Pine Street Life - December 2010

Advent Resolutions

“Advent” – that’s the name of the liturgical season which is the prelude to Christmas� As ancient Israel looked forward to the coming of Christ, the Messiah, so we in the church look forward to Christ’s return and the New Creation that God has promised� That is truly heady stuff, all of this thinking about the future, but the promise of Christ’s return raises a significant point: we are to live our lives now as if Jesus Christ were coming back tomorrow, as if we were to meet Christ face to face tomorrow� This is the central question that Advent poses to us: if Jesus Christ were coming back tomorrow, what would you do today? Would your living be any different? Living in the light of God’s awesome future led me to make some Advent

December 12 4:00 p.m. Festival of Lessons & Carols 6:00 p.m. Christmas Dinner

Christmas Eve

6:30 p.m. Family Service

11:00 p.m. Candlelight Service

resolutions for this new Christian year that Advent brings� I think I am going to spend more time with those I love Each day will be a surrender of anxiety and a journey into trust� I think I will spend some time each day making the world better for others, doing things that are signposts of God’s future� I am going to communicate some of my more deeply held values� I want to see each human being as God’s child and suspend my judgments about others so that I can see God’s presence in that person I want to cultivate some inner peace and take more walks and enjoy the wonders of God’s creation� How about you? If you’d like, share with me over the holidays your Advent resolutions Keep on the journey! The promise of Christmas is that God is with us even now to prepare us for his future�

& Christmas Music at Pine Street

by Tom Clark-Jones

to Sue Black at

The Christmas Season always brings with it special musical offerings that bring special joy to the season� This year the Chamber Singers provide the sermon in song on December 5, with a beautiful work entitled The Mystery of Bethlehem, by the distinguished Canadian composer, Healey Willan� Although not often performed because of greater interest in some of his larger choral works, this gem sets a beautiful mood for the season� Jonathan Hays and Courtney Gray join the group as soloists for this work�

(See Music on page 2)

Bagels and Belief Topics & Speakers

January 2, 2011

What we believe about the Holy Spirit

Rev Heather Sigler

February 6, 2011

What we believe about the Trinity

Dr� Lee Barrett

March 6, 2011

What we believe about God’s Ultimate Purpose

Rev Russell Sullivan

April 3, 2011

What we believe about the Church

Rev Heather Sigler

May 2, 2011

What we believe about Evil

Rev Alex Lang

June 5, 2011

What we believe about Christianity and Other Religions

Guest Presenter

Bagels & Belief meets in Fellowship Hall at 9:40 a m

Music

Continued from page 1

On December 12 at four in the afternoon, the Festival of Lessons and Carols fills the church with joyful sounds of the season from both congregation and choir� Several new carols grace the service this season and the reprise of several that have not been heard in more than five years That service is followed by our annual Christmas Dinner, again catered by Stock’s on Second, and planned and executed by their Executive Chef, Matthew Poorman It is a great delight to have Matt in so prominent a place in Harrisburg’s culinary world!

Christmas Eve is always special and our youth and children will have a large part in the 6:30 p m service as the Choir brings its usual inspiration to the eleven o’clock hour Beautiful carols of Malcolm Williamson, Herbert Howells, R.R. Terry and William Mathias all help to set the mood culminating in the singing of “O Holy Night” during communion We in the music department are all working hard to enrich your season … come and enjoy this Holytide!

Annual Christmas Dinner

Following the Festival of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 12, we will enjoy our annual Christmas dinner, again catered by Stock’s on Second Cost will remain at $25 this year, and it will be sumptuous� Choices of Marinated Sliced Bistro Steak or Lemon Crusted Flounder are the entrees and accompanied by hors d’oeuvres, salad and dessert For those with children, there will be Chicken Fingers and chips for a cost of $6�00� It’s a great deal for a modest price Tickets are now on sale at the Welcome Center�

Christmas at Presbyterian Apartments

If you are interested in being part of a Christmas celebration at the Presbyterian Apartments on the afternoon of Friday, December 17 please contact Debbie Olson at 533-4548� We will plan some Bible readings, singing of traditional Christmas hymns and carols, and sharing fellowship while eating some Christmas goodies� The Mission Committee is attempting to keep an open relationship with the apartments and would encourage anyone in the congregation to share this time with our fellow Christians at the Apartments�

The Giving Tree

Remember to sign up in the Gathering Place for ways to share our blessings with those who are less fortunate than most of us at Pine Street� If you signed up, remember that your gifts for the Giving Tree are due into the church on December 5 and December  12� For more info on The Giving Tree and this year’s agencies, check out the November, 2010 issue of Pine Street Life at http://www.pinestreet.org/pinestreetlife.html�

Time, Talents and Treasure

By John Goodrich, Chair, Stewardship Committee

InNovember Pine Street concluded our church’s annual stewardship drive

Because of the mid-November deadline for articles to appear in Pine Street Life, we’ll have to wait until the January issue to give you a more accurate indication of the success of our campaign� Preliminary figures show a pledge commitment so far of $403,960�

Sure, December is a busy time of the year But this fund drive is a vital element in Pine Street Presbyterian’s economic and spiritual health� If you’ve been away or otherwise unable to attend church, there’s still time to make your annual consideration for the General Fund that is important to our continued operations as a faithful community�

As most of you know by now, for the past several years the Stewardship Committee has followed a different path for encouraging financial giving� This method calls for us to be faithful disciples in every aspect of life Proper stewardship involves a grateful response to God’s grace and goodness

Part of the change in methods for conducting the stewardship campaign includes a promise that members won’t be pestered by phone or personal visits� The upshot is that as individuals we have an opportunity to consider our financial giving, and reach our tithing goal as Christians through a gradual increase in pledging commitments step by step, year by year

As an indication of what your giving means to the church, I took a look recently at the Pine Street budget It takes about $231 daily just to cover our utility costs That doesn’t include maintenance costs or improvements to our beautiful, but elderly, church building� Our church needs are ongoing, and the challenge for us as Pine Streeters is to continue growing as spiritual, caring individuals

Here are some further ideas from the General Assembly Mission Council to answer the question, “What is Stewardship?”:

“Stewardship is about making choices, as individuals and in community� It is more than giving money to the church� Stewardship is about being faithful disciples, caring for and managing all that God has given us

“Stewardship is not just one part of Christian discipleship; it involves every aspect of life in all the stages of life

Session Notes for November

The Triennial Visit from the Presbytery of Carlisle was held

Approved two upcoming Youth trips The first on December 19, 2010 to Maryland, to hear Tony Campolo speak . The second a mission trip to rural West Virginia, June 25 - July 2, 2011

“Stewardship is the grateful response to God’s grace and goodness� It requires a consideration of how our choices affect us and others, of how we can be good caretakers of the created world and of how we can best serve God as disciples of Christ�” . . .the challenge for us as Pine Streeters is to continue growing as spiritual, caring individuals Pledge envelopes for 2011 are now available for pick up in the Gathering Place.

Approved a Pine Street sponsored mission trip to the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation in Arizona, February 12 -19, 2011

Picture as of November 15, 2010

ARIZONA 2011

The Papago Presbyterian Church in Sells, AZ, will again host a group of missioners from February 12 to February 19, 2011� This will be the 20th trip to serve this church on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation This year we plan to paint and do some minor repairs to the manse� There is sleeping space for eighteen people in the trailers we use for eating, sleeping, and fellowship The cost of the trip is $250 for ground expenses (this money is used to rent vans to travel from the airport to Sells and to make the many necessary trips to Tucson for supplies during the week, gas for the vans, and money for food) Each person must also pay for transportation to AZ� There is a signup sheet at the Welcome Center

CONGREGATIONAL CARE MEAL PROGRAM

The Congregation’s Care Team is ready to make and deliver four meals to your home after a stay in the hospital Two things are needed for this very valuable program: people who have been hospitalized and people to prepare and deliver the meals Volunteers will be asked occasionaly to prepare and deliver a meal to those in need of some food assistance� The volunteers will be called on a rotating basis Meals do not have to be elaborate To those who can benefit from this service, once we are notified of your need, you will be called to arrange for convenient delivery times� If you have any questions, or would like to be a volunteer, please sign up at the Welcome Center or contact Sondra Fertig at 545-4865 or at sondrafertig@comcast.net� This is very rewarding, for not only the recipient, but also the giver Please consider being part of our team�

MISSION POSSIBLE FUND

The current balance in the Mission Possible Fund is $550�94� AND we already used about $235 to pay for the supplies we used at the Camp Hill home for our Rebuilding Together day on October 2, 2010 THANKS to all who have contributed to this fund� Having money available in this fund enables us to begin new mission projects without wondering whether there is any money in the church budget for such things� If you are interested in volunteering at HersheyPark or the GIANT Center in order to have more money deposited into this account (and earn a voucher for free admission to HersheyPark), please contact Debbie Olson at 533-4548 or sign up at the Welcome Center

Attention

All High School & College Students

You are invited to gather in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, December 26, 2010 from 9:40 – 10:40 a.m. for a home cooked breakfast, and a time of fellowship� Please RSVP to Sondra Fertig no later than December 14, 2010 at sondrafertig@comcast. net or call the church office 238-9304 Please mark your calendars� We’re looking forward to seeing you

Goodie Boxes

Pine Street college students recently received “Goodie Boxes” sent to them by the Congregational Care Team� The high school students helped pack the boxes that contained pens, pencils, highlighters, tape, glue, paper clips, tablets, popcorn, hot chocolate, fruit and nut bars, gum, Tic Tacs, Tootsie Pops, lip balm, candy bars, Pine Street Life, and an invitation to the College/ High School holiday breakfast to be held on December 26th at 9:40 a.m All freshmen also received a scarf in their school colors made by members of the Shawl Ministry�

by Elaine Strokoff

More Opportunities to Help DDB

For Thanksgiving & Christmas dinners: holiday napkins & hot cups; table decorations; little gift bags; holiday music, (carolers?? musicians??) Other special touches to make the Holiday Season festive at the soup kitchen Please call 238-4717 if you have questions or other suggestions Thanks, Elaine

Thanks to all of our DDB volunteers and supporters and Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy Holiday season.

As you sit down to your holiday meal with family and friends, 150 people will be sitting down to their holiday meal at Downtown Daily Bread� As you slice into your turkey or ham, men, women, and children will be doing the same at Downtown Daily Bread As the cook in your family put his/her best effort to make the meal special, so did the cook at Downtown Daily Bread� As guests arrive and your home begins to take on that festive mood, so does the dining room begin to buzz at Downtown Daily Bread� As your decorations enhance the holidays, so will ours “deck the halls and walls” at Downtown Daily Bread When greetings begin and good wishes are exchanged, so too will they be expressed at Downtown Daily Bread with volunteers and clients alike

We hope that you are fortunate to spend the holidays with your family and friends At Downtown Daily Bread, 150 people, homeless or living in poverty, are fortunate to celebrate their holidays at their Downtown Daily Bread home Clients know that Downtown Daily Bread is a special place� We hope you would agree� If so, kindly consider making a donation to your soup kitchen� A contribution of $50 will feed 25 people; $100 will feed 50 people, $200 will feed 100 people, etc� Please know that Downtown Daily Bread is grateful for your partnership and your generosity

From our DDB family to yours, we wish you a Wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy, Healthy New Year

Best Wishes from Elaine, Brenda, Blondie, & Chris�

Bears for Bread

Cuddly, handmade teddy bears will be available in the Gathering Place between services on November 28 and December 5, or until they are gone A $10 donation is requested, with all proceeds going to DDB� The bears are kid-safe, machine washable and dryable, and make great Christmas gifts After December 5, Loretta Smith asks that you check with her for availability� She can be found Sunday mornings in the Ekklesia room�

from the DDB counselor

Good news to report: First Spring Creek Nursing Home has provided a bed for “ Robert” our wheelchair bound client Four of our clients are getting housing through the Project Connect for the homeless DDB is working with the YWCA and the Firm Foundation to house these clients� I am working with Mission Central to get blankets, hats, and gloves for our clients for the winter� This is something Pine Street folks can help us collect for clients.

• I did 21 intakes last month

• The barbers did 23 hair cuts

• All 33 lockers are in use and we have a waiting list

• We do about 60 showers per week

• We have about 75 people getting mail here

Peace and Blessings this holiday season! Please help us help those in need�

Chris

8:30

5

B et hl eh em (H Willan)

4:00 P M Youth Handbell Choir – Bell R oom

5:00 P M SYF - Fellowship Hall & B oyd 6 7 8:45 A M Staff Worship 9:15 A M Staff Meeting 7:30 P M

12 Third Sunday of Adv ent

8:30 A M Wors hip - S anctuary 9:30 A M C hildr en s Choir Practice (Pr e-K- 5 Grade) - R

December 2010

Wednesday, December 1

Psalm 50; 147:1-11

Isaiah 2:1-4

Luke 20:19-26

Thursday, December 2

Psalm 18:1-20; 147:12-20

Isaiah 2:5-22

Luke 20:27-40

Friday, December 3

Psalm 102; 148

Isaiah 3:1–4:1

Luke 20:41–21:4

Saturday, December 4

Psalm 90; 149

Isaiah 4:2-6

Luke 21:5-19

Sunday, December 5

Psalm 72:1-7,18-19

Isaiah 11:1-10

Romans 15:4-13

Matthew 3:1-12

Monday, December 6

Psalm 122; 145

Isaiah 5:8-17

Luke 21:20-28

Tuesday,December 7

Psalm 33; 146

Isaiah 5:18-25

Luke 21:29-38

Lectionary Readings for December

Wednesday, December 8

Psalm 50; 147:1-11

Isaiah 6:1-13

John 7:53–8:11

Thursday, December 9

Psalm 18:1-20; 147:12-20

Isaiah 7:1-9

Luke 22:1-13

Friday, December 10

Psalm 102; 148

Isaiah 7:10-25

Luke 22:14-30

Psalm 130; 16

Saturday, December 11

Psalm 90; 149

Isaiah 8:1-15

Luke 22:31-38

Sunday, December 12

Psalm 146:5-10

Isaiah 35:1-10

James 5:7-10

Matthew 11:2-11

Monday, December 13

Psalm 122; 145

Isaiah 8:16–9:1

Luke 22:39-53

Tuesday, December 14

Psalm 33; 146

Isaiah 9:2-7

Luke 22:54-69

Wednesday, December 15

Psalm 50; 147:1-11

Isaiah 9:8-17

Mark 1:1-8

Thursday, December 16

Psalm 18:1-20; 147:12-20

Isaiah 9:18–10:4

Matthew 3:1-12

Friday, December 17

Psalm 102; 148

Isaiah 10:5-19

Matthew 11:2-15

Saturday, December 18

Psalm 90; 149

Isaiah 11:1-9

John 3:16-21

Sunday, December 19

Psalm 80:1-7,17-19

Isaiah 7:10-16

Romans 1:1-7

Matthew 1:18-25

Monday, December 20

Psalm 122; 145

Isaiah 28:9-22

Luke 1:5-25

Tuesday, December 21

Psalm 33; 146

Isaiah 29:9-24

Luke 1:26-38

Wednesday, December 22

Psalm 50; 147:1-11

Isaiah 31:1-9

Luke 1:39-48a (48b-56)

Thursday, December 23

Psalm 18:1-20; 147:12-20

Isaiah 33:17-22

Luke 1:57-66

Friday, December 24

Psalm 102; 148

Isaiah 35:1-10

Luke 1:67-80

Christmas Eve

Isaiah 59:15b-21

Philippians 2:5-11

Psalm 132; 114

Saturday, December 25

Christmas Day

Psalm 2; 149

Zechariah 2:10-13

John 3:31-36

Sunday, December 26

Psalm 148

Isaiah 63:7-9

Hebrews 2:10-18

Matthew 2:13-23

Monday, December 27

Psalm 34; 145

Proverbs 8:22-30

John 13:20-35

Tuesday, December 28

Psalm 2; 146

Isaiah 49:13-23

Isaiah 54:1-13

Matthew 18:1-14

Wednesday, December 29

Psalm 96; 147:1-11

Isaiah 12:1-6

John 7:37-52

Thursday, December 30

Psalm 93; 147:12-20

Isaiah 25:1-9

John 7:53–8:11

Friday, December 31

Psalm 98; 148

Isaiah 26:1-6

John 8:12-19