We are in this together

Together means God is with us and that we are connected by God’s grace. As a church we are a community of people who pledge to serve our neighbors and care for one another, together.

This past year it has been hard to connect. And we are expecting the coming year to be one of more twists and turns - will booster shots be required, when will kids be able to be vaccinated, will new variants develop? Staying connected in prayer and purpose is our goal.

I am going through the directory and calling all households to pray with you and for you.

Our Blessing Box will be dedicated at the end of the worship service on Sunday, September 19. Any Eagle Scouts who wish to come in uniform are welcome to do so—as the Blessing Box was constructed as an Eagle Scout project. Come learn how you can offer food to neighbors.

“Join Hands to End Hunger” is our mission theme for the coming year. The Mission Team has created a menu of hands-on-ministry actions, some new - some ongoing, which our entire congregation can participate in together.

Mid-week Meditation is a time for small groups to meet safely to pray together. This will happen with social distancing in our sanctuary. If coming to worship in person is not an option for you on Sundays and you do not feel worshipful watching worship online, this is a devotional time for you. This begins on September 22.

Brown Bag Lunch is a time of fellowship for members and friends of the church to join Pastor Stefanie on the first Wednesday of each month, starting October 6, from noon to 1pm.

I invite you to recommit yourself to being the church by offering your gifts, talents, and treasures to support the ministry of the church and by participating in some way of re-connecting with this church community this Fall. The choir is looking for a way to come together to make music. We are exploring ways to form mini prayer groups (prayer pods) of folks who will pledge to pray for each other and will call one another regularly. There is interest in transforming one Sunday a month into children and youth Sunday. Your re- commitment to our mission and ministry will propel this church into the future AND make it a place where more people can come to know the love of God.

I look forward to partnering with you in the coming season.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Stefanie Muntzel

COVID-19 Worship Update + volunteers needed

Dear Members and Friends:

On Tuesday, September 15th, the Session of First Presbyterian Church of Easton voted to begin limited in-person worship on October 4, 2020. Due to COVID-19, we have designated certain guidelines to ensure that we protect each other’s health. Christ calls us to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. As we heed the call to worship the God who loves us, we also must do so in a way which actively seeks to promote a safe and healthy worship environment.

It is the desire of our church leadership to take a step towards in-person worship, but please note we are intentionally starting with a low capacity of 25 persons in the sanctuary. Our guidelines also institute social distancing and mask wearing procedures. Additional cleaning will also be put into place. If it is a communion Sunday, the first Sunday of the month like Oct. 4th, please bring your own communion elements. See the below guidelines for more safety details.

We understand that there are many members of the congregation who are still not ready to venture back into the worship space. We encourage each individual and family to do what is safest for you and in accordance with your circumstances. Therefore, while we hold in-person worship we will continue to provide an online worship option as we have been for the past several months. For those who wish to come to in-person worship, we ask that you please come with an open mind as worship will feel different. Changes include not hugging or shaking hands and not singing together. But for some, returning to the sanctuary and hearing live voices lead us may truly be edifying.

Volunteers needed for In-person Worship:

Please call or email the church office if you can volunteer on any Sunday in the next 6 weeks, doing any of these tasks.
• 2 ushers to help with seating
• Audio support person
• Visual tech support person
• Liturgist

As we gather at home and in the sanctuary, we will celebrate the ways God continues to keep us connected. I look forward to worshipping with you in the weeks ahead whether on-line or in-person. God’s gracious spirit connects us no matter where we are.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Stefanie Muntzel

FPCE GUIDELINES FOR WORSHIP DURING COVID-19

Due to COVID-19, we have put in place certain guidelines to ensure that we protect each other’s health.  Anyone entering our building must follow these guidelines:

Some general notes:

·  If you have symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19, you must not enter the church building.

·  If you know you have been exposed to COVID-19, you must not enter the church building.

·  Social distancing and masks are mandatory while in the building, as well as practicing good sanitation and hygiene practices.

·  Worship services are video-taped and shared online. While cameras are directed at worship leaders, there is always the possibility that your likeness may be filmed and shared online as well. 

·  We will not be offering nursery care at this time. Parents who opt to bring their children, should be prepared to help them stay seated in their pew for an hour.

Before you get to the church:

·  You must call or email the church office to reserve a spot for worship each week.

·  Seats will be reserved on a first come first served basis: from Monday at 9am through noon on Friday.

·  We will only take reservations for the upcoming Sunday. Your reservation will be confirmed by our office administrator by the end of the day on Friday.

·  Your registration serves as our attendance record and our means of contacting you if there is a need for follow-up.

· We have 15 spaces open each week for worshipers’ reservations (plus spaces for worship leaders, ushers, etc.). We do not anticipate being over-booked.

·  People will be seated in household groups. If you live with someone in the same house you can sit together. Otherwise we need to adhere to social distancing requirements.

·  There will be no time of fellowship or gathering before or after worship.

·  Bathroom use will be limited to restrooms on the ground floor, only. Please plan accordingly.

·  Windows and outside doors will be open during the service. Please be prepared for resulting drafts and temperatures fluctuations.

As you enter the building:

·  We ask that the congregation use the sanctuary door on Spring Garden Street to enter. Please maintain social distance at all times (in parking lot, as you wait to enter, etc.)

·  We will do a temperature check at the door (before you enter the building).

·  Seating will begin at 10 am. An usher will seat each party. Seating will close at 10:30am.

·  The parking lot entrance to the buildings is reserved for worship leadership. If anyone needs use of the elevator, they should request this when they make a reservation. An usher will be at the parking lot door from 10 am to 10:15 am to facilitate staggered use of the elevator.

·  When you are ushered to a pew, a bulletin will be at your seat.

·  The pews will be marked to allow for social distancing.

·  There will be no hymn books, cards, pencils, etc. in the pews.

·  Your mask must be worn as you enter and exit the building, as you move about the building and as you sit in the pew. Masks must cover your mouth and nose. 

Once you are seated in your pew:

·  There will be no singing. The hymns will be played. While singing is not allowed, you can hum along.

·  A soloist will sing each Sunday, but safety precautions will be followed. This includes keeping the singer 20 feet from the congregation.

·  Masks must continue to be properly worn through worship.

·  Please remain in your seat.

·  Worship leaders will remain the front of the sanctuary. They will remove their mask when speaking into a microphone—but will be more than 6 feet from any other person.

·  If you must use the restroom, please use the disinfectant wipes in the restroom to wipe all surfaces that you touched before leaving the restroom.

·  We will not be observing the passing of the peace.

After worship and as you leave:

·  Please wait for an usher to release you from your pew.

·  Take the bulletin with you (carry out what you carry in as well, please).

·  Offerings may be left in the plate by the exit. You are also welcomed to continue the method of giving you are currently using (i.e. mail to church or give online).

Note: We currently are also opening the building to limited, small group gatherings (under 10 persons) of FPCE ministry groups and teams (this includes for our sister church, Genesis). Safety guidelines and need to make reservations will also apply. Next month the Session will revisit opening the building in limited capacity to 12-step groups. We are exploring mission opportunities which can safely take place in our building and support our neighborhood and community.

Questions: email revstefaniefpce@gmail.com

Micah 6 Initiative

The Session of the First Presbyterian Church of Easton is committed to our Biblical calling to “do justice, love, kindness, and walk humbly with God”, as is outlined in Micah 6:8. As a church, our obligation is not just to speak about justice, loving kindness and humility, but also to live out these values. The death of George Floyd has awakened and/or fueled the desire to end the racial injustice which haunts our society. In order to explore how exactly we as a congregation can live into the faithful requirement, to do justice, we are launching a new initiative. Currently three actions related to this initiative are happening:

Leadership Team: A leadership group is being formed for this initiative and Deacon Mercy Barrows has agreed to be the team leader. Elder, Victoria Opthof-Cordaro will be the liaison to Session. Mercy and Pastor Stefanie will be inviting other church members to join this leadership team. Once assembled, this team will then invite the church as a whole to join sponsored events and actions to help us all address issues of racism specifically and injustice more generally, as we kindly and humbly learn and grow together.

Black Voices: We are a predominantly white congregation and denomination. The work of racial justice must be done by those of us in this “majority” category. But this is not an abstract endeavor. As a way to honor and listen to the experiences of people of color in our congregation, the Session would like to hear personal experiences of racism and would like to find a way to respectfully share those experiences with the congregation. Whether you are African American, black, Hispanic, Caribbean-American, mixed race, Latinx, or identify with more than one racial label – would you be willing to tell us your story? Our original thought was to create a space in our newsletter to share these reflections. Please contact either pastor Stefanie or Mercy Barrows if you would be willing to contribute.

Congregational Participation: The Presbyterian Church USA has resources for congregations and worshiping who wish to confront the harsh realities of racism. One good place for a congregation to start is by taking the 21-Day Racial Justice Challenge. In July we will be posting a challenge “action” twice a week on our Facebook page. The challenge invites us to do something every day to raise awareness about the perniciousness of racism and encourage action in response to that awareness. The PC (USA) worked with several nonprofits, organizations and school systems in adapting the challenge for use for congregations. You can find the entire challenge here: presbyterianmission.or

COVID19 Update

Our church has had to be nimble and adaptive as we faced each week of this crisis, as information about and response to COVID19 has been ever changing. And yet throughout this uncertain time, your leaders have made each decision regarding worship and building use in an informed and prayerful manner—with the greatest concern being weighted to guard the health and well-being of our congregants and our neighbors. Not for one moment has this church closed.

As reports indicate that our county may be moved into the less restrictive “yellow phase” in June, we are diligently working on plans for what worship and ministry in the next several weeks and months. We know that we will have worship on-line only in the month of June. In June you will receive a survey asking for your perspective on in person gatherings. This is one of many pieces of information and recommendations the Session will use to make further decisions. We are not able to hold a congregational meeting this June. Officers currently serving have agreed to extend their terms until September.

Currently our building and office remain closed to the public and congregation. I am in the office on Wednesdays. And our administrator, Kim Price, is in the office on Fridays. Messages on email and phone, as well as the mail, are being checked regularly. We are upgrading our worship sound system and applying for grant money to purchase additional equipment. Online worship will continue even when in-person options are available. We have learned to do some new things during this crisis and those learnings which enrich our ministry will continue.

Please be prepared. There will not (soon) be a return to how things were. We already are bracing for the reality that we will not be able to sing together for some time. But we will adapt-- we will worship God with joyful hearts even if with quieter voices. We are already lamenting the necessity to keep our distance, even when we meet “in-person”. But we will adapt-- we may hug less, but our care for each other and our neighbors will not diminish. God’s love for us has not changed and so we joyfully will move into our future with hope and faith.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Stefanie

We Are The Church

These are unusual and uncertain times. We are all learning new levels of patience and adaptability during this crisis, both personally and as followers of Christ. What is also true in these strange times is that God is faithful. With attentiveness to the moving of the Spirit, we will be creative in remaining a people who worship, who grow in faith, and who serve our God and neighbors.

Our faith in Jesus Christ demands that we love our neighbors by not gathering in-person right now. Therefore, Session voted to comply with official recommendations for churches and suspend in-person worship in our building for all of April. We will continue to adjust as circumstances unfold. Considering guidance from our denominational leaders, the Session also authorized the celebration of communion this coming Palm Sunday, April 5th. Likewise, we will have a time of worship online at 6:30PM on Maundy Thursday, though we will not celebrate communion at that time.

While we wish we could gather with a joyful music and flowers in our sanctuary for Easter, we will mark the day as best we can in our homes. We will worship online and acknowledge the power of Resurrection Hope. Our flower orders are on hold. When we can meet again in person,we will celebrate!!! And we will proclaim, as the song sung often by our church tells us, every morning is Easter morning!

GUIDE FOR ONLINE WORSHIP AND AT-HOME COMMUNION

HOW TO JOIN WORSHIP ONLINE
There are two join-from-home options for the Sunday morning worship services:
• Facebook Livestreaming at 10:30 AM
1. Go to the FPCE Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EastonFPC/
2. Look for Live Video. If you don't see a Live Video, click “Videos” on the left-hand menu.
3. Note, if you want to view the service at a later point, other than Live, it will be saved under VIDEOS.

• Website, Video of that Sunday Morning Service posted by Noon:
1. Visit the page on our church website: https://eastonfpc.org/online-worship

AT-HOME COMMUNION
1. Before you join online worship, find a space to comfortably focus on worship. This may include your own table. Using what you have at home, assemble common elements of bread (pita, rye, cracker, sourdough, etc.) and liquid in a cup (wine, juice, water).
2. Join online worship (see above)
3. The Communion liturgy will be that which is used by our congregation when we normally celebrate communion. Follow along here.

Coming Clean in Lent

Lent is a forty-day period before Easter which is inspired by Christ’s forty days in the wilderness. This was a time during which Jesus prepared for his ministry of teaching, healing, and giving his life on the cross. During this season, Christ’s followers seek to reorient our lives in the pattern of Jesus. We prepare ourselves to be open to the mystery and joy of Easter.

The focus of this season is on the repentance of sins. Sometimes we humans make mistakes- we lock our keys in our car. Mistakes are not sins. Sins are actions which push a wedge between us and God. Sins hurt others and they weigh on our souls. Lent becomes a time of empowerment, when we Christians look at ourselves with humility and come in prayer to confess to God. We need not be ashamed, because we are not our sins. God made us and loves us. We tell God we are sorry and seek to change our ways because we know that God will forgive us. We know confession is good for our soul.

In Psalm 51, the writer of this poem/prayer asks God to “create in me a clean heart”. The washing away of sins is a metaphor which is used throughout scripture. Anyone who has taken a needed shower knows the relief of being washed clean. This is the gift of Lent- it’s a time to come clean with ourselves and with God.

This Lent, I am asking our community here at First Presbyterian Church of Easton to consider the metaphor of coming clean in concrete ways. We know we have not been good stewards of the Earth. We pollute God’s creation. We waste natural resources. God gave humans enough resources for us all to have life: not just to survive but to live abundantly and fully. But we who claim to honor our Creator, do not use our gifts of intelligence and of compassion to find reasonable ways that no one be hungry or thirsty. We need to come clean before God, and look at how the Christian community can show the world our respect for God’s creation.

Today we know that we must reduce our use of plastic which unlike natural resources does not biodegrade. Not enough of plastic can be recycled, so we can do things like opt for plastic which has already been recycled and we can opt for plastic which we can reuse, rather than use once. In our church coffee hour, we will be exploring how to reduce our waste by having a “mug” counter where washable coffee cups are available. The idea is that individuals will either bring in their own reusable coffee container and bring it home or use (and wash) the mugs we provide. We do NOT want deacons and deacon helpers to get stuck washing mugs.

Won’t you join me in coming clean this Lent?

• Forget giving up chocolate in Lent: give up buying anything plastic until Easter.
• Save water and fossil fuels by committing to giving up meat one day a week: Friday or Meatless Mondays.
• Install a programmable thermostat or lower your thermostat at least 2 degrees to save energy. For each degree lowered, you save 5% on your home heating costs.
• Pet waste hurts your watershed when it’s washed into storm drains, streams, and other water. It’s one kind of pollution that can be easily cleaned up.
• Plan to stock Easter baskets with Fair Trade* chocolate and other goodies. Use Fair Trade* coffee and tea, like our Deacons are doing this Lent in coffee hour.

Your pastor,
Stefanie

* Fair Trade goods like coffee, chocolate and sugar are made according to a set of standards that encourages environmental sustainability, as well as ensuring that the people involved in production were treated and compensated fairly. Learn more at fairtradecertified.org

Summer 2019 Mission Projects

“Cover The Piggies” Shoe Collection

Once again, we will be helping First UCC on Third Street collect sneakers for school age children in Easton. The sneakers (gently used shoes and new sneakers all sizes) collection will take place until July 29th.

The Mission Team will place a collection box in Legacy Hall for donations and will deliver them to First UCC.

If you know of a family that is in need of this program, please click here to download this flyer to give them. Registration (a must) needs to be done between July 11 and July 19th. Once registered, an appointment time will be given to the recipient (who must be able to pick-up their own sneakers) for Saturday, August 17th.

Support the Troops Collection

Traveling this summer? Please take the small soaps, shampoos, creams, etc. that you do not use. Please bring them to church and leave them in the Mission Team Mailbox. We will be mailing donations to the troops.

Safe Harbor Dinner Sign-Ups

The sign-up sheet for 1st Monday Dinners at Safe Harbor is posted on the upstairs Mission Bulletin Board.

What is Safe Harbor? It’s an Easton Facility for helping those that are unable to temporarily provide for themselves. Lunch and dinner are provided daily by area communities, which includes our congregation.

Questions? Contact Nancy Udut or the church office.

Volunteer Needed: ARK Luncheon

Coordinator Needed for ARK Luncheon
(Saturday, August 10th)

Responsibilities include:

• Recruiting volunteers for the luncheon (a line or two in Sunday Bulletin works)

• Collecting donations for luncheon (menu is already planned and sign-up sheet is put in the Sunday Bulletins)

• Transporting food from church on day of luncheon (appoint a volunteer to help)

• Reminding servers time to arrive at Trinity Episcopal Church, Spring Garden St, between 2nd & 3rd, Easton (10:30 am)

• Length of commitment: 2-2 ½ hours day of lunch, an hour a week to coordinate donations and volunteers

No resume is required, just email office@eastonfpc.org or naomiudut@ymail.com with your name and contact information.

If you are unable to commit to this position, please consider assisting with the food donations.
The menu and quantities needed will be in July’s Sunday Bulletins.