April 2021 THE Bethlehem star - cloudfront.net
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THE Bethlehem star
April 2021
IN THIS ISSUE
Pastor’s Thoughts………....2
In Our Prayers………..……..3
Church Finances…….……...3
Thank You Notes………..….3
Ordination and Instillation
of Deacons and Elders…...4
Newest Member…...…...…4
Holy Week Schedule...…...4
Notes from Session……..…5 BETHLEHEM PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TAKES TO THE AIRWAVES
Worship Bags…..….…….....5
ON PALM SUNDAY.
Flowering the Cross..….….5
Service Broadcast…………..5 The congregation of Bethlehem Presbyterian Church braved the rain on Palm Sunday to worship
Bible Study………………..…..6 together in the Church parking lot, in the safety of their cars, via FM radio. Deacons and Elders
Second Sunday……...……...6 humbly faced the rain to distribute Easter Week worship bags and palm leaves to the occupants of
PW Spring Gathering…..…7 20 or more cars parked for the launching of BPC’s Worship by Radio.
Virtual Calendar…………….7 A big Thank You to all of the ‘behind the scene’ producers who made this Palm Sunday service a
Mission…………..….………...8 huge success, even in the rain. Story on Page 5.
Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from
death, He has given us new life and a hope that lives on. 1 Peter 1:3
Grace and Peace to you All!
As I begin to write this, we are experiencing a beautiful pre-Spring day. I have my windows open for fresh air. I
can hear birds singing and I have even spotted my first robin. Most of the snow has melted, and there are
signs of rebirth, renewal and change all around. Small patches of green are appearing in yards and gardens,
along with crocuses peeking up out of the ground. All these things are signs that Spring is on the way. Signs
of hope! But our hope lies not only in the signs of God’s creation, our hope extends to the possibility of being
able to hug grandchildren, gather with family and friends, and soon be able to worship together again – even if
it is somewhat different than what was our custom. The vaccination against the Covid-19 virus is also giving
us hope. And all of this coming together as we look towards Easter – our season of hope.
Easter Sunday is tied to the transitions of nature so the date moves from year to year. Unlike Christmas, East-
er doesn’t have a specific date. Easter Sunday is held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on
or after the vernal equinox, the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator (the imaginary line in the sky
above the Earth’s equator) from south to north (www.timeanddate.com). In other words, Easter is connected
to a change in the season, where something new is happening.
The Bible never says celebrate Easter on one specific day. Instead, it encourages disciples to live Easter’s
good news of new life in the resurrection of Jesus Christ every day. The greatest way we can do that is to do
what the first disciples did. They gave testimony to how they saw the Lord. Jesus appeared in all kinds of plac-
es — in locked rooms, along the road, in the midst of fear and doubt, injustice and despair, to people who
longed for meaning, purpose, wholeness and faith, and certainly in the joys of being found, healings, people
being feed, the discovery of God’s way and will. Therefore, every Sunday is a celebration of Easter in the life
of the church. It isn’t just once a year that we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Easter is the way we live out our
faith, ask our questions, offer our prayers, gather as the body of Christ, serve in and through our shared minis-
try, mature as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Where do you see Jesus? How are you experiencing hope and new life in this Easter season? The good news
of Easter tells us that wherever we look, regardless of what day it is, Jesus is there, waiting to be seen, waiting
for our eyes to open and see new life and hope for new possibilities. I hope that your eyes will be opened
to the wonderful ways God is working through us and calling you into new life and encouraging you to be a
part of sharing it in your own life and in our life together. Hope and new life abound all around us. As I experi-
ence this season of change I joyfully proclaim, “I have seen the Lord!” Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Linda
The ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING project will continue until Pentecost Sunday, May 23,
2021. Please mail your donations to the church address:
2 Race Street, Pittstown, NJ, 08867.
Thank you so very much for your continued support.
Remember to feed your fish. Fish Banks will be collected on
Pentecost Sunday.
LENTEN FOOD DRIVE—Please bring your donations to church Fellowship Hall on
Saturday, April 10th, between 10:00am and 12:00 Noon.
2
CHURCH FINANCES
By Al Ford
Helen Hofgesang
Ed Allen Results for the first two months of 2021, through
Stacy February are now complete. Income is slightly below
Mary Lou budget, and expenses are slightly higher. We have
Darlene and Jaime Schultz incurred especially high expenses for snow plowing in
Families of Mass shooting victims February as well as heating fuel costs which tend to
be concentrated in the winter. The full per capita bill
has been paid in order to receive a 10% discount.
Pledge income is slightly lower than expected by
about 1%. We have received about 60% of the per
capita from our members so far. So even though we
are at our budgeted deficit for the year, we expect
Thank you to our BPC family for the cards that expenses will stabilize at a lower level and con-
and concern on the recent passing of tributions will pick up, so we hope to be able to
Nancy’s father. Your thoughts and pray-
achieve our budget for 2021.
ers were much appreciated during a diffi-
cult time. Sincerely, Kevin and Nancy
2021 to 2021
I would like to thank all of my
February
26
Budget %
BPC family for the prayers,
Pledge $18,030 $115,000 15.7%
calls, texts and cards regard-
Receipts
ing the sudden passing of my
Total
brother Carl. Karen Hoff $25,637 $176,500 14.5%
Income
Expenses $36,373 $187,472 19.4%
Difference $(10,736) $(10,972) 97.9%
BETH
As we continue to worship and hold other services
virtually and in other non-traditional ways, our
WHAT DID I HEAR ON MY CAR RADIO? church’s expenses are continuing even though we
aren’t worshiping face to face. Pastor Linda is adding
“We have 2 Sunday services now: One that can be
new virtual services and studies, and some special
viewed at anytime on YouTube, and the other that
can be experienced from the safety of your auto- holy week activities. As the weather warms and vac-
mobile in the church parking lot. Just tune your cinations progress, we will be able to do more, so
car or any radio to an FM station for the worship watch for announcements of activities and opportu-
service at 9:30 am.” nities to participate. Please keep your donations
coming and our pledges current. We are checking
ALSO “Please leave your various type greeting
card fronts in the black mail box by the exterior mail daily, so it is OK to mail checks to the church.
church office door for Karen Hoff to take to the Thank you for your continued support for our minis-
Hunterdon County Developmental Center. Contact try and mission.
Karen at keh1001@embarqmail.com when you
leave your items. Thank You from HCDC and
BPC!
3
The slate of Elders and Deacons, as approved by the congregation on February 21st., was ordained and installed
at the worship service on February 28th.; all by ZOOM.
Ordained and Installed as ruling elder was Jill O’Neill
Ordained and Installed as deacons were Hanorah Hyland and Carrie Matis
Installed to active service as deacons were Louise Black, Kevin Klein, Frank McDonald and Christina Suydam
Installed to active service as ruling elder was Ann Bartlett
The laying on of hands was accomplished by members of the congregation who could participate, extending
their hands in confirmation of the candidates being ordained and installed. Congratulations to those who
were ordained and installed, and to those who successfully carried out this moving virtual ceremony.
Shawna Mehall grew up in Wednesday Vespers
Hunterdon County and was 7:00 pm on YouTube
confirmed at, and returns to Maundy Thursday Service
Bethlehem Presbyterian 6:00-7:00 pm Zoom Fellowship Supper
Church by Reaffirmation of 7:30 pm Worship service with communion
Faith. She has fond memories Via YouTube
of youth group dances, holi- Good Friday
day caroling and volunteer- 3:00-7:00 pm Silent Meditation
ing as a youth assistant at in Sanctuary
Vacation Bible School. (Masks and social distancing required)
12 Noon Extended Vespers on YouTube
She lives in Pittstown with her husband, John, her one-
and-a-half-year-old son, Samuel and two cats. She is EASTER SUNDAY
passionate about music and when able, performs as a 7:30 AM Awakening Service in cemetery
with communion
vocalist with the nationally touring Christmas rock
9:30 am Regular worship service
band, The Wizards of Winter. —via YouTube
Shawna works as the Manager of Network Projects at 9:30 am regular worship service
(via FM radio) from church parking lot
Hunterdon HealthCare Partners. Communion at All 3 services
11:00 am the flowering of the cross
4
A Special Welcome to Shawna Mehall, our newest BPC The Worship Bag concept was
member! brought to the church by Pastor
Linda during Advent. The bags
We are looking forward to the meaningful Palm Sunday, contained Advent bulletins, candles,
Holy Week Services, and the Celebration of Easter at BPC. candy canes (representing the shep-
Services will continue to be available online. We also will herd's crook) a card of greeting from
be able to come to church in a safe way on Good Friday as the Pastor and the Annual Pledge
the church will be open for silent prayer, meditation, and Envelopes. This action provided the membership
reflection. We are most excited about the Palm Sunday and with the opportunity to have hard copy bulletins
Easter Sunday drive in services, where we can participate in with which to follow the YouTube Worship Services
worship in our cars via radio transmission. Pastor Linda will as well as candles to light during the Christmas eve
lead the service from outside on the church steps. What a service and singing of Silent Night.
creative way to begin to return to our beloved church as
The MOE Commission put together
well as wave to one another and be together with our min-
the Worship Bag for the Easter
ister as we worship God on these very special Sundays.
season. This bag contained the Holy
Please see the Holy Week Schedule for more specifics.
Week Schedule of Events, Palm
As part of the PC(USA)’s Year of Leadership Formation, Ses- Sunday bulletin with hymns,
sion is participating in leadership training to help all of us Maundy Thursday bulletin, refriger-
as we “walk beside one another” in God’s ministry here at ator reminders of three individual
BPC. events of participation, Easter chocolates, and the
We now officially belong to The Presbytery of the High- June the
brochures and donation envelopes, including 5th
Fish Banks, for One Great Hour of Sharing. The
lands of New Jersey. We value our past relationship with bags were distributed on Palm Sunday.
Elizabeth Presbytery but look forward to new possibilities
as we join other churches in northwest New Jersey. The Worship Bags have done wonders in keeping
the congregation connected and involved in the
DeeJee Youngs seasonal church activities while services continue
to be held virtually.
Come and park in the church park-
The flowering of the cross ing lot and tune your radio to an
represents the transition FM station at 9:30 am on Easter
from Good Friday to Easter, Sunday. Bethlehem Presbyterian
from meditation on Jesus’ Church began something new!!
death to joyful celebration of For those who wish to remain at
home, our worship will be broadcast (pre-recorded)
His resurrection.
on YouTube as usual. For those who wish to be at
The ceremony transforms a church, our worship will take place in the parking
barren cross, a reminder of lot, broadcast over a radios. You can be at church,
and remain in the safety of your car, while listening
Jesus’ death, into an Easter
to Pastor Linda as she leads worship and preaches
symbol. Covered with fresh, from the front stairs, outside the church.
living flowers, the cross
serves not only as an em- This is an exciting time in
blem of Jesus’ resurrection the life of our church as
but also of the continuing we slowly begin the pro-
cess of coming together
presence of Christ among today’s Christians. From
5 again as a congregation.
The Free Dictionary
SERMON on the MOUNT:
A Beginners Guide to
The Kingdom of Heaven
by Amy-Jill Levine
Continuing with the
study of The Lord’s
Prayer, we wandered
off into a discussion
about the existence of
Satan. Well, there was
a difference of
opinion, but most
mothers-in-law do not fall into this category. There are sev-
eral references to Satan in the Bible, and possibly the mean-
ing of ‘lead us not into temptation’ was affirming Satan’s
existence. Levine identifies Satan as a part of the worldview.
‘For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory,’
returns it all to ‘Our Father.”
Chapter 5—Finding Your Treasure
Our Father—lets us know that we are not alone.
Hallowed Be Thy name—there is something greater
than us.
Your will be done—we are doing heaven’s will.
Our daily bread—hope for a heavenly banquet.
Forgive us our debts—we are in a right way with the
world. The March Second Sunday Community Night brought a
Lead us not into temptation—continue moving along mixture to reminisce, advertising, old time religion and
the path of God’s will.
sweet, sweet song singing.
For Thine is the Kingdom—after all, it all ends up with
God. The banter between Mark and Charlie took us back to a
Fasting. Levine says that ‘…fasting is designed to master the time when Charlie sang with the Oratorio Singers of
body and overcome the ego.’ Matthew 6:1 tells us that Jesus Westfield. The BPC Men’s Group was introduced by
warned his disciples to fast with piety, much like giving alms
Charlie's wife, the Reverend Nancy Asbury. They sang "A
or praying.
Little Talk With Jesus.”
Storing Up Treasures. To put it simply, get rid of unnecessary
stuff. Store your treasures in heaven. The headliner for the evening was Laura Wooton, who
Judgement: Clearly the scriptures teach that we should avoid first appeared singing at the Bethlehem Presbyterian
judging other people as a way to store our treasures. The Church First Friday open mic at the church.
bottom line is that the act of judging others is left to God.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Laura has since honed her craft as documented in two
Golden Rule. This does not mean ‘do what you think they will notebooks of songs. She opened her set with “Black
do to you,’ rather ‘do what you hope to have done to you. Bird.” The gentleness of her silky smooth voice matched
the tone produced by her ukulele strumming.
THE NEW BOOK COMING During her set Laura invited friends to make requests.
SOON!!! Her set included “What the World Needs Now, is Love
Sweet Love,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Fly Me to the Moon.”
The Grace and “Danny Boy.”
of Les Misérables
Mark reminded the audience of the new branding of the
by Matt Rawle
Rawle explores six ideals found in the event: Our Space Hunterdon Open Mic.
story—grace, justice, poverty,
revolution, love, and hope. See you on April 11, at 6:00 p.m.
Contact Pastor Linda to join the new book discussion. 6
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S SPRING GATHERING—”OPEN DOORS”
SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021
10:00AM – NOON - VIA ZOOM
The pandemic has closed a lot of doors – but PW opens doors.
Hear from Linda Wirts in Geneva Presbytery about a Thank Offering to Family Promise.
Hear from Representative Mikie Sherrill (via video) about the provisions in the American
Rescue Plan that apply to Housing Security.
RSVP to DONNA RAHMANN donnarahmann@comcast.net to get the ZOOM log-in information If you sign up to be on
the ZOOM, you will also receive the Spring Edition of the PW Catalog in PDF. It’s full of information. ALL WOMEN
ARE INVITED..
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNEDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT
LITURGIST “Z” indicates the activity is on Zoom. 1 2 3
“FM” FM Radio Broadcast Devotions (F) Devotions (F)
4= Eileen Kandl “YT” indicates the activity is on YouTube 6:00pm 3-7: pm Meditation
“F” indicates Facebook Fellowship in the Sanctuary (IP)
11= “OS” indicates the activity is off site Supper (Z) Noon Extended
18= “IP” or “C” indicates the activity is in person. 7:30 Worship Vespers (YT)
25= (Face mask and social distancing required.) (UT) GOOD FRIDAY
MAUNDY
THURSDAY
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
7:30 am Awakening 7:00 pm 1:00 pm 10:00am -
Service (Cemetery) Boy Scouts Bible Study (Z) Weekly 12:00 noon.
9:30 am Worship (YT) 7:00 PM Devotions
Lenten food
or (FM) at church Weekly Devotions Vespers (YT)(F) (F)
drive
11:00 am Flowering the (F) Devotions (F)
collected in
Cross (IP) at church Fellowship
EASTER SUNDAY Hall.
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
9:30 Worship (YT) (FM) 7:00 pm 1:00 pm
11:30 am Session (Z) Boy Scouts Bible Study (Z) Weekly
7:00 PM Devotions
6:00 Open Mic (YT)
Weekly Devotions Vespers (YT)(F) (F)
(F) Devotions (F)
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
9:30 Worship (YT)(FM) 7:00 pm 1:00 pm Weekly
Boy Scouts Bible Study (Z) Devotions
7:00 PM (F)
Weekly Devotions Vespers (YT)(F)
(F) Devotions (F)
25 26 27 28 29 30
9:30 Worship (YT)(FM) 7:00 pm 1:00 pm
Boy Scouts Bible Study (Z) Weekly
7:00 PM Devotions
Weekly Devotions Vespers (YT)(F) (F)
(F) 7
Devotions (F)
THE Bethlehem star
BETHLEHEM PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
2 Race Street
Pittstown, NJ 08867
Some
On site 9:30 AM SUNDAY WORSHIP ON YOUTUBE
Church
Activities OR FM RADIO IN THE CHURCH PARKING LOT.
Temporarily OR VIEW ON YOUTUBE LATER.
Suspended
MISSION STATEMENT
Be a community of faithful believers who
love the Lord Jesus Christ and endeavor
to live our lives as examples of that love.
Live with deep commitment to serving Bethlehem Presbyterian Church
those in need in our community and Established in 1730
throughout the world by generously Phone: (908) -735-5733
sharing our time, talents and resources.
Email: bpchurchnj@gmail.com
FAX: (908)-735-4312
Glorify God and grow in our faith Website: www.bethlehempc.org
through: uplifting worship, generous Facebook: www.facebook.com/
fellowship, and enthusiastic learning bethlehempc
inspired by scripture. Warmly welcome Rev. Linda Gaden, Pastor
others to join us in our faith journey. Helene Cantilina, Director of Music
Alan Ford, Treasurer
Dorothy Youngs, Clerk of Session
THE BETHLEHEM STAR is a publication of the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church. For this edition the writers include Pastor Linda,
Al Ford, Bebe Sellers and Dorothy Youngs; photography by Terri Acocella, Marilyn Ford, Mark Fresolone, Liinda Gaden, Bebe
Sellers, Facebook and the photo archive; editing by Marilyn Ford; typing and layout by Bebe Sellers.
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