Lanse Link – 12 November 2023

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

Church Family News

Communion Sunday

Today we will be passing communion plates for those partaking in the auditorium. There are pre-packaged communion elements for anyone, inside or outside, who would prefer to use them as we worship together at the Lord’s Table. We have a gluten free option for those with special dietary needs.

Church Family Budget Meeting

The annual budget meeting will be held Tuesday at 6:00pm. All interested people are invited to join the Elder Board and help make the budget plans for 2024. Leaders of ministries and committees who use church funds are asked to bring or send along their ministry’s needs and recommendations to this meeting. See Keith Folmar if you have any questions.

Advent Waffle Party

Family Ministries will be hosting an Advent planning waffle party on Sunday morning, November 26th. The waffle bar will open at 8:45am, with breakfast for everyone. Kids will have their own Advent craft time at 9:00am. Adults will have their own time of conversation and fun, with an emphasis on looking to the Advent season as a time of setting family discipleship patterns for the holidays and beyond. RSVPs are helpful, but not required. Sign up in the foyer or on our Facebook event page. Watch your inboxes for a special edition of the Family Table email with links!

Deck the Halls

Maria Jackson is gathering a team of people to ready the church building for the Christmas season and is wondering what day works best. She is considering Monday, November 27th or Wednesday, November 29th (5:30-7:00). Let Maria know in person or participate in this one question online poll to help her plan.

Celebration Choir

Lift your voice and sing! The Celebration Choir is rehearsing every Thursday at 7:30pm during this season. Talk to Amy Jo Belko if you have any questions.

Thanksgiving Baskets

The deaconesses are collecting donations of food items to help brighten the Thanksgiving holiday of needy families in our community. Nonperishable items may be brought to the church through November 19th. Our deaconess team will prepare all donations for safe delivery to needy families in our community. Please be sure to check the expiration dates on your donations to ensure they are fresh. If you know of any families who could use a basket this holiday season, please get in touch one of our Deaconess team members: Beth English, Becky Hubler, Heather Hurley, Betty Leathers, Cindy Michaels, Renee Mostyn (Lead), Ildiko Schall, or Pam Weaver.

Open Staff Positions

  • Administrative Assistant – We are searching for the next Administrative Assistant (part-time, hourly) to serve the church family in the church office. The job description for this open position is available in the foyer. To apply, please send a resume and a letter of application to Pastor Matt.
  • Director of Family Ministry – We are searching for a Director of Family Ministry (part-time, salaried) to lead our ministries to children, youth, and parents. The job description for this new ministry position is available in the foyer. To apply, please send a resume and a letter of application to Pastor Matt.

Office Hours

Misty is no longer in the church office during daytime business hours. Misty is checking emails (churchoffice@lansefree.org) on Thursday evenings. If you need something during the day, contact Pastor Matt (pastormatt@lansefree.org) during this transitional period.

Renewing the Prayer Guide

During this time of transition in the church office, we are refreshing the “Ongoing Health Concerns” and “Cancer Treatments” sections of the prayer guide. If you have a loved-one you want listed in those sections, please indicate that via email (churchoffice@lansefree.org) or a written note in the offering plate. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Matt.

Snack and Yack

When the auditorium empties after worship, young people in grades 3-7 who heard the sermon are invited to meet in Pastor Matt’s office for a snack and a brief interactive conversation about today’s message. To help kids listen closely, they can fill out a “Snack n’ Yack Notes” handout. Parents are always welcome to join in, too! Leading this week is Cody & Holly Crumrine

Community Group

The community group meets Sunday evenings at 7pm in the Skacel home for fellowship and Bible study. People of all ages are welcome (including kids!). See Abe or Jordyn Skacel if you want to check it out!

Ladies’ Fellowship Hour

Ladies, join us Wednesday, November 12th at 10:30am for a time of fellowship with one another, praying for one another and missionaries, reading Scripture, and enjoying occasional snacks. Nancy Wertz will be leading. All ladies are invited to attend.

Join Us at Prayer Meeting

Each Wednesday at 7:00pm, a group of Christians meet to pray and to study God’s Word in the Prayer Room. We are going through a study of the book of Acts. Nobody is put on the spot to pray out loud, but all are encouraged to attend and help lift up the needs of our church, community, nation, and world.

This Week in Kids Bible Class

How should we feel when we sin? When we sin, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and choose to obey Him. Today, the Little Learners and Bible Explorers will be studying Romans 8 learning why we should be sorry for sin. Resources for family worship centered on this lesson are available through the link you will receive in “The Family Table” email arriving this afternoon. For more information about this week’s lesson, check out The Gospel Project Big Picture Card for Volume 6, Unit 18, Session 5 which your family received in your mailbox.

Explore the Bible at Home

Many adults in our church are utilizing the Explore the Bible resources to dig deeper into God’s word. Pick up your free copy of Mark and join as we study this week with Session 11: Willing. The Fall quarter resources are available in the foyer.

Giving Opportunities

Designated giving funds are open for deaconess compassion fund to help those in need within our church family, and a future pavilion here at the church. Please mark your gifts and drop them in the offering plate.

Sermon Publications

Missed a Sunday? You can read, listen to, or watch the message online in multiple ways throughout the week (YouTubeFacebookApple Podcast, SpotifyPastor Matt’s blog, or the LEFC website [audiovideo]). Audio CDs are also available in the foyer under the community bulletin board. Need help subscribing or finding a particular sermon? See Misty Michaels.

Email Subscriptions

We want everyone to know what is happening at LEFC! Are you on the “All Church Notifications” email list to get key announcements such as cancelations and other schedule changes? Subscribers also receive “The Lanse Link,” our weekly news bulletin. In addition, parents can subscribe to “The Family Table,” a Sunday newsletter filled with useful resources for family discipleship. Subscribe on the church website or send your email address to the church office and we will add you to the list.

Continue to Give

Thank you for continuing to support our ministries and missionaries. Ways to give:

Mail your offering check to us at PO BOX 114, Lanse, PA 16849.

  • Cash or Check in person. Drop off your offering at the church during office hours in the offering plate right inside the  office door.
  • E-banking – Check with your financial institution about using their bill pay programs to have the bank send us a check directly at no cost.
  • Online Payments – PayPal and Venmo are our current e-giving options. Our account address is our email: churchoffice@lansefree.org.

Prayer Items

Need Prayer?

Our church and our pastor love to pray for you. If you have a need for prayer, you can email us at prayer@lansefree.org. All emails being sent to this address will be seen by Pastor Matt. Please indicate if this is a private request (for Pastor Matt and the Elder Board) or public request for the prayer chain.

Contact the church office for this week’s prayer requests from the bulletin.

Lanse Free Church

255 Cotohisc Road
Lanse, PA 16849
Phone: 814.345.6500

Worship Service: Sunday, 10:00am

Prayer Meeting: Wednesday, 7:00pm