SUNDAY SCHEDULE

SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:00 AM
Please See Below for Sunday School Class Information

WORSHIP 10:30 AM
In the Sanctuary and Online

THIS SUNDAY IN WORSHIP:
October 10, 2021

SCRIPTURE LESSON:
John 4:46-54

MESSAGE:
“Your Son Will Live”

Fall Congregational Forum
 
Following worship this Sunday October 10, the
Fall Congregational Forum will be held - all church members are encouraged to attend, either in person or via live stream video. The forum booklet, treasurer's reports, and the
slate ballot for affirming leaders are available for pick in the Narthex.
Two items will require approval by vote: The Financial Plan for 2022 and the Slate Ballot for affirming leaders whose terms will begin in 2022. Please click on these buttons to view.
We request a response on these two items above by Monday, October 18, 2021.
This could come in several forms: Voting in person by attending the meeting, voting by email [email protected] or mail response indicating approval or disapproval of each of the above, or a phone call 717-755-0307 to the church office during the weekday hours of 7 AM - 2 PM. *Only church members are permitted to vote* and we expect responses within one week of the meeting.
Thank you all for your commitment and service to our church. 
Click for Friends to Remember in Prayer
Click for Weekly Calendar of Events
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
Homebuilders Sunday School Class
The Homebuilders Class is continuing to meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM by conference call, planning to remain holding class remotely for the time being. 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.

Lamplighters Sunday School Class
The Lamplighters Class has resumed meeting Sunday mornings in-person at 9:00 AM in their classroom, Room 145. The class is studying “The Essential Commandment: A Disciple’s Guide to Loving God and Others” by Greg Ogden in collaboration with Compelling Vision. Beth Anne Bahn is teaching.

Vine & Branches Sunday School Class
The Vine & Branches Class meets on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM, in-person, in the room near the Gathering Area. This week we will continue a new series (though we've barely started, so don't worry if you missed last week), engaging with Richard Rohr's "The Universal Christ" - exploring a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God's constant, unfolding work in the world. In response to an expressed desire to focus our study on the inner life of faith, this series will invite us to contemplate how God's love liberates and permeates all of life. Come and join us this season as we engage with this exciting material. Pastor Joel will be leading.

Children's Sunday School Class
Children's Sunday School meets at 9:00 AM each Sunday, in-person, in the classrooms just past the nursery. Children grades PreK and up will have class lessons, with singing mid-hour as well. Children ages 4 and younger are welcome to attend nursery care, which may include a brief lesson in addition to playtime. All children are welcome!
Children's Ministry Schedule
Online Giving
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!!!!!
Upcoming Events
CHURCH EVENTS / DATES TO REMEMBER:

October 24 - CDC Recognition Sunday - Sunday School Hour and Worship
October 27 - Trick or Trunk - Wednesday Evening, Parking Lot
FALL FEST AT CAMP EDER, 914 Mt Hope Rd, Fairfield, PA 17320
Festival and Benefit Auction
October 16, 2021, 10 am - 3 pm
Things to do: Pit Roasted Pork & Turkey Meal, $12 adults, $8 kids (12 + under)
 Live Auction with Larry Schwartz, Live Music,Apple Butter Making
Craft Vendors,Eder's French Fries & Delicious Sandwiches
Kid's Games and prize, Candy Treasure Hunt
Food Court & Bake Sale, Live Demos all day
PRAYER SHAWL ministry will be meet on Thursday, Oct. 21st in the church lounge from 1:00 to 2:00 pm.
Going forward prayer shawl will meet
monthly on every third Thursday.
Anyone with interest is welcome to attend.
TRICK or TRUNK
Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Please sign up to decorate your car trunk for our annual
Trick or Trunk event. Sign up sheets are posted in the narthex
and on the bulletin board - or email [email protected]

Vehicles will be parked in the parking lot so children can walk by to view the trunks and receive a treat. We ask those bringing their car to also provide the treats.
Masks and social distancing will be in place as they were last year. 
Decorated cars will be parked every other parking place. Vehicle owners must hand out the treats instead of little hands all reaching into the treat bowl.
Cars need to be in place by 5:15 pm. CDC families may come at 5:15 to 6:00 PM. Neighborhood families will be invited to come starting at 6:00 to 7:00 PM.
Questions? See John Anderson or Pastor Joel.
Church of the Brethren Denominational News
Denominational news and information is always available by visiting brethren.org
Copies of the Annual Conference
Wrap Up are available for pick up
in the Church Lounge
Southern PA District Announcement: Carolyn Jones has announced that she will be resigning from her position as Office Manager for the District on December 2 of this year. The District would prefer to fill this position with someone who is familiar with the Church of the Brethren but will be advertising the position on job sites as well. If someone from the congregation is interested in applying or wants more info, they may call the district office 717-778-2264. Please share this opportunity with anyone you know who may be interested. 
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
NEWSLINE DIGEST - OCTOBER 2021
“Jesus in the Neighborhood”

We wish to thank everyone who participated in our sidewalk chalk art event. It was a great time of fun and fellowship that we hope to do again!
Concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and church operations:

The church Leadership Team has approved updated policy on face coverings for our gatherings: following with CDC guidance, masks are now optional for those who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. For those not vaccinated, please continue to wear a mask indoors. We are on the honor system and are trusting all attendees to respect this policy. All are welcome, as always, and we hope for further updates moving forward.

Staying home remains the safest option, yet we commend and affirm in-person gatherings as the ideal. Worship will be live streamed on our YouTube channel and recorded each Sunday morning at 10:30 AM indefinitely, but it is not intended to "replace" physical attendance long-term. So long as you are comfortable being near others, please plan to join our services of worship, classes, and other events.

Most Sunday School classes have resumed meeting in person. Check the class information above for weekly updates. Several elements of worship will remain adjusted such as staggered seating, avoiding handshake greetings, and face coverings worn within the building. Please know that all of these measures are for our collective wellness.

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. Visitation to nursing homes and hospitals continues to be restricted, although Pastor Joel is open to home visits as requested.

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.

Thank you all for understanding and for your faithful participation in our life together. Please do your part to prevent the spread of contagious disease, as a holy expression of loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Since 2011 our Witness Team has sponsored the Cash for Causes program by selling Giant & Weis gift cards. The church receives 5% of sales to support various ministries. For 2021 the gift card sales will support The Lehman Center (Children’s Aid Society), New Community Project, Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry, and LifePath Christian Ministries (formerly York Rescue Mission). 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.

I plan to attend our in-person worship services and will have the gift cards available for your purchase before or after the service.  However, if you will not be attending our in-person worship services, I will continue to send cards in the mail if you want to support this outreach ministry. Send your check to Becky Wenger, 3011 Bedford Pl, York, PA 17408. The Giant or Weis cards will be mailed to you. Make your check out to York First Church.

Thank you for supporting this program - Becky Wenger, Cash for Causes representative
Oberammergau Passion Play & The Best of the Holy Land Tour
with Pastor Joel Nogle and Kathie Nogle, June 6-18, 2022 

An Informational meeting will be held on October 12, 21 for the Passion Play and Holy Land Trip. Meeting at Chambersburg Church of the Brethren for the Oberammergau Passion Play and The Best of the Holy Land Trip. It will be held at 2:00 PM at Brethren Life Center at Chambersburg Church of the Brethren.
There are still openings available for this trip if interested please try to attend this meeting or give Rhonda DeShong a call at 717 267 2180.
We will be having a zoom meeting with Adam Kent from ETS Tours. We will be able to discuss our tour with Adam and ask any questions you may have about this trip. If you are not able to attend the meeting on 10/12/21 you will have the option to connect to this meeting by zoom. Please contact the church at 717-264-6957 so we can send you the zoom link for the meeting.
At this meeting we will cover the current Covid 19 protocol and other details of this trip. 
The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College presents “Migration Stories of Mennonites on the Move: Russia, Canada, Germany, and Paraguay (1870-1945),” by John P. R. Eicher on Thurs., October 21, 7:00 p.m., in the Bucher Meetinghouse and via Zoom. Eicher is an assistant professor of history at Pennsylvania State University-Altoona. His book, Exiled Among Nations: German and Mennonite Mythologies in a Transnational Age (Cambridge University Press, 2020), received the 2021 Dale W. Brown Book Award. For details and the livestream link, visit www.etown.edu/youngctr/events or call 717-361-1470.
LAST WEEK IN WORSHIP


SCRIPTURE LESSON:
John 2:1-11

MESSAGE:
“Water into Wine"


CONTACTING THE PASTOR
Pastor Joel Gibbel can be reached most mornings in the church office Monday - Friday from 9:00 AM to noon, and usually well into the afternoon as well. Afternoons and evenings may be set aside for visiting those in need, for meetings, and for other pastoral duties. Pastor Joel is also available for pastoral counseling by appointment.
If you need to reach the pastor outside of office hours, his home phone number is
(717) 318-5442, and his mobile number is (717) 271-4888 . You can also email him at
[email protected]. 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.
Our Mission Statement:
“People dedicated to Spiritual Growth, Loving Relationship, and Sacrificial Service”
Our Vision Statement:
“To become a community of committed Christians who Love God, Share Christ, and Serve the World”