Susquehanna LINK - February 2017
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Aldersgate UMC Fall Festival T By Sandii Peiffer
he annual Fall Fest at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Mechanicsburg began six years ago. It was initially an attempt at creating an event for the members of Aldersgate to gather together informally and get to know each other outside of their three Sunday services. After a few years they decided to make it an outreach event, demonstrating hospitality and a welcoming bridge to the community. Church leaders decided everything would be free – food, entertainment, games and activities – and prayed the people in the neighborhood would see it and come be a part of it. Aldersgate’s mission statement is “Reaching with the heart of God for the lives of our community.” Until 2016 there had never really been a theme to the Fall Fest event, apart from fun and fellowship. Then they thought, “Unless we’re doing something specifically to lift up the gospel, what are we doing?” So in 2016 they made an effort to bridge into the community with the gospel of Christ by celebrating what God is already doing out there. Having a family background of law enforcement, Rev. Troy Howell suggested that they celebrate emergency responders from the surrounding communities. “A lot of [emergency responders] I’ve talked to feel battered and unappreciated,” reflected Howell. So they invited local and state police, emergency medical services, firefighters, and other emergency responders from Mechanicsburg, Enola, and Camp Hill to a time of celebration, recognition, and community interaction.
October 16 was a perfect fall day.
An 11 a.m. worship service was held outside on the expansive lawn area next to the church, open for all to attend. Folks brought lawn chairs and blankets to sit on. The service included a time of singing worship music (for all the surrounding neighborhood to hear!), a time of recognition, honor, and prayer for the emergency responders who attended, offering them a token of appreciation for their service to our communities, and a message from Rev. Howell. He referenced the passage from Philippians 2:5-8, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness ... he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross.” (NRSV). Howell noted that the selfless, life-risking work that emergency responders do reflects and demonstrates the altruistic heart and love of Christ in the most real way. “They lay down their lives every time they get a call.”
After worship the Fest began. There was plenty to choose from;
Honoring our local emergency responders
sampling and voting in a chili cook- off, plenty of free food (hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, baked goods), interacting with the emergency services folks and their equipment, checking out classic cars, family entertainment (magician/balloon artist), a band playing classic rock and pop tunes, face painting, games (like cornhole and ga-ga ball), bouncy houses, and more. The afternoon was wrapped up watching an ice sculptor from Chambersburg create a beautiful ice carving honoring the emergency services. The Fall Fest was well attended. Many church members brought their friends and neighbors, and invited their local emergency services personnel to attend and be honored. Families from the church pre-school came. Neighbors came. “We challenged the worshipping body that day to consider next time they see an [emergency responder] on duty somewhere, to offer them a thank you for serving in that role.” Howell is hoping that future Fall Fests might be used to honor other people who serve our local communities, such as doctors, nurses, and educators.
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