“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21)

I feel led to share with you the words of Rev. Zack Jackson, Pastor of Community UCC in Reading, PA. Zack is a friend and colleague that has some hard truths for us to reflect on. May you seriously discern what God is calling us to do and to be in this current time:

“I have no words for my Jewish friends today that have not already been said. Know that I love you and I will support you in any way I can. I cannot begin to imagine how you are feeling. I do, however, have a few words for my Christian friends. This man who committed this massacre is a self-proclaimed Christian, and in the coming days and weeks, you will be tempted to say, "He's not a real Christian", and feel no responsibility for him the way we do with Westboro Baptist, abortion clinic bombers, and every other person who kills in Jesus' name. It's easy to walk away. That's a mark of our privilege. We must, instead, walk towards the problem of Christian extremism and face it head on!

Many of you will read today that this man's social media presence was filled with hateful things like, "Jews are the children of Satan" and "Jews must die". you will read this and want to disown him. You will then spend this Reformation Sunday talking about how great Martin Luther was while his book, "On the Jews and Their Lies" contains those very words that you decry. Tertullian, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome all have prominent places in our Church History and, while they may not have approved of this murder, they would have agreed with the sentiments behind it.

The Church is drenched in the blood of Jews, Muslims, and Africans, and as much as pretending that this is neither the past nor the present of the "true church" makes us feel better, it does nothing to help the victims. I hope it offends you that this man is a Christian. I hope you are uncomfortable with the fact that Hitler was a Christian too. I hope it makes you so uncomfortable that you start speaking out when you hear hateful rhetoric in the name of Jesus. I hope that being forced to claim them as a part of the Church makes you want to stand up for the Church instead of letting them off the hook. I hope you are offended for Jesus and that you stand up for him.

Own it. Face it. Defeat it. Hate has no place in the Church”.

Silence is not going to solve the problems that are currently dividing us in our world today. A commitment to speaking out in loving, honest, respectful, truthful, and self-reflecting ways is how we begin to heal and bridge the divide. Get to know your neighbor, whether a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a person of no faith, or something in between. When we do there will be more understanding and truth that will shine through this world and less chance of the dark corners where hateful and hurtful thoughts and actions reside.

Blessings and Prayers for all God’s People,
Pastor Nate

Worship Schedule this month:

November 4th -- (Theme of Worship: Wherever you go) Turn Clocks Back. Ruth 1:1-8; Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34. First Sunday Fellowship following worship. We Welcome Rev. Mike Price to the pulpit and celebrate All Saints by remembering those who have passed in the last year.

November 11th - (ToW: Risk and Restoration) Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44. We welcome Penn Central Conference staff person, Rev. Nora Foust to the pulpit on this Sunday. Normal Sunday School Schedule.

November 18th – (ToW: Praise the Holy One) 1st Samuel 1:4-20; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-8. We celebrate the baptism of Laurel Lloyd in our time of worship. Praise Group in Worship. Normal Sunday School Schedule.

November 25th – (ToW: A Wise Reign) 2nd Samuel 23:1-7; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37. During the Sunday School time you are invited to help decorate for the holiday season, share in baking cookies, crafts, activities, food and fellowship. All are invited to join us.

Look Further Ahead

December 2nd – (ToW: Sign of Things to Come) First Sunday of Advent. Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1st Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21: 25-36. First Sunday Fellowship during the Sunday School time.

INTERGENERATIONAL CHOIR

CDs are available for those who are interested in singing with the choir for all ages. We are hoping to sing fun, high energy, great message songs about once a month in worship. It is my hope to showcase our young people with the support and help of adults to encourage and support them. The plan is to practice once a month after church during the first Sunday fellowship time in order to prepare the anthem for that month. The CD will help all practice during the rest of the month on their own. Some of the songs are familiar from VBS and other places, but all songs are fun and meaningful and catchy. I hope you will join us in making a joyful noise and sharing a musical message from time to time with our young people. If we want our young people and kids to value and participate in the life and worship of the church, then we must all be ready and willing to show them how and do it right along side of them. CDs are available in the back of the church for all to take. ~Pastor Nate

Consistory Summary

October 16, 2018 meeting

· Consistory 2019 needs are one Elder, one Deacon and one Trustee and a youth representative. If interested in serving on Consistory for a three year term, please see Robert Pierce. No members have reached out at this point.

· Fall Festival wrap-up provided.

· Sub-committee for Pillar Groups will meet to finalize groupings.

· 2nd Annual Veteran Wreath project is now underway.

· Plan to schedule a “CARE Conversation” date in November to have a general discussion and answer questions to further explain the CARE idea. We will not request a vote on this until we feel the congregation understands what is being proposed and has had time to prayerfully consider this idea.

Harvest Home

Our annual Harvest Home collection will take place on Sunday, November 25th. Please bring unexpired canned goods and non-perishable food items to the church to be shared with the hungry in our community.

Christmas is Coming!

I’m sure that all the children of Dreisbach are aware that Christmas is coming, and soon! We hope you’ll join with us in kicking off this festive time of the year on Sunday, November 25th following the worship service. We plan to fill the church with the scent of cookies as we decorate the church and craft a special gift or decoration for someone. Subway will be provided for lunch but please bring a snack, dip or dessert to share. Come enjoy some laughter and good times with your church family as we kindle the Christmas spirit in all of us!

Poinsettia Sale

The holidays are upon us! Please join us in supporting the Youth in their annual “Poinsettia Sale”. This is a gift not only benefitting our youth group and the person receiving the plant but also our congregation by beautifying the sanctuary on Christmas Eve. The cost is $12.00 per plant. Please make checks payable to “Dreisbach UCC Youth Fellowship”. Please note we have a limited supply of flowers as we must pre-order ahead of time with the greenhouse - So get in your order(s) early to secure your purchase!

Orders are due by Sunday, November 25th, 2018!

Bethany Children’s Home Gifts

We will again be supporting the kids and ministry at Bethany by buying gifts for the Christmas holiday. There is a list of suggested gift ideas posted in the back of the sanctuary. We will collect the gifts Sunday, December 9th. Thank you for your support of these young people and the life changing ministry that Bethany provides.

Live Nativity

We have been asked to again be a part of the Live Nativity in Mifflinburg this year on Thursday, Dec. 13th from 7:00- 9:00 pm. If you are willing to be a part of this we would love your help and your families help. This is a great part of the activities and ministry that goes on during the festival in Mifflinburg.

Volunteers Needed

We are in need of a couple of people to help with the activities listed above. We need someone to deliver the collected gifts to Bethany Children’s Home no later than December 16th. We also need someone to organize the volunteers for the Live Nativity. If you can help out with either of these activities please contact Pastor Nate or Pam.

Devitt House Christmas Gifts

Signup sheets are located in the back of the sanctuary for gifts for the residents of Devitt House. Please consider taking a name to shower them with a little cheer this Christmas season. The gifts will be collected for delivery on Sunday, December 2nd. Please contact Ella Willow if you have questions.

2nd Annual Veterans Christmas Remembrance Celebration

The Membership Committee is planning the 2nd Annual Veterans Christmas Remembrance Celebration for December 15, 2018 @ 10AM. This year's ceremony will be held in the sanctuary followed by placement of the evergreen wreaths on veterans' graves and then a time of fellowship downstairs. All are encouraged to sponsor a wreath with a donation of $20. Wreaths will be once again made locally by Alex Haines. 113 wreaths are needing sponsored to ensure all veterans buried at Dreisbach are appropriately remembered. Sponsorship forms are available in the back of the church by the event's display board. To volunteer placing a wreath(s) on 12/15 following the ceremony, contact Judy Willow (570-412-2814). To sponsor a wreath or other questions about the event can be directed to other committee members including Julie Rockey, Pam Pfirman, Sharon Houseknecht, Debbie Sanders, Barb Manbeck, Phil Frederick, Larry & Carol Snook, and Pastor Nate.

Devotionals

We now have both Quiet Hour and Upper Room devotionals available in the overflow room of the sanctuary.

Thank You

I want to thank my church family for the prayers, cards and financial assistance during my bout with stomach cancer. Special thanks to the Mission Committee for their support and to the Prayer Shawl Committee for the meaningful shawl. I hope you will continue to pray for me as I recover from my surgery. Doug Dodge.

Rummage Sale Wrap-Up

Charity can occur on the spot as was observed at the recent Fall Rummage Sale. A Dreisbach member called attention to the plight of a nursing home resident who was admitted without needed clothing. Quickly a wardrobe was assembled from our donations. In another encounter a woman was able to gather soft “cuddle toys” for the project of another congregation. On behalf of poverty stricken people in the Philippines, bags of clothing were assembled at the close of the sale. A set of dishes was given for an elderly couple who were eating with paper plates. At closing time on Saturday the unsold clothing and bedding were picked up by a neighbor church for repurposing. Finally, remains of the sale were picked up by the American Rescue Workers.

On Saturday the cleanup time broke all records. Appreciation goes to all who invested in the Rummage Sale with their time, money, energy, food, publicity, and donations!

Special thanks was earned by the men who were “over-employed” with sales upstairs, outside, and from the garage. Total receipts were $4128.10.

Thank you so much,

Carol, Connie and Judy

Lakatosh Food Stand

Thank you to everyone who helped donate food for the Lakatosh food stand. This includes Deb Baker and her donation of delicious soups and scrumptious whoopee pies and Dreisbach’s fabulous pie makers. Also thanks to our workers who were able to keep the crowd happy. We were able to make $676.25 which will go into the church’s treasury and earmarked for “special events.”

Fall Festival Review

The Fall Festival Committee would like to send a sincere THANK YOU to all who made our 3rd annual event another day to rememBRRRRR....and we do mean BRRRR! It was a chilly, windy October day but the warmth and fun among us and those who came to see what we are all about was high! We cannot thank everyone enough for the hands that cooked, baked, fried, grilled, stirred, chopped, served, setup, tore down, cut down, hauled, drove around, posted, spray painted, washed, rode, etc., etc., etc. The event is not a small feat and continues to expand in various ways each year as we share our love of Christ with the Buffalo Valley.

Scarecrow Contest Winner

Grand Champion - Beverly Chamra - Miss Piggy & Her Piglets

Pie Contest Winners

Female Youth

1st - Donna Chappel - Apple Lattice 1st – Landon Druckenmiller – Apple Caramel

2nd - Beverly Chamra - Chocolate Chip 2nd – Louis Druckenmiller – Spooky Oreo

3rd - Sue Leitzel - Pineapple

Male - NEW THIS YEAR!

1st Pastor Nate - Peanut Butter

2nd Jake Leitzel - Dark Chocolate Raspberry

3rd Greg Chamra - Dutch Pumpkin Apple with Walnuts

The committee has already started planning for our 4th Annual Fall Festival so please save the date for October 12, 2019!

Thank you,

Judy Willow, Beverly Chamra, Julie Rockey, Tammy Pierce, Barb Zeller, Pam Pfirman, Sharon Houseknect, Sue Leitzel, Sharon Magyar, Samantha Kratzer

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD!

All of you at Driesbach United Church of Christ are talented singers and instrumentalists because you nourish my spirit when I hear you play with the Praise Team and lift your voices in song with the hymns on Sunday. Playing an instrument or using your God given voice to worship our Lord creates a lot of emotional, spiritual, and physical benefits. It helps to release stress, as well as calm the heart and mind. We will begin our practice of our Christmas music on Wed., Nov. 7th @ 7 p.m. and our bell choir practice will begin the following night, Thurs., Nov. 8th @ 7 p.m.

Come join one or both of these festive groups as we prepare some great new songs for the celebration of our Lord’s birth.

Please email Glen @ glenvandyke63@gmail.com or call him @570-966-1804 or 570-966-2322 and let him know which group you would like to join in this festive celebration on December 24th.

Meetings

The Dreisbach UCC Prime Timer’s will be meeting at the Old Turnpike Restaurant, Thursday, November 15th at 12:30 PM. Come an enjoy lunch and a time of fellowship. Lunch will be Dutch treat. Anyone 50 or older is welcome to join the group. A signup sheet is located on the table in the back of the church.

The Prayer Shawl group will meet on Tuesday, November 27, at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome.

The Membership Committee's next meeting is December 3, 2018 at 7pm in the rear of the sanctuary. We will be finalizing plans for the Veterans Christmas Remembrance Celebration and discussing our focus/initiatives for 2019. All are welcome to attend.

Congregational Meeting will take place on December 9th following the worship service.

November Birthdays & Anniversaries

Remember the following people in your prayers as they celebrate special days this month.

1 Rowan White 19 Mason Noll

2 Sharon & Wayne Stump 20 Donald Shemory

7 Ashley Mensch 21 Kara Leitzel

11 Carol Willow 22 Cooper White

Tim Dodge 24 Tim & Holly Snyder

14 Gary Hallock 25 Ray Snyder

Marlin Lepley Rich & Judy Schenck

Russ Houseknecht II 29 Roxie Girton

16 Jack & Evelyn Troxell Doloras Maurer

Deb Pfirman

Cameron Snyder

If you know of any additions or corrections to the birthday and anniversary list, please give or email them to Pam Pfirman.

November 2018 Newsletter