Welcome to the April 2011 edition of our monthly email news and information source for Wheatland Presbyterian Church. Through this newsletter we hope to provide you with the information that you need to keep you informed and engaged in life here at Wheatland.
Our prayer is that you will find Wheatland to be a place where we proclaim Christ and his gospel to each other and our community through our worship and our work.
|
P L A N T
| |
From Slavery to Freedom
Join us for corporate worship on Sunday mornings at 8am or 10:45am as we journey together through the story of God and His people as told in the book of Exodus.
Pub Night
April 21st at 9pm in Lancaster City. Come for discussion, relaxation and laughter. We gather in a different spot each month but always on the 3rd Thursday at 9pm. For more information contact Ethan Demme at 572.4061, ethandemme@gmail.com or facebook.com/pubnight Spring Cleaning/Work Day Come to the Church on Saturday, April 2nd, from 8am to Noon, for our Spring Cleaning/Work Day to help get the property ready for the spring and summer months. Lunch will be provided for all participants. Your presence on this day saves us literally thousands of dollars in maintenance costs. So that the burden won't fall on just a few people, bring the family-we welcome window washers, painters, general repair people, gardeners and cleaners of all ages. Festival Choir Rehearsals to Begin Musician and Wheatland Member Dr. Rob Bigley, choral professor and conductor, at Lancaster Bible College, will direct an Easter Festival Choir for ages 7th grade through adults that will sing at both services on Easter Sunday, April 24th. Rehearse Wednesdays, April 6th, 13th, and 20th at 7pm. If you have sung with the choir before or if you have ever considered singing with them, this is a wonderful time to get involved. All voice parts are welcome!
Music Director Job Description To view a job description for our part-time Music Director, go to www.wheatlandpca.org. Click on Plant, then Sunday Worship, then Music, then download (under Music Director Job Description). Please be in prayer as we seek a candidate for this position. Quarterly Prayer Service Come Sunday, April 10th, at 6:45pm to our quarterly prayer service at the Church. Care Groups are encouraged to come to the prayer meeting in lieu of one of you rmeetings during April.
Sunday at the Park Sunday at the Park is an informal gathering that will be announced at different times throughout the year. It is an opportunity, always weather permitting, to gather with your church family after Sunday Worship to enjoy a picnic lunch (or picked-up lunch!) at Buchanan Park. Any and all are invited. You will want to bring your own lunch and a blanket or chairs to sit on as there are only a couple of picnic tables. There is a playground, as well as plenty of space to throw a football, baseball, or frisbee. Get to know other Wheatlanders while enjoying the beauty of creation in our backyard. It is also an opportunity to be a presence in our community while modeling biblical community. Our first Sunday at the Park is scheduled for Palm Sunday, April 17th. The basic meeting point will be the corner of the park closest to the intersection of Buchanan Avenue and Race Avenue. It's only six-tenths of a mile from the church (left on President Avenue, right on Buchanan Avenue until you come to the park at Race Avenue). Invite someone to join you. We hope to see you there! Annual Camping Trip It's time to start thinking about our annual family camping trip. This year we head back to Gifford Pinchot Park, south of Harrisburg. Dates are Thursday, July 28th through Sunday, July 31st. You can come for 1, 2, or 3 nights. Cost is $15 for no electric and $20.50 for electric. Contact Deb ( phkiii@verizon.net or 464.4907) for an information and reservation sheet to reserve your spot and guarantee that your campsite will be with the other Wheatland campers. |
| R O W |
Regional Care Groups
Our Care Groups are designed to enfold you into the life of Wheatland and the community in which you live. We have divided our city and the outlying areas into regional districts. There are groups that meet in each "field". Our worship together each Sunday morning is the most important thing we do, but if you are a regular attendee or member here at Wheatland, these gatherings enrich and enliven our worship together by strengthening our love and care for one another. Be sure to check the church website to find out who your Care Group Leader is and when your group meets. Email Assoc. Pastor Luke Le Duc with any questions. Sunday Classes for Adults through April 17th
Prayer: A Means of Grace--The back cover of A Praying Life by Paul Miller states, "Let's face it, prayer is hard! In fact prayer is so hard that most of us simply do not pray unless an illness or a public setting, such as saying grace at a meal, demands it. Prayerlessness is rooted in a core unbelief that can shape our lives, even as Christians. Because of prayerlessness, our lives are often marked by fear, anxiety, joylessness, and spiritual lethargy." Join this class, taught by RUF Minister Rob Ilderton and Pastor Luke Le Duc and meeting in the Sanctuary, as we push each other to confront our own beliefs (and unbelief!) about prayer and seek together to take hold more faithfully of this means of grace that God has given to his Church.
Finding Balance--Taught by Deacon Dave Smith and meeting in the Living Room of the Study Center, this class is based on the book In Search of Balance by Richard A. Swenson, MD, which helps us understand the dangers of living in a fast-paced world and gives us hope for recovering a foundational sense of equilibrium. Dr. Swenson offers not only important organizing principles for making sense of our priorities but also scores of practical tips for finding rest and contentment in a world that emphasizes materialism and busyness. His advice is grounded in the daily routines we all experience, but his wisdom has been honed by the big-picture perspective of an exhaustive study of the stresses of modern life.
Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism will be a part of our worship services on Sunday, May 22nd. If you are a Member of Wheatland Presbyterian Church and would like to have a member of your family baptized, please notify the office (392.5909 orinfo@wheatlandpca.org).
Two Conference Invitations from Sister Churches
Carlisle Reformed Presbyterian Church invites you to their conference entitled " Creation: Faith and Facts", April 8th-10th, led by the Institute for Creation Research. The speakers are world class experts in their fields and widely published (Theology, Medicine, Physical Science, Law, and History). Dr. Dominic Aquila, president of the New Geneva Theological Seminary, will preach at the morning and evening worship services on "Creationism and the Inerrancy of Scripture." For more info on this weekend conference, go to http://www.carlislepca.org or call 717.249.5675.
The topic for this year's PCRT (Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology), April 29th-May 1st, is " Children of God: Adopted into the Father's Love." Conference speakers are Joel Beeke, Steven Lawson, Albert Martin, Richard Phillips, Derek Thomas, and David Wells. For more information or to register, please see www.AllianceNet.org or call 1.800.956.2644.
Women in the Church International Conference
Come celebrate the scope and surety of God's grace. Be refreshed in worship, instructed in sound doctrine, and encouraged by fellowship at "Amazing Grace 360: Whole Gospel. Whole Life. Whole World." Gather with other women 13 years and up October 7th-9th at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA. Over 4000 women attended the 2006 event! Nancy Guthrie, a gifted teacher, writer, and speaker serves as the Conference teacher. The preacher is Brian Habig, pastor of the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC, and former Reformed University Minister at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Worship and music will be led by Kevin Twit of Indelible Grace and Laura Story. Visit www.amazinggrace360.com for more info on seminar leaders or to register (before May 31st to get the early discount). Pick up a conference brochure in our Church Lobby.If you can't go but would like to provide scholarship help for others, please let the church office know. |
| B L O S S O M | |
College Students
Are you ready for home-cooked food in a home atmosphere? Reserve April 10th to enjoy food and fellowship after the 2nd service at the home of Glyn and Betsy Boone. Need a ride or directions? Wait in the Lobby after the service.
Making Room for Our Guests
If you regularly come to the 2nd service, you probably notice that our Sanctuary is pretty full. To make room for our guests, you might consider a switch to the early service. And if you do come to the 2nd service, please consider parking in the overflow lot if you are able (1059 Columbia Ave.; turn in by the Dr. Scott Creisher & Associates sign), so that there are plenty of parking spaces for our guests. Thank you for serving in these ways!
Food Bank
To meet the community's food needs, the Deaconate collects food on the 2nd Sunday of each month for our congregation, for Water Street Rescue Mission, and for the Landisville Food Bank. Bring in non-perishable household or food items and place them in the Lobby. Needed items are canned meat, one-can meals, vegetables, shampoo, hand soap, toilet paper, and laundry detergent.
|
H A R V E S T
| |
Germany Missions Trip for 20-Somethings & 30-Somethings
20 and 30-Somethings: Are you interested in joining a team to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) to German students at a Summer Language camp held at Neues Leben (New Life) College, an hour from Cologne, Germany? The school hosts about 100 students a week in two language camps. The dates are July 17-23 and July 24-30, and you may serve one or both weeks. You can also stay a couple of extra days for site seeing paid for by the camp. The Language Camp provides lodging (tents), meals, and transportation to and from the airport; so the only expense which you need to raise is the cost of airfare and transportation to and from Germany. During the week, in addition to teaching English, you will interact with the students in a variety of settings. The goal is to introduce them to some of the fun aspects of American life-our games, our music, etc. in addition to presenting the Gospel-praying that God will use our efforts to reach these German students for Christ. For more information, pick up a brochure in the Lobby and let Pastor Bruce know of your interest. In order to get plane tickets for the group, the deadline for applying is April 24th.
Missionary of the Month - Cheryl Erb
Cheryl Erb serves with Mission to the World in Atlanta and is responsible for setting up and deploying medical mission teams to areas of the world without adequate medical care.
1. Praise God that the team to Haiti made it there and back safely in January despite wintry weather and had a great week of ministry. The plane left the gate and the one person coming from Charlotte and ten from Birmingham were minutes too late. BUT they brought the plane back to the gate to get them!
2. Praise God for our week in Trinidad. We did two days of clinic in the building where crisis pregnancy center is located giving an opportunity to make that ministry known. Pray for the ministry of the church, the crisis pregnancy and family center.
3. Please pray as Cheryl goes to Trinidad in May to help orchestrate the details of team leader training (lectures, workshops, case studies, etc.). The last two days the team goes to the clinic to apply what they've learned.
4. To learn what MTW is doing in response to the disasters in Japan, go to www.mtw.org. Click on the Japan page and visit the links. Some missionaries have already made a few trips to the areas that were affected with truckloads of supplies. Please be praying for the different things that are listed.
5. People in Japan are coming to the church and to missionaries asking questions like never before. Other missionaries have asked Bruce & Susan Young to come help them out. Pray for the Youngs-for wisdom about going and if so, when. Pray for God to build His kingdom in Japan.
|
|
|
|
|
| Easter Week | |
As part of the celebration of Christ's resurrection, we adorn the church with spring flowers. You may take your plant(s) home after the 2nd service on Easter. Order forms and envelopes will be in the Lobby beginning April 3rd and are due back by April 18th.
Come Thursday, April 21st to a special Maundy Thursday communion service at 7pm. Childcare provided for children through 3 years of age in the toddler room.
On Resurrection Sunday, April 24, our service times will remain the same (8:00 and 10:45), but we will have a special Easter brunch between services. There will be NO adult nor children's Sunday Classes. So stay afterward if you come to the 1st service, or come early if you go to the 2nd service, and join us for brunch. All are asked to please bring a breakfast casserole or baked good to share.
Come Friday, April 22nd from 12:15-12:45pm to a half-hour lunchtime Good Friday service. Invite your friends and neighbors to join you! Pick up a flyer in the Lobby to use as an invitation. | |
|
Growing at Wheatland
| |
Our life together here at Wheatland is intended to grow us all up into maturity in faith and life. One of the ways we believe this happens is through intentional discipleship with one another. Are you intentionally pursuing growth in grace in this community that God has placed you? If you are interested in coming together with 2 or 3 other people for this type of focused study, contact
Pastor Luke Le Duc
| |
| Youth Events |
|
Bridge Builders (Youth Group for Grades 7-12) meets Sunday evenings, 6:30pm to 8:30pm, in the Fellowship Hall. Invite friends! | |
Manos Lunch
We will meet for lunch with the guys from Manos House on April 17th after the second service. Email Dave Smith if you can provide the entree, salads, drinks, bread, or dessert. |
| |
|
|
|
