Mt Zion UCC

Extravagant Welcome!  Remember the biblical account of the welcome extended by the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair (Luke 7:44-47)?  The Pharisee who was Jesus’ host considered this to be extravagant and inappropriate, especially because the woman was a sinner. But the guest of honor, Jesus, knew that the woman’s extravagant welcome was the result of her love for Jesus and an expression of her thanks for being forgiven.

Mt. Zion is in the process of learning to extend extravagant welcomes to our guests. We’re doing this for the same reason the woman did – to show our love for Jesus and as an expression of our thanks for being forgiven. As sinners extending extravagant welcomes, we show our guests that Mt. Zion is a place where all of God’s children are accepted.

The welcome we’ve extended in the past wasn’t wrong, but we can do even better! Our new process of welcome might seem overdone as far as some are concerned, but we’ve learned from reports of persons who have visited other churches that a casual, almost off-hand, welcome can leave a guest feeling isolated or unwanted. The reason we’re sharing this information is that we’ve also learned that all members of a congregation are part of the welcome team… whether they are officially “on duty” or not.

Proper attire is important. We’re told that guests feel more comfortable when they know someone’s name, so we’re asking members to wear their nametags. Welcome Team members who are on duty should also wear a “Welcome Team” tag.

Man your station. Members who are in the narthex should be on the lookout for people who seem unsure of where things are. With the winter months coming, guests will need to find out where we hang our coats. They might also need to know where the rest rooms are; our new signage is great, but having a personal escort is even better. Guests with children might need to know where our nursery is or will welcome the information about the children’s area if they want to feel part of the service but their child needs a break. Introduce yourself to guests and then introduce the guests to one of the pastors. Offer to sit next to someone so you can be helpful if they have questions about the service and earn extra “Extravagant Welcome Points!”

Welcome Team members who are on duty will be stationed at the main entrance door to the parking lot, at the top of the steps as a greeter, at the rear and side sanctuary doors to hand out bulletins. These people will be responsible for ensuring that guests are welcomed and sign the guest register. If a Welcome Team member must leave their post to escort a guest, members in the narthex should be ready to step into the vacant post.

It’s nothing personal. Welcome Team members who are on duty have committed themselves to be on the lookout to offer guests extravagant welcomes. This means that if you are engrossed in a conversation with a Welcome Team member, the Team member will interrupt your discussion to focus on a guest and engage them in conversation. Please don’t take this personally. You are undoubtedly important to the Welcome Team member, but their duties come first!

Welcome – it’s not just for Sundays anymore. In becoming more aware of when guests use our facility, we’ve come to realize that there are many opportunities for welcome teams to serve – weddings, funerals, community dinners, etc.  If you would be willing serve as a Welcome Team member for Sunday services or special functions, please contact Jack Herlocker at jherlocker@me.com or 600-2640.  The more, the merrier!

Special Benevolence Offerings in October & November:

October 2nd through 23rd: Our special benevolence offering will benefit the Mt. Zion Mission trip being planned to South Dakota in July of 2012. Your gifts will help to sponsor this meaningful ministry Mt. Zion has participated in for over fifteen years to our Native American brothers and sisters living on reservations there.

October 30th: The fifth Sunday in October your gifts to the Special Benevolence portion of the envelope will go to The UCC Christmas Fund. This fund provides supplements to pensions and health care for retired UCC pastors and their spouses.

November 6th through 27th: Your gifts throughout the month of November will be split between the Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry and Mt. Zion’s Adopt-A-Cabin.
The Truck Stop Ministry, located along the “Miracle Mile” in an area that has the heaviest trucker-trailer traffic along the East coast. The chaplain is available to truckers and travelers 24-7 to provide for their physical and spiritual needs. The chaplain provides transportation for truckers, who are on the road for 6-8 weeks at a time, to make needed trips doctors or pharmacies, etc. where they cannot go with their truck. The chaplain provides support in times of crisis to families who have come to the area to support a loved one.

Mt. Zion Adopt-a-Cabin. We provide the upkeep for one cabin at Hartman Center, the Penn Central Conference summer camp. Over the past ten years, we have replaced the bathroom, made changes to make the cabin handicapped accessible, and replaced the roof, carpeting and windows. Maintenance and upkeep is an ongoing project. Your gifts will provide the resources needed when a water heater needs replaced or other repairs are required.

Mt. Zion will be joining UCC congregations across the country to participate in this joint effort November 1 – 11, 2011 during which time ONE UNITED CHURCH will participate in a shared mission for 11 powerful days to feed the hungry and confront food-related injustice. During these 11 days, it is the goal of the United Church of Christ to:

• Collect more than 1 million items of healthy food and other household items for local food banks. To this end, we will be “retiring” the shopping cart during the month of October and encourage our members to continue to purchase items for the Northeastern Food Pantry and bring them between Oct. 30th and November 11th.
• Raise $111,111 for Neighbors In Need to support hunger action purposes with agencies of justice and compassion throughout the United States. We will receive your gifts to this special offering on November 6th.
• Collectively send 11,111 letters to Congress encouraging more effective assistance for hungry and poor people around the world. We will provide copies of this letter in the narthex for people to address and send.

Thank you for your gifts to our One Great Hour of Sharing Offering. Receipts totaled $1,812.00.

Mt. Zion’s Good Samaritan Fund – June Special Benevolence Offering

Your gifts to this month’s Special Benevolence offering support this local ministry of our church. It has been a long-standing fund established to provide discretionary funds administered by the pastors of the church to help members of the congregation, community by providing emergency funds when needed. A single mother, injured in an automobile accident, left unemployed for a period of time while recuperating needs some help with an electric bill. A family, working part-time jobs to make ends meet, encounters an illness that sets them back, their rent falls behind and there is fear of eviction. These are the stories we hear and the people we try to help with this fund. We are clear, it is not intended for on-going support. We make calls to utility companies and landlords to verify the information. With compassion and responsibility, we care for those around us thanks to your generosity to this fund.

In 2010, CWS sent 300 blankets to the United Church of Christ in Pierre, South Dakota in response to winter storms. Another 300 blankets were sent to San Diego for homeless families. 60 blankets went to the Philadelphia area. 600 went to Arkansas following summer storms and tornadoes. Over 11,000 blankets were sent around the world and 6,755 were distributed throughout the United States to shelters and in response to disasters.

The need in 2011 is great due to the earthquake in Japan, the tornados and flooding we are experiencing in the U.S. Please give generously so others may know and feel some sense of comfort during a crucial time in their lives. (Envelopes for this special offering will be available at church during the month of July.)

February Special Benevolence Offering: Northeastern Food Pantry

Our monthly mission for February is the Northeastern Food Pantry. The pantry is located at our sister church, Starview United Church of Christ.

In 2010, they provided food to 1,120 families. They also provide limited aid for heating oil, rent, prescription drugs, etc. Their clients are mostly in the Northeastern School District and extend into the Central School District. In these hard times, the need is growing all the time. They receive some of their donations from the York Food Bank and churches in the surrounding area, including our church.

Please support this much needed mission. Thank you.

The Missions Core Group