24 June 2021 Good Day Yorkshire!

It has been a week full of great times and good tidings! Some of the most exciting news is that we now have two of the four Joyful Noise Preschool vacancies filled! We have two Teacher Aides on the roster, and I am very happy to let you know that our own Tiffany Ivie has answered the call to be one of them! This is great news- we are excited to have Tiffany on the preschool staff and I know she will be a blessing to all of the children we are called to serve! We are in final negotiations with a teacher this week which leaves us with one vacancy to fill. We can use any assistance as you pass the word to everyone you know. Joyful Noise is a very exciting ministry of Yorkshire Church! We will provide full introductions to our new staff as we move forward.

Our new custodian has been on board for a few weeks now and is doing a great job as she familiarizes herself with our facility. Her greatest challenge this week has been juggling her efforts around all of the activity at the church. Ad Council meeting Monday evening, Joyful Noise Preschool Board meeting Tuesday evening, Scout activities out in the garden to transform it into a play area for the preschool, Men’s Fellowship Wednesday morning (6AM) and evening (6PM) and starting this week, we have our Youth and friends in the building from 10AM to 2PM… and wow are they noisy! What a great time yesterday as they enjoyed fellowship with one another throughout the building, fellowship hall and outdoors. It is a blessing to hear their laughter and carryings-on (they’re kids, right?), and what a blessing to have been extended the offer to join them for lunch and have some great conversations. They even helped out with some grounds work picking up sticks and yard debris! They are an incredible group of kids that are building relationships that will last a lifetime. I look forward to interacting with them on the Wednesdays that they are at the church and at our home this Sunday evening.

Another exciting event in the world of our youth is a Bible Study fellowship that started this past Monday evening led by Sarah Berman. This study focuses on “relationships” and how to nurture Godly relationships in our lives and is targeted at our Middle School and High School youth. Although it is important for our church to provide upbeat and exciting activities for youth and children, it is also important to take time to share in biblical study with one another. For our youth and now young adults, this discipline is of vital importance and I can’t tell you how excited I am to see this time of study grow. I wish I would have had such an opportunity when I was in High School, but it wasn’t until many years after I graduated that I experienced the joy of group bible study which occurred while I was serving in the military at Fort Polk, LA. So kudos to our Youth and Sarah Berman for beginning this element of fellowship. Great thanks for Pastor Megan in her mentoring and role to all of our youth and young adults! Great things are happening at Yorkshire!

Last evening at our Men’s Fellowship, we were having a great discussion about how we, as a fellowship can reach out and make a difference to those around us. It is easy for us to say that our mission as a church is to “make disciples” and serve our community. But how do we do this? Our “Stepping Up” study speaks to the needs of men in our culture that are hurting or who may be stalled as a result of various factors in their lives. One of the things that we discussed is that as a church, everything that we do needs to focus on our mission. Although our “formal” mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, it is not like we can open a can of Playdough and mold out some Christ followers, right? We need to meet folks where they are and let them know they are welcome; let them see that we are a group who care deeply for one another and finds strength in being together. We need to show others that we support one another, laugh together, and share areas of our lives where we need help, advice, and guidance. To see the element of trust in one another is a powerful thing for folks who don’t know it, or are struggling with trusting others due to their personal life experiences.

As Yorkshire begins to have events and activities over the next few months, we have to remember that everything we do must be done as a ministry to reach others. When our youth meet at the church, it is an opportunity to invite someone, share it with a friend. When we have our Spoken outdoor concert in July, it is an opportunity to share with our community and invite a friend who may come to such an event before they entertain the idea of coming to worship. In the fall, when we have our Rally Day programs (Sep 12- more info to come!), it is not an event to simply let us have fun and enjoy our day- but it is an opportunity for us to do that and share it with those who do not understand such joy in fellowship. Bible studies, prayer fellowships, and everything we do must be viewed through the lens of how can we share this with others. How can we use the blessings that God has provided us for a time such as this to reach others with our witness? We don’t have to preach, pray or open a bible to demonstrate the blessings of a relationship with God. Actually, Jesus told his disciples that it would be their love for one another that would provide a desire in the hearts of others to belong (John 13:34-35). So many times in the scriptures we can see that God added to his church through the fellowship of believers.

Our door project is moving along and we now have a target install date which should be in the August timeframe. Unfortunately, a graphic rendering of what the doors will look like once they are installed is not available. But here is a picture of the type of doors we will be installing.

They are glass, which is different than what we currently have, but they will make accessibility to the church much easier for many of our folks because they are ADA compliant (Americans with Disabilities Act). We will be upgrading the Preschool and Office entrance with a similar style door, as well. I am looking forward to these improvements as the need to replace and upgrade our doors was first identified over ten years ago! (My dad always told me, “Everything comes to those who wait!”). If you would like to help offset the expense of this project ($21,000.00), you can make your contribution out to “Building Fund.” This will be very helpful as we continue to address our facility maintenance issues.

So, as we move forward and open our new doors, lets focus on everything we do being a ministry, and not an activity. Even our maintenance and upgrades have a purpose to serving others. Our fun and enjoyment in fellowship may simply be the best way to invite someone into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not about us, but it is about how God will use the blessings that He has given us through our open hearts and desire to serve Him!

Have a Great and Blessed Day!

-pastor dave.

dkominsky@susumc.org
125 Edgewood Road, York, PA 17402 • (717)755-4952 • www.yorkshirechurch.org

17 June 2021 Blessings and Greetings!

It is a great Yorkshire Day albeit a bit of a chilly start to this Yorkshire Day. A few days ago, we were sweating and cranking the Air Conditioning up a bit to make for comfortable sleeping. This week, we have the windows open, and needed to pull up the blankets as it is 52 degrees outside. The last few evenings have actually been a bit chilly to sit outside. Although not the summer weather I prefer, it has been an enjoyable few days- I know the heat is coming!

As I mentioned last week, we have an exciting project that began this week in what has been known as the church garden. Austin Strickler, a Scout in Troop 25, presented an Eagle Scout project proposal to our Church and Scout leadership last Wednesday and Thursday evening. Austin approached me several months ago regarding his interest to have his Eagle Scout project be something that would support our church. After several meetings with Dave Lloyd, Steve Spangler, Jim Valentine, Julie Mann, and myself, Austin’s proposal is to convert the “garden” into a play area for our Joyful Noise Preschool.

“The project will greatly benefit the YUMC by providing them with a use of the garden grounds by transforming it into a kid-friendly, safe place to play for the kids of Joyful Noise Preschool. As of right now, the kids are playing in an open grass area beside the church. The children have no playground equipment, and the teachers have to actively watch their children to make sure they don’t go out into the road. Building the playground will provide the children with a fun and safe place to play, while also giving them a use to the garden.”

-Eagle Scout Service Proposal, Austin Strickler, Troop 25

Austin’s presentation was very professional and it was a blessing for all of us who experienced his professionalism, attention to detail, candor, and motivation to “give back” to our church and community. He responded very well to the questions and interactions of the team and was able to provide clear and concise answers to many questions. Over two days, he presented to Mark Robertson (Troop 25 Unit Committee Chair), Perry Bevivino (Troop 25 Unit Leader), Steve Coates (Boy Scout Council/District Project Approval Representative), Jim Valentine (Ad Council Chair), Susan Workinger (Missions Chair), Rick Focht (Education Chair), Barb Snare (Joyful Noise Preschool Board Chair), Julie Mann (Preschool Director), Randy Fry (SPRC Member), Doug Berman (Finance Chair), and myself.

Although the word “playground” is utilized, there will be no permanent playground structures or equipment installed. This will be a “garden-play area” that will house play apparatus appropriate for 3- and 4-year-old children that can be moved, cleaned, and stored as required. There will be benches for teachers and parents to sit as they enjoy their time interacting with the children. Gates, fencing and other safety measures will be added to the current area to fulfill Austin’s vision. The project cost is estimated to be around $6,000.00 with the primary expenses being the fencing, gates, and rubber mulch/ground cover. If you would like to make a contribution to this project, simply mark your giving to “Building Fund” from which the funding for the project will come.

In regards to our Financial status at Yorkshire Church, we continue to be blessed. We are blessed by those who are working very hard to account, track, process, manage, and report our financial situation. From those that count on Sundays led by Charlie Hoffman, to those that then make sense of the numbers Alison, Justin Mann

and Doug Berman, we are blessed! Our financial picture remains strong! Another area where “kudos” to our Team-Finance must be presented- the employees of Yorkshire Church received paychecks via “direct deposit” last week for the first time! This was a great blessing!

Here are our financial numbers through the end of May. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me and I will further explain, or put you in touch with one of our team members that will be happy to discuss with you.

Through the end of May, 2021(5 months):

Income: $171,332

Building Fund:  $5,161

Total Income: $176,493

Expenses: $144,746

Net Profit/(Loss) $ 31,747

*Note: This does not include Joyful Noise Preschool Numbers

Our available funds, meaning monies that are not specifically designated, were reported at $141,722 as of the end of May. This number fluctuates as we pay our Shares of Ministry ($10,000 per Quarter), insurances, payroll, monthly expenses and building maintenance, but has remained steady throughout this year. This is healthy, but we also have much to do around our facility. With the new doors, property enhancements, and much needed facility repairs, we can be confident that with your continued generosity, we can operate from a solid financial foundation. Any additional gifts designated to the Building Fund are greatly appreciated!

From a logistics standpoint, our greatest challenge remains to be the availability of people. We are still in great need of Preschool teachers and teacher aides for the 21-22 school year. We are seeking, with the assistance of Matt, a new Worship Leader for the first service (9AM). We need volunteers for the Media Center, Greetings Team, and Praise and Worship Team (musicians/vocalists).

As we are studying Acts, an interesting paradox became apparent to me. In the early church, each time there was something great that happened, it was mirrored by a significant challenge. I was reflecting on this a few days ago when I heard a song on a classic rock station I was listening to (yes, I enjoy quality classic rock!) called “The Best of Times” by the band Styx. Now, I am not suggesting that the song writer had any theological intent to the lyrics, but titled the “Best” of times, the song really discusses that these times are actually in the midst of the “worst” of times. Our challenges are nowhere near such less-than-positive times, but, as far as the Book of Acts, there is some similarity. Great things were happening in the early church, but for each blessing, there was a challenge-we’ll discuss this over the next few weeks.

We at Yorkshire, also have some challenges. As “post-pandemic” worship returns, we need to rise to the challenge- both in support to Yorkshire Church, as well as to the places that God is calling us. These may be the “best of times,” but they also are presenting some opportunities for us. Your continued support is greatly needed and appreciated. Support in volunteering for service, inviting friends and family and certainly in prayer! Yah, we’ve got this!

Have a Great and Blessed Day!

-pastor dave.

dkominsky@susumc.org
125 Edgewood Road, York, PA 17402 • (717)755-4952 • www.yorkshirechurch.org