Friday, March 19, 2021 Newsletter
SUNDAY SERVICES ONLINE VIA FACEBOOK LIVE:
9:00 a.m. Contemporary
11:00 a.m. Traditional (also available on our website and via phone)
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A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Looking ahead to Holy Week
Next Sunday, March 28, is Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week, the most important time of the year on the Christian calendar.
I want to talk a little bit this week about what Holy Week will look like this year so that you can make your plans accordingly. First, Palm Sunday will be our first outdoor worship service (weather permitting) since winter arrived.
This seems particularly fitting, given that Palm Sunday commemorates the outdoor celebration of the crowd that welcomed Jesus on his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. We will, of course, be physically distanced in a way that crowd was not (!), but it will be a wonderful way to begin Holy Week together.
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As with previous outdoor services, this one will combine elements of traditional and contemporary worship styles, but it will “lean” contemporary because traditional music, in particular, does not translate well to an outdoor setting for us. If the weather proves uncooperative, we will go to a digital-only combined service that will be livestreamed from inside the church (the service will be livestreamed either way).
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Later in the week is what is known in the most traditional circles of the Christian church as “the Triduum,” which is simply Latin for “three days.” It means the three days of worship and prayer that cover Jesus’ last supper with his disciples (on Maundy Thursday), his subsequent arrest, trial, torture, crucifixion, death, and burial (on Good Friday), the Sabbath day after his burial (Holy Saturday), and, of course, his resurrection from the dead on Easter. We will have services on all of those days to mark the passage of Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday, on April 1 at 7 p.m. this year, will be a service on Zoom that will include prayer, music, and Scripture, with “digital Upper Rooms” for us to break into small groups to reflect on the Scripture reading and to share the sacrament of Communion together.
The next day is Good Friday, and we will have our traditional Tenebrae service of candlelight and shadow on Facebook Live starting at 8 p.m. The Tenebrae Service tells the story of Jesus’ last few days in Jerusalem up through his burial. It is, quite simply, my favorite worship service of the entire year, and an extraordinarily powerful experience.
On Holy Saturday, we will have a Compline Service on Facebook Live starting at 7 p.m. Compline is a contemplative service of prayer and music that is well-suited to Holy Saturday’s sense of waiting after the events of the previous two days.
Finally, of course, there is Easter! For Easter we will be offering digital services on Facebook Live at the usual times: 9 a.m. for Contemporary, and 11 a.m. for Traditional. Both services will have special celebratory elements, particularly in terms of music, to help us worship God appropriately on this holiest of days in the Christian faith. In fact, this is the primary reason why we are not doing outdoor worship on Easter instead of (or in addition to) Palm Sunday.
If you have attended outdoor worship, you know that contemporary music translates well to the outdoor setting with the band. Traditional music, however, suffers outdoors since any organ music must be played from an audio track, special instrumentalists like brass do not come across as well, and multiple vocalists are not safe.
In addition, the livestream is not quite the same quality outdoors, and for many members, friends, and neighbors, livestream will continue to be the best option for them for a while. Put all that together, and we felt that the best worship service for Easter this year would be in a digital format.
We will offer a Hospitality time after the 11 a.m. service via Zoom, for all of us to gather together and celebrate the day.
So: I hope that your Lenten journey has been a meaningful one so far, and that you will make your plans now for an intentional and powerful Holy Week experience starting with Palm Sunday next week on March 28!
Grace and Peace,
JC
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FOR THIS SUNDAY
Scripture lesson:
Click the link to read the verses
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· This week's sermon: Longing For Light by The Rev. Lindsey Altvater Clifton
· We post each week’s sermon
(audio and text) on our website:
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TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper for Sunday
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LOOKING AHEAD
Sunday, March 28: Palm Sunday (see related article below)
- 9 a.m.: Hearts N Minds
- 10:15-10:45 a.m.: Zoom Sunday School
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11 a.m.: Combined Worship Service, to be held outdoors on the east side of the building (it will also be shared on Facebook Live and via Zoom for phone only)
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4 p.m.: Organ concert by Bryan Holten, to watch live on our Facebook page and website homepage (details below)
Sunday, April 4: Easter Sunday – Communion Sunday
- 9 a.m.: Contemporary Worship Service via Facebook Live and on our website
- 9 a.m.: NO Hearts N Minds today
- 10:15-10:45 a.m.: Zoom Sunday School
- 11 a.m.: Traditional Worship Service via Facebook Live and on our website
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Hospitality Time following the 11 a.m. service, via Zoom
Sunday, April 11
- 9 a.m.: Contemporary Worship Service via Facebook Live and on our website
- 9 a.m.: Hearts N Minds
- 10:15-10:45 a.m.: NO Zoom Sunday School today
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10:15-10:45 a.m.: Easter Hymn Sing via Zoom (details to come)
- 11 a.m.: Traditional Worship Service via Facebook Live and on our website
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DETAILS FOR PALM SUNDAY
We are excited to offer an outdoor Combined Worship Service on Palm Sunday,
March 28, at 11 a.m. The service will be held on the east side of the building, and will also feature the installation and ordination of our new elders, trustees and deacons.
Please complete this short online form with the number of people from your household who will be attending. You can also call the church office at 610-867-5865 and leave a message.
Protocols will be in place:
- Everyone must wear a mask.
- Bring your own chairs.
- Follow the instructions of the volunteers for parking and where to sit.
- You will be asked to sign in for contact tracing purposes, and you will be provided with a bulletin.
The Congregational Life Committee has prepared small loaves of homebaked bread that they will distribute for you to take home; these can be used for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday communion services. (If you would like a loaf of bread please send an email to CongLife@fpc-bethlehem.org or leave a message at 610-867-5865.)
The service will also be livestreamed on Facebook Live and our website homepage. In case of bad weather, the outdoor service will not be rescheduled.
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EASTER LILIES
If you would like to make a donation toward the Easter lilies that will be used to decorate for Easter, please do that by Wednesday, March 31. You can make it in memory or honor of someone; please note that name and “Easter lilies” on your check, sent to the church Business office, or made online at fpc-bethlehem.org/donate. Add “Easter lilies” and the name to the memo box. Thank you!
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LENTEN SUPPER SERIES
There is one more session for our Lenten Supper Series on Wednesday, March 24, via Zoom. “Exploring the Art(s) of Preaching” is the topic to be presented by J.C. Austin.
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You are welcome to join the Zoom at 6:00 p.m., for 30 minutes of fellowship time (you can eat your supper online with others or just enjoy the conversation).
The program begins at 6:30 p.m. and runs for an hour – if you have not already joined in, please sign in before 6:30 so we can start on time.
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To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 893 3839 7818 followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – simply press the # key again.
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Or you can leave a message for her on the church phone, 610-867-5865.
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CONGREGATIONAL LIFE: LOOKING AHEAD
You’ll want to note these opportunities, coming to you courtesy of the Congregational Life committee:
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To join via Zoom: bit.ly/3viWGnk
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To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 885 9291 7782, followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – press the # key again.
Sunday, March 28 – Palm Sunday: After the Combined Worship Service at 11 a.m., which will be held outdoors on the east side of the building, the committee will distribute small loaves of homebaked bread that you can take home and use for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday communion services.
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Saturday, April 3 – Easter Egg Hunt
We’re offering an opportunity for the young ones in our congregation – along with our FPCB Preschool friends – to gather outdoors for an Easter Egg Hunt, beginning at 10 a.m.
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ORGAN CONCERT: NEW DATE
Sunday, March 28 at 4 p.m.
via Facebook Live and on our website
Organist Bryan Holten will present a special concert in our Sanctuary that you can enjoy from home via Facebook Live and on our church website. At the conclusion of the concert, you can join Bryan via Zoom for a ‘meet and greet’ session.
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Bryan attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he completed the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Organ Performance and Literature. He has studied organ with David Higgs, Michel Bouvard, and Edoardo Bellotti, in addition to a curriculum in keyboard technique, improvisation, and harpsichord. In 2014, he received the Jim Cochran Recital Award, in recognition of his second DMA degree recital.
To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 810 345 10146 and push ## (twice).
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HEARTS N MINDS: ADULT EDUCATION CLASS
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The Hearts N Minds adult ed class is exploring The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending the Bible Has Made us Unable to Read It by Peter Enns.
Reading for this Sunday: chapter five: “Jesus is Bigger Than the Bible,” pages 167-189 and read “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7).
Meeting ID: 811 8422 0450
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To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 811 8422 0450, followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – simply press the # key again. |
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SUNDAY SCHOOL: TWO OPTIONS TO ENJOY |
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We are pleased to offer two Sunday School options for families! Gather with other families on Sunday mornings between 10:15-10:45 a.m. for a Zoom session; you can also do “anytime” Sunday School with a prerecorded series of videos on our website.
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This week's story is from the book of Genesis 25: 24-3: Esau's Impatience. Patience is waiting until later for what you want now. Sometimes we have to wait for things when we really, really don't want to.
Meeting ID: 928 9221 9682 / Password: 369116
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DO YOU NEED A RIDE?
If you have an appointment to get the Covid vaccine and need a ride, please let us know. You can call the church office (610-867-5865) and leave a message, or send an email to deacons@fpc-bethlehem.org with your name, phone number, the date of your appointment and the time. We will be in touch to make the necessary plans.
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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 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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CALENDAR
THIS SUNDAY
- 9:00 a.m.: Contemporary Worship service via Facebook Live and on our website
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9:00 a.m.: Hearts N Minds – see more information above
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10:15-10:45 a.m.: Sunday School via Zoom – see more information above
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11:00 a.m.: Traditional Worship Service - see instructions in blue box, below, to join us online, and in the yellow box to join us via phone
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FOR THIS SUNDAY: : Worship with us “Live” on Facebook
To watch “live”- as it happens:
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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
- 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
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*** NOTE THE NEW MEETING ID ***
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS: You can participate on your phone to listen to the 11 a.m. Traditional service
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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WEDNESDAYS:
- 7 p.m.: Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom (Meeting # 380 435 9056 / Password: overcomer)
- 7 p.m.: Lenten Supper Series; see more information above
ALL OTHER PUBLIC EVENTS AND GATHERINGS ARE CANCELLED AT THIS TIME unless offered online (see listings on our Facebook page under “Events”)
CHURCH OFFICE AND BUILDING INFO: The office staff is working remotely and checking email and voicemail daily. The answering service (610-778-7003) can take your urgent pastoral concerns, 24 hours a day.
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
Cristy Mette, Administrative Operations Manager: ext. 228;
Andrea Barbehenn, Preschool Director; phone: 610-867-2956;
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