Special Benevolence Offering: Homewood Retirement Homes Benevolent Fund ~ May 1 to May 22
In 1932, George Pearson, an elder in the Cavetown Christ Reformed Church, left a sizeable bequest to start a home for widows and spinsters of the church. Because of Pearson’s gift, Homewood Homes, our United Church of Christ site, exists nearly eight decades later.
At Homewood, no resident is ever asked to leave because he or she has run out of funds. The Benevolent Fund established at Homewood provides for them as long as they live at the site.
That is why your donations this month are very appreciated. Please give generously to the Homewood Homes Benevolent Fund. Thank you!
Psalm 71:9 ~ “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”
Holy Joe’s Café ~ Coffee for the TroopsSpecial Benevolence Offering for May 29th
What began in 2006 as a coffee drive within the church family of First Congregational UCC in Connecticut to collect and ship coffee to assist military chaplains in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, has broadened through the support of many other UCC congregations like ours. Our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait find themselves in difficult and life threatening situations taking an extreme physical, emotional and psychological toll on them. Our chaplains are the first line of defense against issues faced by our troops. Through Holy Joe’s Café Ministry, the support that is offered to them has grown to assist over 120 chaplains. Please give generously to this ministry as our Special Benevolence Offering on the 29th of May.
Chop & Peel Soup KitchenWe will again have Soup Kitchen Chop & Peel on Monday May 30th which is Memorial Day & we may need some additional help because of the holiday. I know we just had it in March, but it is the way the calendar falls so please continue to sign up to donate food. The sign up is in the narthex and thank you for your ongoing support. They love the beef stew because they get so many pasta dishes. ~ Nancy Sleeger
Northeastern Food PantryDuring the month of May, we will be collecting cake mixes in our grocery cart to be donated to the Northeastern Food Pantry. During the month of March, we collected 91 boxes of Jell-O & pudding, 19 boxes of spaghetti, 2 boxes of macaroni, 4 jars spaghetti sauce, 10 cans of tuna fish, 3 cans of chicken, 2 Healthy Choice meals, 2 cans of hot chocolate, 1 box of tissues and 1 roll of paper towels. During the month of April, we collected 14 boxes of potatoes & 5 cakes mixes. Thank you for your nerous ongoing support!
Thank you for your gifts to our MarchSpecial Benevolence Offering: Mt. Zion’s Disaster Relief Fund. Receipts totaled $1,637.75.
Thank you for your gifts to our One Great Hour of Sharing Offering. Receipts totaled $1,762.00.
4 Our Churches Update
At the end of the first quarter in the new year, Mt. Zion has forwarded an additional $5,590.54 to Penn Central Conference toward our annual goal of $20,000. Of the remaining $14,409.46, we have members who have pledged $5,934.16 for the year, which means we only have to raise $8,475.30 to meet our annual goal. Thank you to everyone who is contributing their time, talents and treasures to fulfill this pledge.
Jim Groff, Jim Shiffer & Deb Herlocker
Cook’s On the RoadOnce again, Mt. Zion’s cooks are heading to the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey to prepare the evening meal Sunday, June 26th and Sunday, August 14th. We leave Mt. Zion after the late service and pick up lunch on the way. We arrive at RMH around 1 PM and begin cooking. We plan the meal ahead of time and bring the ingredients needed. The meal is to be ready by 5 PM. After setting out the food, we head home.
No Experience needed, just folks of all ages who want to participate in this outreach ministry and share in fellowship with one another. A sign up sheet is in the side narthex.
Mt. Zion Is Sending Four “Littles” from Big Brother-Big Sister to Camp
Thanks to a fund established in memory of D. Clyde & E. Joann Long, we are able to send young people from Big Brother-Big Sister to enjoy a week at Hartman Center in Milroy, Pa. In addition to providing the funds for them to go, we have provided transportation. They go to camp on a Sunday afternoon and come home the following Saturday morning. Someone from Big Brother-Big Sister picks them up at their home and brings them to the church around 2 PM on the Sunday they begin camp.
We have one young man going June 26th and returning July 2nd, and three children, two boys and a girl, leaving July 17th and returning July 23rd. This has been a wonderful experience for all involved and a simple but meaningful way to be involved in this mission. If you are interested in providing transportation, please contact Doris Loucks. It is the policy of BB-BS that all drivers have clearance. It is a simple procedure and we have the form required if you have not already obtained clearance. Please consider being involved in this ministry of Mt. Zion!
Spaghetti Dinner a Success!The Confirmation Class did a great job planning, preparing, and host- ing the Spaghetti Dinner and Talent Show that was held on March 19th. Not only did we enjoy the wonderful food, but we also enjoyed listening to talented musicians: Jack Kollasch, Emily Schriver, Mason DeMers, Steve Tossey, and Ashley Thompson. A special thank you to all those who helped organized—especially the confirmands and their parents! Thank you also, to all those Mt. Zion members who donated supplies! Through our efforts, we were able to rise a total of $512. The Confirmands voted that half of these proceeds would go to the Mt. Zion Current Fund while the other half would go to the United Negro College Fund. Congratulations to all for a successful and fun fellowship event! Well done!