The month of February began with the installation of the Leaders and Officers of the church. We welcomed Brothers Stanley Price and Vincent Giarro who were elected to the Board of Elders and the Board of Trustees, respectively. Members re-elected to the Board of Elders were Sister Linda Pensyl and Brother Richard Coopersmith; and to the Board of Trustees were Brother Frank Chisesi and Sister Joy Roberts. Special thanks to Brother Ryan Morrow and Stephen Sawyer whose service on the Boards ended in the past year. The leadership appointments and the reorganizing of the various committees in both Boards took place at their meetings on Monday, February 8th. We look forward to a wonderful year of leadership, guidance, and cooperation in the life of the church as we seek to be obedient servants of Jesus Christ our Master.
On Tuesday, February 9th, the Pastor officiated at the funeral service of Brother Robert Woodring who passed away on February 1, 2010 at Gracedale, in Nazareth, PA. On February 12th, the Pastor officiated at the funeral service of Bryan Smith, brother of Bart Smith who, with his wife, Patricia, have been regular worshippers at the church for several months.
Our heartfelt condolences are extended to the families of the deceased. On Ash Wednesday, the Pastor and several other Pastors in the Lehigh Valley attended a meeting held in Bethlehem with Pastor Tracy Robinson and J. Fred Lehr, Director of Church Planting. Pastor Robinson presented his plan for ministry to the Latino Community residing in Lehigh Valley. Pastors were asked to involve area churches in this church planting process in support of Pastor Robinson’s plan. We are asked to keep Pastor Tracy in our prayers.
We began the Lenten season with a 7:00pm worship service on Ash Wednesday, February 17th. We were reminded that Ash Wednesday observance is neither a saint’s day nor a festival, but simply the first day of forty days of Lent. It is hoped that we will utilize this time for penitence to fulfill our inward and outward duty; namely, to turn the heart to God, and to discipline our bodily appetites so that we can more truly appreciate the suffering of Jesus and the meaning of the Cross and Resurrection. On Sunday, February 21st, we celebrated the First Sunday in Lent with Holy Communion. During that week, the Pastor visited members at various locations to administer the Holy Communion.
As we go through this season in Lent, let us keep our thoughts on
the Easter celebrations, beginning with Palm Sunday. Keep your Church calendar where it is easily accessible and plan to attend the Lenten and Easter services. Let us remember that to worship and serve the living God is our greatest privilege and honor in life. Blessings for the season.
