Friday, April 11, 2025 Newsletter



For Sunday - Palm Sunday

9:00 a.m.: Holy Ground Contemporary Worship Service

 (in person in Fellowship Hall)

11:15 a.m.: Traditional Worship Service

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

A MESSAGE FROM REV. KAREN KINNEY:

PUT YOURSELF IN THE SCENES

Grace and Peace to you,         

I want to extend an invitation to you to accompany Jesus in this last week of his life. This Sunday, April 13, is Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week, a time when we are given the opportunity to walk with Jesus. Pastor Lindsey will help us experience the rag-tag parade Jesus led into Jerusalem. We will wave our palms, put ourselves into the crowd, and begin to contemplate the suffering of Jesus.

Six storytellers will take us from the garden to the site of his “hearing,” his torture, the cross and death. We will sing sacred hymns, extinguish candles and end in Good Friday darkness. You’ll go home with materials for guided prayer and reflection on Friday, April 18. 

To prepare for the meal, we need you to RSVP: complete this short online form or call the church office at 610-867-5865.

The Thursday service will also be shared on livestream on our Facebook page and website (fpc-bethlehem.org). If you join us on the livestream, we invite you to prepare a simple meal for yourself and your Communion elements (bread or bread-like item like cracker, pita or bagel, and grape juice, wine and water), and, if you can, have a candle available. We’ll share the guided prayer and reflection materials for Good Friday (noted above), and you may want to have on hand a nail, cross, and small amount of oil.

On Saturday, April 19, join us at 8 p.m. online for a recorded Compline Service. (This will be online only on Facebook and our website; there will not be an in-person gathering.) Bear witness to the sorrow felt by Mary, the disciples, and friends at the death of their beloved Jesus. 

This will all culminate in our joyous Easter services on Sunday, April 20. What did the disciples feel then?!

Come and experience Holy Week. Put yourself in the scenes.

Blessings,

Pastor Karen

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

Traditional Worship Service (4 pages)

EXPERIENCING HOLY WEEK AT FPC

Palm Sunday – Sunday, April 13

9 a.m.: Holy Ground worship service, Fellowship Hall (in-person only)

11:15 a.m.: Traditional worship service, Sanctuary (in-person and via livestream)

Maundy Thursday: The Last 24 Hours – Thursday, April 17

6:30 p.m.: This special service will include a light meal, communion, music and storytelling; Fellowship Hall (in-person and via livestream). RSVP’s needed: complete this short online form or call the church office at 610-867-5865.

Holy Saturday: Compline – Saturday, April 19

8 p.m.: Join us on Facebook or our website for a recorded Compline Service. This will be online only; there will not be an in-person gathering. Bear witness to the sorrow felt by Mary, the disciples, and friends at the death of their beloved Jesus. 

Easter Sunday – Sunday, April 20

9 a.m.: Holy Ground worship service, Fellowship Hall (in-person only)

11:15 a.m.: Traditional worship service, Sanctuary (in-person and via livestream

CHANGES IN YOUR TRADITIONAL BULLETIN

This Sunday, April 13, you will notice a few changes to your bulletin for the Traditional worship service. First, you will see that we have added a Minute for Mission to our Offering time. We want to lift up the mission programs, and opportunities for spiritual growth that are happening in our church that benefit our community and us. 

In my short time here, I am aware of the many efforts we undertake to be love in our community. This Sunday, at both services, we will lift up the Discipleship Retreat scheduled for Saturday, May 3 (see details below). 

Another change is that we will no longer print the lyrics to the hymns; instead, you will have the opportunity to return to your hymnals and read both the lyrics and the music. Those of you who worship online will continue to see the lyrics scrolled across your screen. If you have questions, please direct them to Pastor Karen.         

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH FAIRNESS PENNSYLVANIA!

Last week at our 11:15 a.m. service, we were pleased to welcome Andrew Schneider, the Executive Director of Fairness WV, which is the sponsoring organization of Fairness PA.  

Their mission is to ensure LGBTQ+ people can be open, honest and safe at home, at work, and in the community, and they are open to everyone who believes in fundamental fairness.

If you would like to receive alerts, or become involved with Fairness PA, please visit their website at: fairnesspenn.org/

HEARTS N MINDS ADULT ED CLASS: JOIN US ON SUNDAY

FOR SUNDAY – JOIN US FOR BODY N SOUL

During the season of Lent, Body N Soul will be studying the theme Love God, Neighbor, Enemy. We will consider how we can embody the action of the verb love to follow the command to love God, neighbor, and enemy. While the idea of this kind of love is something that we affirm as Christians, the practice of this expansive love is complex and requires attention and intention in our daily lives. In this unit, we will look at a variety of stories in the Bible as models of putting love into practice through service and servanthood, mercy, courage, and peace.

FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE  

Standing at the Crossroads: A Conversation about Discernment 

Saturday, May 3 

9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

We seek to know what is not clear. Our hope: to step out confidently, moving from darkness to light. Yes, from doubt to clarity. Yes to an understanding of our path. Oh Lord, my anxious soul seek peace. 

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING: THROUGH EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 20

All three programs work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope.

Special envelopes are available in your packet of envelopes, or at the info table in Fellowship Hall or Narthex.

**POSTPONED** TO NEXT SATURDAY: EASTER EGG HUNT FUN!

Easter Egg Hunt & Spring Festival (10-11:30 a.m.) 

Saturday, April 19

Our planning committee has put a different spin on our event: while there will be a dash to the eggs, all of them will be empty, and each participant will turn in all of their eggs to receive the same goody bag. 

Note that this event is open to all ages and you are asked to bring your own basket.

Should we have more bad weather on Saturday, April 19, we will hold the event that door, indoors in the Kirk Center.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEHIGH VALLEY FUNDRAISER & COMMUNITY EVENT

She Nailed It! is an all women, nail-hammering, relay competition and one of Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley's signature fundraising events! Our church has a team of women raising funds and competing -Donna Taggart, Allison Masters, Tracy Samuelson, and Polly Beste, with Pastor Lindsey serving as their coach and lead cheerleader.

To support our team—FPCB Hammering for Housing—and HabitatLV, you can make a gift online using the button, below. You can also write a check to the church with She Nailed It! on the memo line. 

We have to raise a minimum of $1,500 by April 18, but we’d love to hit $3,000 by the competition date. (Gifts beyond the initial $1,500 goal can be accepted through May 4.) Any support is much appreciated!

FPCB MISSION STATEMENT T-SHIRTS!

We are excited to be taking pre-orders for FPCB Mission Statement T-shirts! This will be a great way to show our presence in the community at events. Pre-orders must be in by this Sunday, April 13.

HI NEIGHBORS: ANOTHER GREAT PROGRAM COMING

We begin at 9:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall with a social time, followed by the presentation at 10 a.m. All are welcome - there is no registration nor cost to attend.

We'll take a break on Monday, April 21, due to the Easter holiday. For Monday, April 28, we’ll hear from Executive Director Lin Erickson, who will share an overview of the developments of the Da Vinci Science Center, its recent growth and future plans.

CONSIDER JOINING THE NEXT HELPING HANDS TRIP

The next Helping Hands volunteer trip is scheduled for the week of May 3-10 (Saturday to Saturday). The group will be traveling back to New Bern, NC, to address the damage from recent storms and floods. Work is typically done on housing repairs and upgrades - all skill levels are needed!

The deadline to register is April 14 – for more information and details about cost (assistance is available), contact us at info@fpc-bethlehem.org or call the church office at 610-867-5865.

FOR SUNDAY’S IN-PERSON WORSHIP:



Child care will be available from 8:45 a.m. -12:15 p.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 - PALM SUNDAY

-8:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)

-9 a.m.: Holy Ground Contemporary Worship Service, Fellowship Hall – in person only

-10 – 11 a.m.: Hearts N Minds adult ed class, Parlor – all are welcome

-10:10 – 11 a.m.: Body N Soul intergenerational faith formation, Fellowship Hall – all are welcome

-11:15 a.m.: Traditional Worship Service, Sanctuary (in person and livestreamed on Facebook and our website)

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 office and building will be closed Monday, April 21 for the Easter holiday. The Preschool will be closed Thursday, April 17 – Monday, April 21. All will reopen on Tuesday, April 22.  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.