Week of January 1, 2017 - Church of the Apostles UCC

Food Bank
Needs: Specifically—cold cereal, rice or rice helpers, pasta, crackers, dry soup, and canned items, including soups, fruits, beans, baked beans, tomatoes, and tuna.

Market Basket
This is your first chance to sign up for Market Basket and collect this month’s grocery cards. Grocery cards are available from Giant, Stauffers, and Weis. Our discount helps feed the homeless downtown.

Rader Park Informational Sessions
The new year has brought exciting plans for Rader Park. On Sundays, January 8, 15 and 22, come to the Parlor anytime between 8:30 am—12:30 pm to view the plans and hear about the features of the park that will be added. Also on Wednesdays, January 11 and 18, join us at 2:00 pm in the Parlor or at 6:00 pm in the West Lobby to hear the presentation. Again, feedback is what we need. Refreshments will be served.

We are trying to accommodate a variety of schedules, but if none of these times work for you, let us know and we can schedule a separate session just for you. We look forward to sharing the plans with everyone.

Becoming an Apostle
This month, we will again begin hosting informational sessions on Sunday afternoons at 2 pm in the Youth Center for those interested in church membership. The purpose of these sessions is to reflect on: “Who are we?” “What do we believe?” and “Where and when are we serving?” These sessions are open to anyone seeking answers to these questions.

Hosts Needed
From March 23 through April 16 (Easter), Church of the Apostles will be hosting Nina Hortig, a theology student studying Christian Education in Cologne, Germany through our Penn Central Conference partnership with the Evangelical Church of the Rhineland. She will be leading and helping with many Christian Education programs throughout our time, as well as seeking unique American church experiences. As her host, we will need to provide a place for her to stay, as well as transportation. So far, we have one family that has volunteered for a week, and, therefore, need two more families to provide a place for her to stay (this will include a bed, meals, and access to laundry). In order to make the burden lighter for families, I am also asking if anyone is interested in helping with transportation (mostly rides to and from the church.) If interested, please email Pastor Heather at heatherg@apostlesucc.org or call the church office at (717) 392-5718 by January 15.

Opportunity for Service: Power Packs
Now in its 10^th year, Power Packs assists those in our community who are food insecure with weekend food and recipes for healthy meals. Distributed through 55 schools in 13 school districts, over 1,700 families receive Power Packs each week! Church of the Apostles has supported Power Packs’ ministry the past seven years by donating money for the purchase of food, donating fresh produce from the garden, and by helping to distribute packs of food each Thursday during the school year. Again this year, we are paired with Martin School where we distribute 36 packs each week. This was a big jump from the 14 we were distributing last year, so we need additional help!

If you have two hours from approximately 1-3 pm on a Thursday during the school year, are able to lift 10-15 pounds, or help someone else lift that same amount, and want to help feed hungry families, let contact Julie Berkow at (717) 392-5718.