Pastor Joel will be out of the office September 21-27.

Please contact the church office for any pastoral needs.

CALENDAR OF CHURCH EVENTS/ACTIVITIES

Saturday, September 26

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

Sunday, September 27

9:00 am   Sunday School

10:30 am  Worship Service – Sanctuary

Monday, September 28

6:00 pm    Education Team – Anna Mow Room

Wednesday, September 30

3:00 pm   Witness Team – Multi-Purpose Room

7:30 pm   Chancel Choir Rehearsal – Sanctuary

Sunday, October 4

9:00 am   Sunday School

10:30 am  Worship Service – Sanctuary

4:30 pm  Love Feast

The November Congregational Forum date has been changed

from November 1st to November 15th

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.

Sunday School News

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.

Youth Sunday School Class

9:00 AM in Room 155. Teacher Dave Witkovsky. Youth in grades 6-12 are welcome.

Vine & Branches Class

9:00 AM in Room 154. Teacher Pastor Joel.

We continue new curriculum, "Salt & Light: A Guide for Biblical Studies," in the series called "The Soul of the Nation." Lessons from Joshua, Judges, and Samuel will lead us unto discussions of faithful living, leadership, and relationships.



Lamplighters Class

9:00 AM in Room 145. Teacher - Melanie Miller

Bible Study: "Sabbath God's Call to Peace"

Lesson # 10: "Sabbath as Peace with Neighbors"

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. 

Upcoming Events

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:

September 25-26: Brethren Disaster Relief Auction, Lebanon Expo

Sunday October 4: Love Feast

BRETHREN DISASTER

RELIEF AUCTION

Held at Lebanon Valley Expo

80 Rocherty Rd

Lebanon, PA 17042

Friday & Saturday

September 25 & 26, 2026



Auction booklets with complete information are located in the gathering area.

Please click on the button

to view the events for both days.

If anyone is planning to go and willing to provide a ride for

someone else, please contact the church office.

CAMP EDER WORK DAY - OCTOBER 3, 2026 - 9:00am to 3:00pm

There will be pastries, coffee and juices in the morning along with prayer and then we will divide up into groups and go at it. We can use anyone and everyone because we have a lot of things to get done and any skill set will be appreciated!

Click on button to see the work day projects.

Lunch will be provided, but no napping afterwards! We could also use monetary donations and/or material for ongoing camp projects. If you have any questions or wish to help, please contact me, Kevin Meyers, at 717-465-7108

You Are Invited to Dine with the Master!

Come to the table. There is a place for YOU!

This World Communion Sunday, you are invited to join us for a very special Love Feast as we gather around the table as one family, many generations, many stories, one body in Christ.

Student Minister Rebecca Wolf has been working hard to plan an evening that honors our beloved Church of the Brethren tradition while offering some new and meaningful opportunities for worship, reflection, conversation, and participation across generations. Children, youth, adults, and older adults all have a place, and a voice, at this table!

Our Love Feast will include a shared meal featuring soups and breads lovingly prepared by members of our congregation, followed by footwashing and communion. Throughout the evening, we will celebrate the diversity of generations within our church family while also remembering, on World Communion Sunday, that Christ’s table stretches far beyond our congregation and connects us with siblings in Christ around the world.

We want YOU to be part of it! If you'd like to participate in a spoken part during the service, no matter your age, please contact Rebecca at musicdirector@yorkfirst.org. There will be a variety of opportunities, and you do not need to be an experienced reader or speaker to participate.

If you have never attended Love Feast before, this would be a wonderful time to experience it! Come as you are. Come ready to worship, serve, share, listen, eat, and fellowship together.



The table is being prepared. The invitation is open. There is a place for you.

Come dine with the Master.

OUR DAILY BREAD/SOUP KITCHEN - Friday, October 9, 2026

Casseroles are due 2nd THURSDAY before 8:30 AM 

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

Our Daily Bread/Soup Kitchen for Friday, October 9, 2026 (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!

Camp Eder Needs You - 48th Annual Fall Fest

When: Saturday, October 17, 2026    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 - 3:30p

Our 48^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.)

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, (click on the button below

for a basket suggestion list with ideas.) Note: Please do not include any tobacco or alcoholic products in teh basket(s). 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 15^th.   

If you need to have any items picked up, please call me.

Thank you for your support, Deona Schmittel (717) 451-3797



All of this information will be posted on the bulletin board.

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

SOPA District Conference was held on Sept. 18-19 at

Chambersburg Church of the Brethren

Our theme for this year, drawn from Psalm 34:1 is:

"With Every Breath That I Am Able"

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

This powerful reminder calls us to live lives filled

with gratitude and continual praise.

We would like to share photos from the conference and Friday's Worship Service. Thank you to Chambersburg COB for sharing!

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.

The Facility Care Team is looking for a used electric typewriter for use in the church office. If you have a typewriter you would like to donate, please contact Dave Witkovsky.

Thank you!

LOOK WHO'S

CELEBRATING

THIS MONTH

01 Diane Gibble

02  Christopher Logue

07  Jarret Stehr

08  Winnie Fickes

08  Jane Lookenbill

11  John Anderson

14  Terry Wueschinski

14  Marty Reigle                            

15  Michael Carey

If your birthday is in OCTOBER

and is not on the list below or is listed incorrectly, please contact the

church office.



17  Anna Elise Stoolmaker

19  Helen Stoner

21  Marjorie Schardt

21  Jared Beuschlein

23  Barry Stehr

25  David Gibble

26  Cathy Carson

29  Dylan Sauder

31  Jennifer Smart

Elizabethtown College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies presents:

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 • 7 pm • Bucher Meetinghouse

GUEST LECTURE - Making It Plain: Why We Need Anabaptism and the Black Church

Mainstream American Christianity is in crisis, largely because it has repeatedly aligned itself with social, political, economic, and cultural domination. In this talk, Rev. Dr. Drew G. I. Hart will explore why salvaging a faithful Christian witness benefits from a convergence of the prophetic stream of the Black Church and the radical discipleship wing of the Anabaptist tradition. By engaging both of these centuries-old traditions, we can move towards becoming a liberative “shalom church” that pursues holistic liberation and peacemaking while embodying the way of Jesus as the church in society.

Rev. Dr. Drew G. I. Hart is an Associate Professor of Theology at Messiah University, where, since 2021, he has directed the Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice program in central Pennsylvania. Drew is an active member of the Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren and joined the Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees in July 2021. He lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and is married to Renee, with whom he has three sons.

LAST WEEK IN WORSHIP