This Week at FAITH

THIS WEEK AT FAITH

August 30, 2020

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey you are welcome here.

Our Welcoming Statement

FAITH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

5992 Route 378

Center Valley, PA 18034

610.282.3939

www.faithchurchucc.org

You can watch past worship services on our YouTube page!

FOCUS ON FAITH - September Issue

Copies are being sent to those who have requested one or do not use computers.

If you prefer to receive a copy of the newsletter in the mail

rather than reading it on line, please let Sandy know.

Dear Friends,

We continue to monitor and consider how we should proceed our worship schedule during this time of Pandemic. While the Lehigh Valley has moved into the “Green Zone” and most of us have been able to return to normal routines there are still risks and we must act with care and caution.

On Monday, August 24 the Consistory met to discuss a recommendation regarding re-opening our building. We had been visiting this issue on a monthly basis but this time the Worship Committee recommended keeping the building closed and re-evaluating the first week of November. The Consistory agreed to this recommendation and voted to affirm it. And so this means that there will be no activities in the building; worship, Sunday school, or confirmation classes until we re-evaluate in November.

We know that this news will be disappointing to many of you. We all miss each other and our worshiping community. We are aware of the fact that some churches have started to open. And so, we had a spirited discussion about ways in which we could gather and maintain safety.

The Worship Committee continues to examine ways in which we can reach out with the use of technology. We will continue to explore options that will work for us and the particular needs of our congregation. While we have considered many options, we do not claim to possess all the

wisdom and creativity out there and so we invite you to email me (pastorbruce@faithchurchucc.org) your ideas. I will share them with the Worship Committee, Consistory, and any committee best suited to consider it.

May God’s daily blessings be upon you for excellent physical and spiritual health!

Blessings,

Mr. Kevin Long, Consistory President

Rev. Dr. Bruce Stevenson, Lead Pastor

Join us this Sunday, August 30th for our Service of Worship.

Darin Jellison will provide special music and Donna Schoenberger will share the scriptures. Special thanks to Noah Jellison for editing the service.

Click on the date to print a bulletin to follow along:

08/30/2020 Worship at 10:15 am

If you have prayer requests you would like Pastor Bruce to share during worship please click here and fill in the information. Please keep in mind that he records the services on a Thursday so if your request is not received by Thursday morning it will not be shared until the following week.

Our services are available to watch on Facebook and on our website. Remember, these services can be watched at 10:15 am and again afterwards at any time for those who miss it. Past services are available on our YouTube page.

Let's remember our Forget-Me-Not's and others as we continue through this pandemic.

Frank Styer will celebrate his birthday (98th) on August 31st
Evelyn Hovis will celebrate her birthday on September 5th
Tim Holschwander will celebrate his birthday on September 9th
Virginia Haller will celebrate her birthday on September 14th

Let's shower them with cards to brighten their day!!

The following members have been dealing with some recent health issues. Their addresses are included in the list below if you would like to send them a card or note:

Stan Turel
Joan Jones
Patty Neely

Click here for a list of birthdays and addresses. 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. Feel free to reach out to them and say hello!

Coming Soon: Listen to Our Services on Your Phone!

Within a few weeks we will be offering another way you can participate in our weekly worship services. Simply call the church on a special phone number and you can listen to the service. To make it even more simple we can set things up so that you will receive the phone call from our system. It will take a few weeks to set this all up but I wanted you to know of this new service as soon as possible. Some of you don’t have computers or smart phones. Some of you do have computers or a smart phone and just don’t like to be bothered with navigating the internet. However, we ALL have telephones and we ALL know how to dial them! If you would like us to set this up so that you receive a phone call on Sunday at 10:15 indicating that the service is ready for you to listen please let me know. This is just one more way for us to remain connected.

Pastor Bruce

Updated info for Betty Lou's Pantry:

Betty Lou's Pantry, the local food pantry serving the Southern Lehigh area, is very low on certain items due to the cancellation of the annual post office food drive as well as multiple small collections that are done by local businesses, sports teams, schools and more.

All are invited to bring food donations to the pantry on Wednesday mornings between 9 and 10 am. Please remain in your car, drive up around the perimeter of the parking lot and stop at the tents outside the pantry. Volunteers will take bags from your trunk or back seat to minimize contact.

At this time, the pantry is most in need of the following items:

· Hearty Soups with Meat

· Boxed Pasta (not spaghetti)

· Canned Pasta in Sauce (Chef Boy-R-Dee Ravioli type items)

· Meat Helpers (Chicken, Meat and Tuna helpers)

Our Mission Team usually meets their mission pledges with the proceeds from the Spring and Fall Bingo events. Because both events have been cancelled for this year due to COVID-19, they ask you to prayerfully consider how you may be able to help.

Currently, they are working on fulfilling the following pledges:

One Great Hour of Sharing

Commitment is $600 - to date we received $404

SLA Samaritan Fund

Commitment is $800 - to date we received $775

Thank you again to all of you for your generous support of our missions!!

For those of you who donate through Tithe.ly, the current pledge designations will continue to be updated on the giving page.

2020 Lawn Crew Schedule.

2 volunteers are needed the week of 9/21. Please consider helping and contact Tim Hovis at 484-223-9476.

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: