Tree of Life Lutheran Church 1492 Linglestown Rd. Harrisburg, PA 17110 (717) 238-8733
Office: M-Th, 8:30am-1:00pm
Worship: Saturday, 5:00pm
Sunday, 8:30 and 11:00am
Pastors Richard Geib and Catharine Senft Geib
Welcome to Tree of Life
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ!
Welcome to Tree of Life Lutheran Church, located in suburban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We are a congregation of over 900 baptized members, diverse in our membership and welcoming in our ministry. If you don't know us, please browse around to learn who we are and what we believe. And if you are seeking a family of faith, we hope you'll visit us in person. We are rooted in faith and growing in love. We'd love to have you as a part of our faith family!
Pastors Summer Message
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The annual summer exodus will soon begin, typically occurring at Tree of Life with the close of Vacation Bible School which seems to mark “summer” for us here. So, let me share a thought before we get to that point, Worship Matters!
The early church was often described in the bible as a koinonia, meaning a partnership. Clergy and laity together form a koinonia of the Gospel, a partnership of the Gospel. What we do, as a matter of faith, we do together. When we gather together for worship, we gather together to practice what we will do apart from worship and each other as a matter of faith.
It is true that, in the culture, worship matters less. Across the culture, fewer people worship at all. In the church, an increasingly lower percentage of church members worship with any regularity. We are practicing our faith less and less. Young adults are confirmed. They disappear from worship. Their parents often disappear with them. As children complete Sunday School or go off to college or grow up and move away from home, it often seems as if their entire household goes with them. We are practicing our faith less and less.
How important is what we do? Even a short answer would fill pages of this letter.
We are NOW putting together the activity pages. We need recent photographs of the congregation in action. If you have photographs of Tree of Life activities taken during the past year or so that are clear, could you share them with us ASAP? If they could be provided as digital images on a CD, that would be best, but good quality prints are also fine. Please put them in the box on the narthex table.
Photo sessions are scheduled for September 7th, 8th and 22nd, along with October 28th, 29th and 30th. We are rapidly filling up available time slots, but we want to include as many of our members as possible. If you are scheduled and have to postpone, please let us know ahead of time so that we can fill the vacant slot. If you have not scheduled, we will be calling you to try to fit you in, or you can call the church office to make your appointment (238-8733).
We still need hosts/hostesses to check people in when they come for their appointment. Each shift lasts about two hours. The work is easy but necessary. If you can take a shift, please sign up on the narthex table.
Tuesday Evening Bible Study
The Tuesday evening adult Bible study led by Pastor Richard begins September 21st in the Branch Office lobby. This year, we begin the book of Exodus which tells the primary story of the Old Testament witness – the captivity in Egypt and God’s saving action which set God’s people Israel free. Even if you've never attended a Bible study before, this is an excellent time to join our group and to study this important book of the Bible. No prior knowledge is expected and no tests are given... it's just a wonderful opportunity to learn more about God's Word with some TLC friends, both old and new. The class runs from 6:30pm until about 8:00pm. Sign up on the narthex table, and come out and learn!
General Announcements
Make a school kit for Lutheran World relief! You can start gathering school supplies for our Lutheran World Relief Ingathering coming up on October 2 and 3 by taking advantage of some door-busting prices on school supplies.
Weis & Giant shoppers... help our youth by using Weis & Giant gift cards for your grocery shopping. They will be available after the 8:30 and 11 am services in the narthex. Call Phyllis Weible at 564-2246 for gift cards.
Sign up for Altar flowers! Checks for flowers are to be made payable to Tree of Life Lutheran Church, marked "Flowers" in the memo portion of the check and placed in the offering plate.
Quilters needed! Cindy Dreibelbis and Barbara Biddle are co-chairing making 70 easy quilts for November Guatemala trip. Contact either of them to volunteer to make a top or help tie these.
We need large coffee cans for altar flower delivery. They can be metal or plastic, but please, no small cans as the current design of flowers won’t fit. Drop them off in the narthex or sacristy.
ALIVE! ALIVE! the synod's middle school youth retreat, will be held September 17-19 at Camp Nawakwa. We'd like to get an early start registering youth to attend as this retreat typically fills up fast.
We are in need of crew members for a big work project during our first week in Guatemala, October 30th to November 7th. Can you help? Please contact Jennifer Crist for more information at
or 717-364-4090.
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How can you help?
The Tuesday evening adult Bible study led by Pastor Richard begins September 21st in the Branch Office lobby. This year, we begin the book of Exodus which tells the primary story of the Old Testament witness – the captivity in Egypt and God’s saving action which set God’s people Israel free. Even if you've never attended a Bible study before, this is an excellent time to join our group and to study this important book of the Bible. No prior knowledge is expected and no tests are given... it's just a wonderful opportunity to learn more about God's Word with some TLC friends, both old and new. The class runs from 6:30pm until about 8:00pm. Sign up on the narthex table, and come out and learn! 