July August 2013

Celebrating the Ministry of Faith United Presbyterian Church 218 W Pennsylvania Ave, Pen Argyl, PA 18072 ~~ 610 -863-4447 fupcoffice@gmail.com ~~ www.faithupc.net
you want the most readable version of the Bible, try The Message (MSG) by Eugene Peterson. His translation reads like a novel and one can meet the Bible in a new and unique way. As I write this article, I am looking forward to the slower pace of summer. For pastors, this means that in lieu of meetings and the usual hubbub of activity, there is time to read books on our wish list. Perhaps some of us have made out a summer reading list as well. Maybe we like a good thriller while others prefer an engrossing biography. Some people look for something inspirational to provide a little hope while others are into self-help books chock full of practical advice for life. If we want one book that has all of these things and more, I would recommend that we put one more book on our summer reading list: the Bible. Its a great way to open ourselves so that God can speak to us through the words of its authors. Of course, the translation of the Bible can sometimes make a difference in our reading experience. A Bibles translation will be identified by initials on the spine. Or if shopping online, those initials generally appear in the description. If you are looking for a basic translation of the Scriptures, the New Revised Standard (NRSV) and New International Version (NIV) are reliable translations written at about an eighth grade reading level. The New Living Translation (NLT) is a less wooden and more accessible translation; the New Century Version (NCV) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV) are also in this class. If you want to experience the English language in all its poetic glory then the King James Bible (KJV) is the way to go, but be careful, English grammar and many of the meanings of the words we still use have changed dramatically since it was translated in 1611. Finally, if If you really want to experience some really awesome stories in the Bible, I would recommend the Adult Bible Study this fall. Well be looking at the Kings. In the original Jewish texts, these books were regarded as one book. The two books contain the history of the Jewish monarchy from the death of David (around 970 BC) to the Babylonian exile (586 BC). They trace the division of the Jewish nation into the Kingdom of Judah in the south and the Kingdom of Israel in the north. 1 & 2 Kings record Israels history from a religious, rather than a civil, viewpoint. As such, they record the religious progress of the nation as well as the moral growth and decay of the kingdom. 1 Kings opens with Israel in its glory, and 2 Kings closes with Israel in ruins. The purpose of Kings is to record the lives and characters of the nations leaders as a warning and exhortation to all subsequent generations of believers. To get a little flavor of Kings, you can look at two recent sermons which told a portion of the story of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. These sermons can be found on our churchs Facebook page under The Sound of Silence and A Tale of Two Fathers. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may we use the gift of this time to mature and grow in our faith and discipleship of Jesus Christ. Blessings,

Rev. Ruth Ann

Worship Service & Church School (Ages 4 - 10) 10:00 am

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MUSICAL TALENT WANTED

Do you sing, play the piano, or play an instrument? We would love to have you share your talent with us during the Sunday morning worship service. If you would like to share your talent, please contact Greg Oaten (610-8820623) or Marian Lewis (610-863-3475).

Sunday School for the 2013-2014 season will begin September 8, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. Please join us for a fun filled year of Bible stories, crafts and games with Mrs. Teel! Sunday School is open to any child grades K-5! See you in September.

Quilters of Faith

Hands of Faith
The Hospitality Lunch menu for July 27th will be Hoagies, chips and Ice Cream. For August 31st, we will be serving sandwiches: Egg salad, Tuna salad, Chicken salad and tossed salad. If anyone is interested in helping out in anyway with the lunches, please contact a member of the Hands of Faith commission. We are Rich Altemose, Susan Antonioli, Rev. Ruth Ann Christopher, Karen Frey, Dianne Newman, Cindy Smith and June Wismer. We always need help with donations of food, helping to serve and clean up. If anyone is interested in heading up the lunch for a Saturday that would help also!

Faith Quilters will take the months of JULY and AUGUST off, and will resume meeting on Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 3, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. When we get back in full swing, we will begin preparing for our second try at our first Quilt Show November 2. We are excited about the show and hope you will invite all your friends and family. The group has recently sold an appliqu quilt for $500. Additional quilts are available for sale, if anyone knows of someone who is looking to purchase a quilt, or if someone wishes a custom-made quilt, please contact Gail Keyes (610-381-5314) or Jerry Roth (610-7595556). Remember all monies received from the sale of quilts are used for mission/charity donations.

STEWARDS

July: Cheryl Reesman August: Lori Pensyl

July: Gerald and Marlene Teel August: Art and Irene Rutt

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We would like to thank some of our folks for their work around the grounds, Gail Long: our diligent weed puller & sidewalk edger! Brian Roberts: our super mulcher! Wade Pensyl: who hauled away all the brush! Buddy & Pat Lambert: our super closet cleaner and organizer, and Jim Detrick: solving the problem with our sign lights. THANK YOU!!

FAITH FAMILY NEWS

Special Birthday wishes to Gerald Teel, who will be 80 on July 4th! Extra special Birthday wishes to Marian Lewis, who will be 90 on July 9th. We hope they will have a very special day! Congratulations to John Reinhart, who retired from the Bangor High School as the Interim Principal. Also, congratulations on accepting the position of Interim Superintendent at the Easton School District. Gods blessings be on you! Congratulations to Ryan Scott Wilson, son of Scott Wilson and nephew of Susan and Leo Antonioli, who graduated from the Commonwealth Medical College on May 11, 2013. Dr. Wilson will be serving his internship in Internal Medicine at Robert WoodJohnson Hospital in Piscataway, NJ. Congratulations to Kelsey J. DiBilio, daughter of Jessica Kragh and granddaughter of Leo and Susan Antonioli. Kelsey was inducted into the Jr. Honor Society at the Easton Area Middle School on May 15, 2013. Congratulations to Bob and Cindy Smith! They will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary July 9th. Congratulations to Renee Kresge Dickert and Christopher Dirkert who were joined in marriage June 15, 2013. May they share many years of happiness. Allison Reesman-Brown and Captain Kyle Brown have arrived in Alaska and their new address is: 953 Stol Drive, North Pole, Alaska 99705. Let Faith United keep in touch as they serve our country. We are saddened at the passing of Ada Antonioli; she was the mother of Leo Antonioli. Also, we send out our condolences to Janet Dietrich at the passing of her husband, James Dietrich.

Our thanks to Jacob and Mitchell Roth, they played so beautifully at our June 2nd Worship Service. Also, to Mary Lazar who sang Amazing Grace so beautifully at the June 23rd Worship Service.

Jacob & Mitchell

Mary Lazar

Rev. Ruth Ann was asked to perform her first Wedding Ceremony on June 25, 1994. Gertrude and Jerry Roth were joined in marriage on that day! May they continue to enjoy many more years of wedded bliss!

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Presbyterian Women have undertaken a new project they consider to be part of the mission of PW. They decided to mail out offering envelopes to those members who did not pick up their envelopes boxes. In order to keep the postage at a minimum, only a select number of envelopes were sent, including the per capita envelope, one regular offering envelope for each month, and several other special offering envelopes. This project was done at the May meeting. Presbyterian Women will not meet during the month of July and August, but will resume meeting on Thursday, September 5, at 1:00 p.m. All women are invited to join us as we enjoy cookies, coffee/tea and fellowship before a brief business meeting, followed by a Bible study led by Agnes Anderson.

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Sheila the Kangaroo

Baby Joey

Relay For Life 2013

Walk with Faith Team would like to thank everyone who supported our team in our fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. We have raised to date $2,143.35, and the Slate Belt Relay total to date is $63,442.43. If you would like to get involved in the relay team you can talk to Cindy or Bob Smith anytime! Noah

Noah and friends

The ark Has Landed

On June 2nd, the Session of Faith United sponsored a luncheon for the entire congregation . This was their way of saying thank you for all the support over the years. The luncheon was delicious as well and good fellowship was enjoyed by all. Between lunch and dessert the Faith Drama team presented a skit called The Ark has Landed. Thanks to our actors: Pat Harvey (Pat Zavacky), Noah (Brian Roberts), Shelia (Chrissy Dania) and a special thanks to the Producer and Director Art Keyes and Cindy Smith. It was a very enjoyable day for everyone! Look for the next presentation by our own Faith Drama Team in the near future. The annual Strawberry Festival at Faith United was held June 15. The committee would like to thank everyone who helped in any way to make our festival a success. There were a host of people that did a wonderful job; starting with pickers, cleaners, servers and most of all people who donated items for sale. A profit of $1011.00 was realized. JOB WELL DONE!

The Precious Moments, Noahs Ark plaques located in the Nursery were donated some time ago by a Christian Book Store. They were stored and forgotten. Buddy & Pat Lambert were cleaning and organizing the closet in the Nursery and found a wrapped bundle and look what they came up with! Thank you Buddy & Pat for your keen eyes! We recently received another check in the amount of $152.73 from the Weis Market rebate program. Everyone is doing a great job saving those tapes! Please continue to place your register tapes in the box, located in the Narthex. This project is a great addition to our church and your help is very much appreciated!

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SLEEPING BAG PROJECT

A trip to the farm

The Sleeping Bag Project is part of the My Brothers Keeper Group of which our Marian Lewis is part of. This is a group of individuals who desire to help the homeless by making sleeping bags from recycled fabrics such as bedding materials, towels, pillow cases, ties and such. Marian asked the congregation for donations of these materials and she thanks you for your generous contributions. They are all being used for a needed mission and if you have any additional throw away materials please let her know.

The freshest Strawberries make the best desserts, said Pat Lambert, Chair of Faith Churchs Strawberry Festival. In its 19th year, the tradition of using fresh local hand-picked strawberries in all of the toppings continues. Eva Fulmer (pictured) is one of the owners of Juniperdale Farms located at 1015 Browntown Road in Nazareth. Eva explained that the cold spring weather in April slowed the growth of the strawberry crop but, as slow growing strawberries develop they are simply more luscious. She went on to explain the history of the farm saying, Our family runs a Seasonal Roadside Stand. We try to open sometime in April with our first product, asparagus, followed by lettuces, and rhubarb. Our Motto is to sell only what we grow. Her hours are 10 to 6 Monday thru Saturday and 10 to 5 on Sundays. Her first major crop is strawberries either pre-picked for you or pick-em your-self twice a day. The hours for picking are 10 to 12, then 6 to 8, seven days a week weather permitting. The Committee, who hand picks the strawberries each year, remarked about the variety and freshness of the crops that the farm carries. Eva explained that following the strawberry crop comes black raspberries, tree fruits, cold crops, small scale vegetables like peppers and tomatoes. Another big summer time crop is sweet corn. This year they tried something different and planted the corn under plastic so there maybe corn available three weeks early hopefully by July 4th. During the fall they have free hay rides through the pumpkin patch on weekends and participate in the farm open gate tour during October. So, they are always busy. Even so, they welcome visitors to the farm to see where the food on our tables really comes from. Submitted by: Frank Brooks

FOOD PANTRY

As summer comes, there is an increased need for our food pantry donations. Many families with children, who dont normally depend on the food pantry, need additional assistance when the school lunch programs are not available during the summer months. The pantry shelves are low and there is a continued need for canned meats, canned stews, canned fruits and vegetables. Our congregation has always been very supportive of this ministry and we know you will continue to help with this need. Thank you.

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Seeds of Faith Bible Study

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.

I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. Matthew 13:34

PARABLE OF

THE PATCH AND THE WINESKINS

MARK 2:21-22 JESUS SPEAKS No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wine skins. Jesus was making the point that rigid forms of religion (like those of the Pharisees) were incompatible with the living faith he taught. Just as new patches shrink, ruining old clothing, as new wine expands, ruining unpliable wineskins, it is useless to try to merge the two faiths. Jesus used this as a metaphor: old wineskins represented the Jewish system, which was unable to accommodate the new wine of the kingdom of God.

We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

Teilhard de Chardin

Awesome Bible Passages

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

SEEDS OF FAITH PRAYER

A prayer from Jesus: Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. John 17:1-5

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PRAYER REQUESTS

July
01 Emma Goliash 04 Gerald Teel 05 Olivia Teel 07 Carolyn Shook 09 Marian Lewis 12 Coleen Alexander 14 Linda Roberts 16 Connor Spencer 20 James Detrick 24 Donna Salch 25 Bradley Guida 26 William Reesman 30 Judy Reinhart 31 Katie Schippers

August
02 Kelly DeBoer 07 Sandy Gerstenberg 08 Robert Pickens 09 Cheryl Reesman 10 Brody Riback 11 Betty Powell 15 Megan Pultz 17 Marilee Kresge 20 Benjamin Schiable 27 Rosemary Sentelik 29 Angela Brooks Willis Brown 31 Jessica Campbell

Anita Amy Carol Benn Willis Brown Arthur (Pete) Frey Peter Gheller Mary Hontz Helen Potts Betty & Dick Powell Our Troops

Faith news kitchen counter Mini Cheesecakes

1 cup Graham cracker crumbs cup sugar plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided 3 Tbsp. melted butter 3 Pkg. (8oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened 1 tsp. vanilla 3 eggs Preheat oven to 325 MIX graham crumbs, 2 Tbsp. sugar and butter until blended; press on to bottoms of an 18 paperlined muffin pan cups. BEAT cream cheese, remaining sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each egg, just until blended. Pour evenly over crusts.

HELP NEEDED!!!

Beginning in the Fall, we will have need of two or three additional people to create the PowerPoint presentations for worship. We will provide training and a laptop. Hopefully, if we can line up 3 people to do the job, it would only be necessary to fill in for one month every 3 months. If you have some skill with PowerPoint or think you would like to give this a try, please see Rev. Ruth Ann.

BAKE 25-30 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 2 hours. Topping Suggestions: Whipped cream, topped with blueberries or spread evenly with Strawberry Jam, topped with fresh strawberries. Yields: 18 Mini Cheesecakes.

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Fourth of July 2013

Facts and Figures On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country. 2.5 million In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation. 316.2 million: The nations estimated population on this July Fourth. The Signers: There were 56 signers to the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document. Fireworks $218.2 million: The value of fireworks imported from China in 2012, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($227.3 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $11.7 million in 2012, with Israel purchasing more than any other country ($2.5 million). $231.8 million: The value of U.S. manufacturers' shipments of fireworks and pyrotechnics (including flares, igniters, etc.) in 2007. Flags $3.8 million: In 2012, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($3.6 million) was for U.S. flags made in China. $188,824: Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2012. Mexico was the leading customer. $302.7 million: Dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation's manufacturers in 2007.