|
|
A Word from Gary
As I write this, we
are beginning to experience what I always feel is a great time of the year. It has been a wonderful summer but I now
look forward to the moderating temperatures, the cooler evenings, the beauty of
the changing colors in nature, and to the excitement that builds in our
congregations as we experience new or renewed programming and as we place increased emphasis
upon the missional direction for our district and our province. In partnership with you in the service of
Christ, I therefore greet you in the name of our Chief Elder.
For my ordained colleagues, I trust that your experience of
Cup of Covenant this year was significant for you. The event that I was privileged to attend this year was unique in
that all of the clergy present renewed their vows according to the liturgy in
effect at the time of our original ordination -- the liturgy found in either
the black hymnal (yes there are some of us still around who were ordained using
that 1923 edition of the hymnal!!!!), the 1969 edition of the red hymnal, or in
the worship accompaniment to the current blue Book of Worship.
It is obvious that our church is moving forward as
evidenced by all of the events that entered into my schedule during the month
of September and that are scheduled in the months ahead. Even though exhausting, it is exciting to be
a part of a church that is alive and on fire with missional efforts reaching
local communities and distant communities, with programming aimed at
encouraging each member in their own pilgrimage, with challenges to BE the
gospel (Good News) wherever you find yourself, and with dreams and visioning efforts
aimed at better discerning the direction into which God is pointing us.
During the month of October, there are many events that
occupy my calendar (and in most cases, the district calendar). It begins with a trip to Toronto to meet
with the New Dawn congregation in their process to call a new pastor, as the
interim ministry of Marge Hassler is all too soon coming to a conclusion. I am expectantly looking forward to the Couillard
Lectures on October 5 with Diana Butler Bass and also to the Moravian Theological
Seminary Gala that will occur that evening in a continuing bicentennial
celebration. District Board and
Commission meetings this month include the Christian Education Commission on
Oct. 5-6, the Urban Ministries Commission on Oct. 9, the Synod Planning Committee
on Oct. 13, and the Cursillo weekends (Oct. 18-21 for men and Oct. 25-28 for
women). The District Board will hold
its annual retreat at Mary Immaculate Center on the weekend of Oct. 26-28 and
we solicit your prayers for God's hand to be a part of our deliberations. Our excellent district and provincial staff
will be holding another "Super Regional Saturday" workshop on Saturday,
Oct. 13, for the Penn-Mar congregations.
It begins at 9 AM at York Covenant church and I trust that all of the
board members and interested others from the Penn-Mar congregations will be in
attendance. We extend our joy and best
wishes to Sister Pat Honszer who will be consecrated as a Presbyter at Fry's
Valley on Oct. 28 at 4 PM. The week of
Oct. 15 will be taken up with meetings of the Boards of Trustees of Moravian
College and Theological Seminary.
Brother Chris Giesler has informed me that we have a fully
booked agenda of performers for the district-wide 550th Gala Celebration at the
State Theatre in Easton on November 10 and that all who attend will be in for a
wonderful evening of celebration and fun.
Performers will come from throughout the Eastern District. Handbell Choirs, Steele Drum Orchestras, a
Trombone Choir, Gospel and Traditional Choirs, as well as instrumental soloists
will highlight a talent-filled evening, all taking place in one of the east
coast's most beautiful theaters. Come to celebrate a milestone in the Moravian
Church, leave with an uplifted spirit and music ringing in your ears.
Tickets are available now at the State Theatre Box office. You can order them
on-line at www.statetheatre.com, or by phone
at 610-252-3132. Tickets are $20.00 & $15.00 depending on their location
and tickets for children 12 and under are $10.00. All profits from the event
will be given to our two district benevolence organizations -- the Moravian
Open Door in New York City and the Hope Conference and Renewal Center. Any
questions about the evening can be directed to Chris Giesler at 610-867-7566 or
at chris@mcnp.org. Professional actress and performer Hazelle
Goodman (daughter of Moravian clergyperson Virginia Goodman) will emcee the
event. We are so grateful to Chris for planning and overseeing this once
in a lifetime event.
Incidentally, Happy Thanksgiving to our brothers and
sisters at New Dawn and at The Journey and to the many others of us with
Canadian roots who celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with real gusto (Canadian
Thanksgiving is on Oct. 8.) Have a
great month. Blessings. Gary
Prayer Concerns and Joys
Remember our brothers
and sisters in Jamaica, Honduras and Nicaragua as they seek to recover from the
destruction experienced due to recent hurricanes. Visit the BWM
website for more information: http://www.moravianmission.org/
Our condolences
to family and friends on the recent passing of Sister Alice Heller,
widow of Brother Jim Heller. Alice and Jim were residents at Moravian Hall
Square. Condolences also to Mike and
Naomi Foran and family on the recent passing of Naomi’s father, Walter Schick,
of Staten Island. And condolences to
the family of Brother Donald Fulton on the death of his son-in-law, Bob Londres, husband
of Don's daughter Susan, on Sept. 7 in Orlando, FL. Bob worked with
Campus Crusade. Please keep all these families in your prayers.
Please continue
to hold in prayer all our brothers and sisters dealing with health issues as
they move towards strength and healing.
We particularly remember Dave Wickmann, Leon Matthias, Reed
Acheson, Kay Rohn, Denny Rohn, Leslie McKoy, Joan Engelbrecht, Sharon Conn, Sam
Propsom, and David Geyer’s mother, Lynn.
- Schedule of Events
The
following 3 Continuing Ed events will be held in Oct. at Moravian Seminary.
Visit www.moravianseminary.edu/continuingEd
for more information.
October 5, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm Couillard
Memorial Lectures: Christianity for the Rest of Us: A Transformative Pilgrimage.
Presented by Diana Butler Bass, author of The Practicing Congregation:
Imagining a New Old Church
October 6, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm - MTS
Bicentennial Celebration: Walking Our History traces the Seminary’s roots
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, ending with a Lovefeast in the Saal of Bahnson
Center. Presented by Otto Dreydoppel, Jr., assistant professor of Church
History and Moravian Studies at MTS.
Buses leave from Bahnson Center, 60 W. Locust Street
October 11, 10:00 am – 3:30 pm - Moses
in the Bible and the Qur’an: An Interfaith Conversation considers the messages
and interpretations of the Holy Books of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Presented by Zeki Saritoprak, professor of Islamic Studies at John Carroll
University, Robert Lennick, rabbi of the Congregation Keneseth Israel, Allentown,
and Walter Wagner, Lutheran pastor and adjunct faculty member at MTS.
November
10, 7:00 pm – Gala Variety Show at the State Theatre, Easton, PA
celebrating the 550th anniversary of the Moravian Church. Ticket
prices are $20.00 & $15.00 plus taxes and handling fees. Children 12 and
under are $10.00. Tickets may be ordered on-line at www.statetheatre.org or by
calling the Box Office at 610-252-3132 or 610-991-7828.
Nov. 12-14 – PA State Pastors’ Conference,
Being Christian in a Hi-Tech Culture, Hilton Harrisburg &
Towers. Visit www.pachurches.org for brochure and
registration information.
December 22 - Garrison Keillor Celebrates
Christmas in Bethlehem at Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem,
PA
Regional Workshops: Moving from Ideas to Reality: Mobilizing Your Congregation
to Ministry
Oct. 13 at Covenant MC, York, PA
Nov. 17 at Palmer MC, Easton, PA
Contact Gary Marsh or Chris Giesler at 610-867-7566 or Marie
Couts at 740-254-4769.
2008
January
22-24, 2008 – Eastern District Clergy Retreat at Mary Immaculate Center,
Northampton, PA
April
25-26, 2008 - Healthy Congregations Workshop to be held in New
Philadelphia, Ohio.
April
25-27, 2008 – Confirmation retreat at Hope Center.
June
18-21, 2008 – Eastern District Synod at Moravian College.
Cursillo Weekends
Registrations for the Eastern District's Cursillo weekends for spiritual renewal will be accepted through October 15. The Men's Weekend begins Thursday, October 18, through Sunday, October 21. The Women's Weekend is from Thursday, October 25, through Sunday, October 28. The weekends are offered without cost and transportation to the Episcopal Retreat Center at Kirby House in the Poconos is provided. For a registration form, please call Carol Dague at 610-865-3842 or cdague@juno.com
2008 Confirmation Retreat at Hope
April 25-27, 2008 will be the dates for
the next confirmation retreat held at Hope Conference and Renewal Center. The program will be led by Marie Couts and
Chris Giesler who head up the District's Christian Education and Youth Ministry
Offices. This year's program will be centered
around the meaning and purpose of the Church serving as the body of Christ in
today's world. Some emphasis will be
placed on how we do Church in a Moravian context by examining some of our
distinctive traditions and practices.
Congregations wishing to participate should register directly with the
office at Hope Center and should supply counselors (both male and female) for
their group. This is a wonderful way for youth to meet folks from other
Moravian congregations, and for first-time campers to get a taste of how great
Hope Center is.
Any questions can be
directed to Chris Giesler at 610-867-7566 or by email at chris@mcnp.org.
Digital Pictures for Synod
The 2008 Eastern District
Synod Planning Committee is busy preparing for our gathering June 18-21,
2008. The theme of our synod will be “One
in Mission, One in Call,” and we are planning several things for synod that
will affirm our unity.
Each of our district
churches has been asked to send 25 digital pictures capturing
life in your congregation by January 1st. These pictures will be used in
a variety of multimedia expressions.
Please refer to the letter
from the planning committee, which was sent with the first synod information
mailing. You can also view this
information on our web page at www.mcnp.org/easterndistrict. Contact Jane Burcaw at 610-861-1634 or by
email at jburcaw@rcn.com with questions
about the digital pictures.
Birthdays
and Anniversaries
October Birthdays
1 Mrs. Karen Schwarz
4 Mrs. Penny Surber
5 Mrs. Susan Dreydoppel
9 The Rev. Dr. Roger
Knisely
10 The Rev. Derek French
11 The Rt. Rev. Arthur Freeman
The Rev. Charles Eichman
Mrs. Maria Edwards
Mr. Richard Winans
15 Mrs. Tina Giesler
16 The Rev. Sara Aker
17 The Rev. Dean Jurgen
18 Mrs. Winifred Michel
19 Dr. Doris Schattschneider
21 Mrs. Mabel Matthias
22 Mrs. Linda Wickmann
The Rev. Dorothy Stutzenberger
26 The Rev. R. Burke Johnson
27 Mrs. Dorothy Kuhfahl
28 Mrs. Mavis Gordon
October
Anniversaries
2 The Rev. & Mrs.
Kevin Henning
3 The Rev. & Mrs.
Percival Gordon
11 The Rt. Rev. M. Blair Couch &
Mr. Warren Gericke
The Rev. & Mrs. Richard Thierolf
12 The Rt. Rev. & Mrs. Stanley Thomas
14 The Rev. Derek French & Ms. Katrina
Lehman
16 The Rev. & Mrs. Dean Jurgen
20 The Rev. & Mrs. Warren Wenger
21 The Rev. & Mrs. Hugh Daley
27 The Rev. Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Witbro
Churches celebrating October
anniversaries:
3 - 1762 - Schoeneck, Nazareth, PA
8 - 1758 - Graceham, Thurmont, MD
18 - 1889 -
Stapleton, now Vanderbilt Ave., Staten Island, NY
20 - 1985 - Church
of the Redeemer, Dublin, OH
24 - 1874 - Uhrichsville,
Ohio
25 - 1914 - Edgeboro,
Bethlehem, PA