MESSIAH MESSENGER
Published by
MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH
www.messiahsouth.org Phone: 570-326-9171
e-mail address: messiahoffice@comcast.net
February 24, 2016
VOL. 74– NO. 8
HUNGER FACTS QUIZ
Are you fooling yourself about the existence of chronic hunger, both globally and locally?
Try this quiz to find out!
1. True or False: Hunger is the world’s number one health risk.
2. 1 in ______ people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight.
a) 10; b) 7; c) 5; d) 3
3. 1 out of ______ children in developing countries are underweight. a) 2; b) 4; c) 7
4. True or False: There are more hungry people in the world than the populations of
the US, Canada, and the European Union combined.
5. The number of people worldwide who do not have enough to eat is estimated at:
a) 375 million; b) 500 million; c) 925 million; d) 1.5 billion
6. True or False: In the US, hunger affects 46 out of 50 states.
7. ______ % of Americans live at risk of hunger.
a) 5%; b) 12%; c) 15%; 18%
8. In 2010, households that included children had higher rates of food insecurity than
the national average, at a rate of: a) 16.8%; b) 20.2%; c) 23.6%
9. In 2010, ______ % of all US households depended on emergency food at some
time from a food pantry.
a) 20.6%; b) 15.2%; c) 8.7%; 4.8%
10. Approximately ______ % of children under the age of 18 are struggling with
hunger in the 27 county area served by the Central PA Food Bank.
11. The estimated number of food insecure individuals in Lycoming County alone is:
a) 10,280; b) 16,660; c) 22,540
12. The rate of food insecurity in Clinton County is:
a) 10.2%; b) 14.7%; 16.8%; d) 20.2%
See inside for answers and for ways that you can help to fight hunger globally and locally!
SERVICE ASSISTANTS
USHERS: 8:15 am Harry Seltzer, Pam Eveleth, David Strickler,
Rita Strickler, Dan Rasdorf
10:45 am Arch Watkins, Debby Frey, Lauren Russell,
Charles Luppert, Thad Day
LAY ASSISTANT: 8:15 Marilyn Frailey; 10:45 George Jansson
COMMUNION ASSISTANT: 8:15 Rhonda Koch; 10:45 Kristi Hammaker
ALTAR GUILD: 8:15 Sue Shoemaker; 10:45 Yvonne Kaiser
CHIEF COMMUNION USHERS: 8:15 Harry Seltzer; 10:45 Georgette Copp
GREETERS AND COMMUNION PRESENTERS:
8:15 Craig and Martha Kropp; 10:45 Doris Teufel, Paul Weaver
ACOLYTE: 8:15 Lauren Peck; 10:45 Lexy Greevy
FLOWER DELIVERY: Carl and Betty Fenstermacher
CANTORS: 8:15 Rob Byham; 10:45 Cathy Byham
Sunday, February 21, 2016 at Messiah: Attendance –201; Offering - $5,049.11
The Altar Flowers are given to the glory of God by the Anna Knopp Weasner Memorial
Fund.
The Flame in the Sanctuary Lamp burns in memory of Joy Keefer.
The sacrament of Holy baptism will be offered at the Easter Vigil, Saturday March 26.
Please contact the church office no later than March 9 if you desire the sacrament.
The Eucharistic Ministers will be sharing communion with the sick and homebound of
our congregation on Sunday, March 6.
Lenten Banks and Lenten Devotionals are available in the narthex. The offerings collected
in our Lenten Banks this year will be donated to the ELCA World Hunger campaign.
Lenten Vespers and Bible Study are planned for the five Wednesdays during Lent,
beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the chapel.
Mark your calendars…. Messiah will be creating a new pictorial directory. Photos will
be taken June 7-11. Stay tuned for more details.
Last week’s Messenger contained a form to order Easter lilies. The date to turn in orders
should be Monday, March 7. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Save the date: Vacation Bible School – Monday-Friday, June 13-17, 9:00 a.m.-noon
Messiah's Women of the ELCA will meet on Tuesday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m. in
Shaheen Hall to "knot throws" for our High School Seniors, with Marge Wonderlich in
charge. Devotions by Georgette Copp; refreshments by Sue Gilbert and Kim Brofee. Our
business meeting will focus on our responsibilities for the "Bach Birthday Bash" to be
held on Sunday, April 3, at 2:30 p.m., when members of the American Guild of Organists
(Williamsport Chapter) will present Bach (and PDQ Bach) in church for music-lovers to
enjoy. (Johann would have celebrated his 331st birthday this year!)
Daily Bible Readings
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
February 28
February 29
March 1
March 2
March 3
March 4
March 5
Isaiah 55:1-9; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
Psalm 39; Jeremiah 11:1-17; Romans 2:1-11
Psalm 39; Ezekiel 17:1-10; Romans 2:12-16
Psalm 39; Numbers 13:17-27; Luke 13:18-21
Psalm 32; Joshua 4:1-13; 2 Corinth. 4:16—5:5
Psalm 32; Joshua 4:14-24; 2 Corinth. 5:6-15
Psalm 32; Exodus 32:7-14; Luke 15:1-10
First Holy Communion
Pastor Josh will offer an educational session on Sunday, March 13 at 9:30
a.m. for children and their parents to instruct them in the meaning of the
Sacrament as well as teaching them the proper way to receive. Please
return your reservations to the church office by Sunday, February 28.
Kids in Mission: A Lenten Journey to Easter
Saturday, March 5, 9 A.M. - 12 Noon
Age 4 through Grade 6
Theme: “Walk His Ways”
 Soft Pretzel Baking  Service Project  Games  Crafts  Songs 
Needed to borrow for Kids in Mission: Crosses of all shapes and sizes to create a
"look and appreciate but do not touch" display for the event. Those who have crosses
they are willing to lend for the display should drop them off in the church office
Monday-Friday, 9:00-3:30 BEFORE March 3. Crosses are to be picked up in the office
by their owners March 7-11.
The Fellowship Committee will be hosting a FREE community spaghetti dinner on
Saturday, March 19, 12:00-2:00 p.m. The committee is requesting donations of cakes for
dessert. Help is also needed to set up, serve the meal, and clean up afterwards. A sign-up
sheet will be posted on the alley bulletin board. Please consider how you may be able to
contribute to this wonderful outreach to the community. For more information, contact
Dave Bausinger. And do join us for dinner and fellowship!
Messiah will hold a rummage sale to support Family Promise on Saturday, April 30
from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm in Shaheen Hall. Volunteers will be needed to help organize and
accept donations on Friday and to help with the sale on Saturday.
Also, we will need things to sell, so as you do your Spring cleaning, set items aside
that you would like to donate to the sale. Donations will be accepted on Friday, April 29
from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. The sale will be the same day as the Chicken BBQ at Citizens
Fire Company. Please contact Jill Lavallee if you can help or if you have any questions.
Church Women United in Lycoming County will hold a World Day of Prayer
Celebration on Friday, March 4, 1:30 p.m. at First Church of Christ Disciples, 1250
Almond Atreet, Williamsport. The theme is “Receive Children, Receive Me”, calling us to
explore the depths of God’s love and accept the invitation to receive the realm of God as a
little child.
YOUTH NEWS
February 28 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Youth Group - Leap Year Party (Grades 6-12)*
***Everyone is asked bring a friend to “jump-start” our youth group to grow.
March 6
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Youth Group – Grades 6-12
March 13
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Second Sunday
Grades 3-12 plus parents*
March 20
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Youth Group - Grades 6-12 – Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday/Easter activities
March 27
NO YOUTH GROUP – Easter Sunday – Enjoy the day with family!
SAVE THE DATES
Saturday, April 16 – Lutheran Youth Day – Grades 6-12
Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove
*Confirmation Students – REMINDER: Bishop’s Day for Confirmands will be held on
Sunday, March 13, 2:00-4:00 p.m. (Meet at Messiah at 1:15 p.m.) Students are required
to attend, along with at least one parent. Mentors are welcome and encouraged to
attend but not required. Further information has been distributed to the students.
 Scholarship Available to the Pennsylvania State University
The Jane Elizabeth Newlin and Everett Mason Batschelet Memorial Scholarship is offered
annually to an incoming first year student who will be enrolled at any campus of the
Pennsylvania State University including the Pennsylvania College of Technology. To qualify
for the Newlin-Batschelet scholarship, an applicant must be a public high school graduate or
prospective graduate. The recipient will be nominated by a committee appointed by our
Congregation Council. Nominees will be submitted to the Pennsylvania State University in
order to verify the nominee’s financial eligibility as determined by the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Approved candidates will be informed by Penn State and will receive an annual scholarship
of $5,000.00 for a maximum of four years, as long as they are enrolled as a full-time student on
a Penn State campus, remain eligible, and funds are available.
Applications for this scholarship may be obtained by calling the church office. All applications
are due in the church office by Friday, April 15. Because references, SAT scores, and transcripts
must also be filed, applicants should obtain an application as soon as possible.
 St. Paul Lutheran Church Fund Scholarship
The Lutheran Community Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of scholarship
awards from The St. Paul Lutheran Church Fund. This permanently-endowed fund was
established at the Foundation upon the closing of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Williamsport and
provides scholarship opportunities to eligible candidates.
Eligibility:
Eligible candidates must:
 Be graduating seniors of a high school, or a high school graduate equivalent, located in
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Candidates may reapply in successive years for
scholarships available from this program.
 Be members of a Lutheran church, including those individuals who were members of St.
Paul Lutheran Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, at the time of its closing.
 Be attending or planning to attend an institution of higher education (academic, technical,
or vocational in the 2016-2017 academic year).
 Have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale as demonstrated by an
Official Transcript and
 Demonstrate involvement in church and community.
Applications and further details are available online at
http://www.infaithfound.org/grants/grants_services/scholarship_applications/_st_paul_lutheran_c
hurch_scholarship or by contacting Kathy Wither at the Messiah Lutheran Church office at
wither15@comcast.net or 570-326-9171, ext. 203.
This is a competitive process . . . not all applicants will receive a scholarship. All
scholarship applications must be complete and postmarked no later than April 15, 2016
to be considered.
ANSWERS to HUNGER FACTS QUIZ
Did we fool you? See below to find out!
1. True. Hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis
combined.
2. 1 in 7 people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight.
3. 1 out of 4 children in developing countries is underweight.
4. True.
5. 925 million people do not have enough to eat. 88% of them live in developing
countries.
6. False. Hunger affects all 50 states, all 435 Congressional districts, and every
country on earth.
7. 49 million Americans (15%) live at risk of hunger: 1/6 (The Alliance to End Hunger)
8. 20.2% - In 2010, households that had higher rates of food insecurity than the
national average included households with children (20.2%), especially households
with children headed by women (35.1%) or single men (25.4%), black, nonHispanic households (25.1%) and Hispanic households (26.2%).
9. In 2010, 4.8% of all US households (5.6 million households) accessed emergency
food from a food pantry at one or more times.
10. 18% - In June 2015, the Central PA Food Bank and Feeding America released a
new study which revealed that children are struggling with hunger in every county
and congressional district in America. In the Central PA Food Bank’s 27-county
service area, the study revealed that approximately 18% of children under the age
of 18, more than 121,000 children, are struggling with hunger in the Central Pa
Food Bank’s 27-county service area.
11. The estimated number of food insecure individuals in Lycoming County alone is
16,660.*
12. The rate of food insecurity in Clinton County is 14.7%.*
*To View Central PA Food Bank’s “Map the Meal Gap” for local statistics, go to:
http://www.centralpafoodbank.org/Resources/Hunger-Statistics.
Sources:
Central PA Food Bank: http://www.centralpafoodbank.org/Resources/Hunger-Statistics
Outreach, Inc.: http://outreachprogram.org/the-need/stats-from-around-the-world/
(with World Food Programme and Feeding America)
Don’t Be Fooled – Hunger Is NO Joke!
Hunger is a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient. Not all of us have
experienced food insecurity.
Food insecurity is experienced by those people who at some point during the week
literally don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Either they can’t afford to buy
food or don’t have access to food. Food Insecurity can affect children deep in urban
settings, families in rural Appalachia, elderly people who are forced to make the decision
between buying medicine or food, or even a neighbor or your child’s class mate.
You’ve taken the quiz on hunger, and you have learned the difference between hunger
and food insecurity. So now you are asking . . . “What can I do about it?”
1. Volunteer. Sign up to help out with the Meal Packaging event to be hosted here at
Messiah on Friday, April 1. Volunteers are needed to fill two one-hour time slots (5:006:00 p.m. or 6:00-700 p.m.) We hope to package 40,000 nutritionally enriched macaroni
and cheese meals that evening to be distributed in Lycoming and Clinton Counties. That
total equates to approximately 2 meals per food insecure individual in the two counties
combined. Sign up in the narthex or call Kathy Wither at the church office to volunteer
or for more information.
2. Donate.
a. Help Locally: Donate to the meal packaging event.
ONLINE: go to www.EndHungerNE.org and click on Donate Now (blue box in the
upper right-hand corner). Be sure to note EndHungerNE event #2 (when you are
reviewing your donation...under "Please apply my donation to:").
BY MAIL: Send a check, made payable to Outreach, Inc., to 1574 Ocean St,
Marshfield MA 02050 (ATTN: Matthew Martin). Be sure to note
EndHungerNE Event #2 in the memo section.
CASH DONATIONS also accepted; please place in an envelope marked “End
Hunger Event # 2.”
b. Help Globally:Take a Lenten Giving Calendar and a Lenten Bank; follow the
guidelines to make an offering to the ELCA World Hunger Campaign.
AND/OR Purchase a village handcraft – for sale ONLY on the day of the Meal
Packaging Event – made by the women of the Singida Region of West Africa to
help support their villages in Tanzania.
3. Drum up additional support. Raise awareness. Post the event on Social media. Invite
your friends or organize a group to volunteer (remember to sign up your group for a onehour time slot in advance.) Raise additional money by encouraging others to donate to
the cause.
Weekly Calendar of Events
Sunday, February 21
8:15 am Holy Communion
9:30 Sunday Church School
10:45 am Holy Communion
5:30 pm Youth Group
Monday, February 22
6:00 pm Boy Scouts
6:00 pm Cub Scouts
6:30 pm Christian Ed. Committee
7:00 pm Property Committee
Tuesday, February 23
4:15 pm Morningstar Choir
Wednesday, February 24
7:00 pm Lenten Vespers/Bible Study
Thursday, February 25
4:30 pm Cherub Choir
5:00 pm Chapel Singers
6:30 pm Celebration Ringers
7:30 pm Alanon
7:30 pm Sanctuary Choir
Friday, February 26
5:00 pm Blue and Gold Banquet
Weekly Calendar of Events
Sunday, February 28
8:15 am Holy Communion
9:30 am Sunday Church School
10:45 am Holy Communion
5:30 pm Youth Group
Monday, February 29
6:00 pm Brownie Scouts
6:00 pm Daisy Scouts
6:00 pm Cub Scouts
6:00 pm Boy Scouts
Tuesday, March 1
4:15 pm Morningstar Choir
7:00 pm South Little League
7:00 pm Congregation Council
7:00 pm Family Promise Meeting
Wednesday, March 2
7:00 pm Lenten Vespers/Bible Study
Thursday, March 3
10:00 am Knitters for Neighbors
4:30 pm Cherub Choir
5:00 pm Chapel Singers
6:30 pm Celebration Ringers
7:30 pm Alanon
7:30 pm Sanctuary Choir
Friday, March 4
Saturday, March 5
9:00 am Kids in Mission
TIPS FOR STUDENTS APPLYING FOR A JOB OR COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS:
Respect those from whom you request letters of reference . . .
be mindful that their time is valuable, too . . .
asking early to given them plenty of time to prepare a quality letter
will enhance your chances of winning the scholarship.
Be sure to thank the person who writes a letter of reference! 