a fun, virtual way to have some fellowship time and there will be a craft/activity for the children. For more information or to sign up for this event, please contact Lisa Durst-Hestnar at
[email protected]
or Lindsey Sachs at
[email protected]
.
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VBS At Home 2020 – July 6 to 10
VBS will be a bit different this year. Not being able to gather the children in the church is not going to stop us! We are “Full Steam Ahead” in bringing VBS to our families!
Our theme is Rocky Railway: Jesus Pulls Us Through! A very appropriate theme during these challenging times.
JUMC’s VBS At Home will be prerecorded and emailed to registered families each day. VBS can be watched at the family’s convenience any time each day. All who register will receive a VBS goodie bag of all materials needed for the week. The bags will be available for curb-side pickup at church the week before. This program is free to all who register.
Click
here
for more information and to register or email Lisa at
[email protected]
. Donations are welcome and appreciated.
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MOPS – Mothers of Preschoolers
JUMC Mother of Preschoolers had a wonderful year. When they had to stop gathering in person, they went right to holding their meetings and playgroups on Zoom. They are hoping this summer that they will be able to gather (following the appropriate guidelines) for an end-of-year picnic. Click
here
for more information.
A very special thank you to those who volunteer each month to watch the children during these meetings. Debbie Ackerman, Maxine Tyree, Louise Gribling and Mona Schmidt do a wonderful job teaching and caring for our MOPs Kids. Registration for the 2020-21 year, which begins in September, will be available on the church website soon. For more information about the program, please contact
Lisa Durst-Hestnar
or email the group leaders (Majalisa and Katelyn) at
[email protected]
.
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All JUMC friends are invited to participate in a very new program called “Welcome Bread”. Local groups of people from various churches are joining forces to assist this addition to “The Welcome Church”.
Click here
to find out how you can help. To read more about The Welcome Church
click here.
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If there comes a day when I think "Oh my........will this pandemic ever be over??" I quickly come to my senses when I reflect on the state of things at Living Hope. I have enough food to eat, a comfortable house, and my health. I am blessed, blessed, blessed." Click
here
for Connie's update.
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Sew-Haat continues to make pillowcases and no-sew blankets for the OHAAT Beds for Kids program, even though we have been unable to get together to do so. Click
here
for more news from Nancy.
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The coronavirus has changed how we do things in the garden, and we are missing the social aspects of gardening. Despite the new challenges, we remain dedicated to growing food for the North Hills Community Cupboard and Manna on Main Street. Click
here
for how you can help.
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