November 2021 Cross Connection Newsletter
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A Letter from Pastor Frye
Dear St. Luke Family and Friends,
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
Psalm 126:5-6 (NRSV)
My oldest son was diagnosed with autism when he was several years old. Now nineteen, Gabriel has become a young man and in many ways has also become comfortable with who he is. One of the characteristics of autism that he displays is raw authenticity. In other words, he “tells it like it is” and can be depended upon to be transparent about what he thinks and feels when he is so inclined. Frequently I will invite him to join me on running an errand or accompany me on a visit to someone’s home. He invariably responds with the question: “What’s in it for me?” He hopes we stop along the way somewhere for a treat.
That might sound rude or selfish, but I have come to appreciate it as simple honesty. No filter. In other words, Gabe says what most of us, I suspect, feel from time to time. There has got to be a pay off — a return on the investment — for our time, all the hard work and the good deeds we do. For example, what’s in it for us for the tears we have shed, the sacrifices we have made for one another and the cause of goodness and justice?
The Psalmist seems to indicate that we will be recipients of some sort of divine payback — that we will be rewarded for our efforts and sacrifice. While this apparent promise may be motivation enough for some to do the next right thing, we remind ourselves that we have already been given the blessing and hope for which we long. The good news that the Christ of God is risen is reason enough to go along on any errand or visitation that comes our way. We have been blessed to be a blessing. We get to give it away to keep it. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Your brother in Christ,
Christopher Frye
Worship
Sundays and Special Days in November
Sunday, November 7: All Saints Sunday
(And Reach Out Sunday at St. Luke)
On All Saints Day we celebrate the victory won for all the faithful dead, but we grieve for our beloved dead as well, knowing that God honors our tears.
Sunday, November 14: 25th Sunday after Pentecost
The more we see the last day approaching, the more important it is to meet together to provoke one another to love.
Sunday, November 21: Christ the King Sunday
We look forward to the day [Jesus] is given dominion, knowing his victory will be the nonviolent victory of love.
Sunday, November 28: First Sunday of Advent
Advent is about the “coming days.”
Sunday Worship Services
- 10 a.m. every Sunday
- In-person and online
Wednesday Healing Services
We have a weekly service of Prayer, Healing, and Holy Communion every Wednesday at 11 a.m. This simple service is a great way to connect with a smaller group of people in a supportive environment. In-person Wednesday Prayer services do not require advance reservation.
Wednesday Prayer Services
Prayer & Share via Zoom meets Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Please check weekly announcements for connection information.
Support
All Saints Remembrance
November 2020—November 2021
Rose Anne Barr, November 10, 2020
William E Engelkeimer, December 13, 2020
Audrey Gustafson, January 17, 2021
Bruce Stewart Toma, January 30, 2021
The Rev. Howard Hinkeldey, February 15, 2021
Jennie Mao, September 17, 2021
MaryAnn Gleockner, October 18, 2021
Parish records
October 23, Funeral
MaryAnn Gleockner (date of death, October 18)
Adopt A Highway
Last event for the year was October 30 at 8 a.m. This was our 29th consecutive year at St. Luke collecting trash on a half-mile section of PA Rt 997. Thank you for making it a successful year. We’re looking forward to our 30th!
Volunteer Opportunities at SpiriTrust Lutheran, The Village at Luther Ridge
We are thrilled to welcome volunteers back to our campus! Please consider spending quality time with our residents through the following opportunities: Off-site escorts* for independent living are currently needed. Life Enrichment* volunteers are needed at the personal care and skilled care levels. If you are interested in these opportunities or would like to explore other possibilities, please reach out to Linda Beaver at 717-264-0737 or [email protected]. *More detailed information in weekly email announcements.
Education
YOUth
Kirchenwald Winter Youth Retreat
January 7—9, 2022 (registration due by December 15)
For youth in grades 3—9.
Broom hockey on a frozen pond, sledding, snow soccer, creative Bible studies and worship experiences – all part of the weekend retreat at Kirchenwald. Contact Shelly if you’re interested.
3 Week’s Until Advent?
Can you believe Advent is upon us? 2021 has flown by and we are getting ready to anticipate and celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus again! There are a few Advent activities in the works -here is what we know already:
Adult Faith Formation Advent Study
‘I Wonder as I Wander:’ 8:45 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
November 28 — December 19
Hope, love, joy and peace – for many of us, these are the names of the four candles lit during Advent. But do these words mean anything to us and to the world today? Is hope still alive? Does love always find a way? What gives joy to the world? Will nations – and next-door neighbors – ever be at peace? Join us as we reflect on questions like these. Bible study on Sundays, daily devotionals, and activities will be part of this study. Books available from Shelly Davies.
Advent Celebration Pack
Families, check your front porches for a special bag full of supplies to help you and your family celebrate Advent together at home. Will be delivered around the last week of
November.
Shelly Davies, Director of Education and Outreach
[email protected]; 717-372-9579
Outreach
2021 Mega Event
Thank you to all who donated winter clothing, towels, sheets and blankets for our give-a-way in conjunction with 1st Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran. I transported over 30 bags of items to 1st Lutheran to be sorted and distributed! Below, find a thank you note from the leader of the committee at First Lutheran:
To the Congregation of St. Luke Lutheran, Thank you so much for your generous contributions to the Neighborhood Task Team of First Lutheran. Your assistance and friendship began in 2019 with an offer to share your collection of hats, scarves, and mittens with the neighborhood around First Lutheran. You have been partners in God’s work of helping our neighbors and the community ever since. We are the body of Christ and can do so much more together. Praise to our Heavenly Father for this partnership in His name. May God bless you all. The Neighborhood Task Team looks forward to continuing His work together.
The Mega Event 2021 will take place Saturday morning, November 6. If you are interested in helping, please let Shelly know as soon as possible. We can always use more hands to bless the community of Chambersburg!
PowerPacks
We are once again providing weekend meals to children from Fayetteville Elementary, Scotland Elementary, and Guilford Hills Elementary. October has been our first month and the number of children we are serving is at 69! The next month we will be packing will be December—we meet each Thursday at 10:00 a.m. to prepare and pack the bags for the children. All are invited to join us in December in the Fellowship Hall to help!
Gifted Thanksgiving meals
The Conococheague Mission Cooperative, which St. Luke is a part of, will be collecting canned and boxed goods to provide Thanksgiving meals for families of the three local elementary schools that we support through our PowerPack program. What better way to bless local families! Bring your donations weekly and put them at the foot of the altar prior to service each week, now through November 21. What items can we use? Anything you would eat for Thanksgiving! Canned and boxed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin, green beans, etc. Thank you!
Congregation, Council, Committees
Council Highlights September 2021
- Electronic sign on hold awaiting more info from Property committee
- Pastor Frye sharing Vitality and Sustainability survey results with congregation (shared October 17)
- August giving up 1.43% over 2020
- Rev. Dana Blouch-Hanson will be supply pastor October 10, approved recommendation for Supply Pastor’s pay to be sent to Leadership Training Camp in her name
- Power Packs start in September
- The Church will obtain 2 credit cards from M&T bank for 2 authorized users
- Outgoing Council members will serve on the nominating committee
- The handrails at the exit doors in sanctuary will be paid from the Furry Fund
Social Ministry Initiative
Saving those alkaline batteries, rechargeable batteries, hearing aid batteries, and others? Wondering what to do with them? Want to help lessen the way we pollute our earth?
Keep some of those harmful chemicals hiding in batteries from going into landfills. January at St. Luke is the time and place to get rid of those household batteries. Containers for batteries will be in the far hallway starting in January. We’ll be partnering with local businesses to recycle the batteries you donate. Thanks for the part you will be doing in helping preserve our earth.
Refugee Resettlement in Chambersburg
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us to welcome the stranger. Following this instruction, the Social Ministry and Outreach Committees are working with a group of other Chambersburg congregations, including the local synagogue, and the Community Uniting! organization to welcome a Syrian family into our community. The family includes father, mother, and three sons—6, 8, and 10 years old. They had to flee their home in Syria because of the conflict there and have been in a refugee camp in Jordan since 2013—eight years!
$300 of the Social Ministry’s budget has been donated to this effort in the name of St. Luke. The money we have donated will help with initial basic living costs such as rent, utilities, food, and clothing. We are also helping furnish their home through the Lutheran Homeless Connection. Within six months, the family is expected to be self-sufficient. Individuals will be available during this time of settling in to help them get jobs, enroll in school, find medical care resources, and gain other skills of daily living. Prayerfully consider making a donation to help the refugee family settling in our community to become contributing members of Chambersburg. Make your check payable to St. Luke with ‘Refugee Resettlement’ on the memo line.
Calendar
Visit our online calendar for the most current updates to meetings, events, and services.
Connect
2695 Luther Drive, Chambersburg, PA 17202
717-261-1213
[email protected]