Friday, January 13, 2023 Newsletter
SUNDAY SERVICES
9:00 a.m. ‘Holy Ground’ Contemporary Worship in Fellowship Hall
(in person only)
11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary - Communion
(in person and livestreamed on Facebook and our website, and audio via phone)
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A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN: ANSWERING THE CALL
In two weeks, on January 29 immediately following a combined worship service at
10 a.m., we will be having our Annual Meeting of the Congregation and Corporation of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem.
It is going to be a very special and very important meeting, as we reflect on the previous year and look forward to the future to which God is calling us in 2023 and beyond. Perhaps the most important action we will take, however, is to act on the recommendations of the Congregational Nominating Committee for people to serve as Elders, Deacons, and Trustees.
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Presbyterians hold the right of the people to discern and elect their own leaders to be sacrosanct. Neither I as the Pastor nor the Session as the governing council of the congregation get to vote on who is nominated for office.
You, as the congregation, elect the Nominating Committee directly in the annual meeting each year, and then it is the Nominating Committee’s job to go out and look for those within the congregation who have the gifts, skills, vision, and passion to fulfill the office(s) in question, and at this particular time in the life of our congregation.
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Typically, they begin their work in the early fall, which includes both their own internal conversation about potential candidates and your suggestions that come in through the written nomination process that we do every fall. After a number of conversations, they begin establishing a list of those whom they think are best to ask, and then go out and ask them if they would consider serving.
Not everyone agrees with the Nominating Committee’s assessment that they are called to serve in one of these capacities! But that is both fine and to be expected. In the Presbyterian Church, we understand a calling to have three elements: 1) the providential call: the gifts and skills to do the work involved; 2) the personal call: the individual having a sense that they are to use those providential gifts in a particular ministry; and 3) the congregational call: the church itself recognizing those gifts and issuing the call to the individual. If any one of those three elements is missing, for any office, then it is not a true call, at least for that moment.
You will be receiving more information before the meeting about whom the Nominating Committee is bringing forward for your consideration. Please make sure you pay careful attention to that information when it comes, and make sure you are in attendance at the meeting as we make these very important decisions about our leaders together as a congregation!
Grace and peace,
J.C.
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FOR THIS SUNDAY
Click the link to read the verses
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- This week’s sermon: Eureka - The Bare Minimum by The Rev. J.C. Austin
- We post the video of each week’s
services and sermon text and audio
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TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper for Sunday
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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. on Sunday mornings; please ask an usher for directions.
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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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IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM THE BUILDING REOPENING TASK FORCE:
The Task Force is reminding you that there is a “triple-demic” of three dangerous viruses in the Lehigh Valley: Covid, influenza, and RSV.
There are rising case numbers for all three of these viruses both in the community and among our own church congregation and staff. We strongly encourage people to wear masks. Most importantly, if you are not feeling well, even if you have a “cold,” please attend digitally. What seems like a mild cold could be the predecessor to one of these serious viral infections. We need to protect those members and their families who are immune-compromised or vaccine ineligible.
If you have not been boosted with the bivalent Covid vaccine or have not had your flu shot, please consider attending digitally. Flu is raging now in the community. If you get it, you should ask your doctor for one of the flu drugs such as Tamiflu that, if taken early, moderate your illness. For Covid, the Pfizer drug, Paxlovid, is prescribed for high risk people. If you get Covid, we recommend that you consult the CDC website to help you determine when you can end isolation.
In order to reduce contact and possible virus spread, we will mark every other pew in the Sanctuary with a yellow post it note. Please don’t sit in these rows. If we all work together we can reduce the impact of these viruses on our vulnerable members and ourselves.
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HEARTS N MINDS ADULT ED: NEW YEAR, NEW BOOK, NEW LOCATION |
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The Hearts N Minds classes have resumed on Sundays, meeting from 9:45 – 10:40 a.m. in the Parlor (upstairs above the main church office). Please feel free to come even if you have not read the book.
The group is studying a new book, Elusive Grace: Loving Your Enemies While Striving for God’s Justice by Pastor Scott Black Johnson, senior pastor at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian in Manhattan. It is on sale through the PCUSA bookstore; we also encourage you to check online used book stores.
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For this Sunday, January 15, we will read and discuss pages 11-24, chapters about temperance and justice. The lack of temperance is especially impacting political interaction and discussion today - can anything be done about it? |
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SOME REMINDERS FOR YOU…
IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER: Look for updates on our website (fpc-bethlehem.org), Facebook page, and WFMZ (channel 69 and wfmz.com). We’ll also put a message on our church phone, 610-867-5865.
PLEDGE ENVELOPES: If you ordered pledge envelopes, they will be mailed directly to you from the envelope company. Because of supply chain issues, they will be shipped in the next couple of weeks.
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FPCB will be cooking and serving dinner for the guests at Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering on Wednesday, January 25. We need volunteers to help cook and serve dinner, clean up during service and after the meal, and serve as shower monitor (which is just a simple check-in process).
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If you’re not available this time, please save the date for our next BES dinner later in the shelter season: Wednesday, March 29.
Looking for other ways to support BES? Check their other volunteer opportunities - some of the groups providing dinners need help for particular jobs, and they also need help picking up food donations around our community. |
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LOOKING AHEAD…
On Sunday, January 29, we will offer one Combined Service at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary, followed by our Annual Meeting of the Congregation and Corporation.
This will be followed by a Pasta Lunch at 12:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall – this is a fundraiser put on by Boy Scout Troop 302. It will feature baked ziti, meatballs, and all the trimmings for a suggested donation of $12 for adults, and $6 for kids 10 and under; cash or check.
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The Lunch Bunch - an informal group which meets for friendship and fun - will reconvene for a lovely midwinter get-together on Thursday, January 26 at noon at Rudy's Bar and Grill, 1406 Center St., Bethlehem. All are welcome to join us!
Please let us know if you plan to attend so we can alert Rudy’s with the number.
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610-867-5865. Hope to see many of you for a relaxed, social lunch! Let's hope for good weather.
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IF YOU ARE HOSPITALIZED…
We would like to know when our members are entering the hospital. Please tell the hospital that your church ID is 724 and they will contact us. You can also contact Phil
PRAYER REQUESTS...
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Send us your news and photos to share:
**Deadline for the next week's 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 SERVICES
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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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IF YOU DO NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS: You can participate on your phone to listen to the Christmas Eve and Sunday services
To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 848 4170 9518, followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – press the # key again.
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THIS SUNDAY
- 8:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)
- 9:00 a.m.: “Holy Ground” Contemporary service, Fellowship Hall (in person only)
- 9:45 a.m.: Hearts N Minds adult ed class, Parlor – all are welcome
- 10:00 a.m.: Hospitality Time & Intergenerational Faith Formation, Fellowship Hall – all are welcome
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11:00 a.m.: Traditional Worship Service, in-person in the Sanctuary AND livestream on Facebook Live and our website; below, to join us online
WEDNESDAYS: 7 p.m. - Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom (Meeting # 380 435 9056 / Password: overcomer)
THURSDAYS: 7 p.m. - Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary
CHURCH OFFICE AND BUILDING INFO:
The building, church office and Preschool will be closed on Monday, January 16, in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. We will re-open with normal hours on Tuesday, January 17.
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 members of the FPCB congregation are hospitalized and would welcome pastoral and hospital ministrant visitors and/or prayers, please contact: Phil Fair, Prayer Ministrant (prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org).
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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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