|
*Be sure to read to the end - if you see "View entire message" at the bottom,
click that to see the rest of the newsletter.*
| | |
Friday, Aug. 7, 2026 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: BEING OF THE SAME MIND
Grace and peace to you,
This week we continue in our series “Pressing On,” taking up Philippians 2:1-13 which is known as the Christ Hymn. It is a beautiful passage that encourages the reader/hearer (including us in our century) to be united with Christ having the same mind, the same love, the same attitude as Christ Jesus. This sameness unites us with Christ and with one another.
| | |
There is a beautiful Spiritual called Woke Up This Morning (all the lyrics). Here is the first verse:
Woke up this mornin' with my mind, stayed on Jesus.
Woke up this mornin' with my mind, stayed on Jesus.
Woke up this mornin' with my mind, stayed on Jesus.
Hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah.
| | | |
Every verse reminds us that in everything we do our minds need to stay on Jesus. Christ Jesus needs to be our focus in every activity as individuals and as a community of faith. Keeping our minds on Jesus ties us together with the grace and love that Jesus extends to us. Keeping our minds on Jesus makes it impossible for us to ignore someone else’s needs, to hate someone, to treat someone badly, to be judgmental but instead be open and loving. What was the mind of Jesus? What were the actions of Jesus?
Philippians 2:1-13 is a beautiful recounting of the mind and actions of Jesus – he did not exploit his relationship with God to injure others, he became like us – human; he humbled himself on our behalf and God honored him. The same God who honored Jesus is the God who enables us to live as if we do have the same mind as Jesus.
Can we do this? Can we strive to be of the same mind? Can being of the same mind tie us together through the grace and love of Jesus Christ? See what happens tomorrow when you wake up with your mind stayed on Jesus.
Our breath prayer this Sunday is this: Unite us through grace; to love like Jesus.
Come and explore and breathe together!
Blessings,
Pastor Karen
| | FOR THIS SUNDAY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |
If you did not pick up a copy of our Mission Study report, there will be extras available in the Narthex.
After our worship service, you have two opportunities to connect. We’ll have tables set up in the Narthex for anyone who would like to discuss the morning’s sermon.
You’re also invited to our Lemonade on the Lawn social time: weather permitting, we’ll meet on the West Lawn (otherwise in the North Link). Thank you to Jane Masters and Donna Knepp for hosting Lemonade on the Lawn this Sunday. Please consider taking a Sunday slot! See more details below.
For this Sunday (and until further notice), child care during worship service will be offered in room 216 (ask the ushers to direct you).
| | If you’re a gardener with extra bounty to share, we invite you to bring it to Sunday worship – we’ll have a table set up at Lemonade on the Lawn where you can put it. Available for others to take, no charge! | | | Anything left over will be donated to New Bethany, along with other produce harvested from the CommUNITY Garden located on our campus. | | |
SUMMER WORSHIP HELP: CHILDREN'S SERMON SIGN-UP
We'd love to have some other voices lead our children's sermons during summer worship. You'll get the scripture readings and theme info in advance, and we can also provide suggestions or ideas, if you'd like! Please see the sign-up list and volunteer for an upcoming Sunday: volunteersignup.org/hj4yy.
| | A REQUEST AND INVITATION FOR SATURDAY, AUG. 15 | | |
For next Saturday, Aug. 15, FPCB will host the Mountain Laurel Presbytery meeting. We still need a few hands for volunteering if anyone can assist. Please let Karen or Lindsey know if you can help with parking, greeting, registering, or kitchen help, beginning at 9 a.m.
Even if you are not an elder commissioner (these folks are current Session members), you are able to attend the 10 a.m. meeting in the Sanctuary as a guest if you would like. During worship (which follows), we are featuring a panel of four churches (including ours) who have or are in the process of using their buildings to fill community needs. Come and see what a Presbytery meeting is like.
| | | MOVING TOWARD A NEW PASTOR CALL | | The Nominating Committee has completed its work on recruiting a slate of seven people for the Pastor Nominating Committee. Session has called a congregational meeting immediately following worship on Sunday, Aug. 16 for the purpose of electing the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). | | | |
A Zoom link will be provided for those members who would like to attend virtually. This will be announced in Sunday’s worship announcements.
The seven people on the slate are: Kate Arrington, Janet Bickford, Bob Hunsicker, Bekah Masthay (who has resigned from the Nominating Committee), Kim Miner, Alex Mountain, and Judith Smullen.
We thank these seven for their willingness to serve. We also thank the members of the Nominating Committee who worked diligently to recruit this slate of nominees. They are Allison Masters and Aileen Williams (co-chairs), Pam Phillippe, Belle Marks, Froy Thompson, Becky Gorton, and Evelyn Kuserk, who serves as the Deacon representative.
| | |
GROWING OUR COMMUNITY
Per Pastor Lindsey’s recent update about this new initiative, here’s a reminder for those who were interested in updates and next steps following the last Metro-IAF leaders lunch. This is an effort focused on relational community organizing and opportunities to build a broad-based power coalition in the Lehigh Valley. There are two more upcoming chances to connect and be part of the early stages of this important work:
Metro-IAF Community Leaders Lunch - Tuesday, Aug. 11, 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
| | This is an opportunity for local community and faith leaders to explore relational organizing. We are working toward a community listening and voter engagement campaign as a first step in building a broad-based power coalition with Metro-IAF. Clergy and/or lay leaders interested in community engagement and justice-seeking who might be willing to build a small team from their faith community or organization are invited! (If you might be interested in joining the FPCB team, this is for you!) | | | |
Metro-IAF Training for Listening/Voter Campaign - Tuesday, Aug. 25, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Lehigh Conference of Churches, 457 W. Allen St., Allentown
This is the team training to help us facilitate the community listening and voter engagement campaign. The hope is that local faith communities and other organizations will bring their core group of volunteers to this for skill-building before launching the relational organizing efforts. (You don’t have to come to the Leaders Lunch to attend the Training with our group.)
These are great opportunities for connection and learning that will help us lean more fully into all three of those Mission Study commitments! If you’re interested in attending one or both of these, please let Lindsey know via email.
| | |
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU: SITTING WITH THE PSALMS
Sundays: Aug. 9, 16, 23, and 30
9:00 – 9:45 a.m.
Church Library
| | |
Gail Watts, Janet Bickford, Jo-Ellen Darling, Mike Jendzeizyk, Ginny Smith and Richard Smith invite you to join with them in the Church Library on Sundays in August, as we open ourselves to the inspiration and wisdom that the Psalms have for our lives.
Sometimes it’s easy to simply say the words of the Psalms we have known. What if we discovered that, as prayers, the Psalms relate directly to our concerns and cares, guiding us in finding consolation as God’s Word speaking into our lives?
| | | We hope you will join us in sitting with a different Psalm each Sunday in August. An open heart and a willing spirit are all that are needed. | | VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR LEHIGH VALLEY PRIDE FESTIVAL | | |
The Lehigh Valley Pride Festival is coming up on Sunday, Aug. 30 at SteelStacks from 1:00-7:00 p.m. Like in previous years, we are sharing booth spaces with other Mountain Laurel Presbytery churches, so we need FPCB volunteers to come help with temporary tattoos, an information table, and cornhole game.
You can sign up using this link and indicate which part of the booth you’d like to help with: https://volunteersignup.org/JFLL9
| | | This is always a wonderful opportunity to share God’s love and affirmation with the LGBTQ+ community, so we hope to see you there! (Wear your FPCB T-shirts if you plan to volunteer!) | | SUNDAY CONNECTION: LEMONADE ON THE LAWN | | |
Our popular social time will be offered after our 10 a.m. service, on the front (west) lawn as weather permits – otherwise we’ll meet in the North Link.
NOTE: We really depend on small groups and families to step up to host these events, and we have several more weeks to fill – including Sundays, Aug. 23 and Sept. 6.
| | | |
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 Mission Strategy team 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.
| | FOOD DONATIONS: SUPPORTING OUR NEIGHBORS | | |
Thank you for your generous response to the Summer Harvest Food Drive, our July recipient – we’ll soon have the total of how much we donated.
For August we will be supporting the Animal Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley. They have specifically asked for dry dog and cat food only. You can drop those donations at the south entrance and in the North Link.
| | | Many thanks for considering how you can help feed our (furry) neighbors! | |
Lost it? We found it!
We've amassed quite a collection of apparel, hats, scarves, and other miscellaneous items that are currently located by the south entrance.
There are also a good number of glasses, keys, and jewelry items that have been turned in - they are on the counter in the main office.
Please take a moment to check these items so we can get them back to their rightful homes! Anything not claimed in two weeks will be donated.
| | | |
Send us your news and photos to share:
info@fpc-bethlehem.org
**Deadline for the next newsletter:
WEDNESDAY at noon**
* * *
And follow us on Facebook: @FirstPresBethlehem
Your likes / comments / shares help us spread the word about First Pres!
| | |
TO JOIN OUR LIVESTREAM WORSHIP SERVICE
-
Visit our Facebook page and look for the post with our live feed
-
If you don’t have a Facebook account, go to our website to view the service - click on "Watch" at the top and then the "Watch the Service" button
- Please check in with a comment so we know you’ve joined us!
- Captions are 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
| | |
FOR SUNDAY’S IN-PERSON WORSHIP:
Child care will be available from 9:45 - 11:15 a.m. this Sunday; they will meet in room 216.
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 available in room 216
- 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:
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.
| | FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM | |
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2344 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017 610-867-5865 | info@fpc-bethlehem.org
Rev. Karen Kinney, Transitional Pastor/Head of Staff; KKinney@fpc-bethlehem.org
Rev. Lindsey Altvater Clifton, Associate Pastor for Justice and Community Impact; LClifton@fpc-bethlehem.org
David Macbeth, Director of Music Ministries; ext. 202; DMacbeth@fpc-bethlehem.org
David Crook, Director of Church Administration; ext. 210; DCrook@fpc-bethlehem.org
Kevin Konczyk, Facilities Manager; KKonczyk@fpc-bethlehem.org
Carol Burns, Communications Manager; ext. 238; CBurns@fpc-bethlehem.org
Lisa Todd, Preschool Director; phone: 610-867-2956; LTodd@fpc-bethlehem.org
Brenda Robinson, Office Manager: ext. 211; BusinessOffice@fpc-bethlehem.org
Website: www.fpc-bethlehem.org
| | | | |
