Jottings from St. John’s | September 2025
- jordanrhoat
- 14 hours ago
- 6 min read
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
Loysburg, PA 16659………...September 2025
Church Retreat—Come Join the Fun and Fellowship
Our Church Family Camp will be held September 12, 13, and 14 at Camp
Mantowagan, 2671 Camp Lane, Saxton, PA. All are welcome to join us for the weekend.
If that isn’t possible, please join us when you can for meals, Bible sessions, and our
Sunday service. Jordan Rhoat will lead music throughout the weekend before and after
sessions.
Friday camping begins at 5:00 p.m., settling into cabins. Please bring bedding
and personal items. Our Bible session, led by Chris Kurtz, will start at 6:00. We will
make our way to the campfire and cook our own hot dogs and s’mores over the campfire
around 8:00 p.m. If you prefer an earlier dinner, you may want to eat a sandwich on the
way to camp.
Our Saturday breakfast consisting of bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes, toast with
toppings, fruit, juice, coffee or hot tea will be served at 8:30 a.m. The morning Bible
session, led by Matt Nelson, will begin at 10:00. There are nice hiking trails for personal
devotions and a great playground for the kids to use before breakfast.
A formal lunch will not be served but bread, cold cuts, cheese, peanut butter, and
jelly, etc. will be available in the kitchen to make your own sandwiches. Also available
are fruit, snack bags (pretzels, chips, etc.), and cookies. Those items will be available as
long as they last! You may bring your own favorite drinks and snacks also!
Afternoon is free time. The camp has a gym, along with areas mentioned above to
explore. Trough Creek is close - visit Balance Rock and the Ice Mine. There are
beautiful porches and benches present to relax, meditate, and chat with friends.
Ryan Salyards; family will provide the meat for Saturday dinner at 5:30 p.m. It
will be served with scalloped potatoes, baked beans, tossed salad, and assorted cakes.
The evening session is a panel discussion. It will begin at approximately 7:00 p.m.
Sunday breakfast served from 8:30 – 9:30 will be light fare: yogurt, fruit,
muffins, bagels, juice, coffee and hot tea. Coffee, hot tea, iced tea, lemonade, chocolate
milk, and water will be available throughout the weekend. The Ladies Guild will provide
all paper products.
We appreciate the generous food donations from our church family,
with special thanks to the Chris Kurtz family, that helped make this weekend possible.
Our Sunday morning service begins at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Andrew Camenga will
lead us in worship. There will be no service on September 14 at St. John’s Reformed
Church. We would love to see cars filled with church members join us at Camp
Mantowagan for the Sunday breakfast and worship service. God is everywhere!
-Submitted by Barb Thomas
2
Mission’s Corner
GTI Hope ( www.gtihope.org ) is a ministry that I have known for some time. Per
their website, they are a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing hope
and transformation to the lives of individuals, families, and communities in South Asia
through various humanitarian and empowerment initiatives. Founded on the belief that
every person deserves the opportunity for a better future, GTI Hope focuses on education,
literacy, and vocational training as key tools for sustainable development.
The primary goal of GTI Hope is to address and alleviate the challenges faced by
communities in South Asia by providing practical solutions and resources. This includes
offering literacy programs for women, leadership training for local leaders, and access to
clean water through the construction of water wells. GTI Hope is committed to
empowering individuals and communities to break the cycle of poverty and achieve self-
sufficiency.
--Submitted by Mark Sell
Attention:
Please keep all food items in classrooms stored in lock tight containers to prevent rodent infestations. Thank you!
From the Consistory President
The Consistory was unable to meet for its monthly meeting on August 14 due to technical difficulties (computers, printers, etc.) and instead, met briefly on Sunday,
August 16, after church to review a few topics of importance.
We reviewed the progress being made at the parsonage, and as of this writing we
are glad to report the upstairs bathroom renovation is complete, as is the plumbing for the
move of the washer/dryer. For those who don’t know, the washer and dryer were located
in the kitchen, and we are moving them upstairs beside the bathroom. Now we need
some of the young men to help move them on August 31 following Sunday school. So
far we have at least one dolly to make the move easier. The more hands, the quicker the
move will go. If you can assist, please see Steve Rodgers on Sunday. We thank all who
volunteer in advance for your help.
We also discussed the IPM. It appears the search for an Interim Pastor has come
to a standstill. According to IPM, there are no pastors available for either an intentional
or a transitional pastor. The Consistory decided it is probably time to cut ties to the IPM.
However, Joel is waiting to call until we have a congregational meeting (see below). The
Pastor Search Committee continues to review and talk with potential candidates for our
open position. They are meeting on September 3 to review new resources that may be
available to help broaden the search and open up avenues for more potential candidates.
The Consistory also voted to change the start time of our meetings from 7:00 p.m.
on Thursdays to 6:30 p.m. Because of preparations for the church’s retreat on September
12 - 14 th , we have moved September’s meeting to Thursday, September 4th at 6:30 p.m.
There will be a brief Congregational Meeting following the service on September 21, 2025. This will be an informational meeting to update you and answer any questions you may have on the IPM and the Pastor Search.
Enjoy a safe Labor Day holiday. God Bless!
2
LOOKING AHEAD
Church Family Retreat at Camp Mantowagan September 12, 13 &14. Signup sheet is on the welcome table.
Southern Gospel Sing with Good Time Gospel Quartet will be at “The Barn at Homestead Manor” on Sept. 20, 2025. Time to be announced. Food and craft vendors will also be present.
4 C’s Ladies Fall Retreat
Friday evening/Saturday, Sept. 26 and 27,
at Sequanota Conference Center near Jennerstown.
Our theme is “Jesus is a Girl’s Best Friend.” Sessions are designed to rest, regroup, and refresh us in a deeper relationship with Jesus as we dig deep into gospel lessons and His forever friendship. Time away from daily demands may give each lady a fresh
perspective! See Barb Thomas for more information.
Ladies Encounter Fall Event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, from
9:00 a.m. –1:00 p.m. at the Grace Fellowship in Leamersville. The speaker is
Cindy Foor. For more info, email celeste@breezeline.net
Women's Guild Auction November 1, 5:00 p.m. Be thinking of items, services,
or gift baskets to donate for the auction. Invite family and friends.
Front row (L-R): Greg Russell, Cannon Gable, Harper Howe, Lucy Gunnett, Asher Gunnett, Janelle Nelson, Dana Sell. Back row: Sole Rhoat, Grayson Rodgers, Janie Russell, Bella Gable.
3
**Any submissions for the October newsletter are due to Joy Nelson (22joylinette@gmail.com) by Wednesday, October 1.
SEPTEMBER PRAYER CONCERNS:
Eileen Adams, Neal Bowser, Andrea Chamberlain, Patty Clapper, Penny Corle, Patti Deal, Krystal Disney, Evie Ferrell (and family), Dennis Holderbaum, Jen Jasper, Quinton Morrow, Charlie Mountain, Kim Ritchey, Betsy Rupp, Kelly Schibi (and baby), Carol Knisely-Clark family (grieving), Bill & Mona Thomas, John Thomas, Rich & Beth Thomas, Linda Weitzel
SEPTEMBER FOOD PANTRY REQUESTS:
Jiffy cookie mixes, pancake mixes, syrup, Jell-O, instant puddings, cereal, microwave meals, cleaning items, paper products, and toilet paper
CALENDER
Acolytes:
September 7– Sole Rhoat
September 14 –church retreat
September 21 – Grayson Rodgers
September 28 –Janie Russell
Music Ministry:
September 7– Band
September 14 –church retreat
September 21 – Choir
September 28 –Jordan Rhoat & Laurie Stiles
Children's Moment:
September 7– Matt Nelson
September 14 –church retreat
September 21 – Laurie Stiles
September 28 –Cindy Johnson
Altar Flowers:
September 7 &14: Josephine Garman
September 21 &28: Shelley Vaughn
Birthdays:
1-Whitney Foor
3-Bella Gable
7-Jason Ritchey
8-Beth Cottle
17-Beverly Smith
19-Beth Clark
20-Kimberly Ritchey
24-Jeanne Detwiler
24-Cannon Gable
30-Peg Wachter
Anniversaries:
9-Shane & Jennie Thomas
17-Darl & Kimberly Ritchey
20-John & Barb Thomas
Comments