Friday, June 27, 2025 Newsletter



For Sunday

10:00 a.m.: Summer Worship Service

       (in person in the Sanctuary, and livestreamed on Facebook and website)

A MESSAGE FROM REV. KAREN KINNEY: 

IN THE MIDST OF PAINFUL TIMES

Grace and peace to you,

As I mentioned this past week, on Sunday, July 6, our worship will be a Service of Healing and Wholeness. Let me explain as I saw a lot of “what is that” looks! 

A Service of Healing and Wholeness focuses on God's healing power and the restoration of wholeness in individuals and the community, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It is a time to acknowledge vulnerability, seek God's comfort, and experience reconciliation with God and others. 

Just as Jeremiah relied on God, acknowledging God’s power and love for God’s people, this service helps us to do the same, acknowledging God as the source of healing and wholeness, inviting all of us to trust in God to guide us, restoring and renewing us.

We will end on a hopeful, joy-filled note that moves us to the following two Sundays of planting and building and hearing about a new covenant God is making.

If you are worshiping online that day, please let us know if you would like a home visit for communion, anointing and prayer over the next week. You can contact me at kkinney@fpc-bethlehem.org. 

I will write more next week, but I hope, even though it is a holiday weekend, we will see you on July 6.  

Now for this Sunday, June 29, we are thinking about what gives us hope when we recall or experience difficult times/memories. What do we do with painful, difficult memories that force us to face hard truths? What do we do with hopeful memories that ask us to recall beautiful truths about God? Psalm 42 speaks to the hopeful memories in the midst of painful, turbulent times. 

The Psalmist recalls all the times God has been present, helping God’s people in those painful turbulent times. Contrast this with our passages from Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-31), where Jeremiah is instructed to write down everything the Lord has been saying to the King and the people about their corruption, their lack of care for the oppressed and marginalized. The King doesn’t want to hear it or read it and so he destroys the scroll. He tries to erase their history because he doesn’t want to hear it or deal with it.

As a history major in college, it is distressing to me to destroy the hard truths of any nation, but especially our nation. What do we do when our painful history of racism (slavery, Jim Crow, Civil Rights), LGBTQ+ history (Stonewall), of women’s accomplishments is erased? How do we face the hard truths knowing that God is present to us and God has been present all along to give us hope?

What in our own individual or FPC history do we wish not to recall? Can we be like the Psalmist and in the midst of pain and despair recall the good things God has done? Lots of questions to consider. Come and see, come and explore. 

Blessings, 

Pastor Karen

The Sunday bulletin will be emailed on Saturday

YOUR ENERGY, GOD'S CALL!

During my work as the Merger Coordinator for the Lehigh and Lackawanna Presbyteries, our Merger team found ourselves asking: “How are we going to think about populating the new committees?” We began to talk about energy – what gives us energy and where did we want to use that energy in service to God’s call?

That conversation has stayed with me as the FPCB Nominating Committee begins its work to recommend a slate of ruling elders, deacons and trustees that will be elected in the fall. So our question to you is this: what within the church energizes you and where do you sense God is calling you to serve? Is it as a deacon, ruling elder or trustee? Is it on a committee? Is it in an area no one has thought of!?

The members of the nominating committee are: Rich Hjorth (chair), and members: Phil Clauser, Judy Smullen, Steve Samuelson, Belle Marks, Sharon Smith and Pam Phillippe. You can also talk to representatives from the Deacons (Jane Masters), Trustees (Ginger Seifried), and Session (Linda Filipovits).

Speaking of Session, the last two newsletters outlined the role of the Deacons and the Trustees. Here is what our Book of Order says about Session:  

“As there were in Old Testament times elders for the government of the people, so the New Testament church provided persons with particular gifts to share in discernment of God’s Spirit and governance of God’s people. Accordingly, congregations should elect persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills in leadership and being compassionate in spirit. 

“Ruling elders are so named not because they ‘lord it over’ the congregation (Matt. 20:25), but because they are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life. Ruling elders, together with ministers of the Word and Sacrament, exercise leadership, government, spiritual discernment, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a congregation as well as the whole church, including ecumenical relationships.

“When elected by the congregation, they shall serve faithfully as members of the session.”

Please be praying about where you feel God calling your energy to serve.

Pastor Karen

MINUTE FOR MISSION: WYCLIFFE BIBLE TRANSLATORS

By Janet Stahl

In 1988, I was commissioned by FPCB as a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Jim and I were assigned by Wycliffe to work in Vanuatu, a group of 83 inhabited islands in the western Pacific.

Vanuatu people speak over 110 languages among a population of 250,000. To understand the Scriptures, most people have to understand the national language as well as either French or English, the languages of education. We learned the power of storytelling to build community from the Vanuatu people. 

So, when the leaders of our organization asked us to develop an approach to Bible translation that starts with Bible storytelling, we took up the challenge. For the past 15 years we have been working with partners around the world to train them to lead Bible story crafting and storytelling projects with the goals to spreading the Good News in many languages and to equip local people to carry out Bible translation projects where needed.   

SUPPORTING OUR NEIGHBORS: Summer Harvest Food Drive

Last summer a group with ties to the Minsi Trails Council - Scouting America gathered, along with assorted friends, to run a food drive for the month of July, when food pantry inventories are typically low.

Their initial efforts garnered over 3000 items that were distributed to a dozen local pantries, impacting hundreds of families. First Pres served as one of the donation sites, collecting well over 800 items.  Thank you for your generous support!

Our donation bins will be located at the south entrance, Kirk Center entrance, and in the North Link.

Among the other local location spots to donate:

• Blast Furnace Blues (free concerts) at the SteelStacks’ Levitt Pavillion on Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19
• Northampton Community College’s Summer Theatre performances - check their show schedule at ncctix.org
• The Farm Market at NCC - Wednesdays from 10 AM - 2 PM (the Quad on the Bethlehem campus, 3835 Green Pond Road)
• numerous local libraries, banks and retailers

Visit summerharvestfooddrive.com for a complete list of donation locations, requested list of items, and a form if you’d like to volunteer. There is also a form for food pantries that would like to receive donations.

There is an ambitious goal to double last year’s collection amount – let’s see what we can do to help achieve that, to support our neighbors!

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW PASTORAL MESSAGE NUMBER

Beginning today (June 27), we will be transferring to a new phone number for emergency pastoral messages.

The new number is 610-674-0005. Again, this is ONLY for emergency messages to our pastoral staff, when the office phone is not staffed.

JOIN US FOR LEMONADE ON THE LAWN

• Provide simple treats for about 40-50, such as: grapes, clementines or cut-up fruit; cheese and crackers; easy-to-eat baked treats (homemade or purchased) like cookies, mini muffins, bars, or granola bars.
• Get the beverages, cups and napkins, ice, and coolers out of the church kitchen and set them up (we typically serve lemonade, iced tea and water – these are provided).
• Return items to the kitchen and clean up (tables will be provided and taken down).

It doesn’t have to be a “formal” group, like a K group, committee, or the choir – it can be a family or group of friends. 

Thanks for considering this request! If you have any questions, let us know and we’ll connect you with a ‘veteran.’ You can use this online form to sign up, and we'll have a paper sign-up form at the Sunday service.

CAN YOU HELP?

We’re looking for folks to serve as lectors for our 10 a.m. combined worship services for the summer. This is a great way to participate in the ministry of our church – if you’ve not done it before, we’re glad to provide coaching.

You can sign up on the paper form available at the Sunday services, or use this easy online sign-up form: 

The church building (including offices and Preschool) will be closed on Thursday, July 3 and Friday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. Both will reopen on Monday, July 7.

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 emergency pastoral messaging number at 610-674-0005.

PRAYER REQUESTS...

Send any prayer requests to prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org or call 610-867-5865 and leave a message.

FOR SUNDAY’S IN-PERSON WORSHIP:



Child care will be available from 9:45 - 11:15 a.m. this Sunday morning; please ask an usher for directions.

Your children are a joy in our worship services, and should the need arise, “kid bags” are available for their use while they are visiting. They are in the Narthex.

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.

THIS SUNDAY

• 9:45 - 11:15 a.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)
• 10:00 a.m.: Summer Worship Service, Sanctuary (in person and livestreamed on Facebook and our website, fpc-bethlehem.org)
• 11:00 a.m.: Lemonade on the Lawn, social time for all, front of church

WEDNESDAYS: 7 p.m. - Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom.com (meeting #: 868 2214 2960; passcode: OO-Beth)



CHURCH OFFICE AND BUILDING INFO:

The church building (including offices and Preschool) will be closed on Thursday, July 3 and Friday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. Both will reopen on Monday, July 7.

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.