WE ARE
WOVEN TOGETHER
“December, 2023 Worship Team”
Rev. Dennis Blauser- Interim Pastor Music Director-James Vasconi
One service at 11:00am
724 981-2050
Worship Assistants:
James Antel Ronald Tomko
Cynthia Kapusta William Spon
December 3rd-First Sunday in Advent
James Antel- Worship Assistant
Elaine Madasz-Reader
Sandy Kimpan-Greeter
Ron Kaszowski & Wes Zipay-Ushers
Makayla Foltz & Ariana Cutter-Acolytes
December 10th-Second Sunday in Advent
Cynthia Kapusta-Worship Assistant
Ruth Klein-Reader
Sandy Kimpan-Greeter
Ron Kaszowski & Wes Zipay-Ushers
Isabel Faber & Paulie Jones-Acolytes
December 17th-Third Sunday in Advent
William Spon-Worship Assistant
Karen Blosz-Reader
Sandy Kimpan-Greeter
Ron Kaszowski & Wes Zipay-Ushers
Seth & Leo Kuchmak-Acolytes
December 24th-Fourth Sunday in Advent
Ron Tomko-Worship Assistant
Ron Tomko-Reader
Sandy Kimpan-Greeter
Ron Kaszowski & Wes Zipay-Ushers
Astyn Antel-Acolyte
December 24th-Christmas Eve-
Candle-light service
James Antel -Worship Assistant
Gabrielle Lucas-Reader
Sandy Kimpan-Greeter
Abby Ruffo-Acolyte
Eli Ruffo-Acolyte & Crucifer
December 31st New Year’s Eve
Cynthia Kapusta-Worship Assistant
Cynthia Kapusta-Reader
Sandy Kimpan-Greeter
Ron Kaszowski & Wes Zipay-Ushers
Maeli Kornbau-Acolyte
The new 2024 Flower Chart is up on the wall in Narthex and is posted for the Standard and the Altar. The cost is still only $20.00 for the Altar and $25.00 for the Standard. They are made by Petals & Stems and a beautiful way to remember a person or event. Please be sure to stop by and fill in those special dates before they get taken. Thank you
Please don’t forget to check out our website, www.holytrinityhermitagepa.com. It has many interesting things concerning our church. Thank you to Chuck Foltz who continually updates it for us.
Please note that your yearly statements for 2023 will be ready for pick up soon, 2024 is coming, sooner than later. We want to thank Sheila Susen for all her hard work recording and printing all our statements and getting them ready for us to take. If you have any questions about your statement, call Sheila at 724 971-8958 and she will be happy to help you. Thank you so very much Sheila for your time and talents. You are most certainly
“The Best of the Best!”
While we are thanking people…we want to thank Donna Ekis and Cathy Haywood for joining our church council. A special way of helping that means so very much to us all. We also want to thank from the bottom of our hearts two men who are so very important to the daily running of our church. Ron Tomko and Myron Jones give of themselves over and over again with a smile on their faces. Talk about giving from your heart…we are so very blessed to have them a part of our Holy Trinity Family. Thank You all
Council Officers for 2024
President Kathy Long
Vice President Anna Kirkland
Secretary Sharon Bryan
Treasurer Ruth Klein
Financial Secretary Linda Chalupka
Parliamentarian Brad Susen
Shepherd’s Staff Sheila Susen
Jesus Calling
By Sarah Young
These are gifts of super natural proportions. Ever since the resurrection, I have comforted My followers with these messages: peace be with you, and I am with you always. Listen as I offer you My Peace and Presence in full measure. The best way to receive these glorious gifts is to thank Me for them.
It is impossible to spend too much time thanking and praising Me. I created you first and foremost to glorify Me. Thanksgiving and praise put you in proper relationship with Me, opening the way for My riches to flow into you. As you thank Me for My Presence and Peace, you appropriate My richest gifts.
Luke 24:36; Matthew 28:20;
Hebrews 13:15
Thank you, Karen Blosz, for the years of selecting the most appropriate verse to share. I am eternally grateful for all your help. These meant so much to Martha.
Sunday School News
Happy Holidays!
December is a busy month at Sunday School. We have been singing Christmas songs and will be practicing for our Christmas program every Sunday. We have been making some special gifts for our families and some special gifts for everyone that attends the Sunday School Christmas Program/Hanging of the Greens Service on December 17th. We can’t wait to see all of you there!
Our service project since we came back in September is collecting nonperishable food items for the blessing box. Our collection box is almost full again! Thank you to all the children that bring items to Sunday School each week.
We’re excited for our Christmas Party/Dress Rehearsal on Friday, December 15th from 6pm – 8:30pm. We’ll have dinner, practice our program one last time, make a craft, have some dessert, and of course, our favorite part…play games!
There will be no Sunday School or Confirmation classes on December 24th or 31st. We will resume classes on January 7, 2024
From all of us to all of you,
Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year!
A message from our friends at Christ Lutheran…
Dear friends,
A time of giving is amongst us. As part of giving back to our community the church council would like to host a Winter Carnival. A very successful Winter Carnival and Chili Fest was held in January. This year the plan is for a Winter Carnival on February 3, 2024.
A planning meeting is being held on November 28, 2023 at 7:00 pm in the meeting room at the church. Please consider helping to plan this event. Many people are needed to organize/plan and to host the event. At least 30 people are needed to host the event.
Should you not be able to attend the meeting, but are willing to help, please contact Sue Dilley. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or text at 724-877-9072 or simply call 724-962-1237.
Looking forward to a fun time and a successful outreach!!
We want to thank Dave and Cathy Faber for bringing us the most beautiful Christmas Tree again this year. We are so blessed to have you both sharing in this most special happening. Thank you and may the Christmas season be all you hoped for and more.
A few words straight from my heart…
A letter I want to write straight from my heart, saying all the things I want to say as a thank you and a farewell, but not goodbye. I have been sitting in this chair since 2004. The first thing I want to say is, where did all the time go. Ha! Ha! I feel almost like I just started. I was so worried when I began that I would forget something or mess something up or fall short of what was expected of me. Good reason to worry. Through the years I was so blessed to get to know so many wonderful people. I have been very blessed to work with some of the finest people this side of the Mississippi. A lot of those dear wonderful people have left this earth for heaven and a lot of them are still here and I consider really good friends of mine. Every member of the Dorcas are so very special and some of the guys that come help are so very special also. Our Sunday Schol teachers, our church council, our Worship & Music, oh my goodness just about everyone I get to talk to and work with have been so very special to me. When I think of them, I smile with a warm feeling in my heart. I am so blessed. When I say thank you, you know it is coming straight from my heart. Everyone has always been so helpful, understanding when I messed up, and always caring. Now where in the world could you get a job with so many special factors attached. Sometimes I know I talked to much and kept you from other activities, but you still respected me enough to listen to me. Just like sometimes I listened to you. When we were finished we parted with smiles on our faces most of the time and a song in our hearts because we knew we just left people who honestly cared. What a fantastic feeling that is.
Now I get to close down my computer, fix up my office for the next lucky girl and throw away 19 years of saving. Boy oh boy that is a lot of savings. Do you believe I have every bulletin I ever made and every newsletter I ever mailed out? Believe me that is a lot of paperwork. Lucky for me Myron Jones is collecting paper to burn for winter so all that paper will have another purpose. I plan on doing that on my day off or maybe days off we’ll see. Maybe I’ll be able to talk my Michael into helping me. Maybe…
Christmas is fast approaching so I am running out of time for sure. This newsletter will be a little late and for that I apologize. A word of advise, never take vacation right before a holiday. I am so crunched for time and I dislike it tremendously. As my son always says, It is what it is. Yuk!!!
I don’t know who the new person will be as of yet but I do know she will be a very lucky girl to be surrounded by so many fantastic people. Thank you all and with tear filled eyes I say…
God Bless and my Love,
Patty
PS I’ll see you in church!!!
Merry Christmas and
“Happy Birthday Jesus!”
Dorcas News…
Dorcas’s meeting was held November 20, 2023 at 1:00pm with 11 members present. Treasurer Report given and approved. The minutes were read and approved.
In old Business
A reminder that the Dorcas is collecting Toys for the Salvation Army Toy Drive. A Bin is upstairs for new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages.
The Dorcas Christmas Party is December 3 at 4:00pm in the Fellowship Hall. Dinner will be provided by Catering By Stacey.
In New Business
Dorcas will be making stuffed Cabbage and nut/apricot horns one last time before Christmas. Date to be announced. Please give your orders to any officer.
Dorcas will also purchase 2 poinsettias for the church this Christmas and also for our Homebound.
Members voted to keep Dorcas officers the same for 2024 which is as follows:
Kathy Long -President
Cathy Haywood-Vice President
Sharon Bryan-Treasurer
Melinda Vellente-Secretary
Next Dorcas meeting will be Monday
January 15, 2024, at 1:00pm. Hostesses will be Marlene Zipay & Marlene Stebelsky.
Motion to adjourn made by Sandy Kimpan seconded by Stephanie Banjak.
Closed with the Lord’s Prayer
Respectfully Submitted,
Melinda Vellente
Dorcas also wanted to remind everyone that December 10h is the last day to bring new toys in for Salvation Army to give to the children. If you close your eyes…you can see the many smiling faces of all the children who will receive those special toys. Please do not wrap them, Salvation staff will do it after they figure out who gets what. Again, thank you all so much.
We want to express our deepest sympathy to the families of Erla Rombold and Helen Madura. They were both a very crucial part of our church. Helen helped out the Dorcas and was a part of Dorcas for many years and Erla along with Norma Matzel took care of the paraments and Communion ware for many years and helped with putting together the monthly newsletter. Helen has been homebound for many years now but kept up with the goings on in the church. We will miss them terribly.
A message from Fred Rombold…
I want to thank everyone who was so kind to me and my family. Your prayers, cards and memorials in Erla’s memory are very special to us. Our hearts are heavy but knowing so many people care really gives us strength to carry on. Thank you all. Thank you also to Dorcas for preparing such a wonderful meal that everyone enjoyed. We are grateful.
Most Sincerely, Fred
You know who might like a Christmas Card this year? Our home bounds!
They are as follows…
Mary Sobey
Joyce Faber
Ernie Laslow
Helen Fedorczyk
Marge Kocholek
Some who can’t come every Sunday
Elizabeth Sverchek
Irena Flynn
Cynthia Tomko
(to let her know we care )
Barbara Marinko
(A member who moved away)
If anyone needs their address, please just call the office at 724 981-2050 and we will happily give them to you.
Baptism
We are so pleased to announce the Baptism of the daughter of Jason & Hannah Tomko, Alexandra Madeleine. We are so happy to welcome Alexandra to our Holy Trinity family.
Welcome! Welcome!
Easy three ingredients Christmas cookies
“Chocolate Mousse Balls”
2 (8oz.) Hershey chocolate bars
1 (8oz.) Cool Whip
1 cup crushed chocolate wafers
Place chocolate bars in a microwave safe bowl. Melt the Hershey chocolate bars in microwave on high for two (2) minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool at room temperature-one hour. Fold in Cool Whip. Cover and chill for one hour. Roll into balls and roll balls in crushed wafers.
Then enjoy!!! Easy and delicious…
Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
1 cup of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 pound powdered sugar
Butter the bottom and sides of an 8x8pan.
In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and peanut butter on high for 1 to 2 minutes. Take out of microwave and stir in the vanilla. Beat the powdered sugar in until well blended. Quickly spread into the prepared pan. Chill to set. After cooled, cut into pieces.
All set and ready to enjoy, how easy is that?
Preparing for Christ’s Birth
We will be sharing locations with
Christ Lutheran and there will be a
soup supper at 6:00pm and
worship service at 7:00pm
on the following Midweek
Advent services.
Here is the Wednesday schedule.
December 6th at Holy Trinity
December 13th at Christ Lutheran
December 20th at Holy Trinity
Thank you to everyone who has graciously volunteered to make soup. Please know it is very much appreciated.
Dorcas
Our Dorcas Members exemplify what Tabitha (Dorcas) was all about. They give from their hearts to our church, they give from their hearts to the community and they give to each other. How blessed are we to have them and to call them our own. Thank you Dorcas ladies you are all the “Best of the Best!”
But just like our Dorcas she helped all in need.
Merry Christmas to our beloved Dorcas and may our Lord continue to bless them with good health and much happiness. Thank you all!!!
