4 November 2021 Greetings Yorkshire!
It is November. I don’t know what happened to October. I remember something about September. I am sure many of you feel the same way. Although I love each and every season of the year, there is something about fall and this time of year that is my favorite. I appreciate the changing colors on the trees against the backdrop of dark clouds as the sun lights them from a seasonally lower angle. I love the sounds of leaves swirling on the ground in the autumn breeze. And I love walks in the park with my wife and my dog in this theater of color, light and sound that is pulled together and orchestrated by God himself. And there is one other thing that I really enjoy. And that is Christmas music on my car radio. Yes, it starts on November 1st, often to the dismay of my passengers. But my car is my space, and if you enter that space, you will hear the sounds of the season!
Something new for me this year was the celebration of Halloween with Yorkshire’s first Trunk or Treat Church and Community event. This was the brain-child of Jared Smith who attends our first service with his wife Jessica and their family. He put together, planned and led the event with the support of Susan Workinger and the missions outreach team. I didn’t know what to expect for this event, just as most of you didn’t know what to expect before Spoken began playing their music at our outdoor concert this summer. But, when I came out of the church after our second service to see what had developed in our lower parking lot, I was overwhelmed. There were 17 cars decorated in creative Halloween displays, folks dressed in festive costumes and attire, a fire truck, police cruiser, food truck, and the sounds of Steven Courtney’s Band of Friends was in the air. Someone asked me before the event began what I expected as far as a turnout and my response was, “well, it will probably be somewhere between 10 and 300 folks. Over the course of the afternoon, well over 300 folks came through our Trunk or Treat. The comments that I received from friends, family, and many, many folks from our community were very positive. Some came with a parade of children, other couples from Penn Oaks and Haines Acres simply came to walk around and enjoy the festivities. Families came from all over York County. I spoke with folks from Mount Wolf, Wrightsville, Hallam, York City, Red Lion and most commented on how well organized our event was and how much fun they were having here. I answered several questions as to what time our services were and a few commented that they were seeking a church home.
But this event could not have occurred without the support of the church. So many came out to volunteer to help with logistics, providing candy, dressing up in costumes such as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (Frank & Susan Herron) and even running around York County trying to procure additional pumpkins for our pumpkin painting activity as we painted over 50 pumpkins in the first 45 minutes of the event! (Thanks Steve Coates). Not only were children wearing costumes, but most of them had beautiful art added to their faces, handiwork of Jamie and Alexis Strange, also adorned with fire hats provided by Springettsbury Township fire department. It was a festive event that not only blessed our church, but blessed our community. I would have to say, though, my favorite part of this particular event was that there was no dunk tank– oh the relief!
Now we turn our focus on the season of Thanksgiving and Advent. With that comes some logistical things such as our Church Charge Conference which will be on Sunday, 28 November at 4PM. This involves a great deal of logistical effort leading up to it with the requirement of countless forms and reports needing to be completed and submitted prior to the event. Never an enjoyable task, but something we simply need to work through. I appreciate the leadership team’s efforts in their efforts in this undertaking. I appreciate Alison’s work on pulling much of the data together and in the administrative work required for this endeavor.
In our announcements this week, you will see a host of events and activities that are planned for the Advent season. This includes the “Hanging of the Greens” and a dynamic Advent Worship program based on Max Lucado’s “God Came Near” series. This will include a church-wide Sunday School program involving all classes 6th Grade through adult.
I would like to report on our financial picture this week. These number represent the first three quarters of this year, January through the end of September. Overall, the numbers are very positive. We have seen a reduction in gifts and offerings over the past three months, which could be attributed to normal trends based on the summer months, but we will continue to monitor these trends.
Yorkshire Financial Picture including Joyful Noise Christian Preschool: January 2021 thru September 30, 2021:
Income: Expenses: Working Capital:
$309,167.00 300,533.00
$ 8,634.00 (Positive Working Capital)
During this time period, we have spent well over $20,000.00 in capital improvement projects that are not fully reflected in the numbers above as much of that funding came out of our retained earnings or savings account funds. As our finance team manages our income, much is put into these accounts to address maintenance and other non-recurring expenses such as the new doors and the ongoing expenses that are being incurred for the repair of the fellowship hall flooding issues. Although it looks at times as though we are bringing in much more than we are spending, this fiscal management is allowing us to have the funds (savings) we need when we need them. Therefore, we have actually spent more this year than we have brought in which has reduced the balances that we have in the bank.
We will be facing significant expenditures over the next few months as we continue to bring our fellowship hall back into being a functional entity within our church. The current work that has been completed or is in the works; flooding damage removal including stage, asbestos abatement, rain gutters, drainage system repairs, and the forthcoming dead tree removal exceeds $35,000.00 in expenses. We received $25,000.00 from our insurance company which has been a significant help, but we will be facing ongoing expenses in the repair and restoration process. At this time, we have design and engineering work in progress to determine how the room will be reconstructed and as I have mentioned previously, our hope is to include a ramp for ADA acces- sibility as well as new ADA compliant bathrooms where the stage used to be. So your continued financial support and gifts are welcomed and needed! If you would like to contribute to the restoration process in addi- tion to your regular weekly giving, just designate your gift to “Building Fund.”
Well, there’s so much more that I could talk about- Joyful Noise Christian Preschool continues to grow, we continue to see new faces and families in worship, our choir is awesome, our greeting ministry is developing, Sunday School is growing-teachers are doing an incredible job, and the Spirit of Joy is ever present in all that we are endeavoring upon. It is an honor and a joy to be a part of this great fellowship! It is a joy to be a part of the church that God is blessing at Yorkshire!
Check out the pictures at the end of newsletter of the Yorkshire Trunk or Treat provided by Barbara Hudock’s daughter Jordan! She did an absolutely awesome job catching the joy of the event!
Peace and Blessings!
-pastor dave.
dkominsky@susumc.org
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