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1352 Slate Hill Road

Camp Hill, PA 17011

Phone: 717-737-8150

E-Mail: slatehill@paonline.com

Website: www.slatehillmennonite.org

Office Hours: Tuesday through Thursday

9:00-4:30; Friday by appointment

HILLTOP NEWSJanuary 2014

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Slate Hill Mennonite Church1352 Slate Hill Road

Camp Hill, PA 17011

Phone: (717) 737-8150E-mail : Slatehill@paonline.com

Website: www.slatehillmennonite.org

Pastor: Lynn Shertzer

Associate Pastor of Community Life: Joy Fasick

Administrative Assistant: Fran Leiter

Lay Elders: Jen Fredrick, Dave Bauman, Caleb Miller,

Ron Hershey

Church Office Hours:

Monday: No office hours.

Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Friday: By Appointment

Staff E-mail Addresses:

Lynn Shertzer: shertzer@paonline.com

Joy Fasick: jfasick@comcast.net

Administrative Assistant, Fran Leiter: slatehill@paonline.com

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From Your Library Staff, continued from page 23

Unfortunately we cannot use books that are marked in any way orwith underlined text. Please save us some time by weeding out thesebooks before passing them to the library.

Generally, we do not accept cookbooks or daily devotional bookssince most people want to have them for long-term use.

Unless you inform us otherwise we will, at our discretion, decide whatis and is not acceptable. Donations duplicating our collection, alongwith unacceptable items will, most likely, go to a used bookstore, pub-lic library, or to MCC for recycling.

You are welcome to buy books in memory of a loved one and/or inhonor of a special event, such as a birthday or anniversary. A book-plate will be placed inside the donation with the information you pro-vide.

We are in the process of computerizing all library materials and weed-ing out old, unused books and materials. It is a HUGE job and wecould use some extra help. We have occasional work-days and inviteyou to join us for some fun and fellowship. Just let any one of thestaff know and we will inform you of the details!

Some of the donations to the Ruth Musselman Library Fund will beused to buy the Beth Moore DVD Bible Study, Sacred Secrets. BethMoore is an author and Bible teacher of best-selling studies and booksfor women. The Ladies Fellowship and Bible Study group that meetshere the first and third Thursday morning of each month at 9:30 plansto use this 6-week study course soon. Come check out our women’sgroup for fun, fellowship, and spiritual enrichment - you won’t be dis-appointed. Ruth regularly attended the group and we dearly feel herabsence; we know she would enjoy being a part of this study. TheBeth Moore series will be available for loan to other churches afterour group completes it.

Come to the library to browse, study, meditate, or visit, but DOCOME AND ENJOY YOUR LIBRARY!

Thank you from your Library team, Dottie Seitz, Kathy Krug, and De-nise Moyer.

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Left: Kerry Harker-Roth and ValerieWeaver-Zercher playfor seniors along withSilas Roth and IsaiahZercher shown be-low.

Below: Dottie Seitzshares the joy of NewHope’s guest, Wilhel-mena, at winning Christ-mas bingo.

Jason Ewing from Cumber-land Vista Group Home andFran Leiter enjoying abreak.

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Upcoming Events …..………………………………….Page 4

From the Pen of Pastor Lynn ………………………….Page 5

Quilter’s Attic & Recipe Collection …………..….. ..…Page 6

Anniversaries ……………………...……………….…..Page 7

“Who at Slate Hill?”..…………………………………..Page 8

Birthdays ………………………….. ……………...…. Page 9

Reflections from the Back of a Haitian Ambulance …...Page 10

Sunday School Questionnaire Results…………….…....Page 12

Fruitful Christmas …………………………….…...…..Page 13

Snowflakes and Cookies ..………………….……….…Page 14

Books for Your Reading Pleasure ……… …………….Page 16

No Christmas Tree for Me! ……………………………Page 19

“WHO at Slate Hill” Answers & CROP Walk News…..Page 22

From Your Library Staff……………………………….Page 23

Hot Soft Pretzels Anyone?..………….………...….…...Page 24

News from the Wellness Outreach Committee ………..Page 26

Slate Hillers Ring Notes of Grace……...……………....Page 28

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Please help us make the Hilltop News

a great source for information and entertainment.

Submit articles for the

February 2014 Hilltop News

before MONDAY, January 27Early submissions are

GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Jan. 3 Cumberland Vista Movie & Popcorn Night; TheBoys Next Door, a moving and funny movie aboutlife in a group home. ~ 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 8 Wednesday Night Out resumes with regular pro-

gramming. The Adult Study will focus on the book,The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancy.

Jan. 9 EPS Commission meets (note change from theregular meeting night this month)

Jan. 12 Communion

Baby Shower for Jeff & Joelle Beck at noon in

Fellowship Hall

Jan. 14 Christian Ed. Commission meets ~ 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 16 MCC Craft Night ~ 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 17 Ladies Fellowship & Bible Study ~ 9:30 a.m.

Jan. 18 Men’s Prayer Breakfast at Mike Moyer’s house ~8:00 a.m.

Jan. 19 Bridge of Hope Chili Cook-off at noon in

Fellowship Hall

Jan. 31 Book Discussion Group meets ~ 7:00 at Servant’sHeart Christian Book Store meeting room.

Feb. 22 MYF Banquet and AuctionMar. 29 CCO Benefit Salmon Dinner

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delightful playing added a touch of class to the event. Later, Pas-tor Lynn Shertzer, Darlene Fasick, Dottie Seitz, Tom Miller, FranLeiter, Ken Eshleman, Myrna Eshleman, Jason Ewing(Cumberland Vista resident) and Ulli Klemm teamed up to leadspirited Christmas carols, Ulli accompanying the group on his gui-tar.

Slate Hillers were invited also to have lunch with the seniors andjoined them at their tables for a beneficial time of fellow-ship. Dottie Seitz later cheered on Wilhelmena, a New Hope cli-ent, as she patiently waited to win Christmas Bingo. “Oh, I justloved her,” said Dottie. “She would take each gift she won andmarvel at it as if it was the best thing in the whole world.” And asthe Slate Hill group brought the party to a close singing, “SilentNight,” Dottie noticed tears of gratitude falling from the eyes ofIrene, another New Hope client.

Ken Eshleman tells the tale of one resident, on an oxygen tank,passing him by and telling him that he smelled great! Valerie wasdelighted that Isaiah was part of this event. “I’m really glad for mykids to have a chance to do things like this.”

Ulli Klemm wrote this brief note to New Hope volunteer, MickiSterner, who coordinated the Dillsburg event:“Thank you for ALL YOUR EFFORTS to provide some specialholiday cheer for the senior citizens that you regularly serve atNew Hope Dillsburg. It is evident that you create loving and sup-portive relationships with each of the clients, and that they feelGod's embrace of love and support through you! Thank you forall you do 365 days of the year! Also, our church always enjoysleading carols with your crew. It's a wonderful privilege. If wecan help in future years, let me know. Thanks.”

Slate Hill: Way to embody the true meaning of Christmas!

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Slate Hillers RingNotes of Grace

What makes Christmas special? Is it get-ting lots of presents? Eating lots of cookies? Sipping punch at awork party?

While these may all be true, over a dozen Slate Hillers found adifferent kind of joy, as they embraced senior citizen clients ofNew Hope Ministries in Mechanicsburg and Dillsburg last De-cember. “Going to New Hope made my day,” said DottieSeitz. “It was as if a flower had blossomed in the desert forme.” Gene Seitz remarked that Dottie couldn’t stop sharingevery detail of her afternoon when she came home later that day.

For the past four years in early December, New Hope Ministriesorchestrates something special for senior citizens on fixed in-comes and living below poverty level. And for the past fouryears, New Hope has turned to Slate Hill to provide some Christ-mas carols and special music.

The first week of December, Slate Hillers: Tom Miller, BarbSpringer, Randy Barr, Anne Reeves, Paul Nisly, Ken Eshleman,Myrna Eshleman and Ulli Klemm converged at New Hope Me-chanicsburg. There they sang a host of carols as senior citizensate a special dinner prepared by New Hope staff and volun-teers. Tom Miller accompanied several of the songs with thistrumpet. They also befriended the senior citizens at their tableshelping those with visual difficulties play ChristmasBingo. Candles were lit at each table as the volunteers ended theparty with “Silent Night.”

During the second week of the month, senior citizen clients ofNew Hope Dillsburg were in for a special treat. While eatinglunch at their party, Silas Roth, his mom, Kerry Harker-Roth, aswell as Isaiah Zercher and his mom, Valerie Weaver-Zercher,played a book of Christmas songs for cello and violin. Their

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We've made it through another year! Last year is gone.What 2014 will be, is yet to be known. The new year bringsmany thoughts such as new resolutions, old resolutions, say-ing goodbye, looking forward, and new opportunities.

Even though New Year's Day is just another day, it seemsto hold so many possibilities. It almost serves as a boundarybetween old and new. Most of the time, we look forward tothe New Year. We celebrate. We hope. We embrace the newpossibilities the year brings.

With new opportunities and possibilities in mind, we arehaving a covenant renewal Sunday on January 12th. We inviteeveryone to reaffirm their baptism commitment. We also aregoing to have a time of reaffirmation of your membershipcommitment. This Sunday is also an opportunity to considermembership at Slate Hill. For those who do decide to exploremembership, we will start membership classes for six weeksbeginning January 19. We will conclude the service with atime of communion.

As you think about the new year, may we also reflect onour commitment to Christ and the Slate Hill community offaith.

From the Pen of

Pastor Lynn

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Attention Sewing/Quilters!CCLEANLEAN OUTOUT YOURYOUR QUILTQUILT OROR SEWINGSEWING CLOSETSCLOSETS

FORFOR MCCMCC

Yes, it’s getting to be that time of year again! The PARelief Sale will be here before you know it and theQuilter’s Attic is collecting quilt-related items now toprepare for their booth. Dig out thoseused/unused/unfinished quilt-related items that are nolonger needed or wanted.

For a detailed list of wanted items, please see the or-ange flier posted on the bulletin board by the Nursery.Items can be dropped off at the 10,000 Villages storein Ephrata or given to Rose Haury to deliver.

Sharing Our Best, Volume ll

Do you use the original cookbook? Do you ex-perience fond memories of the recipe donatorand times you have enjoyed one of their favor-ites? Donate your best recipes to leave a legacyfor future Slate Hillers and their families.

You may submit recipes by dropping copies inthe designated box at church, or enter them on-line at www.fundcraft.com ~ log in ID # -8628-12HO (that’s letter O, not the number 0)or email Amanda Musselman at mussel-man.amanda@gmail.com. Contact any of thefollowing for additional information: Cindy orAmanda Musselman, Rachael Zimmerman,Fran Leiter, Kara Miller, or Lucy McAloose.

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Last spring we had a spectacular gardening seminar led by GeorgeWeigel with over 100 in attendance. This spring (April 12) we areplanning for another gardening seminar event. This one will beentitled “Gardening with Mother Nature”. Sometimes we makethings harder on ourselves in the garden than necessary. By takingcues from the world’s best gardener – Mother Nature – we can be-come kinder, gentler and better gardeners and save our-selves unnecessary work in the process. Horticulturist andgarden writer George Weigel will talk about some of theways we can change our bug control, fertiliza-tion, weed-fighting and more in this free talk atSlate Hill on Saturday, April 12, beginning at10 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Be sure to signup early.

On April 26 we are planning to holdanother blood drive in association with the Central Penn-sylvania Blood Bank. This event will once again be heldduring our blood donor spring chicken BBQ event. Wehave had several successful blood drives, and we hope to

donate over 15 pints again. Plan to donate the gift of life if you areable!

Have you ever played corn-hole? This is the widely popular sum-mer sport of tossing corn-filled bags at a slantedwooden target box with a hole in the middle. You getone point for getting the corn-bag on the target box, andthree points for getting it in the hole. The WellnessOutreach Committee is thinking about having a corn-hole party this June at the church, where we would invite the com-munity, too. This party would include food, live music, a teamcorn-hole tournament, and an 18-hole golf style corn-hole gamefor all ages. Stay tuned for other announcements about this eventand how you can help!

If you have other questions about these events or about the Well-ness Outreach Committee, contact any of the members: JoyFasick, Anna Wendell, Roger Myers, or Rod Petersheim.

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News from the Wellness

Outreach Committee

The Wellness Outreach Committee would like to remind you ofsome of the activities that we have been involved with this fall,and give you a hint of our new activities coming up this newyear. If you recall, the mission statement of the Wellness Out-reach Committee is “At Slate Hill, engaging community mem-bers is an important aspect of living our faith. As part of thatmission, we will interact with the community by offering wholehealth opportunities, recognizing that God created us as intri-cate beings encompassing mind, body and spirit.” In that spirit,the Wellness Outreach Committee has been performingmonthly blood pressure checks at church on Sunday mornings.In March, we are planning to start an anxiety support group.Due to popular demand, we are planning for another GardeningSeminar and another Blood Drive this spring. Finally, we areplanning on a really fun event for the church and the commu-nity this coming summer (more hints at the end of this article).

We want to express thanks to Theda Klemm and Sue Weigel fortheir faithful service with the blood pressure screening this pastyear. Many of you have stopped at the station on Sundays totheir cheering disposition and a quick update on your bloodpressure health.

Ron Hershey, Ben Fredrick, Linda Mininger, Kerry HarkerRoth, and Joy Fasick have been working on planning for ananxiety support group that will meet monthly beginning inMarch. It’s important to note that this is not group therapy;rather, it is an opportunity to journey together with others whoshare the common experience of anxiety. You’ll be hearingmuch more about this group in January and February. We hopeit will be helpful to the Slate Hill family, but also an opportu-nity to meet a need in our community and build relationshipswith our neighbors. Please join us in praying for those goals.

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~Happy Anniversary~

If your name is missing from this list, or the information is incorrect, please

let the church office know so we can correct our database. Thanks!

James Mitchell and Elaine Baumbach January 20

John and Sue Pechart January 25

Consider a Mennonite & BrethrenMarriage Encounter Weekend

"A weekend of discovery...

A lifetime of love..."The next Mennonite & Brethren Marriage Encounter Weekendin our area is February 14 - 16, 2014 and will be held at Ken-brook Bible Camp, 190 Pine Meadow Road, Lebanon, PA17046 – just 50 minutes from Slate Hill!

Marriage Encounter is an invitation to come away from theworld, to spend an entire weekend focusing on your spouse andyour relationship with each other, working towards God's idealfor marriage. It takes couples beyond the frustration, disap-pointments, or loneliness that can be a part of your everydaylife.

Go to www.marriageencounter.org for more information, foranswers to frequently asked questions and to register. You mayalso email love@marriageencounter.org or call (717) 569-5676for more information.

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WhoAt Slate Hill?

1. Who at the age of 7 could recite the names of all the U.S.presidents, in order? This person is not even oldenough to vote!

2. Who has an absurd fascination with pointy objects?

3. Who grew up knowing the Springers?

4. Who was in the pool when only days old? Swimming isthis child’s favorite activity.

5. Who is considered a Junior Mom?

6. This young lady likes anything sweet.

7. Who looked at every tree in a national forest?

Turn to page 22 for answers.

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Left ~ Roger and HollyMyers

Below: A. J. Beck and

Rachael

Below Left: Avery deGruchyand Sarah Adams

Below Right: Kelly Sullivanand Marcus Upton

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Hot Soft Pretzels

Anyone?

With a mild chill in the air, and brain cells running on empty, a dozenMessiah students had one thing on their mind: homemade soft pret-zels. It was finals week. Some students had as many as five finalsawaiting them over the course of the next three days. Others had threefinals all within the next 24 hours.

That context set the perfect stage for a study break on the campus ofMessiah College. The event was sponsored by friends of Slate HillMennonite. Commandeering the home of George and Lois Beck,who were away for the night, Roger and Holly Myers and UlliKlemm set up shop in the Beck kitchen and dining room.

Seniors AJ Beck and her friend, Rachel, were a tremendoushelp. After preparing the pretzel toppings, they experimented mak-ing the pretzels. They rolled the dough to form a pretzel shape whichthey bathed for 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water with bakingsoda. The pretzels were glazed with a egg yolk/water mixture thenthey were finally topped with a favorite topping. Toppings included:Kosher salt, Parmesan Cheese and Garlic Powder mixture, Cinnamonand Powdered Sugar Glaze, and lastly, Jalapeno Peppers and CheddarCheese. Then in the oven they went!

As the students arrived, AJ and Rachel showed their peers the ropes,so soon thereafter over 30 soft pretzels had been baked. Most stu-dents tried all four varieties of toppings. They took leftover pretzelsto friends who couldn’t pry themselves away from their stud-ies. Each student was blessed also with a goodie bag containing hotchocolate packets, Oreo cookies and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups be-fore going back to the grind. Another highlight of the evening was amuch needed and relaxing massage in a special massage chair in theBeck living room.

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If your name is missing from this list, or the information is incorrect, please

let the church office know so we can correct our database. Thanks!

Alexia Manivong 01/02Gene McAloose 01/02Xavier Muza 01/02Sue Pechart 01/02Douglas Stauffer 01/02Victoria Croft 01/05Jonathan Mayes 01/07Carol Moser 01/08Isaiah Zercher 01/08George Beck 01/09Ouy Beck 01/09Yoomie Onelangsy 01/09Sandy Crouse 01/10Tojahlae Rexroth 01/11Ed Fleischer 01/12Kaden Watts 01/12Rhoda Hershey 01/15Tom Miller 01/17Noah Shertzer 01/17Conner Hess 01/18Sandra Stauffer 01/18Dale Ressler 01/19Christopher Walter 01/20Lynley Lapp 01/24Erica Morrison 01/24Ben Myers 01/31

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Reflections from the Backof a Haitian Ambulance

Ever been in the back of an ambu-lance? The one that responded to anaccident in Port-au-Prince on October31st didn’t have some of the itemsyou might expect: oxygen, painmedications, IV equipment, ban-dages, nor a good vehicular suspen-sion system.

I arrived in Haiti on October 31, 2013 around 1:00 p.m. At 3:00p.m. I received a phone call from the Miss World Team’s logisti-cal manager, Steve. Through his measured English accent Icould detect serious concern: “Dr. Ben, we need you to comequickly to the orphanage. There has been an accident. Julia is ina tremendous amount of pain. The second floor balcony just col-lapsed.” The Miss World Team with about twenty orphans hadfallen into the hole created when the balcony’s support beamsbroke.

I met up with the injured at a hospital near the orphanage but thehospital administrators were refusing to provide care until proofof insurance could be provided. We needed to go to another hos-pital. I squeezed into the back of the ambulance with an EMTand three injured individuals: a thirteen year old boy namedJonathan whose leg was broken, a young woman who sufferedfrom facial trauma, and Julia (the CEO of the Miss World Or-ganization) who broke her hip in the fall. The ambulance droveoff with sirens blaring (though very few vehicles seemed to no-tice), navigating the traffic and stray dogs and masses of peopleand the broken streets.

The Canadian physicians staffing the Bernard Mevs Hospital inPort-au-Prince diagnosed Julia’s hip injury and arranged for amedical evacuation by plane to Miami. Within about eight hours

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Exciting things continue to happen in the li-brary, and we want to keep you informed sinceit is, after all, YOUR library! Following is a bitof information to benefit you, the patrons, tokeep things running smoothly for you and the volunteers and staffwho put in many hours to make your library experience more pleas-urable.

A few features are planned for the new year to enhance your use ofthe library in order to make it more user friendly and inviting. Youwill have to stop by throughout the year to find out what the newfeatures are though - sneaky, huh?

Just in case you are new here, the library is located downstairs tothe right of the stairway and left of the elevator. You can’t miss it!

Check-out and Return Procedures

1. You may check-out as many items as you can use.

2. Remove and sign the “borrower’s card” located in the back ofyour selected book/DVD then enter the due date which wouldbe 3 weeks from the current date. Place the card in the desig-nated wooden box on the computer counter. Plastic bags areprovided on the counter for carrying multiple items.

3. When returning items, place them on the computer counter.Please DO NOT return them to the shelves - the library staffwill do that after matching your sign-out card to your return.

4. If you wish to renew an item, just leave a note at the computercounter indicating so; include your name and the name(s) of theitems you wish to renew.

Donations to the Library

We are extremely grateful for the wonderful donations that con-tinue to stream in! However, here are some necessary guidelines tofollow.

Continued page 31

From Your Library Staff

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Now that you have the answers,visit with each person to learnmore about their life experience!

1. Sam Zercher

2. Nick White

3. Lisa Tothero

4. Sarina Zimmerman

5. Tequala Rexroth

6. Tojahlae Rexroth

7. Ray Leiter

“Who” Answers(from page 8)

CROP WALK 2013

There were six walkers from Slate Hillparticipating in the October walk toraise funds for the hungry: DavidHebert and his granddaughter, SophieAlaniz, who pushed her brother, JDEdwards, in a stroller most of the way,Theda Klemm, and Carl and MabelLehman. Carl and Mabel walked the

longer 4-mile course which started and ended at the Mechan-icsburg Church of the Brethren. $350 was raised by the SlateHill group out of the grand total of $10,700.00 raised withinthe Mechanicsburg community. Our local New Hope Minis-tries and Meals on Wheels programs will receive 25% of theproceeds to assist people in our local area.

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of the initial injury, Julia was in Miami on her way to JacksonMemorial Hospital, Jonathan was recovering from surgery underthe care of the capable Canadian physicians, and the youngwoman’s headaches were subsiding. I stayed overnight in Port-au-Prince, then flew out to Miami with Megan Young (the newMiss World) the next day. When I visited Julia in the hospitalshe was tired, but she had gone through the surgery well and wasready to begin her therapy.

The context of their accident was not lost on the visitors. “Ithink of those poor people who lived through the earthquake andwhat that must have been like,” one group member after anothertold me. Every one exhibited great composure through this verystressful experience, followed by resolve. Megan’s commentson the Miss World website capture the team’s attitude, “Sincewe weren’t able to visit the area of Pestel which is where ourmajor Beauty with a Purpose project is, we will be coming backto see you and to finish our trip. I have seen the medical plansand the water bucket plans that are underway, and I can’t wait toshare them with the people of the region. I also hope to raisemoney this year for the orphanage that we visited and at whichthe accident took place. The kids deserve a better living environ-ment, and we hope to give that to them when we visit Haitiagain.”

My hope is that in some way I exhibited Christ’s presence in themidst of all this. I am aware, in some small ways, of God’sgoodness amidst this incident. What if the accident had occurredin the remote area of Pestel? Or if someone had died in the fall?Or any number of scenarios. All said, the faulty constructioncreated the conditions for the accident, but from the moment thegroup fell when the floor gave way, from that point forwardGod’s hand cleared a direct path.

For more information about Thriving Villages visit our web-site: www.thrivingvillages.com

By Ben Fredrick

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We on the Christian Education Commission want tothank you for your excellent responses to the ques-tionnaire about adult Sunday School. Twenty-six persons re-sponded with thoughtful suggestions regarding ways to in-crease attendance, topics of interest, and ways to improve Sun-day School classes.

Some of you stated that it can be difficult to cut off importanttimes of informal fellowship around the coffee and snacks inorder to get down to the classroom by 11:00 a.m. In responseto that, we are posting a sign in the fellowship hall, invitingyou to take your coffee and snacks, and invite visitors, new-comers, and friends to come along with you to class. Severalrespondents stated that getting to class on time helps to mini-mize disruptions for both discussion leader and class partici-pants, and maximizes the amount of time available for thought-ful-provoking discussion.

Regarding topics of interest, expressions of appreciation weremade, particularly related to the topics that focused on,“Responding to God’s Call.” A special thanks to those of youwho shared about your involvement in ‘mission’ both near andfar. That is an encouragement to all of us. The on-going classbased on the International Bible lessons is wonderful for help-ing us see how the Bible is timeless, and has relevant applica-tions for today.

We on the Commission are grateful for the many persons whowillingly take the lead in guiding discussion groups. We hopeyou are looking forward to opportunities to participate in inter-esting and challenging topics as we implement your creativesuggestions for future classes.

Myrna Eshleman

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES

TO QUESTIONNAIRE

REGARDING ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL

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The fourth shelf illustrates the peaceful reign of Christ withthe lion and lamb lying side-by-side. A large crown signi-fies the reign again of King David in Jerusalem during themillennium. The twelve disciples are included to depict theauthority given them to rule under Christ.

The final shelf depicts eternity. The city of New Jerusalemsits atop a great high mountain and the glory of the Lordshines forth. At the base of the mountain, the Lake of Firesits reminding us of the eternal torment for all who have notcommitted their life to Christ as their Savior and Lord.

This display is so edifying and also a witnessing tool whenpeople ask about it and why I choose not to erect the cus-tomary Christmas tree. I do not condemn or judge those thatfollow the customs of our culture by erecting a tree, but forme, the Lord began to impress upon me that green trees arean affront to Him. A Scripture search of “green trees” re-veal there are only seven references to green trees and allseven of them indicate green trees were an abomination be-fore God; He forbade His people to associate with the paganpractices and worship at the green trees. He instructed Hispeople to destroy those places and to turn to Him and followHim only. An eighth reference speaks of the delusion ofpeople who cut trees down for decoration. If you wouldlike to check the Scriptures turn to: Deuteronomy 12:2, 2Kings 16:2-4, 2 Kings 17:9-13, 2 Chronicles 28:1-4,Jeremiah 2:20-22, Jeremiah 3:6, Jeremiah 3:12-14, andJeremiah 10:3-4.

Angel figurines, poinsettias, and candles add to my Christ-mas decor. These decorations, along with the Christ display,provoke me to ponder the role of Christ from His nativitythrough eternity when we will fellowship with Him forever-more.

To God be the glory however you choose to decorate - ornot - for the season celebrating Christ’s birth!

Fran Leiter13

While you have heard of sin andpeace offerings, have you ever heardof a fruit offering? This past Advent,the children attending Children'sChurch were invited to bring fruitcups as their offering. The fruit cupsare lunchtime favorites of the eightresidents of Cumberland Vista, a Christian group home fordevelopmentally disabled adults. Slate Hill has had a consis-tent ministry presence with these residents for the past fiveyears.

When the fruit cups were brought to Cumberland Vista, theresidents beamed with joy. Slate Hillers collected almost 200individual servings of fruit. Thank you for your kindness!

Cumberland Vista residents joyfully receive fruit cups:(L to R) Margie, Jimmy, Jason, Lonie, Connie, Lauren, Chris

Fruitful Christmas

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Snowflakes and Cookies

On a rainy Friday evening in early December, it wassnowing inside the Cumberland Vista grouphome. Snowflakes, courtesy of Sue Weigel, gracedthe basement ceiling at the home providing a perfectsetting for an evening of fun.

With the help of Slate Hill and Messiah volunteers, the residentsfirst took great pride rolling out the dough, Then using cookiecutters they pressed shapes of angels, reindeer, Christmas trees,gingerbread men, horses, lips, hearts and MickeyMouse. Sprinkling their creations with colored sugar, soon theresidents handed off trays filled with cookie dough to masterbaker, Matt Bergey.

While the cookies baked to perfection, the residents and volun-teers trekked to the "snowy' basement decorated with lights andgarland to sway to some lively holiday music. Terri, a friend ofJim and Elaine, beamed with joy with every song and Slate Hill'sown, Sara Mayes, cut a pretty rug herself on the dance floor. Ofcourse, no "Snowflake Dance" would be complete without thechicken dance, the "Hokey Pokey" or "YMCA," which broughteveryone on the dance floor.

Slate Hillers and Messiah students lending a helping hand in-cluded: Dwayne and Lucinda Gish, Jim Mitchell and ElaineBaumbach, Cindy and Gary Musselman, Tyler Kratz, Kelly Sul-livan, Nick Martin, Michaelah Gehman, Damais, Matt Bergy,Sara Wagner, AJ Beck, Katherine Ake, Andy Breighner, Thedaand Ulli Klemm.

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ryone to walk with a song in one’s heart and throat.

No Christmas Treefor Me!

Christmas is a time to dwell on the great mys-tery of God sending His son to enable humanityto unite with Him eternally and to worship andto glorify Him. I decided to replace the traditional Christmas treewith a display that portrays Christ-events from the time of His birthin a lowly manger until His reign as King of kings and finally, eter-nity. The display stands about 6’ tall and consists of five circularshelves to signify God is the Alpha and Omega - without beginningor end. Lights adorn the entire display to remind us that Christ isthe Light of the world.

Encircling the base of the display is a map of the world and a col-lection of foreign dolls to remind us God sent His Son into theworld to give eternal life to all that seek Him. The first shelf ismade of wood, depicting Jesus’ earthly ministry and it contains themanger scene. The second shelf is glass and contains a goblet andpiece of matzah in remembrance of the last supper Jesus had withHis disciples while preparing to go to the cross on our behalf. Inaddition to the cross, a dove represents the sending of the HolySpirit in Christ’ physical absence from the earth. Lastly, a figurineof a church represents the birth of the church.

The third shelf, also of glass, takes us to the present age and theprophecies of the destruction of the present earth and the return ofChrist. There are seven small churches to depict the current churchage. A seven-sealed scroll evidences Satan's plans to do battle withGod in an attempt to usurp God's power and authority. A mightyangel with a trumpet announces Jesus’ return to claim those whomhave made Him Lord of their life and to save them from His com-ing wrath. Seven trumpets depict the seven rounds of God’s wrathunloosed upon the earth to begin the final war with Satan. Theseven golden bowls reveal the final judgments of God that culmi-nate with the capture and confining of Satan. At the back of thisshelf, there is a Lamb and church to remind us the Church is under-going judgment during this period, not for cleansing as that wasdone when each of us claimed the blood of Christ to cover our sins,but for rewarding us for our works done on earth to His glory. TheLamb and church also portray the marriage of Christ, the Lamb,and His bride, the church.

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268/SMI Grandmother Time by Judy Gattis Smith. Thisbook has creative ways for you as a grandparent to share your loveand faith with your grandchildren through stories, activities, songs,and games.

289.7/LOE Seeking Places of Peace by Royden Loewen andSteven M. Nolt. This is an insightful history about the NorthAmerican Mennonite saga. The focus is on the people in manygeographical environments rather than the institutional and theo-logical controversy.

640.4/COX 30 Days to a Simpler Life by Connie Cox and CrisEvatt. Read this book for a simple, step-by-step, day-by-daymethod for saving time, energy, and money.

973/CAR America the Beautiful by Ben Carson, M.D.Bestselling author, internationally renowned neurosurgeon, andhumanitarian Dr. Ben Carson presents a sobering and inspiringmanifesto of America’s greatness, her failings, and the values andchanges it will take to carry our country into a brilliant and pros-perous future. This book shows the reader how to use our God-given talents to improve our lives, our communities, our nation,and our world.

REF/220.7/NEU Believers Church Bible Commentary -EPHESIANS by Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld. This commentarypresents challenges to Anabaptist and mainline pastors and laity.It provides a life-changing encounter with Ephesians, probinginterpretations, refreshing Christian teaching, and a calling for eve-ryone to walk with a song in one’s heart and throat.The Believer’s Church Bible Commentary series is available inour church library for anyone looking to more fully understand theoriginal message of scripture and its meaning for today.

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Connie and Kelly Sullivan areready to bake their cookies!

Katherine Ake and Lucinda Gishwatch as Sara Mayes decorates

her cookies.

Lonie and Sara Mayes dance the night away.

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BOOKS FOR YOUR

READING PLEASUREWinter is fast approaching with its cold

snowy days and long dark nights. What a greattime to curl up with a good book! If you would like to delve into aseries of books taking you on a journey over time with many peopleand places, check out the following.

The church library has the complete set of books for the continuingdrama of Those Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.Most recently added are Tribulation Force, Armageddon, Glori-ous Appearing, The Rising, The Regime, and The Rapture.

Another series you may enjoy is The Journals of Corrie Belle Hol-lister by Michael Phillips containing the following titles: My Fa-ther’s World, Daughter of Grace, On the Trail of the Truth, APlace in the Sun, Sea to Shining Sea, Into the Long Dark Night,Land of the Brave and the Free, and A Home for the Heart.

Michael Phillips wrote another series entitled The Journals of Cor-rie and Christopher. The Library has these two titles: The Brax-tons of Miracle Springs and A New Beginning.

Your library has these books from the Florida Trilogy, written byEugenia Price: Maria, Don Juan McQueen, and Margaret’sStory.

Nonfiction additions to the church library include the following:

B/CRO Her Heart Can See by Edith L. Blumhofer. This isan inspiring biography about Fannie J. Crosby, the most prolificof all American hymn writers. Although she lost her sight as aninfant, she composed more than 9,000 hymns, as well as cantatasand lyrical productions in her life of 95 years.

241.66/EDE The Thrill of the Chaste by Dawn Eden. This bookis for single women who are not willing to live the worldly lifestylebut strive to give their lives a new and godly direction.

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248.4/BLA Experiencing God by Henry T. Blackaby andClaude V. King. Learn about living the full adventure of knowingand doing the will of God.

248.4/BOR Mountains on the Mist by F.W. Boreham. Thespiritual reflections of this author are whimsical, insightful, humor-ous, deep, touching, and challenging. They are rich in spiritual sig-nificance and application. Boreham presents reflections on the eve-ryday and the extraordinary in life.

248.4/PET A Long Obedience in the Same Direction byEugene Peterson . In today’s instant society, discipleship has neverbeen harder. This author instructs us with his wisdom about authen-tic discipleship by helping us to see the passion and excitement ofliving lives fully devoted to Jesus.

248.4/MEY Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. By readingthis you will gain insight into how this woman won the battles goingon in her own mind—worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger, orcondemnation—and how you can win over those battles also.

252/GRA Living in God’s Love by Billy Graham. This mes-sage of the transforming power of Christ’s love is needed now morethan ever before. This book contains all three sermons of Graham’shistoric 2005 New York Crusade.

261.2/LUT The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent by ErwinW. Lutzer. This is an informed response to Islam’s war with Chris-tianity. This sensitive, responsible, informative book will remindyou that ultimately, the enduring truth of the cross will prevail.

264.2/LEH You Can Lead Singing by Glenn Lehman. Readthis book to answer questions such as, How can I select appropriatesongs? How can I make singing come alive in the church, whethertraditional or contemporary?

264.2/MOR Then Sings My Soul, book 2 by Robert J. Morgan.This book reveals the real-life events, the tribulations, triumphs, andfascinating details that led to these classic songs of praise.

264.2/OSB 101 More Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck.Read about the inspiring, factual backgrounds and experiences thatprompted the writing of 101 favorite classical and contemporaryhymns.

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