THE TRUMPET CALL

East Stroudsburg United Methodist Church

December 27, 2015

Pastors Corner
I'm looking forward to seeing many members and friends at our three Christmas Eve services (4, 7,
10 pm) along with the guests you have invited for this special night. Each of the services is very
different from the other two, and I believe there is something meaningful for everyone! We are very
cognizant that our two services last year were very long, and you'll see much shorter services this
year. All Advent, we've been encouraging our congregation to take and hand out bright red
postcards with the words, "Love Revealed" on the front. Thank you for doing your part in spreading
the word about what our church is doing. As a follow-up, starting Christmas Eve, we have new
postcards for distribution which advertise our January sermon theme, "Where is God When it Hurts?"
and which also have information about our children and youth programs on the reverse side. One
small oversight we noticed after we received the printed cards: JAM is listed for youth, but it did not
mention it is on Thursdays. Please let people know that if you hand the card to persons with young
teens at home. Since I will be out of town this Sunday, December 27, I will turn over the rest of this
column to my wonderful colleague, the Rev. Bob Hachtman, who will be preaching on Sunday. Bob
has some important words about Scripture reading which will be a part of our Trumpet Calls in the
New Year.
Pastor Jim

The Bible is God speaking to us. It is a love letter through

which God opens His mind to us on how He thinks, what
He wants for us, and what His plans are for the world.
Most importantly the Bible reveals what He has done for
us in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world.
I believe that scripture reading is foundational to the
spiritual growth process of all believers. If we develop a
pattern of reading the Bible daily we will find amazing
blessings within its pages.
But even with our best intentions, reading Gods Word can sometimes feel like an overwhelming and
daunting task. What is our mindset on this? Do we even think its realistic to read the Bible regularly
on our own? Our problem may be that we never quite get around to doing it, or maybe we start but
fail to follow through. How do our expectations set us up to shrug off our attempts as failures? Let us
be realistic as we pledge to this Bible reading plan for the year 2016. We will miss some readings
along the way. But let us not sell Gods Word short! We sometimes forget the power of Gods
awesome Word, and the work of the Holy Spirit in opening up the Bible. God will bless our best
efforts.
Biblica.com provides a one-year Bible reading plan (www.biblica.com). It creates opportunities for all
to join in. If you are web savvy you can go directly to the site and surf its pages. You can also listen to
each passage. If you do not have a computer, you will find the readings listed each week in our
Trumpet Call. Each day you will be encouraged to read a selection from the Old Testament and the
New Testament, along with either a chapter of Proverbs or Psalms.
Join me as we seek as a community to deepen our understanding of the Word of God. Be
encouraged in realizing that the beauty of Gods word is that we will always be blessed when we
open its pages and seek Gods truths.

Church-Wide Study
January 10th - 31st
Classes to be held on Sundays and
throughout the week at various times/
places
Sign-up in Oberholtzer Hall

Photo Caption
Stephen Ministry

CATCH is a four-week video- based program designed to help

churches carry out the mission of Jesus: to search for lost sheep!
Participants will read short daily devotional readings and meet
weekly to watch a short video and participate in discussion. The
focus of CATCH is to help churches become outward focused
instead of inward focused. The goal is to reach out to the least, the
last, and the lost in our community and take every step necessary to
show them the depth of love God has for them.
Numerous groups will be studying CATCH during the weeks of
January 10 - January 31. You may sign up in Oberholtzer Hall or by
calling Peggy Strack, 570-421-3280, ext. 1023. Devotional books
are available at a cost of $9. If you are unable to cover the cost of
the book, please do participate! Costs will be covered!
Day of Study Time
Teacher
Location
Sunday
9:45-10:45 A.M.
Rosenberger & Brown church basement, rooms 8 & 9
Lee Karchner
church basement, room 10
Kelli Mercurio
church basement, room 6
Arlene Staples
church basement, choir room
Lynn Pappalardo
church, bridal lounge
Cathy Saunders
2nd floor office building
Sunday
6:30-8:30 P.M.
Rich & Jenni Poole
229 Whitetail Ct., Stroudsburg
Monday
11:00 A.M.
Karen
church,
lounge
Tuesday
10:00
Tom &
Hinkey
Jade Ave.,

On Sunday, December 20, 2015, we were pleased to welcome 12 new members to our church. They were received
into membership by an enthusiastic congregation at the
10:45 a.m. service. Some were received on letter of transfer
and some by re-affirmation of faith. They were all part of a
five-part new members class conducted by the pastor assisted by Lay Leader Mike Ragonese and stewardship coordinator Robin Braun. Congratulations and welcome to our newest members!

Prayer
Appreciated!
Pray for each other so that you may
be healed. The prayer of a righteous
man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16
As one year ends and another begins, our
Stephen Ministers continue to meet with
their care receivers, listening to their
needs, and lifting them up in prayer.
Stephen Ministers pray for Gods mercy
and cure for the concerns, pain, and
suffering in the lives of their care
receivers. We ask you, our congregation,
to continue to support the Stephen
Ministers in the New Year by including
them and their care receivers in your
prayers.
For more information about Stephen
Ministry, please contact Peggy Strack,
570-421-3280, ext. 1023.
Members of ESUMC who are no longer

able to attend church, always enjoy

hearing from you! Cards and notes of
encouragement may be sent to:

Todd
bridal
A.M.
Kathy
348
East

Beverly Beck
Edgehill Nursing & Rehab Center
146 Edge Hill Road
Glenside, PA 19038
Hearing Assistance
Devices are Here!

ESUMC now owns several hearing

assistance devices which can be worn to
improve your ability to hear our worship
services. Please contact an usher to pick
up your hearing assistance device and
return to an usher after use.

Children's Ministry is collecting

shoe boxes for an outreach in

February. Please bring any shoe
boxes to the Children's Sunday School
area downstairs in the church. Thank
you!

Sarah Kuhnle

Cory and Mark Nordyke

Childrens Ministry Upcoming

Events
Family Minute To Win It Game Night
Saturday, January 9- 5:30-7:00 pm
Love Boxes
Saturday, February 6- 12:30-2:00 pm

Weekly Childrens Ministry

Events
Dexter and Geneva Lurch

Stacy Keller

Sunday School
Sundays @ 9:45-10:35 am
Childrens Church
Sundays @ 11:00-11:45 am

Weekly Youth Ministry Schedule

Arlene and Mike Hargrave

Kristin and Alex Marek

Sr. High Bible Study

Mondays @ 6:30-8:30 pm
Youth Praise Band Practice
Wednesdays @ 6:00-7:00 pm
JAM Jr. High Afterschool Program and
Fellowship Meal Thursdays @ 2:456:00 pm
JAM Jr. High Boys & Girls Study
Groups Thursdays @ 6:45-8:00 pm

Paul and Renee Meserole

Jr. and Sr. High Sunday School and

Fellowship Sundays @ 9:45-10:35 am

Special Notice

NEW MEMBERS
On Sunday, December 20, 2015, we were pleased to welcome
12 new members to our church. They were received into membership by an enthusiastic congregation at the 10:45 a.m. service. Some were received on letter of transfer and some by reaffirmation of faith. They were all part of a five-part new members class conducted by the pastor assisted by Lay Leader
Mike Ragonese and stewardship coordinator Robin Braun.
Congratulations and welcome to our newest members!

All 2015 contributions must be in the

office by 1:00 P.M. on Wednesday,
December 30, for 2015 processing and
depositing in the bank.
Thank You Financial Secretary.

Our Vision
To challenge and encourage everyone in our congregation to know and follow Christ by:

Contact Us
Church Office
(570) 421-3280
church@esumc.net
Hours: 9 am to 3 pm
Mon thru Fri
Pastor
Jim Todd
jtodd@esumc.net
Ext. 1014

Growing as disciples through Christs teachings

Connecting with one another in Christian community
Serving Christ by serving others
Praising God as we worship Christ

Sunday Services
Traditional 8:30 am
Contemporary 10:45 am
Sunday School/Discipleship Classes 9:45 am

Secretary
Maria Ragonese
mragonese@esumc.net
Ext. 1010

Save the date:

2016 Mens Retreat will be held March 11-12 at
our church.
Please save the date on your calendars!
Administrator of finances.
Background in accounting and strong
administration skills required.
Contact Jill Malefyt, SPR chairman, at
jillb@ptd.net or Pastor Jim for more info.

Congregational Care
Peggy Strack
pstrack@esumc.net
Ext. 1023
Youth Ministries
Scott Kuhnle
skuhnle@esumc.net
Ext. 1013

Childrens Ministries
Erica Dorsch
edorsch@esumc.net
Ext. 1017
Finances
Sue Mertz
smertz@esumc.net
Ext. 1015

Poinsettias are available for pickup after the last service on Christmas Eve,
on Sunday morning after service or during the week in accordance with
modified office hours below.

Christmas Eve Office Closing at Noon

Monday 12/28 11 a.m. 2 p.m.
Tuesday 12/29 10 a.m. 2 p.m.
Wednesday 12/30 10 a.m. 2 p.m.

Thursday 12/31 9 a.m. Noon.

Scan QR to ESUMC Website

East Stroudsburg United Methodist Church

83 S. Courtland St.
East Stroudsburg, PA 18301
www.esumc.net

Financial Secretary
Cyndie Faunce
cfaunce@esumc.net
Ext. 1025
Maintenance
William Mack
wmack@esumc.net
Ext. 1018
Organist/Traditional
Music
Pauline Fox
foxes@esumc.net
Audio/Visual
Joe Dorsch
josephdorsch@gmail.com
Contemporary Music
Doug Malefyt
dmalefyt@esumc.net
Technology Support
Michael Corey
mcorey@esumc.net
Ext. 1012