TO KNOW CHRIST AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN
Over the past 3 weeks we have put out over 1,200 frozen meals, plus misc. products – oatmeal, pancake mix, grits, pasta, fresh fruit, eggs, some dairy, frozen vegetables, a little cocoa mix for the kids and toilet paper. We also have vinyl gloves if needed. All of this is because of the great cooperation, support and donations from BAM and our local churches and their members.
Continue Reading →Dear Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
These are challenging times both spiritually and materially. Yet as we hunker down to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and others, the work of the church in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ continues even expands to meet new and pressing needs. I am happy to share with you that the freezer ministry, which began at East Hills and spread in the past few years to all Bethlehem Area Moravian congregations, has been asked to provide 400 meals to persons living in Moravian Towers 1 and 2 in downtown Bethlehem. Feeding the hungry is certainly a Biblical way of making Christ known.
Previously the county was able to provide these meals. Yet the weekly influx of non-residents into a senior living community, coupled with high rates of occupancy in the dining area became too risking as the transmission of Covid 19 in the Lehigh Valley accelerated and the meals were canceled.
Fortunately, the BAM Freezer Ministry was there to step in and fill an acute need. Recent cooking events at East Hills Moravian Church had filled two industrial freezers with quarts of soup, rice and sausage dishes, macaroni and cheese, etc. just waiting to be distributed and warmed up. Who would have thought that a kitchen facility mainly used as a staging area for church dinners would become a vital asset to the surrounding community and a source of hope for those facing food insecurity?
Sadly I expect the need to increase as many persons are out of work without unemployment benefits. Early this week I, therefore, sent a grant request to Bethlehem Area Moravians for $8000 to support this ministry. They approved it and we should soon receive the funding. Should any member of the congregation, or a neighbor of a member, or a friend, etc. find themselves running short of food, please reach out to the church.
Thank you to all who have made this ministry possible. Even if we can’t include you in cooking at the present time due to limits on how many persons can be gathered in one space, know that your volunteerism in the past has filled the freezers for moments such as this. The contributions of congregation members to the annual budget has provided funds for the gas, electricity, and facilities to make this outreach possible.
Of course, as followers of Jesus, we don’t live by bread alone. Your congregational lay leaders and I are trying to provide opportunities for us to worship, learn remotely, and continue to connect with one another. We know that spiritual connection becomes more important during times of physical isolation. Please make note of such opportunities in the weekly emails and share them with others who may not have heard of them.
Our Board will be contacting members of the congregation to check on their well being. We ask that all members help us care for each other. If you or someone you are aware of has physical, emotional, or spiritual needs during this time of social distancing and quarantine please contact me or one of our elected lay leaders.
Peace, grace, and good health to you and your loved ones,
Pastor Derek
If you missed worship this Sunday (or last Sunday for that matter), head over to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/EastHillsMoravian. Derek posted the Sunday worship services there and will do so for the foreseeable future. We realize this is unchartered territory and are doing our best to provide continued continuity despite quarantines, restrictions, and social distancing.
If you missed the Mid-Week Lenten Service this past Wednesday, Derek did his best to bring it to you online over on our East Hills Moravian Group Page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/109455987443/. If you aren’t a member yet, please consider joining us!
Please email the church office: office@easthillsmc.org. We will not be mentioning persons by other than their first name during worship or delving in too deeply into individual circumstances since the YouTube broadcast is literally available to the world. We soon will have a new prayer list which will contain the information normally present in the Sunday morning bulletin.
Contact Derek via email at pastorfrench@easthillsmc.org, via text message, or via Facebook messenger. His personal and cell numbers are available to members in the East Hills Moravian Church directory. If you need a directory, please email the church office and we will gladly send you a .pdf copy.
Please consider using our Online Giving portal for submitting your tithe or other donations. This is safe and secure and helps provide needed resources not only for our congregation but also for the emergency funds we provide to those in our community. All Moravian congregations and fellowships in the Northern and Southern Provinces in the United States have online giving enabled through the Giving Portal at https://mmfa.info/giving-portal/. The Moravian Ministries Foundation in America is happy to do its part to help Moravians support the ministries of their local churches and worship God with their tithes and offerings from the safety of home. Answers to frequently asked questions are available at https://files.constantcontact.com/4979844f601/4ee20b1b-d3a0-4f5a-ac32-c1846e2e30f4.pdf
Derek is going to try and post this week’s Mid-Week Lenten Service on our YouTube channel. That said, we are using some external content so we need to make sure copyrights are observed. Please bear with us; this might remain in our East Hills Moravian Facebook Group page instead. Many thanks, again, to Peter Diehl for the idea for this program. This week’s focus will be on the disciples.
Please hold those with food shortages in your thoughts and prayers as changes at both the Northeast Community Center Foodbank and Second Harvest take place. We will not be collecting canned foods at this time, but if you’d like to continue to help with this effort, please mail a check in any amount to the church at 1830 Butztown Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18017. Please note “A Can a Week” on the memo line. Cash cards will be purchased to help meet the needs of the hungry at this time of stress and uncertainty. Thank you for your faithfulness to this ministry.
Interested in helping to feed the hungry. Contact Rob Greenawald at 610 438 2626 or rgreenawald@rcn.com for more information or to volunteer.
Ongoing fundraiser with Primary.com which sells quality children’s clothing at affordable prices. Please visit our school’s special URL at primary.com/school/easthills and use the code EASTHILLS when checking out after shopping. Information to register for Primary.com is available through the Preschool, and you will also receive an extra 25% off your first order.
All are invited to join the East Hills Moravian Church book club on Monday, April 27th at 7 pm in the parlor where we will discuss “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Michele Richardson. Questions? Contact: Amy Frantz Gross at bartlet4pres@yahoo.com.
WHY KNOTS, scheduled for March 25, and WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP, scheduled for April 7, are both canceled. Please hold one another in your thoughts and prayers, and maintain connection by phone, email, or text.
Northeast Community Center 2020 Annual Italian Buffet Fundraiser on Saturday, April 4, that was in the March Newsletter, has been canceled. If anyone would like to send a donation for the 2020 Summer Camp Program, they would be so grateful. Northeast Community Center, P.O. Box 1463, Bethlehem, PA 18016
Saturday, April 4th, 9 AM to 10:15 AM. Open to the community. Pictures with the Bunny from 9:15 to 10:15 for a donation (bring your own camera). Egg Hunt at 10:30. Tickets are $5 for anyone over two, two and under are free but need a ticket. For reservation/tickets please email EHMChurch1830@yahoo.com with your name, how many tickets for two and up and how many tickets for under 2 and the best way to contact you. Questions please email EHMChurch1830@yahoo.com or call 610-737-0012. Includes pancakes, sausage, eggs, tater tots, cheese sauce and other condiments, and a juice and coffee bar. Proceeds will benefit the East Hills Moravian preschool marketing budget. The deadline to get tickets is March 27, 2020.
The Spring Preschool Lovefeast will be tentatively held on Wednesday, April 15th at 9:30 am. This is in celebration of the Week of the Young Child.
Registration for East Hills Moravian Preschool is open! Tell your family, friends, and neighbors about our wonderful school. We have a beautiful facility, friendly and knowledgeable teachers, and a new curriculum. We offer the following programs:
If you want to extend the fun, children can bring their lunch and stay 11:45 am-1:00 pm or until 3:00 pm. Please call us at 610-868-6242 and let us know your preschool needs.
Thanks, so very much, for your ongoing support of the Northeast Community Center Foodbank. Food supplies are constantly changing, and in order to help keep all the shelves filled, it is best to focus on those most-needed items. At the present time, the greatest need is 100% juice, as well as pasta sauce, and non-spaghetti type pasta. There is also a need for reusable grocery bags, in addition to the plastic bags already being donated. Please also refer to our Facebook page for the most current updates.
Last summer, Bishop Sam Gray led a program at Camp Tar Hollow called “Come In & Go Out,” focused on preparing ourselves for the mission field. The key takeaway of the week was that we must have a strong relationship with Christ before we are ready to go out into the world and be advocates for him. This program really stuck with me as I entered my junior year of college and faced my final summer before graduation. Although the Moravian church has always been a huge part of my life, I felt that I could grow my relationship with Christ and get more involved in the community. I reached out to mentors that I had connected with through years of camps, youth groups, and Sunday schools, asking about possible opportunities to get further involved in the church. This led to a mission trip to Haiti as well as the Try-Ministry Internship at East Hills.
I started my summer in Haiti to extend the love of Christ to two orphanages in the region. Imagine Missions is a home to nearly 80 kids and hosts a school for many more. We spent our time there installing a dozen ceiling fans in the church so they could get some air movement in the constant heat. Although the church service was in French, it was definitely exciting to see how involved and energetic they get about worship.
While Imagine Missions has been around for many years and is well financed through a network of churches in the United States, the second orphanage we worked at is not so fortunate. Grace for Orphans Ministry was started by an orphan who aged out of the system and, because of his caring nature, has had 18 children dropped off at his door. He preaches the word of God through his actions and was an example for our team on how we should treat one another. We were fortunate enough to have the funds to build a chicken coop and some shelves for the orphanage. When we weren’t fixing up the house, we were spending time with the kids showing them the kind of individual love that orphans don’t always get being in a large group.
After returning from Haiti, I made my way to Bethlehem, and, while I haven’t spent any time here before this summer, I have been welcomed by the community and shown genuine hospitality. This opportunity has allowed me to nurture my spiritual life and walk the path of ministry first-hand. Through meetings, visitations, and worship, I am able to see what the life of a pastor entails and I am extremely thankful for this enlightening and enjoyable experience.
Through my travels both to Haiti and East Hills, I am reminded of the dual responsibility I have as a Christian to be prepared and secure in my relationship with Christ before I go out into the mission field. I am so thankful for the opportunities that God has allowed me to be a part of this summer, and, while I have not committed to a life of ordained ministry yet, I have booked my next flight to Haiti. This December I will take my experiences from East Hills and “Go Out,” to Grace for Orphans Ministry and continue to show God’s love through word and action.
Matthew Spies
Mission and outreach on behalf of the Savior, rather than denominational expansion, was the initial focus of Moravian work In North America. Collectively and individually the church willingly made great sacrifices to bring the good news about Jesus Christ to persons who otherwise would never have heard it.
This summer’s Eastern District Synod (June 22-25) seeks to re-kindle our passion for the Savior’s ongoing work through a special focus on local and world mission. Before joining together in mission teams to prayerfully consider congregational and district mission initiatives, delegates will participate in a “hands-on” mission learning experience at one of many sites throughout the Lehigh Valley. It is hoped that their experience will inform the work of synod and encourage Eastern District congregations to reach beyond the walls of the sanctuary and their member rosters in spreading spreading God’s Word.
The title of the synod is taken from the third stanza of “Sing Hallelujah, Praise the Lord,” written by the late Moravian bishop Edwin Kortz:
But not for us alone this news
was brought by Christ our Lord.
‘Twas meant for all the world to hear
and thus with one accord
with all God’s children everywhere
his name and sign with pride we bear.
To us, to us this task is giv’n:
to spread God’s word. Amen.
I find it interesting that God has most abundantly blessed the Moravian Church whenever its members have “lost themselves” in the Savior’s work with little concern for how doing so would benefit them individually or institutionally. Perhaps as we reflect on our history there are lessons for us as we set the ministry priorities of our congregation and district.
East Hills Moravian Church has joined 12 local churches of various denominations in providing shelter to those who are homeless this winter. By working together these churches will be able to provide shelter to men, women and children 7 days per week starting December 10 and ending March 31 – the coldest nights of the year.
If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill”, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? – James 2:15-16
Beginning December 10, East Hills will provide hospitality to women and children on Saturday nights. This ministry will need a variety of talents throughout the week, including:
Beforehand:
Saturday Nights:
Sunday Mornings:
Afterwards:
In the coming weeks you will be hearing more about this ministry and ways you can get involved. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lisa Mixon: lisa@mcnp.org.
To volunteer, click here to visit our Sing-Up Genius page
Long-Range Plan for Homeless in Bethlehem
Several months ago, a task force was appointed to develop a long-range plan for the homeless in Bethlehem, which could then be shared with the faith-based stakeholders who have been actively participating in this ministry over the past several years. A strategic plan has been developed.
It is hoped that eventually we can provide a single site shelter, on a year-round basis for those in need in our community. This plan was discussed with the stakeholders on October 20, 2011 and will be voted on by an organizing committee on November 16, 2011. East Hills Moravian Church member Lisa Mixon is on this organizing committee.
The Lord will reply to his people: “I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully.”
– Joel 2:19 (NIV)
All community partners have been invited to help “name” this ministry. (Once it is named, it will no longer be referred to as the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter System). Several names have been proposed, including:
Which name do you prefer? Do you have an idea for a name to add to the list?
Please forward your suggestions to Lisa Mixon: lisa@mcnp.org by Tuesday, November 15, 2011. If new names are suggested, Lisa will present them to the organizing committee and she will vote on a name according to the majority of responses she receives.
God of the poor and destitute, bring us together to serve your needy children. Forgive our urge to gather everything for ourselves yet ignore the needs of others. Draw near to the orphans of the world and help them thrive in spite of their lack. We pray our churches will flourish so we may take responsibility for the need in your world. Amen.
– Moravian Daily Text (October 22, 2011)
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As a senior social work major, I am doing my internship through Campus Ministry with a small town, Noxen, Pennsylvania. Through this internship I have concentrated mainly on helping the people in Noxen clean up from the flood waters from Hurricane Irene.
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This small town was hit particularly hard and left with a lot of devastation. In September, I organized several flood clean-up teams to help those in Noxen who were affected by the flood. As of late September, we sent five different teams and were able to clean close to 15 houses. The town of Noxen is mostly cleaned up from the flood, but there are still so many in the surrounding areas that are living in devastation.
One place that got particularly devastated is Myo Beach Road in a town called Tunkhannock. This town is about forty minutes away from Misericordia, and the devastation that has occurred there is almost unimaginable. This road in particular has left dozens of families without homes. The flood waters rose so fast that most people lost almost everything.
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Walking down this road, the aftermath of the flood is really heart wrenching. Seeing people’s homes completely washed away, their things scattered all along the street – it is really something that I have never seen before.
I organized and coordinated flood clean-up efforts through Misericordia Campus Ministry to help those affected on Myo Beach Road. So far, we have sent two different groups of students to help clean up. The group that I went with mainly spent the afternoon trying to clean out mud from people’s houses. In one house in particular, we were literally knee-deep in mud in the second story of their house.
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There is so much that still needs to be done and the truth is that the residents of Myo Beach Road cannot do it alone. Many of the residents are elderly and are physically unable to do the labor that needs to get done. They are relying upon others for aid, but with such devastation in the area, there are simply not enough people to help. As a University, we are working really hard to organize more cleaning efforts, because these people are in desperate need.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in these areas