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Happy FALL Y’all!

Can you tell we just got back from visiting south of the Mason Dixon line?

I love this time of year. There is nothing like sleeping with the windows open, feeling the cool breeze across your face as you snuggle into the covers. There is also nothing like awaking early in the morning to head out into the woods and attempt to become one with the trees in the hopes that you might bag a deer. Sorry to all of you who do not hunt, but for those of us who do, I can imagine that most of us feel like we are one with God in the woods. I can also imagine that it is one of the few places we can truly feel at peace, I know it is for me. There certainly is nothing like watching the sun come up and to witness to God’s amazing creation through the colors in the sky or to watch the sun set and seeing God’s vast world going to sleep at night. Ahhhh…what peace and serenity that exists in a world where there is so much happening that is not peaceful or serene. As we move through this autumn, we have some clean up things to take care of from our summer study of the twelve tribes of Israel…I know, I know, some of you are truly looking forward to the end of this study, but there has been much to learn about those twelve sons and the things they did in their lives which impacts us still today. Once we are through that study, we are going to next delve into the early church. As we prepare ourselves for the coming of our savior during Advent, we will explore how the early church focused themselves on the things that Christ commanded. We too shall focus ourselves this fall on what Hill Church is and who we are as Christians through some vision planning meetings and individual visits from Stephanie and me. I believe the best place to start is in the early church, so look to the bulletin for coming events and Sundays where we will talk specifically about us as Christians in this world. Our first step toward these discussions is a challenge…I am challenging each one of us to think of one “thing” (something that has made us feel the presence of God or to recognize God in a moment in our lives) that Hill Church has helped us to recognize. If we each take some time to look at what we have been given and become a steward of that gift, then we can change lives but we must take that first step. I dare you to take that first step.

Peace and blessings, Pastor Christian

News from the Hill...St. John-Hill U.C.C. 620 Hill Church Road, Boyertown, PA 19512 October 2014

In This Issue

From The Pastor

Consistory News

Conference/Assoc. News

Choir News

Sunday School News

Women’s Guild News

Cemetery News

Park Committee News

Congregation Corner

Announcements

Bible Trivia

Calendar of Events

Church Contact Information

Pastor Christian Creyer –Pastor

Rev. Jim Rogers – Pastor Emeritus

Mr. Eric Miller – Church Sexton

Mr. Elmer Miller – Musical Director/Organist

Mrs. Nikki Weller – Church Secretary

Wendy Shane - Church Treasurer

Church Telephone: 610-367-8114

Church Website: www.stjohnhillucc.org

Consistory News

The Consistory met on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 and discussed, reported and voted on the following items.

Secretary’s Report: Minutes from the August Consistory meeting were reviewed and approved.

Treasurer’s Report: General Operating Fund Income and Expense Summary for August 2014:Operating Fund August 2014 2014 YTD August 2013 2013 YTDIncome $12,609.89 $103,798.25 $8,652.40 $84,303.05Expenses $33,521.17 $127,931.32 $32,884.29 $104,938.99Income vs. (Expenses) ($20,911.28) ($24,133.07) ($24,231.89) ($20,635.94)

•Benevolence received for August was $380.00 and will be sent to the PSEC. Year to date $2,665.00. •Heating oil for the winter was prepaid in August for the church, parsonage, and sexton’s house, totaling $15,745.50 ( church 2,500 gallons; parsonage 1,000 gallons; sexton’s house 1,000 gallons; at $3.499/gallon).•Wendy and Dottie will be setting up meetings to develop the 2015 budget in the near future. If anyone is inter-ested in participating in these discussions please feel free to join the group; just contact Wendy or Dottie.•Steeple Repairs: See Trustee’s Report. •A current summary of all Hill Church financial accounts is available on the bulletin boards in the narthex and Sunday School hallway.

Pastor’s Report: The next Communion will be held on October 5th. Pastor Christian conducted a total of 21 visits at various locations and 3 counseling sessions from mid-July through mid-August. This fall the Pastor is planning on conducting New Members classes and a series of “Visioning” meetings for all members to discuss our goals and direction for Hill Church; more information to follow. Rev. Peter Detterline will be preaching on October 19th while Pastor Christian is out of town. Shawn and Beverly Meidinger will be joining the church this fall. A new women’s Bible study began in September; see Pastor Christian for details.

Reports from the various committees were reviewed. Their activities can be seen elsewhere in this newsletter.

Old Business:

Hill Church directional signage – Drew Fronheiser’s Eagle Scout project is moving forward. The signs will be installed on October 5th; if anyone would like to help with the installation volunteers are more than welcome. Please contact Drew if you are interested in helping.

Steeple Repairs – The steeple work is complete except for sidewalk repairs. The contractor, DESCCO has been paid $133,100 to date: we have also paid approximately $5,200 for materials used by our men to build the lat-tice work and corner spires. DESCCO’s total cost is $143,648 as originally quoted bringing the project total to approximately $149,000. The final payment to DESCCO is being withheld until the sidewalk repairs and costs are resolved. Based on this total we will fall approximately $20,000 short of covering the cost with $100,000 from the “Rainy Day” fund and the Steeple Fund assets. The congregation voted last spring to fund that anticipated shortfall with a loan, however, we want to reconfirm that decision with you in the near future as we are not sure it is the best course of action to borrow this small amount of money, when we could cover the costs from other cash currently available from other sources in the church. Please pray about this and let us know your thoughts.

Sunday School Teachers – It was noted that several teachers are needed, especially in the Junior and Senior High classes. Please pray to see if God might be leading you to serve in one of these crucial positions.

Continued on page 3...

New Business:

Outreach and Youth – We raised the topic of how we as a Consistory can more effectively lead the outreach and youth ministry efforts at Hill Church. Please pray and think about how we can all be more effective in reaching out to and supporting our Youth and surrounding community.

The next monthly Consistory Meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 14th at 7:00 pm.

In Christ, Your Consistory: Jan Baver, Stephanie Benjamin, Donald Conrad, LeRoy Fetterman, Dottie Fron-heiser, Rick Furches, Mark Hile, Ray Kochey, Terry Shane, Clarence Weller, Matt Weller, Susy Yerger, and Pastor Christian.

Continued from page 2...

Conference & Ministerium News

Ordination for Linda Kozlowski, the newly elected pastor of Calvary UCC (Barto) will occur on Sunday, Oct. 26th at 3:00 PM at Immanuel UCC (Shillington). If anyone is interested in attending, please see Harold or Pastor Christian.

The annual fall meeting of the East Berks Association occurs Sat. Oct. 11th beginning at 8:30 am for a time of fellowship and 9:00 am for the meeting at St. Peters UCC (Topton). If anyone is interested in attending, please see Harold or Pastor Christian. We are to have two representatives in attendance at each Association and Conference meeting, please prayerfully consider representing our congregation in some very important matters associated with our association and conference.

We are in need of a Vice-Moderator for the Association. This year’s election will be held at our spring meeting and the person must be clergy. If you know of anyone, please contact Harold.

We are contemplating moving to a 2 day meeting in spring of 2016 and having only one meeting per year rather than two.

The executive committee voted to give our students in care, $100 to go toward the expenses incurred for Seminary training.

As you might have already read in the newspaper, Camp Mensch Mill has been officially sold to the Amitabha Buddhist Society of Philadelphia. The intent of this organization is to maintain the properties original use and continue to expand the facilities to further spiritual study and direction.

Installation invitation extended to all within the Association for the newly elected Pastor of Blue Mountain Zion UCC, Rev. Joshua Knappenberger, which will be held at the church on Sunday, November 2, at 3:00 PM. If anyone is interested in attending, please see Harold or Pastor Christian.

Choir News

It’s that time of year again. Yes, cantata rehearsal time. Volunteers needed to help prepare for the Christmas Cantata. Rehearsal will start on Oct. 8 at 8 PM. Please join us if you like to sing and bring a friend. Hope to see you.

Wed. Oct. 1 ..............Sr. Choir - 7:30 PM Wed. Oct. 8 ..............Sr. Choir - 7:15 PM ..............Cantata - 8:00 PM Wed. Oct. 15 ..............Sr. Choir 7:15 PM ..............Cantata - 8:00 PM Wed. Oct. 22 ..............Sr. Choir - 7:15 PM ..............Cantata - 8:00 PM Wed. Oct. 29 ..............Sr. Choir - 7:15 PM ..............Cantata - 8:00 PM Sincerely,

Elmer MillerOrganist/Music Director610-367-5613 or e-mail [email protected]

News from the Women’s Guild

The Women’s Guild held their meeting on September 2, with Gloria Romig having the program. She spoke on the flowers of the Bible. We discussed our October 7 bingo date at Frederick Living. We take refreshments along. We also decided to go out for supper that evening since we don’t have a meeting. We are very happy with the steeple project. It’s wonderful how our church members work together. The guild is sponsoring Tyler Schollenberger’s Eagle Scout project plaque.

“I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speakof these glories and grace. I will boast of all his kindness to me.

Let all who are discouraged take heart.”~Psalm 34:1-3

Buckwheat & Sausage Supper – Saturday, October 4th is the annual supper. See the announcement section for more details.

Mark your calendars for December 21. It will be a busy day...the cantata will be presented with the Sunday School children as the actors, followed by Santa and a luncheon. Once we all have full bellies, we will be going caroling to our shut-ins. Everyone is welcome to join us at any point throughout the day.

Park Committee News

WORK DAYOctober 11, 8:00 AM

Before you know it, the leaves will be on the ground and we still have projects to complete so we’re getting to-gether Saturday, Oct. 11, to try to finish them up. Come out and have some fun.

See you Saturday morning!Don’t forget about the Annual Turkey Supper - see the schedule below!

Annual Turkey Supper

Saturday, November 1, 2014Dinner served 3:00 – 7:30 p.m. Tickets sold until 7:00 p.m.

Cost: Adults $11.00 Children 3-10 years $5.50 Take out $1.00 extra

Dinner includes: Traditional Turkey Dinner with all of the trimmings, dessert & beverage

Wednesday, October 30 6:00 p.m. – Move supplies from church to dining hall, general prep workThursday, October 31 7:00 a.m. – Roast Turkeys, wash dishes, clean dining hallFriday, November 1 6:00 p.m. – Peel potatoes, prepare pepper cabbage, slice meatSaturday, November 2 7:00 a.m. – Prepare Potato filling, Hill Church beans and take outs Monday November 4 at 6:00 p.m. – Move supplies from dining hall to church attic and winterize the dining hall.

Donations of baked goods are needed and greatly appreciated.

Proceeds from the Turkey Supper are used to maintain our properties and do the work of the church. Do not miss this opportunity to join in the fun and be a part of this tradition!

Don’t for get to visit our Church Library

Located in the hallway on the second floor of our Sunday school area. There, you can find a wide variety of books, VCR Tapes and DVD’s for all ages. This month’s book review is “The Red Ten” by Anita Diamant: Dinah, the narrator, opens The Red Tent by introducing

herself and explaining that she is reciting the memories of her life and her mothers’ lives—because without a daughter to tell the story, a woman’s history does not live on. Dinah focuses initially on the stories of her mothers, the four wives of Jacob—Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah—and how they come to be married to the same man. Jacob is threatened with death by his twin brother, Esau, in their home of Canaan and goes to Haran to seek out his uncle Laban and marry one of his daughters. Dinah recounts her childhood growing up as the only girl among eleven brothers. She spends most of her time at her mothers’ knees, following them as they cook and run the family’s camp. Because of her special status as the only female child, she is allowed to enter the red tent each month with her mothers.

Follow Dinah’s story as the author imagined.

PRC News

The Pastoral Relations Committee held their September meeting on Tuesday, September 2nd at the Church at 7 p.m. Pastor Christian opened the meeting with a reading from the One Year Walk With God Devo-tional by Chris Tiegreen. We had perfect attendance for this meeting to discuss the following topics, some old, some new: Coffee Hours, Summer Concerts, Bible Studies, Fellowship Dates, Welcome Packets, Food Back Packs, Veteran’s Day Luminaries, New Praise Songs, Youth Outreach, Halloween Parade Float, and Personality/Stress Management Retreats. Before Susy closed the meeting with a reading from a page in one of Joyce Meyer’s Devotional books on “A New Direction”, we shared concerns we had for Committee Members to take to God in prayer until “we meet again”. Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 7 at 7 p.m. If anyone has a topic they would like us to discuss, please contact one of the following PRC Committee members: Pastor Christian, Connie Hile, Clarence Weller and Susy Yerger.

We pray each and every day for our Church and Community Family Members!

God’s blessing on you all . . . PRC Committee Members – Connie, Clarence, Susy and Pastor Christian.

Church Steeple Trivia and HistoryHow tall is our church steeple?It is about ~105 feet tall, measured from the ground outside the church to the very top of the cross. There is an ongoing friendly debate about the exact height. The cross itself is 10 feet tall. The elevation at the top of the cross is 898 feet (measured from the church front doorway which is elevation 793 feet).How old is the church steeple?The steeple and bell tower were added to the church in 1886.

For comparison, the Eiffel Tower in France is 984 feet tall (1,063 feet including the broadcasting antennas at the top); about ten times as tall as our church steeple. The elevation of top of the Eiffel Tower is 1163 feet and at its base is 100 feet. Our steeple is older than the Eiffel Tower, which was built for the 1889 World’s Fair.

Congregation Corner

Each month Pastor Christian will be “interviewing “one of our members in an effort to get to know everyone at Hill Church. As part of that process, Pastor Christian will also write up a “story” of that person’s life for the newsletter. Let’s see how much you know about your fellow Christians and Hill Church family members. Can

you guess who our “interviewee” is?

This Month’s Congregation Corner member: Hi everyone! Glad you could all stop by and read about me…I was born in Pottstown, just down the road a bit from where I live now. I am married for more than Pastor Christian has been alive (so if you know how old he is, you can figure out how long I have been married, or at least round about how long any way) and I have one child and one grandchild with one four-legged fur baby as well. I love target shooting and a good joke, but it has to be good…I am not much for groaners. My favorite scripture is the 23rd Psalm and my favorite hymn is “O Come All Ye Faithful”…so you can guess that my favorite time of year is also Christmas. I prefer to drink lemonade and I love to go camping up north. If I could find the perfect place to take vacation, it would need to be some place where I can walk on the beach early in the morning, so yes I am an early riser too. Oh and by the way, I have been a member since birth…and I come mostly every week because of the interesting sermons and the feeling of being at home. If I could meet anyone, it would be Wyatt Earp to know what it was really like to live in the Wild, Wild West. I love football and like most everyone in this area, I love the Eagles. There are three things that I could not live without if I was stranded on a deserted island: hot dogs, Mt. Dew, and my best friend. Oh, and if you can figure out who I am, did you know that I was a fireman at Grandview Speedway for 27 years?…Who Am I?

How many of you were able to guess last month’s Congregation Corner member? It was Stephanie Benjamin.

Bible Trivia

All trivia questions come from Bible Puzzles, Quizzes & Brain Twisters: The BIG FUN Variety Collection by Inspired by Faith…all answers are listed on page 9.

“Ties that Bind”Each group of Bible people listed below shares something in common. From the list of words, match the names of the people with the words as the “ties that bind” them:

Word List: DisciplesMissionariesProphets FishermenNoah’s sonsSiblings KingsPriestsFamily Members

Groups:1. Saul, David, Solomon: ___________________________________________ 2. Peter, John, James: ______________________________________________3. Deborah, Huldah, Anna: _________________________________________4. Shem, Ham, Japheth: ____________________________________________5. Aaron, Miriam, Moses: __________________________________________6. Eli, Ahimaaz, Melchizedek: _______________________________________7. Naomi, Ruth, Orpah: ____________________________________________8. Andrew, Simon, John: ___________________________________________9. Paul, Silas, Barnabas: ____________________________________________

Announcements from the Hill

October 5Regular worship service in the sanctuary

Exploring Joseph


“Are You Invited?”


Supply Pastor: Peter Detterline


“Daring to Ask?”

Sunday School Teachers Needed

We are in need of Sunday School teachers for the upcoming Sunday School year. If you are interested in teaching or helping out in a class please see Elmer Miller or Nikki Weller.

Vision Planning Sessions

Vision is defined as “an image or concept in the imagination” and planning is defined as “something that somebody intends or has arranged to do.” As a congregation and more importantly as a family of faith, we need to start looking for God’s nudges in our lives to move forward with his plan for our life as the family of Hill Church. In an attempt to gain some understanding of what God might be calling us to be and do, we will have some gatherings after church on a few Sunday mornings to hash out some ideas for our future and begin gathering some ideas of things we think God might be calling us to do. Please plan on attending these sessions as they are for all of us to know where we are going in this family of faith. Pastor Christian will lead the sessions and attempt to help us discern God’s calling in our lives of faith. The tentative schedule of gatherings is as follows: 10/26 – “Who Are We and What Is Our Mission?”; 11/9 – “What is Our Mission (cont’d) and What is God Calling us to do?”; 11/30 – “Listening for God’s Call and How to Fulfill Our Mission”. Additional sessions can be arranged for the New Year as needed.

When and where – Tuesday October 14 at 7:00 PM at Kutztown Tavern (272 W. Main St. Kutztown). This month, Dr. David Mellot presents: A Priest and a Minister Walk into a Bar….While priests and ministers often perform similar tasks, they do so within very different theological frameworks. Both priests and ministers can utilize a priestly model of ministry. However, priests have a very different function within the life of the church and within Christianity. In this session we’ll take a closer look at the theological importance of priests and how their function raises important questions about Christianity. Dr. Mellott is Dean of Lancaster Theological Seminary and Associate Professor of Practical Theology. He holds a PhD from Emory University, a MA in Religious Studies and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and a BA in English Literature and Latin American Studies from The Pontifical College Josephinum. In addition, he has studied at Sorbonne University in Paris and the Goethe Institute in Munich.

Pink Sunday

On Sunday, October 26th, we will have a “Pink Sunday” where everyone who attends worship is invited to wear pink for the day in observance and recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Please wear a pink tie, a pink shirt/blouse, dress or whatever else you have in pink so that we can show our support to those in our congregation who have survived and honor those who may not have survived this disease. For those who want to honor all cancers, please feel free to wear lavender on this Sunday as this is the color recognized as representing all cancers.

NEED A RIDE?

Anyone needing a ride to a doctor, dentist, or any other type of appointments, someone to accompany you to go shopping, someone who can basically drive you to where you need to be without making separate work arrangements? If you are looking for someone who can take you to do some general errands, please call Bunny Hare (610-367-9377) or Jane Prutzman (610-689-9020). Bunny and Jane have graciously offered to provide rides for anyone of the congregation. No ride is too short or too small…

GROCERY CARDS

Don’t forget grocery cards for Giant, Redner’s and Weis Markets are available for purchase. They may be used towards groceries, gas and pharmacy purchases and make terrific thank you gifts! We receive 5% for every card you purchase which will be used to support our Church Missions program. See Connie Hile to purchase your cards today!

Annual Buckwheat Pancake & Sausage SupperSaturday, October 4, 2014

Dinner served 3:00 -7:30 p.m. Tickets sold until 7 p.m.Cost: Adults $8.50 Children 3-10 yrs. $5.00 Take out $1.00 extra

Dinner includes: Sausage, Buckwheat Pancakes, Homefries, Vegetables, Dessert & Beverage

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Wednesday, October 1st 6:00 p.m.Clean-up of grounds and dining hall. Your help is needed! (Please bring your own lawn equipment).

Saturday, October 4th 7:00 a.m.Morning food preparations. Again your help is needed. Please do not wait to be asked, we do not know your

schedule, but we need your help for clean up on Wednesday evening and also for the Saturday events! Meals are served starting at 3 p.m. Donations of baked goods are needed and are greatly appreciated!

Monday, October 6th 6:00 p.m.

Trash removal and returning items from dining hall to church attic.

Proceeds of this event help sponsor our Sunday School and Youth Group curriculum along with helping families with camp fees, Vacation Bible School, Sponsorship of an Elder person, $10.00 pack of tickets per student for Knoebels Grove Sunday, sponsorship of our Creation Festival; chaperones for our Youth. What a wonderful gift we can all

help to nurture our Youth!

New Member Classes

In November, Pastor Christian will also be hosting some new member classes for anyone interested in becoming a part of our dynamic family of faith. The sessions will cover some of the history of the UCC and the history of Hill Church. The sessions are planned for 11/2, 11/16, and 12/7 (if needed). We will meet downstairs in the Adult Sunday school room. Anyone who is interested in participating, please let Pastor Christian know so he has enough materials for everyone.

November Newsletter Deadline

NOTE: The November newsletter deadline will be on October 12! Please have your information to Nikki by then in order to have the newsletter completed

before Nikki leaves for vacation.October Office Hours

NOTE: The church office will be closed October 20-29, 2014. Phone messages will be checked and Nikki

will be checking e-mail throughout that time.

Applesauce & Chow Chow

Volunteers needed to help on October 11, starting at 7:30 in the dining hall in the park grounds to help make the apple sauce and chow-chow for our church supper/dinner events. See Nancy Weller if you can help - or just show up. THANK YOU for your help!

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 46:00 pm Supper Prep

7:30 pm Sr. Choir Rehearsal

Buckwheat & Sausage Supper

5 6 7 8 9 10 118:30 am Sunday School9:30 am Worship Service w/ Holy Communion

6:00 pm Supper Clean‐up

7:00 pm Sunday School Meeting

Women's Guild Bingo at Frederick Living7:00 pm PRC Meeting

7:15 pm Sr. Choir Rehearsal8:00 pm Cantata Rehearsal

7:30 am Applesauce & Chow Chow Making in the Dining Hall

8:00 am Work Day

12 13 14 15 16 17 188:30 am Sunday School9:30 am Worship ServiceCoffee Hour after Worship

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

7:00 pm Consistory Meeting


19 20 21 22 23 24 258:30 am Sunday School9:30 am Worship Service(Supply Pastor: Peter Detterline)


26 27 28 29 30 31

OCTOBER


8:30 am Sunday School9:30 am Worship Service10:45 am Vision Planning

Upcoming Events:Turkey Supper ‐ November 1st

Thanksgiving Eve Service ‐ November 26Cantata & Program ‐ December 21

Caroling ‐ December 21

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