Our Mission: “Reaching, Teaching, Serving, and Sharing Christ”

February 2020 “Voice of Faith”

Voice of Faith Newsletter Faith Lutheran Church and Preschool 2012 Sullivan Trail, Easton PA 18040 610-253-1625 faithlcms@outlook.com Rev. Christopher Crume, Pastor

Mark your calendars! Saturday, February 15

th

March 2020 Voice of Faith NEWSLETTER

Please submit articles, updates and notes to Gaye Lowe no later than February 15th for in-clusion in the

VOICE OF FAITH DISCLAIMER: The information is up to date as of the prior month, when information is proofed for printing.

Please check the calendars on the bulletin board and the weekly bulletins to reconfirm dates and times.

FAITH CHURCH CONTACTS

Pastor Rev. Christopher Crume

Office Administrator Jean Wehrle Office Hours: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm Phone: 610-253-1625 Email: faithlcms@outlook.com

Head Elder Gary Sandt

Council President Eric Himmelwright

Vice President Steve Baas

Council Secretary Nancy Smith

Financial Secretary Kyle Garon

Treasurer Steve Fogt

Worship Committee Gary Sandt

Board for Education Elisabeth Brune

DCE Intern Alex Lillis

Preschool Board Co-Chairs Brooke Ippolito

Megan Crume

Property Management Craig VanPell

Social Ministry Tammy Brewer

Stewardship OPEN

Ushers Sally Ueberroth

Youth Elizabeth Murray

Choir Director Brenda Cavella

Handbells Director Lori Brewer

Organist Sue Tucker

Custodians Heather Brown

Stephanie Altner

Preschool Coordinator Mary Beth Buza

Security Greg Pioppi

Scouting Program Coor. Greg Pioppi

Voice of Faith Gaye Lowe

NOTE: Meeting dates, times and location may change.

Please call the contact below to confirm.

YOUNG ADULT BREADBREAKERS

Eric & Becky Himmelwright

PAUL MACHER’S BREADBREAKERS

3:00 PM 3rd

SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH in FELLOWSHIP HALL

STEVE BAAS’ BREADBREAKERS

Sally and Steve Baas

PASTOR’S BIBLE STUDY (Rev. Crume)

11:00 AM WEDNESDAYS in FELLOWSHIP HALL

PASTOR’S BIBLE STUDY (Rev. Brand)

7:00 PM WEDNESDAYS in FELLOWSHIP HALL September-May

MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST (Ted Cheung)

8:00 AM 1st SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH

PAIRS AND SPARES (Kay Cowen)

Meets throughout the year in homes or different events.

THRIVENT (Gloria Miller) ___ _____________

CHOIR (Brenda Cavella)

7:00 PM TUESDAYS in CHANCEL

BELL CHOIRS (Lori Brewer)

MONDAY in PRESCHOOL ROOM

Beginners 6:30 PM Advanced 7:15 PM

ALTAR GUILD ( Lynn Klein)

TEAMS CHANGE MONTHLY

WOMENS BIBLE STUDY (Karen Smith)

2:30 PM 2nd

and 4th

THURSDAYS in FELLOWSHIP HALL

QUEEN BEES (Judi Rabinsky)

BOARD GAMES, CRAFTS and FELLOWSHIP

10:00 AM 1st and 3

rd Tuesdays in FELLOWSHIP HALL

LWML (Tracy Pioppi)

3rd

Sunday at 9:15 in the Sanctuary

Men’s Prayer Breakfast

Saturday February 1 8:00 am

Safe Harbor 536 Bushkill Dr., Easton,

PA 18042

Epiphany greetings in Christ!

As we push forward to the pinnacle of the Epiphany season on the Mount of Transfiguration, it’s good for us to remember throughout this season that we focus on glimpses of our Lord’s divinity as He reveals Himself in word and deed. In addition, we remember our identity as children of God Almighty. We are the beloved that caused our Lord to enter the valley of the shadow of death, giving His life for us on the cross. While it is sad that our sin caused all of this, it is an incredibly good thing that God loves us so much that He would willingly do even this, so that we would be forgiven and spend eternity with Him. We are forgiven, and we certainly will spend eternity in God’s glory. In the meantime, we continue as voices calling in the wilderness of our sin darkened world; inviting all to come, see, and experience God’s grace.

This month, we have the opportunity to come together as a congregation in review of what God has accomplished in our midst over the past 12 months. I personally am excited for this review because we have begun to see the fruit of work and hours of dedication that you the members of Faith have generously contributed to our ministry. As we rejoice in the work of God, we appeal to the Holy Spirit to continue to direct, guide, and equip us as we to move forward.

We’ve added a new service time on Saturday evenings as a chance to reach out to members of our community who cannot make it to church on Sunday morning for one reason or another. These services are held on the even weekends of the month (2

nd and 4

th Sunday weekend), beginning promptly at

5:00pm. If you or someone you know cannot make it to church on Sunday morning, but would like to; come on Saturday night and be fed by the same life-giving Word of God.

Alex has been our DCE Intern for the past 8 months, and we’ve been blessed to have her as a partner in the gospel as she gains experience putting into practice the tools she has been given. One of our goals as a congregation is to call a full time DCE to work in the area of youth and family ministry as we reach, teach, serve, and share Christ. This is part of what makes Faith a place where people grow. At this juncture, we are seeking for God to clearly identify for Alex the path He wants her to go, and also for us here at Faith. Please pray that God will clearly identify the next steps in this process that we need to take as we call a full-time DCE.

We’ve hit the ground running in 2020, and we are blessed by the partnership we have in the Gospel! I hope this newsletter finds you well!

In Christ, Pastor

Greetings from Pastor Crume

Severe Weather Reminder

Faith Lutheran Church will remain open for services Use Caution - Driving conditions may vary

between your home and Forks Township

Faith Preschool closings follow Easton Area School District Check local radio and TV stations for information

Alex Lillis, Director of Christian Education Intern,

Greetings and Blessings!

In Sunday School, our preschool through 6th-grade classes are learning about the prophet Elijah and how God used him to do great things and took care of him throughout his life. Our 7th and 8th grade class is in a series about the book of Romans and what it teaches us about being in relationship with God. Our teen class is continuing their study on the books of the Bible. They just finished up 1st & 2nd Kings, and 1st & 2nd Chronicles. If you do not currently attend Sunday School, come join a class here at Faith! We have classes for ALL ages, including adults.

Confirmation classes have been going very well. We are in the midst of Unit 4, which is all about the Kings. We learned about how the kingdom was divided into the Northern Kingdom- Israel, and the Southern Kingdom- Judah. We are learning about the various kings of each kingdom and the many prophets who came to give them a message from God. Our Confirmation classes are lively and active. We have a lot of fun and we learn a lot too. Anyone who is curious about the Old Testament is welcome to sit in on our classes. Parents of Confirmation students, I want to encourage you especially to come join us for class sometime.

On January 4th & 5th, we had our first youth lock-in in the new youth room in the Annex, where we stayed up all night having fun. Throughout the course of the night, we talked about Christmas, Epiphany, and New Years from a biblical perspective. We played many games together, including I Have Mail, Spoons, Christmas Carol Pictionary, Plane Crash, Sardines, Murder in the Church, and Interview. We also got to do a White Elephant Gift Exchange, take a fun Christmas quiz, use the new Pool table in the Annex, and cook breakfast together. It was a great lock-in! Our last youth night was a night out at Two T’s on January 19th. We got to play laser tag and indoor mini-golf. It was a lot of fun! Youth, join us for our next Youth Night on February 16th!

From January 6th-12th, we did an online high school Bible Study through the Bible App by YouVersion. Our youth read a Bible devotion each day and shared their thoughts on the app. If you do not have the Bible app, I highly recommend downloading it on your phone. It is a great tool for growing in God’s Word, and it’s free!

Our Children’s Bible Club at Shawnee Elementary started on January 22nd. Thank you to all who donated supplies and all who are volunteering! Our Bible Club will run through the month of February. Please keep us in your prayers as we teach kids about Jesus and His love for us. Pray for the kids as well, that they would be receptive to this Gospel message.

As I write this, I am preparing to travel to Concordia University Nebraska at the end of January for the DCE Intern Mid-Year Conference. At this conference, I will get to talk with my internship classmates about my experience here at Faith, share what I’ve learned with underclassmen DCE students, and get advice from my professors for this second half of my internship. Another upcoming trip is the Best Practices for Ministry Conference that Pastor Crume and I will be attending in Phoenix, AZ from February 19th-22nd. This conference has many speakers and sessions on various topics related to church ministry. I am excited to go and learn from other church workers about successful practices for church ministry.

On a more personal note, I will be getting surgery on February 1st. I have been dealing with a lot of pelvic pain, which is suspected to be endometriosis. I will be getting a pelvic laparoscopy, where the doctor will examine what is wrong and hopefully be able to remove whatever is causing the pain. Please keep me in your prayers as I go through this surgery. Thank you all for your love and support.

February Youth Schedule: February 2nd—Baked Potato Bar Youth Fundraiser, following late service February 9th—Spruce Lake Youth Retreat Meeting, 6pm-8pm February 16th—Youth Night, 6pm-8pm February 28th-March 1st—Spruce Lake Youth Retreat

Check out the Youth Room It gets better and better!

From Naomi Peckenschneider Thank you to the ladies of Faith, and Pastor Crume for the visits and the beautiful package you brought me. Your visits mean so much to me and I really enjoyed the thoughtful items in the package. I really enjoy the cards from the ladies and the youth.

THRIVENT ACTION TEAM

Thanks to your many Thrivent Grants and Action Teams led by Bernie Smith, our Youth Room has become a reality.

Grants have also enabled our Action Team to replace the damaged flooring in the EMS section of the Annex.

Please remember to thank all those who contributed hundreds of hours and lots of elbow grease to the projects.

NEW FLOOR

EMS

SECTION OF

ANNEX

What Goes Up Must Come Down

YOUTH FUNDRAISER

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2

NOON

FELLOWSHIP HALL

A hard working group of Faith members celebrated Epiphany by taking down the trees, garlands, candles and ornaments that beautified the sanctuary and narthex for the twelve days of Christmas.

Many hands made quick work and now everything is stored until Advent 2020.

Bob, Grace, and Kay Borgeson from

John and Diane Borgeson

Pat Drewry

from A Friend

Thrivent Members It’s a New Year

We are greatly in need of your

Action Team Grants

• Thank you for applying for Action Team Grants in 2019. You made a difference!

• With the new year - 2020 - you are eligible to apply all over again.

• Projects: Youth Room, Annex Sunday School Room, Egg Hunt, VBS, Soup Sale, German Dinner, Trunk or Treat, Church Lighting

• Thrivent members are eligible to receive a number of Action Team Grants of $250 each year. To match with a project that is greatly in need of funding please contact Gloria Miller or Craig VanPell.

• If you don’t know how to apply for a grant, Gloria Miller will be happy to help you with the process. You can make a difference!

• To become a Thrivent member speak to the local Thrivent representative or Gloria Miller.

• Don’t forget to assign your Choice Dollars.

The “Meals on Wheels” team from Faith has had three volunteers retire. Gloria Miller is Coordinator, and she is asking for interested volunteers to fill the group. We have MoW delivery on the Third Thursday of each month, having to be at the pick-up point at 10am.

The meals are picked up at a church on Greenwood Ave., in Palmer Township area, and the routes are usually finished before noon. A MARRIED COUPLE or TWO FRIENDS make a team. One drives and the other takes the meal to the client. Our routes are in Easton city, Wilson, Palmer, Williams Twsp., a few in Eastern Bethlehem Twsp, and Forks. One volunteer is needed for Gloria's Route. She will drive, but needs a "runner", male or female, with good feet, who is able to read directions. Give her a call. She often has a back-seat guest in a baby car seat, but he can't run."

If you’ve lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you’ve probably found there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you feel. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone. GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. Meetings will be held in Fellowship Hall at Faith Lutheran on Wednesdays at 4 PM from February 12 through May 20, 2020.

Please call the church office at 610-253-1625 with your name and contact information if you are planning to attend the GriefShare Support Group.

Laying on of Hands Service

We attended this wonderful service and would like to tell you about it.

Each person filled a prayer request form and was called forward individually and anointed with oil. When all had been anointed we met in the center aisle and put hands on the shoulder of our neighbors and prayed. The service was a modified Vespers with no communion.

If you would like to see this service repeated during the year please let Pastor know.

I am sure that Pastor would anoint individually those who are going in for surgery or have other specials needs at their request.

Mark and Gaye Lowe

Prayers are offered for ALL the families of Faith Lutheran Church and Preschool families. Please include the following families in your prayers this month.

The families below will be remembered in a special way during our Sunday Worship.

Faith Families 2/2 Bob DeHart The Denault Family 2/9 The Dilts Family The Evancho Family 2/16 The Fallos Family Rob & Jane Fedorczyk 2/23 The Fogt Family Melinda Ford

Our Military and their Families

Tom Heller

Spencer Muhlbach

Brandon Read

Sean Sargent

Stephen Sargent

Vincent Franchino

Jef Spangler

Brayan Cardozo

John Pekol

Please email the church office with CURRENT information for the military families listed above: Names of their immediate family members Their connection with Faith Church Branch, Rank, and where they are currently serving (and an end date if known) Home and Deployed addresses Email, and Phone Numbers Let us know if your military family would like to receive cards or letters

Stewardship Note: the yellow “Special

Mission Offering” envelopes in your 2020 offering envelope boxes will be dedicated for the Director of Christian Education program here at Faith. If you are giving on line through our e-giving program you may designate to do the same on line with your monthly special gift.

The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) is the official women’s auxiliary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. For over 77 years, the LWML has focused on affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to support global missions.

The LWML is the leading group for LCMS women where each woman is welcomed and encouraged to use her unique God-given gifts as she supports global missions and serves the Lord with gladness.

Mite Boxes and Stamp Deposit Box are available in the coat room.

Contact Tracy Pioppi or Lori Brewer if you have any questions.

You are Invited to Join Us Every 3rd Sunday

February 26

Noon & 7:00 PM Communion & Imposition of Ashes

March 4, 11, 18, 25; April 1

Lenten Worship Services Noon & 7:00 pm

NO SOUP SUPPERS

SERVING IN WORSHIP

February 2020

February 2 8:00 am 10:30 am Officiant: Rev. Christopher Crume Rev. Christopher Crume Assistants: Erik Wendt, Ted Cheung Steve Baas, Greg Pioppi Readers: Erik Wendt Steve Baas Greeters: M/M John Harper M/M Bernie Smith Ushers: Sally Ueberroth The Hartzell Family, Emilee Brewer Bob Harrison Altar Guild: Jill Sassaman and Sally Ueberroth Coffee Hour: Schleicher/Lowe/Cowen Organist: Sue Tucker

February 8 5:00 pm Saturday Officiant: Rev. Christopher Crume Assistants: Steve Baas Reader: Steve Baas Altar Guild: Jill Sassaman and Sally Ueberroth

February 9 8:00 am 10:30 am Officiant: Rev. Christopher Crume Rev. Christopher Crume Assistants: Greg Pioppi, Erik Wendt Steve Baas, Greg Pioppi Readers: Carl Varga Brenda Cavella Greeters: M/M John Bronico M/M Karl Miller Ushers: Kyle Garon Lynn Klein, Sally Ueberroth Brianna Smith Altar Guild: Jill Sassaman and Sally Ueberroth Coffee Hour: Kris Fallos/Gloria Miller Organist: Sue Tucker

February 16 8:00 am 10:30 am Officiant: Rev. Christopher Crume Rev. Christopher Crume Assistants: Gary Sandt , John Bronico Gary Schleicher, Tom Zaro Readers: Gary Sandt Gary Schleicher Greeters: Vic Peckenschneider M/M Bob Jordan Ushers: Tracy Pioppi Ryan & Patrick VanPell Sonya Bronico Altar Guild: Jill Sassaman and Sally Ueberroth Coffee Hour Carrie Midgely/Megan Crume Organist: Sue Tucker

February 22 5:00 pm Saturday Officiant: Rev. Christopher Crume Assistants: Ted Cheung Readers: Ted Cheung Altar Guild: Jill Sassaman and Sally Ueberroth

February 23 8:00 am 10:30 am Officiant: Rev. Christopher Crume Rev. Christopher Crume Assistants: Ted Cheung, Erik Wendt Tom Zaro, Gary Schleicher Readers: Steve Fogt Tracy Taddeo Greeters: The Pioppi Family M/M Jack Smickle Ushers: Jill Sassaman The Hartzell Family, Lynn Klein Bob Harrison Altar Guild: Jill Sassaman and Sally Ueberroth Coffee Hour M/M Herb Stewart Organist: Sue Tucker

February 26 Ash Wednesday Noon 7:00 pm Officiant: Rev. Christopher Crume Rev. Christopher Crume Assistants: Gary Sandt, Erik Wendt, Ted Cheung Readers: Steve Fogt Tracy Taddeo Greeters: The Pioppi Family M/M Jack Smickle Ushers: Jill Sassaman Sally Ueberroth Sally Ueberroth Bob Harrison Altar Guild: Jill Sassaman and Sally Ueberroth Organist: Sue Tucker

ALTAR FLOWERS

Cut flower bouquets beautify the altar while reminding us of the fragility of life. See signup sheet on bulletin board. You may wish to give the flowers “in honor of”, or “in memory of” loved ones or a special family occasion. Please write your $15 check payable to:

“Faith Lutheran Church” Memo - Altar Flowers

Saturday Night Worship Service

February 8 & 22 5:00 pm