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THANK YOU to Cheryl Burke for leading worship Sunday.
COFFEE HOUR – There will be a coffee hour on Sunday at 9:00 A.M. provided by the Altar Guild.
CHRISTMAS BAG HELP NEEDED – The children of the Sunday School and Youth Fellowship class prepared Christmas gift bags for the shut-in/special needs members of our congregation. We are looking for help delivering the bags. The bags are ready in the Fellowship Hall. The list of shut-ins/special concerns members and the sign-up sheets are by the bags in the Fellowship Hall. There are also two Thanksgiving baskets that still need to be delivered.
UNDECORATE CHURCH HELP is needed Sunday after the service. Everyone is invited to stay for a brief period to take down all the Christmas decorations and then enjoy lunch downstairs afterwards.
COMMUNITY LUNCHEON – Our next FREE luncheon will be on Sunday (January 4) from 11:30 A.M to 1:00 P.M., as either an eat-in or take-out meal. We will be serving meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable, salad, rolls, and dessert. Baked good donations would be appreciated.
POINSETTIAS may be picked up through Sunday (January 4). A listing of what poinsettia(s) you ordered is available so you can take the poinsettia(s) you purchased.
2026 ENVELOPES are in the Fellowship Hall on a cabinet near the front steps for pick-up. The offering envelopes are expensive to mail so please go to the Fellowship Hall after church to pick up your envelopes or those of a friend, neighbor, or relative.
“CHRIST IN OUR HOME” booklets for January through March can be picked up from the rear windowsills in church.
WINTER WORSHIP TIME – Since we will continue having supply pastors leading worship until we are able to get an interim pastor, we will have one worship service at 10:15 A.M. each Sunday.
SPONSORS NEEDED – The 2026 sponsor charts are posted on the bulletin board outside the church office. Cost to sponsor flowers is $35.00 per date. Bulletins are $25.00 per date. Sign up for any open dates on the sponsor charts or call the church office at 610-767-6361. Sponsors are needed for most dates in January.
ORGAN REPAIRS will start next week! Anyone wishing to donate towards the upgrade/repairs to our Moeller organ can do so. Mark “Organ Repairs” on your envelope.
NEWSLETTER ARTICLES for the February/March newsletter are due in the church office by Thursday, January 15. Pink sheets for submitting the information are in the tract rack outside the church office. Any information received after the January 15 deadline cannot be included in the February/March newsletter.
ROCK-A-THON – The Youth Fellowship/Confirmation class will hold a Rock-a-Thon to raise money for The Northern Lehigh Food Bank on Sunday, January 18, from 11:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. (Snow date is January 25). We will have four rocking chairs we need to keep rocking continuously from 11:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. The initial rocking will happen from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. by the Sunday School children during their annual Birthday Social. We will stop the rocking during the 10:15 A.M. church service, restart at 11:30 A.M., and continue until 1:00 P.M. Everyone is invited! Donation containers, sign-up sheets, and sponsor sheets are at the Rock-a-Thon displays on the rear radiator cover in church, the Fellowship Hall, and the Parent Information Center in the Sunday School hallway. Ways you can help:
1. Sign up to rock in one of the four rocking chairs for a 15-minute shift.
2. Donate baked goods for the bake sale.
3. Place a donation in any donation container at a Rock-a-thon display. Donations of canned vegetables, soup, ramen noodles, crackers, canned tuna & chicken, spaghetti sauce, and cereal for the food bank are also welcome.
4. Sponsor a rocking chair for $25.
5. Volunteer to work at the bake sale, kitchen, or craft area.
6. Stop by, have lunch, buy some dessert, and cheer on the rockers.
Any questions or for more information, see Ruthann Mantz.
ANNUAL REPORTS for each organization of the church are due to the church office by Friday, January 30. Forms for submitting your annual report are in each organization’s mail bin in the church office and in the tract rack outside the church office. Reports are needed by the end of January for the auditors to do the annual audit of the books in February.
JANUARY FOOD SALE – The Catering Committee is sponsoring a soup, sandwich, and PA Dutch corn pie sale for January. The order forms are blue and due back by Sunday, January 18. Pick-up is on Saturday, January 24, from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. The sandwich choice is a cold Reuben sandwich. Soup choices are: chicken tortellini soup, chili con carne, and old-fashion chicken noodle soup. You can also order PA Dutch corn pies (ready-to-bake, frozen). Return order forms to either the church office or to Harrison Williams. You can call your order into the church office at 610-767-6361, Harrison at 610-216-4284, or e-mail Harrison at williamshj2514@msn.com.
YOUTH GATHERING COMMITTEE MEETING - An in-person meeting of the youth and parents/guardians of the youth planning to go to the ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis in June 2027 will be held on Monday, January 19, at 6:30 P.M. in the church office. Please plan to attend the meeting to discuss ongoing fundraising efforts.
COFFEE HOUR SPONSOR NEEDED – We have resumed coffee hours this fall. Coffee hours will be held the first Sunday of the month if there are people willing to bake. Hosts and hostesses are needed each month. Please sign the coffee hour sign-up sheet at the rear of the church if you are willing to help provide baked goods for one of the coffee hours. The next open date is Sunday, February 1, 2026. The Altar Guild has the January coffee hour.
A PORK & SAUERKRAUT SUPPER will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026 from 3:30 to 6:00 P.M. You can eat in or take-out. Menu is: pork & sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, buttered lima beans, bread & butter, and homemade desserts. Tickets are $14.00 per meal and can be purchased from any member of the Catering Committee, Sundays after either service, or from the church office during the week. You can also reserve tickets by calling the church office at 610-767-6361 or Harrison Williams at 610-216-4284. Donations of baked goods are needed and would be greatly appreciated.
ORGAN REPAIRS – The church’s Moeller pipe organ is in need of major repairs. The cost for the repairs will be over $125,000. Repair work will begin in early January. Anyone wishing to donate towards the organ repairs may do so – just mark on your envelope – “organ repairs” – and the money will go into the Organ Fund towards the pending repairs.
VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION FORM – We are in need of more volunteers to assist with worship services and in different ministries around the church. There is a physical registration form located on the ushers’ table at the back of the sanctuary. You're invited to look at the list of volunteer opportunities and consider which roles are of most interest to you. If you have children or grandchildren in the congregation, please see the special section with volunteer opportunities for our youngest members. If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the physical form and return it to the church office or sign-up online by clicking the button below. If you have any questions or would like more information, please email the church at stjohnslatington@gmail.com.
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