On the Journey at St. John s

Transcription

1 On the Journey at St. John s November 2017 St. John s United Church of Christ 538 E. Thomas St. Coopersburg, PA Volume 18 Issue 10 November Greetings! The holiday season is just a breath away and we have a full schedule at St. John s! Let me give you a summary. Sunday November 5 th we will have coffee hour social after church Saturday November 11 th we are having a church clean up day! We need to do a pick up and polish before the holiday season. We need everyone and will find a job for you to match your abilities. We will begin at 9 am. Sunday November 12 th in the morning we will be celebrating Veterans Day and in the evening we will be enjoying Vespers featuring The Girls from DeSales. Friday November 17th and 18 th is the Allman Brother s Dance Concert featuring Craig Thatcher. Tickets are available by contacting John Ruby. The proceeds will go towards our budget deficit. Even if this is not your cup of tea please share the information with friends and family. We are very blessed that Craig Thatcher is willing to put so much work into this fundraiser for the church. I hope you will thank him and also do your part by promoting this concert every chance you get!!! Sunday November 19 th will be our Thanksgiving service! Sunday November 26 th we will begin the Advent Services! Holy Communion will be celebrated that day. Our theme will be Angels Among Us. If you have any angel decorations you would be willing to loan the church this season please let Pastor Teresa know. We would like to have different angels placed all through the church. They will be returned after Christmas. THIS IS A CALL TO CONGREGATIONAL MEETING FOLLOWING SERVICE TO ELECT COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR. If you feel called to serve on Council, please speak to any council member or the Pastor.

2 We also will be starting a new Bible study/discussion on Angels. Look for more information on the start date in the bulletin, Facebook or our website. Also, tis the season for harsh weather. If you are concerned if an event is cancelled please check Facebook, the website or TV station WFMZ. I will also send out an blast. I also hope during the holiday season you will remember our members who cannot regularly worship with us. An updated list of these special members will be available on the table in the lobby of the church. When I count my blessings, I count all of you as some of my most precious! Happy Thanksgiving! Pastor Teresa MUSIC EVENT SCHEDULE St. John s VESPERS - 5:00 P.M. November 12 The Girls from DeSales December 10 Patty and Craig Kastelnik (KATO) SPECIAL ST. JOHN S CONCERTS - 8:00 P.M. November 17 and 18 Craig Thatcher Allman Brother s Tribute (Proper Brewing Company, Quakertown) CHRISTMAS CONCERT - 2:00 & 4:30 P.M. December 17 Craig Thatcher / Nyke Van Wyk Page 2

3 PRAYER REQUESTS Although our Pastor has many talents, mindreading is not one of them. Therefore if you have a need - for prayers, for an in-person visit, or home communion, please let her know. Contact information is as follows: Reverend Teresa A Martin Office # RevTeresaMartin@outlook.com Cell phone # for emergencies Please note Fridays are her usual day off. She will only answer emergency calls on that day. Let our lives be full of both thanks and giving Page 3

4 FROM OUR COUNCIL PRESIDENT Greetings, The Craig Thatcher Allman Brothers concert is fast approaching. Anyone who would care to make a monetary contribution toward the concert expense just needs to contact me. Your help in this area will be greatly appreciated. Staying with the concert, I need a work crew on Thursday November 16 th. We will meet at the Proper Brewing Company at 5:00 PM. There needs to be acoustic improvements in the hall to maximize a quality music experience. We will hang clotheslines around the room and attach blankets which I acquired from The Battery Warehouse in Quakertown. The owner graciously offered all the blankets we need to be returned after the show. I need two people at the door each night (Friday and Saturday.) I need one person each night at a second entrance from the restaurant into the hall. I am asking for two people each night from 7:00 to 8:30 to direct traffic and assist people getting in to the Proper. Finally, if you have carpet remnants or quilts we can borrow bring them to the church the next few Sundays. In other news, Carol Bortz brought a presentation to our marketing meeting. She is currently working on becoming a certified drone operator. We watched on the flat screen a drone fly-over of a retirement community in Sellersville. In addition, the inside of the building was beautifully filmed and included music and an opportunity for people to speak. People checking our website will be able to see where we are and what our sanctuary looks like including a personal message from Pastor Teresa. The cost is $ Council would have needed to discuss spending the money for the video. Not anymore. Carol has offered to pay for the drone video herself. A thank you to Carol and to the two individuals who donated $ each to the November concert. Grace and Peace, John Ruby Council President Page 4

5 ST. JOHN S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST COOPERSBURG, PA PRESENTS ALLMAN BROTHERS DANCE CONCERT BY THE CRAIG THATCHER BAND AT THE PALACE AT THE PROPER BREWING COMPANY 117 WEST BROAD ST. QUAKERTOWN, PA FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17 AND SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18 BOTH SHOWS START AT 8:00 P.M. TICKETS ARE $20 IN ADVANCE - $25 AT THE DOOR CASH BAR PROVIDED BY THE PROPER BREWING COMPANY FOR INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS CALL JOHN RUBY AT OR JOHNRUBY1@VERIZON.NET PLEASE REMEMBER OUR WEBSITE: (STJOHNSCOOPERSBURG.ORG) OR OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: (ST JOHN S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, COOPERSBURG) HAS UP-TO-THE-MINUTE CHURCH INFORMATION Page 5

6 HAPPY BIRTHDAY November 12 Lenore Bamberger 13 Brian Fegley 29 John Ruby HAPPY ANNIVERSARY November 3 Bryan & Maureen Urmy 8 Donald & Diane Kuhns Please help keep this listing up-to-date by contacting the office with additions and/or corrections! Thank you! Page 6

7 WHAT S NEW AT THE PENN NORTHEAST CONFERENCE Our church belongs to the Penn Northeast Conference (PNEC). In PA there is also the Pennsylvania Southeast (PSEC), Penn Central and Penn West. PNEC & PSEC began discussions about a possible merger into a new Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. A transition team of people from both conferences was formed to help move this forward. The team is called the Joint Conference Vision and Development Team (JCVDT). Marlene Ruby is a member of the team. A really important part of this work is to gather information from as many people in every church as possible. That s where you come in. A survey seeking your thoughts and hopes about what a new conference could be like was distributed to everyone present before Worship Service on October 22. You may be asking yourself what does the conference do currently? For example: search & call consultation; authorization of ministers; conflict resolution; executive functions (i.e. liaison to the national setting); ecumenical and interfaith relationships; organization of contributions to different missions (i.e. disaster relief in TX, LA, FL, WVA, justice initiatives, Los Amigos de Guatemala, etc. Some of these ministries we may not be aware of until we really need them. Now PNEC is asking you what you think it could be like to function as a new conference. The approach is not to be top down, rather to emerge from the mission of the local churches. Here is your chance for your voice to be heard. What do you imagine as new possibilities for a common vision, mission and purpose for a new conference? I m sure you recall, when we first started the process of searching for a new pastor, we completed three different surveys and had several small group discussions. This process was absolutely critical to understanding how we should go forward. Completing the conference survey is something similar. We urge you to take a few minutes to complete the survey by the end of this week. It can be anonymous if you choose. Extra copies are in the Narthex as well as the history of the PNEC/PSEC transition team process. You may place your completed survey in the large brown envelope on Carol s desk in the church office. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Marlene. We really do value your input and thank you for taking the time to share your views with us. To learn more, the Joint Conference Visioning and Development Team (JCVDT) invites everyone...clergy, lay leaders, and church members to a town hall meeting on: Thursday, November 16 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Zion UCC, 2nd & Iron Sts., Lehighton Page 7

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9 MISSION OF THE MONTH WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT The mission of Wounded Warriors is to honor and empower wounded veterans by fostering the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation s history. MENTAL & HEALTH SUPPORT Wounded Warriors provides Mental Health Support with stress recovery programs, care networks and long term support. The Health and Wellness programs envision a generation of Wounded Warriors well-adjusted in body, receiving the care they need to maximize rehabilitation and live active and healthy lives. Through adaptive sports, health, nutrition, and recreational activities, WWP helps warriors achieve independence and pursue an excellent quality of life. CAREER & VA BENEFITS COUNSELING WWP envisions a generation of Wounded Warriors who are economically empowered. They are not unemployed or underemployed, and have opportunities to pursue a meaningful career or own their own business. WWP offers employment services to encourage economic empowerment for warriors to provide long-term financial stability for themselves and their families. WWP connection events such as hunting trips, sporting events, and educational summits support the long-term recovery of warriors by connecting them with fellow service members and their community. These connection events provide a safe, enjoyable forum for warriors to develop interpersonal bonds with peers and learn more about other WWP services. Page 9

10 St. John s United Church of Christ 538 Thomas Street Coopersburg, PA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED OUR MISSION: To know and share the love of God through worship, fellowship and outreach to the community. Page 10