3rd Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 12, 2021
Come early to hear the prelude
performed by the
Southern Lehigh High School
Meistersingers

Bring along your loose change
to make a

Sunday School begins at 9:00 am
Worship begins at 10:15 am

Thank you to Matthew Wehr and the SLHS Meistersingers
for sharing their musical gifts with us
and to our volunteers:
Ken Koehnlein, Head Usher
Michele & Bruce Keeler, Ushers
The Hite Family, Advent Wreath Readers
Michele Keeler, Lay Reader
Tom Hovis, Financial Secretary

To view the live streamed service from home at 10:15 am
Sunday morning, go to YouTube

To follow along at home, click here to print the bulletin.
THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR
FRIDAY           -Office Closed/Pastor's Day Off
 
SATURDAY     -10 -12 & 4 - 6 Encore Hall Rental
 
SUNDAY         -9:00 Sunday School
12/12             -10:15 Worship
                        -SLSH Meistersingers
-11:30 Choir Rehearsal

MONDAY       -9 – 4 Sandy works from home*
                        
TUESDAY       -6:00 – 7:30 Faith in Stitches

WEDNESDAY -

THURSDAY -
 
FRIDAY           -Office Closed/Pastor's Day Off
 
SATURDAY     -4 - 8 Wilson Hall Rental

SUNDAY         -9:00 Sunday School
12/19             -10:15 Worship/CE Program
-Cookies and Cocoa following
                       -11:30 Faith Singers Rehearsal
* Please note – Pastor Bruce has a new contact number to call if you can’t reach him at the office – 484-893-0698.
 
* If you need something from Sandy when she works from home on a Monday, you can reach her by leaving a message on the church phone which she checks throughout the day or call her cell at 610-967-6232.
PAID VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Our first rental event is scheduled for Saturday, December 18th from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. We are still in need of someone to cover this event. If you can help, please reach out to Sandy as soon as possible.
Dear Faith Members,

As we move into a new year, we are focused on increasing the use of the kitchen/fellowship hall. This rental opportunity can help us meet our budgetary goals. As such we’re looking for individuals or couples that are willing to be on site during a rental event to perform the following:

·      Unlock the facilities at start of event
·      Set thermostats in fellowship hall
·      Provide guidance for table/chair setup - renter's responsibility
·      Ensure clean-up at end of event - renter's responsibility
·      Be present during the event (perhaps spend time in conference room)
·      Lock up facilities after event

Volunteers interested in helping will be paid at the rate of $12/hour. We are not necessarily looking for any one individual or couple for all events but plan to select someone for each event as they occur.

If you are not available for December 18th but are interested in helping secure rental opportunities in the future that will financially benefit the church, please reach out to Sandy at faithchurchcv@gmail.com or call the office at 610-282-3939.

The Budget & Finance Committee
December's Special UCC Offering is the Christmas Fund. Pastor Bruce will share a mission moment about the Christmas Fund on Sunday, December 19th. Special offering envelopes will be available in the Narthex that Sunday. For our tithe.ly contributors, you will find a Christmas Fund designation online.
The Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross
and the Emergency Fund
“Good news. . . Great joy. . . All the people!” Luke 2:10

The Christmas Fund has been caring for active and retired clergy and lay employees of the United Church of Christ for over 100 years, providing emergency grants, supplementation of small annuities and health premiums, and Christmas “Thank You” gift checks each December to our lower-income retirees.
United Church of Christ congregations and members have blessed the Christmas Fund with their generosity for many years. This year, your care and compassion will be especially appreciated by those servants of the church who are facing a time of need.

Thank you!

To learn more about the Christmas Fund click here.
From Our
Conference Minister

Dear Friends,
 
It’s Advent. Churches are celebrating the anticipation of the anniversary of the birth of Jesus. Youth and children are planning pageants and special programs. Special worship services are in the works, and we are preparing for multiple worship opportunities on Christmas Eve, and in some cases on Christmas Day.
 
Amid this liturgical season, we are also racing around to purchase and wrap gifts for family, plan family gatherings, decorate our homes, and move into the season with joy. The reality is that for some people, there is nothing joyful about this season. People who are in pain, who are grieving, who are isolated, who are marginalized or excluded, all these people are having trouble with the season.
 
The Advent Candles of Hope and Peace have been lit. This week we will add the Rose candle of Joy. The last week of Advent we will add Love. Then we will be ready to celebrate the birthday of the Babe who came to teach us how to love one another, how to open our hearts and minds to include those on the margins, and to share what we have with one another.
 
Sometimes we are better at following the teachings of Jesus than at other times. Sometimes we get caught up in the divisiveness and hate in the world, in the concepts of scarcity, and the anxiety of life in these days. What might happen if we simply opened our hearts and minds, opened our spirits, and listened for the voice of God to comfort and to lead us? What might happen if we stop and be still for a moment, breathing in the wonder of creation, the love that is shared with us, and the hope God wants us to encounter and express?
 
I recently participated in a worship service where reading from Marcia McFee’s worship design studio. I share with you some of that text now. “In this moment we open the doors of our lives to the call of the Spirit inviting us to become more than we can ask or imagine…In this moment we open the doors of our hearts, filling it with the compassion of Christ for those who are struggling…”[1]
 
This Advent I am committed to opening my life, opening my heart, opening my spirit, and sharing the hope, peace, joy and love of the season, and of my faith. Will you join me?
 
Blessings,
Bonnie
 
[1] Worshipdesignstudio.com
Interested in sponsoring ALTAR FLOWERS in 2022? Reserve your dates now! You can reserve your dates on the schedule in the Narthex or call or email the church office. The cost is $35. (Please hold off paying for your flowers until the new year:)
If you would like to take part in the service as usher or lay reader, please email Joan Hassler .
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.
Recycling Soft Plastic

Keep those plastic bags coming!
We currently have
375 lbs! 125 more to go!!  

Collection boxes can be found in
the Narthex and in the Office Lobby

Here is a list of acceptable plastics:
 
Let’s save our oceans and the animals that live there
by turning these materials into a reusable product!
Any questions please see Jerry Trexler. 
Help fill the Betty Lou's Pantry basket in the Narthex! Currently, the most needed items are:

Cereal
Meat Helpers
(Tuna, Chicken, Ground Beef)
Toilet Paper

If you or someone you know is in need of food,
please call 610-282-2838 and leave a message
Let's remember our Friends, Members, Forget-Me-Nots and others as we continue through some uncertain times. Keep each other in your thoughts and prayers and stay connected if possible.

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS:

11 Christine Leh
11 Allison Grammer
12 Sherry Meluskey
12 Dana Zsido
14 Faye Tirpak
14 Bonnie Stenroos
15 John Lenner
16 Harvey Weidner 
16 Sis Scholl
18 Cody Schaffer
20 Ellie Kane
22 Shirley Baldwin
22 Jordan Koch
23 Diane Talaber
24 Donald Koch
26 Mason Ritter
27 Mike Ford
30 Ray Foulke
 
(If you would like to send cards, addresses can be found in the Members & Friends Directory link at the bottom of this email.)

Click here for a list of birthdays and addresses of our Forget-Me-Not's. Some phone numbers are also included if you'd like to give a call! Also included on the list are names, addresses, and phone numbers of members who usually attend services but don't get to see the recorded services on a regular basis. Reach out to them and say hello or fill them in on the weekly news!
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
  2. Make an electronic donation through Tithe.ly on our website's Giving page
  3. Use your bank's Bill Pay service
IMPORTANT LINKS

(Updated 10.21.21)

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.





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)