I have had an increase of people ask-ing me what does "Come journey with us" mean that is on lots of my cloth-ing. Most of those asking are people I meet as I am out and about. I tell them that it means our church will welcome you no matter where you are in your faith or life journeys because we realize that all of us are on a jour-ney. They are intrigued; and for some, that is not what they thought church would be about. Some even say they would like to go to a church like that.

There is a need for this type of wel-coming environment, especially at this time in our nation. There are great divides in our country which often lead people to see the worst in those who do not agree with them. What if we realized that what each person believes has value, has worth, and is shaped by the journey they have been on? How would things change if we realized that what they believe is based on what they have experienced in their life?

No two journeys are the same both in lives and in travel.

I can drive down to Frederick on Rt. 15 when there is no traffic at all, and the roads are great. My wife can take the same journey a half an hour later, and because of weather that has quickly come in or an accident that just oc-

curred, it can take her double the amount of time. We have had this happen many times. Do I tell her she is wrong and that it couldn't have tak-en her that long because I just drove it? Or do I accept her experience of her journey? Of course I accept it! The church should be a place where we accept what others have experienced on their journey.

One of the current failures in this na-tion is the self-segregation into groups that believe exactly as we do and listen to the same media or read the same news as us. This limits our capacity to understand the journey of others. It warms my heart that on a Sunday morning I see people at fel-lowship time sitting and talking with one another who hold very different views and opinions on politics and culture. I am moved, when on a Sun-day morning at Toms Creek, I hear from people that were moved by Trumps inaugural speech and others who were excited to share their expe-rience at the Women's March. I know that on both sides they want what is best for America. I know that they care about helping this nation and want the people of this nation to move forward. Yet, because people have taken different journeys and ex-periences, they see the situations and possible solutions very differently.

Pastor’s Pen

10926 Simmons Road

Emmitsburg MD 21727

301.447.3171

tomscreekumc@gmail.com

Pastor

Rev. Heath Wilson

410-758-7707

hwilsonvt@gmail.com

Sunday Schedule

Traditional Worship………...8am

Coffee Hour………….…...…...9am

Sunday School………...….9:30am

Family Worship…….…...10:30am

Fellowship

Oldies & Goodies…3rd Thursday

F & F @ Flick’s……2:00 Thursdays

I enjoy listening to all sides, allowing others to share their joys and fears, because I realize that what they are sharing is their beliefs based on their own journey. I become a more balanced, knowledgeable person having listened to their views shaped by their journey; even if they share something I don't believe or think is wrong. I always try to remember that it is true and real to them from what they have or have not experienced in their life. For example, if someone has never been homeless or close to being homeless, it is difficult for him or her to under-stand the plight of the homeless. They may not be able to understand that any-one could be in that position who has worked hard, has spent their money wise-ly, and has done all the things people say they should do to improve their situa-tion. And no matter how much I say, the person’s opinion may never change because homelessness has not been part of their journey in life.

I pray that our church can be a place where we always live into the aspirational statement of "Come journey with us". All-Knowing God, help us to want to get to know about the journey of the drug addict, the gossiper, the award winner, the veteran, the homeless, the newly released prison inmate, the motorcycle rider, the BMW driver, the politician, the business owner, the environmentalist, the anarchist, the widow, the newlywed, the feminist, the conservative, the progres-sive, and anyone who we separate from ourselves.

Pastor Heath

2017 Administrative Council

Sandy Negro Chairperson

Marge Graham Vice Chair

Christine Shaffer Secretary

Ann Sanders SPRC Chair

Bill Coburn Finance Chair

Neil Price Finance Secretary

Kay Martin Treasurer

Frank Negro Trustees Chair

Shannon Hess NOW Team

Linda Myers Christian Education

Karen Wivell Lay Leader

Donna Ohler Lay Leader Annual Conference President of UMW

At-Large Members: Andrew Boller, Pat Baughman, Curtis Baughman,

Virginia Wantz, Mary Harner

February is Black History Month

Black History Month is an oppor-tunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions people of African heritage have made for the world. It is also a time to reflect on our sad history of prejudice and slavery and to advocate for equal rights for all.

February marks the observance of many important milestones in Afri-can-American history. On February 1, 1865, Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. The 15th Amendment, granting black men the right to vote was adopted on February 3, 1870; on February 12, 1909 the NAACP was founded; and on February 25, 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first black US Senator, took the oath of office.

Sojourner Truth: A Life and Legacy of Faith Sojourner Truth was born into slavery about 1797 in Ulster County, New York. Known as Isabella, her parents were James and Betsey, the property of Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh. As a child she spoke only low Dutch and, like most slaves,

never learned to read or write. About 1815 Isabella married Thomas, a fellow slave, and bore five children -- Diana (b. 1815), Pe-ter (b. 1821), Elizabeth (b.1825), Sophia (b. 1826) and a fifth child who may have died in infancy. Isabella was sold to four more owners, until she finally walked to freedom in 1826, carrying her infant daughter, Sophia. She settled in New York City until 1843, when she changed her name to Sojourner Truth, announc-ing she would travel the land as an itinerant preacher, telling the truth and working against injustice.

Pastor’s Pen Continued...

All-Church Birthday Party will be held on

Sunday, February 12th at noon in the church Fellowship Hall. Those who would like to bake a special cake for one of the 12 months, please use the sign-up sheet located in the church lobby.

Thank You To my Prayer Partner for the Beautiful Altar Flowers that decorated our church over Christmas & following Sun-days. ~ Virginia Wantz

Apostles S.S. Room Take a peek inside. Beautiful yellow cloth with Spring Flowers adorning the table. Makes it feel like Spring not far away & the sense of God. Thanks to Mary Springer. We have been discussing the meaning of different LOVES and "Feed My Sheep" Will start on how to be truthful in our life. Come and join us some Sunday. ~ Virginia Wantz

Relay for Life The Taneytown area Relay for Life will be held on May 20th this year in the Carroll Vista community. The past few years, Tom's Creek has sent a team. In order for us to par-ticipate this year, we need a coordinator. If you are inter-ested, call Nancy Williams who is the contact person at 410 756 1001.

Mission Trip to Kenya Anyone interested in going to Kenya on a mission trip in July 2018 is invited to come to Elias Lutheran Church in Emmitsburg Sun Feb 12 @ 12:30 to hear how the process begins. You will not be committed at this time. It is a learning experience to hear what one does on this kind of a trip and how perhaps your talents can be used. Youth are welcomed. Lunch will be provided. You may also talk to Phyllis Kelly who has been on this trip twice and can an-swer any questions. These mission trips are sponsored by the Emmitsburg Council of Churches and are interdenomi-national trips taking the gospel with us.

Scholarships The Baltimore-Washington Conference will offer college scholarships for the 2017 fall semester. Students can ap-ply Jan. 3rd - March 1st using an online application system. Students must be an active member of a church for at least one year and be attending (or will attend) an ac-credited college or university within the United States full-time. Students will need to provide their official transcript (high school or college) and contact infor-mation for two church references (pastor and another member of the church). In addition, the student must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. For

additional information and to apply, visit www.bwcumc.org/administration/finance/local-church-resources/scholarships.

Women’s Bible Study -

Spring 2017

The holidays are behind us and spring is approaching; alt-hough, the temperatures outside today do not feel like spring. This short article is a reminder that our ladies’

study of the Book of John will resume on March 2, 2017 beginning with John 11. I hope to end the study by May 4th or 11th depending on whether we meet the Thursday before Easter. Please bring your Bible and notebook. Any addi-tional information you find on the chapter we are reading would be much appreciated. We will continue to use Pas-tor Rick Warren’s, “The Chapter Summary Method of Bible Study” for our study of the Book of John. READING and WRITING will be required before each session. Please bring your Bible and journal.

I hope you all will be returning but if you were in the study last fall and have decided this method of study is not for you, please notify me. If you were not in the study and would like to join us, just give me a call, or send me an email and we can set a time for me to explain the chapter method of Bible study to you. New members are always welcome. Our meetings will be on Thursdays, starting at 9:30 am and ending by 11:00 am. Should we have inclement weather, we will follow the Frederick County Public School schedule. If they close we will NOT meet, if they have a two-hour delay we should be fine and meet at our regular time.

Hope to see you on March 2nd!!

In His Service, Linda Myers

BUFFET BREAKFAST & PORK SALE

Tom’s Creek UMC will host its semi-annual breakfast from 6:oo am until 10:00 am on Saturday, March 11th! Bring your friends and neighbors to this incredible meal and time of fellowship. The menu includes Pancakes, Scram-bled Eggs, Sausage & Bacon, Home Fries, Chip Beef Gravy, Fruit & Orange Juice, Coffee & Tea. The cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 5-10. Proceeds benefit the mort-gage fund.

PORK SALE ORDERS:

Dottie Davis: 301-447-2403 or 301-693-1505

Ernie Staub: 443-605-2995

Call or email Linda Myers at 717-337-3486

lsayler1942@comcast.net

February TCUMC Book Club The TCUMC Book Club will meet on Friday, February 10th at Trudy Price’s home (3440 Emmitsburg Road, Gettys-burg). Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. and book discus-sion at 7:00 p.m. The February selection will be Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. The book is available at Adams, Car-roll and Frederick County Public Librar-ies. Please join us for an enjoyable even-ing. Call Trudy at 717-337-2897 if you plan to attend (she will need an accu-rate count for dinner).

Book Summary

Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this powerful debut novel reveals an incredible story of love, re-demption, and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades. New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Car-oline's world is forever changed when Hitler's army invades Poland in Septem-ber 1939--and then sets its sights on France. An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the un-derground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences. For the ambitious young Ger-man doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power. The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the

unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbruck, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their sto-ries cross continents--from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland--as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten. In Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly has crafted a remarkable novel of unsung wom-en and their quest for love, freedom, and second chances.

It is a story that will keep readers bond-ed with the characters, searching for the truth, until the final pages. Advance praise for Lilac Girls "Rich with historical detail and riveting to the end, Lilac Girls weaves the lives of three astonishing women into a story of extraordinary moral power set against the harrowing backdrop of Europe in thrall to Nazi Germany. Martha Hall Kelly moves effortlessly across physical and ethical battlegrounds, across the trajectory of a doomed wartime romance, across the territory of the soul. I can't remember the last time I read a novel that moved me so deeply."--Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hun-dred Summers and The Secret Life of Violet Grant "Inspired by actual events and real people, Martha Hall Kelly has woven together the stories of three

women during World War II that reveal the bravery, cow-ardice, and cruelty of those days. This is a part of history--women's history--that should never be forgotten.

March Book Club What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross

March 10th — Anita Hill

8:00 February 5 February 12 February 19 February 26

Greeter/Usher

Joan & Earl Keller

Carol & Kathy Amoss

Heather & Brian Fogle

Velma Stambaugh

Nancy Baker

La y Reader

Linda Myers Andrew Boller Rose Woodsmall Ann Sanders

Coffee Hour

Vicki & Jim Cramer

Stambaugh, Baker, Glass

Elza Hurst Dottie Davis

10:30 February 5 February 12 February 19 February 26

Greeter/Usher

Lynn Fraley & Jeff Wentworth

Rita & Jim Allen Olivia Imirie Amber Price

Trudy & Neil Price

Lay Reader

Phyllis Kelly Olivia Imirie Donna Ohler Debbie Wivell

Acolyte Kameron Kneer Cayden Messler Auora Munro Ana Schaffer

Nursery Trudy & Amber

Price Heather Fogle

Greta Nettleton Cheryl & Bert

Waybright Phyllis Kelly

Rita Allen

February Worship Assistants

Oldies & Goodies The Oldies and Goodies met on Janu-ary 19 at the church for a soup and sandwich luncheon. Velma congratu-lated those with birthdays and anni-versaries in January. The annual East-er Egg making will begin in mid Feb-ruary. Roy's goal is to sell even more eggs than last year. Please plan to help with this major fundraiser for our mortgage fund. Watch the bulle-tin in the coming weeks for details. One of the coffee pots in the kitchen is not working. Jim Glass will fix it. The part will cost $62. Travel bags filled with goodies were given to each person attending. They were given to Velma by Guy with the Frederick Rescue Mission. The next meeting will be on February 16th.

~submitted by Karen Wivell

New Year’s Eve Party Tom's Creek's annual New Year's Eve party was held

on Saturday, December 31st from 5-10 pm. Once

again, Pastor Heath made his homemade pizzas

with lots of toppings. Everyone brought food to

share. There were many intense games played

throughout the evening. Shortly before 10, everyone

gathered in a circle where Pastor Heath held a short

prayer service. Many thanks go to Pastor Heath for

planning this very nice evening!

Candlemas is celebrated on the 2nd day of February of

each year. The day is celebrated as a day of renewal, hope, and purification. According to an old Jewish custom, a wom-an who gives birth to a child will be unclean and homebound for a certain number of days after the birth. The days for this cus-tom differ for the birth of a boy and a birth of a girl. If a boy child is born, the woman is unclean for seven days and then she re-mains at home for an additional thirty-three days for a total of 40 days. If a girl child is born, the woman is unclean for 14 days and then she re-mains at home for an additional sixty-six days for a total of 80 days. During these time periods, the woman touches nothing holy.

February 2nd is exactly 40 days after the birth of Jesus Christ and it is on this day that Mother Mary along with Joseph brought forth their newborn son, Jesus, to the Tem-ple. Mother Mary was cleansed on this day. Jesus was pre-sented to the Lord in the Temple on this day. During this time, an elderly holy man named Simeon was staying in Jerusalem. Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit that his death would not come until he saw the Messiah. When

Simeon held the baby Jesus, he knew that Jesus had come for the salvation of all. Simeon stated that Jesus was "A light

to the revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of thy people of Israel.

The light was the inspiration for the cele-bration with candles. It was and still re-mains to this day a Christian celebration of the purification of Mother Mary and the first appearance of Jesus in the Temple. During the early years, people would place their candles outside the church in order to be blessed. They would then carry them

in a procession to church in order to imitate the appearance of Jesus in the Temple.

Candles are an important symbol used on Candlemas Day. Also, the snowdrop flower appears in a long ago rhyme which states:

"The Snowdrop,

in purest white array,

First rears her head

on Candlemas day."

1 Choir Practice 7p

Linda Linton

2 F&F@Flicks 2p

Praise Team 7p

Al-Anon 7:15p

3 4

Jessica Linton

5 Communion

Worship 8&10:30a

SS 9:30a

Colton Houch

6 NOW 7p

David & Denise Shriver

7 Prayer Group 9a

8

Christine Shaffer

9 F&F@Flicks 2p

Praise Team 7p

Al-Anon 7:15p

10

Ann Sanders

11

Joe Coleman

Shannon Bitzel

Barb Maly

12 All-Church Birthday Party Worship 8&10:30a

SS 9:30a

George Bruchey

Allen Phelps

13 Worship 7p

14 Prayer Group 9a

Barb & Scott Maly

15 Choir Practice 7p

Dick & Nancy Glass

Bill & Marge Coburn

16 F&F@Flicks 2p

Praise Team 7p

Al-Anon 7:15p

Chester & Linda Fogle

17

Earl Keller

18

Katerina Kane

19 Worship 8&10:30a

SS 9:30a

Dale Kaas

Anastasia Kane

Eirn McGrew

20 Christian Ed 7p

Anita & Jimmy Hill

21 Prayer Group 9a

Trustees 7p

Marge Coburn

Lynn Fraley

David Shriver

22 23 F&F@Flicks 2p

Praise Team 7p

Al-Anon 7:15p

Neil & Trudy Price

24 25

26 Worship 8&10:30a

SS 9:30a

27 Lindsey Hoover

Jonathan Wantz

28 Prayer Group 9a

February’s symbolic flowers Violets herald hope and that inspirational trust when their petals emerge in the snow. Primroses initiate energy into action with courage to forge ahead even in the midst of bleak and challenging conditions, and also remind of the continuous renewing cycles, while staying devoted to our hearts.