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Newsletter of Calvary Lutheran Church, Laureldale, PA

Calvary’s Booster

Volume 90 October 2013 Issue 9

Rummage Sale

Friday, Oct. 25, 8-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, 8-noon

Time to clean your drawers and

closets and clear out your unwanted items

and donate them to a good cause.

Donations for the Rummage Sale may be dropped off on the stage in the

Schaefer Room at the following times:

Oct. 20, 10:30 a.m. – noon (after Sunday School)

Oct. 21-23, 1:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Please use the alley door to bring in your rummage; someone will be

there to assist you. Also, kindly check your donations before bringing them;

we do not want to pay to discard items in poor condition. Furniture and large

exercise equipment will not be accepted. Donations for the baked goods sale

are always welcome.

Volunteers are needed on Wed., Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. to set up tables and

on Thurs., Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to sort.

Please don’t wait to be asked—call Juli Pfautz and let her know you will

lend a hand.

Pastor's Wednesday Night Bible Study

for Fun and Prophet

October 2, 9 and 30 Join Pastor Irwin as he helps us open the Bible and enjoy a look at the

“Minor Prophets” of the Old Testament. This is a one-hour study taking place

on most Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

Coming Soon!

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Church Directory All phone numbers are 610 area code

Office:

Phone.......................................... 929-9606 Email .............. contactcalvary@verizon.net Web .....

www.calvarylutheranlaureldale.com Staff: Rev. Thomas F. Irwin Jr.

Email ............. pastoratcalvary@verizon.net Joy V. Gerhart, Associate in Ministry

Email ...................... joygerhart@gmail.com

Church Council ( ) = year term expires.

President: ................... Carol Wertz (2014)

Vice President: ....... Steve DeTurck (2013)

Secretary: ..................... Anne Hain (2014)

Kate Peires (2013) Carla Bentley (2013) Kathie Kercher (2013) Linda Boegner (2013) Marcia Conver (2014) Sean Wyland (2014) Eric Rusak (2015) Terese Reppond (2015) Brianna O'Neil (2015)

Catechetical Schedule

(Focus on the Apostles’ Creed) Classes meet from 2–4 p.m.

in the Schaefer Room.

Oct. 20 God the Creator and Provider

Nov. 3 God the Preserver

Nov. 17 Jesus the Savior

Dec. 8 Jesus the Redeemer

Has your son or daughter moved away to

college? Please share their new address with the

church office. We would love send them our

newsletter and perhaps, come special surprises.

Addresses may be emailed to the office at

contactcalvary@verizon.net or call us at 610-929-9606.

Calvary’s Booster Published monthly to share information with the friends and family of Calvary

Lutheran Church, 1009 Elizabeth Ave., Laureldale, PA 19605. Donation: $10 annually.

Articles received after the deadline may be included in the following issue. Deadline to

submit articles for the next Booster is the first week of the month. Submit articles to the

church office.

Editor reserves the right to edit for content and space.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to The BOOSTER, Calvary Lutheran

Church, 1009 Elizabeth Ave. Laureldale, PA 19605.

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Congregational Notes

Passings

Our Christian sympathy is extended to the family of Glenn Bortz,

a Calvary member who recently passed away:

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.”

Welcome, Anthony!

On August 24, we welcomed Anthony Christopher Knorr

Cortazzo as a member of our church family.

Anthony is the son of Christopher Cortazzo and Krissy

Krummenacker. Krissy has also become a member of Calvary.

Hank and Kimmie Miller were married here

on Saturday, August 31. May God richly bless

them in their years ahead.

Annual Organ Recital

The annual Hunsicker Organ Recital will

be held on Sunday, November 10, at 3:00 p.m.

Bryan Anderson, assistant organist at Tenth

Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, will be the

featured recitalist. Mr. Anderson is a senior at

the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

He will demonstrate his talents in performing

music by J.S. Bach, William Bolcom and

Gaston Litaize.

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Choir Corner by Melinda Rentz

We would like to welcome two new members to the Senior Choir. Crystal

Reider, is a returning member, and Terena Reppond has moved up from the

Youth Choir. Our ensemble is excited about having two more sopranos. Eileen

Murphy-Schmehl is a newer member of the choir, singing in the soprano

section. Eileen began singing with us last year, and we also rejoice in having

her in the choir. We also welcome back Andrew DeTurck to our bell choir.

The choir will sing with the Rosedale UCC and the Epiphany Lutheran

choirs on Thanksgiving Eve at Epiphany in Temple. We look forward to having

a large choir to sing praises and to rejoice over the bountiful blessings that God

has bestowed on us.

Of course, now that we have a good number of ladies' voices, we are

looking for a few good men! If you are able to sing with us for a short time, we

would love having extra help at Christmas. Please let me know, if you are

interested.

Bell Choir Schedule

We know that many of you like to know when the Bell Choir will be

playing so that you can be at the service that weekend.

Our Bell Choir will be playing at the following services. (The schedule is

subject to change.)

Oct. 28 10:30 a.m. service

Nov. 24 10:30 a.m. service

Dec. 22 10:30 a.m. service

Dec. 24 Christmas Eve, 10:30 p.m.

Calvary Cookbook: Deadline Extended

Thank you to everyone who already submitted

recipes. We have room for more! Please share your

favorite recipes for our cookbook. Forms are available

in the narthex. Recipes may be placed in the folder in

the rear of the form holder or turned in to the office.

You may also email you recipes to the church office.

Mmmm…what's cooking?

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Dutch Apple Dinner Theater Trip

to see A Christmas Carol Our women's group has organized a trip to Dutch Apple Dinner Theater in

Lancaster for Saturday, Nov. 23, matinee of A Christmas Carol. We will

carpool from the church parking lot at approximately 10:45 a.m.

Payment is due with registration before Oct. 30. Cost is $48 per person and

includes meal, show and gratuity. Please reserve in the church office. Limited

number of seats are available.

“Truth Telling and What AA Has to Teach the World"

Presentation and Worship Opportunity

Common Ground Recovery Ministry is pleased to announce that the Rev.

Nadia Bolz-Weber, pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, CO

and author of the recently released memoir Pastrix, will be the guest speaker at

the Tuesday, November 12, Speaker Series Event. Nadia will speak about

“Truth Telling and What AA Has to Teach the World.” The Speaker Series is

hosted by Common Ground and Caron Treatment Centers. The doors open at

6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7:00 p.m. This is a free event and all are

welcome.

Nadia will also be preaching the following evening, November 13, at

Common Ground’s* Wednesday worship service that begins at 7:30 p.m.

Both these events are held at Atonement Lutheran Church, 5 Wyomissing

Blvd., Wyomissing, PA 19610. For more information contact Tom

Scornavacchi at tscornavacchi@atonementwyo.org or (610) 375-3512. *Common Ground is a worshiping community led by Pastor Tom

Scornavacchi. It evolved from the 12-step programs that regularly meet at

Atonement expressing an interest in their own recovery worship

opportunity. They worship every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Lundeen Hall

at Atonement. Please encourage anyone struggling with addictions or who

are burdened in any way to experience this worship opportunity.

A Note of Thanks

Dear Calvary Family, I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the members of Calvary for all of

your prayers, cards and the delicious meals. I am grateful for your support and prayers—both of which were really

needed.

Thank you very much. May God bless you all.

Carmen Dutt

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The Catechism Corner

A continuing series for the Calvary newsletter.

by Pastor Thomas F. Irwin Jr.

The Catechism Corner: “Amen!” The interesting thing about this portion of The Lord’s Prayer is that it is not

found in scripture but was added by the early church to inspire fervor and

devotion in the early followers of Jesus. For this reason it is in brackets (as

below) in some publications of the prayer. It is also for this reason that it is not

normally used in the Roman Catholic Mass, which often trips up visiting

protestants who wind up blurting out “For thine is…” before they realize they

are the only ones speaking.

Never-the-less, the statement is true and reminds the faithful that it is not up

to us to create, save, or secure the future of God’s kingdom. God has the power

and the glory forever and we need only to respond with lives that reflect his

great love for the world.

Amen, yes, it shall be so.

The Lord’s Prayer CONCLUSION: “[For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now

and forever.] Amen.”

What does this mean?

That I should be certain that such petitions are acceptable to and heard

by our Father in heaven, for he himself commanded us to pray like this

and has promised to hear us. "Amen, amen" means "Yes, yes, it is

going to come about just like this."

In the Mailbag…

Dear Property Committee, We would like to extend a personal thank you to the people responsible

for painting the preschool windows and fir building and installing the shelving in our classroom.

We know Lisa Dorman and David Pritchard worked in some extremely

hot conditions painting windows and cleaning the sills. Thanks also to Charles Boegner for organizing the work.

We would like to extend a huge thanks to Bill Deibert and whoever else

was involved in the building and installation of the shelves. The shelves have already been put to good use. It is so nice to see the items stored neatly in a

proper space helping to make the preschool look presentable for our returning

and new students and their families.

Thumbs up to everyone for keeping the building looking so nice.

Sincerely,

Kathi Fritz & Linda Schmehl

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Do You Have Helping

Hands?

At Calvary we are a community, a family of faith. When someone in our

family needs help, we need to be ready to extend a Helping Hand.

Sue Shuler put off having needed knee surgery because she was worried

about how she would manage when she came home. Her family at Calvary was

there to help her so she could schedule her surgery. Twenty-five people

provided meals; took her to the doctor; took her to therapy appointments; visited

her. Those were Helping Hands.

“Many hands make light work” is a saying I heard many years ago. It fits

this family of faith in many ways. We would like you to consider joining our

group of Helping Hands for those in our Calvary family who have needs.

Many of us have been blessed with the ability and freedom to do many

things to help others. Here is a list of some of the things we can do for others.

Most of us have a bit of free time now and then to do something that is needed.

Below is a list of some needs that have been met. Let me know if you know of

others which we can add.

Providing a meal

Giving a ride to worship and/or Sunday School

Giving a ride when it is needed (e.g. appointments)

Giving a ride to a church event

Doing some errands for someone

Visiting someone who is home alone

Regularly calling someone who is home alone

Doing light housework for someone

Call one of us who are the coordinators to put your name on the list of

volunteers: Rosemary Ney, Tucker Irwin, or Sue Shuler.

Call one of us if you have a need that we can help you with.

Your sister in the Calvary family,

Tucker Irwin

LUPPOLD

HARDWARE 610-929-1016

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Preschool Enrollment

Openings are currently available for three, four

and five year olds in Calvary's Preschool program.

Please call the church office for more information or

registration materials.

Good Stewardship

includes taking care of all that God

has given us—including our planet.

Listed below are several opportunities to clean out your basements and garages

and dispose of items properly.

Berks County Solid Waste Authority has scheduled the following collections:

Household Hazardous Waste Oct. 19 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

First Energy Stadium

Electronic Waste

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

8 a.m. – noon

1316 Hilltop Rd., Leesport

Pharmaceutical Waste Can be dropped at the Muhlenberg

Twp. offices on Leesport Road in

Temple.

Paper Shredding

Oct. 12, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

First Energy Stadium

Food Pantry Director Needed

The Muhlenberg Churches Food Pantry is seeking a DIRECTOR. This

volunteer position directs the operation of the once a month Food Pantry –

overseeing the ordering and arranging delivery of food, room set-up, client food

distribution, and all necessary paperwork. Please submit resume by October 31,

2013 to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 4201 Stoudts Ferry Bridge Road,

Reading, PA 19605. Questions: contact Pastor Gerald Arndt at 610-926-4201.

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Women of the ELCA Bible Study

Women of the Old Testament

This Month: Deborah

On October 21, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., our women's group continues its

Bible studies about Old Testament women. Their stories will draw us into Bible

study, worship with the Psalms and opportunities to tell our own stories. If we

listen to God's word carefully, we can learn how to stay strong in our own faith,

taking lessons from stalwart, steadfast and even unlikely believers. Join us as

we meet new and interesting women of the Bible.

In October, we'll learn about Deborah. Please bring your Bible.

Body Recall

What is it? A safe, gentle exercise program in which everyone can

successfully participate. This program has been offered to Calvary members

and the community for the past 13 years.

Why exercise? There are many reasons to exercise, but the most

important is to maintain your ability to continue to do your daily activities

and to be able to do them comfortably and without pain. We may achieve

this goal through movement and possibly "Recall" some of our past abilities.

Body Recall promotes safe, purposeful movement that encourages

flexibility strength, range of motion and balance.

Please come and join us; we meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00

p.m. in the Schaefer Room for approximately one hour. All are welcome.

For more information, contact Barbara Mills.

One participant said, "I sometimes don’t feel like attending, but after

participating, I feel much better and have more energy."

And as the commercial on TV says, "A body at rest, remains at rest; and

a body in motion, stays in motion."

Welcome, Acolyte Coordinator

Mrs. Amy Reinhart has begun to serve as our new acolyte coordinator at

Calvary Church. She will lead an acolyte workshop on Sunday, October 20,

immediately after the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Parents are urged to attend

with their child this workshop for all current and new acolytes. The Acolyte

program is open to all youth 5th grade and up who have completed first Holy

Communion instruction. If you would like to begin serving as an acolyte,

please call Mrs. Reinhart at 610-939-9879.

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Muhlenberg Churches

Food Pantry

The Pantry food distribution is Thursday,

October 17 , from 4-6:00 p.m. (always the third

Thursday of the month). Location is Good Shepherd

Lutheran Church, the corner of Tuckerton and

Stoudt’s Ferry Bridge Roads.

Do you know of someone—friend or neighbor—in the Muhlenberg

Township area who could use our help? No advance registration is

required—the brief enrollment process can be completed that day.

Faith Formation Suggestions

October: The Ten Commandments

We challenge you to think about your relationship

with others. How do these commandments help us?

October 6-12: Read the Fifth Commandment and the

explanation in Luther’s Small Catechism. Look

for articles in the newspaper about people hurting

one another. Pray for their safety. Think of ways you can help people who

are hurting and need your care. Contribute to a food bank or food pantry,

donate clothes, and/or create a “clean” bucket for Church World Service or

Lutheran World Relief.

October 13-19: Read the Sixth Commandment and the explanation in Luther’s

Small Catechism. We can extend this to mean being faithful to friends too.

Make a date with a friend and keep it. Don’t break the date for any reason.

October 20-26: Read the Seventh Commandment and the explanation in

Luther’s Small Catechism. Talk about ways you can help neighbors

improve and protect their property. Help pick up litter around your church

or around your neighborhood. Help a neighbor by raking leaves for free.

And, of course, don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you!

October 27-November 2: Read the Eighth Commandment and the explanation

in Luther’s Small Catechism. Notice that this is about more than not telling

lies. Get a bunch of self-adhesive notes. Write the name of each member of

the family on a separate note and write what you like most about each

person on the note. Then stick the note directly onto each person.

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There is lots in store for youth this month! Many opportunities for service and FUN!

OCTOBER 5—Potato Project Join us at 8:30 a.m. to travel to a farm to help collect potatoes to feed people in need. The ground is already plowed so you don’t have to DIG. Fresh fried French fries and hot dogs are served as snacks. All who attended in the past have had a great time. All ages are welcome; those under age 10 are encouraged to come with a parent. (This activity counts as community service for catechetical students.) We should return to the church by 1:00 p.m. at the latest. Please sign up in advance or call Joy Gerhart. OCTOBER 11-12—Overnight to plan the Youth Service Attention all 7

th to 12

th graders! Join us at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, to help

brainstorm, plan and maybe practice for the Youth Services on November 9 and 10. We will work a lot, but will also play games and watch videos. PLUS we’ll eat great snacks and enjoy a yummy breakfast. The event ends at 11 a.m. Saturday or whenever you need to leave before that time. Please sign up or call Joy Gerhart. OCTOBER 13—CROP Walk This year the walk will begin at the Greater Reading Food Bank on 1011 Tuckerton Court. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m., and the walk begins at 1:30 p.m. We will leave from the church parking lot at 12:30 p.m. Sponsor sheets are available in the narthex or from Joy Gerhart. Please wear your blue VBS shirt or your God’s Work Our Hands shirt. Please sign up with your sponsor sheet number. (This counts as community service for catechetical youth.) OCTOBER 19— Blue Marsh Hike Joe Beatrice will lead us on a hike at Blue Marsh. All youth in grades 7-12 are invited to gather in the church parking lot at 10 a.m. to travel to the hiking site. Please sign up or call the church. We will provide more information to those who sign up.

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Calvary will host its 3rd Annual Community

Halloween Trick or “TREAT” night on Thursday,

October 31, from 6 to 9 pm. The Outreach Committee

is coordinating a stand to be set up in front of

Calvary’s main entrance to provide treats to the

community. The church sanctuary will be available for

their relaxation, contemplation and the enjoyment of listening to the sound of

Calvary’s choirs rehearse.

The Outreach Committee would appreciate the participation of the

congregation to help with the set-up and clean-up on the day of the event, serve

snacks and drinks, and distribute treats. We also need greeters to provide a

cordial welcome to the community should they decide to enter the sanctuary. A

sign-up sheet is located in the narthex for your consideration. Please sign up!

Outreach will be accepting donations of candy (no lollipops), individual-

sized snacks, non-candy treats and fall-themed decorations for this event. A bin

will be provided and placed in the Coat Room at the church. Come join us for

an evening of fun and fellowship!

This event is in conjunction with the Laureldale Borough Trick or Treat

night from 5-9pm; therefore, in the event of inclement weather, and “Trick or

Treat” night is cancelled by the Borough, we too shall cancel.

If you have any questions, please call Ann Miller.

Thank you, Christine

At the end of August, Christine Bradley submitted her resignation as one of

our sextons at Calvary. Christine has served in the position since her hiring in

the fall of 1988. Our thanks to Christine for her time in this position. May God

bless her in her future endeavors.

Calvary in the News!

Calvary's gardens (and gardeners!) were featured as the Garden of the Week

in the Reading Eagle newspaper on Monday, Sept. 16. Thank you to our

gardeners for doing such a great job that our gardens were nominated.

Calvary members volunteer on the Time and Ability sheet to adopt a garden

bed. We often have more gardeners volunteer than we can accommodate—but if

someone decides to give up their garden, the folks on the waiting list are

contacted and asked to adopt the bed.

Property Committee oversees the program and coordinates the gardeners.

The gardeners donate the plants, plant them, weed and tend to the beds.

Thanks again to our Calvary garden warriors. Everyone enjoys the result.

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Disaster Relief – Flood Bucket Update

A special project by our women's group.

We are collecting items for Clean-Up Buckets, also known at Flood

Buckets. These buckets are packed with cleaning supplies to assist people who

have been impacted by flooding, helping them return their home to pre-flood

condition. Our goal is to fill 20 buckets. The completed buckets will be

dedicated at our Thankoffering services the weekend of November 17.

Thank you to those who have donated items and made a cash donation for

our buckets.

We No Longer Need:

buckets laundry detergent latex gloves

sponges Lysol disinfectant scrub brushes

Still Needed:

Bleach (two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle)

Scouring pads

Cleaning towels (reusable, like Easy Wipes®)

25 oz. bottles liquid disinfectant dish soap (like Dawn®)

Clothespins (packs of 48-50)

Clothesline, two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.

Dust masks

Work gloves

28-bag roll - heavy-duty trash bags (30-45 gallon)

6-9 oz. bottle of insect repellent (pump, drops or lotion, not aerosol)

Please provide all liquids in new, unopened plastic bottles. Be sure to send only

new materials. Note: If the requested item size is not available, please go down

to the next available size.

Thankoffering

Thankoffering banks are available in the Narthex for our annual

Thankoffering the weekend of Nov. 18. Everyone is invited to

collect a Thankoffering in their homes, dropping coins in their

banks every time they think of something for which they are

thankful. Offerings will be received Nov. 16-17.

The Rev. Ruth Doty will be our guest speaker that weekend.

One half of the offering will be given to support Lutheran Disaster Relief

and the other the National WELCA organization.

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God’s Work. Our Hands. Martin Luther had a very practical understanding about what God provides

for our daily lives. In his explanation to “Give us this day our daily bread” he

asks, What then does "daily bread" mean? His answer doesn’t leave anything

out: “Everything needed for this life, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house

…upright and faithful rulers, good government …faithful neighbors, and the

like.”

On Sunday, September 8, 20 members of Calvary delivered leaflets for the

“good government” of Laureldale Borough to our “faithful neighbors” and

served the community with notices of a Christmas-decorating contest in the

borough. The borough secretary was impressed when she saw how much of the

borough we covered on Sunday afternoon.

This is the first of our “Calvary Cares” events. Our bright yellow “God’s

work, Our hands” tee shirts gave witness to God’s people at Calvary serving in

our community. Stay tuned and sign up to help in our community with another

project in the spring!

Calvary's 3rd Annual

Chicken Pot Pie Dinner Saturday, Nov. 16

3-7 p.m.

(We had a glitch in our recipe last year— we hope you will give us another chance.)

Includes pot pie, two sides, roll & butter, and beverage.

Desserts will be available for purchase.

Tickets will be available for sale after all services during October. Donation: -$7.50, in advance; $8.00 at the door

Children under 5 – eat free (Eat-in only)

Complete meals may be eaten on site or taken out. (Take out quarts are not available until the end of the sale.)

A portion of the proceeds benefit

the Muhlenberg Churches Food Pantry.

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Finance Update:

Endowment Loan - YTD General Fund Account

As of August 31, 2013: Beginning Balance 1/1/13 (32,602)

Borrowed: 33,000 Income for Jan – July 154,993

Paid Back: 3,575 Expenses for Jan – July 193,154

Loan Balance: 29,425 Balance on 7/31/13 (70,763)

Income for August 18,611

Expenses for August 28,081

Balance on 8/31/13 (80,233)

Actions we will be taking over the next two months:

Every year as needed, monies are transferred from the Housing

Allowance account to Current account. The monies are to cover Pastor’s

housing expense which is $19,000 for the year. As of today, we have not

moved those monies out of Housing Allowance account as we had the

potential to earn more money on interest by keeping that money invested.

By December, we will move $19,000 into current which will lower the

deficit amount.

Finance Committee will be evaluating the interest earned from our

Endowment Account. As allowed, we could recognize 90% of the

interest earned for the year. This year any interest amounts that we

recognize will be used to pay down the Endowment Loan. By December,

we will inform you of the amount.

2014 Sponsor Chart

The sponsor chart for 2014 is now available in the rear of the church. You

may sponsor an item in memory or honor of someone or in celebration of an

event.

Cost of sponsorship is:

Altar Flowers: $15.00 (per vase)

Bulletins: $10.00

KidsWord: $2.50

After worship, the flowers are delivered to members in the hospital or those

at home in need of something to brighten their day.

Please check the chart to see if the date you want is available. Then sign

your name on the chart, complete a sponsor order slip and leave it in the box

provided. For your convenience, sponsor envelopes are also available to use for

your payment, or you may wait for the church office to mail you a bill.

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Thrivent Choice Giving Thank you to those members and friends who have blessed us by

designating Calvary or our Preschool as the charity of choice for their Thrivent

Choice Dollars. If you are eligible for this plan, please consider our

congregation as you help direct Thrivent Financial's charitable giving.

Also, please remember to check if you have designated your giving. If you

don't designate a recipient, the funds will not be used nor do they accumulate

from year to year.

Direct your choice Dollars online before October 1, and receive an

additional $25 to allocate to the congregation and/or a favorite charity. July and August contributions:

For Calvary

Bruce Fies Brianna O Neil

Irma Finn Grant Stetzler

Larry Kline Ann Miller

For the Preschool

James Bonner

Grant Stetzler

Holiday Gift Cards

Let Us Make Your Holiday Shopping a Little Easier

(and make a donation to our ministries, too!)

We will again sell gift cards for holiday giving. Lists of the available cards

will be in the rear of the church starting November 1, or you may call the

church office and we will mail one to you. Complete the sheet, add, write a total

on the bottom and attach a check to Calvary for that amount.

This is a good fund raiser for the congregation, so ask your co-workers,

friends, neighbors if they buy gift cards at Christmas. Explain to them they only

pay the price of the card; it is the company that gives us a percentage. So it costs

them the same as picking it up at the store.

If you don't give gift cards but buy most of your gifts in a specific store,

like Wal-Mart or Boscov's, then buy a card and use it as you pick out your gifts.

It is the same as using cash, but you will donate a portion of the gift card

purchase to Calvary.

If you buy prescriptions every month, why not get a card to pay for them?

It's money you would spend anyway. We have CVS, Sam's and WalMart. You

buy gas every week; we have Esso, Mobile, Wawa and Sheetz cards that could

be used for food or gas.

Remember, the order cannot be made until the payment is in our hands.

Schedule:

Orders will be taken Nov. 2 and 3 and Nov.9 and 10 and will be available

the weekend of Nov. 16-17.

Orders will be taken every weekend after that up to Dec. 8. Those orders

will be sent every Monday and delivered for the following weekend.

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for August

President's Report

Members of the Nominating Committee have been appointed, they are

as follows: Anne Hain, Chairperson; Kathie Kercher; Eileen Murphy-

Schmehl; and Kathi Fritz

The Council accepted with regret the resignation of Gary Rismiller

from the Audit Committee. Gary served for 20 years on this committee,

and we thank him for his years of service to Calvary.

Christian Education

Evaluated this year's Vacation Bible School (VBS) and are looking at

making enhancements next year. Planning for next year’s VBS will

begin in January.

Property

Two handicapped-height toilets have been installed in the red level

restrooms (one in each of the two bathrooms).

Estimate was received for fire/smoke detection for the Nave; estimated

cost is $2,176.

Outreach

Committee is again planning a Halloween stand in front of the church.

Advent Night planned on December 1.

The committee recommended to Church Council discontinuation of the

weekly ad in the Reading Eagle. Council approved this

recommendation.

Social Ministry

Calvary will next help at the Muhlenberg Churches Food Pantry is

October 16 & 17.

Manor Care church services on October 6 and November 24.

Worship & Music

Thanksgiving Eve Service will be held at Epiphany, Temple.

Acolyte coordinator is needed; Crystal Reider’s resignation was

accepted with regret. We thank Crystal for her years of service.

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Book of Faith – Fish in the Bible

by Joy Gerhart

First, have you seen the fish that were made on Rally Day to tell some

special Bible stories? Look up in the church narthex to see our hanging fish. At

our Rally Day program we learned that the fish is an ancient Christian symbol

derived from the Greek word for fish, ΊΧΘΥΣ (Ichthus). Ι = Jesus (Ιησους =

Jesus), Χ=Christ (Χριστου =Christ ), Θ= God (Θεου=theo), Υ=Son (Υίός=

huos), and Σ= Savior (Σωτήρ=soter). (This works just like MADD =Mothers

Against Drunk Drivers.) Christians could identify

themselves with the secret sign of the fish to avoid

detection by an enemy.

We don’t read about this in the Bible, however. What stories are there

about fish in the New Testament? Take a moment and list the ones you know.

What comes to mind first? Jesus calling the fishermen to be disciples (Matthew

14:18-22, Mark 1:16-20)? Jesus multiplying the bread and fish to feed the

5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-13)?

One of the fish stories I enjoy is the miraculous catch of fish in Luke 5:1-

11, which is a longer version of the calling of the disciples but includes Jesus’

instructing the men to go back out to sea after spending a whole night fishing

without success. (How much do we follow Jesus’ instructions?) Of course,

obeying Jesus, they go back out and catch so many fish that their nets are close

to breaking! Then they leave their boats, nets and fish to follow Jesus and fish

for people. (Could we leave everything and follow Jesus?)

Maybe some of you recall another fishing account which seems very

similar, though this is at the end of Jesus’ ministry, actually after the

resurrection. Look at John 21:1-13. Seven disciples are out on the Sea of

Galilee on a boat and are unsuccessful after fishing all night. (Sound familiar?)

A man standing on the shore calls to them to throw their nets out on the right

side. They catch so many fish that they have trouble pulling the nets back into

the boat. They realize it is Jesus on the shore, and Peter jumps into the water

and swims to him. The disciples join Jesus for a meal of fish and bread for

breakfast on the shore.

Obviously fish was a common food in Jesus’ day and served as a livelihood

for many of his disciples. We see many instances where Jesus helps feed people

with fish and helps disciples in their attempts to catch fish. What more do you see?

Here’s an odd Bible story that I found when reading the Beginner’s Bible to

my son. Look up Matthew 17:24-27. (Tell me if this is new to you!) Jesus

sends Peter to the lake to catch a fish. Jesus says that in the first fish he catches,

Peter would find a coin in its mouth to pay the Temple tax. I don’t think this

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story appears in our lectionary (to be read on a Sunday morning), but it’s fun to

discover such a strange fish story!

One more. We are all familiar with the parable of the wheat and the weeds

(or “the wheat and the tares”) in Matthew 13:24-30 where the weeds are

allowed to grow along with the wheat until the harvest, lest some of the good

plants are uprooted by mistake. At harvest time they are all pulled up and

separated; weeds are burned, and wheat goes into the barn. There is a parable

similar to this in Matthew 13:47-50 about how the kingdom of heaven is like a

fish net that catches all kinds of fish. When the net is full (the end of the age)

the good fish will be separated from the worthless (good people separated from

the evil). At first glance this sounds like a grisly parable, but it can also say that

people are given chances to repent before the end of the age.

What do these stories say to you? Do you associate the symbol of the fish

with Jesus and your Christian identity? Next time you see a fish sign on the

back of a car, you can say, “I am a Christian, too!”

Blessings on Your Birthday!

Happy birthday to our confirmed members who will

celebrate birthdays this month. Please keep them in your

prayers. Call the office if you discover omissions or errors

so corrections can be made.

Jill Snyder 10-1 Larry LaFaver 10-1 Charles Boegner 10-2 Bobbi Wentzel 10-2 Janet Katzenmoyer 10-2 Charles Koch 10-2 Carol Lerch 10-3 Marie Adam 10-4 Glenn Kohler 10-4 Todd Christman 10-5 Elizabeth Mergner 10-5 Betty Ulrich 10-6 Cindy Reinstadtler 10-7 Baylee Kretz 10-7 Randy Reppond 10-10 Fern Moll 10-14 Grace Gehris 10-14 Heather Wentzel 10-14 Eric Zebert 10-15

Jamie Shoemaker 10-17 Kylene Knepp 10-18 Pamela Savage 10-18 Anna Dutt 10-20 Lori Knarr 10-20 Colin Painter 10-20 Donald Dutt 10-21 Jacquelyn Snyder 10-21 Paul Schmehl 10-21 Neal Wentzel 10-22 Angela Butler 10-22 Dorothy Smith 10-23 Dereka Lint 10-25 Faye Readinger 10-26 Eileen Schmehl 10-30 Amy Reinhart 10-30 Joan Pearson 10-30 Cassandra Godinez 10-31

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BROOKE P. GARDNER

Associate Broker Office: 610.372.3200 ext. 1333

Direct: 610.507.3325

Serving "Muhlenberg" and all of Berks County

since 1985

Matthew J. Stitzel, Supv. 3300 Kutztown Rd

Laureldale, PA 19605

Phone 610-929-3693

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