Author: Church Office

63 School kits and 50 Health Kits made Sunday Sept. 8!

A BIG “thank you” goes out to everyone at Holy Spirit for making the “God’s Work, Our Hands” event a success. We givethanks to our awesome and mighty God for laying on our hearts the needs of others and the desire to do HIS work!

A BIG “thank you” goes out to everyone at Holy Spirit for making the “God’s Work, Our Hands” event a success. We givethanks to our awesome and mighty God for laying on our hearts the needs of others and the desire to do HIS work!

The t-shirts were bright and uplifting during Worship and in the Spirit Center where we gathered after church! Over 1,250 items were donated by our members for the School and Health Kits. Pastor Eshbach was with us, via SKYPE, to bless the kits and encourage us as we began the newyear. The assembly lines of kids and adults at our Kick-Off went to work! 63 School Kits and 50 Health Kits were made in record time! We sang our VBS “Stand Strong” theme song before Pastor Eshbach closed us in prayer. Thanks to the many hands and hearts that worked to make this Intergenerational Event a memorable and fun time!

From the Pastor: October 2013

This month of October is important for our community as we offer our pledges of support for 2014, participate in a first ever health fair, study together in our Christian education offerings and prepare for the great festivals that remain this year. This would be an excellent time for you to invite someone to partake of the home cooking that is Holy Spirit. Invite someone now to see how we offer our service to God.

THANK YOU !

Your prayers, words of concern, comfort, and yes, even the silly jokes and bad puns have all helped considerably as I continue to recover. Thank you!

As I wrote last month, I had no idea what it would be like. Now I can tell you that while everything went very well with the surgery,  it was not the most pleasant experience I’ve ever had.

The first week in the hospital, dealing with the surgical issues and fighting an infection is something I do not wish on anyone, and pray I’ll never have  to deal with again.

But once I came home, things began to improve. There is something to be said about “home cooking!”

Now I’m looking forward to the home cooking of being back with you on Sunday morning, and beyond. While I still have a couple of issues to deal with, they will resolve themselves in the coming months.

This month of October is important for our community as we offer our pledges of support for 2014, participate in a first ever health fair, study together in our Christian education offerings and prepare for the great festivals that remain this year. This would be an excellent time for you to invite someone to partake of the home cooking that is Holy Spirit. Invite someone now to see how we offer our service to God…

….sharing Jesus love in word and deed.

CLIFTON D. ESHBACH
Pastor

Commitment Sunday: October 6, 2013

Members recently received a mailing for our 2014 Annual Appeal. Your pledge card and a return envelope were included. We ask that you complete this card thoughtfully and prayerfully.

Members recently received a mailing for our 2014 Annual Appeal. Your pledge card and a return envelope were included. We ask that you complete this card thoughtfully and prayerfully. When you bring your pledge card to church on October 6, you will be asked to bring the card forward at the start of the worship service as a visible sign of your commitment to support the basic weekly ministries at Holy Spirit.

Why should you pledge?

  1. Completing a pledge card provides you the opportunity to consider how God has blessed you and how you will respond to those blessings.
  2. Completing a pledge card involves planning and should include prayer and discussion within your family as to what your response will be.
  3. Completing a pledge card provides a level of commitment which you can accomplish in the coming year.
  4. Pledges are a way for your congregation leadership team to more accurately develop a financial plan for next year.
  5. Having such a financial plan in place gives all of us a foundation and guidance to plan for the future.

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us be faithful disciples and enables us to grow in the ministry and outreach of our church. Thank you!

Elizabeth Eaton elected ELCA presiding bishop

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northeastern Ohio Synod, was elected Aug. 14 presiding bishop of the ELCA at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

PITTSBURGH (ELCA) – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northeastern Ohio Synod, was elected Aug. 14 presiding bishop of the ELCA at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Eaton is the ELCA’s first presiding bishop-elect.

Prior to becoming synod bishop, Eaton served as pastor for ELCA congregations in Ohio. She earned a Master’s of divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., and a Bachelor’s degree in music education from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.

From the Pastor: September 2013

During September we will hear a great deal about how to use our talents and resources. And we need to pray and think carefully how we will support God’s church in the coming year. We will be encouraged to “make the leap” and offer our time and gifts of the spirit in one or more of our ministries.

As timing would have it, I am writing this note to you five days before my schedule prostate surgery. While I’ve learned a lot about what to expect, I have no idea of what it will actually be like. I know that’s not a very earth shattering proclamation. In fact it’s a very obvious one.

But I wonder if that is what it is like as we consider offering our gifts to support the ministry of the congregation and the greater church. We have learned about many ways we can use the skills God has given us. But until we are engaged in an activity, we don’t know what it will actually be like.

During September we will hear a great deal about how to use our talents and resources. And we need to pray and think carefully how we will support God’s church in the coming year. This is the month we will receive a packet of information on how and why to make our pledge of support for 2014. We will be encouraged to “make the leap” and offer our time and gifts of the spirit in one or more of our ministries.

This is something I’m going to think about while I am recuperating at home so that when I return to active service in October, I will be more focused, and perhaps more determined, to use my gifts of the spirit, to the glory of God and to the common benefit of the entire community.