*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, March 6, 2026 Newsletter

For 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: 
Gifted with Spiritual Abundance


Grace and peace to you,


How do you define abundance? Merriam-Webster defines it as an ample quantity or wealth or affluence. Abundance gets interpreted as having a lot of something – usually money or power or material resources. 

In the stories we will explore on Sunday, we see this notion of spiritual abundance lived out. Our Gospel story comes from Mark, and indeed it is in all four Gospels: the feeding of the 5,000 from five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus has tried to give himself and his disciples a break – a quiet space, after sending them out two by two with no provisions, save a staff and enduring the heartbreak of John the Baptist’s beheading. 


But a quiet space was not to be had and soon a crowd of 5,000 men and presumably even more women and children, had gathered to hear his teaching. The disciples want to send them away – let them go into the nearby villages and towns to find something to eat. 


Jesus has another idea though, telling the disciples, you give them something to eat. They immediately think about abundance as money and they don’t have enough. But spiritually, Jesus has more than enough spiritual abundance. And, soon more than 5,000 have enough to eat with 12 baskets left over.

What might it look like to start thinking of abundance in those terms – that we have enough to feed more than 5,000. That we have the gifts of faith and trust, the gift of God’s love to go out and serve in our corner of the world, the gift of grace and mercy that can be extended, and the joy and peace that comes through those gifts. What might our mission and ministry look like if we felt that spiritual abundance every day.

You might recall the story of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church’s spiritual abundance in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The surrounding communities were devastated, but on that next day after the hurricane, members gathered at the church building, removing all the food they had from non-working refrigerators and freezers and cooking it all on gas-powered stoves. 


That day they fed anyone who showed up and within the next few days, they were feeding more than 1,000 people per day. Their mission statement is this: “Has everyone been fed?” They became an anchor in disaster relief for their community. Indeed, their spiritual abundance grew and grew every day. 


In this time of transition, in this time of living in a broken and fearful world, can we hold onto our spiritual abundance? Can we begin to think about abundance in a very different way from how the outside world thinks of abundance? Can we trust that God has gifted us with spiritual abundance, and if we embrace that, how might we answer the question, “Has everyone been fed?” Lots of questions as always. The invitation is to come and see, and come and explore on Sunday.


Blessings,

Pastor Karen

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

Traditional Worship Service (5 pages)


Don’t be early to our Sunday services! For tomorrow night 
(Saturday), set your clocks ahead one hour to “Spring Ahead”!

BYLAWS VOTE: “RIGHT-SIZING” OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM


Last Sunday, March 1, the congregation voted to approve the new bylaws for the congregation and the corporation (Pennsylvania law requires all churches to incorporate). This was a second read that followed a Town Hall held on Feb. 22. 

A special thank-you to the Trustees who have served faithfully this year: Rich Gorton, Cynthia Hahn, Sue Nelson, Sheldon Cooper, Janet Luther, Ginger Seifried, and Glenn Rossetti. 


Rich Gorton will continue as President of the Corporation and Sue Nelson as Secretary of the Corporation. Our co-treasurers remain the same: Phil Clauser and Mark Swank.


At Session’s recommendation, the Nominating Committee will begin work to add three new members of Session, one for each class (2026, 2027 and 2028). Prayers for their work will be appreciated. 

ANOTHER EXCITING JOURNEY: MISSION STUDY


As we look toward calling a new pastor, our congregation is beginning an exciting and meaningful journey called a Mission Study. This is actually a required step in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastoral search process.


Think of it as creating a loving “self-portrait” of our congregation — a chance to reflect on who we are, what we value spiritually, and where we feel God is calling us. All of this information will help our Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) find a leader whose gifts and vision are a thoughtful match for our community.

Over the next two months, we’re inviting everyone to get involved. The Mission Study Committee has planned several meaningful ways for you to share your voice. Here’s a look at the four main initiatives:

• Our Stories in Pictures and Words: We know that leaving a building where we’ve worshipped together for 60 years brings up a lot of feelings — joy, gratitude, grief, and everything in between. This initiative gives all of us a chance to share our memories and stories through photos and words, so we can honor our history together as we look ahead.
  
• Small Group Visioning: Small groups of members will gather to share their hopes and dreams for our church’s future in guided structured conversations. We want to hear from as many people as possible — your perspective truly matters!
  
• Community Needs Assessment: Part of discerning our mission means paying attention to the community around us. This study will help us better understand the needs of our neighbors in Bethlehem, so we can find new and meaningful ways to serve and connect.
  
• Documentary Review: The committee will also gather a snapshot of our congregation right now — information about attendance, programs, and membership — to give our future pastor a clear and current picture of who we are.
  

Together, all of this will shape the final Mission Study report — making sure our search for a new pastor is rooted in both where we are right now and the exciting future God has in store for us.

This Sunday, during announcement time at both services, members of the Mission Study Committee will give you an update on our work and share more about the first activity, Our Stories in Pictures and Words. They will be available after each service to answer questions. This information will also be shared in next week’s newsletters.

LENTEN STUDIES: DEVOTIONAL AND DAILY STUDY

Beginning with Ash Wednesday and continuing through the Second Sunday of Easter, we invite you to engage with this weekly devotional that follows the scriptures.

Our friends at A Sanctified Art have provided a special e-reader version of this year’s Lenten devotional, which you can access on your computer and mobile devices.

We will also provide a weekly list of questions (print copies will also be available at Sunday services), and a daily reading on our Facebook page.

HEARTS N MINDS: BEGINNING A NEW SERIES

Hopefully, we’ll discover it to be very exciting and a helpful way of living our lives together as a faith community.

BODY N SOUL: ALL ARE WELCOME!


The Body N Soul Intergenerational Faith Formation class will meet this Sunday at 10:10 a.m. in Room 216. Everyone is welcome to attend.

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING

You will have your choice of a hydrangea ($25), tulip ($12) and daffodil ($12), and you can specify “in honor of” or “in memory of”.

Special envelopes will be available in the Narthex and on the Fellowship Hall info table, or you can use the one in your pack of envelopes (or call the church office). Orders are due by Sunday, March 22.

RESCHEDULED: APPY HOUR COMING ON MARCH 22


The latest snowstorm notwithstanding, spring is on the way – and so is the gathering of K Groups that was snowed out on Jan. 18.

If you are unfamiliar with K Groups, they are small groups that take their name from the Greek word “koinonia” meaning “close fellowship.” K Groups meet regularly for friendship, study, support and service and have long been an important part of the life of First Presbyterian Church. 


All current members of K Groups as well as anyone wishing to know more about this program are invited to “Appy Hour” – a gathering over beverages and appetizers – on Sunday, March 22, from 2-4 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. The church will provide the beverages, and each K Group is asked to provide some appetizers. 


We’ll coordinate the appetizers through the K Group convenors, but we ask that everyone planning to attend Appy Hour RSVP to Cynthia Simmons by Friday, March 13, at csimmons@fpc-bethlehem.org.  You can also contact Cindy at that email if you have questions. Hope to see you at Appy Hour!

HI NEIGHBORS: COMING MONDAY, MARCH 16

Our popular speakers series, Hi Neighbors, will be back with a new nine-week series starting on Monday, March 16.

The programs begin at 9:30 a.m. with a social time in Fellowship Hall, followed by the hour-long presentation at 10 a.m. A lively question-and-answer period is included.

The first session will feature a presentation about the Bethlehem Mounted Police, a unit of the Bethlehem Police Department since 2009. The complete schedule is below – please help us spread the word!

FOOD DONATIONS: A YEAR-ROUND INITIATIVE

Many thanks for the generous donations that continue to be given for our year-round food collection! Sadly there are so many neighbors who are in need of food – for February our donations went to the HOPE Food Pantry at Northampton Community College’s Bethlehem campus.

For the March collection, the donated items will go to Northeast Community Center’s food pantry. Thanks again for your support of these efforts to help our neighbors!

LOOKING AHEAD… EASTER EGG HUNT FUN!

Easter Egg Hunt & Spring Festival (10-11:30 a.m.)
Saturday, March 28 (rain date: Saturday, April 4)

This family-friendly event is open to all. The event will begin in the Kirk Center and include face painting, temporary tattoos, a photo booth, and other hands-on activities. Then we’ll head outside for age-specific egg hunts (including one for adults!).

Your memories of Easter Egg Hunts may include a mad dash to the hidden eggs, with the biggest and fastest kiddos getting the most “loot.”

Others are needed to help that day – for set up and clean up crews, and folks to manage the hands on activity stations. Use this easy online SIGN-UP FORM.

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

• 9 a.m. – Holy Ground worship service, Fellowship Hall
• 10 a.m. – Hearts N Minds adult ed class, Parlor
• 10:10 a.m. – Body N Soul intergenerational class, Room 216
• 10:15 a.m. – Hospitality Time, Fellowship Hall
• 11:15 a.m. – Traditional worship service, Sanctuary (in person and livestreamed)

 
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.