I've heard it said that every man (and woman) dies twice: first, when you actually physically die, but second, when the very last person speaks your name. And for a long time, that always bothered me. I wanted to be remembered for something, but particularly to be remembered even after I'm gone. Unfortunately I was not nearly athletic enough to be an Olympian or professional athlete. Maybe I could run for office, but to see how most politicians (and their families...) are treated these days, perhaps it's easier on my blood pressure to avoid that one. I'm probably not scaling Everest, or hiking the Appalachian Trail, or becoming an astronaut. So I'm finally coming to terms with being... average.
How about you? I can't be the only one worried about being remembered in some way. Let's maybe shake it up a bit - have you ever put thought into what's on your epitaph or headstone? How are you going to be remembered? Maybe you've tied your identity to a successful career. Maybe it's wealth. Maybe it's golf, or crocheting, or just trying to be a nice person. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing inherently wrong with any of those things. The problem is, wealth can evaporate, and even the best golfers and businessmen are forgotten in time. Ask the average young person who Andrew Carnegie is... it's likely that not many know. (Dare I ask, do you know without looking it up?) My point is this: are we focusing on being remembered for the wrong thing? What kind of legacy are we trying to leave?
In Luke 10, we read that Jesus not only has twelve disciples that He sends out (like in chapter 9), but this time He sends out six times more - a host of 72 others, or 36 pairs. Jesus sent these folks out to preach the gospel. They were telling people that the kingdom of God had come near. They called people to repent. They were to be a blessing to the people around them, by healing the sick and casting out demons. And upon their return, these followers of Jesus were amazed at what they could do in the name of Jesus. Jesus' follow-up to them reiterated their charge and the power that the Spirit had bestowed upon them: that while He has given them authority over all the power of the enemy, most importantly, that they should rejoice that their names are written in heaven.
We can learn something from this. Do we know if the 12 main disciples were part of that 72? We really don't, but even if they were... That still leaves 60 people that we know next to nothing about. We don't know their names, we don't know where they're from. We don't know how old they were, or what kind of background they came from. All we know is that they were faithful followers of Christ. Jesus thought so highly of these unnamed disciples that they were likewise charged to go out and carry out His message - and further, they were gifted with powers of the Spirit.
We also don't know where these folks went to, but Jesus indicated there were two types of towns: the ones that would receive them, and the ones that wouldn't. The towns that would receive the seventy-two would receive blessings. The ones that didn't? The seventy-two would dust off their feet as a curse, that the Christ-follower would not even want to keep the dirt from the town on his feet. And Jesus even called out several of the towns by name for being unrepentant - a frightening prospect, indeed.
I've resigned myself to the fact (as should you) that 200 years from now, we will probably be largely unknown. Unless your birthday is after about 2010, let's be real - our collective ship has probably sailed for any chance to become a star quarterback, or an incredible gymnast, or a starter for the Phillies pitching staff. And I want you to know that it's okay to be unremarkable. But I think if God is so willing to bless us, I hope that just like the seventy-two followers of Jesus, we can be remembered as being part of a faithful generation: one of those that stood in the gap, or one that saw revival come and helped to bring it about, or one that reversed the moral decay of our country and society. The type of generation that called people in the community towards faith and repentance, and not as one of the cities which Jesus said would be judged more harshly than Tyre and Sidon. We should be okay with sharing our testimonies and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and bringing glory to Him... all the while doing it with no intention of earthly recognition or to stand out. Instead, we should rejoice that our names are written in heaven. That there is the honor and the lasting name we should all be striving towards.
Tim Leidy
Churches around the world have observed the first Sunday of October as World Communion Sunday, a day when all Christian churches serve the Lord’s Supper. Leidy’s Church joins with other churches on October 4th to remember the Lord Jesus in the Lord’s Supper.
The week of October 4th is when our Gym will be transformed with all the donated items we have received, and our community is invited to shop for their family wardrobes, linens, jewelry, books, toys, household items, and much more!
The Big “R” actually takes place on Wednesday and Thursday, the 7th and 8th, but much work is done before then as well. Here’s when workers are needed:
On Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 8pm items are unpacked and arranged.
On Wednesday (9am to 8pm) we need friendly workers to bag items, serve as cashiers, and straighten items as many shoppers come to make their purchases.
On Thursday (9am to 6pm) we need the same sorts of workers as Wednesday, plus more! It’s the sales day featuring bags of goods for only $2, quite an attractive deal.
On Thursday at 6pm we need willing hands and strong backs to transform our facilities back for ministry before Sunday.
Mary Beth Musselman has a schedule she needs to fill, so be sure to speak with her if you can be plugged in at any time to help.
The funds raised at the Big “R” are disbursed where needed at Leidy’s Church and in our community by Ladies of Leidy’s. It’s a big undertaking, and with your help we can make it another great event.
Friday, October 23rd - 6:00pm
Join us for a special outdoor worship service in the field across from the parsonage!
Bring your own chair and gather around the warmth of the bonfire as we come together in fellowship and faith. Enjoy uplifting music, meaningful reflection, and a chance to connect with nature and one another. Let’s celebrate our community under the open sky—don’t miss this unique worship experience!
October 14 - November 18
5:00-5:45 Grace Notes*
5:45 pm Family Dinner
6:15-8pm KIDS QUEST
Registration is now open - please join us for our Wednesday Night Program for Kids in grade 1-5
Make new friends and have fun learning with engaging activities, interactive games and meaningful lessons, while growing in your understanding of God's love and promises for everyone.
Family Dinner - Join us for dinner! Kids Quest participants will be sitting together with their assigned Table Parents in order to get to know their peers and build friendships. Parents and other siblings are encouraged to stay for dinner and meet other families!
*Grace Notes - Join our kids choir before Kids Quest for singing, games and fun!
Register Participants, Youth Volunteers, & Table Parents or General Volunteers all at one place!
We have the opportunity to help those facing hardship in the Souderton area with a complete Thanksgiving meal. These meals will be given out through Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton.
Please consider donating a complete Thanksgiving Food Bag (listed below) or a $25 gift card to Giant, Aldi or WalMart to help purchase turkeys for each family.
In a large reusable tote bag please include:
1 box of instant mashed potatoes v2-24 oz plastic jars of applesauce
2 cans of fruit (in juice) 2 cans of green beans
$25 gift card 2 cans of corn
1 box of brownie or cookie mix bag 1drink mix Ice Tea or Lemonade
1 can (1lb) of coffee 1 jar of turkey gravy
2 boxes of stove top stuffing 1 can of cranberry sauce
Help show our care and support of our neighbors this Thanksgiving with a meal for those in need. We will take donations through Sunday, November 1st.
Ladies of Leidy’s meets on the first Tuesday of each month as we seek to serve God’s people through prayer, encouragement, support, and acts of service. Join us on September 29th at 6:30pm in Rm. 123 where we take time in prayer and seek ways to help our church family and local community. Please enter through the West Entrance. Questions? Feel free to contact Karen Mirabella or BJ Kulp.
A fellowship ministry for widows to connect and be encouraged. We meet in one another’s homes on the third Tuesday evening of the month at 6:30 pm. If you would like to join us, please contact Donna at weissdonna42@gmail.com or Verna at gvbowman@comcast.net.
Operation Christmas Child is an outreach of Samaritan’s Purse that Franklin Graham started in 1993. He was able to help deliver over 20,000 shoeboxes full of gifts to children in the Balkans who would not have been able to get gifts at Christmas otherwise. Since then, Operation Christmas Child has been able to reach over 240 million children at Christmas time to share gifts and the love of Jesus to these children all around the world. At Leidy’s Church, we’ve always been active in our support of this ministry and would love your involvement this year.
Please look for the Operation Christmas Child displays throughout the church. Take an Operation Christmas Child shoebox home to fill. Suggestions for gifts will be available at the displays. Return your filled shoebox to church by Sunday, Nov. 8th, in order for YOUR gifts to be received by a child in need this Christmas. We ask that you pray for your child and the impact of Operation Christmas Child worldwide in bringing the love of Jesus and the light of the Gospel to where they are in their circumstances.
More information on this ministry can be found at samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/. You can also find a storefront for Operation Christmas Child on Amazon to help with your shoebox shopping, at amazon.com/shop/operationchristmaschild.
Please note: given the air transit needed to distribute these boxes and the circumstances in which many of these children live, they ask that the following items are NOT included in any filled shoeboxes: soap; candy; toothpaste; gum; used or damaged items; scary or war-related items such as guns, knives, or military figures; chocolate or food; seeds; fruit rolls or other fruit snacks; drink mixes (powdered or liquid); liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans; alcohol wipes.
In a time of unrest and friction around the world, we’re grateful for this opportunity for joy and connection, and thank you for your generosity in reaching out to brighten the Christmas of a child who needs it.
Consistory President Francis Weiss called the meeting to order.
Francis then led a brief devotion and opened the meeting with prayer.
Jim Kinney gave a treasures report. Most was focused on the new system and how things are tracked. There was praise for the financial position the church is in due to the generosity of the members. There was brief discussion on a few particular line items consistory members had questions about.
Hub Discussion
There was discussion about the old church building and where things were with Leidy’s Meats. Francis is attempting to making a connection there and gauge their interest. Darren met with Velocity Ventures who has a healthy rental portfolio for guidance. They agreed Leidy’s Meats is the best option for sale if they are agreeable followed by Adult Daycares and Medical Brain Injury. They agreed is the $1.5-1.8M valuation.
Executive Pastor Team
The following people were recommended to serve on the search committee. Not all people will be asked to serve if the roles are filled. Jack Parry, Patty Kendall, Jim Kulp, Suren Paktegun, Ben Mellinger, Rachel Leidy, Katie Tyson, Reagan Weitzel and Sharon Kististion
Consistory Nominations
Josh Heebner, Tony Kapusta and Jim Foote will no longer be serving on consistory come January 1, 2027, the following men are being nominated to serve: Shaun Permar, Greg Nase and Jake Neiderhaus. On September 27th there will be a congregational meeting to vote on the nominations right after the service.
Constitutional Changes
A subcommittee of elders and deacons are going to review the constitution and recommend changes. All changes require a ⅔ majority vote at a congregational called meeting. Meeting adjourned with prayer and reciting the Lord’s Prayer together at 9:54pm.
Our sincere Christian sympathy to family and friends at the death of Zigie Gift, and to family and friends of Rose Jaunzemis. May God be with these families at this time.
Congratulations to Brian & Allison Ward at the birth of a son, Ethan Tavis. May God be with them as they grow in Him.
The Lord’s Supper/Holy Communion (continued)
Question 78: Do the bread and wine become the very body and blood of Christ?
Answer: No, for as the water in baptism is not changed into the blood of Christ, nor becomes the washing away of sins by itself, but is only a divine sign and confirmation of it, so also in the Lord’s Supper the sacred bread does not become the body of Christ itself, although, in accordance with the nature and usage of sacraments, it is called the body of Christ.
Question 79: Then why does Christ call the bread His body, and the cup His blood, or the New Covenant in His blood, and why does the apostle Paul call the Supper “a means of sharing” in the body and blood of Christ?
Answer: Christ does not speak in this way except for a strong reason. He wishes to teach us by it that as bread and wine sustain this temporal life so His crucified body and shed blood are the true food and drink of our souls for eternal life. Even more, He wishes to assure us by this visible sign and pledge that we come to share in His true body and blood through the working of the Holy Spirit as surely as we receive with our mouth these holy tokens in remembrance of Him, and that all His sufferings and His death are our own as certainly as if we had ourselves suffered and rendered satisfaction in our own persons.
Question 80: What difference is there between the Lord’s Supper and the Roman Catholic Mass?
Answer: The Lord’s Supper testifies to us that we have complete forgiveness of all our sins through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ which He Himself has accomplished on the cross once for all; (and that through the Holy Spirit we are incorporated into Christ, who is now in heaven with His true body at the right hand of the Father and is there to be worshiped.) But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead do not have forgiveness of sins through the sufferings of Christ unless Christ is still offered for them daily by the priest (and that Christ is bodily present under the form of bread and wine and is therefore to be worshiped in them). Therefore the Mass is fundamentally a complete denial of the once for all sacrifice and passion of Jesus Christ (and as such an idolatry to be condemned).
Join us as we celebrate Pastor Darren and thank him for his faithful, humble service to Leidy’s Church - and for the way he supports our congregation.
We’ll gather for a Pastor’s Appreciation Luncheon on Sunday, October 11th right after the service. Come enjoy a hearty meal, fellowship, and the joy of honoring our pastor together.
A card basket will be in the narthex for your notes of appreciation.
3 Evan Deplane, Laura Heebner, Kendall Musselman, John Niederhaus
4 Karl Ernst
6 Andrew Heebner, Kelly Wilwert
7 Mike Hughes
8 Dean Kulp, Eden Vogelzang
10 Karen Haggerty, Josh Heebner
11 Sandy Cressman, Jeff Maxwell, Jethro Smith
12 Dolores Reed, Byron Rimmer
13 Tom Merritt
14 Justin Coale, Renee Doran
15 David Freed, Allison Ward
16 Jeremy Smith, Lucas VanDerbeek, Megan Walbrandt
17 John Kroesser, Sallybeth McClaskey, Darlene Schmidt
18 Steve Landis
19 Terry Leidy, Hannah Niederhaus
26 Mallory Mellinger, Ron Miller, Bill Weigner
27 Phyllis Allebach
28 Leslie Spurlin
30 Mary Hoyt
1 Karl & Shannon Floczak
9 Dave & Beth Guntz
12 Irv & Denise Kulp
16 Bill & Miriam Weigner
20 Doug & Caren Elliott, Jim & Angela Kinney
21 Brian & Gina Shoemaker
22 Jeremy & Justine Smith
23 Ed & Darlene Schmidt
25 Bob & Val Hager
26 Suren & Grace Pakhtigian, Brian & Wendy Radcliff
27 Michael & Karen Mirabella
