545 Church Drive, Palmerton, PA 18071 (Trachsville)

www.jerusalemucc.org / (610)-681-4412

Follow Us on Facebook: Jerusalem Trachsville UCC

JERUSALEM UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

T he Traveler

The Vision of our Church is to increase

Faith, Hope, Love, Community and Belonging

Pastor: Rev. Kathryn Foster (H): (610) 261-9015 Office Hours: By Appointment (M) (610) 554-7364 Email: juccpast@ptd.net Church Secretary: Jillian Kuntzman Office: (610) 681-4412 Office Hours: not available right now Email: juccsecy@ptd.net (hours subject to change) Director of Music: Shelba Scheffner shelba.scheffner@gmail.com Director of Christian Ed: Marcia Heinick mheinick@ptd.net Treasurer: Steph Anderson (610) 681-3878 / stephand@ptd.net Financial Secretary: Debbie Cope (610) 681-5033 Sexton: Barry George

CHURCH CONSISTORY

President: Ed Brader 484-357-3551 braderwoodcraft@gmail.com

Vice-President: Rick Anderson 610-681-3878 Randerson@serviceteam.com

Secretary: Lorrie Nothstein 610-442-7437 loke4evr@hotmail.com

Additional Members

Barry George Marcia Heinick Bob Buck Lyn Summers

Duane Hawk Saralyn Sarandis Jaclyn Wonderly Kelli George

MAY 2020

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Dear Members and Friends,

As I put this newsletter together myself being the only JUCC staff still working, I think of the

immense changes that COVID-19 has brought into our lives. COVID-19…. words that will live

in our hearts, minds, books, newspapers, and documents forever. Well, at least as long as

humanity is keeping records. Pandemics and plagues have menaced the world before. However,

this one…, this one has altered our lives in ways few of us ever imagined. Understandably, the

word for “plague” means, “to strike” in the book of Exodus, when the plagues were being

exacted upon Egypt by God through Moses. Plagues, or pandemics, are very much like being

hit, or struck. It leaves us feeling a bit dazed and pained at best, looking at death and destruction

at worst. I pray for those of us experiencing the worst.

We are in the middle of it right now. As I write this, I am looking out my window to the colored

landscape, that looks just like it did before and wondering, “How could this be?” It all looks just

the same. That is because reality is not, always, as it looks. In fact, the book of Revelation tells

us this with the imagery of what has been, what is now, and what is to come. (Revelation 1:19)

Revelation is essentially a letter to the seven churches of western Turkey, called, “Asia” at the

end of the first century C.E. The writer communicates with “insiders” who knew what strikes

and struggles the churches were experiencing. The overarching message is about overcoming.

Overcoming the struggles set before them, and us. The book tells us that sometimes, in order to

“overcome,” we must repent (change our hearts and/or lives); and other times, we just need to

hold on and keep doing what we have been doing to serve our Lord. We hear we can overcome

this struggle with the help of our Lord.

That is our hope and charge today: to overcome this struggle so that the most people may live

and prosper. Churches (Groups for God) do this by following our Savior’s word and plan.

God sees you being in church, whether in our building or not.

Be safe and God be with you,

Pastor Kathryn

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MESSAGE FROM THE CONSISTORY PRESIDENT

MAY 2020

Hello Fellow Members and Friends of JUCC, Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.” I trust and pray you are all doing well during these trying times. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic life has certainly thrown us for a bit of a loop. We all need to listen to the advice of our health care professional and trust in our Lord, and we will get through this together. I hope most of you have been able to enjoy the live stream Sunday morning services that Pastor Kathryn has been providing. Thank you Pastor, Bob and Shelba for all your work on this. I am not sure when we will be able to return to our regular Sunday services in the sanctuary. We will rely on the guidance of the professionals to help us make that determination. The church will do its best to inform everyone as to when we will be able to resume our regular schedules. We will also have to establish guidelines as to how our services will be conducted. As of now, our schedules for the Chicken Barbeque Dinner, VBS and Summer Church Picnic are all on schedule. Finally, I want to send out a BIG thank you to everyone who has been mailing in the their weekly contributions to the church office. I also want to thank Steph, Kelli and Amy for their efforts to organize our second food bank distribution. The date is Tuesday, May 5th from 6:00-8:00 pm for those in need. Thank you to all who have contributed so generously to this effort, great work. Hope to see you all in church soon. God is our rock. He wants us to lean on him. Stay strong. Peace be with you, Ed Brader

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Future Building Use Committee Report Unfortunately, the Future Building Use Committee is in a holding pattern during the current Covid-19 situation. The Towamensing Township meetings were canceled in the month of April, and at this time, we are not certain of the dates of the May meetings. We need to have our updated land plan reviewed for final township approval. Our committee will then meet to review all bids and put together the financial plan to pay for our project. All of this information will be presented to the consistory for their recommendations and then presented to the congregation for final discussions. At this point in time, we will not be rushing this decision process. Due to the uncertain times, we want to be sure we proceed with the proper plan in place with an acceptable time line.

“LIVE!” WORSHIP ONLINE EVERY SUNDAY ON FACEBOOK!! Pastor Kathryn is providing Sunday worship services, every Sunday at 11:00 am, Shelba and Bob

providing musical skills! If you can access Facebook you can view while the service takes place. If you

cannot view at that time, the recordings are available afterward to view on our website homepage,

www.jerusalemucc.org, or on Facebook: Jerusalem UCC Trachsville or Jerusalem United Church of

Christ, Palmerton. Either way, you will be blessed with songs, hymns, scriptures, prayers and message!

ONLINE ONLY SERVICES CONTINUE THROUGH MAY 3RD. Watch for updates.

SUNDAY CHRISTIAN EDUCATION PROGRAMS **Let us know if you are not getting info on this but would like to!**

Nursery (infant to pre-K): Marcia is emailing recordings of bible stories for the nursery children Children (ages 5-12) Marcia is holding Sunday School on Zoom for this age group at 10am. Youth Group (ages 13-17): Will resume when the church building is open. Adult Sunday School: Will resume when the church building is open Bible Study Video/Audio Conference: Tuesday evenings 7pm to 9pm, call, text, email pastor for the connection link

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Christian Education News - May 2020

I hope everyone is well and safe.

This past month I have been enjoying the Zoom company of some of the Sunday School kiddos. We

made prayer boxes and prayed for those in need of prayers, we celebrated Passover with paper palm

leaves, I taught the Resurrection Story through Resurrection Eggs and we played a board game

where we travelled with Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus. This format has enabled me

to see the kiddos face to face as they also interact with each other.

For the Nursery kiddos I pre-record myself reading and telling Bible stories and I sing ( not very

well) songs that Miss Judy and Miss Rachael might sing during their time in Nursery. I send a link

through Youtube to their parents or grandparents email. I sure do miss seeing the kids as I know the

teachers do.

If any of the teachers would like to run a Zoom class or read a story just email me. We will continue

this format until we can safely be all together again in church. In the meantime if you know of a

child that would like to be part of our Zoom Sunday School, or want a Youtube link with a pre-

recorded message, please feel free to contact me at mheinick@ptd.net and I will set you up with

necessary information.

We are still planning the Sports and Arts Jamboree/ Vacation Bible School for July 13-16th with a

closing program at the 9:00 service on July 19th. Please mark your calendars and we will be

distributing more information in the next few months. VBS has 2 groups, the “Littles” who are 2-5

(not yet in Kindergarten) and a parent /grandparent or guardian must stay with their child through

out VBS. The 2nd group is for our school age kiddos who will be with our adult and youth helpers. If

you have any interest in helping with VBS please let me know and I will help you get the necessary

clearances, if you do not have them already.

Blessings and hope to see you all when it is safe! Marcia

Blessings!

Marcia Heinick

mheinick@ptd.net

Pastor's Note: If any church member has any basic needs that are unmet and we at the

church might help, please call me on my cell phone. I am available for phone calls, video

conferencing, and some people can respond for deliveries. This is a difficult time for

everyone, but God is still helping and guiding us. Reach out to those in your network/circle to

make sure we care for others as we would want to be cared for. Many Thanks.

Also, if anyone needs help with accessing the online services or groups, please let me know.

I can try to walk you through it by phone call. ~Pastor Kathryn~

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Shorter term prayer concerns: Anna Bowman Jessie Walters Mark Stetler

Timothy Henning Joanne Frable Bill & Delores Scheffner

Duane Hawk Helen Smale Kalli Sarandis

Betty Nothstein Jean Edgecomb Pearl Fauzio

Doug Hawk Wanda Pettit Tony & Gloria Medalgia

Ed & Leann Wesler Blanche Strausberger Longer term prayer concerns: Jim Buck Kayla Johnson Bonnie O’Brien

Bob Buck Gerald Hawk Dalton Fredericks

Barry Smale Linda Mackes Jim Fritz

Ada Frederick Anne Jenkins Brenda Nothstein-Bunting

Jeff Eckhart Elizabeth Krause Dean Serfass

“…pray for one another, so that you may be healed.” (James 5:13)

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing…” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17)

As disciples of Jesus, we seek to pray daily.

Below is a list of those who need our prayers.

BIBLE STUDY!! JOIN AYTIME!!

Bible study is held Tuesdays from 7pm until 9pm with Pastor Kathryn on a WEB Platform. Contact the pastor for the

connection link. The group is studying the book of Acts. The Bible study will continue indefinitely!

JUCC Food Distribution for people in need. On Tuesday, May 5th from 6-8pm we will be distributing free food items for those

hard hit by this coronavirus public health emergency. It will be drive-through, with

managers handing bags of food items as cars pass through.

If you are fortunate enough to not be in need, we are also accepting donations for this

ongoing ministry. Thank you to all for how you are managing.

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MONTHLY GRIEF & LOSS SUPPORT GROUP The Monthly Grief and Loss Support Group at JUCC now meets twice a month – on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 1:00 pm, and on the 4th Thursday @

6:30 p.m. The group is presently be held on a web platform. Directed

by professional counselor, Sue Featro, M.E.D., E.D.D., M.S. Counseling, this group is for people experiencing grief due to trauma, loss or death. It is an effort to assist people in the surrounding community to heal and find peace. Please contact the pastor for the link, or check for the invitation link on our Facebook page.

FAMILY CARE GIVER GROUP! Family Care Giver Support Group is scheduled for the second Thursday of each month. In order to serve all potential needs, alternating times of evenings at 6pm and mornings at 11am are offered. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 14th, 2020 @ 11:00 a.m. The group will meet if possible,

depending on conditions. Watch for details on our Facebook page. If you know of anyone who is struggling with caring for a family member, please let them

know that this support group may assist them with education and fellowship to ease their caring work. Facilitated by Jennie Serfass from Manor Care. No RSVP

necessary.

JUCC QUILT & CRAFTS GROUP! Interested in crafting, sewing or quilting? JUCC Quilt & Craft Group will be meeting the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The meetings this month may be held when the church is opened. See (or call) Shelba for more info (610)704-3756. There will definitely be quilting going on, but this group also involves other crafts/classes as well, depending upon your interests. It could also just be "open sew" where everyone works on their own projects. Bring your friends and enjoy some fun and fellowship!

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Due to current public health concerns, we are asking that people follow CDC and PA Health Guidelines. Check our website and Facebook pages for info.

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MAY FLOWERS & BULLETIN SPONSORS May 3 Jerry & Lenora Robertson in memory of their daughter Lisa Green’s passing on

April 27, 2017

May 10 Lynn & Paul Rice in memory of Paul’s mom Linda H. Rice

May 17 Carolyn & Robert Hill in memory of Geraldine and Robert Hill & Shirley Wentz

May 24 Kim & Mike Williams in honor of the 16th wedding anniversary on May 29th

May 31 Marie & Bob Andrews in honor of their 56th wedding anniversary on May 30th

SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICES

May 10th – MOTHER’S DAY MAY 24th - MEMORIAL DAY MAY 31st - CONFIRMATION

2020 Annual Events Schedule:

Free Community Chicken BBQ Dinner - June 20th

VBS - July 13th – 16th w/Carnival July 19th

Annual Church Picnic - August 1st

Flea Market – August 14th & 15th

Palmerton Festival “Happy Bowl” Food Stand – September 11th – 13th

Apple Fest - October 3rd

Holiday Bazaar/Basket Social – November 7th

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COMMUNITY EVENT FREE CHICKEN BAR-B-QUE

In our church Grove Rain or Shine! Saturday, June 20th from

4pm to 7 pm First come ~ first served!

Bring the whole family & lawn chairs Enjoy an evening of good food

and fellowship! For more information call our office at

610-681-4412

Rescheduled 2-Day Flea Market! August 14 t h from 9am to 3 pm

& August 15 t h from 8am to 1 pm

In the Church Grove. Something for Everyone! Great Prices! Everything Must Go!

What a Year! WATCH FOR FURTHER DETAILS!

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HOMECOMING OFFERING

Thank you to all who contributed to Homecoming in 2019. The 2020 mowing season will be

starting shortly and we are once again asking for donations to cover the lawn care expenses of

the Union Cemetery. Make your checks payable to: Jerusalem Union Cemetery Association.

Checks may be mailed to me at the address below. Thanking you in advance for your 2020

contribution.

Deborah Cope, Treasurer

Jerusalem Union Cemetery Association

545 Church Road

Palmerton, PA 18071

Please note: Scripture readers for the 10:30am service will be contacted when services resume at the church building

Just a reminder! Our beverage can shed is looking for your empty aluminum beverage cans. There are two deposit slots: one for crushed cans and one for uncrushed

cans.

Check TV Channel 69 (WFMZ), BR13, Facebook or website for JUCC closings for updates on closings,

changes, delays or postponements.

ESTHER SIGHT AND SOUND BUS TRIP JUNE 5TH IS CANCELED

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE…. SADLY…… WATCH FOR FURTHER

DETAILS……. AND RESCHEDULE DATES.

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REGISTER RECEIPTS

Please continue to save your register receipts from Kinsley’s Shop Rite in Brodheadsville, Weis Markets and Redners. Last year, receipts were down from prior years, so consider requesting receipts from your neighbors and friends. Bring or mail them to the church to the attention of Lana Kuehner.

Receipts that will not be accepted include:

--- Kinsley’s receipts with the senior discounts, prescriptions, cigarettes, and beer, wine, lottery purchases or payouts. --- Weis Markets receipts with prescriptions, cigarettes, wine and beer, lottery purchases or payouts

Do You Know?

The JUCC sanctuary is equipped with a hearing assistance system?

You can ask an usher for a receiver to help you to hear during the service.

Jerusalem UCC CCLI license number 2745745

Jerusalem United Church of Christ

545 Church Drive, Palmerton, Pennsylvania 18071

Church office: (610) 681-4412

www.jerusalemucc.org

Facebook: Jerusalem Trachsville UCC

Rev. Kathryn Foster, Pastor

Home: (610) 261-9015 ~ cell: (610) 554-7364