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Hope this weekly email continues to find you all healthy and safe!
During this time of "shelter-in-place" take a moment and contact a church member or friend to see how they are holding up.
Give them a call, send them a note, stop by their house on a beautiful day
and visit with them outside - 6' apart of course
Many of our older members do not use computers or have email.
They are not receiving these weekly emails or seeing our recorded worship services. Give them a call and fill them in on what's happening at Faith.
I guarantee you'll enjoy it as much as they will:)

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Need to make changes, corrections, or additions to our Church Directory? Click HERE to let us know if your info is current or if we need to make
changes. Thanks in advance for taking the time to keep our
Church Directory up to date.
Hello Friends,

As we continue to stay safe in our homes I will share the latest updates on church life each week in this email:

  • Our church building continues to be closed until future notice. This decision will be re-evaluated once we are clearly in the “green zone” and we have implemented a plan to keep everyone safe and healthy. 
  • Our Sunday services are available on Facebook and our website each Sunday at 10:15 am. Remember these services can be watched at the time of the service and again afterwards for those who missed it.

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday . We will be recognizing the successful completion of Confirmation Education of Alex Kane, William Kane, and Avery Koser. Alex and William will receive the rite of confirmation virtually while Avery will receive the rite of confirmation next Pentecost. The service will also include the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Please join us to share this special day with our confirmands.
Click on the service to print out a bulletin to follow along:

Hope you enjoyed last Sunday's NEWS FROM THE … PEWS?
Special thanks to the Jellison family for sharing their greeting! We will continue to connect with each other next Sunday. If you are interested in taking part, please call or email me for details.

In lieu of our congregational meeting next Sunday, June 7th , we will be making paper ballots and electronic ballots available to approve a slate of Elders, Deacons, and Consistory officers. The electronic ballots will be available next Thursday on This Week at Faith . If you prefer a paper ballot mailed to you please contact Sandy by June 2nd.

Is there someone in your life in need of prayer?  Click  here  to fill out a prayer request form and Pastor Bruce will mention that person’s first name during worship. Please be sensitive to privacy. Permission to share from those involved must be granted before making a request.

I received a prayer request today from former members, Jim and Joyce White . Joyce will be having aortic valve replacement surgery on Monday, June 1st at Williamsport Hospital. Please keep Joyce and Jim in your thoughts and prayers in the upcoming days and weeks. If you would like to send a card or note...
472 Tall Maple Road
Forksville, PA 18616

Please be safe, stay inside as much as necessary, and remain healthy.

Blessings,
Pastor Bruce
The June issue of FOCUS on FAITH is here....

Click on the picture to read the latest happenings at
Faith Church!
Our Joyful Noise Fund needs your help!

When we gather for worship, on the second Sunday of each month, the children collect a special offering during worship that is to be used for children’s missions only. Three missions are supported by the Joyful Noise offering: Global Ministries, Bethany Children's Home, and Beyond Borders. To learn more about these missions click here: https://www.faithchurchucc.org/mission/joyfulnoise/

Please prayerfully consider how you might help while we are not physically meeting for worship. Please be sure to designate your contributions as " Joyful Noise ".

For our Tithe.ly users - you know have the option to designate a portion of your donations to Joyful Noise.
A Note from our Conference Board and Conference Minister

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”
(Acts 2: 1-4 -NRSV)

This Sunday we celebrate the birth of the Christian Church, in those days called The Way. As we celebrate the birth of the church We are reminded that we are called to do more than celebrate the church, but to “Be the Church” in this time and place. And what does it mean to be the church? As our UCC banner, “Be the Church” reminds us, we are the church when we “Reject Racism” and “Fight For The Powerless.”

For us, to be the church is to fulfil the two greatest commandments as shared with the followers of Jesus, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 26: 37-40).

In recent days there have been several instances of racist behaviors in our country – more than a few we are sure, but these are the ones that made the news. The alarming deaths of Ahmad Aubrey in Georgia; Breonna Taylor in Kentucky; and George Floyd in Minneapolis; the actions of Amy Cooper (a white woman) against Christian Cooper (a black man) in Central Park. All these actions are like daggers in our souls. I hope they move us to change practices, beliefs, and actions. It is important that we not simply dismay and pray. It is important that we move into ways of acting to ensure the safety and justice, the care for our siblings on the planet, that we act against the pervasive racial systems which make these actions more commonplace than is ever acceptable.

The Rev. James Gottwald shared, “The three recent killings and the incident in Central Park are good illustrations of how detrimental racism is to all of us, especially black and brown lives. The murders must be condemned but also the deadly atmosphere of racism that leads to the loss of life and jeopardizes our souls to eternal peril. The cost of racism is the loss of our soul in the sense that we lose touch with our humanity.”

We have worked to clarify the love of neighbor in this time of pandemic as social distancing, acting for the safety of others, wearing masks, and worshipping and offering pastoral care virtually. But love of neighbor is more than that. Love of neighbor is seeking out justice, speaking truth to power, and acting for the welfare of all people. This includes those people who look like us, and those who don’t; people who think like us, and those who don’t; those who share our faith beliefs, and those who don’t.

In the past few weeks, the conference has hosted a book study using the book “White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo. Through this book study we have been made aware of the attitudes which maintain the status quo of white supremacy (not to be confused with white nationalism) which is the integrated systems which maintain the structures, policies, and practices supporting white privilege. Through this study, we moved into an awareness that the double and triple standards in which we move and walk and have our being impact people of color – black and brown people – in ways most of us who are white cannot imagine. It is our hope that “we move and walk and have our being” (Acts 17:28) solely in God. But it is not so.

Today during this season of Pentecost please take action. Please reach out and support agencies and organizations which support open examination of our systems of discrimination and privilege. We are the church. It has never been more important for us to be the church. I pray our actions of being the church will continue to change the world.

As Margaret Mead reminds us, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” May we change the world for the better.

Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates and the Conference Board
Spring has sprung and the grass is growing! Here is the 2020 Lawn Crew Schedule . We have some open dates on the schedule and are looking for volunteers to help out. If you are interested or have questions please contact Tim Hovis at 484-223-9476.


Special thanks to all of you who help keep
the church grounds looking great...
The Lawn Crew
The Property Committee
The Church Members who weed the gardens and plant flowers
A Special THANK YOU to all who continue to financially support our ministry as you are able. Through these uncertain times our financial obligations continue and our regular bills are still coming in. Again we'd like to remind you there are several ways you can do this:

  1. Mail your offering directly to the church ***(at this time the mail is being forwarded to Sandy's "home office" and the church mailbox is not being checked on a regular basis so it may not be safe to place your envelopes in the church mailbox)***
  2. Make an electronic donation through Tithe.ly on our website's Giving page
  3. Use your bank's Bill Pay service
IMPORTANT LINKS




Contact us via email or call the church office at 610.282.3939

Dennis J. Duda , Organist & Music Director
Sandy David , Parish Administrator
(click on names to send an email)