VOLUME 34 ISSUE 5

Missions Articles 2-3

Helpers/Birthdays

Anniversaries

4

Church Calendar 5

General Information 6-9

Back Page 10

MAY 2018

Inside this issue:

the Akron View

Church Office Hours

Pastor Tom Weber: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm Monday thru Friday Associate Pastor Chris Reinford 8:00 am - 3:00 pm Monday - Thursday Admin. Bonnie Hookey 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Monday - Friday

OFFICE PHONE 717-859-2156

Web Site:

www.akronpacob.org

Pastor’s Page

On May 20th we will celebrate Pentecost; the coming of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of God that infects the believers of Jesus Christ to bring glory to God. He entered into the disciples and all who be-lieve after Jesus ascended into heaven and has entered into the lives of all believ-ers ever since. Did you ever wonder: "How did we get from a few people gathered at an empty tomb to the church that is today around the world?" When you consider the rag-tag team of followers that Jesus assembled to carry on his mission once he ascended into heaven, it does make you scratch your head. I do not know if these guys would have been someone you would have asked to be on the Board of a Fortune 500 Company, not even a Fortune 5000 Company. These people were going to go and build on what Jesus started, and it was going to go global and last for over 2000 years, and they did not even have Facebook! There is only one way this unlikely band of folks could have changed the world as they did. And that is if God himself empowered these frightened, awk-ward, confused and reluctant people into strong, unintimidated prophets of God. Instead of feeling abandoned, the followers of Jesus had the presence of the Holy Spirit poured upon them empowering them, transforming them so that they could set out to change the world as God commanded. It may seem absolutely bizarre that the likes of Peter, James and John, and their friends went about changing the world for the purpose of Jesus Christ. But, yet, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they understood more than ever what it meant to love Jesus with such a love that they would risk their lives. But also to love one another, beyond pettiness and competitiveness, for the sake of the message of Jesus. And to love the stranger enough to tell them about Jesus, even if that stranger may attack them. In this world where we study our ancestry, to think how they shared the Word of Jesus into the world, that the joy of salvation would fall on your ear and into your heart. We can look at some of the activities of the early followers of Christ and

be amazed at what they were able to do. But to realize that the same transforming

power that infected those first believers is the same power that is calling us today,

to be about the ministry of Jesus Christ. It is calling us to be the church! Receive

the Holy Spirit ~ be a world changer for GOD.

Page 2

MISSIONS

Monthly Food Bank

During the month of March, we collected 16 boxes of cereal, 22 rolls of paper towels, 4 boxes of pancake mix and 7 con-tainers of detergent which were delivered to the Ephrata Area So-cial Services. During the month of May,

we will be collecting spaghetti

sauce and pasta, diapers and bars

of soap. They can be brought to

the church any time during the

month of May. There is a gray,

plastic tub in the Gathering Area

underneath the mailboxes for do-

nated food items and a plastic box

for bar soap to be given to the

Ephrata Area Social Services.

As of April 22, 2018, we have re-ceived $111,483 in offerings. Our

budget for 2018 is: $339,900

National Day of Prayer

Thursday, May 3

Info: 717-284-4123; www.lancasterndp.com

Youth Edition, May 2, WJTL Landis Hall

Celebration of Prayer, May 3, Lititz Spring Park, 6—8 pm

Community Prayer Gatherings, May 3

visit: lancasterndp.com for a location near you

Thank you to the congregation so much for the prayers and encouragement and the donations on our recent

mission trip to Haiti. During our trip, we stayed at a mission called Life Connections in Montrous. There

was a team of 9 people serving in missions. While there, we were able to preach at the Sunday service,

teach during the week at the school, we fed people at a homeless shelter and a community of elderly wom-

en. We also assisted in some roofing work and in building a hydroponic garden for an orphanage, and a

few team members worked at a health clinic. We also delivered clothes to two orphanages as well as a

community of people in the town. It was a busy week. The money that was given by the church for the

mission was used to buy the material to build a kitchen for an orphanage or to purchase food for those in

need. It is never used for any personal expenses. We look forward to seeing more of what God is doing in

Haiti, and we pray dearly for the people there. Again, thank you for the opportunity--Tom and Sandy

Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services Walk Run for Life

Saturday, May 12

Lancaster ~ Calvary Church; Lebanon ~ South Hills Park

Online registration: bit.ly/SVPSWalk2018

Information: 717-274-5128 ext. 315

heather@svps.org; www.svps.org

Poster with schedule on bulletin board/Gathering Area

The Akron View Page 3

Scheduling of the church for extra activities:

As a member and regular attendee of the church, you are welcome to use the facilities for appropriate activi-ties such as birthday parties, family gatherings, showers, etc. But it is necessary to schedule such activities with the church administrator. You may reach her at 859-2156, or via email at akroncob@dejazzd.com. Scheduling does mean that the church administrator has confirmed the time, date, and location of activity. Do not think that if you left a message you have then “booked” an event. Make sure the administrator has confirmed these things with you. Do note that our administrator hours are from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Mon-day through Friday. She is very attentive and will get back to you as soon as possible if you leave any mes-sage.

Kitchen Reminders

The church kitchen is a heavily-used area of the church. It is also an area that needs to maintain a cer-tain quality of cleanliness. Guidelines are in place to keep the kitchen clean, to maintain food safety

and to maintain the safety of those using the kitchen. Many signs are visible in the kitchen with re-

minders on how to operate the equipment, and how to label & date food that is being stored in the re-

frigerators & freezers. There is a Kitchen Checklist in place to reference when cleaning up after an

event. Cabinets, drawers and shelves are labeled for easy reference when trying to locate an item or return it to its proper area. Please refer to these items or ask a member of the Kitchen Committee if

you have any questions. Another area of concern is having small children in the kitchen. Due to the

many hot surfaces, sharp objects and chemicals/detergents being used, we need to adhere to not allow-

ing children in the kitchen. When we all work together to clean up, place items back in their proper place, and label and date food items left in the refrigerator or on the counters, it creates fewer head-

aches. The next individual or group will appreciate your efforts!

Nursery and Toddler Schedule for June 2018

BABY TODDLER

3 Jody Diffenderfer & Joan Unruh Jane & Molly Hoshour 10 Steve & Andrea Risser Brian & Gayle Good 17 Sandy Schlott & Anne Morgan Heather Brubaker & Linda Martin 24 Michelle Stark & Sarah Auker Anita Ellenberger & Sharon Steiner

Please Note: If anyone is interested in helping in the Nurseries, please contact Katie Vang, 682-9427.

Page 4 The Akron View

Happy Birthday To You…... Happy Anniversary

If your anniversary was missed, please contact the church office, 859-2156 and we will be glad to add it.

May Anniversaries 9- Stephen and Joyce Strite 11- Glenn and Nancy Weist 12- Steve and Darlene Moore 22- Earl and Andrea Thompson 26- Steve and Julie Kagan 29- Arthur and Deb Brenneman 30- Bill and Lynda Jensen Mike and Amy Foltz

If your birthday was missed, please contact the church office, 859-2156 and we will be glad to add it.

Nursery and Toddler Schedule for May 2018 Baby Toddler

May Birthdays

Those Serving us this Month: Greeters: 6 Randall & Ann Brubaker 13 Barb Mertz 20 Ken & Linda Koser 27 Ed & Terrie Shimp Ushers: Ken Koser & Steve Moore Jr. Ushers: 6 Sr. High 13 Jr. High 20 Sr. High 27 Jr. High

1- Carole Sensenig 2- Kay Wolf Ella Klaips Nash Fasnacht Steve Smith Ian Ross 3- Lillian Gehr 4- Emma Ross 5- Anne Marie Brubaker Alexis Lynn Stauffer 6- Megan Boyer 7- Peggy Lausch Aaron Weber Jacob Issac Risk 8- Terry Good 9- Traci Young 10- Doug Gehr 11- Angela Lesher 12- Mardell Messick Jansen Balmer Judy Sellers

13- Kelly Fasnacht 14- Lindsay Korom Lydia Jones 15- Annabella Vang 16- Joan Unruh Jane Hoshour Greyson David Hanely 17- Malachi Jones 18- Irma Schlott 19- Kiona Kagan Brooke Bernard Lynda Jensen Glenn Weist 22- Reagan Elizabeth Kline 27- Mike Ross 28- Mabel Brubaker 29- Andrea Kupiswzewski 30– Robert Grumbine 31- Lauren Smith Betty Lou Hull

6 Jody Diffenderfer & Sharon Steiner Bob & Patty Highley 13 Charlie & Katie Vang Janice Boyer & June Achenbach 20 Sandy Schlott & Gail Stauffer Burnell & Jen Oberholtzer 27 Ben & Gwen Jones Nick & Lindsay Korom

Page 6 VOLUME 34 ISSUE 5

Brethren Disaster Relief Auction Kickoff Dinner Saturday, June 9th ~ 6:00 pm

Family-Style Dinner at Yoder’s Restaurant, New Holland Featuring Sothern Gospel Trio, The Taylors

$30 per person Purchase tickets from Landis & Candy Myer: 717-354-0179

or Sally Bingaman: 717-581-5651 See poster on bulletin board

Community Meal The Witness Commission would like to thank everyone who helped in any way for the serving of the community meal held Thursday evening, March 29th at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Ephra-ta. We served 76 people a meal consisting of chicken tenderloins, baked potatoes, green beans, apple crumb cake as dessert and drinks. It was a great blessing to be able to serve many people who arrived for the meal. We would like to thank Ann Brubaker for preparing the food. We would like to extend a very big “Thank you” to the following people who helped serve the meal: Ronald Bell Linda Roether Jo Jones Janet Bell Sharon Steiner Rita Mumma Randall Brubaker Mary Keech Linda Lintz Ann Brubaker George Wolf Phyllis Wolf Anita Ellenberger Dan Ellenberger Nancy Wiest Andrea Kupieswzewski Mary Kupieswzewski

Job Opportunities

Coordinator for Weekly Volunteers – Lititz PA The Coordinator for Weekly Volunteers coordinates functions related to recruiting, placing and scheduling weekly short-term volunteers to ensure that MDS projects are equipped with qualified volunteers. This role coordinates the placement of weekly volunteer groups and individuals and supports the Volunteer Team with administrative tasks. Some travel up to 10% time is required. Program Administrative Assistant – Lititz PA The Program Administrative Assistant provides administrative support to the Field Operations team. Responsibili-ties include collecting, maintaining and archiving project information, vehicle and equipment documentation, co-ordinate and schedule meetings, and assist with project functions as assigned.

Send a cover letter and resume to jobs@mds.mennonite.net We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Ron Guenther Assistant Executive Director

Mennonite Disaster Service (This announcement is on the bulletin board as well)

Page 5

VOLUME 34 ISSUE 5

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 12:30 pm Quilters 6:30 pm Nic Anon 7:00 pm TNT

2 7:30 pm Choir Practice

3 National Day of Prayer 9:00 am MIP 10:00 am Bible Study

4 5 9 am—2 pm Friendship Community

6 6—7:30 pm In the Beginning Study 6—8 pm Youth Group

7 8 12:30 pm Quilters 6:30 pm Nic Anon 7:00 pm TNT

9 9 am—4:30 pm Friendly Circle 7:30 pm Choir Practice

10 10:00 am Bible Study

11 12 SVPS Walk Run for Life ~ Calvary Church

13 14 7:00 pm Deacons’ Meeting

15 7 am—8 pm Voting 6:30 pm Nic Anon 7:00 pm TNT

16 4:30 am Friendly Circle Subs 9 am—2 pm Friendship Community

17 9:00 am MIP 10:00 am Bible Study

18 19 8:30 am Women’s Breakfast Gracie’s on Main, Leola

20 4:30 pm Youth Auction & Meal 6—7:30 pm In the Beginning Study

21 7:00 pm Board Meeting

22 12:30 pm Quilters 6:30 pm Nic Anon 7:00 pm TNT

23

24 10:00 am Bible Study

25 26

27 28 Memorial Day

29 12:30 pm Quilters 6:30 pm Nic Anon 7:00 pm TNT

30

31 10:00 am Bible Study

May 2018

The Akron View Page 7

How can we help? Change For a Dollar. Does it seem that so many people just need a little help in life? Or how people struggle with having more days than dollars at the end of the month in the pay check? And we seem to come across neighbors or co-workers or family members who struggle and just need a little bit to get past some hurdles of life. Well, a suggestion was given to the Church Board to adopt a new ministry, Change For A Dollar. This minis-try has the simple principle of “offering a cup of water to the thirsty.” Here is how this ministry works:

1. Each Sunday during a moment of worship we will be taking a special offering. Everyone will be invit-ed to get up from their seat (if able) and place $1.00 (one dollar) in a specifically marked offering plate.

2. It must only be $1.00, any other money will go into the General Church Fund. 3. After the service, this money will be collected and a designated person will see that a need is met. 4. The need that is met must be recommended by someone within the church. 5. Needs will be unquestioned but responded to based on urgency of need. 6. The recipient of the need is to be someone that is not from the church (people of the church who are

confronted with a need are cared for through the Deacon ministry.) 7. The person recommending the need is to be involved in representing the church’s response in some

suggested way. 8. We will try to be as confidential as possible. 9. There is a small team of church members overseeing this ministry.

Check out….our vehicles of communication… Getting information out to everyone is very important, and we use a lot of resources, however, it is up to you to access those resources!!! Check the Web site for announcements & current newsletters, as well as previous sermons. The newsletter comes out monthly full of information. On Facebook, there are postings of up-coming events-go ahead and friend us. And the bulletin is filled with times and dates of activities.

Gym use: If you desire to use the gym, please be sure to contact the church office

The gym gets used very hard—that is a good thing. Because of that, we all have to obey some simple rules:

1. Whatever we get out to use, we need to put away where we got it: Balls put back in boxes, or racks, tables and chairs put away neatly. Please do not just throw balls in the closet—put them where they belong

2. The floor should be dry mopped after use (the mop is in the closet)

3. If you are hosting a get together with food, please take the trash out to the dumpster

4. Close the window covers when playing sports to protect the windows

5. Children should not get kick balls & basketballs out when people are gathered for safety reasons

6. A Simple rule—leave things better than you found them!!!

It reflects our love and concern for our neighbor, the next person to use the gym

Page 8

Online Giving If you would like to give your offering online, go to our website: www.akronpacob.org Click on “Give” at the top of the home page. Fill out the amount and frequency under Donation Information. If you are using an account, you will have clicked on “Log in.” If you want to create one, click on “Register.” There is also a box for “Comments.” It’s self explanatory and very easy to use. It is a secure site.

HULL Mark note cards for sale ~ 50 cents each. There is an envelope to

place money in the side of the box in the Gathering Area. The proceeds

will benefit Handi*Vangelism.

PRAYER is a POWERFUL thing!

If you would like to be a part of our Prayer Chain, please contact Sharon Steiner. You can ei-ther be on our email list or the phone list. If you have a request, you can contact the church

(10am—2pm) or Sharon directly. Either way, we will try to get the request started as soon as possible. If you are already on our Prayer Chain, please remember to check your email regular-

ly so that we have a powerful presence for whoever is asking for prayer.

The church is looking for people to be greeters on a Sunday morning. If you are interested, let the church office know! A greeter is typically scheduled once a month to once every 6 weeks. As a greeter, one needs to be here by 8:45 am to greet people for Sunday School, and then by 9:40 to greet church attenders. This ministry is important to the atmosphere of the worship, as it is the first thing a person participates in as they come to worship...to be welcomed. Thank you

Handi*Vangelism Handi*Camp Staff Needs for Summer, 2018

Handi*Camp, a Christian camp for children, teens and adults with disabilities, is seeking committed, servant

-hearted Believers to be part of our 2018 summer staff team. Paid and volunteer positions available for those

ages 16 - older adults. Serve all seven weeks (May 28-July 12); or a shorter term based on your schedule and

Handi*Camp's needs. Positions available: counselors; Bible teachers; housekeeping/Service Staff; nurses

(LPN or RN w/ one year post-grad experience); lead cook, dishwashers & kitchen assistants [select weeks].

Training provided and required for select positions. Contact Kyle at krobinson@hvmi.org or call our office

at 717.859.4777. Full schedule and more info at https://www.hvmi.org/handi-camp.

2018 Summer Camp Registration and Family Camping Reservations 2018 Summer Camp Registration and Family Camping Reservations are NOW OPEN! Get more in-formation and register online at www.campswatara.org. Check campsite availability and submit a reservation request online at www.campswatara.org!

Registration is NOW OPEN for Camp Swatara's 75th Anniversary Weekend scheduled for August

3rd-5th! You won't want to miss the celebration and special activities planned for this big

event. Day Only registrations are FREE! Lodging and packages (lodging and meals) are also

available for the East Area, West Area, and North Lodge. Register online (www.campswatara.org)

or by contacting the camp office (717-933-8510). See complete Camp Swatara Newsletter in the

Page 9

Christian Endeavor Golf Tournament Fundraiser

Thursday, May 17 from 11 am—6 pm Honey Brook Golf Club

1422 Cambridge Rd, Honey Brook additional info: golf@cemidatlantic.org

610-369-0207

Baked Goods are needed for

Friendship Community Fest

1149 East Oregon Rd, Lititz

Saturday, May 12th

They are needed by May 9th to 11th

If you can help, call Friendship Community ~

717-656-2466 ext. 1151

Father/Son Campout Woodcrest Retreat on Fri & Sat, June 8—9

Bring your RV, tent, or reserve a bunkhouse, and “Blastoff in Faith” with Dave Mummau.

A rocket launch challenge, archery, waterslide, pool, outdoor field games, and, of course, food.

To register or for more info, go to www.woodcrestretreat.org

Father/Daughter Canoe Trip Sat, June 2

Visit www.woodcrestretreat.org for more info or to register

A Brethren Hymn Sing Join us for a good old-fashioned Brethren Hymn Sing on Sunday afternoon May 6 at 3:00 pm. Janice

Holsinger and Bob Kettering will lead singing accompanied by organist Margaret Marsch and Pianist

Ryan Arndt. Familiar hymns will be featured. Jeff Bach, Ph.D., Director of the Young Center for Ana-

baptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College will provide a brief history of Brethren hymnody.

Sponsored by the Atlantic Northeast District Historical Committee, the event will be held at the

Ephrata Church of the Brethren, 201 Crescent Ave, Ephrata, PA, 17522.

Page 10

About 15 months ago I made the decision to leave the company that had employed me for 10 years. That was certainly not an easy decision or one that was made quick-ly or without thought, discussion, and prayer. Fast forward those 15 months to today and I can honestly say that I have not looked back. I work from home now and very much enjoy the flexibility. The team – and it really does feel like a connected team - that I am a part of is distributed across the Southeast and Mid-West. There is always a “but” – but, my boss, the person that hired me and just gave me a positive annual review, announced to us this week that he is leaving the company. He is an 18-year employee but believes – like I did 15 months ago – that a better oppor-tunity is somewhere else. To fill his shoes, another person hired at the same time as I was, has been promoted to team supervisor. That is great – it does not bother me in the least. It is not a position that I would care to take on right now. What I did expe-rience were feeling of frustration of not knowing that any of this was happening. I had to accept that the team connection may not be a strong as I thought. That there are things that go on behind the scenes or among other persons that I have zero knowledge of. That planning session that the church board held in February presented that same type of realization to the leadership within the church. The very strong common theme was – is – a lack of connection within the church. We are great at saying hello and shaking hands. But apparently not so good at listening to the answer after asking “how are you?” It always seemed to me that one of the strengths of the church was the strong and wide family base that exists. But as new families have joined, those new members do not always feel included with those family groups. Our nature is a tendency to want to “catch up” with old friends. But it seems that catching up often happens at the expense of making new friends. Here is the gotcha to this – in that planning session, 30 or so people agreed that there is a lack of connection within the church. But what are they – what are WE – doing to improve that connection? I read somewhere this week that you can make your church better by being a better church member. It may require us to step out of our comfort zone. It will not happen all at once. But we know that we have at least one thing in common. And He can certainly bring us all together again.

Tim Cahill Moderator

AKRON CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

613 MAIN STREET

AKRON PA 17501