Be assured that the Worship Team and Leadership Team will be working to call new music leadership for our congregation in the near future. Such a process may require several months, so we do not expect to have a new director until 2021, nor do we expect to have a full choir until then. For now, we thank David for his wonderful service to our church over these many years and pray for his wellness going forward.

The Homebuilders Class is continuing to meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 am to 10:00 am by conference call. All are welcome to join. To be included, contact Mike Martin either by calling 717-840-4184 or by emailing [email protected], leaving the phone number at which you would like to be called. You will receive a phone call in the vicinity of 9:00 am. The class continues to examine lessons from the "Guide for Biblical Studies" curriculum.

The Lamplighters Class is planning to meet on Wednesday Evenings at 7:00 pm until

8:00 pm by zoom (video) conference. If you wish to be included and haven't received an email already, please contact Pastor Joel at [email protected], and he will forward you the link. (We will not share the login info publicly in an effort to prevent hacking). The class will be "open mic" and include fellowship time as well as planning upcoming lesson series.

The Vine & Branches Class is continuing to meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 am to 10:00 am by zoom (video) conference. If you wish to be included, please contact Pastor Joel at [email protected], and he will forward you the link. The class will begin studying the "Guide for Biblical Studies" curriculum, entitled "Love for One Another." This week the lesson explores Genesis 43 and 45, discussing how we might recognize when "God's plan" is revealed as a blessing in disguise.

Children's Sunday School is now planned for 12:00 noon each Sunday via zoom, with a lesson lasting approximately 20 minutes. Parents may of course participate alongside, but the time will be tailored to children. For the zoom link and to be included, please contact Pastor Joel at [email protected]. Thanks, and we look forward to this special time together!

Plans are being made for several youth group gatherings this fall. While we are not planning to resume in-person Sunday School this season, the Education Team is planning for times of both learning and service. Please pay attention to future newsletters for more information!

SOUP KITCHEN - Friday, Oct. 9, 2020 - Sign up by calling Sandi Bowser at

717-825-7203 to make a casserole for the Soup Kitchen on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020

CONGREGATIONAL FORUM following Worship - October 11, 2020 (Sunday) - The forum booklet and treasurer's reports are available for pick in the Lounge and in the sanctuary during Sunday worship service. Expect an email with information packet attached next week, and feel free to contact the church office if you desire a printed copy.

Dates are October 19-20, and photos will be taken here at the church building.

SIGN-UP is online at www.ucdir.com

Follow instructions to choose a date and time, entering your email information as requested, and click on "Schedule Appointment" to reserve the time you've chosen.

You may also call the church office for assistance or to reserve a time, and Karen may be able to reserve a time for you. It's simpler if everyone can do it themselves, however. Thank you all in advance for participating!

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

Although in-person worship gatherings and events are suspended for a time, the church's ministry continues in many important ways. Please continue to give as you are so led, whether by mail or through online giving. Thank you.

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.

That said, staying home remains the safest option, and we commend doing so to prevent spread of contagious disease. Worship will be recorded and live streamed each Sunday morning at 10:30 AM whether anyone is in attendance or not. We remain a committed body of Christ's faithful disciples whether we gather in person or not. We are simply allowing in-person attendance for those who desire to do so. Thank you all in advance for choosing wisely how and where you will worship.

We have every intention of continuing to provide worship, teaching, and encouragement while maintaining “physical distance” for the safety and well-being of the vulnerable among us. The pastor and secretary continue to be available and in the office most of the week, so please feel free to call or email as you wish. We discourage in-person visits, however. Visitation to nursing homes and hospitals continues to be restricted, and pastoral visits will be minimal.

Please recognize that your church will require funds to continue basic operation of property and facility, fulfill pledged outreach giving, and maintain staff who will continue to minister whether in-person gatherings happen or not. Online giving is a simple and easy way to support your church and those it serves during this time, and it is accessible through our church website www.yorkfirst.org. Mailing your gifts and offerings to the church office is also welcome. Thank you to all who have given generously! We have been able to maintain our many outreach commitments thus far this year, and for that we give thanks!

Look for other announcements on our website and facebook page, and as always you may read current and/or recent newsletters through our website for other updates (and past sermons if you have spare time). **Note that you do not even need a facebook account of you own to view the church's page there. If you do have a facebook account, please "like" our church's page to view updates there. The more you "like" and "comment" and "share" our content, the better it "travels" and will be seen by others. Do your part to freely spread our messages of ministry during this time. Thank you!!**

Concerning the spread of COVID-19, here is a good resource with helpful links to other sites as well: https://covid19.brethren.org/ Be careful to pay attention to public health experts, rather than every news headline or comment from your neighbors. We must act responsibly for the well-being of all, not merely ourselves. This disease is real and a genuine threat to the lives of many.

Thank you all for understanding and for your faithful participation in our life together. Stay apart from each other in body but close together in spirit. Talk to each other often, by phone especially. Please stay home and do your part to prevent the spread of contagious disease. That is how we can best love one another for the time being. God's comfort and peace be with you.

Dear Church Family,  thank you so much for all your well wishes during my recent procedures and hospitalization. Your prayers sustained me through some rough times. God Bless you!

Carole Bradfield

Thank you everyone; for all the cards, phone call and well wishes during my recent surgery. The doctors removed a cancerous tumor from the wall of my small intestine. It took two attempts but they are confident that they were able to get all of the cancer. I will not have any additional treatments or therapy other than a six months follow up exam. Thank you especially to Nancy who had to undergo the ordeal of hospital waiting rooms in the current pandemic environment. I would have been lost without her.

Steve Jones

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

“A Conversation about Amish Women,” with Karen Johnson-Weiner on Thurs., Oct. 8, 7:00 p.m., via Zoom. Johnson-Weiner, author of the new book The Lives of Amish Women, will share her research and findings, which grew out of 35 years of fieldwork. For details and the link to the Zoom presentation, visit www.etown.edu/youngctr/events or

The YouTube video that I mentioned last week was broken down into seven parts.  The first part was subtitled “The White Racial Frame of Music Theory” and presented most of the overarching ideas that I summarized last week.  It showed how music theory textbooks have changed very little over hundreds of years.  In the 1880s Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote a textbook stating that a music theory concept called figured bass should not be taught anymore as it did not do a good job of representing the “modern” 1880s harmonies.  Yet, figured bass is still taught in music schools today.  It raised the question, “Why are we teaching music theory from three hundred years ago as we do not teach Spanish, or even English, grammar from three hundred years ago?”  The second part of the video focused on Indian Music.  It took one concept from both Western music and Indian music and compared the concepts showing how they had similarities but were very different.  It raised the question, “Why don’t our music schools engage in more cross-cultural music comparisons?”  As Professor Ewell points out, the 300-year old white male German classical music that our system is based on really represents less than 0.1% of all the music ever written.  The third part, subtitled “Not White Men,” focused on different music theories that men of color have presented, e.g. George Russell’s theory of jazz called the “Lydian Chromatic Concept,” and music theories that have been presented by women, particularly from Russia.

pastor@yorkfirst.org. Note that laws prevent hospitals from contacting a pastor without your permission when you are admitted, so you will need to let hospital staff know that you would like the hospital to contact your pastor.