July/August 2008
On Tuesday evening, May 27th, following
choir practice some of the men of the church gathered to do
work in the cemetery and the church yard. They filled in
some of the graves, added dirt to some of the low places in
the church yard, sowed grass seed and sprayed the weeds in
the parking lot. Those helping with the project were Weldon
Miller, Ronny Gochenour, William Andrews, Bill Ryman and
Larry Gochenour. Mt. Calvary had two members to graduate
from High School in June, 2008. Mathew Jones graduated from
Central High School and Matthew Pirtle from Stonewall
Jackson High School. The church honored each of these
graduates with a card and check for $50.00 on Sunday, June
1st, during regular worship service. The congregation would
like to wish each of these graduates the best as they go
forth with their new careers. Tuesday evening, June 3rd, we visited the
Dutch Haven Home in Maurertown. After singing songs with the
group, Regena Miller led the group in scripture, two poems
and prayer. The group then moved to the dining room around
the tables where residents had refreshments. Cupcakes were
prepared by Fern Ryman and Regena Miller, popcorn and
pretzels by Jean Gochenour and drink by Helen Markley. The
residents sure enjoyed the fellowship and refreshments.
Those visiting were Larry and Jean Gochenour, Hope and
Imogene Jones, Bill and Fern Ryman, Debbie Mumaw, Weldon and
Regena Miller. Are you hungry for that home made ice
cream and all those goodies again? August is just a little
over a month away and that means time for the annual "Lawn
Party". Mt. Calvary's date for the lawn party is Saturday,
August 2nd, starting at 4:00 P.M.
A list of the items needed for this
fund raiser, with profit going to the Multiple Charities, is
posted in the social hall. Everyone is asked to look at the
poster and put their name by what they will give. Please
keep in mind when you sign up for the different things
needed, that the youth group and adult advisors from St.
Mark's Church in Lebanon, PA will be returning from a week
of mission work and will be eating with us as they have done
in the past years. They will be spending the night at Mt.
Calvary. Remember everyone is needed, both in donating items
and helping that evening. On Sunday, June 1st, in the absence of
Rev. Overman, Steve Wood brought the message at Mt. Calvary.
Rev. Overman was away where she performed her brother's
wedding. It is always a pleasure to have Steve speak at Mt.
Calvary. His sermon was on "Time Out". Melissa Andrews had
the children's sermon and Bobby Grubbs assisted Steve.
Mt. Calvary was pleased to have Dawn
Stoneburner bring the message to the congregation on June
15th. Being Father's Day her wonderful message was "Our
Father, My Father". She related our Heavenly Father with her
father and all the other fathers. During her children's
sermon she showed pictures of her father, her husband as a
father and ask what we thought a picture of our Heavenly
Father would look like? She had a Hershey candy bar that was
given to each man present. Dawn was filling in for Rev.
Overman who was attending the Central Atlantic Conference in
Delaware. Before the end of the service a large muffin was
given to each man from the church. Thanks to both Steve and Dawn for being
so willing to fill in for Rev. Overman in her absences. You
both brought a very meaningful message to the
congregation. Mt. Calvary was very proud to be able to
reach out and help Kent George with medical needs. A check
of $500.00 was given on June 4th, from Multiple Charities.
We hope Kent will continue to improve to better health.
Mt. Calvary participated in the Heifer
International Project. Through this project an effort is
made for an END TO HUNGER AND A BEGINNING FOR PEACE. Many
different animals can be purchased to help in countries all
around the world. A few of the animals and their cost to
purchase are: heifer - $500.00, goat, sheep or pig -
$120.00, a flock of chickens, geese or ducks $20.00, Llamas
- $150.00 and Honeybees - $30.00, etc. A bucket was placed
in the sanctuary where anyone wishing to donate could place
their change or bills. This bucket remained through April
and the first Sunday in May. Two hundred and thirty five
dollars was placed in the bucket from individuals in the
church. The consistory decided to purchase a goat and a
sheep with the donations. A goat can give a family up to a gallon
of milk every day and can quickly turn a hungry family into
a healthy family. Goat milk is easily digestible and is
actually consumed by more children around the world than
cows' milk. A goat can thrive in climates too harsh for
other livestock. They can survive on grasses and leaves that
other animals won't eat. They can have two or three kids
each year, so passing on a gift of goats is easy. A sheep will help provide a needy family
with sustainable sources of food and income. A yew will
provide a daily supply of rich nutritious milk for children
to drink. Their wool can be sold for income or made into
warm clothing and blankets. Their manure can be used to
fertilize fields and increase crop yields. A sheep often
will give birth to twins or triplets, so this gift can keep
on giving. Through your support in this project you
are helping to alleviate hunger and helping families and
communities achieve economic self-reliance by replacing
profound despair with real hope. When the animals bear their
young, the young are then passed on to others and an entire
community can become self-reliant, drawn together by hope
and cooperation to become a true instrument of peace. Thanks
to everyone helping with this project. The congregation would like to extend
sympathy to Larry and Jean Gochenour and family on the death
of Jean's brother, William (Bill) Wetzel, on Friday, June
6th. Graveside service was held on Sunday, June 8th at
Sunset View Memorial Gardens. Our annual Vesper Service is scheduled
for July 20 at 7:00 p.m. The group performing will be Phil
and Dawn Stoneburner, Bobby Grubbs, Anne Holland and Pastor
Overman. Please bring your lawn chairs for this casual,
evening of music to be followed by homemade ice cream and
cake. Regena Miller Our Mission Moment for May was "Give Kids
A Chance Mission". The mission is to assist children who
suffer from chronic illness or who are abused. This can be
done by helping to pay medical bills, or buy medical
equipment, medicine or other needs. Another way we can help
would be providing a "wish" such as a birthday party,
sending them to a sporting event, etc. They also hope to
help children who are abused by helping them out of their
situation, paying for them to see a counselor or just being
a friend and confidant. A special collection of $250.00 was
collected and matched with our Multiple Charities fund. The
3 directors of the program are Curtis Foltz, Joe Segretti,
and Phil Stephens. The mission is a non-profit organization,
and all funds collected go directly to the program. Anyone
who knows of a child that could benefit from their services,
please contact Michelle Koontz. Michelle Koontz