Friday, January 27, 2023 Newsletter
FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 29
10:00 a.m. COMBINED WORSHIP SERVICE
IN-PERSON AND ONLINE VIA FACEBOOK LIVE
(also available on our website and *via phone)
followed by ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CONGREGATION (info below)
In-person and via Zoom
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A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN: ELECTING OUR LEADERS
As hopefully you already know, this Sunday we are holding the annual meetings of the congregation and corporation of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem immediately following the combined worship service at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary.
As I mentioned in my newsletter article last week, the most important thing we will “do” is elect a new class of Elders, Deacons, and Trustees, as well as members of the Congregational Nominating Committee for next year. But before we talk about what else happens in these meetings, I want to explain briefly why we do these meetings at all and why there are actually two meetings in one day.
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First, while we often talk about the “annual meeting” happening in January each year, it is actually plural: we hold the annual meetings of the congregation and corporation of the church. What does that mean? Well, the annual meeting of the congregation is pretty much what it sounds like: the Form of Government of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which is a crucial part of our church Constitution, requires the congregation to meet at least once a year, and so our practice here at First Presbyterian of Bethlehem is to do that around the end of January. |
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This allows the Congregational Nominating Committee to do its work in nominating new officers in the fall and present the slate for election at the beginning of the new calendar year. This is the primary purpose of the annual meeting of the congregation.
In the Presbyterian Church, the congregation decides very few things directly apart from who is called to leadership in the congregation; the Session, made up of Elders serving in three-year terms, makes almost all of the decisions in the life of the church (the pastors, on the other hand, really only get to decide the content of the worship services on their own!). And so while the Session will make a report to the congregation in the meeting, the congregation will only very rarely be asked to take any action in response to that report.
So what is the “corporation,” then? Well, in the United States churches are religious communities, of course, but they are also corporate nonprofit organizations that have the legal power to own property, make investments in the financial markets, and so on. In the Presbyterian Form of Government, the Trustees of this corporation can be the Session itself, or the Trustees can be other individuals elected to serve by the congregation, but under the authority and direction of the Session.
In many ways, it is easiest to think of the Trustees as a sort of “super-committee” of the Session: the Session essentially delegates operational authority to the Trustees in terms of the management of the church property, endowments and other invested and reserve funds, insurance issues, some legal matters, etc., but the Session reviews their work and has the final say on it.
Thus, we will actually hold both meetings this Sunday, congregation and corporation. We will recess the congregational meeting temporarily in order to convene the corporation meeting, at which point the Board of Trustees will moderate the meeting for reports about their work. Then we will adjourn the corporation meeting and resume the congregational meeting once more. At that point, we’ll start talking about hopes and plans for 2023 and beyond as part of the Session report.
And finally, you will be asked to act on proposed changes to the terms of call for myself and Lindsey; while the Session has already reviewed compensation for non-ordained staff, only you as the congregation can act on that for installed pastors.
Throughout both meetings, after each report has been made, you will have opportunities to ask any questions about those reports, and we will do our best to answer those. I look forward to being with you this Sunday, either in-person or online!
Grace and peace,
J.C.
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FOR SUNDAY'S SPECIAL SCHEDULE:
- The 10 a.m. Combined service will be offered in person in the Sanctuary, as well as livestreamed on our Facebook page and website
- The Annual Meeting will be held after the worship service, at approximately 11 a.m., both in person in the Sanctuary, and via Zoom
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To join the Zoom meeting: bit.ly/3DhFuEm; Meeting ID: 815 2326 3874 (you do not need a password)
*FOR BOTH WORSHIP AND ANNUAL MEETING: To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 815 2326 3874, followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – press the # key again. You can stay on the line and wait for the Annual Meeting to begin.
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FOR THIS SUNDAY
Numbers 13 & 14
(selected verses)
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- This week’s sermon: Eureka - Finding Great Opportunity by The Rev. J.C. Austin
- We post the video of each week’s
services and sermon text and audio
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TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper for Sunday
Print copies of the agenda, biographies and Annual Report
will be available Sunday morning to pick up.
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NOTE: If you would like a print copy of the Annual Report mailed to you, please drop us a note at info@fpc-bethlehem.org. It will be mailed next week.
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FOR SUNDAY’S IN-PERSON WORSHIP:
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NEW HOURS: Child care will be available from 9:45 - 11:15 a.m. this Sunday morning; please ask an usher for directions.
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Your children are a joy in our worship services, and should the need arise, “kid bags” are available for their use. They are in the Narthex and in the blanket-sitting area (to the left of the communion table in Fellowship Hall).
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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.
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HEARTS N MINDS ADULT ED: NEXT CLASS ON FEBRUARY 5
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The Hearts N Minds will not meet this Sunday because of our special schedule. They will resume meeting on Sunday, February 5, from 9:45 – 10:40 a.m. in the Parlor (upstairs above the main church office). Please feel free to come even if you have not done the reading.
The group is studying a new book, Elusive Grace: Loving Your Enemies While Striving for God’s Justice by Pastor Scott Black Johnson, senior pastor at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian in Manhattan.
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For February 5 they will read and discuss the Faith and Hope chapters (pages
33-44).
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IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM THE BUILDING REOPENING TASK FORCE:
The Task Force is reminding you that there is a “triple-demic” of three dangerous viruses in the Lehigh Valley: Covid, influenza, and RSV.
There are rising case numbers for all three of these viruses both in the community and among our own church congregation and staff. We strongly encourage people to wear masks. Most importantly, if you are not feeling well, even if you have a “cold,” please attend digitally. What seems like a mild cold could be the predecessor to one of these serious viral infections. We need to protect those members and their families who are immune-compromised or vaccine ineligible.
If you have not been boosted with the bivalent Covid vaccine or have not had your flu shot, please consider attending digitally. Flu is raging now in the community. If you get it, you should ask your doctor for one of the flu drugs such as Tamiflu that, if taken early, moderate your illness. For Covid, the Pfizer drug, Paxlovid, is prescribed for high risk people. If you get Covid, we recommend that you consult the CDC website to help you determine when you can end isolation.
In order to reduce contact and possible virus spread, we will mark every other pew in the Sanctuary with a yellow post it note. Please don’t sit in these rows. If we all work together we can reduce the impact of these viruses on our vulnerable members and ourselves.
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HELP NEEDED: COMMUNION SET-UP
Our communion for the Traditional service is faithfully prepared by Glenn Rosetti and Darla Rossetti. We are recruiting a back-up person(s) for when they are unavailable, perhaps two-three times per year. Supplies need to be picked up during the week, and set up occurs on Sunday morning.
If you are interested please contact Rich Hjorth at info@fpc-bethlehem.org or leave a message at the church phone, 610-867-5865.
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SOME REMINDERS FOR YOU…
IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER: Look for updates on our website (fpc-bethlehem.org), Facebook page, and WFMZ (channel 69 and wfmz.com). We’ll also put a message on our church phone, 610-867-5865.
PLEDGE ENVELOPES: If you ordered pledge envelopes, they will be mailed directly to you from the envelope company. Please contact us at info@fpc-bethlehem.org if you have not yet received them.
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FOR THIS SUNDAY: HAVE LUNCH WITH US
For this Sunday, January 29, we will offer one Combined Service at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary, followed by our Annual Meeting of the Congregation and Corporation.
This will be followed by a Pasta Lunch at 12:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall – this is a fundraiser put on by Boy Scout Troop 302. It will feature baked ziti, meatballs, and all the trimmings for a suggested donation of $12 for adults, and $6 for kids 10 and under; cash or check. Take out orders will be available.
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IF YOU ARE HOSPITALIZED…
We would like to know when our members are entering the hospital. Please tell the hospital that your church ID is 724 and they will contact us. You can also contact Phil
PRAYER REQUESTS...
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Send us your news and photos to share:
**Deadline for the next week's newsletter:
WEDNESDAY at noon**
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Your likes / comments / shares help us spread the word about First Pres!
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TO JOIN OUR LIVESTREAM WORSHIP SERVICES
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Visit our Facebook page and look for the post with our live feed
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If you don’t have a Facebook account, go to our website to view the service - click on the "Watch the Service" button
- Please check in with a comment so we know you’ve joined us!
- Captions will now be available on our livestream, for those who would like to use that feature
To watch a video – available after the services have aired: Visit our website archives
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IF YOU DO NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS: You can participate on your phone to listen to the Combined Service and the Annual Meeting
To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 815 2326 3874, followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – press the # key again.
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THIS SUNDAY
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NEW TIME: 9:45 11:15 a.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)
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10:00 a.m.: Combined Worship Service, in-person in the Sanctuary AND livestream on Facebook Live and our website; below, to join us online
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11:00 a.m.: Annual Meeting of the Congregation and Corporation, in-person in the Sanctuary AND via Zoom (see information above)
- 12:00 p.m.: Pasta Lunch Fund Raiser, Fellowship Hall – all welcome ($12 for adults, $6 for kids 10 and under)
WEDNESDAYS: 7 p.m. - Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom (Meeting # 380 435 9056 / Password: overcomer)
THURSDAYS: 7 p.m. - Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary
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 members of the FPCB congregation are hospitalized and would welcome pastoral and hospital ministrant visitors and/or prayers, please contact: Phil Fair, Prayer Ministrant (prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org).
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM |
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2344 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017 610-867-5865 | info@fpc-bethlehem.org
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