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Friday, May 22, 2026 Newsletter

For Sunday - NEW TIME!


10:00 a.m.: Summer Worship Service

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

A MESSAGE FROM REV. KAREN KINNEY: 
CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH


Grace and peace to you,


This Sunday, May 24, we celebrate Pentecost, which is known as the birth of the church! It truly is one of my favorite church holidays. 

And, yet… can you imagine being a Parthian or a Mede or Cappadocian or Egyptian who suddenly hears a Galilean of all people speaking your language to help you understand just who Jesus and God are? You totally get the good news of the Gospel and now you want to join! You want to belong to this new community of faith that is forming in Jerusalem, but soon will pop up all over the geographic area.

If we read further in Acts 2, we discover that about 3,000 were added that day to the already growing community. Listen to what they did: The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles.

All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

In other words, they left the upper room and moved out into the outer world. They let go of fear and feelings of inadequacy to become a community of faith that kept bringing in people because of their fruit of the Spirit’s actions and their inclusive teaching. They committed to going into that outer world, knowing it might - and indeed did become - dangerous. These Jesus followers gave birth to the church and we follow in their footsteps.



Last week’s Mission Study retreat revealed a great deal of enthusiasm and desire to go into the outer world. To leave the physical structure and focus on developing and nurturing relationships, partnering and collaborating with others to do mission activities, and to build coalitions for advocacy for our siblings who need advocates. 

This is why Pentecost is one of my favorite church holidays – the gift of the Holy Spirit to go out and be the church is a great gift. So let’s explore this Sunday. Come and be part of a Holy Spirit moment!

Don’t forget! Wear your red, orange or yellow or any combination to celebrate the birth of the church!

Blessings,
Pastor Karen

TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper:

Summer Worship Bulletin (4 pages)

FOR THIS SUNDAY: ONE OR BOTH!

Thank you to the “Kitchen Crew” for hosting this week! We’re looking for groups to host – see more details below. 

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT VISIONING RETREAT


Thank you, thank you, thank you! What a wonderful retreat on Sunday! We are grateful for your enthusiastic participation on such a hot day!


We gathered invaluable information from you that we are now in the process of synthesizing from the specific activities you all offered in our three thematic areas: Relational Church, Mission-Active and Community-Integrated.

There were several resources shared at this session:

• presentation slide deck 
• retreat handouts 
• ExecutiveInsite report (data) that was the basis of our community needs report

Again, many thanks for your participation and enthusiasm!

BEGINNING SUNDAY: LEMONADE ON THE LAWN

Basically, you will need to:

• 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.

• There is a bin near the ice maker in the kitchen area marked “Lemonade on the Lawn” that has what you need. There are also coolers in this area. Get the provided beverages (lemonade and iced tea) from the refrigerator (with the Lemonade on the Lawn sign), and ice from the ice machine.

• 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. We thank "the Kitchen Crew" for hosting this week.

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 (bit.ly/42TDejr), and we'll have a paper sign-up form at the Sunday service.

HOLIDAY CLOSINGS


The Preschool’s last day of classes is today (Friday, May 22); they will reopen with their Summer Splash program on Monday, June 1. The church building will be closed this Monday, May 25 in recognition of Memorial Day, reopening on Tuesday.

UPCOMING INQUIRERS SESSION

Newcomers to FPCB are invited to attend an upcoming Inquirers Seminar. It’s a casual, relational afternoon session to learn more about one another and more about FPCB. This is also the first step for folks considering joining us as new members.  

We do have enough folks interested, so we’re planning to get together on Sunday, June 7 around 11 a.m. (after our 10 a.m. Summer Worship service), and we’ll finish by 1:30-1:45 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. 

Please let Lindsey know via email (lclifton@fpc-bethlehem.org) that you’re interested in participating.

GETTING READY…

In anticipation of our move to Christ UCC Church at the beginning of 2027, we are doing some cleaning out! Even with all the items we sold at our two sales last summer, there are “still” many to be deleted from our inventory.

We’re gearing up for a big Indoor Yard Sale on Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20 from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. The sale will be held in the Kirk Center (gym).

Then on Thursday, June 18 we’ll offer a Preview Sale – open to FPCB members from noon – 6 p.m.; Preschool families are welcome to come by beginning at 4 p.m. More details to come!

HI NEIGHBORS: THANKS FOR A GREAT SERIES

Many thanks for another successful series of presentations from our Hi Neighbors speakers program! We averaged between 55-60 folks attending each of the nine programs, which focused on history, travel, local organizations, and much more.

FOOD DONATIONS: SUPPORTING OUR NEIGHBORS


When you’re doing your grocery shopping, do you ever come across a ‘buy one / get one free” offer, and you think, “I really don’t need that second one.” Rather than passing it up, this may be a perfect opportunity to pick up a donation for our monthly food collection!

WHAT YOU MISSED ON FACEBOOK…


We love a good celebration, and last Wednesday we got to fete our staff for National Receptionist Day and World Facilities Management Day!

FOR SUNDAY’S IN-PERSON WORSHIP:

Child care will be available from 9:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. this Sunday; 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 – NEW SCHEDULE!


• 9:45– 11:15 a.m. – Child care available (ask ushers to direct you)
• 10:00 a.m. – Summer worship service, Sanctuary (in person and livestreamed on website and Facebook page)
• 11:00 a.m. – Lemonade on the Lawn (west lawn) and post-service discussion opportunity (Narthex)

 
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 Preschool’s last day of classes is today (Friday, May 22); they will reopen with Summer Splash on Monday, June 1. The church building will be closed on Monday, May 25 in recognition of Memorial Day. 

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 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, for emergency pastoral concerns, call 610-674-0005.

PRAYER REQUESTS: Send to prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org or call 610-867-5865 and leave a message.