Pastor Mick’s Musings… - Clover...

Pastor Mick’s Musings… “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different ver-sions of gods' appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace." [Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace?, Zondervan Pub. 1997, p. 45.]

Lewis had it right. Grace is the one article of faith that separates us from all other religions. It is hard for most people to wrap their minds around grace. Just the thought of it is perplexing even to us followers of Jesus. Think of it: God, the Creator of the universe, all-knowing, all-powerful chooses to become a man, (a humble carpenter for that matter,) to live a life of poverty, to love all people, and, finally, to die on a cross for our sins. There is no other religion that points to a god who reaches down to us. All around the world, religious people are trying to appease their gods to see them and to help them in their desperation. Muslims will pray five times a day and make a holy pilgrimage. Hindus will crawl on bloody knees, punish their bodies, wash in the Ganges river thousands of times to get their gods’ attention. Buddhists will pray and practice “nothingness” to become one with … with nothingness in an attempt to blot out the world and its turmoil. People are desperate!

And in the midst of all this, Jesus, the Son of God, says “I hear you. I have always heard your cries and I will come to you.” He knows your pain and sorrow. He knows your joys and concerns. He delights in the mere fact that you exist because you are His masterpiece. Through this worldly cacoph-ony of pleading, yearning comes a Voice that says, “I have loved you with an infinite love. I have always loved you and I will always love you.” All it takes is for one to turn to Jesus and believe. We may not be deserving of His love, but He loves us anyway. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more! It is a matter of faith … of believing in Jesus and giving your life to Him.

Johnnie Moore puts it this way, “Jesus’ teachings gave birth to the on-ly religious system in the world that breaks through the racket of worship with a simple message: the real God is a God who delights in giving grace. We can stop trying so hard to get His attention. We already have it.” [Johnnie Moore, Dirty God, Jesus in the Trenches, Thomas Nelson Pub., 2013, p.10]

We are a people of grace. It is more than just unmerited favor. Grace is choosing to love beyond the hurt - beyond the offense - beyond our own righteousness. It is a way of life. It is the way of Christ. And there is an inex-

WGT Calendar 2

Father/Son Banquet 3

Tiny Timbers Tidbits 4

Scriptures, Servants, Stats 5

Camp Swatara News 7

New Members! 8 & 9

Sweetheart Banquet 11 & 12

Inside this issue:

March 2015

Sweet Spring When the gloomy gray sky turns to clear azure blue, And the snow disappears

from the ground, When the birds start to sing, and our moods start to lift,

Then we know Spring is coming around.

When the first flower bulbs poke their heads toward the sun,

Golden daffodils, hyacinths, too;

When the brown grass turns green, and the

wildflowers bloom, Then sweet Spring makes

its showy debut.

Once again we awake from cold winter's pale dream,

As our minds and our bodies revive;

We rejoice and delight in spring's colorful sight;

Each new spring makes us glad we're alive!

By Joanna Fuchs

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1

Worship 8:00 am

Sunday School 9:15 am Worship 10:30 am

2

Noon Prayer

3

Men’s Bible Study 7 pm

4 First

Wednesday 6:30 pm

5 Choir 7 pm

6 7 3M 7 am

8 Worship 8:00 am


9 Noon Prayer

Tiny Timbers Board Mtg.

7 pm

10 Board Mtg.

7 pm Men’s Bible

Study 7 pm

11 Autumn Saints

10 am Jr. & Sr. High

Clubs 7 pm

12 Choir 7 pm

Tiny Timbers Conferences

13

Tiny Timbers Conferences

14 3M 7 am

15 Worship 8:00 am

Sunday School 9:15 am Worship

Children’s Church 10:30 am

16 Noon Prayer

Child

Protection Training 6:30 pm

17

St. Patrick’s Day

Men’s Bible Study

18 Autumn Saints

10 am

Jr. & Sr. High Clubs 7 pm

19 Choir 7 pm

20 21 3M 7 am

22 Breakfast 9:15 am

Combined

Service 10:30 am

23 Noon Prayer

24 Deacon Mtg.

7 pm

Men’s Bible Study 7 pm

25 Autumn Saints

10 am


26 Tiny Timbers

Registration & Open House

6 pm Choir 7 pm

27 28 3M 7 am

Board Retreat 8 am - 4 pm

Bread Baking 9 am

29 Worship 8:00 am


30 Noon Prayer

31 April 1 Autumn Saints

10 am


2 Love Feast

7 pm

3 Good Friday

Church Office Closed

4 Easter Egg

Hunt 10:30 am

Easter Season Highlights *Come to the Cross, Pastor Mick’s sermon series looking at the last words of Jesus, con-tinues through March and concludes on Easter Sunday, April 5th. *Palm Sunday, March 29th *Love Feast Thursday, April 2nd, 7 pm, in the WGT Fellowship Hall. *Annual Easter Egg Hunt 4/4 @ 10:30 am for children ages 0-10 *Sunday, April 5th, the WGT Choir will pre-sent “Crown Him” at 10:30 in the combined service.

Father Son Banquet Men’s Mountain Movers is excited to an-nounce a Father/Son Banquet on Saturday, April 11th, be-ginning at 4:30 pm. The Great Outdoors will be the theme, offering an opportunity for folks to view hunting trophies from family & friends. Dinner will be “wild game” & the evening will close with a speaker that will deliver a mes-sage for us all to take home. In order to make this banquet possible, we are relying on church members to sponsor dishes for the meal. If you would like to donate a wild game dish, a traditional meat, or a vegeta-ble/side dish, please sign up on the sheet next to the kitchen. We are also looking for dessert dona-tions. We are hoping for PIES ONLY for dessert. Thank you, in advance, for your food donations! For those who wish to display their trophy mounts, sign the sheet next to the kitchen or con-tact Cody Schwanger at 717-808-8814. 3M doesn’t want you to feel unwelcome at the banquet, so traditional meals will be pro-vided if some feel wild game is too extreme. Also, this invitation is extended to ALL brothers in Christ! If you don’t have a father or son, there is still a place for you at the table! Everyone wishing to attend will need a ticket. You can obtain a tick-et by asking Cody Schwanger, Marlin Hibshman, Dave Hawthorne, Randy Youtz or Pastor Mick any Sunday up to April 4th. We hope to see you there!

pressible joy and freedom for those who can live a life of grace that is found in Christ Jesus. If anyone would ask me what adjective you would like to use to de-scribe the church you serve, I would say, “Gracious.”

How do we become a gracious church? Good question. In Steve McVey’s Book, “Grace Walk,” he describes how an individual lives by grace. I believe that this can be applied to a family of faith. First, it is knowing God. Not the kind of knowledge attained by reading books, listening to a sermon, or a watching a DVD series. It is the knowledge revealed in relation-ship with Him. It is a revelation (when He opens your eyes to understand Him more). Second, it is abiding in Him. By abiding in Christ (John 15), we become more and more attuned to His thoughts and His char-acter and are willing to do what He wants, not what we want. As a consequence, we are energized and filled with a life. Finally, it is expressing Him. We are capable of expressing the same love and grace that God has given to us in all we say and do. We live in a fallen world and people will drop the ball, make mis-takes, hurt us, belittle us, etc. Expressing Jesus is lov-ing someone when they do not deserve it – to forgive and to truly love with the heart of Jesus. For those who love and follow Jesus, we can do no less!

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handi-work, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 2:4-10

Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus. Pastor Mick

Wow! It is already March with only two months left of the school year. It has truly been a blessing being Teacher Assistant with Miss Natalie in the T/TH AM class. We have only 9 children, 7 of which are boys & only 2 little girls. Miss Natalie does a lot of singing with the children as part of her teaching tech-

nique. I wish you could hear our 7 boys sing! They could be our Tiny Tim-bres Boys Choir. It brings joy to our hearts to hear them sing. We have not had a T/TH PM class since our enrollment has been down considerably for the 2014-2015 school year. January & February have been such cold months that we have had very little time outside & with the snow that seems to occur every three days, has put a damper on being able to play on our playground equip-ment. We are anxiously waiting for Spring to arrive. In January, we focused on the letter “T” for transportation on land & rail. If you would check our bulle-tin board in the classroom, you would see trucks, boats, or train engines displayed. For the month of February, we focused on the letter “B” for books & the Bible being the most important book to read. Our Valentine’s Party was a fun time for the children bringing cards to exchange wit friends. Par-ents & grandparents were invited & the children sang songs about LOVE to their families. Following our little Valentine celebration, we enjoyed special snacks of heart-shaped cookies, small cherry & cherry cheese tarts, and drink. It was a fun time spent wit the children & their families. We also studied “community helpers” and Everett’s mom, Joy Handran, a dental hygienist, come into the classroom & taught the children the importance of caring for their teeth. Joey’s mom, Beth Wagner, shared her Librarian profession and came in to read a book and share the importance of caring for books. We continue to covenant your prayers & faithful support to Tiny Timbers. Blessings, Ruthie, T/TH Teacher Assistant

Tiny Timbers Registration If interested in registering your child, or if you have questions, please contact Ruthie Hol-linger at 367-5580 for a form or for answers to your questions. Open House & registration for New Students will be March 26th from 6 pm - 8 pm at WGT.

Tiny Timbers is on Facebook! Tiny Timbers has joined Facebook & we invite you to be part of this by “liking” our page! You may post comments & pictures BUT we ask that you do NOT post pictures that include children. We

want to respect the privacy of all the families.

March Servants

March 1 March 8 March 15 March 22 March 29

Sermon Title, Scripture & Messenger

Today You Will Be In Paradise

Luke 23:43 Pastor Mick

Dear Woman, Here is Your Son John 19:26 Pastor Mick

My God, My God Mark 15:34 Pastor Mick

I Thirst John 19:28 Pastor Mick

It Is Finished John 19:30 Pastor Mick

Pianist/Organist Leslie Allen Brenda Geib Ryan Arndt Leslie Allen Sylvia Weaver

Special Music Choir Kari Slater Choir Children Sing! Audrey Garber

Offertory

Chorister Marilyn Keener Regena Tripp Regena Tripp Glenn Weaver June Kolp

Greeters 8 am Ruth Carlson George & Sarah Clugston

Jim & Linda Spick-ler

Combined Service Daryl & Angie Har-nish

Greeters 10:30 am

Doug & Darlene Breneman

Luetta Hess & Cindy Collins

Randy & Karen Ginder

Jim & Ruthanne Gruber

Walt & Lois Schwanger

Worship Leader Donna Hollinger Brenda Axe Allison Huber Dave Hawthorne Shawn O’Brien

Ushers Youth New Horizons SS Class

Faith Seekers SS Class

Sojourners SS Class

Sound Room 8 am

Jerry Huber & Zane Seitz

Jerry Huber & Duane Martin

Jerry Huber & Justin Arndt

Combined Service Jerry Huber & Zane Seitz

Sound Room 10:30 am

Shane Schwanger & Jason Leonard

Jeff Schwanger & Andi Collman

Nicole Drescher & Jeff Schwanger

Jerry Huber & Duane Martin

Jeff & Shane Schwanger

8 am Nursery/Toddler

Kari Slater Julie & Connor Ruhl

Angie Harnish Combined Service Marcia Hawthorne

10:30 am Nursery

Jason & Holly Leonard

Adrienne & Grace Fellenbaum &

Jackie Hemperly

Donna Hollinger Colton & Brienna Brown

Kari Slater

10:30 am Toddler

Dane & Lauren Youtz

Glenn & Sylvia Weaver

Dustin & Dana Youtz

Chris & Nikki Metzler

Chad & Audrey Garber

January & February Stats January 25 February 1 February 8 February 15

Total Worship 189 194 182

Sunday School 113 103 124

General $4,242.00 $5,371.00 $4,815.00

Building $50.00

Deacon $36.00 $50.00 $40.00

Seminary $100.00 $50.00 $50.00

A Tribute to Robert A. Hess The article below is from The Bridge publication from Messiah College.

CAMP SWATARA NEWS PAUL BUNYAN WORKDAY – March 7th Grab your tools & some friends and head to the base of the Blue Mountain for the 2015 Paul Bunyan Workday on Saturday, March 7th! Work will begin around 8am and last until mid-afternoon. Enjoy a delicious morning coffee break and a wonderful lunch. Let Shawn Cannon know if you are interested. SPRING WEENDENDS FOR JUNIORS, INTERMEDIATES AND JR. HIGHS! Campers in 1st-9th grades are invited to head out to camp for a spring weekend to experience the best of camp before the summer begins! Each weekend offers the opportunity for fun & a sneak peak at the theme for sum-mer. Arts and crafts, nature, singing, campfire and Bible time will complete the weekend festivities. Weekends are planned for Junior High (March 13-15;Grades 7-9), Juniors (March 20-22; Grades 1-3), and Intermediates (March 27-29; Grades 4-6). Registration for each weekend begins at 7pm on Friday evening and the program ends at 1pm on Sunday afternoon. Cost is just $84 per person! Brochures have been mailed to past campers, brochures are also available on the Camp Swatara bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall and registration is availa-ble online at www.campswatara.org. ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR SUMMER CAMPS AND SPRING WEEKENDS! Registration of three spring weekends & over 20 summer camp opportunities is available online at www.campswatara.org. Note that this is a NEW online registration program, so families will need to create a new online account to enter their camper’s information and register for programs. Feel free to contact Jason Halde-man, Program Coordinator at [email protected] or 717-933-8510 if you need assistance registering. GOOD AS GOLD CERTIFICATES Remember to request your Good As Gold Certificate from Jim Kolp. West Green Tree will pay for half of your child’s camping fee up to $155 – this includes the Spring Weekend camps. SPRING BIRDING WEEKEND – MAY 8TH-10TH Whooo’s ready for a weekend of birding in Union County? Dedicated & constant birdwatching leaders, Doug & Sally Ruby, will lead the “flock” of adults age 18+. The group will stay in Zaeger’s House in dormitory style sleep-ing arrangements. Cost is $100 per person. A brochure is on the Camp Swatara bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. Or you can contact Doug and Sally [email protected] or 410-548-9122. Registration forms are avail-able online at www.campswatara.org & are due by April 27th. BUILDING BRIDGES The Building Bridges Capital Improvement Campaign is in full swing. As of the end of January total pledges & gifts generously given to the campaign is nearing $350,000 towards the $800,000 goal. Although congregations will be invited to make 3-year pledges toward the campaign, individuals are encouraged to make contributions. If you are interested in making a financial commitment that will support the Building Bridges Campaign work, call the camp office at 717-933-8510 to get more information.

Vacation Bible School Save the date – VBS is coming to West Green Tree! July 13th to July 17th. This year we are going to be using Group’s VBS – Everest. We will be showing kids how to conquer challenges with God’s Mighty Power. In 4 short months we will embark on an icy expedition where kids overcome obstacles with God's awesome power. Anchor kids in rock-solid Bible truths that will guide them through life's challenges. Please save this week on your calendar. Each person at WGT can help out with VBS in one way or an-other. If you would like to help out with the planning of that week please contact me ASAP. I am look-ing for help with Preschool & Kindergarten planning, Mountain Top Treats planning, Glacier Games and more. Pray about it – ask God to show you where HE would have you help out with VBS this year. You may be surprised at where HE leads you!

Allison Huber

WEST GREEN TREE – NEW MEMBERS God is doing a wonderful thing at West Green Tree! 16 new members come to us through baptism or letters of transfer. Below is a short bio of each. The new members were introduced and welcomed at our New Members meal on February 1st. Be sure you greet them when you see them at Worship. JIM & POLLY SHUMATE Jim is a truck driver for Pepsi. He enjoys reading, working out at the gym, bicycling, cooking, listening to Bible teachings on the radio, movies with his wife. God has recently been speaking to him through Luke 10:38-42. He’s always been like Martha – busy and hurried. God is asking him to be more like Mary – more balance in his life – spending more time with God. Polly is a Notary and Title Clerk at Donnie G. Boyer & Co. She enjoys gardening, listening to Praise mu-sic and the outdoors/camping. Her favorite verse is Micah 6 :8 – He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Jim and Polly are the parents of Tyler who was tragically killed in a car accident this past month. Contin-ue to pray that Jim and Polly will feel God’s strength, comfort and peace. SHAWN & MANDY O’BRIEN Shawn is a personal fitness advisor and a manager at Movi-Etown. He enjoys family time, strength training and outdoor activities. One of his favorite scripture passages is Proverb 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understand; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Shawn became a licensed minister last month. Mandy (Amanda) is a Realtor Assistant to Greg Grogan. She enjoys baking, walking and family time. Her favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Shawn and Mandy are the parents of Noelle. DANE AND LAUREN YOUTZ Dane is an Assistant Brewer at Troegs Brewing Co. He enjoys playing bass and home brewing. His fa-vorite passage is Luke 15:3-7 - the parable of the lost sheep. Lauren is a senior accountant for Hair Direct in Lancaster. She enjoys softball, crafts, and time with her children. Her favorite verse is Psalm 30:5 – For his anger lasts only a moment but his favor lasts a life-time; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Dane and Lauren are the parents of Cadence and Lucy. DUSTIN AND DANA YOUTZ Dustin works for his dad at Youtz Paving. He enjoys hunting, archery, shed hunting (antler shed by deer), 3D shoots and working land to improve wildlife habitat. One of his favorite verses is Psalm 46:10 – He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Dana is an Administrative Secretary for South Hanover Township. She enjoys horses, gardening, spend-ing time at camp, hunting, target shooting – bow and gun. She says she is still learning the Bible but so far she is really enjoying the book of Psalms – mostly Psalm 23. Dustin and Dana are the parents of Lillian.

RANDY AND ANITA YOUTZ Randy is the owner of Youtz Paving. He enjoys hunting and running equipment. His favorite passage of scripture is Matthew 28 – Jesus is Risen Anita is a registered nurse and the office manager for Youtz Paving. She enjoys reading and sewing. Her favorite verse is Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Randy and Anita are the parents of Blaine, Dane, Dustin & Lexi LEXI YOUTZ Lexi is in the 8th grade at Lower Dauphin. She enjoys gymnastics. Her favorite verse is Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Lexi is the daughter of Randy and Anita Youtz. BARRETT YOUTZ Barrett is in the fifth grade at Elizabethtown. He enjoys football, baseball, basketball and running. Barrett is the son of Blaine Youtz. MATTHEW RAMSEY Matt is in the 7th grade at Elizabethtown Middle School. He likes to play video games, play baseball and hang out with friends. His favorite verse is John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Matt is the son of Greg and Julie Ramsey. CLINT AND JULIE ARNDT Clint is a painter in the body shop at Hoffman Ford. He enjoys hunting, tractor pulling, camping, build-ing and creating and repairing things in his garage. His favorite verse is Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through him who gives me strength. Julie is a nurse at Hershey Medical Center. She enjoys reading and cooking. Her favorite passage is Psalms 23. Clint and Julie are the parents of Ryan, Nathan and Justin. RYAN ARNDT Ryan is a Junior at Palmyra Area High School. He is in the Band and Chorus at school. He is also the Choir Director at WGT as well as one of our Pianists/Organists. His favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Ryan is the son of Clint and Julie Arndt.

Adventures in Uganda: Settling In Hello church family! I am so excited as I share this first update with you! I hope all is well with you; I am

certainly missing you! As you face the cold winter days, I wish I could share some of the warmth and sunshine that I am experiencing with you back home! It certainly is strange wearing short sleeves and sweating in the middle of February! It is pretty hot here, around 80 degrees during the day. However, the evenings get cooler and it makes for a nice way to end a hot day. I miss seeing the beautiful snow, but I am definitely thankful for the bright sun and beautiful weather!

Since leaving on January 18th, I have been settling into life here in Uganda. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, so I knew I had to have an open mind and a willing heart. My first 2 weeks were spent mostly in Kampala and I stayed in the Empower A Child guesthouse before coming to live in the village of Zirobwe. It was a good transition because while I was in Kampala; I was able to work on preparing things for school and I had some time to adjust to life and get ready to live in the village. Then the weekend before school started on February 2nd, I brought all of my suitcases to the village and moved into my little house that is a part of the staff quarters. It is basically a structure with 8 separate rooms where most of the teachers at the school live. My house is about 13’ x 15’. It is one open room with a small part sectioned off, lowered, and has a drain which is used for bathing. It is very basic, but it is such a bless-ing that this room was available for me and that I have a place to live. I knew I would have to adapt and figure out how to do things living in a place with no electricity or running water. So, we have a different way of doing cer-tain things here because of the absence of these basic amenities. For exam-ple, bathing involves pouring water from a large plastic container, called a

jerrycan, into a large basin and then using the water to wash and then switching the water in the basin to rinse. A nice warm shower or a nice bath in a bathtub does not exist in the village. Toilets are also nonexistent. We use a latrine, or what everyone calls the squatty. And that’s a more appropriate term I think, because that’s basically what it involves. There is a structure with 8 stalls and each stall has a small rectangular hole in it and you squat to go to the bathroom. It’s not the most desirable thing in the world, but I’ve gotten used to it that I don’t mind it at all. And then there’s the process of getting water from the tap at the well. Thankfully Empower A Child has a well that is a close distance from the staff quarters. This has made it easier for many people in the village to get water easily. It may be a short distance but it’s a long walk with a full 20 liter jerrycan of water. So, with the help of the teenage boys in the village, I enlist one of them to help me carry the full jerrycan of water back to my house and I thank them with a couple of Dum-Dums! Also, all of my laundry is done by hand using two large basins to wash and rinse my clothes. For light, I have a solar lamp that is used to light my room in the evenings. There is a small solar panel that I put outside for the entire day and it charges the lamp so that when it gets dark, I unplug the solar panel and I can use the lamp to light my room in the evenings. I knew to expect most of these things because of my previous experiences, however, it is slightly different because now I am liv-ing full time in the village. Doing things this way might be more challenging but I am realizing how much I take these basic amenities for granted back home. I even realize that the basic things that I do have here is more than mostly everyone in this village and I am still very privileged. God is teaching me to be thankful for these simple things and appreciate what He has given to me and blessed me with. And my prayer is that as you take a hot shower in a bathtub, do your laundry in a washing machine, or cook your dinner in the oven, my hope is that you will be thankful for these simple blessings. Even when we, who live in America, think we don’t have much, we are actually some of the richest people in the world. So I have been adjusting to life in the village and I am so thankful that everything is going well. There is an older man named Tim Carson who is also from the U.S. who has been living in the village for 15 months and he also works at the school. It has been a blessing to have him with me in the village to help me get used to liv-

Jimmy making steps at my house

ing in the village. The first day of school was February 2nd. When I arrived, I came with the expectation that I would be teaching and working with the Ugandan teacher in the Top Class, which is comprised of mostly 5 and 6 year olds, so it is comparable to Kindergarten in the U.S. However, a couple days after I arrived, I was informed that the Top Class teacher was going to be the administrative assistant for the school starting this new school year. So, I had a slight panic attack thinking about having a whole classroom of kids to myself when I don’t even speak the same language as the kids! However, I know that God will never give me more than I can handle and He will be with me always, so I tried to think about the positive aspects of being the main teach-er. I do like that I was able to arrange the room the way that I wanted and bring materials into the classroom to be able to use with the children. It makes it nice being the only teacher and I have the freedom to choose the activities and the lessons for the children and blend the Ugandan and American style of teaching without feeling like I am step-ping on the toes of another teacher. Also, Tim brought in two older high school students who didn’t start school yet to help me in the classroom, especially with translating. They were such a blessing to have at the start of school so the children could understand what I was saying and help me keep the children on task and watch them do their work. It was so wonderful to have them, but now they have returned to school, so the last two days I was by myself in a classroom with 43 children! It was challenging to say the least but I am figuring out how to teach. It’s helpful to use the chalkboard and have them copy what I write on the chalkboard to help them practice writing their alphabet and numbers. I know some commands in Luganda so that definitely helps and I also try to use body language to help them understand what I am asking them to do. It is going to be a difficult process but I know with time it will get easier.

Overall I am thankful that God called me here to teach and even though it is challenging, it is so reward-ing being with the children in class, seeing them come back to play around the school later in the afternoon, and building relationships with them. Thank you for all of your continued prayers, love and support!

Blessings to you, Kelsey Hollinger

The students in my classroom

Library News The Wanda E. Brunstetter series, “The Discovery” is a six-book series& is missing from the library. If you’ve taken it & are reading it, please let the librarians know or simply return it. It is asked that when items are taken from the library, you sign & date the card & place it in the box on the desk before taking an item. Please see Julie Arndt, Heather Haverkamp, or Rose Hibshman with questions.

Anniversaries 3/2 - Shawn & Lisa Cannon 3/3 - Colton & Brienna Brown 3/5 - Walt & Lois Schwanger 3/15 - Mike & Robin Cicero 3/18 - Ed & Diane Sides 3/24 - Doug & Janessa Daniels

Birthdays 3/1 - Katherine Gebhard 3/6 - Sandy Dickason 3/8 - Mandy O’Brien 3/9 - Randy Ginder 3/10 - Dean Garber 3/12 - Gary Collins 3/13 - Heidi Grove, Sheila Miller 3/20 - Betty Jane Swarr 3/21 - Traci Clugston, Linda Gerdel, Charlotte Riggleman 3/23 - Kelly McClenaghan, Trisha Williams 3/24 - Abigail Ramsey 3/31 - Lauren Youtz

740 Greentree Road Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Mick Allen, Senior Pastor [email protected]

Paula Jones, Administrative Assistant [email protected]

Phone: 717-653-5367

Fax: 717-653-5056

www.westgreentree.org

WEST GREEN TREE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

WEST GREEN TREE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

Our Purpose Statement “We intentionally develop friends of Jesus Christ by sharing God’s love

through words and deeds.”

Sunday Service Times:

Contemporary Worship 8:00 am

Sunday School 9:15 am

Traditional Worship 10:30 am

Wednesday Service Times:

Jr. High Clubs @ 7:00 pm

Sr. High Clubs @ 7:00 pm

Pastor Mick’s Musings… - Clover...

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