BLOOD DRIVE

6 th Annual American Red Cross

Blood Drive at Gunpowder Baptist Church

It’s time to save a life again! Our next blood drive is scheduled or Thursday, May 12, 2005 from 2:30-8:00 p.m. in the fellowship room. I am hoping to count on you to be a blood donor, a worker at the registration desk, or in the refreshment area – all important aspects for a successful blood drive.

Together, let’s reach for a goal of 40+ units of blood. The more you give, the more people live. Look for the sign-up sheet in the main lobby and mark your name and appointment time that best suits your schedule to donate your blood or your time.

Lorraine Herzberg

Blood Drive Coordinator

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Christian Sympathy

Our Christian sympathy goes out to Paul and Jeanne Botzler and family on the loss of Jeanne’s mother, Charlotte Kohls.

A Word of Thanks

Dear Church Family,

It’s been on my mind and never forgotten. Back in December, I was given a gift from a member of the church. The amount was exactly what was needed. Matthew 6:3-4, “When you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” May God bless you in abundance. I know money belongs to God and is a tool to be used here on earth. I thank you for your obedience, thoughtfulness, and giving heart.

Thanks.

Your Sister in Christ,

Marie Hallameyer

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Vacation Bible School - 2005

June 20-24

8:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Theme: Ramblin’ Road Trip

Which Way Do I Go?

Psalm 25:4 “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths”

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Teen News

God has continued to bless us here at Gunpowder over and over again, particularly when it comes to our young people. In the past two months, we have seen God work in the lives of our teens like I have never seen before. These teenagers are starting to take a stand for Christ unashamedly. I can see that some of their relationships are genuine and I am so proud of them. Does that mean all of our teenagers have reached this point in their walk with God? I wish I could say that was the case, but it isn’t, and that’s why the leaders at Teen Time and Sunday School need your help.

Recently, Earl and Debbie Copenhaver, along with Sue and myself, had the honor of attending the Pastor’s Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. During the course of the week, I took the time to realy listen to what God had to say to me. He spoke to me loud and clear and this is one of the things He said to me. “Jeff, it is not about how many teens show up at Sunday School and to Wednesday Night Teen Time. It’s about how you love and minister to those that are there on any given day or night.”

You see, I have the tendency to measure our success by the number of teens coming, and that can be very dangerous. For the longest time, I just had a hard time understanding why so many of our churched teens don’t come to Teen Time at all, and why so many of our Teen Timers don’t come to Sunday School. This has been burdened me for a long time and I have pondered on how to bridge the gap between the two. I would drive myself nuts trying to figure out what I was doing wrong as their Youth Pastor, and why I couldn’t get all of the teens to come to both. It wasn’t until we were in Jacksonville that God told me, “Jeff, that’s not your responsibility, it’s their parents.”

A Note to Our Parents:

Parents, I am asking for your help in this matter. We as parents need to take every step we have available to make sure our teens are put into a position to hear the Word of God. How can we expect our teens to want to come to church on a Wednesday night when we don’t come? How can we expect our teens to look forward to Sunday School when we reluctantly drag ourselves out the door to go? Some of the best times at church are on Sunday evenings and we only have about twenty people that show up, which is about 8 percent of the people that come on Sunday mornings. As parents, we set the direction that our teenagers will take in their walk with the Lord. If we have no desire to grow in our own relationship, we shouldn’t expect our teens to have a desire to grow. Whether we like to admit it or not, our teens will emulate our walk with the Lord when they are on their own; that is if they don’t fall prey along with 85% of teenagers that quit going to church altogether upon graduation.

Parents, I am asking each of us to stretch ourselves a little in our personal walk with the Lord so we can be the examples God wants us to be to our teenagers. What does this mean? It simply means doing a little more for the Lord than we are doing presently. We need to use the gifts God has given us and stop making excuses for why we don’t get involve.

Examples include:

Start teaching. I’m sure Miss Carolyn can find a place to use you.

Get involved with the Helping Up Mission, the Meals Ministry, Faith Ministry, etc.

Become active in sending cards to those that are hurting or visit those who are sick.

Start going to Sunday School on a regular basis.

Start singing in the choir or volunteer to read scripture on Sunday mornings.

Start tithing. (That is 10% of your household income).

Begin attending all church services.

Sacrifice a little more of your time and start being obedient to what God wants.

If we want God to bless this church and to bless our children, we need to conduct ourselves in the Will of God. Our teenagers are watching us. I know I keep saying this, but some of us don’t think they are watching us, and sadly some of us really don’t take the time to think about it. We need your help in leading your teenager in a real relationship with Jesus. I am convinced it all starts in the home. The teen leaders cannot make your child have this relationship with Christ when we have them for one or two hours a week. Their walk with the Lord must be a way of life in the family home and we must lead by example. We really want our young people to have a personal relationship with the Lord, then we need to be a team in guiding them into that direction. We owe it to them and to our Lord to give as much of ourselves as we can to them, but most importantly, to our Heavenly Father.

Let’s stand strong and unite in this area. If they are going to be the 15% that go on with their walk,then we need to start stretching and getting ready for the long eternal walk that is ahead of us as we walk right beside our teens.

More Teen News

On March 5 th, the Children’s Department and the teens went snow tubing at Ski Roundtop for four hours. A lot of fun was had by all; even those who stayed in the lodge and drank hot chocolate. We want to thank Joan Krebs and Judy Bryant for coordinating this event. A huge THANK YOU goes to the individual who anonymously donated the money for 30+ people to go on this trip.

Prayer Request: One of our teens, Asa Keimig, underwent a major operation on March 21 st. He received a kidney from Wayne Holle, who is a member of Asa’s church and is 41 years old. Please keep Wayne in your prayers as well. He will be out of work for approximately 2 months. Wayne works on commission and will be without income during this time. He has a family of five to provide for. If anyone feels led to make a donation to this family, please see me.

Recently two of our Wednesday night teen timers, Stephanie Voland and Asa Keimig, gave their testimonies in front of their peers. I know how proud I was of them so I can only imagine how proud God is of them for taking a stand and sharing with the other teens how God can truly work in one’s life if you really allow Him to. The teens had a lot of questions and it was just amazing to see the Holy Spirit working in the lives of our young people on these two Wednesday nights. We invite our congregation and teen time parents to visit us from tiem to time or on a regular basis. Teens were literally coming from every direction two Wednesday’s ago amounting to 42 in total. God is really working wonders.

Please keep all of the youth leaders in your prayers as we are so blessed to have them taking the time they do to bring the word of God to our young people. They are as follows, and if I missed anyone, please forgive me. Jason, Sherry & Chip Weisenborn, Debbie Copenhaver, Dori Morrel, Doug Walker, Barbara Bobbitt, Kathy & David Harrison, George Rebstad, Rick Ivey, and Jeff, Sue & Shannon Tracey.

Attention Parents of High School Girls:

Sue will be holding a special Friday evening get-together once a month for our High School girls starting April 15. The book is titled, “Girls” published by Youth Specialties. The book has 10 lessons and the girls could meet for 8 months or longer depending on how the sessions go. Sue’s plan is to have the girls come over, cook dinner, and then discuss the lesson and get real about the God-centered sessions on what matters to girls. The High School girls will get more information soon.

Upcoming Events:

April 22-23

30 hour famine. This will be held at Grace United Methodist Church starting at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and concluding at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. This is a fundraiser for world hunger and is held annually. Please be generous in sponsoring our teens if asked. Adults are encouraged to participate in this fundraiser whether you are a part of the group or at home. God will truly bless you.

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April 29-30

Acquire the Fire

This is held at the 1 st Mariner Arena. The cost is approximately $35 to attend. Please call or see Jeff or Sue Tracey for details.

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May and June

Mission Trip Projects

We will be scheduling projects to prepare the teens for the mission trip. If you know of anyone that needs minor repairs or painting, please let Jeff or Sue know.

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July 16-23

Missions Trip to Smithfield, NC

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September 17

Hershey Park Christian Day

Cost: $22.00

Tickets need to be purchased by the end of April for the discounted price.

In Him,

Jeff Tracey, Youth Pastor

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The Keenagers

Keeping Up With The Keenagers

April 11 --- Keenagers Luncheon

April 21 --- Mystery Trip !

We would like to invite anyone that has a free day to join us on any of our luncheons or trips. You are always welcome. Our luncheons are always on the second Monday of the month and our trips are usually scheduled for the fourth Thursday of the month. Please join us when you can.

Your Keenager in Christ,

Myrtle Gettle

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Adult_Sunday_School_Department

Several changes have occurred in the Adult Sunday School Department. First, Adult III was split into two classes and both classes moved to the Masonic building across Middletown Road. It was a very smooth transition. Secondly, Adult II and Adult III have begun a new Bible study in Jeremiah-Lamentations through Explore the Bible series. The curriculum appears to be well liked by the members. Thirdly, beginning in April, a new teaching schedule as been proposed. Basically, there will be three regular teachers to teach in two “partner” classes. Every teacher will teach for two out of every three months. There will be a substitute pool from which to draw when the regular class teachers are unavailable.

A new standardized form has been completed by Conchita Whitaker to communicate absentee contact information for FAITH teams and/or Outreach Coordinator follow-up. This will enable the FAITH teams to make prompt ministry visits.

Many thanks go to Margaret Hege for faithfully substituting in Class VI. Thanks also go to Debbie Copenhaver, Beverly Jensen, and Barbara Covington for covering College and Careers while Jeanne Botzler cared for her mother in hospice.

Bill Abbey will soon complete “Seven Laws of the Learner” by Dr. Bruce Wilkerson. This is a study which is invaluable for every teacher, parent and communicator and is sponsored by the Sunday School Department every spring. If you have not taken this course, put it on your calendar for next year.

Kathryn McLaughlin was given the task to have someone designated to shepherd our friends from Helping-Up Mission to the right class on Sunday. We often have new men and want to make sure they are comfortable, know where to go, and a are assigned 2-3 men to a class.

Attendance has been good in most of the classes; however, fellowships have been on the decline. Hopefully, the warm weather will invigorate the classes for more get-togethers.

Many good things are happening. One class in participating in a Home Builders Couples Study for six sessions outside class entitled “Improving Communication in your Marriage.”

Another class is sponsoring New Life for Children and Mothers in Glen Rock, PA. They are gathering toiletries/personal hygiene items, for the children and moms, paper good (toilet paper, paper towels, napkins), cleaning supplies and cooking oil. This class will deliver supplies once a month to New Life.

Nursery workers are available during the Sunday School hour. Please convey this to current or prospective class members who have toddlers.

We celebrated Easter on March 27 th. God’s Dear Son Has Risen! Let every heart and voice should “Alleluia”!

In His Service,

Carolyn C. Foster, Director

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Children's Sunday School Department

CHILDREN'S CHURCH SCHEDULE

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AWANA Cubbies

Our Cubbies have been busy learning stories from the Bible and memorizing verses. We will be collecting things for Missionaries for the next couple of months.

We have been learning how to help others in the community. I am very proud of each and everyone of our Cubbies. They work very hard.

Our Cubbies are: Chris Franco, Luke Pruitt and Gabrielle Singleton.

Serving Jesus,

Michelle Singleton

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Thin Within

A weight release program started on Thursday, March 3rd called “THIN WITHIN”.

This is a grace oriented program that teaches you to get to the size God wants you to be. It teaches you to know your own body as well as grow spiritually.

This is a six week program -- so please come on out and join us at 7:00 p.m. each Thursday.

Serving Jesus,

Michelle Singleton

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FAITH Ministry

Christ gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20. “And Jesus said, Go ye therefore into all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even to the end of the earth.”

This is a specific call to you. This is a specific call to me. Eighteen people have heeded Christ’s call this season. They have committed themselves to do the last thing Christ told us to do. They have become Great Commission Christians.

Do you know eternity will be changed because these are 18 people who have begun a journey in FAITH?

FAITH offers us a simple way to present the gospel to the lost and the mechanics to make Sunday School more effective. FAITH is leading us to greater growth in Bible study and evangelism. It brought us to an exceptional level of soul consciousness for the world around us.

FAITH has changed the lives of all members involved. Just ask them. It has helped us to observe dynamic ways in which Christ is working in our lives. We are witnesses to the life-changing power of God as we grow more available and obedient to Him – and oh, the blessings and joy He has given us which can only come from Him.

FAITH has changed the lives of the people we have encountered. Many hear the Good News and find Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Some renew their relationship with Him. Many find a joy they didn’t know was possible. Many develop new friends and “brothers and sisters” in Christ while others find a peace they did not know existed.

This month we celebrate Easter. During this time Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins. On the third day He arose! This is the message FAITH proclaims to those we meet.

Get on your knees. Thank God above for His love. Thank Jesus Christ for His grace. Thank the Holy Spirit for His fellowship.

And expect results in your personal growth, confidence, joy, Christian discipline, changed lives and so much more.

Please keep the FAITH Ministry in your daily prayers.

In His Service,

Carolyn C. Foster

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Prayer Ministry

Watchman Prayer Ministry - “Intercessors”

Listed below is a copy of the “Weekly Prayer Schedule”:

Please choose one of the following opportunities each week. All are welcome at any of the allotted times:

Sunday .................................................... 7:00 a.m.

Monday .................................................... 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday ................................................... 5:00 a.m.

Wednesday ............................................... 7:00 p.m.

Thursday .................................................. 9:00 p.m.

Friday ..................................................... 11:00 a.m.

Saturday .................................................. 6:30 a.m.

Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Phillippians 4:6-7

Place: Gunpowder Baptist Church Sanctuary

For more information, contact Pastor Jack or the church office

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Women's Ministry

STARS for CHRIST  

Untalent Show / Movie Night

FRIDAY NIGHT --- APRIL 8, 2005 --- 7:30 p.m.

At the home of Rick and Diane Ivey

Theme: Introduction Outreach Event for "A = Abide in Him"

Event: Untalent Show / Movie Night (Pajamas Optional)

Time: 7:30 p.m. – Untalent Show, immediately following, we will view

the movie, “The Notebook” on wide-screen television!

Food: finger foods – your choice!

It’s time for some fun!

What is an Untalent Show? Well, picture the GONG SHOW when the Gong is sounded! We want raw untalent. Anything from synchronized swimming to nose singing to a pajama fashion show. Be creative. Those who would like to share an untalent can sign up in the Church Lobby, beginning in March. Those who would like to come and enjoy the untalents of your fellow churchfolks, well, just sign up as a spectator! Keep your untalent a secret so that everyone is surprised!

After the untalent show, we will settle back and watch "The Notebook", edited for purity of course. And remember, this is an outreach event, so start now to invite your friends. And as is common with all women's events, pajamas are optional. All women are welcome.

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Tuesday Evening Women’s Bible Study

All Women Welcome!

In Luke 6:45, Jesus taught that the overflow of our heart is what our mouth speaks.

Have you ever been astounded of words that came out of your mouth? When we consider that our words reveal the character of our lives, we should become greater gatekeepers of our mouths.

Beginning Tuesday, April 26th, from 7:00-8:00 p.m., we will begin a 7 week study, “Conversation Peace – The Power of Transformed Speech” by Mary Kassian. The Bible sets a high standard for our speech, thoughts and attitudes and this study presents seven powerful speech-transforming elements that are based on scripture. The heart of this study is about God changing our hearts. He has given us His word to transform and revolutionize our words and lead us into conversation peace.

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WOMEN’S FALL RETREAT

November 18-19, 2005

SPINNERS INN

HERSHEY, PA

THEME: Courageous Christian Contender

Plans are in the making for the Women’s Fall Retreat. Mark your calendar now. Make plans for a refreshing, renewing, fulfilling spiritual relationship with our Awesome Savior, Jesus Chrsit.

The price will be $60.00 to share a bed, $80.00 for your own bed. Don’t let the price stop you from a time to spend with God. Just think about how much He loves and gives to you everyday. Can you give just one special time to Him? For more information, contact Joan Krebs.

Retreat Coordinator,
Joan Krebs

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NEW FACES IN THE SOUND BOOTH

As many of you already know, for years now the motto of our church Sound Department has been “It’s Better to Look Good than to Be Good”. Through countless services, Christmas programs, special events and audio productions, we have tirelessly striven to uphold the dubious honor of that principle.

Well, with the addition of two new sound personnel, all that seems to be changing.

Andy Hamrick – The latest in a long series of seemingly endless Texas Transplants to our church, Andy comes to the Sound Department with a wealth of knowledge in the industrial electronics field. Talk about actually being good! And, anyone who has even glanced in Andy’s general direction knows that he looks good too. He’s the snappy dresser with the big smile. And, I’m told the reason for the big smile is that he’s married to ex-Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Mary.

You can usually find Andy anchoring the 11:00 service and graciously filling in as needed.

Karl DeVos – A professional Videographer and Graduate Sound Technician, Karl is the one to blame for ruining our reputation for mediocrity. As our resident sound wizard, he is our “go-to” guy in those rare instances when we require excellence. Karl has accepted the ministry of supporting our church sound program in many ways. Not only does he share his expertise by working various services and special events and by teaching us how to get the most out of our system, Karl can also be seen tweaking our existing equipment for maximum performance and installing new components as needed.

Wow, maybe he can come to my house and fix the lights on my VCR that have been flashing since the Nixon administration!

And as if that isn’t enough, the additional bonus is that along with Karl comes gracious and multi-talented wife Jennifer, a Mary Kay Cosmetics executive.

So if you get the chance, please feel free to stop by the booth as you leave and give them a thumbs-up for their continuing service and commitment in a difficult and demanding ministry in our church.

Yours in Christ,

Rick Sands

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April Birthdays & Anniversaries

2 Ken Norman 4 Julie Scott 6 Betty Blanton 7 Maura Jensen 7 Gordon Mack 7 Jim Scarff 8 Bill Scheuerman 9 Judy Bull 10 Jason Bull 10 Kelly Scarff 12 Drew Scott 14 Dezma Hege 16 Allen Matthews 16 Terry Becker		17 Scarlett Alban 17 Kelly Dixon 17 Ben Walker 17 Hannah Walker 19 Curtis Alban, Jr. 18 Mike Yenchko 20 Laura Fagan 20 Dori Morrell 23 Jimmy Scarff 26 Diane Ivey 27 Mary Dodson 27 Joan Krebs 28 Doug Walker 28 Hillary Riley
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APRIL ANNIVERSARIES 2 Bill & Dottie Hughes 2 Rick & Diane Ivey 12 Joe & Pam Kernan 18 Marc & Karen Danmyer 27 Ron & Dori Morrell 30 Joe & Cindy Riley

JUST BORN

Congratulations to Joe & Cindy Riley on the birth of their son, Joseph Benjamin. He was born on March 8 th, 2005 and weighed in at 6 pounds 8 ounces and was 20-1/2 inches long.

Joey’s proud grandmother is Louise Copenhaver. He also has a proud older brother, William.

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Belfry Archive

February, 2005

March, 2005