SUNDAY, MARCH 16TH - FOOD PANTRY COLLECTION  

We have been busy at the Food Pantry. We can use the following items: 

•Canned chicken •Pasta sauce •Spaghetti •Elbow macaroni

•Salad dressing •Cooking oil •Bags of sugar •Canned chili & beans

•Cheese and crackers •Pancake mix •Pancake syrup

•Boxed cereal •Ketchup •Mayonnaise •Canned corn •Onions •Rice •Granola bars •Pickles •Fruit juice •Toilet paper

Grocery gift cards are also welcome.

Thank you for your generosity, Mary Esther Anderson, Witness Team

The 2025 Church Directory is available to be picked up in the

Gathering Area. All church members and friends, please take one. 

EASTER FLOWERS

You may order your flowers March 16, 23, 30 and April 6

As we enter into the season of Lent, we may look forward to the beautiful Easter flowers which will adorn our church sanctuary on Easter Sunday morning! This year the Worship Ministry Team is again offering non-fragranced flowers in a variety of colors from Hueter's Greenhouse - 6 inch pots of daffodils, tulips and florist mums for $10 each and 4.5 inch pots of gerbera daisies for $5 each (same size and cost as last year).

Purchases can be made in honor, in memory or in appreciation of whomever you wish. Order forms will be available as bulletin inserts (or you may contact the church office as well) for the next 4 Sundays - March 16, 23 and 30 and April 6 - with the deadline for orders being April 6.

Payment (in the form of cash or check made out to the church) for orders must accompany the order form and can be placed in the offering plates or submitted to the church office. You may also order and pay for your flowers through online giving. 

Please list your name (s) and sentiments on the order form as you wish them to appear in the Easter Sunday bulletin.

The flowers can be taken home following Easter Sunday Worship on April 20.

Thank you for your participation in this colorful Easter tradition!  

CALENDAR OF CHURCH EVENTS/ACTIVITIES

Sunday, March 16

9:00 am    Sunday School

10:30 am  Worship Service – Sanctuary

4:00 pm Youth Group Dodgeball – Fellowship Hall

Monday, March 17

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

Tuesday, March 18

10:00 am    Prayer Shawl – Anna Mow Room

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

6:00 pm    CDC Ministry Team – Anna Mow Room

Wednesday, March 19

9:00 am   Staff Meeting – Multi-Purpose Room

5:30 pm   CDC Science Night – Fellowship Hall

Thursday, March 20

5:30 pm Prayer Service - Chapel

  6:30 pm    Chancel Choir Rehearsal – Sanctuary

7:30 pm    Bell Choir Rehearsal – Bell Choir Room

Sunday, March 23

9:00 am    Sunday School

10:30 am   Worship Service – Sanctuary

4:00 pm    Youth Group Dodgeball – Fellowship Hall

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

*Adult Church Membership Class*

9:00 AM in Room 154. Pastor Joel is leading a church membership class for adults considering joining our church. The class series begins March 2 and concludes April 27. All are welcome. Please contact him pastor@yorkfirst.org if you wish to participate, so that he can prepare reading materials and share more information.

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.

*Combined Classes - Lamplighters, Vine & Branches, and Youth*

9:00 AM in Lamplighters Classroom. We will be following the “Animate: Practices” Curriculum. The series will be 7 weeks beginning March 2 and ending April 13.

“Animate: Practices” is an introduction to the central practices of the Christian faith, why they are important, and how we can take part in them today. Sessions feature perspectives from Christian thought leaders on topics such as prayer, worship, money, and service. They each include a brief video presentation.

Session 3 will be taught by Dave Witkovsky. The subject is Sacraments with Phyllis Tickle.

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

Thursday March 20, April 3 - Lent Prayer Services, 5:30 PM

Thursdays March 27, April 10 - Lent Potluck Dinners, 5:30 PM

Wednesday April 16 - Easter Egg Hunt, 5:00 PM

Thursday April 17 - Love Feast, 6:00 PM

YOUTH GROUP ACTIVITY

Youth and School Age Children join us for Dodgeball fun!! Please feel free to invite friends and neighbors as you wish.

On Sundays, February 16th to March 23rd in Fellowship Hall, 4:00 to 5:00pm

We will be having Lent Fellowship Potluck Dinners on March 27 and April 10 - 5:30 PM

You are welcome to bring a dish to share and reflect on the season that is before us. Anyone in our church family is invited.

Sign-up sheets are available in the gathering area.

Southern PA District Church of the Brethren

2025 DISTRICT WOMEN'S SPRING LUNCHEON

"A time to mourn......" Ecclesiastes 3:4

Faith Working Through Love - The Grief Process

Saturday, April 12, 2025, 9:00 AM

Huntsdale Church of the Brethren, 170 Church Road, Carlisle, PA 17015

Guest Speaker: Dava Cruise Hill Hensley

Dava was born in North Carolina where she was raised in the Eden Church of the Brethren. She was recently retired after pastoring for 18 eighteen years at the First Church of the Brethren-Roanoke. She is well educated and most recently earned her Doctor of Ministry focused on grief and loss in the church. She also is the moderator of the 2025 Annual Conference.

Please click on the button for the registration form.

This will also be posted on the bulletin board.

Registration deadline March 29, 2025. No refunds after deadline date.

Save the Date

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

John Miller has accepted an appointment onto The Bethany Seminary Board of Directors to complete a term recently left vacant.

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 March quilt is named "Peaceful Window".

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. 

Lehman Center "Wish List"

Items for donation to the Lehman Center are being collected in the basket in the Gathering Area.

Due to changes in the food pantry operations, these must be collected separately from food pantry supplies.

Here are some items that are needed at

Lehman Center:

Instant pudding (chocolate, banana)

Instant jello (orange, blue, green, grape, cherry)

Can fruit (pears, pineapples, fruit cocktail)

Applesauce (individual or jar)

Can vegetables (lima beans, peas, green beans)

Baby food - all stages

Baby snacks

Beginning in January 2025, Patricia Carey will be 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 area.

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. 

Anabaptist Community Bible: A New Testament Reading Plan

Winter-Spring 2025

We hope you are all devotedly reading scripture these days in the new Anabaptist Community Bible. Our goal as a church this season is to read the entire New Testament together by Easter. A full plan for this reading is attached below and copies can be picked up in the Gathering Area. We are nearly half way through already, let's keep going!

LAST WEEK IN WORSHIP

If you need to reach the pastor outside of office hours, his mobile number is

(717) 271-4888. You can also email him at pastor@yorkfirst.org. Note that laws prevent hospitals from contacting a pastor without your permission when you are admitted, so you will need to contact the church if you desire a visit or to request prayer.