July 26, 2020 First UCC - Quakertown 215-536-4447 - First Church - Quakertown

July 26, 2020
                                                               First UCC – Quakertown
                                                                         215-536-4447
Dear Church Friend,
In an effort to make sure that you can stay easily up-to-date on our church
announcements are uploaded to our website on a weekly basis. Daily announcement
will continue to be included in our daily emails.
If you have use of a tablet or smart phone or smart tv, our weekday devotionals and
bedtime stories, weekly worship services, pastors’ chats, and medical chats with Dr.
Mike can be accessed on our Facebook page and all videos of the above can be accessed
on the First UCC YouTube channel. If you have access to email and would like to join
our email mailing list, please contact the church office 215-536-4447 (church office
voicemail is regularly checked) or email us at info@firstucc.net.
COVID-19 SAFETY – Due to the COVID-19 crisis, our church is dedicated to keeping
everyone safe by keeping our church building closed for all office hours, worship
services, and activities, and continuing our church services on parking lot and online
until we believe it is safe to reopen. We will continue to be the church by remaining in
community with one another online and through prayer, yearning after God, and loving
others in any way that we can. If you have access to a tablet, computer, or smart phone
or smart tv, please be sure to like our Facebook page and subscribe to the YouTube
channel listed above. We hope that everyone in our church stays safe and healthy.
CONTACT US – If you need something, please contact us! 215-536-4447 (church office
voicemail is regularly checked) or email us at info@firstucc.net.
PRAYER REQUESTS – If you have any prayer requests, please call the church office so
that we can will be praying for these persons, as well as every other kind of prayer
request.
THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENTS have been shared by email on the date shown:
July 26 – This morning we confirm and welcome into our First Church family eight
new members: Abbie B., Kyle C., Stephanie C., Maddie M., Cora M., Brianna S.,
Rebecca S., and Sean S. Congratulations! Thank you to these students for their faith,
hard work, and patience, and our confirmation families and our mentors for their
assistance and support; this process was made especially challenging by the
pandemic.
July 26 - SUNDAY HOLY COMMUNION INSTRUCTIONS - Jesus asked us to share
bread and a cup with one another. If you are communing virtually, please have
something for “bread” and something for the “cup” available. Please select a bread of
some sort, it can be white bread, a cracker, or something else that you would normally
have at a meal, and please select a drink, any beverage that you would normally share.
When Jesus shared the bread and the cup with his disciples, he used very common
items that they would normally have at a meal. So in the spirit of this, please gather

your items ahead of time (or pause your video) and then Pastors will bless your chosen
elements, and we will have this communion memory and communion time together.
July 26 – COMMUNION ATTENDANCE – Please remember to let the church office
know if you have communed on July 26. Thank you!
July 26 – ISO AMAZON SELLER – Our Property Committee has a surplus of new-in-
box and working-used lightbulbs that were purchased for use in our sanctuary lighting.
Since the purchase, we have installed new fixtures and are looking to be good stewards
of these supplies. We have 67 lightbulbs, which (new) have a value of $15+ (we have 11
new and 56 used bulbs). Currently, these are listed on Facebook Marketplace, but this
platform may not be the best audience for such a unique listing. We were
brainstorming, wondering if we had anyone in our church family who is a current
Amazon Seller who might be interested in listing these items for sale. Lisa J. is willing
to handle the administration and shipping of items, we just need an official seller to list
items. Please contact the church office if you might be able to help us sell these (or at
the least, donate them to a good home).
July 20 – IN SYMPATHY – We extend our condolences to Joyce and Ralph Costanzo at
the passing of Joyce’s mom, Beverly, on July 18.
July 26 – Shared by email on July 16, click here to see our Virtual Vacation Bible
School Recap and Thank You Video. Thank You, Carolina and everyone, for putting
such a wonderful program together!
July 19 – Dear Pastors Joyce and Doug and all our friends at First UCC, Thank you for
all your cards of encouragement and sympathy cards during Ray’s illness and passing.
He appreciated me reading the Get Well cards and special words; he always wanted to
hold the cards. Thank you Pastor Joyce, for your calls to bolster our spirits. We knew
many of you were praying for him which meant so much to both of us. The prayer
shawl Pastor Joyce delivered will always hold special meaning. Much appreciated was
the call from Daniel Simon offering help and encouragement during Ray’s illness. Our
church family has always been special to us. With love, Ruthann E. and family
July 19 – Are You Looking for Employment? Integer, a medical equipment company
located near the Quakertown Pool, is hiring persons in the assembly field, able to use
microscope. If you are interested, you can find out more information at Indeed.com or
call Tom Molz at Integer at 215-801-9158. Mr. Molz left a message on the church
voicemail.
July 12 – THE CHURCH STAFF is always thinking of ways to bless and assist our
church family during this time and the latest new thing is a Sacred Music playlist, now
available on our First UCC Sacred Music Playlist! We are uploading the anthems
that we have shared during worship services in a place where you can simply click and
enjoy the music of First Church. Currently uploaded are the April organ anthems and
Virtual Chancel Choir. Keep checking back for the May, June, and July anthems to be

uploaded. Also, if you “subscribe” to our YouTube channel, you have the option of
getting notifications when new videos are uploaded. Enjoy!
July 7 - PLEASE NOTE that another fraudulent email has been sent, at first glance, it
looks as though it is from Pastor Joyce. Please be aware that it is not coming from her
account. As always, we urge our church family to be vigilant in using caution when
what appears to be a strange request from the church staff (or anyone else), especially if
asking you for sudden electronic payments or gift cards by email or by phone. The
church staff would never ask you for help in this way. We believe that someone had
access to a mass email that was sent out to multiple people.
July 6 - IN CONDOLENCE – We extend our sympathy to our church family and to the
friends and family of Janice Peischel, who passed away peacefully on July 4. Please
keep the friends and family of Janice in your in your prayers.
July 5 – THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS – Susan M. thanks everyone for their prayers,
as she went through her first cataract surgery. All is well and she is scheduled for the
next surgery on July 15.
June 28 - SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS VIDEO – Click here to see our video
recognizing the Class of 2020! Click on the title to see all our special videos created
during this time of quarantine.
June 24 - “How Great Is Our God,” Virtual Chancel Choir Anthem
June 19 – 2020 Ducklings of First UCC
June 13 - “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Virtual Chancel Choir Anthem
May 19 - “This Little Light of Mine,” Virtual Chancel Choir Anthem
May 12 - “Total Praise” Virtual Chancel Choir Anthem
Thank you to those who made the choir anthems possible: under the direction of
Nancy Chmielewski, accompaniment by Edward Swartz, recording of piano by Jon
Bauman, recording of vocalists by themselves, photos submitted by our Church Family,
productions of video and audio by Denise Parker and Nancy Chmielewski.
June 26 - THE JULY/AUGUST UPPER ROOMS are now available in the bin at the
parking lot doors. Help yourself! Please consider delivering one to our church family
who may not be able to get to the church.
June 26 – UPDATE ON JON - We are happy to report that Jon has been released from
isolation and is doing well! Praise God!
June 24 – UPDATE ON JON - We are happy to report that Jon has had no other
symptoms, and his sense of smell and taste is slowly coming back! If he continues to
progress, he should be out of isolation very soon. He appreciates all of your thoughts,
prayers, cards, emails, calls, texts, Facebook messages, and your food deliveries. :)
June 18 – PRAYER UPDATE - We are praising God and Mervin A. is thanking his
church family for their prayers; he has returned home again!

June 14 – THANK YOU to everyone who gave feedback in our Re-Opening Survey. We
are taking everyone’s comments and thoughts into consideration. For the past 3
months, council has continued meeting via Zoom and has been primarily concerned
about how our virtual services and efforts have been received, as well as how we could
begin to re-open when we are permitted, and when we feel it would be safe to do so.
Stay tuned for more details.
June 14 – CONGRATULATIONS – Our friend, Ruth G. has become a great
grandmother for the ELEVENTH time! Lily Mae was born on June 9 and all is well!
June 11 – MESSAGE FROM JON - Hello all. This week I tested positive for COVID-19.
I have only lost my sense of smell and taste so far, so that is a blessing, but I am seeking
to keep everyone safe by staying home. For my sections of the services for the next 2 or
more services, I will be recording myself at home. I will continue to edit the videos
together, and do everything I can do for our church family. Right now, I covet your
prayers that things do not get worse. If you ever want or need to get tested, I highly
recommend getting it done through CVS, who uses Quest Diagnostics. The test is free,
even without insurance, and it does not require a referral from a doctor. To schedule an
appointment, please go here: https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-
testing Blessings to you all, Jon
June 12 - Please keep Jon in your prayers. If you would like to send him an email
message, we are sure it would cheer him!
June 10 – EMAIL SPAM ALERT - We wanted to make everyone aware and informed
that today someone has begun a spoofing (the act of disguising a communication from
an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source; such as email, phone calls
and website) campaign that looks like Pastor Joyce's email address. The imposter
created the email "Rev. Joyce Donigian" [Email: onlinechurch58@gmail.com]. "Do
you have a moment I have a request I need you to handle discreetly. I am currently
busy in a prayer session, no calls so just reply my email. “Preach the word; be
prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great
patience and careful instruction”- 2 Timothy 4:2." This email is not coming from
Pastor Joyce's account, though it is obvious that whoever sent this email has access to
her email address book, or at the very least, had access to a mass email that was sent
out to multiple people. This is a form of phishing (the fraudulent practice of sending
emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to
reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card number). Please note
that the Church staff will never ask for your help in this way. We would
never request sudden electronic payments or gift cards via email or
phone. All steps are being taken to ensure that church email accounts and electronic
equipment within the church office are secure. We urge our church family to be diligent
about maintaining safe cyber security.
June 8 – DAILY DEVOTIONALS - We are excited to share with our church a daily
devotional from our wider church family at a time when our church leadership and
staff are trying to spend more time planning future strategies and events. We know
how much these devotionals have meant to you, and we aim to continue them in some

way going forward, but for now, let us join our broader church in daily devotions from
the UCC!
June 7 – REMEMBERING OUR SHUT-INS – Pastor Joyce has been in touch with folks
in our personal care facilities and all are doing okay, praise God! Please remember
these special folks with cards or calls or even trying to make arrangements for zoom
calls.
June 5 – GRADUATION OF JON BAUMAN – We invite you to virtually attend the
graduation of Jon Bauman, as he receives the degree of Master of Divinity (M.Div)
from Missio Theological Seminary at the 49th Annual Commencement Exercises on
Saturday, June 6, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. live streamed at
https://missio.edu/commencement2020/.
June 5 – REOPENING CHURCH SURVEY - Welcome Bucks County to the Yellow
Phase! Time is running out to share your Reopening Thoughts we us! We have
received about 50 responses. It is our desire to have our finger on the pulse of our
church family, to understand where folks are coming from, and how to meet your
needs. If you haven't answered our questions, please take a few moments to let us know
what you think. Survey answers are anonymous.) Paper copies of the survey are
available in the 2nd edition of the First Devotionals Magazine for those who do not
receive emails, available at the parking lot doors. Deadline to answer survey
questions electronically or by paper copy is Monday, June 8 at noon.
May 26 – YOUR THOUGHTS MATTER – It is very important for us to know how you
feel might be the best way for us to open our space for worship together, after Governor
Wolf releases Bucks County from the stay-at-home order. To share your thoughts,
please click here https://forms.gle/EgDWfxgJ1fJM7fH26. The survey will be
open till Monday, June 8 at noon. Paper copies of the survey have been hand delivered
or mailed to many of our church family members and are also available in the 2nd
edition of the First Devotionals Magazine, available now at the parking lot doors.
Answers are limited to one per household, however, if additional members of the
household would like to give different answers, please contact the church office for a
link to submit more answers.
May 24 - HYMN REQUESTS are being taken! Please let the church office what hymns
you might enjoy hearing during this time worshiping from home.
May 20 - IN CONDOLENCE – We extend our deep sympathy to Ruthann E. at the
passing of her husband and our friend on Wednesday, May 20. Please keep Ruthann
and her family and friends and our church family in your prayers.
May 17 – ONE DREAM MISSION TEAM NEWS - As you may know, the Golf Outing
has been cancelled for this year. The course is open but with limitations and we felt it
best not host one this year. Butter Valley Golf Port has been great to us for many
years, please encourage your family, friends and coworkers to schedule tee times at
Butter Valley and support this local business.

In addition, with much consideration and great sadness the adult leaders of the
2020 One Dream Mission Team have made the decision to cancel the trip this
year. The decision was based on so many unknowns and safety of the team.
We know this is disappointing, it is for all of us. Our priority has always been keeping
our team safe and that will never change. We will be back in stride next year and we
are already planning for July 2021. Thank you for your support.
May 11 – On May 5, we were encouraged us to consider becoming a mentor to others,
or seeking a mentor. Please let the church office know if you would like to be a mentor
or be a mentoree.
May 15 - THIS POEM APPEARS in this month's edition of the Upper Bucks Free Press.
Thank you to Marilyn Koder for putting thoughtful words together to describe what we
are all going through.
                            The Corona Virus: A Poem
                                 By Marilyn Koder
                           https://issuu.com/ubfp/docs/ubfp_may_2020

                           From Upper Bucks Free Press – May 2020
                                   Volume 11, Number 5
April 29 – DISINFECTANT – Someone from our church is able to make EPA approved
Virucide which is a surface disinfectant that kills the virus, though it is not for your
hands. If you need disinfectant, please email Jon Bauman at jbauman@firstucc.net to
coordinate receiving it. Donation of gallon-sized jugs are appreciated to the maker of
the disinfectant who desires to be anonymous.
April 28 – THE QUAKERTOWN FOOD PANTRY is in need of fresh fruits and green
vegetables, canned vegetables, canned pasta, and toilet paper. If you are able to support
them by donating these items to them, please visit their website to see their most
updated hours. Also, if you are struggling to find toilet paper, the food warehouse at

the Quakertown Farmers Market has plenty of toilet paper available and in larger
quantities than a four pack as well.
April 24 – TITHES AND OFFERINGS – Thank you to everyone who continues to
support First Church with their tithes and offerings. Whether you are mailing your
envelope, using electronic giving, or going through the app, your contributions are
appreciated!
   *We are pleased to report that when using the Give Plus+ app, you now have the
   option to use debit/credit cards.
As a reminder of the offering options available at this time, we are pleased to share the
following, if you are able and willing to do so:
   1. Mail a check to the church address (we check the building regularly)
   2. Use this form which allows you to make automatic donations from your bank
      account to the church account.
   3. Download and open the app “Give Plus+” on your phone or tablet, and find our
      church by name or zip code. Then follow the instructions as it is seen in the flyer
      below. After you make your donation, you will receive a confirmation screen. After
      2-3 days, your donation will show up in your donation history.
April 21 – A BIG THANK YOU to you our family here at First Church for all your
prayers and cards for Jim and for me. Your kindness, support, and encouragement has
meant so much. We felt your prayers surrounding us. With much love, Marlene
April 2o – 2020 STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL – After much consideration, the decision
has been made to cancel the 2020 Strawberry Festival. We look forward to seeing you
in 2021. Donations will be cheerfully accepted and greatly appreciated to continue
bringing our program to the children involved in our Christian Education
Program. Stay safe, stay healthy!
April 17 – COVID SCAMS – On Friday, April 17, Lisa J. attended a Zoom meeting
hosted by the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce, and presented by Detective Jeffery
Boehm of Quakertown Police Department and Sam Mirarchi, Assistant Director of
General Litigation within the Bureau of Consumer Protection of PA Attorney General
Office, on the topic of identifying and avoiding COVID-19 Scams. Please be on high
alert for anyone calling you or coming to your door, offering any help with stimulus
checks, COVID testing, etc. at this time.
April 16 – THANK YOU – A sincere thanks from the Women’s Guild to the Prayer
Shawl Group for providing beautiful Cross Pocket Prayer Cloths for us to include with
Easter cards to our 28 sick and shut-in members. We are not sure if or when we can
visit, but being able to send a card with the prayer cloth was a perfect way to reach out
during this COVID 19 pandemic.
IN SYMPATHY – Over the last several weeks, we have had shared the following
condolences:
     Dolly Martin passed away on March 20
     Margaret Treffinger passed away on March 26
     Joe Ryglicki’s cousin passed away from COVID-19

Don Roberts passed away on April 13
April 8 – PHOEBE RICHLAND Health Care Center now offers Connecting Hearts, a
new program to virtually connect residents with their loved ones! If you have access to
a computer or smart phone and would like to have a video visit with Phoebe Richland
friends, please call the church office and Lisa J. will help you set up a face to face video
call.
                                            end