Friday, January 12, 2024 Newsletter
For Sunday - Communion Sunday:
9:00 a.m.: Holy Ground Contemporary Worship Service
in Fellowship Hall (in person only)
11:00 a.m.: Traditional Worship Service in the Sanctuary
(in person and livestreamed on Facebook and our website)
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A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN:
THE NEXT STEP OF THIS JOURNEY
Friends, as we enter the new year, I am very excited about the opportunities that are before us as a congregation!
Specifically, I am delighted that our efforts at the strategic redevelopment of our church campus are bearing such fruit. Next Wednesday, January 17, at our next Community Meeting, we have the opportunity to see the first glimpses of that fruit, as the Mission Strategy Steering Committee, along with our consultants at Collabo, will be unveiling three initial concept designs for the future of our campus.
I want to stress that these are very much initial draft concepts, not final products in any way. In fact, that is the whole point of the Community Meeting: to gather feedback from both church members and the larger community in reaction to these initial concepts, then go back to the drawing board and revise those concepts accordingly.
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This will also be done through the input of a second survey, which I urge you all to complete and encourage any neighbors you know to do the same, both those in the immediate vicinity of the church and neighbors in Bethlehem more broadly. That said, these initial concepts are some different ways of actualizing the goals of the project and the feedback that we already have in hand, both in terms of desires and concerns. The survey will be available after January 17. |
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This Community Meeting is intentionally designed as an Open House, not a presentation. That means that you can come at any time in the 6-8 p.m. window and explore the three initial concepts at three separate stations in Fellowship Hall, moving at your own pace among the three of them and providing whatever feedback occurs to you in terms of what you like and what you don’t like about each given concept.
We are communicating this to the larger community as well, but it is likely that many of them will still show up right at 6 p.m. So, we want to urge you, as the members of the church, to arrive at 7 p.m. to help cut down on the size of the initial “rush” to engage the concepts. There will be members of the Steering Committee around the Open House and at the three concept “stations” to try and help answer questions.
This work is arguably the most important mission initiative of our congregation right now, so I urge you to make a special effort to attend if you are in any way able to do so. Your input is crucial to us making this a true mission of the congregation, and it is taken very seriously in the design process, as you will be able to see even in the initial drafts. Even if you cannot attend, please make sure you complete the survey once it is posted. I hope to see as many of you as possible next Wednesday!
Grace and Peace,
J.C.
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- This week’s sermon: Rise and Shine: Breaking and Entering by the Rev. J.C. Austin
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We post the video of each week’s services and sermon text on our website: fpc-bethlehem.org
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TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper for Sunday:
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This Sunday is Communion Sunday in the Traditional service.
If you would like to participate from home while watching
the livestreamed service, you can prepare your own elements:
bread or a bread-like item (cracker, pita, bagel, etc.)
and grape juice, wine or water.
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FOR SUNDAY’S IN-PERSON WORSHIP:
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Child care will be available from 8:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. this Sunday morning; please ask an usher for directions.
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Your children are a joy in our worship services, and should the need arise, “kid bags” are available for their use. They are in the Narthex.
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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.
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MORE DETAILS FOR COMMUNITY MEETING #2: OPEN HOUSE |
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The format of our upcoming Community Meeting for our campus planning efforts for this coming Wednesday, January 17, will be Open House style, meaning the event is floating. |
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There will be three stations, each with a different concept design to learn about and give feedback on; an overview handout will have the basic information about all three concepts, and it will guide folks through the three stations. (Steering Committee members will also be on hand to direct people around.)
FPCB church members are asked to come at 7:00 p.m. or after to allow ample space for community members who are likely planning to arrive at 6:00 p.m. We’re looking forward to this next step in the planning process!
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WOULD YOU SERVE AS A LECTOR?
We are recruiting volunteers to serve as lectors for our Holy Ground service at 9 a.m. on Sundays. You will be given a passage of scripture to read, several days before the service so you can prepare.
Dates are available for February and March, and you can use this easy online sign-up form or contact us at the main office number, 610-867-5865. Thanks for considering!
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SATURDAY WORK DAY: FOR YOUR CALENDAR |
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We're looking for volunteers to help with chores around our building and campus. It's scheduled for 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, January 13). A lunch of homemade chili will be provided so please let us know if you're planning to come: info@fpc-bethlehem.org or call the main office at 610-867-5865.
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Planned activities include interior painting and cleaning, and (if weather permits) cleaning up tree branches (raking and picking up). |
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FPCB volunteers will be cooking and serving dinner for the guests at Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering on Wednesday, January 24.
We need volunteers to help cook, serve, clean up during and after the meal, and serve as shower monitor (which is just a simple check-in process).
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HEARTS N MINDS: ALL ARE WELCOME |
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The Hearts N Minds adult education class will meet this Sunday, January 14, meeting at 9:45 a.m. in the Parlor.
All are welcome to join the discussion of Father Richard Rohr’s book, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. The assignment for this week is Chapter 2: The Hero and Heroine’s Journey (pages 17-24).
In case of bad weather, the class will meet via Zoom using this link. Any changes in the schedule will be announced on our website, Facebook page, and on a message on the church phone, 610-867-5865.
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After this Sunday’s class, Hearts N Minds will take a short hiatus until Sunday, February 25. You are encouraged to consider attending our new program, “Navigating a New Terrain: Learning from the Pandemic” (see below).
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NAVIGATING A NEW TERRAIN: A NEW SERIES
Interested in sharing some ideas, information, and questions about what we learned from the pandemic?
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Join us for a new adult ed offering. The first session will be on Sunday, January 21 from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in Room 400 to help us define the focus of the remaining three sessions of the course, which will be held the first three Sundays in February. Pre-registration is required
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The first session will be a discussion of “Lessons Learned from the Pandemic." Suggestions for the subsequent sessions, which will be adapted based on responses of attendees, could include topics such as: Redefining Family and Relationships, Processing Loss, Facing Uncertainty, and Coping with Stress.
Additional sessions may be offered at a later date if there is sufficient interest. Questions should be directed to Melody Engel at info@fpc-bethlehem.org or the church office number.
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TRAINING FOR HOSPITAL MINISTRANTS AND HOME VISITORS
Join us for the follow up training and review of the processes for caring for our congregation. We have made changes that will expedite visits and increase our vision in the community.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 17 from 4 -5:30 p.m. in the Parlor. Please plan to stay for the follow up 6 p.m. Community Meeting for our “Building Community” initiative (above). Food will be provided prior to the 6 p.m. meeting.
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LOOKING AHEAD...
Sunday, January 28:
- 10 a.m.: Combined Worship Service - Sanctuary
- 11 a.m.: Annual Meeting of the Congregation and Corporation - Sanctuary (in person and livestreamed)
- 12:30 p.m.: Pasta Luncheon Fundraiser, provided by Boy Scout Troop 302 (more details to come)
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Several years ago the FPCB staff began the tradition of a January “Exhale Party” – that is, to take some time for fun and a big ‘cleansing breath’ after the action-packed Advent and Christmas calendars.
This week our staffers met up at Steel City Bowling to bowl a couple of games and share some well-earned downtime.
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Some shout-out’s: Tracy – four strikes in a row and high games (along with Chris), David – high series, and Brandon, who turned it around in a big way for the Most Improved!
From left: David Macbeth, Lindsey Altvater Clifton, Tracy Lesczynski, Carol Burns, Chris Devatt, J.C. Austin, Kevin Konczyk, and Brandon Bereznak.
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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 answering service at 610-778-7003.
PRAYER REQUESTS...
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Send us your news and photos to share:
**Deadline for the next newsletter:
WEDNESDAY at noon**
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Your likes / comments / shares help us spread the word about First Pres!
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TO JOIN OUR LIVESTREAM WORSHIP SERVICE
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Visit our Facebook page and look for the post with our live feed
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If you don’t have a Facebook account, go to our website to view the service - click on the "Watch the Service" button
- Please check in with a comment so we know you’ve joined us!
- Captions will now be 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
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THIS SUNDAY - COMMUNION SUNDAY
- 8:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)
- 9:00 a.m.: Holy Ground Contemporary Worship service, in-person in Fellowship Hall
- 9:45 a.m.: Hearts N Minds adult ed class, Parlor – all are welcome!
- 11:00 a.m.: Traditional Worship service, in-person in the Sanctuary and livestreamed on Facebook and on our website
WEDNESDAYS: 7 p.m. - Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom.com (NEW! meeting #: 868 2214 2960; passcode: OO-Beth)
CHURCH OFFICE AND BUILDING INFO:
The church building, office and Preschool will be closed on Monday, January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. 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.
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM |
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2344 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017 610-867-5865 | info@fpc-bethlehem.org
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