Shenkel United
Church of Christ
SHARINGS AND CONCERNS
May 2014
SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
1580 Shenkel Road
Pottstown PA 19465
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Shenkel United Church of Christ’s “The NEWSLETTER” is a monthly publication prepared, edited, and mailed by the leadership and staff to all members and friends of the church. It communicates news about our life, purpose, and mission as a Church of Jesus Christ. Information related to our partnership as a member of the United Church of Christ and wider church/community out-reach is included on a regular basis. The Church is located at Unionville & Shenkel Roads in North Coventry Township.
May 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Community Lunch Bunch 11:30 AM
2 3
4 Communion Choir practice after late worship Spring Inquirer’s Class: after 10;45 worship
5 6
Church Office Closed
7
Church Office Closed
Agape: 7 PM
8
Church Office Closed
9 10
Celebration of Mothers in So-cial Hall
11
Choir practice after late worship
12 13
Quilters: 9:30 AM Consistory: 7 PM
14
15
Card Making Classs: 10 AM Stewardship Meeting: 7 PM
16
May Friendship Day: St. Paul’s UCC at 6 PM
17
18
Healing Prayers
Youth Group Bake Sale
Choir practice after late worship
Coventry Woods Festival 1—5 PM
19 20
Mid-Day Dinner Club: Greshville Hotel at noon
21 22 23 24
25
Memorial Service in the cemetery: 9:30 AM
Choir practice after late wor-ship
26
27
Quilters: 9:30 AM
28 29 30 31
PSEC Spring Meeting
1580 Shenkel Road, Pottstown PA 19465 610.326.3535
Email: [email protected] www.shenkelucc.org
PAGE 3
The Pastor’s Pen Pastor Bonnie L. Moore
484.524.8280
Office Hours:
Tues., Wed., Thurs.
9 AM to 1 PM
CONSISTORY
OFFICERS
President
Lynne Moyer
Vice President
Chris Gray
Secretary
Bill Faust
Treasurer
Ken Bevan
Financial Secretary
Chris Gray
Assistant Financial
Secretaries
Doug Allen
Judy Embriani
Director of
Music Ministry
Kaitlyn Waterson
Elders
Sherri Mocarski
Bill Faust
Chris Gray
Rick Viti
Deacons
Lynne Moyer
Aaron Gray
Andrew Foss
Ann Hartzell
Newsletter Editor: Judy Embriani Assistant Editors: Bill Baseley, Erika Augustine and Carol Lykens
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,
will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
- Luke 6:38
As we have seen our operating budget deficit (the B.I.T.E! Appeal) and the balance due on our
stained glass window restoration project decrease over the past several months (we’re down to
$8,388 and $945.75 respectively), we have also seen giving to this year’s operating budget increase
– God is good! Thanks to everyone who has been giving prayerful consideration to how they can
best support the mission and ministry of Shenkel UCC, we have much to celebrate, as you will see
as you read through this month’s newsletter.
It’s always good to reflect about stewardship. Since Old Testament times, money and personal fi-
nance have been directly linked to one’s identity as a child of God. Giving of one’s time, talent and
financial resources has always been understood as an integral part of a healthy spiritual life.
A colleague recently shared a book with me which includes a chapter called “How to Pass the
Plate.” The Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ1, edited by Quinn Caldwell and
Curtis J. Preston, is often tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also pretty down to earth. I think some of the
ideas included in this chapter about “passing the plate” are worth repeating:
1. Stop digging in your wallet and pay attention to what’s said about the offering. No pastor
worth her or his salt will just stand up and say, “We will now receive an offering.” They will likely
also say some words designed to help you think about what you’re doing. Resist the temptation to
start going for the cash until after you’ve heard and digested this.
2. Pray. Before deciding on an amount, ask God to show you how much to give today.
3. Avoid watching your neighbor or making judgments about his or her offering. Many peo-
ple contribute once a month by mail and some by automatic withdrawal from a bank account.
[Note: we do have that option at Shenkel – call the church office if you want to learn more!] If your
neighbor passes the plate to you without placing an envelope, check, or cash in it, do not assume
they didn’t contribute.
Place your offering in the plate as you pass it politely to the next person. Do not attempt to
make change from the plate if your offering is in cash. Avoid letting the plate rest in your lap as you
finish writing a check. Simply pass it on and hand your check to an usher as you leave at the end of
worship.
Jesus also said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34) Where do
you want your heart to end up?
Be God’s,
Pastor Bonnie
_______
1 Quinn Caldwell and Curtis J. Preston, The Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ.Cleveland:
United Church Press, 2011.
SHENKEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST PAGE 4
5/4th
Carol Stubbe
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
8:30 : Bill Faust
10:45: Tootie Hine
8:30 CUL:
Lynne Moyer
10:45 CUL:
Chris Gray
5/11th
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
8:30: Lori Scharneck
10:45: Cameron
Dushanko
8:30 : Lori & Mor-
gan Scharneck
10:45: Sherri and
Mark Dushanko
5/18th
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
8:30: Carol Pearson
10:45: Faye Pedrick
8:30: Ron & Carol
Pearson
10:45: Ed & Faye
Pedrick
5/25th
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
NEED SPONSOR
8:30: Chris Gray
10:45: Ben Mocarski
8:30: Judy Gergle
and Carol Stubbe
10:45: Sherri and
Ben Mocarski
“Flours” is a collection of pantry items or a monetary donation of
your discretion to the Cluster. If a cash donation to the Cluster is
made, a wheat arrangement will be placed on the altar. Altar
flowers are $30.00 and bulletin dedications are $6.50. Food Sculp-
tures are also gladly accepted.
You can also dedicate a Choir Anthem with a donation of
$30. With ever-increasing costs of choral music, this sponsorship
will help stretch our budget and continue to bring quality music
to Shenkel. Dedicate your anthem to someone special, an event in
your life, or just to the fact that you love music. Thank you for
this needed contribution to Shenkel. Blue envelopes are in the
Narthex for your sponsorships.
There are many dates open for sponsorship and dedication during
this and the upcoming months. Please complete one of the special
flower/bulletin/anthem envelopes below the sign-up chart, enclose
your payment, and either put it in the collection plate or in the Sec-
retary’s box by the office door. You should sign your name on the
chart in the narthex by the appropriate date after you have com-
pleted your envelope.
HOLY
COMMUNION
Shenkel UCC celebrates the
sacrament of Holy Commun-
ion at both services on the first
Sunday of each month.
Each time communion is served, some of the
bread and non-alcoholic wine that has been con-
secrated at the altar will be saved in a traveling
communion kit, ready to go to the homes or
hospital rooms of members who were unable to
be present, and would like to receive the sacra-
ment. Please let Pastor Bonnie know if you, or
someone you know, would appreciate “distance-
communing” with their Shenkel Church family!
April Consistory Highlights…
Approved $250 per youth and chaperone attending the UCC
Regional Youth Event from the Program, Mission and Service
Fund
Approved two fundraisers (Bake Sale 5/18 and Car Wash 6/1) proposed by youth attending the UCC
RYE
Learned who the new officers of the Board of Christian Education are: Erika Augustine, President;
Lara Faust, Vice-President; Sherri Dushanko, Secretary
Heard a recommendation by the PRC that $750 be set aside annually beginning in 2015 to pay for a
part time sabbatical pastor during the next sabbatical time
Approved up to $100 from the Music Fund to create a Shenkel Songbook to have available for sum-
mer worship
Appointed Chris Gary and Lynne Moyer to serve as Shenkel’s delegates to the Ursinus Association
Meeting
Appointed Lynne Moyer and Ann Hartzell to serve as Shenkel’s delegates at the PSEC Spring Meeting
Complete copies of Consistory Minutes are available from the church office upon request.
ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS…. PAGE 5
DO YOU HAVE NEWS FOR
THE BULLETIN OR THE
NEWSLETTER? Just a reminder that all bulletin an-
nouncements should be at the church
office by each Tuesday at noon to be in-
cluded in that week’s bulletin. Newslet-
ter articles must be submitted by the
15th of each month to be included in the
next issue.
SAVE-A-TAPE
PROGRAM
This is the easiest
way to help our
church financially.
Just ask for a Save-A-
Tape card at the customer service spot at your local
Redner’s store. Show your card at the register when
you check out, then bring your register tapes to church
and deposit them in the box in the Narthex. These
tapes are collected routinely, presented to the store,
and Redner’s donates a percentage of your total pur-
chase to the church.
Be careful to bring your tapes in regularly instead of
saving them at home, as they do expire if not re-
deemed within a certain time period. Also, please re-
turn the entire register tape. Redner’s will not accept
any register receipt that has any part of it removed.
In April, we received a check at the office from
Redner's, in the amount of $208.60! WOW! Keep
those register tapes coming!
RECYCLING REMINDER….
We still accept aluminum cans at
the church for recycling. Please
continue to recycle your plastic
bottles and other recyclables at home.
PAGE 6 FOR YOUR INFORMATION….
CAMPING
OPPORTUNITIES With the closing of Mensch Mill, the Penn Central Conference,
United Church of Christ, has graciously offered us the program
at Hartman Center Camp, Conference and Retreat Center as a
way to keep lifting up the importance of outdoor ministry for us
here at Shenkel. The Hartman Center offers weekly camping
sessions from June 15th through August 2nd with a variety of
specialty camps. They also offer discounted pricing for early
bird registration ($50 off camp fee if registered by April 1st.)
Please visit www.hartmancenter.com to check it out. Bro-
chures and registration forms are available at the church office.
And as always, Shenkel will reimburse campers from Shenkel
50% of the registration fee from our Campership Fund.
COMING UP….
6th Annual COVENTRY
WOODS FESTIVAL at CAMP FERNBROOK
Sunday, May 18, 2014 from 1:00 — 5:00 PM
North Coventry Township will be hosting the 6th An-
nual Coventry Woods Festival on Sunday, May 18th
from 1-5 PM at the Fernbrook Access of Coventry
Woods, 1954 St. Peters Road, North Coventry. This
festival is designed to recognize and celebrate North
Coventry Township as a healthy community and
healthy lands. The event will include food, music ,
community dIsplays, games and the 6th annual Fern-
brook Derby Goat Race. Come, enjoy a Spring day at
Camp Fernbrook. Shenkel UCC will
have a table at the festival to spread
the word about our church. We need
volunteers to man the table for 1 hour
shifts. Please call the church office at
610-326-3721 if you can help.
SAVE THE DATE Friday, August 22, 2014
Reading Fightin Phils vs. Erie Seawolves
Game Time: 7:05 PM
Keep this date open to help Shenkel cheer
on our Reading Phillies. As usual, we will have bus transporta-
tion provided, leaving the church at 5:15 PM. We have 25
seats reserved and the ticket price is $10. Please sign-up on
the sheet in the narthex. See Barb Burhans with any ques-
tions.
Hello Shenkel Families,
As a registered nurse, one of the greatest
needs in regards to healthcare is prevention.
Currently I have been at The Reading Hospital
for almost three years now, working the week-
ends. Something new they are implementing is
personal goals that meet the organization’s pil-
lars of excellence in providing care to the com-
munity. I have chosen to assist the Pottstown
Senior Center with collecting seventy-five
toothbrushes and/or toothpastes by the end of May. If anyone
is interested in helping out with this, it would be greatly appre-
ciated. There will be a collection basket located in the Narthex
now until the end of May.
Thank you so much!!!
Stephanie Viti
Summer Camp 2014 At New Goshenhoppen
Park
Offering children and youth a
place to enjoy the outdoors and
learn about God's Love. Experi-
ence God’s world with our outdoor day and
overnight camping opportunities!
In addition to 2 weeks of Kids Day Camp,
we’re offering new programs that include
themed weeks for children and teens, Grand-
parents Weekend, and a Bicycle Camp led by
Reverend Allen Kramer-Moyer. Our camps are
open to all area children, youth, and adults!
You can visit New Goshenhoppen’s website
at www.newgoshucc.org and follow the link for
camping to see details and rates for the different
camp programs. Please note: If you register by
May 31st, you will receive the Early Bird Discount,
Chelsea Cornwell will again be organizing and
running our summer programs and events.
Email her at [email protected] with any
questions you may have. And as always, Shen-
kel will reimburse campers from Shenkel 50% of
the registration fee from our Campership Fund.
SHENKEL LOVES TO GIVE….
REMEMBER
TOO…. The Pottstown Cluster
Food Bank collection at Shenkel is the 1st Sunday of
each month. Please place your items in the large plas-
tic bins in the narthex.
AND...Please bring in your used cell
phones and empty ink car-
tridges and place them in
the box across from the nursery, or in the
box located on the coat rack shelf across
from the office. The cartridges are recycled to Staples,
and the church receives credits toward the purchase of
office supplies. The used cell phones are given to the
police department to be distributed to abused women.
Pottstown Cluster News
May 2014 The Cluster welcomes all cash, food
and clothing donations between the
hours of 8:30 am to 12:00 pm on
Monday through Friday. We are
located at 57 North Franklin Street
in Pottstown. Please come to the
back door off the alley. Parking
spaces at the rear of the building
are reserved for people dropping off donations.
Pantry Oatmeal, juice, jelly , boxed potatoes, canned fruit, canned
soup or stew, spaghetti sauce, dry cereal, soy baby formula,
gentle baby formula.
Please contact Sherrie at 610-970-5995 for more informa-
tion
Dry Goods Spring/Summer clothing; please be sure they are clean,
no tears and dated
Sheets and Blankets (cleaned)
Pots and Pans
Small Appliances
Toiletries: toothpaste, soap/bodywash, deodorants,
shampoo/cream rinse
Cleaning Products: Clothes detergent, dish detergent,
toilet cleaners, multi-purpose cleaners (Mr. Clean or
Spic/Span
Diapers: Sizes 3, 4, 5 ONLY
Please contact Ashley or Kelli at 610-970-5995 for more
information.
PAGE 7
B.I.T.E! B.I.T.E! APPEAL UPDATE
No new guesses were received since
April 13th, and the prize remains un-
claimed. As of April 23rd, we only have
$8,388 to go! We’re on the home-
stretch....and we have two months to go! Thanks, eve-
ryone, for your guesses, and for your contributions to
eliminate our operating budget debt
Mail, email or call the church office with your guesses
or drop them in the offering plate on Sunday – there is
no limit to the number of guesses you may submit!
NEW ACRONYM: Y.E.A.R.T.G. - T.Y!
YTD Current Fund O.C.W.M
Actual 33,683.92 2,913.00
Budget 38,937.44 2,750.00
Over/
Under
(5,253.52)
163.00
During the month of May,
we will be accepting offer-
ings for the Help Fund.
The Help Fund provides confidential financial
assistance for people in times of crisis. Please
be as generous as you can.
Thank you.
The In-town Mission Week, organized by Trinity
UCC will be July 24 to 29 this year. Local work sites are
needed - painting, yard work, cleaning out, etc. Contact
Pastor Bonnie if you have a pro-
ject a group of young people can
help you with!
AS OF
MARCH 31, 2014
BULLETIN BOARD…. PAGE 8
Mid-Day Dinner Club
Shenkel's Mid-day Dinner Club meets at 12 noon on
the third Tuesday of each month – and you’re invited
to join us! The next meeting date is Tuesday, May
20th and we’ll be eating at Greshville Hotel in Boyer-
town.
Mid-day Dinner Club is open to
young-at-heart adults of any age
who enjoy eating out and would
like to get to know other Shenkel
members a little better. Call the
church office if you’re able to join us!
SHENKEL QUILTERS
The Shenkel Quilters will meet in May
on Tuesday the 13th and the 27nd at
9:30 AM in the Church Social Hall. I
can't believe it is almost May! It certainly was a
loooong winter! Happy Spring everyone!
Margie Allen
COME ONE, COME ALL….
FOR: Lunch,* fellowship and an interesting program.
You won't want to miss our May event. Debbie Bessert
will be here to talk about the famous Will Rogers. Wil-
liam Penn Adair "Will" Rogers was an American cowboy,
vaudeville performer, humorist, social commentator and
motion picture actor. He was one of the world's best-
known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s. This will be a
fascinating program.
WHEN: Thursday, May 1, 2014
from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Shenkel UCC’s Fellowship Hall
1580 Shenkel Rd
Pottstown, PA 19465
*All participants are asked to contribute $6.50 to cover the cost of the lunch and the program. Please sign up on the sheet in the narthex, or call the Shenkel UCC church
office at 610-326-3535 by the Monday prior to the pro-gram to reserve your spot.
COMMUNITY
LUNCH BUNCH
May 1, 2014
CARD MAKING CLASS
The card making class meets
on the third Thursday of each
month at 10 AM. The cost of
the class is $8.00 which will
provide all participants with
three beautiful cards.
In May, the meeting date will be May 15th. To
insure there will be enough materials prepared
for everyone, please call Connie Armbruster at
610-326-6516 if you plan to attend.
Hope to see you on May 15th!
Upcoming Fellowship Events:
May 10 – Mark your calendars for
a “Celebration of Mothers” to be
held in the Social Hall – more infor-
mation to follow in the bulletin.
June 1 – All Church Picnic will
be starting after the late service.
We will have Jerry’s Chicken and you
bring the rest of the fixings, games
and a fun afternoon will round out
the day.
July – Brings outdoor worship and
refreshments after the services. We
will put up a sign up chart in the
Narthex starting in June.
Also, July 20 will be the Ice
Cream Sundae Social which will
be held after the service.
Any questions, call Louise Hine at 610-385-3716.
PAGE 9
STEWARD’S CORNER
IT'S SPRING! The flowers are blooming! The birds are singing and so are the people in the
church choir!
I happened to be under the pews in the back of the church one day when the choir was prac-
ticing with that nice young lady named Susan who plays the piano and the organ for us (and
she was directing the choir for us back then too.) I love to hear them sing.
The day they were practicing for was something called "Holy Humor Sunday,” which was held on Sunday,
April 27th. It was interesting to hear some of the music for that day. There also was a special "out of this
world" guest that joined them. I hope you didn’t miss it! Anyone who came even got to share their own
jokes! It was fun! And a great way to celebrate resurrection joy!
Happy Me,
STEWARD
Healing prayers are offered
on the third Sunday of each
month at both services of
worship.
The Prayer Chain list is continually be-
ing updated. Request for prayers should
be placed in the prayer box in the Nar-
thex, or get in touch with any member of
the Wholeness Committee. If anyone
has a special prayer request, or is inter-
ested in ministering on the Prayer
Chain, please contact Freda Wan-
ner. Prayer requests will be carried for
one month.
Members of the Whole-
ness Committee are
Ann Baccari, Ted Gray,
Tootie and Louise Hine,
June Hartung, Carol
Stubbe and Freda Wan-
ner.
MAY FRIENDSHIP DAY
The celebration of May Friendship Day will be held at
St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Grace and Franklin
Streets on Friday, May 16th at 6 pm. This ecumenical
service is sponsored by Pottstown Church Women
United. The theme will be "We are in God's hands and
we are God's hands" - "Through God Our Hands Can Serve".
The Fellowship of the Least Coin will be celebrated. Coins that have
been collected throughout the year by various individuals and groups
within the churches represented are collected and dedicated for use as
grants given by the International Fellowship of the Least Coin.
Refreshments will be served and all are invited to attend.
AGAPE
Wednesday, May 7th at 7 PM
The next Agape meeting is planned for May 7th at the church in the Agape room (downstairs near the nursery) and we are hoping to see some new faces! We will be discussing the future of this group, and if we have interest in doing more discussion type meetings (The Upper Room publication has group discussion topics) or any other
ideas to help revitalize our prayer group and continue our spiritual growth. Please feel free to join us!
Adult Sunday School meets every Sunday morning at 9:30
AM in the social hall. All are welcome to attend!
May 4th — "Reflections from Jordan"
Leader: Susan Royer
May 11th -- Mother's Day -- "Adoption"
Leader: Jennie Hauze
May 18th — TBA
May 25th — TBA
PAGE 10
Spring Inquirer’s Class
Would you like to learn more about the theol-
ogy, mission and ministry of the United Church
of Christ and of Shenkel UCC? Join us for a
one day Inquirer’s Class on Sunday, May 4,
following 10:45 service of worship. You are
welcome at this session whether you are a long
-time member of Shenkel, or are considering
becoming a member. Membership is an op-
tion, but not a requirement, for those who at-
tend. Please contact the church office at 610-
326-3535 or [email protected] to register.
Childcare may be available upon request.
It is with much pleasure the Search Committee is very happy to an-
nounce that a Director of Music/Choir Director has been approved by
Consistory and this candidate enthusiastically accepts our offer.
Kaitlyn Waterson graduated from West Chester University with a
Bachelor Degree in vocal performance and music education a year
ago. Kaitlyn not only brings her music directing talents to Shenkel but
we are hopeful she will be sharing her beautiful voice with us.
Kaitlyn is a candidate that stood out with this committee from the first
interview with her as a good match for Shenkel. Kaitlyn has ambition,
drive and desire to revitalize the music program at Shenkel. Not only
do we feel she is a wonderful match for our choirs (adult, youth and
children’s choirs) but with Susan Royer, who will continue as organist.
Kaitlyn is very excited about restarting our children’s choirs – a youth
choir and a choir for children from Kindergarten through 6th grade.
She also has offered to direct our chime choir.
Kaitlyn will begin her duties in May. During the month of May, choir
rehearsals will remain on Sundays following our 10:45 service as this
schedule works best for both Kaitlyn and Susan. However, rehearsals
will go back to an evening rehearsal once choir begins again in the
Fall.
This committee is so excited to welcome Kaitlyn
and we sincerely thank Susan Royer for agree-
ing to stay on as our organist.
Linda Foss, Chairperson, Brenda Berriker
and Lara Faust
Memorial Day Observance
On Sunday, May 25, we will
gather at 9:30 a.m. in the
cemetery for a brief (10-15
minute) service of prayer to
remember and honor those
who have served our coun-
try and protected our free-
dom. Join us!
MORE INFORMATION….
Healing Retreat: Resolving Grief and Resentment,
led by Dr. Rob Voyle, Saturday,
June 14, 2014, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm at
Shenkel UCC, 1580 Shenkel Road,
Pottstown, PA.
Are you strug-
gling from an
inability to free
yourself from
resentment,
overwhelming grief, or shame and
self-criticism? This retreat is for
you! Cost: $55 (includes lunch) To
register, go to http://
www.clergyleadership.com/
training/schedule.cfm. For addi-
tional information contact Rev.
Bonnie Moore at 610-326-3535.
VACATION ASSIGNMENT….
Will you be heading to an ocean, lake or
other body of water any time this summer?
If so, please collect a small amount of water
(no more than a couple of ounces) and label
it with your name, the date it was collected,
and where it was collected.
Keep it in a safe place – we’ll be doing
something special will all our water samples
in September!
Support Our Youth!! To raise funds for their participation in the UCC’s Regional Youth Event being held this July 9-13 at Susquehanna Uni-versity in Selinsgrove PA, Shenkel’s youth will be holding a Bake Sale on Sunday, May 18. You can help by purchasing something yummy that day fol-lowing either worship service. (If you’d like to con-tribute a baked good to their sale, please contact Pastor Bonnie!)
Then, on Sunday, June 1, during the all-church picnic which will follow the 10:45 service of worship, the youth will be washing cars. Plan to have them wash
off the last bits of salt and grime from winter for you – they will make your car shine!
Practicing Compassion and
Forgiveness in an Angry World
We all know that Jesus regularly
exhorted his followers to forgive,
but if he ever taught them ex-
actly how they were to do that,
that information (unfortunately)
did not get recorded in the Bible.
During worship in May, we will be exploring forgive-
ness as a response to the love and forgiveness
God shared with us in resurrection of the One who
challenged us to forgive “seventy-seven” times.
Join us!
Sunday, May 4: Matthew 5:43-45 – Living in the
Reality of Unconditional Love
Sunday, May 11: Psalm 139 – Finding the
Golden Thread of Life
Sunday, May 18: Matthew 18:18-22 –
Discovering How to Forgive
What in God’s Name is Going on at Shenkel UCC?
On Sunday, June 8, we will engage in an all-church Appreciative Inquiry Summit, sharing stories in or-
der to discern the core values of Shenkel UCC and (hopefully) create a shared, provocative purpose
statement that will bridge the past and present with the future, and provide a touchstone for our fu-
ture ministry planning.
The Summit, led by the Rev. Deborah Winters and Pastor Bonnie, will begin during the 9:30 service of worship. Al-
though those who need to may leave at the end of worship, I hope that most of you will plan to stay to continue with this
exciting process. I am anticipating some great conversations, and by the grace of God, some wonderful insights! Lunch
will be served, and childcare will be available (although older children will participate in the Summit). The event will con-
clude at 1:30 p.m.
There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex – if you don’t sign up, expect a phone call asking if you can attend. Your
stories, your opinions and your hopes for Shenkel UCC will be a valuable part of this process!
God’s Precious Children
Have you been wondering how Pastor Deb’s trip to
Liberia in January went? On Sunday, August 10,
she and her husband Gary will be at Shenkel to
tell us first hand, and to deliver letters that chil-
dren we sponsored may have written to us! That
day you will have an opportunity to continue your
child’s sponsorship if you would like to, and there will be new students
available for anyone who would like to sponsor and was not able to do
so last year.
As Gary wrote in his April update to us, “Always remember the reason.
The benefit from our efforts paying tuition would be temporal and futile
if it was not for the fact that we explain to each student and family that
it is the love of Jesus Christ that motivates sponsors to pay their school
tuition; and that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their life. Praise
God!”
You can always check their website, www.godspreciouschildren.com, if
you want to know more before August 10th!
COMING UP AT SHENKEL UCC…. PAGE 11
05/02 GALE, GAIL MUNION
05/02 DEVINE, JOSHUA
05/03 Ellis, Kay
05/03 Martin, Robin
05/04 ZOGHEIB, KAREN METKA
05/06 Lykens, Carol
05/06 Painter, Rebecca
05/06 Rice, Nate
05/07 Trego, Emily
05/08 O'Drain, Connor
05/09 Sweinhart, Jody
05/10 Miller, Brooke
05/11 Baker, Keith
05/12 Scharneck, Matthew
05/12 Graef, Ethan
05/13 Kulp, Michael
05/13 BAILEY, STEPHANIE
05/17 Burkhardt, Bette
05/17 GALE, KENNETH L.
05/19 LLOYD, KATHY
05/19 Scanlan, Katie
05/20 Derman, Lynn
05/20 GUNDRUM, GWEN
05/20 Craner, Michaela
05/21 Berriker, Randy
05/21 Hauze, Christina
05/23 Mocarski, Bob
05/23 Shenk, Nina
05/24 Andrien, Ruth
05/29 Foss, Andrew
SHARING WITH OUR CHURCH FAMILY AND FRIENDS…. PAGE 12
During the month of May, Shenkel will be praying for these randomly selected members and friends of our congregation:
5/4 Josh Palubinsky
Carol and Ron Pearson
Linda and John Jonides
Stacey, Bill, Lilly
and Aurora Keim
Katie and Ed Scanlan and Jacob and Liza Eames
5/11 Ariel Royer
Peg and Dan Moser
Matthew Scharneck
Eric Klein
Dawn and Joseph Yannick
5/18 Vicki, Noah, Ethan and Dylan Scharneck
Sue and Gary Stultz
Olivia Dushanko
Betsy and Ken Bevan
Tami and David Bade
5/25 Judith Andrien
Betty and Forrest Kreiger
Alicia and Mike Kline
Robin, David and Timothy Klein
Sandra Weller
Congratulations,
Quest!
Remember this sweet little
guy? Well, he is now a full-
fledged Seeing Eye dog.
He and his blind person
are living a full and produc-
tive life in Ohio. All reports
have been extremely positive and we wish both his
owner and Quest a long and happy partnership.