“and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
”
- Ephesians 4.32
Rev. Leigh Benish
Pastorleighb@[Link]
SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
10:30 A.M. - Worship Service
11:30 A.M. - Fellowship Hour Elder Louise Evans
Nancy Slezak, Memorial Handbell
Director and Organist
Elean Heist, Administrative Assistant
and Financial Secretary
[Link]@[Link]
Lyn Goehring, Treasurer
Bob Cuffman
Lord’s Supper
501 Second Street
Butler, Pennsylvania 16001
724-287-5427
E-mail: hillup@[Link]
[Link]
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
SUNDAY MORNING
WORSHIP SERVICES
10:30 - 11:30 A.M.
Doors Open at 10:00 A.M.
Services will also continue online.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Rev. Leigh Benish
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6: 1-9; Ruth 1: 1-18
SEPTEMBER 12, 2021
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Rev. Leigh Benish
Scripture: Ephesians 1: 3-14; 2 Samuel 6: 1-5, 12b-19
SEPTEMBER 19, 2021
Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
Rev. Leigh Benish
Scripture: Isaiah 49: 8-16a; Matthew 6: 24-34
SEPTEMBER 26, 2021
Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Rev. Leigh Benish
Scripture: Leviticus 19: 1-2, 15-18; Matthew 22: 34-40
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“The God of all grace, who called you to eternal glory through Jesus Christ, will
fulfill, restore, strengthen and establish you after you have suffered a little
while.” -1 Peter 5:10, TIB
This time of year is usually when things get back to “normal” following our
summer fun. We’ve taken our vacations and enjoyed the summer sun
(although I wish there had been more this year), and we settle into our usual school, work, and
church routines.
For the past year and a half we’ve been yearning for normalcy. At first, we just wanted to get
back to the way we were doing things a few weeks or months prior. Then, when the pandemic
dragged out longer than we all expected, we talked about a “new normal.” But while I don’t
think we’ll every truly go back to the way things were, I’m not sure that this is our new normal,
either. At least, I hope it’s not.
The reality is that we just don’t know what the future will look like. Most people thought that
by fall 2021 we’d be mostly free from the pandemic’s reins, yet we are now entering into a
new wave of illnesses – one which my family has experienced personally these past few weeks.
And as long as there is wide-spread resistance to safety measures and scientifically proven
solutions, I’m not sure if “normal” is something we will experience any time soon.
What if, instead of getting back to normal, we shifted our focus to getting back to whole?
Normal, after all, is so subjective. We each have our own version of normal, and that naturally
shifts over time, pandemic or not.
Wholeness, by contrast, is something that we can work toward in this time when normalcy is
nothing more than an illusion. Being whole means being authentically connected to one
another and deeply known by one another. It means experiencing the abundance of life, and
finding happiness and meaning. Normal is about activities; wholeness is about relationships –
with God, with one another, and with ourselves.
This month we are once again partnering with Everyday
Sanctuary as we look at what it means to “Get Back to
Whole.” Their app is available on all devices, and you are
encouraged to download it for your own daily devotional
time. Either way, I hope you will join us for worship in
September – in-person or virtually – as, together, we work
toward wholeness.
Peace-
Pastor Leigh
Do you enjoy making craft items? If so, please consider join-
ing Willing Workers for fellowship, enjoyment in making a
small craft item, and in knowing you’ll make someone smile.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic we have not met in the
past year and a half. We are planning to begin again starting
Wednesday, October 6th at 9:30 a.m. and finish up by noon in
the Fellowship Hall.
I’ve never had much talent in crafting, but I can do it, so you can too. They are always
easy, ready to be assembled crafts. Nancy Luellen is ready with instructions and is hap-
py to answer any questions.
Please join us in making a small craft to be included on the meal trays of the folks who
receive a meal from Butler Meals on Wheels.
If you have any questions please contact Nancy Luellen or Bea Welch.
On Behalf of Willing Workers,
Bea Welch
Twenty bagged lunches were served takeout style on Sunday, August 8. On Wednes-
day, August 11, eighty Community Dinners were served. The menu was meatball sand-
wiches, chips, cookies, applesauce, cheese sticks, and bottled water. Barb and Jim Ka-
merer thank our dinner volunteers: Judy Birch, Sherry Neely, Tim Kennedy, Lorna
Whittington, and Leroy Edinger who washed all the dishes.
Our Nurture Committee will be hosting an “Adults’ Night Out” (ages 21 and up) on Monday,
September 20th at 5:30 p.m. in a private room at the Hardwood Café. There is room for 20 peo-
ple to attend. Those attending will pay for their own meals. Please use the form included in this
newsletter to reserve your spot(s) and put it in the offering plates on the worship tables or mail
to our church office. If you have any questions, please see LeRoy Edinger or Diane Olenic.
ADULTS’ NIGHT OUT RESERVATION FORM
Monday, September 20th, 5:30 P.M., Hardwood Café
I / We will attend Adults’ Night Out:
Name(s)________________________
#Attending _________
Ride Needed? _________
DEADLINE for RESERVATIONS: Wednesday, September 15th.
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