September 2014
Your Interim Minister Search Committee,
consisting of Lucie Lenz, Chairperson, Sara
Kobak, Cindy Grambo, and Joe Udvari
would like to announce that we officially
have a new Interim Minister at Sharon
Community Presbyterian Church! We are
pleased to introduce the Rev. Douglas B.
Marshall who will be starting as of October
1, 2014. His first Sunday in the pulpit will
be October 5, 2014.
Lucie Lenz, Chair,
Interim Search Committee
PS - I would also like to thank everyone on
the Interim Search Committee for their
dedication and hard work! It has been a
privilege working with you!
Rev. Marshall, or Doug, as he prefers to be
called, has been in the ministry for 27 years
and has served churches around the
Pittsburgh area and in Colorado. He is
highly recommended by his prior churches
as well as by our Presbytery. Doug is
married and has three children. He has
special interests in developing Christian
Education programs for all ages and
developing youth programs. His faith and
ministry are filled with enthusiasm. Doug
has felt called to the interim ministry over
the last few years and is excited to be
joining us at Sharon to continue our healing
and faith journey.
“Finding Purpose In
Our Walk
With Christ”
Psalm 101 1-4
Message from the Rev. Ron Schermerhorn
Please join us in
welcoming Rev. Marshall and his family to
Sharon Church! There will be a reception
following the church service on October 5,
2014 to celebrate.
I have been thinking a lot lately about
the purpose that God has given to each one
of us and to our church. It is easy to be sidetracked by the chaos and noise of this world.
In the shuffle of our lives, how can God
finally reach to us? How can He touch us
and direct out steps? What kind of church
does God want us to be for this time in our
church history?
We, at Sharon Presbyterian, are in a
place where we can truly evaluate the place
of our walk with Christ in the church and in
each of our lives. Transition is difficult. It
seems like a long winding road with an
unsure ending.
I always believe it is important to take a
hard look at the basics, and what the Word
of God has to say about the most important
aspects of our walk with Him.
Psalm 101 has defined 4 steps that we all
must take in order to clear our minds and
hearts, as well as our lives, to assist us in
knowing Him better.
#1 - Faithfulness
I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O
Lord, I will sing. –Ps 101:1
This is where we begin. If there is
anything the world needs today, it is people
of principle. All around us, we see the lack
of reliability and fraudulence.
There is a twisted view of justice in our
society. To many, justice is not necessarily
“what is right”, but rather “what is
right…for me, or from my perspective?.
Justice is not relative. Justice has an
understanding of ultimate truth and
goodness and rightness. It is not just what is
right in my view of the world.
This understanding of justice causes us
to think justice is what the loudest voices are
saying. This causes us to be blinded by our
prejudice or group-think. When we have
this perspective, we are no longer loyal to
Christ or to truth, but reaction to who is
yelling the loudest.
Don’t be one of the crowd. Be a loyal
person. Be loyal to truth at church, at work,
and in your home. You’ll surprise others by
your devotion. It isn’t easy, because the
people around us will give us plenty of
reason not to be steadfast. But, your
devotion does not depend on other people.
It depends only on you.
#2 – Integrity.
I will study the way that is blameless. When
shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of
heart within my house. - Ps 101:2
Integrity is essential to hearing God’s
voice. I have found in my own life that
when I cannot hear God speaking, it is
usually because I have not been walking
with uprightness. I do not mean some kind
of legalistic duty to God, but walking with
an open heart and responding to the voice of
the Savior.
We can’t know purpose in our lives until
we walk with integrity.
#3 – Honesty.
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me. –
Ps. 101:3
We must teach ourselves to be honest
people who are willing to share the truth
with everyone.
The Psalmist has said that we should not
view anything that is “worthless”. Think for
a moment on this concept. Ask yourself, “Is
there anything that I see throughout my day
that has little to no purpose or meaning, and
is actually hurting me”? This is a very
important question to ask yourself!
Also ask, “Am I associating with people
who drag me down”? Another important
question. It is easy to get tied into
relationships that drag us away from Christ.
Maybe it is time to think about different
friends.
#4 – Purity.
A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil. Ps. 101:4
A life of spiritual purity is a blessing.
Tough to change in us…even tougher to
maintain.
The mind is a rough thing to control.
Here’s my thought on this. I think purity
begins by increasing our intake of the Word
of God, and less on nasty TV shows and
unnecessary clutter. This is an on-purpose
decision on our part. More of the good, less
of the bad.
Now…how about you. Can you say that
you have been walking close with the Lord,
or are things cluttering up your life? I do
not ask this to make you feel guilty or
sad…just so that we will all begin by taking
a good, hard look inside our hearts.
As fall comes upon us, and our children
go back to school, it is important that we
study this in each of us.
Let’s be a church filled with people who
have a desire to know the purpose of God by
walking a life filled with faithfulness,
integrity, honesty, and purity.
A huge THANK YOU
Over the month of July and into early August, more than 51 individuals listed below (others may
have participated without identification so we thank them as well) spent more than 425 hours
participating in the Sprucin’ Sharon Part I and Part II project led by Gladys Johnston and Judy
Lentz. A total of 32 rooms/storage spaces were de-cluttered and thoroughly cleaned including
the drapes in each area. The choir rooms were painted by choir members. Additionally, the
hallway on level 100 was painted bright yellow and green and decorated with a variety of
spiritual terms to “Spread the Word”, the creative design of Nancy Bush and Jeanne Sergi.
Surplus items were made available to both congregational members and participants of the Food
Pantry. Remaining items were donated to St. Vincent DePaul. A huge thank you is being sent to
all those who donated time, talent and treasures to make the Sprucin’ Sharon project so
successful: Rob Hamsher, Kathy Hamsher, Megan Hamsher, Susanne Udvari, Sara Kobak, Jan
Weber, Dorothy Devey, Chuck Devey, Jan Gorr, Grace Peters, Ann Mizer, Mark Mizer, Sarah
Cripe, Heather Schermerhorn, Becca Wiley, Deb Williams, Brenda Donegan, Amanda Donegan,
Pat Bricklemyer, Terri Doughty, Janet Loadman, Chira Cratsley, Chris Cratsley, Gladys
Sanderbeck, Bob Lentz, Jeanne Sergi, Joe Sergi, Nancy Bush, Glenn Bush, Gladys Johnston,
Judy Lentz, Sherri Busch, Nancy Moore, Dick Shirra, Ron Fedin, Mark Killmeyer, Lorna
Phillips, Donald Phillips, Ruth Meanor, Clyde Meanor, Shirley Roberts, Beckie Price, Dan
Peters, John Yeck, JoAnne Shaffer, Horst Endress, Colleen Endress, Jan Benard, Tom Capkovic,
Kay Roth and Lorraine Keith.
Come see our newly decorated children and
youth hall downstairs in the Christian
Education section of the church. It is
vibrant and alive in color and in message.
This project was part of the Sprucin’ Sharon
effort and involved many, many members of
our congregation. In addition to the hall, all
of the classrooms have been cleaned and
organized. Yes, we are ready for Rally Day
and a year full of spiritual nourishing and
fun for our young people!
SPREAD THE WORD! Children
and youth programming at SCPC is ready to
go on Sunday, Sept. 7th! It will kick off with
meeting the teachers and fun games right
after the Children’s Time segment of the
worship service. We will then move to an
intergenerational
fellowship
event,
SUNDAES ON SUNDAY at 11 AM
following the worship service!
The
Fellowship Committee and the Member
Engagement team are coordinating the
Sundaes on Sunday event. As of this
writing, we have 17 people signed up to
deliver Christian Education and music
programming for our young people! We
will be “Spreading The Word”, and having
fun and fellowship in the process!
Family time is a new dimension that
we are adding to fall programming and you
will not want to miss, FAMILY FUN
NIGHTS!!!! The entire congregation is
considered family so all should feel free to
join these events. Mark your calendars now
for these initial Family Fun Nights:
Saturday, September 27th
from 6:30 to 8PM
Family Bingo in Fellowship Hall
and Campfire
Saturday, October 25th
from 5:30 to 7PM
Celebrate the Fall: Trunk or Treat Night in
the parking lot. (If bad weather, Fellowship Hall.)
Saturday, November 15th
from 6:30 to 8PM
Four Square Family Event and Campfire,
Fellowship Hall and our new Campfire Area
Children’s music programming
continues under the direction of Lucie Lenz.
Lucie was the main helper last year and
aided in curriculum development for this
year. Children will learn that they have
valuable gifts to add to our worship as they
learn to play Krystal Bells, chimes and
eventually hand bells. Singing is such fun
for children and this will be encouraged by
singing songs that the children love. You
could pay a heavy sum for some of this
instruction but here it’s free. The only
requirement will be for the children to learn
that they have gifts to share in praising God.
Adult
programming
is
also
underway:

One of our favorite Adult Education
speakers, Bill Markus has been
scheduled to talk about world affairs
on Sept. 14, Dec. 7, 14 and 21st.
 Grace Peters, a long-time member of
the Mission and Stewardship
Committee, will teach on Sept. 14th
and her topic will be: What Is
Mission and What’s It To Us??!!
 Joan and Roy Humphrey will teach
on Sept. 28th and their subject will
be: Stuff You Should Know About
The Bible. They will teach again on
Oct. 5th when their topic will be:
Stuff You Should Know About The
Early Church and Its Application to
Today’s Church. Joan is a former
beloved Sharon Director of Christian
Education. She and Roy are always
edifying and entertaining. They are
presently very active members of
Wallace Presbyterian Church.
 Kathy Hamsher will add to our
knowledge of the History of Sharon
Church on Oct 26th, which is the 50th
anniversary of the laying of the
cornerstone for the red church.
We are encouraging local talent to
participate in Adult Education so if you
have a topic that you would like to
present, contact Grace Peters.
Your Christian Education Committee
Terry Doughty, Karen Fedin, Joan Hubler, Grace
Peters, Jeanne Sergi, and Heather Schermerhorn
Are you “UP” on the latest Sharon
Church News and Events? – 143 members
per week are currently receiving the Sharon
Church E-News and staying “UP” on the
latest SCPC News and Events even if they
were not in church on Sunday to receive the
announcements and special bulletins. If you
are not currently receiving the E-News and
other special electronic announcements and
would like to join send, your e-mail address
to
sharoncommunications@verizon.net and
request to be added to the list
Ladies, why not take the day off and enjoy a
relaxing Fall day in a quiet woodsy setting at
the Women's Retreat Saturday, October 11.
Plan to spend the day with friends and meet
new friends at the lovely Rec Center in
Raccoon State Park from 9:30 to 3:00 pm to
hear one of our favorite speakers, Rev.
Allison Bauer and her presentation on the
book “Unglued”. Rev. Bauer's discussion
will center on “Making Wise Choices in the
Midst of Raw Emotion”.
Cost to attend is a nominal $20 and
will include a morning snack and a bagged
lunch.
Registration can be made by
emailing
Joan
Hubler
at
jmhubler2@verizon.net or call the office at
412-264-7400 and leave your name.
Registration prior to the event is needed and
payment can be placed in the Sunday
offering plate prior to October 1 or at the
door.
If desired, carpooling will be
available by meeting in the Sharon parking
lot the day of the event.
Keep Saturday October 11 open to
come together with us to celebrate God's
goodness.
For questions contact Jeanne Sergi,
Joan Hubler or Grace Peters.
LOST & FOUND
Our family Bible is missing and
was last seen at the church. It has a
blue cloth hard cover and the binding is
a little frayed. It has the name Mabel
Lenz written on one of the inner pages.
If you happen to find it, please deliver it
to the church office and let Beckie know
it is the Lenz’s Bible. Beckie Price, the
church secretary, has been advised we
are looking for it. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Ann & Lucie Lenz
THE SESSION
MEMBERS OF SHARON
CHURCH
Doug Busch, Rob Hamsher, Robert Jackson,
Lucie Lenz, Pete McGuire, Grace Peters,
Barbara Ploy, Debbie Prostko, Susanne
Udvari and Garrett Wiley.
Session Highlights
Session met August 26, 2014 at
6pm with the Moderator, the Rev. JeriLynne Bouterse. Seven session members
were present. Rev. Bouterse conducted a
guided Bible study based on Colossians 1:
9-12 and led an opening prayer.
Elder Lucie Lenz submitted the
Clerk’s report which was approved. The
rolls currently show 281 members. This
number reflects the deaths of Nancy &
Donald Whiteside.
Average weekly
attendance was 85 for the month of July and
the year to date average attendance was 126.
This is down slightly which is normal for the
summer months. The next Session meeting
is scheduled for September 22, 2014 at 7pm
in room 202.
Elder Lucie Lenz, Chair of the
Interim Search Committee presented
information on the proposed Interim
candidate. The Rev. Douglas B. Marshall
was approved as the new Interim Minister
for Sharon Community Presbyterian Church.
His start date has been scheduled for
October 1, 2014.
It was noted that the Rev. Ron
Schermerhorn will be the emergency contact
for pastoral care until Rev. Marshall begins
his time with Sharon Church. As previously
announced, the congregation should feel free
to contact the church office with any needs,
notifications, or requests. Beckie Price, our
church secretary, will forward the
information to the appropriate person to
address the request. The office phone is
412-264-7400 and Beckie’s email address is
secy@sharoncpc.com.
Elder Grace Peters presented several
items for Christian Education. Kathryn
Standish was approved to be hired for the
nursery beginning September 14, 2014 at
$10.00 per hour. Events to be held are:
Family Fun Nights – Family Bingo on
September 27; Trunk or Treat on October
25; Four Square Family Fun Night including
campfire on November 15. Details for these
events are available from Grace Peters or
Heather Schermerhorn. The several adult
education classes were approved. Please see
the article from Christian Ed. for more
details.
Elder Barbara Ploy reported for the
personnel committee on the search for a new
organist.
They are in the midst of
interviewing candidates and hope to have an
update for us soon.
Elder Rob Hamsher reported that the
Nominating Committee has begun to look
for volunteers for Elders and Deacons and
things are going well. Under Property &
Maintenance, it was approved to allow
PIMBA
(Pennsylvania
Interscholastic
Marching Band Association) to use Sharon
Church’s parking lot for the Third Annual
PIMBA Competition on Saturday, October
4, 2014.
Elder Rob Hamsher gave the
financial report as of July 31, 2014:
ACTUAL
BUDGET
Revenues
$185,749.53 $207,632.00
Expenses
$208,441.22 $224,880.00
Excess/Shortfall ($22,691.69) ($17,248.00)
Elder Susanne Udvari reported for
the Worship, Music, & Arts Committee.
Ministers have been scheduled and approved
to preach through September 28 and are as
follows:
Aug. 31 – Rev. Ron Schermerhorn
Sept. 7 – Rev. Ron Schermerhorn
Sept. 14 – Rev. Carl Baughman
Sept. 21 – Rev. John Free
Sept. 28 – Rev. John Free
Additionally, Judy Lentz, RN, MSN,
FPCN, Ron Schermerhorn, Chaplain, and
Karen Killmeyer, RN submitted a proposal
for a SCPC Palliative Care Ministry Team.
This team would provide ministry to church
members and families facing the journey of
serious illnesses from the time of diagnosis,
continuing as the illness declines through
death and the bereavement period. The
Session members agreed this is a very
important ministry and believe Rev.
Marshall should be a part of its
development. The Moderator advised the
Clerk of Session to contact Rev. Marshall to
verify if this important work should begin
when he arrives, or possibly sooner.
The meeting concluded with a
closing prayer by the Rev. Jeri-Lynne
Bouterse at 8pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Lucie Lenz, Clerk of Session
LOCAL MISSION UPDATE
Our local mission emphasis for the month of
September will be the CENTER OF HOPE
located in Ambridge. Their mission is to help
their neighbors in need to break the bonds of
poverty and lead independent lives.
As some of you know, our mission sub-group
has been preparing and serving lunch to their
volunteers. We will continue to do this until the
end of November.
In addition to that mission, is it our hope to
collect children’s hats and gloves for the Center.
These items will be given to the children whose
parents are clients of their food pantry at the
Christmas party. We will start to collect these
items on the first Sunday in October (World
Wide Communion). All sizes are needed, from
infants to adult small. Remember the children
as you start your Christmas shopping. Weekly
reminders will be in the Sunday bulletins.
Dear Sharon Friends,
Thanks so much for participating in the “One
Can Ministry” by donating food each Sunday.
We are currently providing 160 families with
supplemental groceries each week.
Your
thoughtfulness and generosity help stock our
shelves.
Sincerely, Sandy Herschberger
It is time once again to begin thinking about our
annual Holiday Giving Basket drive for the
families of the West Hills Food Pantry. The
Deacons will be requesting $20.00 Gift Cards be
purchased from Kmart. Watch for more details in
the October Good News.
Thank you for your continued support of this
project.
Janet Loadman, Terry Doughty and the
Deacons.
Good News Contributors:
Sandy Hershberger
Gladys Johnston
Sara Kobak
Lucie Lenz
Bob Lentz
Grace Peters
Ron Schermerhorn
Barbara Ploy, Editor
Beckie Price, Production
every Sunday at 10AM