Lanse Link – 5 February 2023

Sunday, February 5, 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.

Celebration Choir

There will be choir rehearsal Thursday, February 9th. Rehearsals begin at 7:30 pm.

Pastor Matt Away

Pastor Matt will be out of the office this week to attend the EFCA Theology Conference in Illinois. If you need anything while he is away, reach out to him as he will be checking his messages and email regularly.

Wild Game Dinner

Join us for our 2023 Wild Game Dinner on Saturday, March 18th  from 5-8pm at Morris Township Volunteer Fire Co Recreation Center with special speaker Mark Ledford. This is a FREE event, but tickets are required for entry. See anyone from LEFC or call 814-345-6500 for tickets. All guests are asked to bring a main dish to share.

Wild Game Dinner Meetings

There will be a planning meeting on Sunday, February 19th and Sunday, March 5th following the service. Questions? See Jamie Morgan

Wild Game Dinner Needs

Wondering how you can help with this year’s WGD? Here are some areas where you may be able to help. Prayerfully consider plugging yourself into one of the following areas of ministry for our dinner.

  • Prayer: We are seeking someone to be a prayer coordinator to collect the names of any people you would like us to pray for leading up to the event.
  • Advertising: Help spread the word about our WGD! Posters are in the foyer. Take one today and hang it in your local post office, at the gym, at your place of employment, or any place of business you feel will help us reach people.
  • Tickets: Misty Michaels has tickets for our event in the office. Tickets are necessary for entrance into the dinner, and out flyers say to see anyone from Lanse Free Church. Grab a pack today and start handing them out and let us know how many are coming.
  • Door Prizes: This year we are looking for people to purchase our door prizes. We are looking for a contact person to coordinate this. Letters are in the foyer for local businesses thanking them for their past help and a promise to purchase something from their business as an added thank you. Please have door prizes here by March 5th.
  • Set Up/Tear Down: Many hands make light work! If you can help setup or tear down sign up in the foyer or see Joel Michaels.
  • Food: Signup sheets are posted in the foyer. Jamie Morgan is coordinating the wild game dishes for our guests. Sign up in the foyer if you are bringing a dish. Jamie Morgan is also planning on making Italian-pulled venison and is looking for venison roasts for this. Please see him if you have any to donate and don’t want to cook it yourself. We also need willing bakers to provide us with 25-30 pies.
  • Kitchen Help: We are looking for people to work the day of the event preparing food. Please sign up to help with this need. Question? See Pennie Folmar.

Baby Bottle Blessings

Baby bottles are due back February 19th. Thank you to all who helped with The Pregnancy Resource Clinic’s Baby Bottle Blessing campaign.

Save The Date – Stay Sharp

Our annual Stay Sharp theology conference will be held February 27-28 at Waterdam Church. The theme this year is “Ecclesiology! What is a Church and Why Does That Matter?”. For more information, pick up a flyer in the foyer, and see Pastor Matt.

Pop-up Class Survey

As we seek to offer more pop-up classes for adult discipleship this year, we want to know what classes to offer that are most helpful to you. Please fill out the survey in the foyer and give it to Abe Skacel. You can also put them in his mailbox.

Greeter Ministry Help Needed

We are looking for a few more people to add to our greeting team. If you can come to church a bit early and greet people as they come, please reach out to Jordyn Skacel (814.592.9280) or Haylee Simler (814.553.6515).

Annual Reports

Copies of the 2022 annual report is available in the foyer. Grab one and be encouraged by how God worked through our ministries last year.

God Is Still Good

Katie Faris, a former member of LEFC and now a pastor’s wife, knows what it’s like to be the mom of a “medically complex family” as several of her 5 kids have been diagnosed with serious medical conditions, and she wants to encourage mothers that God Is Still Good even when motherhood is hard. We now have Katie’s newest book in our church library, and there are also copies available for sale in the foyer. The cost is $12.

It Is Not Too Late to Go to Summer Camp

Thinking about attending summer camp at Miracle Mountain Ranch! We have lots of interest, but no firm commitments yet. The church will pay the first $75 to register your child. The cost per camper for regular camp (ages 8-18) will be $270, Buckaroo camp (ages 6-9) is also available for our younger campers at a cost of $85 (June 21-23 or August 6-8). A designated giving fund has been opened to support kids heading to camp. Mark your gift “camp fund” and put it in the offering. Interested in attending, see Marilynn Kristofits.

Snow Removal Signup

Our Facilities Team is looking for a few individuals to help maintain our walkways during the winter months. Are you able to help with removing snow and salting the sidewalks Sunday mornings here at the church this winter? Sign up in the foyer. Questions? See George Leathers.

Worldview Training for Youth

Tonight, the youth class will begin a new series called TACTICS: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christians Convictions. This worldview training class for youth (grades 7-12) meets every Sunday evening at 7:00pm. Questions? See Keith Hurley.

Ladies’ Fellowship Hour

Ladies, join us Wednesday, February 8th at 10:30am for a time of fellowship with one another, praying for one another and missionaries, reading Scripture, and enjoying occasional snacks. If you have questions or ideas, see Judy Carlson or Bonnie Dobash. 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. Pastor Matt is leading us through a study in Exodus. 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 Children’s Church

Why does sin separate us from God? Because God is holy, sin has broken our relationship with God. Today, the Little Learners and Bible Explorers will be studying 1 Samuel 8-10 learning how Israel demanded a king. 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 4, Unit 10, Lesson 1 which your family received in your foyer mailbox this morning.

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 John 1-11 and join as we study this week with Session 10: I Am the Light. The Winter quarter resources are available in the foyer.

Giving Opportunities

Designated giving funds remain open for our 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 & Google Podcasts, Pastor 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 Pastor Matt or Misty Michaels.

All Church Notification Email List

Do you receive our weekly news bulletin (Lanse Link) and notifications from the church? We use this list to keep you up to date on any key announcements and changes to our regular worship service. To be added, send your email address to the church office (churchoffice@lansefree.org) and Misty will include you.

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