|
Prayer Requests
Please keep the following people in your prayers:
- Deborah Appler and her family in the aftermath of their house fire. Thanks to God that no one was injured;
- Gloria Shane, in Intensive Care at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania;
- Laura Goss, whose father died just before Thanksgiving;
- Peggy McLean, daughter in law of Deborah McLean, who had serious complications from medical tests;
- Clinton Bittner, father of Amy Boock, with pneumonia;
- Connie Asquith as she undergoes additional treatments in Phila, Dec. 8-9.
|
Attention!
Pastors with Youth!
Saturday, Feb. 12th, the bishop and cabinet will host a one day retreat
for senior high youth
who may be considering
a call to ministry. If you have young people who are thinking of professional ministry
as a career, please let Rev. Yocum know so they can be invited.
And on Sunday, April 3, the district will sponsor
a Youth Worship Festival at Asbury UMC. We're looking for youth praise bands, drama groups, dance troupes or other youth who are involved
in some aspect of the worship arts. Let the district office know who you have in your church! |
|
MEET OUR NEW FINANCE PERSONNEL
The Conference Finance Department is finally at full staff. Please extend a warm welcome to James Brown, the new Manager of Financial Services, and to Tamara Clark, the Accounts payable Specialist. |
| If you have a suggested link we should make available to the district, let us know. |
|
CALENDAR
December 1: Advent Day Apart at Asbury UMC
December 6, 7 pm, District Transformation Team at Faith Alive
December 16: Bishop Johnson's birthday
Dec. 24-Jan. 2: District and conference offices closed
January 4: lunch with the DS at John's Plain and Fancy Restaurant on Route 309 in Quakertown at Noon.
January 7-9: Ocean City Youth Event
January 15: District Committee on Ordained Ministry meets with candidates for ministry at Covenant UMC
January 18-20: Bishop's Retreat at Marriott Hotel in Lancaster. See article at right.
January 24: District Youth and Young Adult Committee meets 7 pm at Calvary UMC, Easton
January 29: Tools for Ministry. See article at right.
January 31: District Committee on Superintendency, 6 pm at Asbury UMC
February 3-5: Board of Ordained Ministry Retreat interviewing for candidates for commissioning and ordination
February 8: District Clergy Breakfast at Asbury UMC
February 11-12: First conference laity retreat
February 12: Call to Ministry retreat for Senior High youth
March 3: John and Charles Wesley's saints day in the Episcopal Church calendar
March 5: Showing of the film, Wesley, at Moravian College, south campus; co-sponsored by the Northeast District
March 6: District Christ Servant Ministers gathering at Asbury UMC, 2 pm
|
|
|
Dear Friends,
We're trying an experiment this month and using a newsletter format service. Let us know what you think of the format so we can provide the best possible newsletter for the Northeast District. |
|
 | | Rev. Bronwyn Yocum, DS |
From the DS
When my daughter started middle school, I found myself in the school building fairly frequently. Thus it was that I saw the holiday display in the lobby one year. There were large symbols on the wall and headlines reading Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa. What a wonderful idea, I thought to myself. To provide space for each group to share what their holiday meant to them. I walked over and read a beautiful retelling of the miracle of the oil for the Hannukah display. Then I read the Kwanzaa display and learned about that newer holiday. Finally I turned to the Christmas display and read something like the following: Some people celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, but around the world, the holiday is best represented by Santa Claus or St. Nicholas. I was horrified. I ran to the office to register my complaint, suggesting that they rewrite the Christmas display to focus on the Christian interpretation and add a separate display for "cultural Christmas." The next day the entire display was taken down, and throughout both kids' tenure at the school, never repeated.
We Christians need to be sure that we know what we are celebrating at Christmas. It is a time to remember that God came to dwell among us, that the Christ set aside every privilege of his divine being in order to come to serve and save humanity. It is not simply a season to exchange gifts; it is not a time to feast till our bellies feel like bursting. It is a time emulate Emmanuel, to imitate the incarnation by serving those in need and offering hope to those who live in where the light has not yet shined. Santa Claus and Christmas gifts and stockings, roast turkeys and children's pageants are fine. But let us not get so caught up in the cultural aspects of Christmas that we, too, lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus was love incarnate, the Son of God, who came not to be served but to serve. He was born in humble surroundings and became a refuge at an early age, living in temporary quarters until Herod died.
As you and your congregation move through the season of Advent, I encourage you to seek out opportunities to serve. Live out the love of Christ as you reach out to the least in your community. From dinners open to the community to secret Santa shops for children in need, from angel trees to Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, let's be the Body of Christ and share the love of God and the hope of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Bron |
|
Bishop's Midwinter Retreat - Don't forget to sign up. The hotel is nearly full. This is a wonderful opportunity to get away with your spouse, enjoy a time of some learning as well as relaxing with friends and your spouse. Check out the conference website for registration.
Winter Clergy Breakfast is scheduled for Tuesday, February 8 at Asbury UMC in Allentown.
Jurisdictional Clergywomen's Convocation scheduled for Feb. 27 through March 2 in Lancaster. Join women clergy from across the jurisdiction in celebrating our role as bold, beautiful and bodacious women of faith!
|
 Mpasa Health Clinic Our District Missions In this season of giving, don't forget our district mission projects. Our efforts to raise $10,000 for solar panels for the Mpasa Health Clinic and Nutrition Center are bearing fruit as we near the $7,500 mark. The solar panels will allow the clinic to have lights in the examining room and operating room, and to operate a small refrigerator for medications that must be kept cold. If funds are raised beyond the needed amount for solar panels, we'll help with the feeding program. Currently, the clinic feeds about 325 children for lunch each day at a cost of 25 cents per child. Individuals or churches wishing to contribute to the Mpasa Clinic project should send their check, payable to the EPA Conference, to the District Office at 2336 S. 9th Street, Unit 3, Allentown, PA 18103. We will ensure that the funds are applied to the district mission project and that your congregation receives credit.
|
|
TOOL BOX LAITY TRAINING SCHEDULED JANUARY 29
Coffee and registration from 9 to 9:30 will be followed by opening worship. Participants will have the opportunity to register for two workshops including topics such as Visioning, Radical Hospitality, Revitalizing Traditional Worship, Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Finance, Starting an alternative Worship Service, Connecting With Your Community and many more. Cost will be $10 per person to cover the cost of lunch and supplies; churches that register five will receive a sixth registration for free. The deadline for registrations will be January 21st. |
|
CHRIST SERVANT MINISTERS DISTRICT GATHERING
Northeast District Christ Servant Ministers Gathering Sunday, March 6, 2011 2PM Asbury UMC, Allentown Worship, Fellowship, time to discuss CSM work with the District Superintendent and each other. Details to follow. For more information, contact Judy Ehninger for ehninger@ptd.net or 610-965-2290.
|
|
FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE LAITY RETREAT
Spirituality in Transition
Friday evening through Saturday afternoon
February 11-12, 2011
The Board of Laity is planning what they hope will become an annual event for laity of the Eastern Pa. Conference. This overnight retreat will be led by the Rev. Dr. Sandra Steiner-Ball, Director of Connectional Ministry in the Peninsula Delaware Conference, and the Rev. Sunil Balasundaram or our own conference. The retreat will be held at the National Christian Conference Center in Phoenixville.
Registration and additional information are forthcoming.
Please contact your District Lay Leader for questions about the event.
|
|
|
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
District Lay Leader: Tom Gibson, Asbury UMC, 1533 Springhouse Road, Allentown, PA 18104; Phone: 610-398-2577; tgibson@asburylv.org
Chair, District Committee on the Superintendency: The Rev. Blaik Westhoff, First UMC, 501 Market St., Perkasie, PA 18944; Phone: 215-257-4626; pastorblaik@verizon.net
Chair, District Board of Church Location and Building: The Rev. Dr. Thomas Robinson III, Calvary UMC, 4411 Green Pond Road, Easton, PA 18045; Phone: 610-253-2731; PastorTom@rcn.com
Chair, District Committee on Ordained Ministry: The Rev. Bob Shank, Stroudsburg UMC, 547 Main St., Stroudsburg, PA 18360; Phone: 570-421-6020; bobshank@epix.net
Registrar, District Committee on Ordained Ministry: Rev. Tresita Beach, Saylorsburg: St. Peter's, PO Box 1021, Saylorsburg, PA 18353; Phone: 570-992-7311
dbeach8529@aol.com
Convener, District Transformation Team: The Rev. Karyn Fisher, White Have UMC, P.O. Box 331, White Haven, PA 18661; Phone: 570-443-7153, karyn.fisher2@verizon.net
District Emergency Response Coordinator: Greg Ellis,
GSEllis66@verizon.net
|
|
If you need help with the Connections Database, contact the District Office at 610-395-6661. Our District Resource Assistant, Sheila Hyun, will be happy to help you. Also, plan to sign up for her workshop at the Tools for Ministry event in January.
|
|
|
