St. John's
United Church of Christ of Evans City
March 2010 Newsletter

Rev. Dr. Verna Call - Pastor                                           8:35 Alive Worship Service     8:30am
Office - 724-538-8124                                                    Sunday School For All Ages     9:30am
Office E-mail -stjohnsevanscity@zoominternet.net             Worship Service                     11:00am

St. John's Web Page - www.stjohnsevanscity.com

 Another Thank You!

The churches of the Penn West Conference received a thank you letter from the Stewardship & Budget & Finance Committees of the conference. The letter details some of the uses in the conference of our donations to Our Churches Wider Mission (OCWM).

Donations for Haiti Relief can be used entirely for Haiti because the support system is already in place through contributions to OCWM. The Transformation & Renewal retreats offered by the PW Conference were supported by donations to OCWM. These retreats were attended by 80 people from 18 of the conference churches. Profiles of ministers & churches are matched through the National & Conference levels via the Search & Call process supported by funds from OCWM.

You can read about the ministries of the Penn West Conference on the WEB site www.pennwest.org under the program tab and the 2009 Ministry & Mission brochure provides an overview of ministries through the conference and the wider church.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP: RIGHT FOR YOU?

While the majority of those who attend St. Johns are church members, our church has many active friends who contribute their time and talents on a regular basis. In addition, we have some members, visitors and friends who have moved away from the Evans City area or for one reason or another are unable to attend regularly, but have a keen interest in the life of St. Johns church and wish to retain a relationship with our church.

One of the important changes made in the church Constitution and Bylaws, which was approved in November 2009 and became active January 1, 2010, is the concept of "associate membership." Quoting from the new Constitution, "Associate Membership is available to those not wishing or able to be full members. An Associate Member cannot vote or hold office, but enjoys all other rights and privileges."

The committee that worked for a year to update and revise our Constitution believed that it was important for St. Johns to offer folks Associate Membership as another avenue of participation in the life of St. Johns United Church of Christ. Perhaps you or someone you know, would be right for Associate Membership. If that is the case, please call Pastor Call to indicate your interest.

St. John’s Single Serving Update

St. John's Single Serving hosted the Square Dance on Feb. 13 and what a good time that was. This was for families and friends and not just the Singles. A good time was had by all!

The Singles Group has been a bit dormant the past few months....well, more like snowbound! We will get back on track in April.

Speaking of April, on April 27, (that's a Tuesday!) we will be going to Seneca Valley for the Glenn Miller Concert. We need to get tickets in advance so PLEASE let Stella N know if you are interested in going...ASAP!! Cost of a ticket is $20. 724.538.5867

See you in the Spring!!!!

Confirmation News

This winter and spring the confirmation class will again be very busy, with not only their classroom instruction, but with their many service projects.
Our snowy February created a challenge for both of our confirmands. Between the record snowfall, and illness they were challenged to complete all the work required in their first year of class. Never fear, they are both dedicated and motivated young people. With their help Valentines were made and given out on Valentines Day, the Evans City Food Cupboard was packed, and they completed their required Bible Book Reports. It has been a joy sitting in on their class. Not a Sunday goes by that they don’t surprise us with their thoughts and comments on the work they are studying.

Their classroom instruction will be completed the end of March which will give us time to complete a project we have planned for St. Paul’s Home. We will be traveling to the home on April 25^th. Both our confirmands will be helping Pastor Linda Miller-Pretz with 2 services and present 10 walker/wheelchair bags that they will have made. Their Sunday School room will become a sewing room for the Month of March. We will also collect Kleenex prior to going, so watch for the large collection box in the Narthex.

Finally, in May we will be working at the Jubilee Soup Kitchen in Pittsburgh, serving another meal at the Neighborhood Academy, and help Dr. Cheryl Haywood find a home for some special 4 legged friends. We can always use help at each event so watch your Messenger for the dates and times. Talk to our confirmands, Pastor Call, or Sue Ann Jones if you are interested in one of our projects.