Friday, April 28, 2023 Newsletter
SUNDAY SERVICES
9:00 a.m. ‘Holy Ground’ Contemporary Worship in Fellowship Hall
(in person)
11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary – Sunday
(in person and livestreamed on Facebook and our website)
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A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN: ALIGNING OUR VALUES
Each month, the Session meets for various items of discussion and decision in the life of the church. As you know, it is the Session that makes almost all of the decisions in the life of the church, from small administrative ones to complex ones about the missional direction and priorities of the congregation.
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To make sure that it does not get too bogged down in the smaller decisions, the Session not only has committees and task forces to do significant amounts of work, but it also reserves about an hour of its monthly meeting time for a “Mission Strategy Conversation,” focusing on bigger picture issues, questions, and concerns in the life of the congregation.
At its April meeting, that conversation focused on the question of expectations of values alignment with groups seeking to utilize our space for their own activities.
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Questions had been raised by the Trustees for guidance on how much alignment the Session feels is necessary. Do other groups have to think and believe the exact same way we do? Does it not matter what they believe, so long as the check doesn’t bounce?
Clearly, both of these extremes are undesirable, so how do we make decisions on such things? This was not merely a theoretical conversation, as several potential lessees in recent years were discovered late in negotiations to have philosophical commitments that were directly opposed to our Core Value of being expansively welcoming.
As the Session discussed the issue, there was unanimous agreement that while we should not and would not require other groups to hold all the same values we do (for example, we don’t need community basketball leagues to be Christ-centered!), it is a problem if the group holds values that are diametrically opposed to our own.
Sadly, the place this has come up the most is with faith-based organizations that hold anti-LGBTQ+ positions as part of their own core values. It was pointed out that such positions are not only exclusionary, but actively and inevitably cause lasting spiritual and emotional harm to LGBTQ+ people within the organizations.
This is particularly the case with young people when they are told that they, their family, or their friends must deny part of their basic humanity or incur the judgment of both God and the organization in question. The Session decided that we cannot faithfully allow our facilities to be used by others to afflict people with such harm.
So what will this look like? First, the Session added a sentence to our Core Value about being expansively welcoming, specifically noting that we affirm and celebrate the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the life and leadership of the church, so that commitment is now explicit.
Second, the Session unanimously approved a policy that, as part of any lease agreement, outside organizations must be provided a copy of our Mission Statement and Core Values and confirm that their own mission and values do not conflict with ours. This allows generous room for diversity of thought; other groups are not required to share our faith, our faith tradition, or specific beliefs or practices. Rather, we simply ask that their mission and values do not stand in direct opposition to ours.
One of the things I am most grateful for as pastor here is the wisdom, thoughtfulness, insight, and imagination that our elected leaders exercise consistently, on both the Session and Trustees. It is wonderful to be part of a congregation that encourages diversity of thought and commitment while refusing to fall into the trap of moral relativism.
If you have any questions about any of this, or ideas for potential partners in the community looking for space, I encourage you to speak to an Elder or to send an email to info@fpc-bethlehem.org, from which it will be forwarded to myself as Moderator of Session and Elder Jennifer Cole as Clerk of Session.
Grace and Peace,
J.C.
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This week’s sermon: Mirror, Mirror by the Rev. J.C. Austin
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We post the video of each week’s services and sermon text on our website: fpc-bethlehem.org
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TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper for Sunday
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FOR SUNDAY’S IN-PERSON WORSHIP:
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Child care will be available from 8:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. this Sunday morning; please ask an usher for directions.
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Your children are a joy in our worship services, and should the need arise, “kid bags” are available for their use. They are in the Narthex and in the blanket-sitting area (to the left of the communion table in Fellowship Hall).
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We offer nametags for folks to wear – these are for everyone! You can pick up as you enter the worship space; please clearly PRINT your first name.
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AFTER EACH SUNDAY SERVICE: Coffee & Conversation
We invite folks to stay for Coffee & Conversation following each of our two worship services. This is an opportunity for connection in Fellowship Hall where you’ll find coffee for adults along with juice boxes and a simple snack for children.
We will still gather for our Intergenerational Faith Formation story and craft after the 9:00 service!
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FOR NEXT SUNDAY: MAY 7
Here’s a heads-up that for next Sunday, May 7, we will offer another Mission Strategy Conversation from 10-10:45 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. This will be another opportunity to be in discussion about the future of our church building and campus. All are welcome!
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HEARTS N MINDS ADULT ED CLASS: ALL ARE WELCOME
The Hearts N Minds adult ed class will meet this Sunday from 9:45 – 10:40 a.m. in the Parlor (upstairs above the main church office). Please feel free to come even if you have not done the reading.
The group is studying the book, Elusive Grace: Loving Your Enemies While Striving for God’s Justice by Pastor Scott Black Johnson, senior pastor at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian in Manhattan. The reading for this week are the chapters, ‘Learning to Love the Good’ and ‘Regarding the Church’ (pages 101-110).
NOTE: The group will not meet on Sunday, May 7, due to a special Mission Strategy Conversation from 10-10:45 a.m. More details to come.
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HI NEIGHBORS: HOT TOPICS FOR YOU! |
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Our popular speakers program, Hi Neighbors, is back for this Monday, May 1, when we welcome popular speaker Tom Repasch, who will offer “A Spoonful of Sugar – Celebrating the Sherman Brothers’ Music in Disney Films.” This is an entertaining survey of music written by the Sherman brothers, including “It’s a Small World” and music from Mary Poppins and other favorites.
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Each program will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall with a hospitality time. The presentations will begin at 10 a.m. All are welcome - there is no fee and no pre-registration.
This spring we're partnering with the folks at Meals on Wheels, who are assisting us with the scheduling of presenters, and to promote our program. We thank them for their support.
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CHURCH WORK DAY – POSTPONED TO SATURDAY, MAY 6
Due to the gloomy weather forecast, the “Work on Our Church Day” set for this Saturday has been POSTPONED to next Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Volunteers are asked to bring a lunch and drinks to hydrate themselves. There will be prep work for painting, painting, general clean-up of the grounds, and fixing regular and storm windows.
Folks should bring work gloves. Kids age 12 and older are welcome to join in the fun (we can give Community Service Hours credit).
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LOOKING FOR A FEW VOLUNTEERS
We are looking for 6-8 volunteers to help us set up, host, and clean up the hot dog lunch for our Preschool families during their Spring Fling on Friday, May 12 (the event is scheduled from 10 a.m.-noon).
Please sign up using this online form. Pastor Lindsey will be in touch with more information for volunteers soon! |
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SUNDAY CONCERT AT FIRST PRES:
CONCORD CHAMBER SINGERS
From the early music of the Moravians and Stephen Foster, to the works of Barber and beyond, there is a rich history of new music from Penn's Woods.
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The Concord Chamber Singers, directed by David Macbeth, will present "Music of Penn's Woods", a selection of songs by Pennsylvania composers from the 1680s all the way to now.
It will be offered at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 30 here at First Pres. Featuring the multi-generational Concord Chamber Singers as well as multiple musicians, enjoy this journey through history to enjoy the music the state of Pennsylvania has helped produce.
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Tickets are available for purchase online; they will also be available at the door. Adult tickets are $25, and students are $10; under five are free.
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LOOKING AHEAD…
Beginning Sunday, May 28 (Memorial Day weekend), we will offer a
10 a.m. Summer Worship Service in the Sanctuary. This schedule will run through Sunday, Sept. 3 (Labor Day weekend).
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A HELPING HANDS ALBUM
Three FPCB members - Jamie Henry, Kevin Kehoe, and Leslie Pohl - recently spent a week on the volunteer Helping Hands team from the Lehigh Presbytery.
They lent their time and talents to rehab structures in New Bern, NC. The next trip will be offered in November - watch this space for details!
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CARE CONCERNS AND HOSPITAL VISITS
If you are hospitalized, please tell the hospital our church code is 724. Also, please call the church office at 610-867-5865 to let us know as the hospitals do not always collect this information. After hours, leave a message or call our answering service at 610-778-7003.
PRAYER REQUESTS...
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Send us your news and photos to share:
**Deadline for the next week's newsletter:
WEDNESDAY at noon**
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Your likes / comments / shares help us spread the word about First Pres!
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TO JOIN OUR LIVESTREAM WORSHIP SERVICE
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Visit our Facebook page and look for the post with our live feed
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If you don’t have a Facebook account, go to our website to view the service - click on the "Watch the Service" button
- Please check in with a comment so we know you’ve joined us!
- Captions will now be available on our livestream, for those who would like to use that feature
To watch a video – available after the services have aired: Visit our website archives
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THIS SUNDAY
- 8:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)
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9:00 a.m.: “Holy Ground” Contemporary service, Fellowship Hall followed by Coffee & Conversation in Fellowship Hall
- 9:45-10:40 a.m.: Hearts N Minds adult ed class, Parlor - all are welcome
- 11:00 a.m.: Traditional Worship Service, in-person in the Sanctuary AND livestream on Facebook Live and our website
WEDNESDAYS: 7 p.m. - Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom (Meeting # 380 435 9056 / Password: overcomer)
CHURCH OFFICE AND BUILDING INFO:
Regular office hours are Monday - Thursday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Many of the office staff are working remotely for some of the time, so please make an appointment if you need to see someone specific. The answering service (610-778-7003) can take your urgent pastoral concerns, 24 hours a day.
IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER: Look for updates on our website (fpc-bethlehem.org), Facebook page, and WFMZ (channel 69 and wfmz.com). We will also put the info on our church phone message, 610-867-5865.
CARE CONCERNS AND HOSPITAL VISITS: If members of the FPCB congregation are hospitalized and would welcome pastoral and hospital ministrant visitors and/or prayers, please contact: Phil Fair, Prayer Ministrant (prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org).
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM |
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2344 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017 610-867-5865 | info@fpc-bethlehem.org
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