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FOCUSFOCUS

ONON

FAITH

Sunday School—9:00 am Worship—10:15 am

LEAD PASTOR: Rev. Dr. Bruce C. Stevenson

PASTOR OF DISCIPLESHIP: Rev. Joshua Knappenberger

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC/ORGANIST: Dennis J. Duda

Volume 48, Number 3

2019

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We are a people

who have come together

through a common faith,

a common love,

and a common covenant

with the triune God;

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

and together we endeavor

to be a community of

worship,

education,

mission,

fellowship,

and stewardship.

Faith United Church of Christ 5992 Route 378 Center Valley, PA 18034 610-282-3939 faithchurchcv@gmail.com www.faithchurchucc.org

Thank you to the newsletter crew for their help in mailing the newsletters each month -

Ruth Cressman, LaVerna Diehl, Joan Hassler, Evelyn Hovis, and Sue Walter

2018—2019 Consistory

Officers: President: Deb Orach Vice President: Kevin Long Secretary: Mary Ellen Long

Elders: Deacons: Deb Orach Colleen Kandt Justin Koser Mim Allison Tom Berghold Becky Hite Jane Van Horn Barb Scattergood Kevin Long Mary Ellen Long

Church Treasurer: Joe Orach

Liaisons: Christian Ed: Barb Scattergood Worship: Mim Allison Kitchen Krew: Jane Van Horn Budget & Finance: Deb Orach Fellowship/Outreach: Mission: Kevin Long Enduring/Memorial Gifts: Mary Ellen Long Youth: Property: Day Care: Staff Relations: Choir: Tom Berghold

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A NOTE FROM THE PASTOR

Dear Friends,

Once again we are at the beginning of the season of Lent.

Here are some things that you may not know about Lent even

though this is not your first Lent.

1. Technically Lent is not 40 days

If you take a look at your calendar, you'll notice that the

time between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday, there are

actually 46 days.

Lent is celebrated for 40 days simply because Sundays are

not included. “Why is that?” you may ask. During these

"free" days, it is traditional to commemorate the resurrection

of Christ by breaking the “fast” of Lent and celebrating with

“feast.”

2. What do Samba, music, masks, beads, pancakes and

feasting have in common?

Fat Tuesday, Carnival, Mardi Gras and Pancake Day

celebrate the same thing.

They are all celebrating Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras),

which is the last day to feast on rich and fatty foods, such as

fasnachts, before Lent begins! What makes each celebration

so different is the country in which they are celebrated and

that society's tradition mixed with Christian observances.

However, who ever thought Mardi Gras had anything to do

with something sacred?!

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3. "No Meat Fridays" have exceptions

Some Christians (especially

our Catholic brothers and sis

ters) choose to observe Lent

by eating fish, not meat, on

Fridays during Lent, but

there are a few interesting

exceptions to the rule.

In the 1600s, a group of

monks in France allowed puffins to be considered fish, since

their "natural habitat was as much terrestrial as aquatic," and

the bird was allowed to be eaten on Fridays. Two years ago,

the National Bishops' Conference approved of the consump-

tion of alligator on Friday as the beast "is considered in the fish

family."

In 2006, several American bishops have a special dispensation

to eat meat on Friday during Lent because St. Patrick's Day fell

on a Friday and it is traditional to eat corned beef brisket for

his feast day.

As someone who is allergic to most fish and very fond of a

New England Boiled Dinner which includes corned beef, I am

specially grateful for these very progressive decisions!

4. Ashes are more than what they seem

Did you know that the ashes to mark a cross on the back of

your hand (or on your forehead) symbolize God's creation of

man from ashes and that man returns to ash when he dies?

Ministers often say, "Remember, man is dust, and unto dust

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you shall return." Ashes also mark the sorrow and grief of our

personal sins and serve as a symbol of repentance. In an inter-

esting note, many wipe the ashes from their hands following

the Ash Wednesday service, but some wear their ashes proudly

as they go to school, work or run errands.

5. Christians of all persuasions may observe Lent

When I was growing up I had many Catholic friends and many

friends from my own Congregational Church. It seemed that

only my Catholic friends observed Lent so I grew up thinking

that Lent was a “Catholic thing.”

As an adult I have come to realize how appropriate it is and what

a rich spiritual experience it can be to follow Jesus’ time in the

wilderness. Many do this by giving up a single indulgence, such

as social media, chocolate, sauerkraut, or scrapple.

Others choose to add something to their routine rather than give

something up. They may choose to add more to their prayer rou

tines, devotions, acts of charity, or increase their tithe during this

season.

So there you have it: Lent 101. I’m going to give my

Confirmands a quiz based on this article on the first Sunday of

Lent, March 10. Don’t tell them! Don’t worry. I won’t be

unfair. I just want to see if they ever read the newsletter!

Peace,

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Have you ever started writing or saying something without knowing

how you are going to finish it? I know I have. It usually begins

with excitement, “O, I have THIS to add to the conversation!” and

then as I talk I realize I had no idea where I was going with that

great thing I had to add, and then I just keep going because what I

said was so great it has to go somewhere, but if there’s nowhere for

it to go then I will just keep talking until I find it—.

At one time or another, we have all been there, and we are not

unlike Moses at times. “I got this great idea. God’s people will

leave our slavery in Egypt!” Weeks later, months, years, decades

later, the people start saying, “Alright Moses, level with us, did you

have any idea where we were going to go when we LEFT Egypt?”

Too often in our lives and the life of the church, it feels like we got

roped into a “non-starter” program. It’s like that sitcom with an en-

gaging premise for the first season, but then has no place to take the

characters for the second season or beyond.

I often wonder, did Jesus know how is ministry would end when he

started? Did he know it would end on the cross, and rebirth in his

resurrection until he ascended to Heaven? We like to think the an-

swer is “yes,” but in his prayer at Gethsemane, we get a different

picture. “Father let this cup pass from me.”

For much of my life, this prayer confused me. “As God’s Son, his

chief representative on Earth, he must have known God’s plan, and

therefore he must have been ok with it before coming to Earth,

right?” Or did Jesus not know if it was going to work out? Did

God withhold some tidbits of information from him? Jesus even

alluded to the reality that nobody knows all except the Father.

FROM THE DISCIPLESHIP DESKFROM THE DISCIPLESHIP DESKFROM THE DISCIPLESHIP DESK

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It is a little unsettling to think that Jesus might not have known how

his time on Earth was going to work out. I have always taken comfort

in the fact that Jesus had it all together from the beginning. He knew

every roadblock on the path. He knew every argument the Pharisees

were going to throw at him, and he knew the only way his ministry

could end was hanging on a cross with his disciples scattered to the

four winds.

If Jesus had known all of that, would there have been a place in the

plan for him to be surprised at the lady who touched his cloak, and

after seven years of hemorrhaging, was healed? Would there have

been space for him to have been convinced to alter the focus of his

teachings by a woman who argued those lessons were not just for the

lost of Israel’s nation?

Jesus had much planned, but he also allowed much to be unplanned in

his preachings and healings. He let God guide him to the places he

needed to be. In Jesus’ allowance, he found and gave blessings and

grace.

It is hard to follow God’s lead and allow ourselves to be swept away

by the grace and blessings that await us. I am a planner. If I’m going

to start something, I like to know it will end. How else can I know it’s

worth my time?

If we plan every second of our lives, we might miss the grace and

blessings with which God is looking to surprise us.

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GROWING IN FAITH WITH FAITH

Join us in the Memorial room on Sunday at 9 am to learn

about the apostle John.

We will have refreshments and fellowship.

March 24th

PIZZA AT THE CHURCH AND ESCAPE ROOM

Must be 8 and older to take part in the Escape Room.

Stay tuned for what is planned for those under 8.

Timeline: Pizza Lunch after worship

Leave Church at 11:45-noon

Parents pick up at Escape Room site at 2:00.

April 28th

PIZZA AT THE CHURCH AND LASER TAG

More details to follow

May 19th

PIZZA AND BIKE RIDE

More details to follow

If inclement weather—Pizza and a movie at the church

For the summer—

We are going to do the campfires again. They will be on the

evenings of the fourth Sundays of each month from 6PM-8PM.

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2019 Weeknight Lenten Program

Once again Faith Church will join with our sister churches in

providing a Weeknight Lenten Program on Tuesday nights. We

will begin at 6:00 with a simple meal of soup and break followed

by worship at 7:00.

This year’s theme is the Sermon of the Mount.

Our final evening at St. John’s will include a Covered Dish Dinner.

St. John’s will provide beverages and place settings. Here is the

schedule:

March 12 – St. James Lutheran Church

March 19 – Faith U.C.C.

March 26 – Morning Star Moravian Church

April 2 – Frieden’s Lutheran Church

April 9 – St. John’s U.C.C.

This series for Lent takes parishioners

through some of the most familiar

teachings of Jesus from his Sermon on

the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and relates

them to the events surrounding

Christ’s life, death and resurrection. In

the process, the services will power-

fully reveal that the cross itself is the

ultimate sermon on the mount for our

journey of faith in this sacred season.

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Pastor Bruce,

Thank you for your visits while I was in

LV Hospital. I am doing much better since

attending Cardiac Rehab.

Thanks again,

Dennis & Carol Eisenhart

Dear Friends,

I wish to thank you for the Christmas presents that I received.

And for the flowers that the minister brought when he visited me.

I wish I had a chance to see all of you in church.

Grace Benner

Pastor Bruce,

Thank you for visiting me when I was in the hospital. Your visit

and prayers were very much appreciated. The flowers you

brought were beautiful.

Thank you,

LaMar Beck

Don’t forget to turn your

clocks ahead one hour

before going to bed

on Saturday,

March 9th!!

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THOSE WHO WILL SERVE IN MARCH

Head Usher: Colleen Kandt

Nursery: Catherine Stevenson

Financial Secretary: Tony DiSanto

March 3 March 10 March 17 March 24 March 31

Greeter Carol Beck Don &

Tootie

Koch

Diane

Neidermeier

Faye

Tirpak

Bonnie

Stenroos

Ushers Jane Van Horn

Donna

Schoenberger

Cindy Talaber

Tracy Adams

Bob &

Patti Shelly

Jerry &

Linda

Lennon

Ken & Tara

Koehnlein

Ruth Smith

Linda

Torrence

Ken &

Kim

Ritter

Faye

Tirpak

Lay

Reader

Joan Hassler Mim

Allison

Ken

Koehnlein

Karen

Talboo

Acolytes Alex & Will

King

Noah Ritter

Noah

Jellison

Damyn

Allison

Flowers Keeler AVAILABLE Ritter Talboo Walter

2019 Offering Envelopes are in the office. If you don’t

have envelopes but would like some, or have them but don’t

use them, please call Sandy at 610.282.3939.

Ash Wednesday Volunteers—March 6

Greeter: Sue Walter Ushers: Tom & Brenda Hovis

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FROM THE TREASURER—

JANUARY FINANCIALS

Special Offerings:

OCWM—$50

Helping Hands—$50

BLP—$25

Penny Party Income (change): $760

The Friedensville Cemetery located on East Saucon Valley Road

(jointly owned by Faith UCC and Friedens Lutheran Church)

has burial grave lots available for sale. The cost is $500 each

less 20% for members of either church. For more information,

please contact George Rau at 610-865-1448.

Spendable Income IN $17,994.96

OUT $22,163.99

($4,169.03)

Designated Income IN $455.00

OUT $209.00

$246.00

Combined Income IN $18,449.96

OUT $22,372.99

($3,923.03)

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From the Secretary:

The deadline for April Newsletter articles and information is March 10th. Please email to faithchurchcv@gmail.com or place them in the Secretary’s mailbox in the conference room.

2019 ALTAR FLOWER SPONSORS NEEDED! The following dates are in need of sponsors: 3/10, 5/19,7/7, 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11, 9/1, 9/29, 10/6, 10/20, 10/27. Please call the office to reserve your date (s). The cost is $35.

Many thanks for your support of Betty Lou’s Pantry as fall begins! For the last two Sundays of January and the first two Sundays of February, our regular donations included 139 items and $75.

MOST CURRRENTLY NEEDED ITEMS:

MEAT HELPERS ● CEREALS ● BOXED POTATOES

Items stocked at the Pantry include: Pork & Beans Chili Canned Fish (salmon) & Meat Canned Pasta Peanut Butter Canned Tomatoes & Canned Sauce Kidney & Black Beans Chunky Soups Canned fruit Macaroni & Cheese Canned Tuna Canned Vegetables Beef Stew Dry Pasta & Spaghetti Spaghetti Sauce Canned Tuna

Monetary Donations are a particularly effective way to help the Pantry. A donation of $10 will buy over 60 lbs of food through Second Harvest. If you are in need or know of someone in the area who is, please call 610-282-2838 and leave a message, or email bettylouspantry18036@gmail.com —Mike Ford

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Souper Bowl of Caring

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who donated soup to Betty Lou’s Pantry

during our Souper Bowl of Caring Soup Drive. We challenged

the congregation to donate 125 cans of Hearty Soup. You ex-

ceeded that goal with a donation of 174 cans of soup. These dona-

tions will go a long way to keep our Pantry families warm and full

in the upcoming months.

After worship we were able to sample a variety of wonderful

soups prepared by the great chefs of Faith Church. The partici-

pants were able to “stuff the ballot boxes” for their favorite soups.

They were all delicious and the winners of Best Faith Soups are:

First Place: Mary Ellen Long’s Bacon

Potato Corn Chowder

Second Place: Marian Barrick’s Crab

Bisque Soup

Third Place: Diane Neidermeier’s

Chicken Rice Soup

A donation of $90 will be made to the Samaritan’s Fund as a result

of the soup voting. Thank you to all!

Angel Mission Sunday

Followed by Lunch!

March 31, 2019

There is still time to participate in Angel Mission Sunday. The

Mission Team will give you $25 as seed money to fund your own

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Mission Project. If interested, please see Chuck or Karen Talboo or

Pastor Josh.

On Sunday March 31, the Mission Team will be leading worship.

Instead of a traditional Sunday message, everyone who has partici-

pated in the “Angel Mission” will be sharing a brief story about

their own mission. You may do either or BOTH of the following:

-Create a poster to share your project

-Send pictures of your mission to Pastor Bruce for display

on the wall for all to see by March 18.

Following worship you are invited to join us for Lunch in Fellow-

ship Hall for a delicious lunch of Baked Ziti and Salad. Please plan

to celebrate all of Faith’s Missions.

Pie Sunday

March 17- St Patrick’s Day

After worship lunch will be served in Fellowship Hall along with

another fun tradition at Faith…PIE SUNDAY! We’ll provide a

Make-Your-Own-Salad Lunch and we ask you, our wonderful bak-

ers, to please bring along one of your favorite pies to share with

everyone. A Free-Will-Offering will be taken for the Samaritan’s

Fund.

Spring Bingo

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Tickets Go on Sale: Sunday, March 31, 2019

Ticket Price: $25 for 25 Regular Games

Play to Win: Vera Bradley Bags, Thirty One Bags, Longaberger

Baskets

More Details on Ways to Help will Follow in the April Focus. (more)

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Puzzle Answers:

Day 1 = 3, Day 2 = 3, Day 3 = 10, Day 4 = 6,

Day 5 = 10, Day 6 = 15, Day 7 = 2

PUZZLE HINTS

December will be Our Month to Help at Betty Lou’s Pantry

Our month to volunteer at BLP will be December 2019. During our

month we are encouraged to donate 100 bottles of laundry detergent.

Please take advantage of sales in order to meet this goal. You may

want to begin now! Please do not bring them to church until we get

closer to our volunteer month. We have no place to store them at

church or the pantry. Thank you.

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MARCH BIBLE READINGS

March 1 Gen. 42:29–38 1 Cor. 6:12–20 Mark 4:21–34

March 2 Gen. 43:1–15 1 Cor. 7:1–9 Mark 4:35–41

March 3 Gen. 43:16–34 1 Cor. 7:10–24 Mark 5:1–20

March 4 Gen. 44:1–17 Rom. 8:1–10 John 5:25–29

March 5 Gen. 44:18–34 1 Cor. 7:25–31 Mark 5:21–43

March 6 Gen. 45:1–15 1 Cor. 7:32–40 Mark 6:1–13

March 7 Gen. 45:16–28 1 Cor. 8:1–13 Mark 6:13–29

March 8 Gen. 46:1–7, 28–34 1 Cor. 9:1–15 Mark 6:30–46

March 9 Gen. 47:1–26 1 Cor. 9:16–27 Mark 6:47–56

March 10 Gen. 47:27–48:7 1 Cor. 10:1–13 Mark 7:1–23

March 11 Gen. 48:8–22 Rom. 8:11–25 John 6:27–40

March 12 Gen. 49:1–28 1 Cor. 10:14–11:1 Mark 7:24–37

March 13 Gen. 49:29–50:14 1 Cor. 11:2–34 Mark 8:1–10

March 14 Gen. 50:15–26 1 Cor. 12:1–11 Mark 8:11–26

March 15 Exod. 1:6–22 1 Cor. 12:12–26 Mark 8:27–9:1

March 16 Exod. 2:1–22 1 Cor. 12:27–13:3 Mark 9:2–13

March 17 Exod. 2:23–3:15 1 Cor. 13:1–13 Mark 9:14–29

March 18 Exod. 3:16–4:12 Rom. 12:1–21 John 8:46–59

March 19 Exod. 4:10–20 (21–26) 27–31 1 Cor. 14:1–19 Mark 9:30–41

March 20 Exod. 5:1–6:1 1 Cor. 14:20–33a, 39–40 Mark 9:42–50

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March 21 Exod. 7:8–24 2 Cor. 2:14–3:6 Mark 10:1–16

March 22 Exod. 7:25–8:19 2 Cor. 3:7–18 Mark 10:17–31

March 23 Exod. 9:13–35 2 Cor. 4:1–12 Mark 10:32–45

March 24 Exod. 10:21–11:8 2 Cor. 4:13–18 Mark 10:46–52

March 25 Zech. 9:9–12 1 Tim. 6:12–16 or Zech. 12:9–11; 13:1, 7–9 Luke 19:41–48

March 26 Lam. 1:1–2, 6–12 2 Cor. 1:1–7 Mark 11:12–25

March 27 Lam. 1:17–22 2 Cor. 1:8–22 Mark 11:27–33

March 28 Lam. 2:1–9 2 Cor. 1:23–2:11 Mark 12:1–11

March 29 Lam. 2:10–18 1 Cor. 10:14–17; 11:27–32 Mark 14:12–25

March 30 Lam. 3:1–9, 19–33 1 Peter 1:10–20 John 13:36–38 or John 19:38–42

March 31 Lam. 3:37–58 Heb. 4:1–16 Rom. 8:1–11

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Please call the church office with any omissions or corrections.

02 Carolee Glickman

02 Gabrielle Koehnlein

03 Tony DiSanto

03 Matthew Long

04 Glenn Scholl

05 Gail Nagy

07 Dan Schaffer

07 Weiland Hite

07 Isabel Hovis

08 Charlotte Gasda

11 Tom Davis

12 Joan Demkee

12 Jennifer Amato

12 Tim Hovis

13 Roy Slekovac

15 Dalton Biery

16 Joan Jones

20 James Tilley

22 Colin Recke

23 Lisa Koch

24 Katie Y

26 Andrew Miller

26 Thomas Miller

28 Barbara Strimple

30 Tom Herstine

31 Patricia Babos

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