The Advance

West Side Moravian Church of Bethlehem, PA

Our Mission: “We are disciples who nurture each other,

pray with love and share the joy of Christ.”

Published Monthly October 2011 Volume XXI Issue No 9

“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevering in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

A few weeks ago our Sunday morning meditation was on this Bible reading, Paul’s letter to the Romans. Several members suggested that I reproduce it for the Advance. I have decided to summarize rather than reproduce.

As I prepared for the meditation the words that jumped out at me were: “…so far as it depends on you…” And I thought, “I don’t want it to depend on me. . .why can’t it depend on them?” And I realized that you was plural and God depends on all of us to share God’s love in our world. And I remember a story about a young woman from Africa who was attending an Evangelism meeting of people from all over the world. She was asked how they spread the word of God in her area. She answered, “We don’t have pamphlets or tracts or stuff like that. We send 2 or 3 Christian families to live and work in an area. When people see how Christians live, they want to be one too.”

Is that true here? When people see how we live do they want to become Christians? More often, what I hear is, “if they are Christians, I don’t want to be one!” or “The church is filled with hypocrites, they say one thing and do another.” It is sad but true; many cannot see Christ in the way we act.

Bad things happen to us; that’s a fact of life that isn’t going to change any time soon. The gospel tells us that Christians should absorb such evil and show Christ’s love to the world, not only when doing so is easy, but we are to display the grace of Jesus Christ at the very times we want to strike back.

Think for a moment, when is it hard for you to show God’s grace (love) to others?

· When people lie to you?

· When they say mean things about you?

· When others get in your face?

· When you are hanging from a cross?

· When they spit in your face?

Like Jesus, these are the times when we must reflect God’s love and concern for others. It’s hard being a Christian, but it is what we are asked to do when we call ourselves Christians.

“…so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all…” Notice is doesn’t say talk about living peaceably; it says “in so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

You have a choice – you can choose to seek revenge or you can choose to seek peace. It truly is up to you.

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Those Who Are Serving

Sunday	Flowers Given by	Counters	Sacristans	Liturgist	Fellowship
10-02-11	Available	Phil Pinkerton Mary Holland	Ralph Wanamaker, Jr. Don Richards Curly Wiles	Pastor	Trustees
10-09-11	Betty Lou Hall	Shirley Leh Sam Velez	Greg Clugston Mike Palmer Fred Kline	Audrey Wanamaker
10-16-11	Anna Kleintop	Phil Pinkerton Jim & Terry Kleintop	Don DeWalt Doug Yochum Sam Velez	Mike Palmer
10-23-11	Richard Kleintop	Shirley Leh Bill Hassler	Ralph Wanamaker, Jr. Don Richards Curly Wiles	Peter Collier
10-30-11	Available	Shirley Leh Phil Pinkerton	Greg Clugston Mike Palmer Fred Kline	Duffy Snyder

September 2010

9/5 9/12 9/19 9/26

47 73 52 55

September 2011

9/4 9/11 9/18 9/25

55 51 57 61

Food Bank Sunday – Oct. 23

Donations of non-perishable foods and cash are always appreciated. The food bank also accepts infant items, such as diapers and wipes, hygiene items, and household items, such as toilet paper and paper towels. Those who use the food bank also need these items. The West Bethlehem Area Food Bank does not use cash donations to purchase these items. Please remember to bring a donation with you to church.

Senior Friends

The first meeting of the Senior Friends this fall will be held Thursday, October 6, 2011 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. The first program will be the Nepal Moravian Mission with pictures. Our speaker will be Myra Jones. Please bring a bagged lunch and a friend. Call the church office at 610-865-0256 if you need a ride or can provide transportation.

Called Home to the Lord

Carolyn Hutter passed into the more immediate presence of our Savior on September 22, 2011. Carolyn was the sister of Pastor Marge. She was also a former member of West Side and a past church secretary (from 1977-1980). Please hold Marge and Bill Hassler, as well as their extended family, in your prayers at this difficult time.

Thank You

Recently, we received this note from Kimberly Swanson (daughter of Judy Jessup):

Dear congregants of West Side Moravian Church,

On behalf of the Jessup family, I thank you very much for the thoughtful card for our mother, Judy. Mom is in a good, safe place now and is doing as well as can be expected given her condition. She is comfortable. She is on hospice now after experiencing several falls, one that resulted in several broken ribs and a punctured lung. Again, thank you for thinking of us.

Much love,

Kimberly Swanson

From the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church:

Dear Friends:

Thank you for the check in the amount of $80.53, which you sent to help provide food for children. We will use this gift to the support of Likewise Ministries. On behalf of those who will directly benefit from your gift, thank you very much.

Blessings,

Lisa Mixon

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$$ Financial Matters $$

We have been able to obtain the funds to pay for the new carpet completely.

However, due a shortage of cash we have not been able to pay our August and September Provincial Assessment payments or our Medical and Pension Benefits payments.

Provincial Common Ministries

Monthly YTD

$1,508.17 $10,557.19

We have been able to pay our District Assessment up to date.

District Common Ministries

Monthly YTD

$464.16 $4,262.17

All current operating bills are paid to date!

Noisy Offering for August was $80.53, which was given to BWM Likewise Ministry for Food for Children.

Noisy Offering for September was $50.15, which was given to the Red Cross for hurricane victims.

Cancellation Policy

It appears that West Side Moravian does not have an official cancellation policy. Thus the Board of Elders has decided that the pastor will consult with the Vice-Chair of Elders and the Chair of Trustees before worship is cancelled. If a cancellation is deemed necessary the pastor will contact channel 69, and it will be broadcast with all of their cancellations.

MORAVIAN

WOMEN

Meeting Schedule for October:

Moravian Women’s Executive Board – Monday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.

King’s Daughters “Be Ye Kind Circle” – Tuesday, October 11 at 1:30 p.m.

Kathy Gramley Circle – Tues., Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Moravian Archives Tour

Moravian Women scheduled a tour of the “Moravian Women Exhibit” at the Archives at 41 West Locust St., Bethlehem. This will be on Sunday, October 16 at 1:30 p.m. Everyone is invited – men, women and children.

Election Day Outreach – Nov. 8

West Side will be providing coffee and sugar cake to voters. Moravian Women are also having a bake sale on Election Day. We need people to greet voters and people to provide baked goods for the sale. There will be a sign-up sheet closer to the date, or you can contact Judy Young if you are able to help.

Operation Christmas Child

Christmas is coming – it’s time to fill your shoeboxes again! The Christian Education Committee is sponsoring Operation Christmas Child. The brochures are in the back of the sanctuary. We have supplied some empty boxes, and some are already wrapped. All the empty boxes can be found on the stage along with some extra items you can put into your shoebox. Please help yourself. Filled shoeboxes are due on Sunday, November 13. Last year we filled 51; let’s fill more this year. Thank you for your support!

Chili Tasting

We will hold a Chili Tasting Sunday, October 16 after worship. A hot dog and soda is $1.00, or make food bank donation (nonperishable food item). A $5.00 donation is requested. ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE FOOD BANK! If interested in donating your favorite chili, please contact Bill Holland.

Waste Recycling Day

Do your part to help save our environment by dropping off your electronics and universal waste for recycling at Palmer Moravian on Sat., Oct. 15 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. For more info and a list of acceptable items, please see the bulletin board.

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From Pastor Marge

I was looking for a symbol for the confirmation class, something interesting, contemporary and something to which they could relate. There is no such thing on my computer so I chose this group of excited young people because they will be so excited about coming to confirmation class. Actually, one of their first assignments will be to choose or design a logo for the group.

Confirmation Classes will begin on Sunday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. If you are interested in being confirmed, please bring your parents to this meeting. We will discuss the meeting times and requirement of confirmation. My goal is to meet every other week, alternating with Youth Fellowship.

Confirmation will be on the day of Pentecost, May 27.

It is important, if you are interested in being confirmed, that you attend this meeting.

Joint Board Retreat

On the evening of September 9 and the morning of September 10, some of the leaders of the congregation met with the Rev. Gary Marsh, director of Stewardship for the Northern Province, to discuss how West Side might begin to expand her horizons. We looked at ministry as it is and ministry as it could be. We had a large group discussion and broke into smaller groups to go into more detail. You will be hearing more about this in the weeks and months ahead.

Our first goal is to begin a Member Visitation Program called 6-3-6-1-2-. This is an every member visitation.

The reasons for an every member process is to bring every member an awareness that:

· They are loved by the Lord, this Church, its Pastor, leaders and fellow members.

· Life is blessed through a relationship with Christ and the Church.

· The church is a vibrant institution and is called to be healthy and thriving.

· Everyone is a vital part of this Church and its mission.

· We are establishing believers who are also increasingly committed to following Jesus Christ more closely.

You will hear more about this program as we approach January of 2012.

Invitation to Holy Conversation

Regarding Human Sexuality

Rooted in a heritage of faith, we invite you to a series of Regional gatherings (Holy Conversations) that have been planned as a response to the Provincial Synod of 2010 to discuss the ordination of gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships.

Remembering our long history of working collaboratively in church matters, we are planning to gather in regional forums for 2 hour meetings for a conversation that matters to all of us. We are seeking the collective wisdom of our brothers and sisters by considering a number of questions, for the sake of our future together. These questions have been designed by the Human Sexuality Task Force of the Northern Province.

We are confident of the leading of God’s Spirit in this process and we seek to hear from the variety of voices

across the Northern Province. Each person is invited to come prayerfully and to offer what they can as they participate in responding to the questions. If you are a pastor, board member, or lay leader mark your calendar for this regional gathering.

The format of our gathering will use a circle or circles to facilitate the holy conversation. Join us as we gather Monday, October 10, 2011 at Moravian Theological Seminary from 7 to 9 p.m.

In the circle:

· We agree to be respectful, honest, and creative in our holy conversations for the sake of our future together.

· We trust that God will supply what we need to come together for our future and we will let our voices be heard and offer what we can.

· We will listen to each other with respect, freshness, curiosity, compassion, and sensitivity. Each person will speak his or her own truth. Stories shared in holy conversations are confidential.

· We will pause in silence, from time to time for prayer and discernment.

There will be a designated leader(s) for each circle. The Circle Host/Facilitator will:

· Welcome participants to the small group circle (6-8).

· Help guide the small group circle process.

· Help the circle abide by its agreements and fulfill its intention.

· Keep track of time.

If you are interested, talk with Pastor Marge or just come to Moravian Theological Seminary on October 10 at 7 p.m.

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I am Blair Couch, pastor of Calvary Moravian Church and member of the Visioning Team preparing for the Eastern District Synod of 2012.

I write to invite a cross section of our Moravian Church, Eastern District to regional gatherings for the purpose of framing the direction of our denomination leading up to synod and following our time together.

The visioning team asks for your prayers, time, and energy for the “discerning circles.”

Your discerning circle will be held:

October 22, 2011, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Lehigh Valley at Schoeneck

The visioning team, in seeking God’s guidance through concerted prayer time, has come to the conclusion that gathering together to build on what we are doing well as a church will feed into the holy conversations we will have at synod, propelling us into ministry and mission for Christ.

We are in a season of great possibility and discernment in our Moravian Church.  I ask that you make every effort to block out the time, bring as many as you can and be a part of stepping into the power of God’s leading in this time.

If you are interested, please talk with Pastor Marge.

COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING LOVEFEAST CONCERT

The Federal City Brass Band/26^th North Carolina Regimental Band will present a concert in the sanctuary of Nazareth Moravian Church on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7:00 p.m. A Community Thanksgiving Lovefeast will be served while the congregation sings during the concert. Special music will be presented by the organist at Nazareth Moravian Church, Jeanne Serfas, while we enjoy eating the lovefeast together. An offering will be taken during the concert and given to the Nazareth Area Food Bank.

Fall Rummage Sales

Schoeneck Moravian Church, located just north of Nazareth on Broad St. Extension, will hold their annual Fall Rummage and Bake Sale Saturday, October 1 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the church’s programs. The rummage sale features hundreds of bargains in children’s and adult clothing, housewares, toys, books, and furniture. In addition, the sale offers a tempting array of food items to purchase, including fresh baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, homemade soup, and hot dogs.

Palmer Moravian Church will hold their rummage sale October 7 and 8. Items include books, clothes, dishes, toys, linens, holiday, boutique and odd-n-ends. Hours are as follows: Fri., Oct. 7 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Sat., Oct. 8 from 8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. (bag sale from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.).