Sunday Worship at 9am
September 12, 2021 ~ Proverbs 1:20-33
We welcome guest preacher Rev. Leah Knox
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Live-streaming of our worship is also available through
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This Sunday we resume faith formation activities including youth & adult classes and RISE meetings. In preparation, please take a moment to refresh yourself with IUCC’s current Covid-safety guidelines as more people return to campus:
Our prayerful recommendation is that masks be viewed as one of the ways we care for the most vulnerable among us. Presently, our masking guidelines are as follows:
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Vaccinated individuals may go unmasked. This applies to indoor and outdoor activities. However, you are asked to wear a mask when in close proximity (less than 3 feet) to children (12 and younger) for an extended time (more than 15 minutes).
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Unvaccinated individuals are asked to continue to wear masks indoors. You may go unmasked outdoors unless you are engaging children (12 and younger) for an extended time (more than 15 minutes) in close proximity (less than 3 feet).
- To ensure your own comfort level, all are welcomed to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.
SPECIAL NOTE to all children, staff, and volunteer leaders involved in faith formation, RISE, or music programs: Anyone 13 and above (teen or adult) should be masked when in close proximity (inside or outside) to anyone 12 and under regardless of vaccination status. We highly recommend anyone under the age of 12 to mask, just as you do in school, since vaccination has not yet been approved for your age group.
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Our guest preacher Sunday, September 12 is Rev. Leah Knox. Leah has served as Phoebe Berks’ full-time chaplain since November 2014. Born and raised in Tennessee, Leah gained her Masters of Divinity at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, TN, and is ordained through the Alliance of Baptists (an ecumenical partner of the UCC). Leah has served as a hospital chaplain in Johnson City, TN and Charlotte, NC. Leah is a board-certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and serves as co-chair for the PSEC Ethics Committee.
She is also certified as a spiritual director, completing a two-year training with the Kairos School of Spiritual Formation (Lancaster, PA) in 2016. Leah and her partner, Brynn, live in Reading and love to spend time taking in all the local hiking and biking trails.
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In remembrance of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, IUCC will be engaging in a National Day of Service offering various opportunities to volunteer or participate. All of the following activities will happen on Saturday, Sept. 11th and are open to anyone.
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Providing a meal to local first responders to enjoy at their respective stations. If you would like to help prepare soup or donate baked goods please contact Kate Conrad at 610-763-7073 or mamac303@comcast.net. Monetary donations toward meal prep will be accepted in the church office with a note for “first responders”.
- Spiritual Life Team will be offering guided labyrinth walks from 8:30-10:45am
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Cemetery clean up at Fairview Cemetery, IUCC's cemetery at 8am (NOTE TIME CHANGE). Help prep the cemetery for the fall and honor the heroes of 9/11 by gathering together for a service project benefitting IUCC's cemetery. Please bring gloves and wear work clothes. To sign up please contact Amanda Hornberger at amandajhornberger@gmail.com
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Carillon ringing during nationwide observed moments of silence
Questions about activites can be directed to individuals mentioned above or by contacting the church office at 610-777-7107 or secretary@immanuel-ucc.org.
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Sunday Adult Forum (formerly Coffee and Conversation) will be meeting in the Ruth Room on the lower level at 10am. For five Sundays, we will watch different videos by theologian and author Rob Bell. We will watch one short video (15 minutes or less) with discussion afterwards. Each video stands on its own, so please don’t worry if you have to miss a week. Feel free to come to one or to all five! Any questions, please email Pastor Beth at clergy@immanuel-ucc.org.
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Faith formation is open to children PreK through 6th grade, meeting throughout the school year on Sunday mornings from 10-10:45am. Join us for games, art, music, science, and more as together we read Bible stories and scripture, learn what it means to be a Christian and explore how our faith is a part of our daily living. ALL ARE WELCOME! No advanced signup is required. Please note that this year, all students will meet together in the music room to begin. For more information, email Kelly Barnett (barnettkellym@gmail.com) or contact the church office.
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September 9: IUCC Singers (gr. 7-Adult) will begin meeting Thursday - STARTING TONIGHT - evenings from 7-8:30pm. We will be rehearsing and preparing music for worship and special events throughout the fall.
September 14: IUCC Youth and Children’s Arts/Music Programming You can find a condensed description of our fall programming HERE, you are encouraged to be in touch if you have any questions, please email Mr. Stephen at music@immanuel-ucc.org.
A few general notes:
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Registration is not required, but is greatly appreciated. We will need this information regardless, so if you do not fill this out ahead of time, we will ask you to please fill it out the first time you arrive on campus. To save yourself time, the following link will take you to our CONTACT, REGISTRATION, AND RELEASE FORM, where you can enter student, parent, and emergency information as well as sign the photo release and masking policy.
- DROP OFF between 3:30-4:00PM is in FELLOWSHIP HALL. Please walk your child to the door the first time you arrive; after the first time, you may drop off students without getting out of your car. If you arrive after 4:15PM, the doors will be locked, and you will need to call my cell phone (610) 451-8963 to get into the building.
- PICK-UP for all activities will be AT THE OFFICE ENTRANCE off of Waverly street. Parents should park in the lot and wait by your car; we will bring the kids down to the doors at 4:45PM (please allow 5 minutes grace period the first week or two). NOTE: This is also the drop off spot for students who are arriving only for the 5PM activity.
- Programming is OPEN TO ALL – you do not need to be a member of IUCC to enjoy our programming. If you have friends in the area and your student would like to bring them to our activities once, or weekly, that’s great! A heads up is always appreciated, and new students should be escorted into the building by an adult the first time they arrive.
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Registration is now available for this FREE, fun, and thought-provoking program. Join us whether for just one or all the sessions.
You’ve seen the brightly-painted chairs and read about the program. But being “brave” sounds scary, right? Public speaking, blind dates, enclosed spaces, or swimming with sharks? We promise – NONE of that.
Being brave is allowing yourself and others the courage to be authentic, speak openly, take risk, and listen with empathy.
BRAVE SPACE: Conversations celebrates individual creativity and offers collaboration as a way to foster empathy and understanding. With the assistance of professional facilitator Sharon Mast, we’ll get to know our “neighbor” – whether it is a coworker, family member, or stranger – that just doesn’t think, look, or act like you.
Click here for the full flier and more information. Or call the IUCC office at 610-777-7107
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September 15: Senior Ministry will meet at 1:30pm in Fellowship Hall. Jackie Confalone, nationally certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer for over 35 years, will be speaking and demonstrating balance poses and deep stretches. Join us in your comfortable clothes and learn ways to increase your flexibility, balance and range of motion. Healthy snacks will be shared.
September 24: Breaking Bread will resume meeting this fall at 11:30am!
Bring your own lunch and we will partake in conversation, guided by a focus question, supporting scripture, and sending prayer. We will continue to meet outside at the edge of the parking lot (by the Labyrinth) so please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, an indoor space will be announced prior to the meeting date.
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SPECIAL FALL EVENT(S): VIOLINS OF HOPE |
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Violins of Hope is a collection of violins that survived the Holocaust.
Several events at Immanuel for the fall will be centered around this collection.
Violins from the collection will be on exhibit at the GoggleWorks from November 1-13, 2021. LIFFT and Senior Ministry are providing two opportunities to view the exhibit at the GoggleWorks on Sunday, November 7 and Wednesday, November 10. For more information see LIFFT and Senior Ministry announcements in the coming weeks.
The companion book, "Violins of Hope" by James A Grymes is the October 6 selection for Book Babble. Book Babble will also be hosting a discussion with the author via Zoom on the evening of October 13. If interested in the book, please contact the office. Cost is $10 (checks made out to IUCC) or exact change.
Stay tuned for information on a workshop and concert coming up in November.
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SEPTEMBER PARTNER PROFILE |
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September is Food Insecurity / Hunger Action Month with the goal of educating communities about hunger and identifying ways each one of us can help at the local level. Locally, non-profit New Journey Community Outreach (NJCO) Soup Kitchen has been serving the Reading community since 2014. NJCO provides a daily soup kitchen, weekly food pantry and weekly clothing center for individuals and families in need. With committed volunteers and generous donors, they restore hope, comfort, and dignity by feeding, clothing, and supporting those in need.
Individual and group volunteers help to prepare and serve lunchtime meals to over 150 individuals daily. For some this is the only meal of the day. The Soup Kitchen is the largest and only daily food program in downtown Reading. Each month a team of dedicated volunteers from IUCC cooks, preps, packages, and serves meals at NJCO. Even with hurdles faced during the pandemic, in 2020 IUCC provided 216 service hours to the Food Pantry as well as 458 hot meals, 2,650 bag lunches, and 275 service hours in the Soup Kitchen.
If you would like to serve on this ministry or to donate food or supplies to the effort, please contact the office at secretary@immanuel-ucc.org
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NATURAL DISASTER CALL TO ACTION |
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The UCC is issuing a call to action to help those affected by the recent headline-making natural disasters.
In Haiti, a massive 7.2 earthquake on 8/14 followed by a tropical storm just two days later killed more than 2,200 people, injured 13,000 and destroyed 53,000 homes. The country was already in political chaos after its president was assassinated less than a month earlier. The UCC hopes to raise $100,000 to assist the people of Haiti facing this crisis.
Currently, several U.S. states are reeling from the impact of Hurricane Ida with significant power outages and other wind and water damage. While only beginning to assess conference needs, the UCC has launched a ‘Severe Storms 2021’ appeal to take donations for Hurricane Ida relief.
The Global H.O.P.E. team strives to help in both short-term and long-term recovery needs.
In addition to help through prayer, if you are led to give financially designate Natural Disaster under “Other” here or write it on your check in the memo section. The total given by IUCC will be forwarded to Wider Church operations and split between the two funds. Your donation will be reflected on your giving statement.
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Should you or someone you care for be in need of pastoral support
Prayers are powerful! If you or someone you know is in need of prayers, please let us know. It is always confidential. There are prayer cards in the sanctuary or you can contact the church office.
Rev. Megan Huesgen will be on sabbatical July 20 - October 11, 2021
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