Greetings!

We have good news for you! Now that 60.1% of adults in Lehigh County have received at least their first vaccination for COVID-19 and with the virus transmissions level dropping and restrictions being removed, our Re-Opening Task Force is comfortable loosening our own in-person worship restrictions. Please keep in mind that this is an ongoing discussion and not every member is of the same mind. These new recommendations and guidelines come out of their best consensus.

MASKS:
  • Vaccinated parishioners are no longer required to wear masks.
  • Unvaccinated parishioners are encouraged to wear masks.
  • Unvaccinated children and youth are requested to wear masks.

REGISTRATION:
  • Registration for worship is no longer required.

COMMUNION:
  • Summer Communion elements will be served with 
individual “communion cups.”

SEATING:
  • We will return to “open seating” and remove restrictions regarding which aisles and doors can be used but ask that people continue to use social distancing in the Sanctuary.

HYMNALS:
  • Hymnals, Bibles, Pew Pads, Envelopes will be returned to the pews.

WORSHIP BULLETINS:
  • Individual worship bulletins will be provided.

NARTHEX:
  • Items will be returned to the narthex.

COFFEE BAR:
  • The Coffee Bar will remain closed through the summer but those who wish to have coffee are welcome to bring their own.

ENVIRONMENT:
  • For everyone’s protection we will use a combination of Air Conditioning, Fresh Air, and Halo technology. At the moment this combination seems to provide the best protection.

We are hopeful that these changes are good news to you. However, we ask that we all respect each other. We all have different “comfort levels” in living with this virus. Some of these changes will draw people back to church while some may remain reluctant. We owe each other the respect, care, and concern as a faith community.

Please be sure to continue to use the sanitation station in the narthex.

Lastly, getting vaccinated is a personal decision and the reasons to get vaccinated or not to get vaccinated are varied. If you have concerns about the vaccines please discuss them with your healthcare provider.

Faith's Re-Opening Task Force
Join us this Sunday, June 13th at 10:15 am for Worship

Special thanks to our volunteers taking part in the service:
Jerry Trexler, Head Usher
Elaine Trexler & Joan Hassler, Ushers
Barbara Maursky, Lay Reader
Wes Koser, Stream Team
Darin Jellison, Special Music

Printed bulletins are available in the Narthex.
To view the live streamed service from home at 10:15 am
Sunday morning, go to YouTube
To print out Sunday's bulletin to follow along click here.

To listen to the service via live phone streaming, call
1-855-883-5992.
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE
FOR 2022-2024 ELDERS, DEACONS, AND CONSISTORY OFFICERS!
 
Voting will be open through June 14th.
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.
From our
Conference Minister
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4, NRSV)

Dear friends,
 
How often do you rejoice? I do not rejoice very often. Sure, I rejoice at birthdays and some holidays. I rejoice when I play with my grandchildren or when I was informed that I can expect a new grandson born in December of this year! Yet, I do not think I rejoice very often just on an ordinary day in my ordinary life. As I read Philippians chapter 4, I am reminded that rejoicing is not dependent on external circumstances or should not be.
 
I should, as a beloved child of God, as a faithful follower of Jesus, as one empowered and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, simply rejoice in the Lord always. Always! I am called to rest in the embrace of God, to seek God’s strength and presence and to bring everything in my life to God so I can be comforted and understood by God and find peace – rest in peace.
 
So how do we move toward rejoicing? In struggling days, in days when our hearts are broken, during times of stress, how do we rejoice? There have certainly been challenges enough in the past year to keep us mourning, stressed and sad. Yet, we, if we strive to follow our faith, know that rejoicing in, praising for, and celebrating our faith is important. We need to find times, places, and methods for rejoicing – so I make this commitment:
1.   I will seek something to rejoice about every day – sunshine, rain, the flowers in my garden, a conversation with a friend.
2.   I will find a moment to dance in rejoicing to some music that I hear or music from my own heart.
3.   I will journal that for which I am rejoicing every single day and include a prayer of thanksgiving during my personal prayer time.
4.   I will commit to rereading this letter to the church in Philippi as a reminder to rejoice.
 
Well, that is it. That is my commitment to rejoicing. Some days it may be harder than others to complete these commitments, but I will do my best to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” Will you join me?
 
Blessings,
Bonnie
SUNDAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ORDER!!
 Faith United Church of Christ Pierogi Fundraiser

The Fundraising Committee is having a Pierogi Sale! The pierogies are top quality and homemade by Papa Sarge's, a new company based in the Lehigh valley.
 
When: May 24 - June 13th orders will be taken
Pick-up - July 1st 4:00-6:00 in the church parking lot by the kitchen door
Payment - Pay for your orders on the day of pick-up (cash or check made out to Faith Church)
How to order: Click HERE to order online or you can call Louise Christman @ 610-216-0547 to place an order
(leave a message if you get an answering machine)
Types of Pierogies:
Potato and Cheese - 1 Dozen $8.00
Bacon, Potato, Cheese - 1 Dozen $9.00
Sauerkraut, Potato, Cheese - 1 Dozen $9.00
Apple - 1 Dozen $9.00
 
The pierogies freeze well, in fact, they are flash frozen for your convenience. You can prepare one, five, or the whole dozen at one time. Stock-up and enjoy!
ALERT -
Members and Friends of Faith UCC, CV, PA

We’re ramping up efforts to return to a new normal in the coming weeks - and many of you will be an important part of this effort. Music at Faith has always been a primary component of our community   worship experience. Your weekly singing since April 11 reopening has been an inspiration to all of us. I hope more will attend these safe surroundings. Thank you for that beautiful experience! Before we can be in full gear later in the year, I   invite and encourage those who possess a magical talent to be part of special music in the coming weeks. You are NEEDED. No money requests from you just share your talent of music in  community worship experience. It really has a significant impact on everyone - sanctuary and cyberspace. Want to sing, choose a favorite hymn tune - solo, duet, etc.; play guitar, trumpet, piano or harp, just choose a Sunday to  offer your gift. It is a critical moment for ALL of us as we journey through this challenging time. Check your life calendar, choose a Sunday and call me... Dennis Duda at 215.361.8641 or ddduda@verizon.net. We can make this a wonderful moment for everyone at Faith Church. Thank you so much. Miss you all so very much! DD
Interested in joining Faith Church?
Contact Pastor Bruce for more info.
We will be welcoming new members during worship
on Sunday, September 19th**.
(**Date listed in the newsletter is September 12th but has since been changed.)
Help Needed to cut the grass
the week of June 28th.
Contact Tim Hovis for details.

We have some openings for Lawn Crew volunteers. Please take a look at the 2021 schedule and see how you can help. Call Tim Hovis (484-223-9476) to let him know what dates you can cover.
Let's remember our Friends, Members, Forget-Me-Nots and others as we continue through this pandemic. Keep each other in your thoughts and prayers and stay connected if possible.

JUNE BIRTHDAYS:
  12 William Steele
 12 Brooke Bittenbender
 13 Nicole Schaffer
 16 Gertrude Steinbach
 17 LaVerna Diehl
 17 Diane Haas
 18 Diane Jenny
 18 Brenda Snyder
 19 Amanda Y
 24 Karen Talboo
 25 Shirley George
 25 Jennifer Schaffer
 26 Monica Campbell
 27 Deb Orach
 27 Adam Bouc
 27 Andrew Weidner
 28 Rodney Koch

(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


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)