WORSHIP IN JUNE

June will begin our “Summer of the Spirit,” as our worship services focus upon the Third Person of the Trinity.  We Presbyterians tend not to consider the Holy Spirit as much as other Christians do, and this summer will be a time to find out what we’ve been missing.  We will also celebrate both sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper during our worship in June.

6/3/2018        1 Corinthians 2:6-16
6/10/2018      John 3:1-9
6/17/2018      Psalm 139:1-18
6/24/2018      Guest Preacher
 
                  SCRIPTURE READERS
6/3/2018        Vanessa B.
6/10/2018      Matt H.
6/17/2018      To Be Announced
6/24/2018      Lorene W.
 
Join us for worship on June 3, when we honor our high school, college, and graduate school graduates!
 
This summer, Old Union will worship in the sanctuary during June and (weather permitting) in our outdoor pavilion in July.  We will split the Sundays in August between the two locations.
 
                 STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
                   SATURDAY JUNE 9
                     4:00 to 7:00pm
Pulled Pork Sandwich OR Hot Dog         
Baked Beans
Potato or Macaroni Salad  
Cold Drinks/Coffee
AND……
Delicious Desserts
​(Fresh Strawberries, Cake, Ice Cream)
Full meal          - adults $10.00
                        - child 6-12  $4.00
                        - child 5 & under Free
        Ala carte and take-outs also available
 
Please watch for ways that you can help with the Strawberry Festival:
  • Getting the word out
  • Volunteering
  • Donating supplies
 
Help Frances H. celebrate her 100th birthday on June 9!  Her family will hold a party in her honor in Vespers Hall at St. John Specialty Care Center in Mars on Saturday, June 9, beginning at 1:30.  All congregation members are invited.  Frances would also appreciate cards to help her celebrate (St John Care Center, PO Box 928, Mars PA 16046)
 
As you get involved in your summer activities, remember that the church’s expenses continue as always.  We appreciate your regular contributions, even on the Sundays that you’ll be away.  If you would like to make it easier to contribute regularly to Old Union, consider signing up for “Automatic Offering,” which will transfer the amount of money to designate each month from your account to the church’s.  It’s free and easy to set up.  You can find a form to fill out in the church lobby and on the church’s website.  Speak with Finance Committee chair Abena B. if you have any questions.
 
Old Union is making plans to receive online donations for your convenience.  Watch for more information coming soon.
 
       EXECUTIVE PRESBYTER’S RETIREMENT
Rev. Alan A. is retiring in July, after serving fourteen years as the Executive Presbyter for Beaver-Butler Presbytery.  You are invited to a celebration in his honor on July 22 at Blinn’s Farm on 113 Ridge Rd., New Brighton, 15066, near Brush Creek State Park.  The day will begin with a casual open house gathering from 3:30 to 6:00 PM, and will continue with a dinner at 6:30.  The cost per person for the dinner is $15, and reservations are due by June 15.  Contact the Presbytery office at 724-452-7515 to make your reservation.
 
​Pastor Peter will be on vacation June 22-28.
​
About $1,400 will be left in the building fund investments after we pay off the mortgage.  This money will be used for any future improvements or repairs to our church building.
 
Now that the building loan has been paid off, money raised by future fund-raising events will be used to support major church projects, as they are identified by the session.
 
​Join us after worship on June 10 to plan a mortgage burning party!  

Rev. Matthew Williams, Old Union’s founding pastor, came from Ireland and taught at the University of Pennsylvania before entering the ministry.  He was a circuit rider with eight preaching sites, one of which became Old Union Presbyterian Church.
 
Old Union’s founding pastor, Rev. Matthew Williams, lived on a farm on what is now part of the McElhinny farm, where John and his relatives grow their corn that is famous across western Pennsylvania.
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                       MISSION TRIP
Old Union Church is organizing at mission trip to Texas the week of July 22-28 to help with rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Harvey.  A team of 30 people from seven churches (including five from Old Union) will travel to Corpus Christi, where they’ll be hosted by the Parkway Presbyterian Church and work with the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group.  The total budget for the trip is more than $26,000, with air travel as the biggest expense.  Old Union’s Mission Endowment Fund is providing more than $12,000 of support, from available money in 2017 and 2018.  The remainder of the costs are covered by grants from the synod, presbytery, and churches of other team members, together with participant registration fees, money left over from last year’s trip, and generous donations.  If you would like to make a contribution to the trip, please mark it “Mission Trip.”  More importantly, however, the mission trip needs your prayers for their safety, effectiveness, and ability to express God’s love to those affected by last summer’s disaster. 
 
                    WHAT IS BAPTISM?
Baptism is one of the two sacraments recognized by the Presbyterian Church, as a visible sign of how God is at work among and within us.  In baptism, God initiates a loving relationship with us and invites us to respond with devotion, service, and worship.  We can summarize God’s work in baptism in four ways.
  1. In baptism God washes away our sin, including the sins that we have not yet committed.  He removes the power of sin from our lives.
  2. We join with Christ through baptism into his death, so that we may also join with him into the new life of his resurrection.
  3. God bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit through baptism, that his continual presence in our lives may mark us as his own, providing guidance and strength for the journey before us.
  4. Baptism brings us into the fellowship of the Church, the body of Christ, that we may serve and glorify God as one people.
During worship on June 10 we will baptize two cousins!  Joleen B., daughter of Nick and Jami B., and Jayden B., son of Ashley B..  Please pray for them and for their parents as they begin their Christian journey.
 
 
           WHAT IS THE LORD’S SUPPER?
The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper brings us into the very presence of Christ as we break bread and share the cup in his name as a church.  As Presbyterians we do not believe that the bread and juice somehow become Christ’s literal body and blood, but we do believe that Christ’s real presence is with us through them as God’s people gather together.  This sacrament is known by several names, each of which tells us a bit about its meaning.
  • “COMMUNION” reminds us of the connection that we have with Christ, and with one another, through this sacrament.
  • “THE LORD’S SUPPER” directs our attention to the glorious feast in heaven that Christ has prepared for us, and gives us a foretaste of our future life in eternity
  • “EUCHARIST” means “giving thanks,” and this name encourages us to give thanks to God for all his gifts, especially the gift of his grace that we know most fully through Christ’s death and resurrection.
  • “MASS,” the name used most often by our Roman Catholic friends, comes from a Latin phrase that means “Go, you are send forth.”  This name for the sacrament tells us that Christ sends us out, empowered by his presence, to do his work in the world around us.
Whatever you prefer to call this sacrament, we invite you to join us as we celebrate it during worship on June 17.

A new mission co-worker is headed for Ghana, but not before a visit to Old Union!  Ruth B. will work together with Josh H. to support the ministry of our Ghanaian partners.  Join us on Monday June 4 at 7:00 to learn more about her, and about the work she will be doing.  We are also looking for someone to host Ruth as an overnight guest.  Please speak with Peter if you are interested.
 
Our pastor has been nominated to serve on the committee that prepares and administers the written exams to become ordained as a Presbyterian minister.  After he is elected by the General Assembly this month, he will work with 23 other people from across the country and will serve a four year term.  

When Old Union Church began in 1806, the congregation met in a grove of trees along Straight Run near the present village of Brownsdale.  As many as 300 people would gather for communion celebrations.
 
From 1820 until 1839, Old Union Church was located a mile and a half south of our current location, along Fetzer Road, where they gathered in a rough-hewn wooden chapel.  You may still find some grave markers in the woods that cover the former location of our church.
    
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
​724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com
200 Union Church Road, Mars PA 16046