If you’ve ever been around toddlers and young children, there is one thing for sure: they can’t help themselves. And I’m not even just talking about the obvious things that require adult help, like potty training and cutting their food into smaller bites. It’s the lack of self awareness, like wiping their own nose (on something that’s not their sleeve), cleaning their face after eating, or the realization after sitting down in the mud that “Oh, this is both wet and dirty, and I actually don’t like that.” Then after all of these scenarios, the child will come to you because they need help. They’ve found themselves in a literal mess. And perhaps after a chuckle or giving an audible sigh, I feel compassion toward the child. I find myself picking up the muddy, boogery child and helping clean him or her up. And in the process, I fully recognize I run the risk of getting that mess on me. (So if you’re in church or public, a dead giveaway of a parent of a young child is that stain on the clothes on the shoulder or mid-thigh… from that child either being picked up and now their face is shoulder-level, or from the child running and wiping their face on the parents’ pants!)
I’ve been giving some thought to Jesus’ attitude toward us. Remember how He felt when He would see the crowds coming for Him? He was moved to compassion for them (Matt 9:36, Matt 14:14, Matt 15:32, among others). He left the clean and perfect heaven to join us in our mess. Like a compassionate parent, He took our mess upon Himself while making us clean through His death and resurrection.
1 John 3:1-3 says, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Yes, it took work to clean up our own sinful, boogery mess. And He willingly understood that our mess would get on Him. But you have a compassionate Father who loves you and wants to clean you up, that we can be called His children.
I’ve probably used the analogy before, but the church should be described as a hospital; we’re a bunch of sick people with the same disease. We have the sickness of self, where we aim to satisfy the desires of our heart with temporary things, and make ourselves happy with just about any distraction. In our daily lives, keep in mind that we are surrounded by “children” of all ages, including at church. We are always getting into a mess. Don’t look at your neighbor and think you’re better. I know I’m not. Instead, always remember to keep pointing people to the Father. His compassion wants to make you clean, and He’s there with His arms wide open.
See you soon!
Tim
Once upon a time, before Leidy’s Church had ever heard of Tony Kapusta, the kitchen and almost all food events were planned and run by Marilee Hughes. From the 1970s well into the 2000s and across 3 different Leidy’s Church kitchens, Marilee has had a hand in the meals made and shared at Leidy’s Church. The Missions Committee wants to recognize her incredible contributions to the fellowship life of Leidy’s Church- through food.
We’re compiling a new Leidy’s Church cookbook in honor of Marilee - focusing on meals shared and the community of eating together. Think of holidays and cookouts, tried-and-true recipes for big crowds, and the recipes you’ve gotten from others that you depend on more than most. What makes them so special to you? Which ones does your family look forward to the most? We’re hoping you’ll share those recipes, who you got them from, and the stories that make them special to you for this cookbook.
This cookbook will really be about event cooking, so there will be a section for cookouts (like you would do for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July), for Thanksgiving & Christmas, for other holidays (like Easter or New Years), for breakfast & brunch, and other large-gathering feasts. We’ll be including some of Marilee’s own staples for large events (potato salad, anyone?) and want to share what recipes you’ve loved (and why you love them) as well. Whether it’s a main dish like barbeque brisket, a dessert like strawberry pretzel salad, or a beverage (sherbet punch!), we’d love to hear how to make it, who shared it with you, and what’s made it special to you.
Recipes and reminisces can be given to Vangie Niederhaus or Gina Shoemaker or emailed to inthistimeofneed@gmail.com. We’ll be accepting contributions from Memorial Day up until Labor Day (9/2/2024), with cookbooks available to purchase by Thanksgiving.
All proceeds will benefit the House of Jesús project.
Ladies of Leidy’s
Please join us for our May Ladies of Leidy’s meeting, Tuesday, May 14th, please note the date change, at 7 pm in Rm. 123. All ladies welcome. We look forward to seeing you.
My motto in the kitchen is “Wing It” no pun intended…Or “We’ll make it work”. I had a plan, but sometimes best laid plans get pushed aside when potato salad is absconded under the cover of darkness or when ribs are left in the oven too long … There is a plan in my brain, but I’m comfortable in the fact it will probably change, and life goes on.
May 19th is one of those things that I had best of intentions, a meet and greet for those you don't know in the congregation. After talking to some smart people, they voiced some concern that it might take some serious coordination and probably best to just to keep it simple. They liked the idea of the big picture, but the finer strokes might give me a stroke they said.
That being said, we are still having lunch on May 19th…instead of formally trying to mix and match everyone together, Jerry “Iceman” Kulp and Jack ‘The Hammer” Parry will be separating you at the door by table … JUST KIDDING … but you are encouraged to sit with people you don't know well and get to know them…A couple easy ice breaker questions…
1 - Would you rather “run with the bulls or swim with sharks”
2 - Why are most pizzas round?
3 - Why is Miracle Whip better than mayonnaise?
4 - Least intelligent thing you ever did…
5 - Who is your favorite Disney princess and why?
Hope to see you on the 19th!
The week of May 5th is when our Gym will be transformed with all the donated items we have received, and our community is invited to shop for their family wardrobes, linens, jewelry, books, toys, household items, and much more!
The Big R actually takes place on Wednesday and Thursday, the 8th and 9th, but much work is done before then as well. Here’s when workers are needed:
On Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 8pm items are unpacked and arranged.
On Wednesday (9am to 8pm) we need friendly workers to bag items, serve as cashiers, and straighten items as many shoppers come to make their purchases.
On Thursday (9am to 6pm) we need the same sorts of workers as Wednesday, plus more! It’s the sales day featuring bags of goods for only $3, quite an attractive deal.
On Thursday at 6pm we need willing hands and strong backs to transform our facilities back for ministry before Sunday.
Mary Beth Musselman has a schedule she needs to fill, so be sure to speak with her if you can be plugged in at any time to help.
The funds raised at the Big R are disbursed where needed at Leidy’s Church and in our community by Ladies of Leidy’s. It’s a big undertaking, and with your help we can make it another great event.
We’re looking for help! We’ve got two Sundays open in May and slots to fill through June for the provision and set-up of coffee, tea, and munchies following the service of worship on Sundays. You can view the calendar and sign-up online (please check your weekly Leidy’s Church email for that link), you can contact the church office, or you can speak with Vangie Niederhaus for help signing up. If you don’t have someone to sign up with, please contact Vangie (evangeline.niederhaus@gmail.com) or leave your name and dates you can help where indicated on the online schedule. With the summer months approaching, you can also sign up in advance for Sundays you’ll be around over the summer if you check the 2024 Q3-Q4 tab on the online schedule (or, again, check with Vangie).
This gesture of hospitality wouldn’t be possible without you—thank you for your time and consideration.
On Saturday, May 4th beginning at 6:30pm there will be a concert to benefit the Light Shall Dawn Network. Admission is free but a free will offering will be taken. The Wilwert Sisters & friends, Betty Larue, Mark Meed, and The Shastris, will present a night of folk music including gospel, old classics, blues, harp, praise music, and more. Be sure to invite your family, friends, and neighbors. The Light Network is an organized group of podcasts designed to encourage your soul, enlighten your mind, and empower your faith.
Work is underway in Venezuela to rid Pastor Jesús’s home (& church) of the black mold infestation. It seems likely that the family will be able to move back into the home before fall.
The headway made in this project already is due in large part to your generosity and continued support of Pastor Jesús and his family.
In thanks and recognition for all you’ve done, please join us for a banquet following the service of worship on Sunday, June 9th. Martha Wolgemuth is planning a delicious South American menu featuring chicken & rice and her famous paella. We’re looking forward to food and fellowship, and we’ll be able to see the tangible results of your giving to the House of Jesús project with pictures and video of the work being done down in San Cristobol, Venezuela. We don’t always get to see the effects and results of our giving and prayer, so this is a great moment to celebrate our relationship with Pastor Jesús and his family, the work they’ve done in Venezuela, and to be able to see how much we’ve been a part of that from thousands of miles away. We’re excited!
If you’d like to help out with the banquet, we’d welcome it! There’s ingredients for the meal that can be contributed (please find the list posted in the narthex), and there will plenty to do in preparation both the week leading up to the banquet and the day of banquet. Please speak with Martha Wolgemuth or Vangie Niederhaus about ways you’d like to plug in - we’re happy to make it happen!
Truly, the House of Jesús project is a significant endeavor- thank you so much for your dedication to it. Please join us in celebration of the work being done on Sunday, June 9th.
Present: Brian Shoemaker, Jerry Kulp, Shaun Permar, Bob Ott, Tony Kapusta, Aaron Vogelzang, Ken Merritt, Brian Radcliff, Jim Foote, Kendall Musselman, Josh Heebner, and Francis Weiss Absent: NA
The meeting was called to order at 8:00 PM and Bob opened in prayer. He cited 1 Samuel 17 beginning at verse 40; the story of David using a simple slingshot to defeat Goliath. He also cited Judges 3:31 where Shamgar struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad in order to save Israel. He emphasized the point that we ought to use the tools we have, right where we stand, to glorify God as we let HIM determine the outcome. He encouraged everyone that if we strive to glorify God with our God given talents, right here in our own community, He will bring about a good outcome.
Minutes from the Consistory Meeting of March 6th were reviewed. On motion of Jerry Kulp, seconded by Brian Radcliff, the Minutes were approved.
Francis presented the monthly financial report for March 2024. General Fund giving totaled $65,876, while budgeted expenses totaled $60,560, resulting in a Total Fund Balance of $103,112. It was noted that, praise be to God, the average weekly giving for March was $16,469, the highest average since late 2022. Renovation Fund contributions for March were $1,844, with disbursements totaling $3,949, resulting in an ending balance of $216,013. The church was a beneficiary of a deceased member’s estate (Harold Holloway) and therefore received a gift of little over $25,000. The funds have been temporarily put into designated giving under “Long term Investment Considerations.” The finance committee is working on moving our stock investments and donations, such as this one, to a managed investment account. On motion of Ken Merritt, seconded by Tony Kapusta, the financial report was approved.
The AV & Tech Management Team reported that the parts for the soundboard have been paid for and the board will go out for repairs once the parts arrive. The BAS system and fob systems will be worked on in the second quarter. Regarding Christian Education, Sunday School, Kids Quest, and Faith & Fellowship continue to run smoothly. Summer Sunday school and VBS planning will begin in the second quarter. A quarterly Christian Education meeting, including leaders from each branch of Christian Education, has been established. The Communications & Administration team finished cleaning the front office and in the second quarter the Vogelzangs will help transition Jenny Ernst to do the work that they have been doing, primarily the newsletter and website updates. The team will also be working toward streamlining the church’s digital calendar. Community Outreach met and upcoming events include the April Blood Drive and Baby Bottle Boomerang. The Food & Fellowship Team completed their kitchen cleanup, but they will conduct another cleanup in the second quarter as well. The team is planning some fun events for the next six months, the first being the first annual Guess Who’s Coming to Lunch. Regarding Missions & Ministry Support, the team finalized all of their benevolence recipient decisions and are currently planning for the SLMT auction. The Property Team is waiting for one final signage quote so Consistory can make a final decision on new signage next month. In the second quarter they will work to clean up the front of the church, mulch all the beds, and clean up the outside of the barn. The Welcoming Team continues to get familiar with Planning Center and in the second quarter will begin reviewing the Get Connected cards from Jenny so they can make contact with individuals who complete them. The Praise & Worship Team reported that Easter decorating went well. Regarding Care & Outreach, information about active small groups has been completed and a couple of new small groups are in the planning stages.
The Praise & Worship Leader job description is still being revised and the hearing for rezoning the church property to institutional will take place next week. The estimate to replace the second (back-up) water heater was $10,300. Since this is not the primary water heater, but rather a back-up water heater, it was decided to explore cheaper options such as a residential unit.
Bob led a time of intercessory prayer for spoken concerns. The meeting adjourned with a unison praying of the Lord’s Prayer at 9:54 PM.
Question 41: What is the Lord’s Prayer?
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. . . .”
Commentary - Martin Luther
Do you, however, feel weak and timid? for flesh and blood always hinder faith, as if you were not worthy or fit and in earnest to pray; or do you doubt whether God has heard you, because you are a sinner? then cling to the word and say: Though I am a sinner and unworthy, yet I have the command of God, that tells me to pray, and his promise that he will graciously hear me, not because of my worthiness, but for the sake of the Lord Christ. By this means you can drive away the thoughts and doubts, and cheerfully kneel down and pray, not regarding your worthiness or unworthiness, but your need and his word upon which he tells you to build; especially since he has placed before you and put into your mouth the words how and what you are to pray for, so that you joyously send up these prayers through him, and can lay them in his bosom, that he may lay them by his own worthiness before the Father.
Juan Sanchez
When Jesus’s disciples asked him to teach them to pray, Jesus gave them a model prayer. We call it the Lord’s Prayer, but really it’s the Lord’s model prayer. It is the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray.
When we say, “Our Father,” we remember that the God who created the universe is our Father in heaven. He is the Father who provides. He is the Father who sustains. He is the Father who protects. And the prayer reminds us that we are able to run to our Father to let our needs be known.
But Jesus also reminded us that he’s not only our Father but he’s also our King. So when we say, “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” we realize our Father is the King. We’re coming to our Father, who is the King of the universe, who has complete and total authority over all things. Our focus must first and foremost be on our Father, who is King. And the greatest joy for his children is that his name would be hallowed, that his name would be famous. And so we should pray, “God, make your name famous.” The Lord’s Prayer is also a corporate prayer. “Our Father” reminds us that we’re not an only child. Our desire is to make sure his name is hallowed over all the earth. Ultimately, this world is not our home, and we long for his kingdom to finally and fully be established. But until then, Jesus reminded us that we can go to our Father. When we fail our Father, when we fail our King, we can ask for forgiveness.
The Lord’s model prayer instructs us that we are utterly dependent upon our Father for all of our daily needs. I think modern-day people tend to forget this. Jesus said to pray in this way: “Give us this day our daily bread.” That is very humbling.
Finally, until God’s kingdom comes we need to understand that we are engaged in a spiritual battle, and we need protection. We ask our King to protect us. In fact, the apostle Paul reminds us that in this spiritual warfare that we don’t put on our armor, we put on God’s armor (Eph. 6:10–18). We put on our King’s armor. We put on our Father’s armor, and we fight in the strength of our Father. So it is right and good for us—whatever our needs or circumstances may be—to remember that we are utterly dependent, moment by moment, breath by breath, on our Father King, and we can run to him. We can come to him, and we can ask him for the things that we need.
As long as we have breath in us, let us live to make the King’s name famous, to hallow his name, both as a church and also as individual Christians, longing for his kingdom to come. Let us long for the return of Jesus, but know that until that day comes, he will pardon our sin, he will provide our daily bread, and he will protect us from the Evil One.
3 Bob Ott
4 Alex Hager, Janelle Rittenhouse
5 Ken Murphy
6 Olivia Vogelzang
7 Chandler Camuso, Ashley Merritt
8 Alicia Niederhaus
9 Brian Shoemaker
10 Jenny Ernst, Aiden Kehs, Ken Ritter
11 Judah Kehs
12 Mabel Neal, Donna Weiss
13 Ben Leidy, Stan Radcliff
14 Patti Jones, Jim Kulp, Janice Kulp
15 Steve Paine
16 Bailey Kinney
17 Shaun Permar
18 Donna Frueh
19 Anna Heebner, Linda Stretch
20 Adine Doran, Kevin Godshall, Skip Smith
2 Mike & Shannon Kehs
3 Joe & Karen Sciacca
4 Ron & Diane Miller
5 Gus & Sunhwa Niederhaus
6 Charlie & Carol Kretschmer
7 T. Dale 7 Jane Leidy, Tom & Susan Merritt
8 Jerry & BJ Kulp
9 LeRoy & Diane Gehman
10 Mike & Deb Hughes, Dave & Marcy Kirkpatrick
21 Jim & Janice Kulp
22 Dave & Vicki Freed
23 Jim & Ginna Foote
30 Aaron & Alisha Vogelzang
