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Volume XLXIII September 2009 Number 9
A Message from the Minister – I would be lying if I said that Nancy and I were not disappointed when our all-church Garden Party was cancelled, literally at the last hour, by the powers-that-be. In fairness to the latter, they did not have the luxury of time to fact check an alarming report coming in from Workcamp that the whole camp (our son included) had been exposed to the H1N1 flu virus (a.k.a., Swine Flu). Since I had been exposed to my son, who may have been exposed to someone who had been allegedly sick with the H1N1 virus, it was thought the better part of prudence to cancel the event. In retrospect it was an overreaction. If the H1N1 virus was indeed present at Workcamp, it did not precipitate a pandemic. There was, however, a less notorious bug going around that several of our Workcampers did contract while at camp and shortly after returning home which was diagnostically determined not to be H1N1. As it happened, no one in the Schnell family got sick at any time and so our Garden Party was cancelled for nothing, our preparations and expenses were for naught and we were disappointed. Multiply that by the many who had prepared hors d’ oeuvres to share and you can well-understand Betsey Tomasko’s response to the cancellation announcement during worship: "My deviled eggs!" However the Lord works in mysterious ways. We got a "shot over the bow" that will perhaps prompt our leadership to prepare policies and procedures for the fall when there is a possibility that infection by the H1N1 virus will become much more prevalent (the Center for Disease Control web site has much helpful information about that). So if our church leadership erred on the side of caution, perhaps we should be grateful that it errs on that side and not the other. There are many ways we seek to protect our membership from undue risk. Background investigations are required of all staff and volunteers working with children and youth; an annual fire drill is held to keep us a people prepared as we worship and serve in a beautiful edifice made of wood (not to mention a state-of-the-art alert system that includes a direct line to the fire station across the street); a training program is offered to keep our members up-to-date on how to use a portable defibrillator kept on the premises; we keep up a valiant effort with snow blowers, shovels and salt to clear our walkways of snow and ice in the winter; and Rev. Horak (constantly) reminds motorcyclists to wear their helmets as they head out the church doors. I think the efforts show in a good record of safety at The Church in Aurora. We may not be able to protect against every fall or scrape, but we can keep the number of occurrences and their severity to a minimum by continuing to err on the side of caution. Beyond that there are things that all of us can do to promote a safe and healthy environment at The Church in Aurora. Because we are a "congregation" of people on regular occasions, please consider getting a flu shot this year not only for your sake but also for the sake of others with whom you worship and serve. At the very least, wash your hands regularly. And should you come down with a bug despite your best efforts, stay at home and do your best not to spread it around. To those who came to our house early to set up the event, and those who for one reason or other did not get the cancellation message at church, and those who just braved the danger and came to our home anyway (most of whom stuck around until past dinner time) we had a great time with you! Now my tomatoes have the blight. Who brought that over? -Bill
News of Members and Friends First Time Visitors – (8/2) Patrick Petsche of Aurora, Lisa Williams of Aurora, Meredith Berk of Dublin, OH, Lee & Pat McVay of Florida, (8/9) Nicole Schwed of Aurora Baptisms – Gavin Alexander Rumskey, son of Amy & Gary Rumskey; Jonathan Lewis Trook, son of Josh & Katie Trook Weddings – Angela Mollohan & David Klafta; Megan Bishop & Josh Greb; Memorials – Mary L. Trivelli, mother of Deanna McCarrell; Geraldine Darby, mother of Gary Darby; PRAYER CHAIN – If you have something you would like added to the Prayer Chain, call Martha Wagner at 330-562-3546 or twagner@windstream.net. VOA Food Pantry Needs – This month’s Food Pantry needs are applesauce, peanut butter, tuna and noodles. Thank you in advance for your generosity. LIVING WITH A MUSLIM FAMILY – The Adult Sunday School class is hosting a continental breakfast with a friend of a Muslim family. Hear how an American girl, Cindy Hudson, experienced Muslim life in the semi-rural town of Gazaintep, Turkey. Daily chores, prayers, vacation, culture and traditions will be topics. All are invited to come at 8:30 AM, Saturday, September 19th, in Hanson Hall. Many interesting items will be on display. Eldercare Expo will be held at our church on Sunday, September 27, from 1-4 PM. This free event will be an open house format to gather specific information from a variety of vendors and professionals who service the needs of seniors and their caregivers. Areas of information include home-based and residential care options, health and medication monitoring, end of life issues, common caregiver stresses and solutions, legal and financial alerts, senior services in the community, government programs, and much more. Light refreshments will be available. Our keynote speaker, Sarah Parran of Senior Care Connections, will speak from 2-3 PM on Eldercare issues, then take your questions. We need you to register if you’d like to attend. Sign up on the church website, e-mail eldercare@neo.rr.com or call 330-541-4106. We still need volunteers to help with publicity by delivering posters/fliers to area businesses. If you can help anytime during the week after Labor Day (Sept 8-12), please call Dorothy Bell at the above number. CROP Hunger Walk – The Aurora Clergy Association will once again sponsor a CROP Walk on Sunday, October 4, beginning at 1:30 PM at Sunny Lake. CROP stands for: Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. 2,000 American communities take part each year raising awareness and funds for international relief and development, as well as local hunger-fighting agencies. Right now The Church in Aurora needs to provide a representative to work on the planning committee with other church representatives and the project coordinator. For more information, contact Rev. Schnell (562-8266). Calling All Youth….Our fall Youth Groups begin again in just a few weeks. There are a few changes in store for you. Our very first Youth Group meeting will be an outing to play Whirly Ball in Bedford. That will be on Rally Day, September 13th. We’ll leave the Escape at 5:00 and return at 8:15. The cost is $20 per youth. We need at least 15 people to play so friends are welcome. Download permission slips from the church website at www.thechurchinaurora.org/youthpermissionslip.htm. Our second meeting will be to Cedar Point! Mark your calendars for September 20th. We’ll leave the church at 9:30 AM and return at 8:00 PM. Admission is $15 but that DOES NOT include food. Once again friends are welcome. Please let us know ahead of time if you are going. We have to plan for drivers. Another important change…All outings will be for Junior & Senior High students together, but our regular Sunday night meetings will be separate. Junior High (this year including 6th graders for the first time) will meet Sundays from 6 - 7:30 PM. Senior High will meet Sundays from 7 - 8:30 PM. We will have a 30 minute overlap for a meal together, once again provided by our generous parents. We’ve planned a lot of outings for the year and hope they are of interest to all of you. Cindi and I have missed you all over the summer, but we’re raring to go very soon. We can’t wait to see you! Mrs. Harris Rummage Sale – The Women’s Guild Rummage Sale is coming up. The dates of the sale are September 23 and 24. You may place your donations on the stage beginning Tuesday, September 15. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Joy Evans at 330-562-5663 or jlevans33@yahoo.com. A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU once again to Bill Akins, this time for the fine job he did on repairing the bench outside the main doors of the church. Bill, what would we do without you? Adult Sunday School at 9:30 AM will begin this year with John Stott's "1 Timothy & Titus: Fighting the Good Fight". These letters from the bible are called "the Pastoral Epistles" because they are concerned with the pastoral care and oversight of local churches. In Titus Paul emphasizes the relationship between doctrine and duty, belief and behavior in the church, at home and at work. Come join us on September 13th as we begin our study of these scriptures together. For more info call Betsy Tomasko at 330-562-3505, or just show up on any Sunday morning. All are welcome. Paper Recycling – Everyone has been affected by these tough economic times, even the church. But there’s a way you can help us that won’t cost you a dime. Bring your old newspapers, magazines, junk mail, already-read and now unneeded handouts from school – even your shredding (in plastic bags, please) – to the big green paper recycling bin in the southwest corner of the parking lot. The church receives cash for every pound of paper we recycle. And every dollar counts these days!!! WOMEN’S GUILD – Wednesday, September 9th, begins a new year for The Church in Aurora Women's Guild. All women in the church are invited. Laura Nosek and her Board have already met and are ready to go! The lunch will be served at 11:30 AM in Fellowship Hall and the program and meeting will follow. Women's Guild is always the second Wednesday of the month. In September the lunch will be prepared and served by Sandi Post and Nancy Schnell along with their "kitchen helpers". We will then have a chance to meet a few of the crafters and see their crafts for the upcoming Nutcracker Sweets. Be sure to bring your calendars as the volunteer sign-up sheets will surely be available. Because Nutcracker is being held a week earlier this year, we will not have a Guild meeting in October so come prepared to volunteer at this meeting. Be sure to look at and save the program schedule for Guild that you will find in this issue of the Spire (yellow sheet in the front) to be better informed about the year ahead. We look forward to seeing you on September 9th. Bring a friend or just come to make some new friends. If you have any questions please feel free to call Anne Ramsay at (330)562-5256. The CARE TEAM is available for those who need meals during a time of recovery or a ride to an appointment or someone to pick up prescriptions or just a friendly visit. If they could help you, call Pat Way at 330-673-7917 or Rita Suchanek at 330-562-3273 or 216-570-9808! Why Lay Ministry? Stephen Ministry is based on the idea that all Christians are ministers. The responsibility for passing on God’s love is for all Christians, not just for a chosen few. God has given us all gifts for ministry and called us to put those gifts to use. Stephen Ministry is a place where people with special gifts for caring ministry can use those gifts to bring Christ’s love to people in need. For more information contact: Russ Post (330/562-9789) or Susan Kray (330/562-1344). 3H PM Please join us in the making of baby blankets and prayer shawls as we enjoy the book Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur. You are welcome to join us just for the study--please have read the chapters on Eve and Sarah for our September meeting (we will meet in the Stephen Ministry Room from 6:30 - 8:30 PM). This year's dates are: 9/10, 10/15, 11/12, 12/10, 1/14, 2/11, 3/11, 4/15, and 5/13. The book is available for $15 by calling Kathleen Horak, 330-562-1930. Circle 3-H will meet on September 11, the second Friday of the month, due to the Labor Day weekend on the first Friday. We will be assembling Kid-Paks for Robinson Memorial Hospital. We will meet at the hospital in Streetsboro at 9:30 AM. After a brief business meeting and the completion of the Paks, we will take a tour of the new facility. A big thank you to those who contributed back packs for our members to fill with school supplies. We were able to send 62 packs to Family Services for Children of Portage County.AUDIO CD’S of the Sunday services are available in the library in the top drawer of the cherry chest to the right of the door. If you would like to purchase a CD, contact Phil Ticer at 330-995-9318. These services are also available on this website at http://www.thechurchinaurora.org/sermons.htm. Attention: 5th Graders and above – Anyone interested in signing up for the opportunity of serving our church by becoming an Acolyte, please contact Mrs. Maulis at 330-562-1425 or at jimar@windstream.net. This is a rewarding way to serve our church and become a very important part of our Sunday morning worship service. A Note from the Music Department – It soon will be time for our choir rehearsals to begin; dates and times are listed below. If you have questions, please call the designated directors. VOCAL CHOIRS DIRECTOR Chancel (Adult) Thursday, Sept 3rd at 8:00 PM. Sally McGill, 562-3445 BASIC (7-12) Sunday, Sept 27th at 12:15 PM. Sally McGill, 562-3445 Littlest (K-2) Tuesday, Sept 15th at 3:45 PM Toni Harris, 562-6260 and Anne Ramsay, 562-5256 Choralier (3-6) Tuesday, Sept 15th at 3:34 p.m. Cheryl Miller, 562-8492 HANDBELL CHOIRS There are openings available in the 7-8th and High School Bell Choirs. If you are interested in playing, but have not participated before, please call Mrs. McGill in advance of the first rehearsal. 7-8th Handbells Monday, Sept 14 7:00 p.m. Sally McGill, 562-3445 Adult Handbells Tuesday, Sept 15 7:45 p.m. " High School Handbells Sunday, Sept 20 12:15 p.m. " TO PARENTS OF LITTLEST AND CHORALIER CHILDREN: There is NO adult supervision on rehearsal days until 3:30 p.m. We respectfully request that children do not arrive at the church before that time. Used Ink Cartridges and Cell Phones – Don’t throw away your old cell phones! Please save them for the Workcamp Fund. And we are still collecting used ink cartridges, too! A drop-off basket is in the Great Hall on the desk outside the Toddler Room door. Large quantity pick-ups of laser print cartridges are available. Contact Kim Williamson at 330-562-4930 for more information on that. HELP SAVE OUR LANDFILLS while providing financial support for Workcamp. Mission of the Month – This month the Missions Committee is focusing on the Portage County Salvation Army. The Salvation Army first established its presence in Portage County in the mid 1940’s. Their countywide office, now located in Ravenna, provides Christmas baskets, toys for children and back to school supplies. They provide a wide variety of family programs including Shoes on my Feet, Character Building for children, and Bible Study for all ages, Emergency Financial Assistance, and a Food Pantry. Behind the Scenes – With the budget as tight as it is this year, the Church Secretary took Mondays off during the summer. But it was still important to have someone in the office to greet people and answer the phone. So we are taking this opportunity to thank those ladies for volunteering their Mondays over the summer. Jan Morgan, Mary Wallace, Diane Brubaker, Ingrid Cuppage, Joy Evans, Sara Akins, Elaine Ober, Nancy Schnell and Rita Suchanek volunteered their time and talents to cover those Mondays. If you counted the names, you’ve realized that there are more Mondays than names. Most of these ladies worked more than one Monday. Thank you, ladies, for all your help in making our church… |
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