More Updates!

Good morning,

I once again have a number of updates to pass along to you this week:

1.      Beginning this Sunday we will be collecting pancake mix and pancake syrup for the food bank at Oxford Neighborhood Services.  These are items that they are in need of and can rarely keep on the shelves.

Any type of pancake mix is appreciated, but the ones that are the “complete” mix and just need water added to it are really helpful for the clients who use the food pantry. We will be collecting these times through Palm Sunday.

As always, if you are able to donate an item or two (or more) please do.  If you aren’t able to at this time, there will be another opportunity in the future.

2.     The Por Que No Tu mission in Honduras is having two dessert fundraisers in the area next week.  Por Que No Tu (Why Not Us?) is led by a local young man named Justin Hollinger.  Justin has connections to both the Mt. Vernon and Waterway churches.  The fundraisers are at 7 pm next Tuesday (4/1) at Waterway Church in Oxford and at 7 pm next Friday (4/4) at Wesley Church in Quarryville.  No registration is needed…for more information visit porquenotu.com.

3.     New Hope Community Ministries is beginning a search for a new Executive Director.  This is a full-time position.  More information can be found on their website: newhopeministry.info/careers.

4.     Lastly, an update on where we stand with the church building.  A representative of Paul Davis Restorations visited the church yesterday to assess the damage and formulate a plan to restore the affected areas.  I have also been in contact with the insurance adjuster to further clarify what work will be covered (and what potential work won’t be covered).

Unfortunately, this process will take some time (as situations involving insurance often do) and we will have to come up with some temporary solutions in order to use the fellowship hall.

The elders have quite a few decisions to make regarding the restoration/rebuild.  For now, we are going to keep the same Sunday schedule as we had last week. There will not be Sunday School. Junior Worship will meet in the schoolhouse and the nursery will be upstairs again.

We have our monthly elders meeting next week and will come up with a plan for the next couple of months.  Please continue to pray that God gives us wisdom as to what the best path forward is. 

I have had several people ask about Easter.  At this point, our schedule for that weekend hasn’t changed. Good Friday Service at 7 pm, Sunrise Service at 7 am, Easter Breakfast at 8 am, Family Activity at 9 am, and our Worship Service at 10 am.  Things may look a little different, but we are going to do our very best!

Here’s what’s happening:

1.  TONIGHT at 6:30  - Youth Group and Lenten Prayer Service.

2.  SATURDAY – Men’s Breakfast at Kreiders at 8 am, followed by the spring cleanup work-day at the church from 9 am.  Weather looks amazing…we’ll look to wrap up at noon so folks can go home and enjoy the afternoon and evening.  I’ve enclosed a tentative list of the jobs that we are hoping to accomplish on Saturday.

3.  SUNDAY – We will be observing Holy Communion at the end of the worship service.

4.  4/6 – There will be a brief meeting after the worship service for those going on the missions trip to North Carolina.

5.  4/25 – Youth Group Campfire Night at the church.

This Sunday we begin our Easter Sermon Series!  Our first stop is Galilee.  In Luke 9 we find Jesus telling his followers some difficult truths about what it means to follow Him on this journey.  We'll see how those truths apply to our lives today!

Enjoy the warm temps tomorrow and Saturday!

Scott