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| View or download PDF at www.susumc.org/link |
Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church
Monday, July 12, 2021
Remembering Our Heritage
Dr. Milton Loyer, Conference Archivist
July – 100 years ago.
The Central Pennsylvania Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church hosted its annual Dickinson College Summer School of Religious Education July 11-21, 1921. Of the 280 paid registrants, 111 were men – and 73 of those were ministers. There were 193 certificates presented to those completing their third year of course work. Noted among the instructors was the Superintendent of Teacher Training from the state of Florida. Noted among the courses was one on “Epworth League Methods.”
Bishop William F. McDowell preached the Sunday morning service – and in response to his invitation, 19 young people dedicated themselves to full-time Christian service. Over 6,000 people from Carlisle and the surrounding area turned out to witness the impressive closing pageant, “The Deliverance of Moses.”
August – 50 years ago
August 1971 brought to conclusion a three month summer ministry by Rev. Robert Vowler and the Baughman Memorial Church in New Cumberland. Each Thursday night during June, July and August, worship services were held in the sanctuary – with bulletins, ushers, greeters, special soloists and all the other components of the traditional Sunday morning service. Like many other congregations, Baughman Memorial noticed that many families were using their summer weekends to take mini-vacations. The prime motivation of the program was to give opportunity for worship to those who would be out of town the following weekend. The sermon was the same as that of the following Sunday morning. The average number attending throughout the summer was 80, with local church members comprising about ¾ of each service’s attendance.
Discovery Place: New Resources for Building the Beloved Community
Discovery Place Resource Center is open and ready to serve the people and churches of the Susquehanna Conference! Our resources are FREE for you to borrow; your only cost is the return postage.
As we live into the vision of Building the Beloved Community, Discovery Place has recently purchased several resources. We have two DVD studies, which can be borrowed for the duration of your study:
Vital Conversations: Racism and the U.S. Church – Subtitled “Vital Conversations on Race, Culture, and Justice,” this was published by the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) of the United Methodist Church.
Holding Up Your Corner: Video Stories About Race – Accompanied by a book of the same title by F Willis Johnson, this study will equip churches to begin addressing issues of race and justice in their communities.
In addition to these videos, we have several books that your small group or Sunday School Class may want to consider studying. Since we have very limited copies of each, these may be borrowed for a 2-3 week preview:
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo
White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White, by Daniel Hill
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, by Monique W Morris
I’m Black. I’m Christian. I’m United Methodist, by Rudy Rasmus and 9 others
Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity, by David W Swanson
Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism, by Drew G I Hart
Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation, by Latasha Morrison
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, by Austin Channing Brown
Copies of these books for your group study may be purchased from Cokesbury (www.cokesbury.com).
Full descriptions of each of these resources can be found in the on-line catalog on our website, www.discovery-place.org. You may place an order directly on-line, call 717-766-7968 (your voicemail will send me an email), or email discovery@susumc.org.
Looking forward to serving you!
Joni Robison
Progress Not Perfection: a story from Breezewood Trucker Traveler Ministry
Rev. Bruce B. Maxwell, Chaplain, Breezewood Trucker Traveler Ministry
God is Still at Work
In the midst of all the masks, social distancing and fear, God is still moving in the hearts and lives of people. This article attests to His continued presence and concern for His creation. God still saves, keeps, and moves among those living and working in these times; He also protects and guides those who desire it.
The Breezewood Trucker/Traveler Ministry is still operating in this transient area to aid those who need assistance – whether it be spiritual or material. The Chaplain has been meeting with people, lending assistance, providing housing and counsel among his sundry duties. We are so thankful for those who have not forgotten this work of love for those in need – God bless you all.
Billy and his Mom can’t live together. Billy is rough around the edges and knows how to move on when the staying is too much. Billy loves his Mom; she lives in St. Louis and gets a visit from Billy every few years. She gave birth to Billy at age 15 and was dealing with her own adolescent issues. Billy nearly died as a toddler, being poisoned with hair dye. Fortunately there was a hospital across the street; his stomach was pumped and his life saved. He was raised as an only child and recalls a memory of attending his first music concert with his Mom (the Beatles in 1966 at the St. Louis ball field), but most of his early years were with Great Grandma, who lived off contrived but profitable legal settlements with large St. Louis area corporations. Mom was out sowing her wild oats, and eventually brought home the step-Dad from hades.
Billy was surrounded by a dysfunctional family and a social circle of gangsters, mobsters, drinkers, and drug users. He became a user himself, and joined the family business of lawlessness, ending up in jail for a total of 27 years (that doesn’t include 3 years in juvenile). His offenses were armed robbery and auto theft. There was a brief window in his 20’s when he lived in an apartment and worked for a paycheck, but it was short lived. He eventually ended up on the streets of Sunset Strip (Hollywood) and rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous (June Pointer, Jim Carrey, Andy Gibb, etc.) back in the 80’s when cocaine use was part of the status. He was a hardened man with a hard heart.
He moved from place to place living in motels; the life style choices and addictions eventually brought great damage to his body. In 2010, two drug dealers in Houston pinned his legs with a car and beat him badly. He spent 4 weeks in ICU, but declined further surgeries to put his bones back together, and hence his leg strength can only handle about 10 minutes out of the wheelchair. Fast forward to 2013 at age 58, he was continuing his free-wheeling motorized chair journey of “any town” USA and found himself in Alabama receiving a Bible tract from a young family as he sat in his wheel chair on the street corner. The two young children in this family were innocent and tender; his usual brash dismissal was silent. He received the salvation tract, and began reading it. The evil one tried to get him to put it down; but Billy didn’t. He said the sinner’s prayer, and then found himself enveloped in a cloak of warmth and protection and security, knowing at that moment “everything is going to be OK.” He thought: “is this LSD” or some other drug induced state of mind, but he wasn’t on any drug! Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit made a home in his heart. It changed his life.
Spiritual progress can show itself in many ways; for Billy staying out of the bars and living clean is a huge step. His wandering wheel chair journey of America included Breezewood for 5 weeks in a motel room and an occasional lapse into old habits, but I celebrated his progress not his
(im)perfections. No one but Jesus is perfect; we are all a work in progress. Encouragement begets more courage and affirmation begets more determination for a Savior worthy of His promises. I thank God for His love that meets Billy right where he is. That’s a promise God made to all.
Find out more about this ministry at breezewoodtruckertraveler.org or email Maxwell.bruce@gatewaytravelplaza.com
Volunteers In Mission is for All Churches in Mission!
United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) is the short-term mission agency of the United Methodist Church. An UMVIM volunteer is any United Methodist who engages in outreach as a member of a United Methodist Church in service of their neighbors near and far.
Any local church serving in missions is eligible for additional accident insurance through United Methodist Volunteers In Mission (VIM) free of charge.
All VIM teams should carry travel insurance. This insurance is a supplement to each team member’s personal insurance.
If your church is serving the neighborhood, out of state, or out of the country contact Michelle Schwartzman, VIM Coordinator, for more information.
You can submit a volunteer roster in order to receive the insurance card and information for your time of service with others.
Michelle can be reached at vim@susumc.org or 717-766-7441 ext. 3105. More info on the insurance can be found at www.susmb.org/insurance/. You can download the volunteer roster here: Volunteer Roster.
VIM offers training and connections to opportunities too. Check it out at www.susmb.org/vim/
How Do You Like Your Coffee?
Doug Hoy, SUSUMC Disaster Response Coordinator
In the fall of 2020, as I was delivering hand sanitizer around the Conference, I found myself listening to a podcast about doing ministry and mission. The presenter compared ministries of the church to coffee. As a coffee drinker myself, I listened closely as he explained there are many kinds of coffee: roasted, blended, cappuccino, espresso, mocha, and traditional— the list went on and on. He pointed out that the selection of a coffee is followed by the method by which it is prepared — brewed, filtered, poured over, French pressed, cold brewed, or percolated. Once brewed, some prefer to drink it directly without any enhancements, while others chose to mask the “bitter” taste with sugar, milk, or a flavored creamer. And, adding to the story, he noted that some enjoy a nice cup of “Joe” to start their morning, while others enjoy it throughout the day or while relaxing after the evening meal.
As the presenter continued, he explained that community ministry is very similar. There are many different kinds of ministry in the church. Congregations then develop, prepare, and offer those ministries based on the preferences found within their communities, offering them at the convenience of those who will benefit the most. As I listened, I was reminded of a church I attended for several years that operated a coffee shop. We literally used coffee to reach the community. It provided us with a platform to connect and share the love of Christ with people who would otherwise never set foot in a church building.
Scripture tells us “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).
Grace UMC in Lemoyne recently opened its doors to host a community vaccination site. Pastor Jason Schwartzman explained, “Our church is in a great location to meet this need because we are very close to Route 83, near a local bus stop, and right in the middle of our community.”
After multiple e-mails with state officials, they were partnered with a pharmacy and set up a date. They opened their doors shortly after services on Sunday, June 27, and Schwartzman waited outside to greet those who came for their vaccination.
“From the start of the pandemic, Grace has been looking for ways to serve,” Schwartzman said. “This was a great way to reach our community and let them know we care. And, it gives us an opportunity to show and share the love of Christ.”
It is just one of many examples of the church using its gifts in service. You have been faithful stewards and used the gifts God gave you to engage others. You shared the love of Christ in your communities. Over the past 18 months, the people of the Susquehanna Conference have served their “coffee” and continued to “brew” for Christ. You opened your churches to support on-line and home-school learning. You supported students as they continued to pursue the arts. You fed essential workers on the pandemic front lines. You made and delivered blessing boxes filled with cookies. And, you volunteered your time and resources to support COVID-19 vaccinations sites.
As you move forward in mission and ministry, serving in your communities, continue to look for the kind of “coffee” your community needs. Then, put your love into action by brewing and serving it. “Never be lacking in zeal, keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need” (Romans 12:11-13). Practice “caffeinated” zeal and hospitality.
Visit the Disaster Response website: www.susmb.org/drm
Friday, July 9, 2021
Hearts Strangely Warmed: Jeffery D. Holland
“While the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” — John Wesley, May 24, 1738
God calls us to tell our story so that others may come to know Jesus Christ. “Hearts Strangely Warmed” was created to share these stories about transformational encounters with the Living God.
Jeffery D. Holland
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, NIV
On March 20 of 2020, I experienced one of the worst days of life. I was furloughed from my job as a sales rep due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I had worked for over fifteen years to build a career and suddenly it was just gone. Without my job, I lost my sense of self-worth, I felt lost.
I had a lot of time to sit and reflect on my life. I sat at my desk in my home office and looked out the window while I considered my future. I was frustrated with the business practices of my former employer. They didn’t treat people with dignity. Their focus was only on making money. It made me sick to my stomach when I saw them taking advantage of customers. I enjoyed working with people and wanted to help them.
I was surprised to find that being laid off was actually a blessing in disguise. It gave me the space and the time I needed to reflect on my life.
I would not have had the courage to quit my job. I did not want to lose my income or all the effort I had put into building my career. Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything and I took being furloughed as an opportunity to think. I began to realize that it was not just an ending—it was a new beginning!
I feel God urging me to take a new direction in my life. I believe God is calling me to a new beginning and a life of service to Jesus Christ. Throughout my life, I have many times felt a little push toward serving God but I always said to myself, “No—not now.” Due the pandemic, I finally had the opportunity to really hear God and come to the realization that I want to get away from always thinking about producing a profit at the cost of other people and instead focus on serving God and truly helping others.
I feel Christ calling me to dedicate myself to a life of service. I want to help others to find the same feeling of completeness I found within my church family. I’m excited to announce that I am now on the path toward becoming a certified candidate for ministry.
I know this past year has been hard for everyone. A lot of people are out of work and many people have lost someone they love. Our world will never be the same. I don’t know when the pandemic will end, but I do know that God can turn tragedies into blessings. I hope that you will take some time to sit and listen to the voice of God. Look at a tree, a flower, or a bird and admire how Spring comes again every year. What is God saying to you? Where is God calling you? Take time to stop and listen!
Getting to Know Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball
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| Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball |
I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I am excited, honored, and humbled to be called to come alongside you in the mission and ministry of Christ as together Bishop Moore-Koikoi and I serve together as episcopal Spiritual leaders for the Susquehanna, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia Conferences. I look forward to this collaborative journey with you as God does a new thing! I can already sense the movement of God’s Spirit as Bishop Moore-Koikoi and I have our weekly meetings to pray and prepare together, for new relationships with clergy and laity, and journeying together in new ways to become even more effective in making Disciples of Jesus Christ, growing vital congregations and leaders, and Building God’s Kingdom.
My vision for the Church is to be a dynamic network of faith communities passionate about sharing the hope, love, and life of Christ. What I envision is a group of collaborative followers of Jesus Christ who truly capture the meaning of what it means to “Go!” I envision a group of followers of Jesus Christ who understand that they have a gift so great in Christ that they cannot keep this gift to themselves; a community that understands that the Church’s most critical mission is to reach out, go out, and genuinely, authentically, connect with and invite those who are not yet part of the faith community. This vision will only be fulfilled as we discover and learn how to better equip and empower leaders to fulfill, and to lead others to fulfill, both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
How do we do this? Equip and Empower for the current, post pandemic and future generations? We give opportunities to grow. We connect people with new ways of fulfilling the Gospel story. We explore and test new strategies and structures and learn how to delegate, empower, collaborate, and share. We break down walls, build bridges, and work to make the artificial boundaries we have erected between peoples, districts, conferences, licensed, ordained, and lay, more porous. We engage scripture. We model our own lives after the example of Christ. We celebrate and share the story of Christ wherever we find ourselves, without apology. We do the work of God. We point out where God is already at work and join God there – no matter where “there” is. We constantly ask the question: “How will [this] make disciples of Jesus Christ?”
As I join with Bishop Moore-Koikoi and with you in this exciting adventure with Christ I pray that each of you, clergy and laity, will be open to what God is saying to you about your call and responsibility for making Disciples of Christ and building God’s Kingdom. I pray that you will allow the river of God’s Spirit to flow through you and overflow from you to your local church, community, and the world. I am praying and invite you to pray with me for God’s transforming power to be experienced and received in ways that will bring resurrection to your lives individually, the churches where you worship, and to the larger community of faith!
Thank you for the warm and wonderful welcome you have given to both Bishop Moore-Koikoi and to me, as we have begun some of the transitional work and meetings! Thank you to all those persons who are prayerfully preparing for this new opportunity and way of ministry and leadership. Thank you for all your prayers in the midst of transition! I would especially like to thank Bishop Park. I am grateful for the time he spent with your two new bishops sharing the gifts, the mission, and ministry of this Conference.
Please keep both Bishop Moore-Koikoi and I in your prayers as we continue to transition, listen, and to discern God’s voice and God’s Will. God is doing a new thing! It is exciting! It is renewing and invigorating! Yes, it is a bit anxiety producing – however – that just means that God is in the midst of this. When God gives us a vision that seems greater than we are, we do not have to fret. God has assured us that the bigger the vision God gives (and we embrace), the more power God promises will pulsate through us, so that in Christ, we become more than able to fulfill the vision. Our prayers, our searching should never be for small visions, but for great ones. Big visions are not occasions for doubt and discouragement. No, big visions are occasions for joy and rejoicing because the power is on the way!
Susquehanna Conference, God’s power is already moving among you! I am looking forward with joyful anticipation to joining with you and with Bishop Moore-Koikoi in that movement.
Grace and Peace.
Getting to Know Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi
In March 2021, the Northeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops announced that Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball and Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi will provide episcopal leadership and coverage of Susquehanna, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania Conferences during the interim period of September 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022 due to the postponed General and Jurisdictional Conferences. Get to know our new bishops by viewing this video and through the following letters.
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| Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi |
The first Pentecost Day was so astonishing it almost overwhelmed the thousands of people who were gathered together. Indeed, God did a new thing as God, through the rush of the wind, poured out God’s Holy Spirit over thousands of diverse people; and the church was born. That rush of wind was such a seminal experience in the life of the church that 2,000 years later, not only do we commemorate that singular day, but we spend an entire season celebrating God’s gift of the Holy Spirit for the work of the church. Pentecost extends from May through the start of Advent in November.
Sometimes as a result of the typical summer programming lull in many churches, we don’t take full advantage of this time in the liturgical year to really celebrate and praise God for the new thing that God did for the church. This year, I am going to be more intentional about celebrating Pentecost in my personal devotion time, and I invite you to do the same. I encourage you to commit to praying, throughout this season, prayers of thanksgiving and praise to God for Pentecost.
Here is one of my prayers for us all:
Almighty God, the only One who can impart the Holy Spirit like a rush of violent wind and tongues of fire, we thank you for all you have given to your church. We praise you for the gift of diversity that you blessed and made holy on that first Day of Pentecost. Thank you for the times that your Spirit breaks through our humanness and causes persons who come from different backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and perspectives to speak to one another in ways that lead to understanding, commitment to a common mission, and the conversion of others.
Forgive us for the times we have sneered at and judged those whom you have gifted with the desire and ability to listen to and understand the other. Forgive us for the times we have squandered, ignored, been afraid of, mistrusted, or otherwise misused these and other gifts you have given us for the building up of your church. We thank you for your patience with us, God.
O God, we ask that you ignite in us the same level of joy and awe those first churchgoers felt because of the presence of your spirit among them. Help us to continue to be or to become overwhelmingly, obnoxiously, astoundingly excited about being members of the United Methodist Church. Help us to feel the same urgency felt by those early converts who were “cut in the heart” and asked Peter and the apostles what they should do in response to their experience with your Holy Spirit.
God, to You we give all honor, glory, and praise. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
One reason I want to be more intentional about celebrating this year is because I believe it is the providence of God that we will be embarking on our experiment in episcopal coverage for Susquehanna, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia during Pentecost. Bishop Steiner-Ball and I come to Susquehanna from different regions with diverse experiences, distinct expectations, and - because of all of the acronyms that we United Methodists use - different languages. We will need a little Pentecost to do this to work.
Because of my faith, I expect God’s Holy Spirit will come to us and we will be able to understand one another, be in awe and wonder of God, get excited about discerning what God would have us to do, and commit to doing God’s will. Bishop Steiner-Ball and I already experienced a little Pentecost when all three cabinets gathered in Hershey the second week in June. We were encouraged and invigorated by our connecting and planning. We are anxious to do God’s will.
So I will intentionally be praying for Pentecost to be fully experienced in these three annual conferences so that thousands might ask of us, “What must we do to be saved?”
To God be the glory.
Three Conferences, Two Bishops
Jackie Campbell, Communications Director, Western Pennsylvania Conference UMC
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. — Isaiah 43:19 (ESV)
United Methodist leaders in the Susquehanna, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia Conferences are preparing to move forward in faith, cooperating in ministry and mission across geographic boundaries as two bishops share leadership of all three areas beginning September 1, 2021.
Bishops Sandra Steiner Ball of West Virginia and Cynthia Moore-Koikoi of Western PA have been assigned by the Northeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops to provide coverage of the Susquehanna Conference, in addition to their current areas, as Bishop Jeremiah Park moves into vocational retirement.
While it is common in the United Methodist Church for one bishop to lead more than one annual conference, this model for leadership is new. The two bishops have met weekly on-line and a few times in person to prepare for the launch of this experimental model for episcopal leadership.
“I am excited because we are going to be able to work out of our own gift sets, our own passions, so that we can resource these three conferences and we can move forward together to be where God wants us to be in mission and ministry,” said Bishop Moore-Koikoi.
“There’s nothing I like more than collaborating in ministry,” Bishop Steiner Ball said. I am just very excited that we have this new opportunity to work with three conferences and to be able to see what the movement of God’s spirit is going to bring about!”
“It’s exciting to work out of our own passions, but also to ignite passions of others in these three conferences so that they awaken to opportunities to work together in new ways and also to discover what God is already doing in these three conferences,” said Bishop Steiner Ball. “It’s just a creative moment a chance to be intentional about where
The experimental model is going to necessitate that “we grow and develop strong laity leadership in order to do what needs to be done,” Bishop Moore-Koikoi said. Groups of leaders will be asked to help the bishops discern and develop ways to support leadership development, better deploy laity leaders, share revitalization strategies, and support mission and ministry.
“We have an opportunity...to dream God-sized dreams, to see where Christ is at work and see where we can move alongside” to meet the physical and spiritual needs, Bishop Steiner Ball added.
“This is not a forerunner to merging annual conferences!” Bishop Moore-Koikoi said. “We are NOT trying to do that. BUT what we can do is strip away some of the human-made boundaries.
“We are going to keep episcopal areas, keep Annual Conference boundaries for some things we need to do around polity, around leadership development and those kinds of things. But the boundaries are going to be more porous in order that we can deploy resources where they are most needed,” she explained.
“It’s about multiplication of ministry and resources and congregations,” Bishop Steiner Ball added. “It’s biblical...to multiply life in every way.”
The extended Cabinets of the three Conferences met together in Hersey, PA in early June to get to know each other better, learn about leadership practices and organization in each area and share ideas. Participants shared their concerns and what excites them about the possibilities for reinvigorating ministry.
Since then, there have been follow-up conversations and sharing of ideas and resources. Some aspects of the collaboration are not yet known. Additional details of the experiment will be announced in August and September.
“God has planted a seed with us and with these annual conferences. And, you know, when you plant a seed, you can’t see what is going to come up,” said Bishop Steiner Ball. “You can have an expectation, but you can’t see exactly where the branches are...or the fruit is going to look like. That’s the exciting adventure. But I am thankful that God has planted with us in our call to mission and ministry to work together to make Christ known and to bring the transforming power of Christ to these three annual conference in new and vibrant ways.”
As the bishops and leaders watch the experiment, they’ll see what has worked and what has not and be able to share those things with the Jurisdiction and the denomination. The bishops said they hope to get good factual information and data from this experiment to help the denomination discern the role of a bishop in the life of the Church.
“God does these new things so that we can learn … and help lead others into learning and thereby multiplying how we do ministry even better tomorrow and for future generations than we do it today,” said Bishop Steiner Ball.
The experiment will last for at least a year and the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, based at Wesley Theological Seminary, will help to evaluate the model.
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