Weekly Framework
Have you ever felt like God has given up on you? Sometimes we are ashamed of our actions and think God will never use us again. But what we learn from the story of Jonah is that God is a God of second chances. But how do we get that second chance?
Friday's Reflection
From Pastor Eric's Daily Study Guide
Do you resist the idea that you are a sinner? Is there something offensive about that? If so, why? If not, why not?
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Lord Jesus,
Thank you for loving me.
Amen.
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A note from Asbury in Missions (AIM)
Now that we're in Yellow, we've decided to proceed with the shipping of much needed medical supplies THIS SATURDAY, June 27th to Dr. Chris Hena, our Liberian mission partner. We'll start at 10:00 am at an old school in Lehighton (1122 Fairyland Rd, Lehighton, PA 18235) that Through These Hands is using as a warehouse, to pick up some of the larger and awkwardly shaped items. This is less than ½ hour north of Asbury up the NE Extension. As much as we'd like to carpool, with social-distancing we should probably only travel with family members. From there will drop down to Through These Hands in Slatington (454 Chestnut St, Slatington, PA 18080) to pick up 250-300 boxes of medical supplies. All volunteers will be required to wear masks and gloves and practice social distancing. We should complete the loading of the truck by 1:00 pm. Please contact Dick McCreight (dickmcc@ptd.net) if you can help or if you need additional details.
Thanks, Asbury for your ongoing support of this life-saving mission.
SOME OF THE ITEMS BEING SHIPPED
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For SPARK (3-4yr olds)
For BLAST (PreK- 5th grades)
Grab some Play-Doh or pencil & paper. Take turns sculpting or drawing something someone might be afraid of (spiders, storms, cockroaches, snakes, roller coasters). Everyone else will try to guess what's being created. The first person to guess correctly gets to be the next person to think of a scary thing for everyone else to guess. At the end of the game, talk about our Bottom Line for this week: "Knowing Jesus can help you face your fears." Pray for each other.
Prayer
Dear God, it's so comforting to know that You already know what we're afraid of. You know when we face situations that we're scared of. And we know that You're there to help us face those fears. Remind us that You're with us, especially when we don't know what will happen next. Remind us that You can help us face anything. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Videos for this week (new for 6/21):
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HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS: join us Friday nights at 8 PM to catch up via Zoom!
If it's your first time joining us, registration is required!
A second session for college students is being scheduled - watch for the date to be announced soon!
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This week,
Pastor Barbara teaches in the final week of the "Jonah" series. Like Jonah, sometimes we live in the great contradiction. Jonah knew God intimately, desired his forgiveness but withheld forgiveness from the Ninevites. Do you struggle with extending forgiveness to others? Join us as we unpack that struggle.
Worship will be streaming live at 10 AM at live.asburylv.org and will feature a variety of musical styles, both live and recorded.
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Asbury's 2020 Charge Conference has been scheduled for Thursday, September 24th at 6:00 PM at Asbury. More details to follow.
If you would like a print copy of the July/August issue of
The Upper Room
devotional, please let us know by completing this form. We'll mail it to you free of charge while our supplies last.
Join us for virtual coffee hours on Zoom following worship! No registration required. Meeting information is as follows:
Gilberton UMC is spearheading an effort to provide relief for their flood-ravaged town of Gilberton, PA. Torrential rains on June 10 caused major flooding in homes and owners are in need of help to salvage or even rebuild. Learn more about this effort at asburylv.org/GilbertonFlooding.
Donations will be received and processed through the
Gilberton UMC (the only active church in town),
monitored by the North District.
GOOD NEWS: initial gifts toward this recovery effort will be
matched by District funds (up to the first $5,000.00),
meaning that a $10,000.00 goal should be within our reach!
Congregation and individuals wishing to support these efforts
can send their checks (made payable to the The North District) to:
The North District Office
PO Box 820
Valley Forge PA 19482
please note "Flood Relief" in the memo line.
The Eastern PA Conference of the United Methodist Church has announced the schedule for 2020 Annual Conference, a hybrid of online and in-person events taking place Tuesday, October 13 - Wednesday, October 14. To learn more, read
Bishop Peggy Johnson's announcement
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Asbury's building is now closed indefinitely. When the time comes to re-open, rest assured we will send that communication as far in advance as possible (and very ready to celebrate gathering again!).
For the safety of all, and to keep Asbury's building virus-free, access to the building is now limited to office and custodial staff only. All other key cards have been deactivated. Should you need to gain access to the building, please contact Israel Olivieri, Business Manager, at
iolivieri@asburylv.org.
The camps in our conference have made the difficult decision to suspend or cancel their summer camps and programs. Get more information about each camp at the links below:
For those wishing to support COVID-19 relief, we encourage you to consider giving to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) Advance. 100% of donations to the Advance go to COVID-19 relief, as UMCOR's administrative costs are paid through connectional giving.
All updates regarding Asbury's response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will also be shared at that page; as well as via email blast and on our social media feeds (
Facebook and
Twitter).
Please know that during the time that the office is closed, all calls to Asbury are being received by our answering service, as there is no one available in the office to take your call. Any messages you leave with the answering service are forwarded to us and we will relay your message to the appropriate staff member to respond to you as soon as possible.
Asbury is
now a drop-off site for home-sewn masks for Lehigh Valley Health Network. The collection bin is located at the doors by the upper entrance to the building. If you're able to sew masks, but not able to deliver them,
email Pastor Barbara to get connected with a helper. We do not have supplies available to offer; but could help coordinate a pickup for an order you place at a local fabric or craft store that's offering curbside pickup.
Instructions:
St. Luke's is also collecting personal protective equipment (PPE). Learn more about the items they're accepting and their drop-off locations (their Care Now urgent care locations in Allentown, Whitehall, Bethlehem, and more)
on their website.
Cancelled/Postponed Events
Include, but not limited to:
AIM Yard Sale (cancelled)
Reschedule dates (if applicable) will be communicated when available.
No physical meetings are being held at Asbury or off-site; but please check with your group/Circle leader to see if there are plans for your group to connect online.
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Did you know that your Amazon purchases can help Asbury? While getting a few needed items for home, visit
smile.amazon.com/ch/23-1352369, or login to your account at
smile.amazon.com and choose "Asbury Allentown United Methodist Church" as your charity. Asbury will receive 0.5% of the price of your purchase!
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f you are experiencing loneliness, or spiritual and emotional distress during these challenging days, or if there's someone you're concerned about, please reach out to Pastor Barbara at
blee@asburylv.org
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We know that these stressful times have and will cause hardships for some in our community. The following groups, recommended by Asbury in Mission (AIM), have resources available for assistance if you or someone you know has a need:
Kingdom Life Family Center Food Bank
4333 Lime Kiln Rd, Orefield, PA 18069
1401 Linden Street, Allentown, PA 18102
AIM also reminds us that while volunteer opportunities are few due to the current crisis, our mission partners can still be supported financially. Learn more about all of our AIM mission partners at
asburylv.org/aim.
If you are in a position to donate to the food banks, please be aware of the following information about donations:
Kingdom Life Family Center in Orefield wants people to make an appointment to drop off food on a Tuesday morning.
Call 610-398-0111
Salem United Methodist Church in Allentown, Food bank can take donations in the morning by appointment only.
Call Rev. Navin Satyarvata 610-432-2577
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