SUNDAY, January 29, 2012:
Attendance-72, Offering $1770, Needed Offering $2350

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTERS: are now available to be picked up at the Welcome Center in the Gathering Room or to be downloaded from our website, www.stjohnsblymiresucc.com.

HAND OF HOPE FUND: On the first Sunday of each month there will be a basket passed around during the welcome and announcement time to receive pocket change and small bills for the SJB Hand of Hope Fund. So far during the month of January we received $78.73 in donations. We helped 4 families with gas, giving out a total of $100.00. This fund has a current balance of $71.95.

BOOK FAIR: The Women With Faith is sponsoring our annual Book Fair here at the church. If your shelves are overflowing and there is no room for the new books and videos that you got for Christmas, why not donate some of the old ones to our Book Fair. You may place your books and videos under the windows in the Gathering Room. Thank you. 

MEN'S GROUP: Join the Men of Blymire on Tuesday, February 7, at 7:00 PM at the church.  This will be to discuss plans for attending winter events (i.e. sports events, visit museums, etc).  We will discuss fund raising events for 2012.  As always we have an open discussion on joys and concerns.  Come join us for a time of sharing.  REMEMBER ALL MEN ARE WELCOME AND BRING A FRIEND.  As always there will be refreshments served.

DONATIONS and VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: FAITH KIDZ is in need of the following donations for an Easter project for Helping Hands for the Homeless: Bags of jelly beans, glue dots, pastel colored foam sheets, and pastel colored pompoms. There will be a box in the Gathering Room to place your donations.
        The Church Easter Party will be held on Sunday, April 1. We are in need of people to help organize this event--prepare lunch, do a craft and hide eggs. Please let Barb Marshall know if you would like to volunteer for any of these activities. We will also do an adult egg hunt again this year.  We will need monetary donations and candy donations to put in the eggs. There will be a box in the Gathering Room for donations.  Thank you for your help with both of these projects.  Barb Marshall

CARD SHOWER: Emerson Knaper will be celebrating his 90th birthday on February 28. On February 26 we will be having a cake for him during the coffee social. We would also like to honor him with a card shower. His address is: 855 New School Lane, Dallastown, PA 17313. Thank you helping to celebrate this milestone with Emerson.

WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE MINIMIZE the use of fragrances, perfumes, or colognes when you come to church. These strong odors are dangerous irritants that can trigger asthma attacks in some of our members. Thanks for your consideration.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: We are in need of someone to find acolytes for the worship services each month.  If you would like to do this, please see either Chuck Bruce or Pastor Curt.  Thank you.

COUPONS WANTED: With the congregation's help, we have been able to purchase over $450 in merchandise for donation to Emmanuel's Closet without spending a penny. Items ranged from food items to personal hygiene products to cleaning products. As you may be aware, manufacturers are not offering deals like they have in the past and it is becoming harder to get free items for donation.  Most stores have coupons (called Catalina's) that print out at check out.  These are often the best coupons to have, as they often will result in getting a product free with a store promotion.  We are asking the congregation to donate any unwanted store coupons, Catalina coupons, and manufacturer's coupons in the coupon box so that we can continue providing needed supplies to Emmanuel's Closet at no cost.  Thank you for your help in supporting this program.  Todd and Lisa Miller.

CHICKEN CORN SOUP SALE: The Men's Group will once again be selling their delicious homemade chicken corn soup on Saturday, February 18. The cost is $6.50 per quart and it can be picked up between 9:00 AM and noon.  Containers will be provided. To order your soup, please fill out the form below and drop it in the offering plate or call the church office.  All orders must be received by Thursday, February 16. 
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Name ________________________________  Phone  ___________________

______ Number of quarts of chicken corn soup x $6.50 = $______________

 GIFT CARDS:  Maybe you wish you could give more to the church, but don't have the extra funds right now. An easy way to help our church is by purchasing gift cards to use for items that you would be buying anyway.  To get your cards, just fill out an order form and attach a check or cash. Checks should be made payable to St. John's Blymire's UCC.  You may drop the orders in the offering plate, place them on Wanda's desk in the office or mail them to the church. Payment must be included with your order.  Orders will be sent to the Great Lakes Scrip Center each Monday morning. You may pick up your gift cards from Sandy Innerst at church the following Sunday. For more information about the program, you may call Wanda at the church office or check out the website www.glscrip.com. Currently there are some special offers for which our church will make an additional profit: 
JUST THINK, if each week 20 families bought cards with a profit of $10, that's $200 we/God's church didn't have before, plus not one extra cent out of your pocket.  In 50 weeks that would add up to $10,000. Sounds great, doesn't it? Why not give it a try!  Buy some cards this week and see how easy it is.

FURNITURE NEEDED: Steps to Success, a Christian daycare in Leola, is looking for sofa/loveseat/armchair donations for three of their classrooms.  Steps is a not-for-profit educational institution and relies on the generous donations from the community for many items that are needed. If you have any gently used furniture from smoke-free homes, please contact April Weber at 571-239-5138 or magritte20@aol.com.  For safety reasons we cannot accept any type of recliner.  For more information about Steps to Success visit their website at www.stepstosuccessinc.com.

SPONSORS: If you would like to become a sponsor for the Bulletin and/or Altar Flowers in memory of a loved one or in honor of an occasion, please fill in your information in the book located on the podium in the Gathering Room.  The cost of sponsoring the bulletins for a week is $10.00.  Altar flowers are $17.50 for a half set and $35.00 for a full set. You may place your payment in an envelope marked "Altar Flowers" or "Bulletin" in the offering plate or mail it to the church office.  You may also sponsor a choir anthem in memory of a loved one or in honor of a special occasion.  The cost is $50 for each anthem.  

 HEALING HEARTS is the name of our grief support group.  The group's purpose is to offer friendship, support, and healing to anyone making that difficult journey through grief.  Our regular meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 2:00 PM.  We also get together several times during the month for various activities.  Anyone who is dealing with loss is welcome to join us, even those who are not members of Blymire's.  For more information, please contact Kathi Ludwick at 741-0401.

SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS:  The Called to Care Team would like to offer "Showers of Blessings" to those who are sick or in need of comfort or support.  This card shower of prayers, inspirational notes and cards may be sent to anyone, not just members of SJB.  The initiate this outreach, put the name and address on a prayer request in the collection plate or call Wanda at the church office.