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Susquehanna LINK - January/February 2011


A Heart for Mission in the West Bank


Fourteen year old Rebecca Hosier, a member of St. Paul UMC in Chambersburg, raised almost $4,000 in 2010, for Wi’am, Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center in Bethlehem, Isreal/Palestine (GBGM Ad- vance 14910A), to help buy and install playground equipment for the children in the community. Hosier, pictured


center with Usama


Nicola, one of the coordinators at Wi’am Reconciliation Ministry, Bethlehem, West


Bank, came up with the idea after travel- ing with her mother, Rev. Lenore Hosier, to a Peace with Justice conference called “Christ at the Checkpoint” sponsored by the Bethlehem Bible College.


Hosier’s fundraising efforts included


selling olive wood items from the West Bank; St. Paul VBS collected funds dur- ing Bible School week to send; She volun- teered at the church breakfast to raise funds; and members of the congregation gave


money in honor of a member who oversees their prayer ministry. Hosier also contrib- uted money that she made baby-sitting and asked for donations from the congregation. In October, they both went back with a mission team from St. Paul UMC to vol- unteer at Bethlehem Bible College, and to see the “fruit” of her vision. In October she took funds that had been collected as an of- fering from the Childrens Sunday school at St. Paul.


Churches of Lewisburg District invite others to “Come Home” Rev. Dr. Tom Salsgiver with Host, Brittany Spriggle on “Susquehanna Xpress” webcast


When the Christmas holiday is ended for 2010, Superintendent, Tom Salsgiver and the churches of the Lewisburg District are hoping it will be remembered as a very different Christmas. There are six elements to the “Come Home For Christmas” initiative 1. Getting Ready. This summer con- gregations have been getting their “home” ready, learning how to extend hospitality. 2. A Teaching/learning component. Pastors and laypersons taught in small groups on how to share their faith story. 3. Invite a friend Sunday. The Sunday of Thanksgiving there was be an opportu- nity for people in the congregation to in- vite their unchurched friends to come to church. 4. Advertising: Screen ads were pur- chased at the Bloomsburg and Selinsgrove Cinema Centers for November through December that should have reached 50,000 movie-goers inviting them to “come home for Christmas” to the United Methodist Churches in the Lewisburg District. Churches ordered 1,000 “Come Home for Christmas” buttons that members will be wearing when they talk about their church and invite persons. When persons visit the button will be given to the guest. About 500 invitational yard signs were placed across the district. 5. Preaching during Advent/Christ-


mas. The district presented some sermon ideas, worship ideas from music to chil- dren’s sermons on the theme of “Coming Home for Christmas.”


Ads on Cinema Center screen were designed to reach 50,000, screen capture below.


6. Follow-up program encouraging churches to follow up on those people who have been “Home for Christmas.” Some sampling of responses to the pro- gram are:


A forty-four-year-old single man said


“Other than weddings and funerals, I have never been to church. I could see myself coming back”


“A sixty-five-plus female widow hadn’t been to church in over fifteen years. Her knees went bad and her home church has a second floor sanctuary and no elevator. She was excited how easy she could get into [our church]. She came back the next week too and brought her daughter and they both plan on being there this coming Sunday.


“We had a contest, the person who brought the most visitors (determined by an “I was invited by ________” on the vis- itors card) received a dinner and movie gift certificate. The winner was a new member taken in on profession of faith with eight guests!” “On the 28th, we had a hanging of the greens during the service. Eight visitors at one of our two churches came back and four from our second church.” Persons who want to know more about


this program may call the Lewisburg Dis- trict Office at: 570.523.9590 or e-mail Tom Salsgiver at tsalsgiver@susumc.org. He is anxious to refer you to some of the pastors that have helped develop this ini- tiative in the Lewisburg District.


One of two billboards along U.S. 11 in Berwick


Visit the Susquehanna Conference web site at www.susumc.org


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