"On the bank of some dark river, as we are thrust backward, onlookers will remark,

'They could kill somebody like that.' To which old John might say, 'Good, you're fi-

nally catching on.'" -William Willimon

I have done a lot of research over the years on the sacrament of baptism. As

someone interested in historical theology, I’m always looking for why we believe and do things the way we do. With the wide ranging perspectives on the subjects

(infants or self-professing believers), mode (sprinkling, pouring, or immersion), and efficacy (sacramental or symbolic), baptism can often lead to interesting, and

often passionate, discussion and debate.

One idea Christians of all perspectives share, though, is baptism’s association with death. St. Paul writes, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism

into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom 6:4 NIV). New Testament scholar

Ben Witherington, III comments “When one is joined to Christ, one is buried with him or, one might say, plunged into his death.”

It is a curious idea in Christianity that death brings life, but that is what resurrec-

tion is all about. Jesus submitted to baptism in the water, but later taught us what it means when he submitted to the baptism of his suffering and death (Luke

12:50). In conquering death by his resurrection, Jesus made it possible to share in eternal life with him. When we submit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ

through repentance and faith, we die to ourselves and have the hope of resurrec-tion life with Jesus. In baptism, we enter the water ourselves, but that is where

we end. Coming out of the water we are “clothed with Christ” (Gal 3:27). The commitment of baptism is one of surrender to which we must continually be re-

minded and recommit ourselves. So, whenever you see the baptismal font, re-member “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in

me” (Gal 2:20 NIV).

Because of the Resurrection,

Jim

The Assistant Pastor

September 2016 Volume 58 Number 8

Gomer Congregational Church November 2015 Volume 57 Number 10 Gomer Con-gregational Church 7350 Gomer Rd.

Gomer, OH 45809 419-642-2681 gomercc.org secretary@gomercc.org

MEETING MINUTES

AUGUST 2, 2016

In attendance: Bill Askins, Joyce Lar-imore, Kathleen Carpenter, Brooks Flinn,

Dan Brown, Sandy Schwartzengraber, Deb Ritchey, Donna Martin, Pam Smith,

George Diller, and Pastor Jim. Welcome to Pastor Jim who led us in

prayer to begin the meeting. Motion to approve the June minutes

with a change noted regarding the labels being put in the sanctuary Bibles (not the

hymnals) was made by Bill Askins with a second from Kathleen Carpenter. Motion

was approved. No Old Business

New Business:

Kathleen reported on the budget for 2016 Devotional Literature/Card Ministry.

Kathleen made a motion to ask the Trus-tees for $160.00 for stamps for the re-

mainder of the year in order to continue sending cards for our Card Ministry. Mo-

tion was seconded by Sandy Schwartz-engraber and the motion passed. Kath-

leen will check with Susan regarding the possibility of reducing the number of de-

votional materials ordered since so many are left at the end of the month. Several

ideas for distributing these to others was discussed. Pastor Jim suggested that he

will make an announcement when new

materials are available so members are reminded to pick them up.

Dan Brown reported that he and Fara Ewing are working on ideas for fun pro-

jects and mission work for our youth. They are wanting to contact the Allen-

town youth group and the Congregation-al Church in Lafayette for the possibility

of some combined projects.

Joyce Larimore reported on the

Women’s Fellowship July 24 meeting of the Ohio Association of Congregational

Christian Churches which is being hosted at our church. Terri Barnes will be the

scheduled speaker with Fara Ewing standing by as her backup. A baked po-

tato bar with salads will be served at lunch. Cost of tickets is $8.00. The

meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. and conclude around 1:30 p.m.

George Diller reported that prepara-tions for the luncheon following church

on August 7 are going well. He advised that Suter’s is donating all of the corn for

the luncheon.

A discussion was held regarding the possibility of forming a group of people

who would be interested in becoming members of Gomer Congregational. Pas-

tor Jim will put notices in the bulletin and newsletter inviting interested people to

contact him. Minister’s Report

Pastor Jim reported that Cole Miller and Laura Knoderer have asked to have

baby Iris Catherine Miller baptized on September 4, 2016 with Pastor Brian of-

ficiating the baptism. George made a motion to have Iris baptized and the mo-

tion was seconded by Deb Ritchey. Mo-

tion passed. We reviewed the communion proce-

dure with Pastor Jim. A discussion regarding the Emergen-

cy Fund Money was held. Pastor Jim suggested that some gift cards for gas

and groceries be kept in lieu of money. He will discuss this with the Trustees to

come up with an amount to have availa-ble for emergency use.

Pastor Jim asked if we preferred our sermons to be taken from the lectionary.

For the present, he will prepare his ser-mons from the lectionary and will talk

with the D&D’s when he would like to do

something different.

Communion:

Next communion will be held on Sun-

day, August 7. Preparers are Joyce Lar-imore, Brooks Flinn, and Jim Metzger.

Cards: Betty Rager reported that 57 cards

were sent in June and 50 cards were sent in July. Thanks again to Betty for

sending cards on behalf of Gomer Con-gregational.

Closing greeters for August are as fol-lows: August 7 – Jeff Thomas, August

14 – Jim Metzger, August 21 – Deb Ritchey, August 28 – Sandy Schwartz-

engraber, and September 4 – Joyce Lar-imore.

Next D&D’s meeting is scheduled for

September 6, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. Pam Smith made a motion to adjourn

with a second from Deb Ritchey. Motion passed.

Respectfully submitted, Sandy Schwartzengraber, Secretary

Gomer Congregational Church

Trustee Minutes

July 12, 2016

Members Present: Don Montooth, Bob

Ritchey, Jim Siefker, Tom Evans, Marty Thomas, Rod Watkins and Jim Wilder.

Bob called Meeting to order. Bills were discussed . Tom Evans made a motion

to pay the bills. Don Montooth second-

ed. Motion passed. Old Business:

We are still waiting for Kiel Diller

to install the other security cam-

eras that were purchased

We got an estimate on paving the

handicap area in the parking lot.

It was $1200. For the preparation

and $1200 for black top

We got no response from the per-

son who was going to estimate

the cost to fill in the window well

on the south side of the church

Bob Ritchey will get another esti-

mate on the outside brick work

We received an estimate of

$1000. To raise the steps on the

north side of the church. It was

decided to go ahead and have the

steps raised.

New Business:

Jim Wilder is familiar with web-

sites and will get with Kiel so he

can start updating the website

After discussion we decided to pre

buy 6000 gallons of propane the

church and 1500 gallons for the

parsonage

Window treatments will be pur-

chased for the front area of the

parsonage

Pastor Jim requested time off to

attend a conference in Findlay.

Don Montooth made a motion to

approve and Rod Watkins second-

ed the motion. Motion passed.

Don Montooth made a motion to ad-journ. Tom Evans seconded. Meeting

Adjourned. Respectfully Submitted by Jim Siefker

Sept. 4 Jim & Sandy Schwartzengraber Kyle Smith

Sept. 11 Terri Barnes & Barb Frysinger

Bryce Ballard

Sept. 18 Randall & Sarah Lewis

T J Martin

Sept. 25 Brooks & Janet Flinn Gage Meyers

Oct. 2 Bill & Pam Askins

Lexi Crider

Oct. 9 Jim Metzger and Dan Brown Amelia Price

Oct. 16 Nathan and Fara Ewing

Cody Ewing

Oct. 23 Cheyenne and Dian Ridley

Leanndra Price

Oct. 30 Marjean Long & Betty Rager Chris Long

Nov. 6 Rod & Nancy Watkins

Will Nusbaum

Nov. 13 Alivia Page & Linda Whittington

Kaden Smith

Nov. 20 Steve & Dina Tadena

Seth Tadena

Nov. 27 Jenni Martin & Carol Sunderland

Kyle Smith

Dec. 4 Dan & Keisha Larimore

Bryce Ballard

Dec. 11 Lynne & Suzanne Metzger Gage Meyers

Dec. 18 Janice Branham &

Bill Williams Amelia Price

Dec. 24 Kathleen Carpenter &

Janet Alger T J Martin

Dec. 25 Aaron & Lori Crider

Lexi Crider

If you are unable to be here on your assigned Sunday, we would ask that you

find a replacement or trade Sundays with someone else on the list. Make sure to

contact the office with the change.

Virginia Evans, Bob Alger, - Vancrest,

1425 E. Fifth St. Delphos, OH 45833 Carlyle Arthur- VanCrest Assisted Liv-

ing, 310 Elida Rd. Apt 217, Delphos, OH

45833

Betty Arthur, Elmcroft, 2075 N.

Eastown Rd., Lima, OH 45807 Brad Martz– The Meadows of Kalida,

755 Ottawa St., Kalida, OH 45853 Bill & Joanne Reese – 4599 Bussert

Rd., Elida, OH 45807

Our weekly Bible Study continues at Mar-tha Britt’s. We meet on Thursdays at

7:00. Please come and join us at 6:30

for coffee and Bible study will follow at 7. We hope to see you there.

The Ladies of the Gomer Congregational Church are pleased to host the

99th Meeting & Luncheon of the OACCC/ Women’s Fellowship. It will be held:

Saturday, September 24, 2016

9:45 AM – 1:45 PM at the Gomer Congregational Church

All ladies of the church are invited… and Bring a friend!!

Cost: $8 for Registration (includes Lunch)

Agenda:

9:45 Registration and refreshments

and Bazaar (If you have items to bring Please have them priced)

10:30 Business Meeting *Each church will be asked to give a

short report on its Women’s Fellowship type activities, strengths and challenges.

Please bring a written copy to share with the secretary for her files.

11:45 Luncheon: Baked Potato Bar, Gar-den Salad, Dessert & Beverage

12:30 Program: Our speaker will be Mrs. Teri Barnes. Teri is a retired Com-

munications Assistant professor from The Ohio State University/Lima Campus. She

is a very active part of the Gomer church

serving on many boards and committees and occasionally fills the pulpit when

needed. Her message for us will be “Problems Can Make Lavender Bows!”

Place your reservation by September 21st.

Contact: Joyce Larimore 419 234 4220 (you can leave a message or txt me, or

email joycelarimore@embarqmail.com # of those attending and church)

Prayer warriors After tragedies, natural disasters and terrorism, people now commonly turn to

social media to request prayers. Alt-hough it can feel “jarring” to see “so

many references to the divine in spaces normally reserved for vacation photos,”

writes journalist Eleanor Barkhorn, it’s a

modern-day version of the New Testa-ment’s reminders to pray constantly and

in all circumstances. Over the years, churches have en-

couraged members to pray through let-ters, phone chains, prayer breakfasts

and prayer groups. “With that context in mind,” Barkhorn writes, “Facebook

shouldn’t cheapen prayer any more than the Postal Service or the telephone

does.” Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist

Convention says, “Asking for prayer via Twitter or Facebook is no different than

calling someone and saying, ‘We should

really pray for this.’ ... Social media can be a tremendous force for good in alert-

ing people to things they can be praying about right away.”

The Welsh Breakfast and Bake Sale will

be Saturday, October 22 from 8:30 to 10:30am. Flu Shot will also be available

that day from 8 to 10am. More information will be in the next newsletter.

• “Education is the most powerful weap-

on which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela

Dear Family,

Happy Birthday to Donabelle Crider

& Betty Rager. Dona will be 93 this month and Betty 87. Darlene & Don

Montooth will be celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary.

In July an Eagle Scout Court of Honor was held for Dillon Alman. He is the

38th Eagle scout from our troop. This is an unusual number from one troop.

Congratulations to Dillon and our troop.

Our recent high school graduates will all be attending the Ohio State

University. Miranda Goodman will attend the Lima Campus, majoring in

psychology. Samantha Nusbaum, majoring in biology, and Ryan Price,

majoring in mathematics, will be going to the Columbus campus. Emily Siefker will

be returning to Findlay University for her junior year.

In the June/July newsletter I said there would be more information about

Dr. R.E. Jones, the first doctor in Gomer. Dr. Jones was born on the Tawelfan farm

in Llanbrynmair, Wales. With his father, William Jones, he came to Gomer in

1848. After graduating from Miami

Medical College in Cincinnati, he returned to Gomer in 1856 to begin to practice.

Dr. Jones from his earliest days, was active in the church. At his death in

1911, a long obituary mourning the death of "Gomer's Grand Old Man"

stated: "Though always busy with his profession, yet he found time to attend

to the Master's business...It may be said without fear of contradiction, that he was

the center of the religious life of Gomer. His work was not confined to the church

alone, but he went into the homes of the

sick with the message of divine love, and

it has been truthfully said that his presence in the house of distress was of

greater value than his medicine." In addition to his financial support of the

church and creation of the church library, Dr. Jones was elected as a Deacon in

1881. In addition to his medical practice and church life, Dr. Jones served two

terms in the Ohio legislature and was treasurer of Sugar Creek Township for 35

years. He was a director of the First National Bank of Lima for 16 years, and

served 4 years as president. He helped organize the Elida Pioneer Society in

1895, and was its president until his

death. He was always in demand as presiding officer for Eisteddfods and

other public meetings. Dr. Jones never married. His niece, Edith Jones, kept

house for him. His doctor's office was the brick building now the home of Joan

& Ed Baden. His home was what is now the second home to the west of his

office. The much photographed barn behind the church was Dr. Jones' barn

and carriage house. As the new school year, and church

year, begin, remember to keep us informed of your activities and

accomplishments. Our family, as all

families, enjoys sharing in your activities and successes.

Great--Aunt Grace

REST AND RAINBOWS

Sometimes it’s important to work for

that pot of gold. But other times it’s es-sential to take time off and to make sure

that your most important decision in the

day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.

—Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I’d Like to Give to You

Thank you to all of our Gomer family for

the support and caring you all extended to us during the illness and passing of

our Husband, Father and Grandfather, Paul Born. Our special thanks to Rev.

Isaacs for the Memorial Service and Rev. Knoderer for his words during the Sun-

day morning worship service. Dorothy, Julie, Doug and Will Born

I would like to thank everyone at the

church for all your kind prayers and warm thoughts. I am healing nicely from

the surgery. The chemo is kinda rough, but it is what it is.

Thank you again,

Phillip Heil

Darrel Duane Frysinger

June 6, 1934 - July 2, 2016

Memoral Fund: Richard Tavenner, Dick

& Sue Williams, Betty Rager, Don & Dar-lene Montooth, Wanda Buettner Hefner &

Kenny Smith, Al & Carolyn Frysinger, Bud & Betty Vandemark,Monetta Lloyd

Rich & Arlene Garmatter, Marvin & Gloria Diller, Vickie & Kendall House, Gordon

Best, Paul & Carol Moore, Bill Morris

Ethel M. Ritchey

August 17, 1921 - August 6, 2016

Memorial Fund: Helen John, Janet Schutt, Jana & Robert Patchen, Jim &

Susan Siefker & Family, Janice Branham, Robert K. Flick, Paul, David & Marie Mar-

quart, Bill Williams, Beverly Smith, Ted, Kim and Elena Smith, Christine, Brian,

Mady & Grace Cline

Add your family memories or events to

the Gomer Congregational Church Brick Garden. You can make a permanent rec-

ord for only $50 per brick. Bricks can be made in memory of a person or event in

your family history. Please join us in adding memories to our garden. You can

call the church office 419-642-2681 for order forms or more information.

The Pastoral Relations Committee with the help of Shalom, would like to have a

carry-in lunch following church on October 16th. This lunch is to show

Pastor Jim our appreciation for him dur-ing Pastor Appreciation Month. Shredded

chicken and pulled pork sandwiches will be provided as well as the drinks. We

would like those that can to join us in fel-lowship and bring a dish to share. We

hope all can attend to help our church celebrate our pastor.

Thanks~Pastoral Relations Committee.

Bill Askins-(567) 204-1072

Tom Evans-(419) 230-6548 Janet Flinn- (419) 236-7748

Willie Metzger-(419) 410-4836 Katie Siefker- (419) 516-7580

Dina Tadena- (419) 812-4711

Saturday, October 1, 2016

5 to 6:30PM At Gomer Congregational Church

7350 Gomer Road Tickets $8

For tickets call 419-642-2681

Dinner includes half a barbecued chicken by Chuffers, green beans, applesauce, roll and butter and homemade cookies

99th ANNUAL GYMANFA GANU SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016

7:00PM GOMER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

7350 Gomer Rd.

Gomer, Ohio

Jay Williams, Director

Amy Larimore Garman, Soloist Nancy Glick, Harpist

The Welsh Museum will be open 5-6:30PM

For more information 419-642-2681

Saturday, October 1, 2016

There will be a Chicken Barbecue from 5 to 6:30pm

For tickets call 419-642-2681

The Providence of God The seed was sown long months ago,

And through the winter’s cold and snow, We trusted that God’s care would bring

The green and tender blade in spring, Which cherished by the sun and rain

Of summer, now has yielded grain

In autumn, when the reaper leaves His cot to cut and bind the sheaves ...

So God’s great mercies thus abound;

His love still brings the seasons round; His blessings fill our happy fields,

And all our land its increase yields: So if we serve him as we should,

Our Lord will give us all things good; And he who doth the ravens feed

Much more will give us all we need! —Author unknown

Current Exp Building July 31 61 $ 876. $20.

Aug. 7 54 $705. $30.

Aug. 14 64 $1855. $50. Aug. 21 44 $ 905. $20.

Amount need weekly to meet out Budget $2058.

The church will be unlocked as follows:

Monday 8:30-5 Tuesday 12-8

Wednesday 8:30-8 Thursday 12-5

Friday 8:30- 5 Saturday upon request

The Stewardship and Missionary Edu-

cation Committee will be collecting food pantry donations on Sunday, September

11. Bring what you can give to the sanc-tuary during the worship service. Items

will be blessed and donated to an area food bank.

Beginning in September the office hours will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday

from 8:30 to 11:30am.

Modern miracles

At the mention of miracles, we often

picture the biblical kind: a dead person brought back to life, a small amount of

food feeding a crowd, sight restored to a blind man. Yet even today we look for

unexpected healings or an earthquake

victim found alive after days amid rub-ble.

But consider someone born with poor eyesight who, thanks to technology, can

work as a professional proofreader or create intricate digital paintings. Consid-

er someone with a prosthetic leg who can run and even win races. Consider

someone who, thanks to a donated heart, kidney or blood, continues to live.

Consider friends in the United States and Europe who can connect in “real time,”

offering support during a crisis. Technology — whose source is the

human brain created by God — makes

possible a new, modern-day type of mir-acle. When used for good, it can over-

come barriers, allowing us to celebrate life and serve one another. Miracles, in-

deed!

“It’s That Time of Season..”

Everyone—Start humming—“It’s that

time of season, it’s that time of year, the ELIDA AFTER SCHOOL YOUTH are here”!

First the fair, then school starts and then—EASY! Plans are underway and ad-

ditional volunteers are being recruited for the 2016-17 EASY (grades 5 and 6) and

EASY 2.0 (grades 7 and 8) programs. We will begin in October and end the last

Wednesday of April. We look forward to some of our first “graduates” returning

as volunteers! Mark your calendars for our Volun-

teer training on September 25, 3:00-

5:00 p.m. Our training will be conducted by Sara Heitmeyer from Crime Victim

Services and will include conflict man-agement and child endangerment signs

as well as updating paperwork for every-one. We hope to see everyone there.

September 11th is our kick-off for Sunday School for all ages here at Gomer CC!

We will have the Blessing of the Back-packs on that day also!

If you would like to formally join The

Gomer Congregational Church member-

ship, please fill out the form below and return to the church office or call the

church office 419-642-2681 or see Pastor Jim. Name ______________________________

Phone ______________________________

Email______________________________

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

1

June Dunlap Michael Clevenger

2

Adam Garman

4 Marty Thomas Travis Watkins

James & Christine Lester

5 Michael Dotson

7

Larry & Deb Stewart

8 Jolene & Tom Brubaker

9

Sydney Evans

10 Dian Ridley

David & Kristine Nusbaum Pam & Bill Askins

12 Seth Tadena

13

Kim Winget Donnabelle Crider

14

Bryan & Keri Evans

16 Carol Sunderland

17

Carolyn Dyke

18 Andy Schimpf Austin Jackson

19

Amy & Adam Garman

20 Nathan Ewing

21

Kim Roethlisberger Richard Williams

23

Matthew Nusbaum

24 Kenzie Christlieb

25

Betty Rager

26 Peg & Dave Walters

27

Mary Jane Vandemark Linda Nichols

28

Oren Long Donald & Darlene Montooth

30

Ryan Stewart Janet Flinn

Penblwydd Hapus i chwi! (Happy Birthday to you in Welsh)

SPECIAL DATES • Labor Day, September 5, 2016

• Patriot Day, September 11, 2016

• National Grandparents Day,

September 11, 2016

• Hispanic Heritage Month, September

15-October 15, 2016

• First day of autumn, September 22,

2016

General Sayings for September

The first snow comes six weeks

after the last thunderstorm in

September.

As September, so the coming

March

If the Harvest Moon comes

without frost, there will be none

until the next full moon.

A foggy autumn, a snowy winter.

As the days grow longer the storms

grow stronger.

Back-to-school humor •Summer is over. Time to

officially remember what day

of the week it is!

•“Labor Day is a glorious

holiday because your child will

be going back to school the

next day. It would have been

called Independence Day, but

that name was already

taken.” (Bill Dodds)

•Receiving new textbooks,

one student to another: “Psst.

How do you turn this thing

on?”

•Parent: “What did you learn

today?” Kindergartner: “Not

enough. I have to go back

tomorrow.”

A time for peace “We must never allow

September 11th to become a

time for protest and division.

Instead, this day must remain

a time for promoting peace

and mutual respect.”

—Archbishop Timothy Dolan

September 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 6:30pm

Coffee & Bible Study at Martha Britt’s

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9am- Sunday School 10:15am- Worship- Baptism

Labor Day 6:30pm- Christian Education meeting 7:30pm- Deacon & Deaconess meeting

7:30pm- Choir 6:30pm Coffee & Bible Study at Martha Britt’s 7:30pm- Shalom meeting

Office Closed

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 9am- Sunday School 10:15am- Worship- Communion 1:30-4pm- Museum open

7pm- Trustee meeting

6:30pm Coffee & Bible Study at Martha Britt’s

9 to Noon Recycling at Uncle Al’s

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 9am- Sunday School 10:15am- Worship-

7pm- Pastoral Relations Committee

7:30pm- Choir 6:30pm Coffee & Bible Study at Martha Britt’s

9:45-1:45pm OACCC Women’s Fellowship meeting here at Gomer CC 11-1pm – Museum open

25 26 27 28 29 30 9am- Sunday School 10:15am- Worship-

7pm- Book Club

7:30pm- Choir 6:30pm Coffee & Bible Study at Martha Britt’s

Get these printable calendars for any dates you need with CalendarsThatWork.com Full Access.

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