November 2014 SUMMIT NEWS Souderton Mennonite Homes 207 West Summit St Souderton PA 18964 LEADERSHIP CORNER: MEMORIES OF PEOPLE Our Mission Statement: Together we empower older adults and families to lead lives of purpose and joy, guided by the Mennonite tradition of care and service to others. APPLE ORCHARD CAFÉ THE CORNER STORE Located within Souderton Mennonite Homes 207 West Summit Street, Souderton PA Phone 215-723-2182 ext. 42277 Located within Souderton Mennonite Homes 207 West Summit Street, Souderton PA Phone 215-723-2182 ext. 42213 Hours: Monday - Wednesday & Saturday 6:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Country Gifts & Cards Thursday, Friday 6:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday Brunch 10:00 a.m. -2:30 p.m. 10% OFF TOTAL CHECK WITH THIS COUPON NOT VALID ON SUNDAYS EXPIRES: DECEMBER 1, 2014 Hours: Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Time is flying by as usual, and as I get older looking back on memories of specific years is more difficult unless there was a significant event such as the birth of my children and grandchildren, my wedding, graduation, vacation trips, or family reunions. Sure I could tell you where I lived, worked, went to school, was married or not, how many children or grandchildren I had, but recalling what I was doing on a specific day is more difficult. Memories of people that I have known seem to be easier to remember than a specific day or even year in the past. Memories of people is my theme for this article. As you may or may not know, my mother passed away on September 19, 2014. By the time you are reading this her passing will have been over a month ago (time is still flying by). She was 86 years young and I believe you would have liked her if you knew her. My mother was very active in her church and community and enjoyed traveling when my dad was living. Mom was a member of the New Britain Baptist Church for 50 years and sat in the same pew for 99.9% of those years. She loved to spend time with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and when she spoke about them, she frequently had a smile on her face and they made her laugh. I will not forget my mother’s laugh and smile. My mother’s favorite restaurant was Zotos and she always had their “wedding soup” which is only offered on Sundays. My mother was very well organized, so much so that she had her memorial service all prepared with times of visitation, time of service, specific hymns, a time for memory sharing and she even gave a title to the pastor’s message called “Celebration of Hope”. My mother also gave instructions for the information to be placed on the prayer cards and the service went exactly has she had planned. She loved roses so we choose pictures of red, pink, yellow and white roses for her prayer cards. My mother’s house was always spotless and everything was always in its place or only temporarily out of place. No one could call her between 12 noon and 2 pm every day due to her watching soap operas on TV. My mom did not really like to cook, but she was a good cook and prepared many family and holiday meals. I could go on and on about my mother, and like I said before, I believe you would have liked her and I wish you could have had a chance to meet her. Memories of our loved ones who have passed are easier to remember than what we did on a specific day or what we had for breakfast. I am truly grateful for all the caring and support from everyone during this difficult time. Knowing my mom is now with God and my dad helps to ease some of the pain. I will truly miss her not answering the phone anymore and saying “hello, it is you” after I said “it is me”. It is so comforting to have my family at home and my family at SMH so I do not have to go through this alone. Thank you for allowing me to share memories of my mother with you. - Mark Snavely Director of Residential Living Services Inside This Issue Community Events – 2 General Reports – 4 - 5 Resident Trips & Events – 6 Resident Birthdays & Updates – 7 Campus Information – 8 COMMUNITY EVENTS . RESIDENT UPDATES RESIDENTIAL LIVING EVENTS DISCLOSURE STATEMENT RESIDENT COUNCIL The fiscal year Annual Disclosure Statement will be available at the Front Desk. RL Resident Council will meet Tuesday, November 4th, at 10 a.m. in the Family Room. As always, all Residential Living residents are invited to attend. IPAD TRAINING IPAD training is offered Friday, November 7th at 1 p.m. in the Café with Heather. Please sign-up on RL bulletin board to reserve your spot. COVERED DISH LUNCHEON Covered Dish Luncheon is on THURSDAY this month. It will be held on Thursday, November 13th, at noon in FRA & B. Please sign up on the RL bulletin board for this favorite resident activity. GARDEN CLUB Garden Club Flower Arranging will be held Tuesday, November 11th at 1 p.m. in the Family Room. We will be designing holiday wreaths. Please sign up on RL bulletin board to reserve your space at this event. Please sign up outside Heather's office. MAKE AND TAKE Make Thanksgiving date and nut bread with Rhelda Warriner on Friday, November 21st at 11:00 a.m. in the Family Room. Don’t forget to sign up. FULL FACILITY CHRISTMAS PARTY December 10th, featuring an evening with Bill Monahan and friends at 6:30 p.m. in the SVA. COOKING DEMO The Apple Orchard Café will start offering Entrees for fall/winter months on Thursday & Friday from October to March. WELLNESS PROGRAM All residents are invited to join Linda Kennard from Southeastern Homecare as she talks about staying healthy in the winter. Join her Friday, November 14th at 10:00 a.m. in the SVA. THANKS FOR GIVING BINGO Is back on Tuesday, November 25th at 2:00 p.m. in the SVA. Join friends, play bingo, and take time to be thankful by bringing canned goods for the IVOC this holiday season. Please sign-up with your unit Life Enrichment Coordinators on PC and Healthcare and at the RL bulletin board for RL residents. MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR UPCOMING HOLIDAY EVENTS: Souderton Christmas ParadeDecember 6th. Residents are invited to ride the bus in the parade and enjoy the excitement of this annual Christmas event. Please contact Heather Scattergood at Ext. 42225 to reserve your seat on the bus. Fall/Winter Dining Services Cooking Demo will be held in the SVA at 2:00 p.m. on November 20th. Watch our Chefs describe and cook using an assortment of apples. Afterwards you can take home some recipes and try some of the food. ENJOY AN EVENING WITH CHRIS WHEELER A Living Branches cross campus event Wednesday, Nov. 5th at 7:00 p.m. in the Summit View Auditorium. Chris Wheeler was a well-known announcer for the Phillies until January 2014. He will discuss his vast career with the Phillies as documented in his book, “A View from the Booth”. Chris was born in Philadelphia PA. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Broadcasting. He started with the Phillies in 1971, the first year of the Vet and was on the air radio and/or TV for 37 years. He has many stories to share about his career with the Phillies! Please note: Mr. Wheeler prefers to not sell books at his events. However, if you bring your copy of his book, he will be happy to sign it. Please contact Heather Scattergood at Ext. 42225 if you plan to do this. Thank you! A shuttle will be picking up at the Villas and Cottages at 6:20 p.m. and dropping back at these homes after the program. This information has been removed to protect the privacy of our residents. RESIDENT EVENTS RESIDENTIAL LIVING-Trips CONT’D MONTGOMERY MALL AND WEGMAN’S GROCERY Wednesday, November 5th – O 9:30 a.m. Ride the Living Branches coach to Montgomeryville for shopping! Come with us as we shop at the mall and then stop at Wegman’s for groceries. You will be able to eat lunch at Wegman’s if you wish. HUNTERDON HILLS DINNER THEATER, NJ Thursday, November 13th, at 9:15 a.m. Ride the Living Branches coach to New Jersey. Enjoy the matinee show “A Playhouse Christmas” and the luncheon buffet. For residents with reservations already made with Wendy O’Connor. LANDIS MARKET, TELFORD Friday, November 14 – 9:30 a.m. Bring your bags and shop for groceries at Landis. No cost for the transportation. SHADY MAPLE / GOOD’S, LANCASTER Tuesday, November 18, 2014 – 9:00 a.m. Join us for a shopping trip to Shady Maple and Good’s in Lancaster on Tuesday, November 18. We will depart from the Main Lobby at 9:00 a.m. Cost $8 for Living Branches coach transportation. Lunch and purchases on your own. PENNYPACKER MILLS CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE (TRIP IN DECEMBER) Wednesday, December 3rd – 9:30 a.m. Delight in visions of holidays past as you tour the historical site of Pennypacker Mills in Schwenksville. Enjoy the dazzling glass ornaments, silky ribbons and greens of the decorated historic mansion. No cost to ride the Living Branches coach or tour mansion. PHILLY POPS CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR SHOW, KIMMEL CENTER PHILADELPHIA – HAGEY TOURS Sunday, December 14th – 12:00 noon shuttle to Hagey Tours, Approximate return to Souderton is 7pm. The Living Branches shuttle will take us to the Hagey Tours facility. We will then ride the Hagey Coach to Philadelphia to enjoy the magic of the season as The Philly POPS present beloved tunes in exciting arrangements with over 300 musicians, remarkable choirs and the ever-popular audience sing-along. This is a 3:00 p.m. Sunday matinee. We will return home after the show with no dinner stop. Please consider bringing a snack/closed container beverage if you are on this tour. For residents with reservations already made with Wendy O’Connor. PASTOR’S CORNER: TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON ATTENTION ALL VETERANS, WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU! If you have ever served in the U.S Armed Forces, we would like to recognize your service to our country. Please call Sandra Conroy at Ext. 42222 by November 10th. Thank you. DID YOU KNOW: Residents from SMH on all levels of care sent 120 Christmas cards to four different military stations around the world? The cards were sent to South West Asia, The Far East, The Mediterranean Basin, and The Pacific Basin. Thank you to all whom took time to acknowledge our military heroes! SAFETY REMINDER Please do not let anyone you do not know into the building through any of the exterior entrances. ALL visitors must call residents to be allowed access into the building, as your safety is our priority. Thank you for your cooperation. Residential Living Services Team You may recognize this title as a phrase from Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” You may also remember some of the examples listed; “a time to be born and a time to die…a time to plant and a time to uproot…a time to weep and a time to laugh”. All of us experience many of these life events in the course of our lives. One of these life events most of us experience in some way is when it is time to retire from our life occupation. As you know, when I reached age 66 in March of 2013, I chose to make the transition to partial retirement by moving from a fulltime to a part-time pastoral role here at Souderton Mennonite Homes. This was made possible by Pastor Joy Sawatzky assuming the full-time pastoral responsibilities. Our community has embraced and been blessed by Pastor Joy’s many gifts of ministry and we have enjoyed working closely together in our pastoral ministry here. But now I believe it is time to move into the full season of my retirement. Following consultation with Pastor Joy and Pastor Ray Hurst, Director of Pastoral Care and Services for Living Branches, we have set January 31, 2015 as the effective date for my retirement. It is hard to believe that it was nine years ago in October of 2005 that I was given the privilege of serving as pastor here at SMH after the retirement of Pastor Carl Smeltzer. It was a clear answer to my prayer and sense of God’s call to this special setting of pastoral ministry. I will always be grateful during those first years for the support and wisdom of Pastor Hubert Schwartzentruber who served here as a part-time Associate Pastor until his retirement in 2007. We were then blessed with the ministry of Pastor Beth Yoder as Associate Pastor from 2007 to 2011. It was then in 2011 that Pastor Joy responded to the invitation to share in pastoral ministry here at SMH and will now continue to give wonderful leadership with Spirit led wisdom and compassion. This decision does not come easily or is made lightly. I have been so blessed to share in your lives and the life of this wonderful community at SMH for these nine years. It was a joy to learn, to know and work with so many dedicated staff. While pastoral ministry here at SMH has its own special role and purpose, I always experienced myself as only one part of a much larger team caring for the needs of residents. Coming to “work” each day was like no other work. Instead, each day was like being invited into your homes, to eat with you at your table, to share in your daily activities, to share your sorrows and your joys, and to be by your bedside as you faced the end of life, And in the midst of all of this, to share together the spiritual blessings of our faith and trust in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Every change in our lives involves some loss and letting go of things that we have enjoyed. But at the same time, I look forward with anticipation because I see this change in my life’s journey as God’s timing and gift. Although I have called this transition “retirement”, I have learned from so many of you that the Lord continues to guide us in this season of life to new areas of service and new gifts to learn and share. I have learned from you that it is a time for discovering what new purpose God has for our lives. I have learned from you that God will continue to be with us in this new season of life, even though we do not know what tomorrow will bring. There is no way to adequately say thank you to everyone who has been part of my life and work here at SMH. But I am so grateful to God for these years with you and will always pray for God’s continued wisdom and blessing for the ongoing mission of Souderton Mennonite Homes as part of the Living Branches communities. Pastor Mark Derstine FELLOWSHIP OFFERING INFORMATION September Offering Summary: Penn View/Christopher Dock- $821.54 to each and Harvest Home Offering - $408.50 November Offering Recipient: MCC Material Resource Center REPORTS FITNESS & WELLNESS ACTIVITIES “A Breath of Fresh Air” SHUFFLEBOARD THURSDAY EVENING PROGRAMS IN THE SVA More than 100 years ago, conservationist John Muir wrote this excerpt, “….that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life”. Known as �forest bathing’, and used as standard preventative medicine in Japan, walking in nature has many health benefits that are now being proven by science. While many of us are quite familiar with the improved muscle stamina, cardiovascular endurance and improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels experienced with a regular walking program, one study showed that a walk in “green” environments at lunchtime led to a better sleep the following night. And, over a period of eight weeks, a lunchtime walk outside in nature contributed to people having significantly lower levels of blood pressure and perceived stress. Monday, November 3rd – Fitness Center Hallway – 6:30 p.m. Everyone welcome. Join your neighbors and friends for a friendly game of shuffleboard – learn to play, challenge a friend, or come to watch! Always a good time. November 6: No program due to Holiday Bazaar set-up. Similar to fatigue our muscles and body can experience, our brains also get tired and the stresses and strains of constant noise and dozens of things competing for our attention at any one time contribute to what’s called “brain fatigue”. It was through the utilization of lightweight brainscanning devices that science proved a walk through busy, built-up areas induced frustration and irritation while green and parkland sections led to the brain becoming calmer and more meditative. Because urban environments are mentally demanding places and require the brain to be constantly engaged, there is little time or room for reflection or meditation; whereas, nature invokes what science describes as a “soft fascination”, allowing your brain to relax and roam and give creativity a boost. One professor from the school of psychology from the University of Surrey states that, “walking has been shown to improve our ability to shift between modes of thought and to improve our attention, memory and recovery from mental fatigue” all of which are important for thinking creatively and combatting depression. So while a walk has many benefits, taking the time to get outside and grab a breath of fresh air can reap even more benefits than just a pretty scene. Live Well! Marci Christian Fitness Center Coordinator TAI CHI November 13: Merle & Floss Hunsberger regular contributors to our Thursday evening programs will bring a program of song. Wednesdays & Fridays – Tai Chi in the Family Room 9:00 -10:00 a.m. or 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Improve balance, increase stamina and improve range of motion. Can be done seated or standing – new members always welcome! November 20: The Mennonite Central Committee Material Resource Center team will bring us an update on the good things that continue to happen at the Harleysville center and around the world with all the donations. WELLNESS SOCIAL November 27: No Program. Thanksgiving Service at Tuesday, November 4th at 2:30 p.m. in the Café. “You say Potato, I say Po-taahh-to”. Join Marci, along with your friends and neighbors in the Café as we look forward to the holidays and discover how to pick the perfect potato while sharing some laughs and snacks. 10:00 a.m. LADIES BILLARDS Thursdays – Ladies Billiards – 10:30 a.m. in the 1st Floor Sports Lounge – Never played??? Interested in learning the fundamentals of billiards???? Now is the time Ladies! Grab a friend and head to the newly renovated Sports Lounge on the 1st Floor to share some laughs while learning and practicing the basics of the game of billiards (pool). VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Story Core is alive and well! The Story Core project continues across the Living Branches campuses. There are currently several individuals working with volunteers to tell their life stories. For those who are interested in writing their own story, our next small writing group will convene in February 2015 on the Dock Woods campus. If you would like to learn more about the Story Core program for telling life stories, please contact Lynne Allebach at (215-723-9881) ext. 42289 or by email at lynne.allebach@livingbranches.org. FUND DEVELOPMENT CELEBRATING PHILANTHROPY AND GENEROSITY AT LIVING BRANCHES I’ve been hearing a lot in the past few years about how retirement communities are trying to build “cultures of philanthropy and generosity” at their facilities. Evidently it is something that is a foreign concept in other organizations. I am happy to report that philanthropy and generosity are alive and well at Living Branches and have been for many years. In the almost four years that I have been the Director of Fund Development, I have done quite a bit of research on the donation records of our constituents, both past and present, and I am humbled by the generosity that I have read about and witnessed in person. Many of you have heard the stories about some of our biggest donors: the Longacre family, Bergey’s, Inc., the Hatfield/Clemens families, the Rosenbergers, and Univest Bank. But there are many other donors who have made significant contributions to Living Branches. They were not “wealthy” by most standards, but they worked hard, planned and invested well, and lived modestly, leaving very generous gifts to Living Branches and other not-for-profit organizations in their estate plans. As we begin our Annual Year-End Appeal, I encourage you to keep the needs of our benevolent care ministry in your current giving plans and your longer-term plans. You don’t need to be Warren Buffet or Bill Gates to make an impact on the lives of our residents; every gift is needed and appreciated. If you need more information about updating your will or estate plan, please call my office: Ext. 44115. And be sure to look for the year-end letter coming later this month through in-house mail. As Thanksgiving approaches and we enter a time of the year designated to remembering to give thanks, I’d like to extend gratitude to the Living Branches family. It is your faithful generosity that provides for those needing financial assistance. Every gift makes a difference. -Keith Heavener, Director of Fund Development
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