Staff and Office Information:

Pastor: Rev. Dr. David Mansfield Residence Phone: 570-336-4934

Office Hours – 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM Ministerial Assistant: Gloria Kremer - (570) 925-1056 Board Moderator: Allen Turner - (570) 925-6052 Church Secretary: Donna Lechleitner Secretary’s Office Hours — Weds 8:00AM - 3:00PM, Thursday & Friday Afternoons

Office Phone: (570) 925-2266 Email: bentoncc@epix.net

Web site: www.bentonchristianchurch.com

If you wish to be removed from the newsletter mailing list please call the Church @ 570-925-2266 or send an email to: bentoncc@epix.net

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Our Service Schedule: Worship Services Sunday School 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM 9:00 AM

Men's Prayer Meeting – Wednesday @ 7:00 PM

The Benton Christian

When I was first learning to drive a car I found

looking in the rear view mirror very confusing. Everything

was backward and I remember my father, who was

teaching me how to drive, yelling at me for looking in the

rear view mirror too much. Well, I soon adjusted to the

rear view and it was no longer disconcerting to me. It was

around that time that they started to fix rear view mirrors

to windshields. This worked fairly well until hot sun or

very cold temps would cause the mirror to fall off. Driving

without a rear view felt awkward until one could buy a

repair kit and glue it back on.

Fortunately for us our rear view mirrors don’t fall off much anymore.

BENTON CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

Third & Church Streets ▪ Benton, PA 17814

Rear

View Mirror

As we begin a New Year it is always useful to do some looking back over the past year. Since I journal

every day in a prayer journal, I spend the first few weeks of January reviewing the past year taking note of God’s faithfulness, reflecting on struggles and taking note of spiritual desires God has placed in my heart.

If you’re not a journal keeper perhaps looking over your old calendar can help to remind you of places you have been and events that happened. Give thanks to

God for the good things you have enjoyed this last year. Also take note of the unfinished things, the desires of

your heart that still hunger for fulfillment. It is a good spiritual habit to spend time looking back. Remembering

is important to our spiritual journey.

There are dangers of looking back too much as my

father would attest. We can get too caught up in the things we have lost and in our longings for the way

things used to be. To forever be looking back leads to a disoriented life if we substitute the past for the present.

A good place to begin is to identify the desires of your heart. The spiritual life is about longings and desires that stir way down deep, underneath the noise,

the activity, the surface of your life. When we give attention to these desires they reveal a spiritual hunger

for a deeper relationship with God. Taking time to acknowledge these desires will open us to a fuller

spiritual life.

So instead of the traditional New Year’s resolution

why don’t we name the deep desires of our hearts and share them with God in prayer. God delights to give us

the desires of our heart, because he is the one who placed those desires there in the first place.

Pastor Dave

February January

Happy Birthday

January February

11 - Jim & Gloria Kremer

14 - David & Carolyn Diehl

23 - Richard & Janet Kriebel

25 - Gahrad & Mary Lou Harvey

6 - John & Alicia Laskowski

6 - Mr & Mrs Michael Gordon

Happy Anniversary

2 - Mary Anne Bardo

4 - Gavin Meigs

9 - Brenda Shultz

- Marcy Bird

10 - Alicia Laskowski

18 - Nicole Gordon

- Cindy Opdyke

25 - Penny Fritz

- Angela McHenry

- Nickolas Wolford

27 - Megan Burt

2 - Aaron Turner

4 - Bill Fricke

9 - Jarrett Bankes

- Kristin Wolford

- Heather Zimmerman

13 - Cindy Kramer

16 - John Hittle

20 - Collin Edson

- Louraine Foote

- Beth McMichael

24 - Donald Rabb

- April Weiss

28 - Garry Ritter

Announcements

Food Bank: The date for January is Tuesday, the 15th at 7:30 A.M. and in February, Tuesday the 19th at 7:30 A.M. at N4C’s.

Hoagie Sale: will end on Sunday, January 13th. Hoagies will be made on January 30th at 2:30 P.M. and must be picked up by 5:00 P.M. Another hoagie sale will begin on Sunday, February 17th and will run through Sunday, March 3rd. Hoagies for the February sale will be made on Wednesday, March 20th at 2:30 P.M. and must be picked up by 5:00 P.M.

Orangeville Nursing Home Visits: is scheduled for February 24th at 2:00 P.M. Help is needed and appreciated!

Officer Installation: will be held on Sunday, January 13th at the 10:00 A.M. Service

Choir Practice: will resume on Tuesday, January 15th 2019 and will be held each Tuesday from 6:00 - 7:00 PM.

Valentine's Dinner: Our annual dinner will be held on Sunday, February 10th 2019

Lent: will begin on Sunday, March 10th. Services will begin that Sunday at 7:00, watch bulletin for locations.

Lenten Small Groups: will begin in March. More information will follow in the weeks ahead.

Daylight Savings: We will "Spring Ahead" on Saturday, March 9th after midnight.

O.A.S.I.S. Ministry Older Adults Sharing in Service

On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 4PM at the Benton Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Fred & Sandy Westover will do a presentation on their experiences they have had through Eight Days of Hope. Eight Days of Hope is a Christian, non-profit organization and they exist to demonstrate the love and hope of Jesus Christ by serving those in need. Fred & Sandy, who were inspired by the Eight Days of Hope and what they did in the Benton area after this year’s flood, have served in two work missions and would like to share their journey with the folks of the community. This presentation is a community event and is open to all individuals. This is a wonderful opportunity to come together to share stories and experiences as a result of the flash flooding that devastated this area during this past August. During the presentation, there will be the opportunity for folks to ask questions of the facilitators. There will be a time of light refreshments in the fellowship hall after the presentation. Should you feel so inclined or would like to show appreciation for what the folks from Eight Days of Hope did for our area, there will be a basket available for donations to this very worthwhile endeavor.

O.A.S.I.S. Ministry Gloria Kremer & Team Members

Elder's Note

Every January God gives us a brand new year full of hopes and dreams. If we have made less than desirable choices in the past, this is our time to make things right. Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” Better still, God is able to give us a brand new life through Christ Jesus. In this new life, old things pass away and everything becomes new. We are at the beginning of a new year and a popular topic folks like to talk about is time. There is never enough time to accomplish our daily tasks, never enough time to spend with loved ones, time will not stand still and time waits for no one. As we look into 2019 we see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.

A New Year & A New You

Elders ~ Kevin Schlichter & Gloria Kremer Greeters ~ Shirley McHenry Children's Sermonette ~ TBA Nursery Attendant ~ Kevin & Heather Zimmerman

Worship Service Participants Schedule for

February*10:00 A M Service

~ February Diaconate ~

Gayle Boudman, John McMichael, Dan Conner, Mary Ann Bankes

February 10

Elders ~ Gloria Kremer & Cathy Mansfield Greeters ~ Kim, Rachel & Emily Notestine Children's Sermonette ~ TBA Nursery Attendant ~ Grace Swigart

February 3

Elders ~ Garry Ritter & Kevin Schlichter Greeters ~ The Millers Children's Sermonette ~ TBA Nursery Attendant ~ Faith Schlichter

Elders ~ Cathy Mansfield & Garry Ritter Greeters ~ Grace Swigart Children's Sermonette ~ TBA Nursery Attendant ~ Natalie Wilson

February 17

February 24

February

January 13

Worship Service Participants Schedule for

January*10:00 A M Service

~ January Diaconate ~

Kevin Zimmerman Gerald McMichael, Carol Remphrey, Derl Remphrey,

Elders ~ Janet Kriebel & Kevin Schlichter Greeters ~ Ron & Cheryl Kelsey Children's Sermonette ~ TBA Nursery Attendant ~ Grace Swigart

January 6

Elders ~ Cathy Mansfield & Janet Kriebel Greeters ~ Natalie Wilson Children's Sermonette ~ TBA Nursery Attendant ~ Faith Schlichter

Elders ~ Kevin Schlichter & Garry Ritter Greeters ~ Gayle Boudman Children's Sermonette ~ TBA Nursery Attendant ~ Natalie Wilson

Elders ~ Garry Ritter & Gloria Kremer Greeters ~ Dick & Cindy Opdyke Children's Sermonette ~ TBA Nursery Attendant ~ Kevin & Heather Zimmerman

January 20

January 27

January

The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Everyone has the same twenty-four hours every day. Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on. And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it. Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God. The New Year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?

Gloria Kremer, Elder

CHRISTIAN WOMEN'S MINISTRY

NOVEMBER 8, 2018 ~ The Christian Women's Ministry (CWM) met on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 12:00 pm in the church social hall with 10 ladies present. Betty Lewis gave the blessing before lunch. Co-President Peggy Follmer opened the meeting by us all repeating the Ladies opening prayer. Prayer requests were asked for and uplifted. The Bible Study by Betty Lewis was miracles Jesus performed for women. The Secretary report was read. Treasurer report was given by Nancy.

Old Business - Soup cook off was October 13, 2018 with 13 soups. It wet well and was enjoyed by all. We will do the cook-off again next year.

New Business - Winterfest will be held here Saturday, December 1st. Our Christmas party for all church ladies will be Saturday, December 8th from 1:00 - 3:00 P.M. We will supply a meat tray and drinks. Please bring a wrapped $5.00 gift for the auction. Please bring a covered dish to share.

Next meeting is December 6th, 2018 at 12:00 P.M. at the church social hall. We will decorate for the Christmas party. We closed the meeting with out Benediction. Those attending were Zane Umbewust, Nancy McClure, Shirley McHenry, Jessie Whitenight, Peggy Follmer, Betty Lewis, Judy Bankert, Gloria Kremer, Nancy Musselman and Mary Travelpiece. DECEMBER 6, 2018 ~ The Christian Women's Ministry (CWM) met on Thursday, December 6, 2018 at 12:00 pm at the church for a short meeting and to set up for the Christmas party on Saturday. There were 8 ladies present. Betty Lewis gave the blessing. Co President Peggy Follmer opened our meeting. No Bible Study today. The Secretary read Novembers minutes and Nancy McClure gave the treasurers report.

Old Business - Cook books are in. 200 books for 718.39. We will all be selling. Wendy's sent a check from October 31st for $119.00. Money was deposited from Cook Off. Our treasury balance is $1,913.49.

New Business - No meeting in January & February. We decorated for Saturday. We had 13 people in attendance. Shirley McHenry auctioned off our $5.00 gifts. We made $65.00. A good time was had by all. It was decided to give Mark Follmer a check for $100.00 and Mary Jane Samsel a check for $50.00. They have both had serious hospital stays.

We ended with Benediction. Those attending were Gloria Kremer, Judy Bankert, Shirley McHenry, Nancy Musselman, Nancy McClure, Peggy Follmer, Betty Lewis and Mary Travelpiece. Next meeting will be Thursday, March 14, 2019 with Jessie Whitenight as hostess, bring Lunch. Respectfully Submitted, Mary Travelpiece

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FUND UPDATE

Capital Campaign Fund Monthly Report ~ November 2018

Checking $194.42

Date Check # Paid to: Deposit Amount Balance

Savings $27,879.83 Withdrawls Deposits 6-Nov $354.00 13-Nov $510.00 15-Nov $1,123.00 19-Nov $990.00 19-Nov $2,752.07 26-Nov $767.00 30-Nov $500.00 30-Nov $0.70 $29,372.46

Capital Campaign Fund Monthly Report ~ December 2018

Checking $194.42

Date Check # Paid to: Deposit Amount Balance

Savings $29,372.46 Withdrawls Deposits 3-Dec $915.00 9-Dec $532.00 17-Dec $388.00 19-Dec $2,752.07 $28,455.39