CALENDAR OF CHURCH EVENTS/ACTIVITIES



Saturday, October 4

9:00 am Deacons – Kitchen

Sunday, October 5

9:00 am Sunday School

10:30 am Worship Service – Sanctuary

4:30 pm  Love Feast – Fellowship Hall



Monday, October 6

6:45 pm Worship Design Team – Multi-Purpose Room

Tuesday, October 7

4:00 pm Food Pantry Open 4:00 to 5:30 pm

Wednesday, October 8

11:00 am Gifts Discernment Team – Multi-Purpose Room

6:30 pm Women’s Bible Study – Ann Mow Room

Thursday, October 9

6:30 pm Chancel Choir Practice – Sanctuary

Friday, October 10

8:30 am Soup Kitchen – (Casseroles due at church by 8:30)

6:00 pm Community Cookout & Campfire – Outside Behind FH

 Saturday, October 11

9:30 am Church Workday – Outdoor and Indoor

10:00 am Food Pantry Open 10:00am to 12:00pm

Sunday, October 12

9:00 am  Sunday School

10:30 am Worship Service – Sanctuary

5:00 pm  Shine Everywhere Event-Parking lot by parsonage

Click on this button to view the full calendar

Additions and updates for prayer list or calendar of events are welcome by contacting the church office.

Special note for all Ministry Teams: Please notify the church office with any upcoming meetings or events for your team so we can add these dates to the calendar.

In addition to this prayer request list contained within each Friday's e-newsletter, we also have a "prayer chain" email list. We occasionally send immediate prayer requests to those who have opted in to receive the prayer chain and are committed to praying for each concern as they come. If you would like to be added to the prayer chain list, please notify the church office by email at secretary@yorkfirst.org or by phone (717) 755-0307. If you have a prayer request and desire it to be sent to this group, feel free to contact the church office anytime. Thank you!

Sunday School News

*Junior High Youth Membership Class*

9:00 AM in the Multi-Purpose Room. Teacher Joel Gibbel. Youth in grades 6-9 are welcome. We will be looking a the life and teachings of Jesus this week, surveying the Gospel texts and tracing the fullness of his life.

Children's Sunday School Classes

9:00 AM in Rooms 151, 152, and 153. Children grades PreK (age 4) and up will have class lessons. Children ages 3-4 and younger are welcome to attend nursery care.

Senior High Youth Sunday School Class

9:00 AM in Room 155. Teacher Dave Witkovsky. Youth in grades 10-12 are welcome.

Vine & Branches Class

The class will be joining with the Lamplighter's Class for the fall season. Please see below.

Lamplighters Class

9:00 AM in Room 145. Teacher Deb Klinedinst. The class is now studying

“12 Daring Women of the Bible," this week - Deborah

Homebuilders Class

Mondays - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM by conference call. To join, contact Mike Martin at

717-840-4184 or Caretaker@TwinBrookFarm.com and leave a phone number.

The class studies lessons from the "Guide for Biblical Studies" curriculum. 

CommunityAid Partnership

First Church has initiated a partnership with CommunityAid, a source for donating gently used clothing and goods. This organization accepts donated items in good condition and offers them back to the community at affordable prices.

Making a donation is easy. CommunityAid currently has seven centers in central PA, with the York area store/donation location at 2001 Springwood Rd, site of the former Bon Ton store in the Queensgate Shopping Center. Simply drive up to the side of the store and employees will assist in unloading your items. In turn, by supplying partnership number 50344 (assigned to: First Church of the Brethren of York) to the CommunityAid employee, our church will periodically receive a monetary reimbursement based on the accumulated weight of donations.

A long list of acceptable items, along with hours of operation and other related information can be found on the display rack located on the wall in the Gathering Area at First Church. If you wish to receive a mailed copy, please contact the church office.

Access additional information at:  communityaid.org

Upcoming Events

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:

Sunday October 5 - Love Feast - 4:30 PM

Friday October 10 - Community Campfire - 6:00 PM

Wednesday October 29 - Trick or Trunk - 5:30 PM

OUR DAILY BREAD/SOUP KITCHEN - Friday, October 10, 2025

Sign up by calling Sandi Bowser at 717-825-7203 to make a casserole for

Our Daily Bread/Soup Kitchen on Friday, October 10, 2025 (10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)

PLEASE contact Sandi to add your name and number of casseroles, so we can let

Our Daily Bread/Soup Kitchen know how many casseroles to expect.

The pans are located in the church lounge. Thank you! 

CHURCH WORKDAY INVITATION

The Facilities Team would like to invite any and all church members to join us for a workday for fall yard cleanup and caring for our wonderful building. We have a lot of outdoor trimming and cleanup to do and a variety of indoor tasks that need many hands to complete. Please plan to join us, even for a little while, on

Saturday, October 11, starting at 9:30 AM and ending by 12:00 PM.  

Camp Eder Needs You 

Our 47^th Annual Fall Fest is camp’s biggest fundraiser of the year. The proceeds go to our camp’s monthly expenses, summer camps, programs throughout the year and most importantly camp scholarships (for those children whose families cannot afford to send them to camp to hear God’s word.)

When: Saturday, October 18, 2025 10AM-4PM

Where: Camp Eder (914 Mount Hope Rd Fairfield, PA 17320)

Silent Auctions: 10:00-10:45a & 11:00-11:45a

Live Auction: 12:00 noon - Turkey & Pork Lunch: 11:00a-3:00p - Food Court: 10:00a-4:00p

Fall Fest is quickly approaching and we need your help to make it a success. Your attendance and donations to the auction are two of the best ways to help raise $$ for camp. We will again we accepting donations for gently used or new items as well as basket donations to be sold at the silent and/or live auction.

If you are a designer of furniture, art work, quilts, wood products, etc., or know someone that is, please consider donating one of your creations. Please drop off all donations at Camp Eder before Thursday, October 16^th. If you need to have any items picked up, please call me. Thank you for your support, Deona Schmittel (717) 451-3797

Click on button for a few basket suggestions…… or use your imagination and come up with a unique theme, packed with goodies, that you think would sell. No limits as to the number of baskets that you can contribute.  If you wrap your basket, be sure to use CLEAR wrap, so the items inside are visible to the bidder.  Please complete the “Basket Form” (attached,) and deliver with the Basket.  This will help the committee assign a reasonable starting bid for your basket. Note:  Please do not include any tobacco or alcoholic products in the basket(s.)  All baskets should be delivered to Camp Eder during the week of October 13th and no later than Thursday, October 16th.  Camp hours for that week are 8:00a-4:00pm.  If you have difficulty getting your basket(s) to Camp during those hours, please call Deona Schmittel (717) 451-3797 and perhaps we can arrange someone to pick it up or a meeting place somewhere in between.



This information is also posted on our bulletin board.

TRICK or TRUNK

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

5:30 to 7:00 pm

SIGN UP SHEETS are on the counter in the gathering area.

It’s time again to decorate your car trunk for our annual

Trick or Trunk event. Cars will be parked in our parking lot so children can walk by, view the decorated trunks and receive a treat. We ask those who bring their car to also provide the treats. Plan for at least 320 treats. Cars need to be in place by 5:15 pm. Trunk owners may also dress up.

You may decorate a trunk or volunteer to help with the following:

·       Parking lot set up- Place cones and or tape to indicate traffic pattern,

·       Parking - Direct cars for trunk set-up and parking

·       Table and chair set up and take down in the all gym. We need seating for 100 people

·       Clean up- Wipe tables and sweep the floor after the event

·       Donate extra candy- Please put it in the Anna Mow room. 

CDC, Church and neighborhood families will be invited to come starting at 5:30 until

7:00 pm. The Fellowship Hall will be open for dinner and a place to warm up.

Come and enjoy the fun.  

Church of the Brethren News

Southern PA District/Denomination

Denominational news and information is always available by visiting brethren.org

Read news updates by clicking the link below

Please subscribe to receive COB Newsline via email if you wish

Online Giving is safe, easy, and convenient. Sign up by going to our church website at: www.yorkfirst.org and click on the Online Giving Link or go directly to the Online Giving website at: http://www.osvhub.com/york-first/funds.

For assistance setting up your account,

call Donor Support at:  800-348-2886 – Option 2 – Online Giving Questions? Contact Sheryl Leaman - Thank you for your support!

NOTE: Online giving can be used for regular weekly or monthly offerings, special offerings, and capital campaign contributions, as well as many other specific outreach ministries that we sponsor.

Gathering Area Quilt

Every month the quilt in the gathering area is changed to another beautiful quilt. The October quilt is named

"Lemoyne Magic". These quilts are made by Sid Innerst.

Sid is a very talented quilter and we want to thank her for sharing her beautiful work. As you are walking through the gathering area, please take a moment to enjoy the beauty and details of these quilts. 

Patricia Carey is the Witness Team appointment for the Cash for Causes program. Please see Patricia before or after worship to purchase your Giant or Weis gift cards. Patricia will be at the table under the bulletin board in the Gathering Space.

You may purchase the cards in amounts of $100, $50, $25, or $10. The cards make great gifts, especially at holidays. Consider donating cards to the Food Pantry or using them yourself any time you shop at Giant or Weis.

Since 2011, through the Cash for Causes program, the church has received 5% of sales to support various COB and local ministries. In 2024 the gift card sales supported The Lehman Center, New Community Project and the Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry with each receiving $233.08. For 2025, the Witness Team will review past giving and determine which agencies we will support this year. 

Elizabethtown College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies will host a field trip to explore the impact of the Battle of Gettysburg on the Brethren families who lived in the area at the time. The trip, on Sat., October 18, from 10 am to 3 pm, will begin at Gettysburg Church of the Brethren with a talk by Steve Longenecker, professor emeritus of history at Bridgewater (VA) College. Following lunch at the church, the group will visit the historic Marsh Creek Meetinghouse and Seminary Ridge Museum.

Cost for the field trip is $25 and reservations are required by October 13. Bus transportation from Elizabethtown College, departing at 8:30 am and returning around 4:45 pm, is available at no additional cost. For more information and to register, visit etown.edu/youngctr/events or call 717-361-1470.

LAST WEEK IN WORSHIP