SUNDAY, March 7, 2010:
Attendance-75, Offering $2385, Needed Offering $2150

MARCH 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.

2009 CHURCH DIRECTORIES are also now available to be picked up at the Welcome Center in the Gathering Room.

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 March we received $87.92 in weekly donations. This fund has a current balance of $156.79.

NEW MEMBERS: Several people have expressed an interest in becoming members of St. John's Blymire's UCC and will be joining in April.  If you would like to become an official member also, please see Pastor Curt.

WORLD HUNGER: During the next few Sundays, the TEENS will be collecting money for this hunger cause sponsored by World Vision.  It takes only $360 to feed a child for a year.  Our goal is to raise $750.  We will sell bracelets, do coffee socials and ask people for donations. Please help us reach our goal by donating any amount to our TEENS and Matt or Amanda.  Please pray for us.  Thanks and God Bless.

LENTEN SERVICE: The Dallastown-Yoe Ministerium will hold a Community Lenten Service on Sunday, March 21, at 7:00 PM at Christ Lutheran.  All of the churches in the ministerium will be participating and there will be a community choir. The theme will be "Twenty-four Hours That Changed the World." 

EASTER PARTY: Our annual church Easter party for the children will be held on Sunday, March 28. Lunch will be served at 11:30 AM.  We will make crafts, play games and hunt will eggs.  There may even be a visit from a bunny. We are asking for donations of individually wrapped candy or money.  People are also needed to help prepare lunch, plan a craft and help with the games.  If you would like to attend or volunteer, please contact Barb Marshall at 347-1060 or 818-6814 or email barb@riversmarshall.com.  Please feel free to attend even if you don�t RSVP, although it would be helpful to know how many are coming in order to prepare.

EMMANUEL'S CLOSET EASTER PROJECT: We would like to give an Easter gift bag to each child ages newborn-12 years.  Infants will be given age appropriate toys, while others will receive candy. We are asking for donations of individually wrapped candy to put in the bags.  We will be collecting now through March 14. We would also like to give out extra bags of food to each family so they can make a special Easter meal.  The following items are needed for these bags: instant mashed potatoes, stuffing mix, gravy, canned fruit, cake mix, icing, pudding, jello, and cans of concentrated juice.  Items for these projects, along with any other donations, can be placed in the bins in the Gathering Room. Both the candy bags and Easter meal bags will be given out on March 20 and March 27.  These projects can only be a success with your help. 

EARTHQUAKE RELIEF:  Now that a second earthquake has struck, this time in Chile, even more health kits will be needed to send to the disaster victims,  If you would like to donate any items, please place them in the designated box in the Gathering Room.  A list of needed supplies is posted on the side of the box.

CENSUS JOBS: The Census Bureau is looking for temporary workers to go door to door to households that do not return their 2010 census forms.  Training will take place in March and the actual jobs will run from April thru June or July.  Pay is $13.25 per hour, along with $.50 per mile traveled.  Hours are flexible.  For more information, pick up a brochure from the bulletin board in the hallway. 

SOUP SALE:  The Men's Group will be selling their delicious homemade chicken corn soup on Saturday, March 20. 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, March 18.  Thank you.
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Name ________________________________  Phone  ___________________

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

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Come get a glimpse of Israel and Palestine as seen through the eyes of Brenda Marin.  On Sunday, March 28, during the Sunday school hour, Brenda will be showing pictures and talking about her recent trip to the Holy Land.  Please join us.

FIRE COMPANY AFGHANS: Rescue Fire Company of Dallastown has a limited number of afghans for sale depicting the history of the fire company. The cost is $48.  Check the bulletin board to see a picture of the afghan.  If you are interested in purchasing one, please see Pastor Curt.

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.  Please see Nelson Leader if you would like to do this. The cost is $50 for each anthem. 

YOU’LL LOVE HARTMAN CENTER:  I am writing this to share my family’s experience with Hartman Center. My daughters Kara and Shannon Sylte loved Hartman Center so much that they continued to attend up until they reached the age limit. Then, last summer Kara returned as a counselor and she was thrilled to be back.
      Both girls annually attended Music and Drama camp. Along with typical camp activities, this group turned out an always wonderful, musical production for the parents at the end of the week. They made friends, got to sing, dance and share their talents, and had a blast!
      For each of the past two years, I took a granddaughter to Grand Camp, which is a three day experience for a grandparent and grandchild. This year I will be back there with two little girls! Other intergenerational offerings are, parent-child camp and a family camp experience
     New this year is Night Owl camp, with the majority of activities taking place in the night time hours and “Rebuild” camp which combines camping with a disaster response work trip. There is a C.S.I. camp, Crafts camp, Creative Dance camp, Water World camp. There are camps for kids, teens and adults. Check out the brochure or visit Hartman Center at www.hartmancenter.com. Camperships are available through the church office. Get to know Hartman Center, a magical place to spend some time!  Kathi Ludwick.

GIFT CARDS:  Maybe you wish you could give more to the church, but just 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.  Your groceries, gas, restaurant meals, clothing, etc. will cost the same whether you pay with gift cards, cash, debit or credit cards.  Instead of all of your money going to the merchants or credit card companies, you will be giving part of it to our church when you pay with gift cards bought through our program.  So far we have earned over $1200 with this fundraiser, but we could earn a lot more if every family participated, even if they bought just one or two cards a month.  If you look over the order form, you will probably find at least several stores or restaurants where you regularly shop or eat.  To get your cards, just fill out an order form (blank forms are on the Welcome Table in the Gathering Room) 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  Thank you for your participation. 

ANGEL FOOD MINISTRIES: Christ Lutheran Church in Dallastown participates in a program to help people save money on their grocery bills.  Angel Food Ministries is not just for low income families. If you eat, you qualify.  Menus vary from month to month, but the cost of a basic box is always $30.  In addition to the main box, specials are also offered each month. You pick up orders on the third Saturday of the month, after placing them the week before. Several changes have been made since the program first started.  In addition to ordering at the church, where you must pay with cash, a money order or food stamps, you may now order online and pay with a debit or credit card.  In the past you also had to buy a regular or senior box in order to purchase a special.  This requirement has now been eliminated and you may order only specials if that is all you want. Brochures listing the current menus and more details about the program can be found on the Welcome Table in the Gathering Room or check online at www.angelfoodministries.com.
 
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY:  Any knitters in the church are invited to join us in the Gathering Room on Sunday mornings during the Sunday school hour. We will be making prayer shawls and lap robes for those who are grieving or suffering from a serious illness, as well as baby blankets.  We will be meeting with the Busy Hands Class.  If you are not a knitter, but would still like to help with this ministry, any donations to help purchase yarn would be appreciated.  

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.