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Sunday October 9, 2022

Join us for worship on Sunday at 10 AM!

Worship This Week:

As the Saying Goes Sermon Series
Part Five: "By the Skin of My Teeth" - Job 19
 

This month, the Power of One offering will benefit
communications and outreach efforts during the upcoming holidays. 

What's happening this weekend...

Sunday School Reminder

A reminder to our Sunday School families: there will be no Sunday School this Sunday, October 9, due to the holiday weekend. We will return to our regular Sunday School schedule next week. See you then!  

Celebration Ringers are Back!

Our church's senior handbell choir, the Celebration Ringers, will be leading us in worship this Sunday! Join us during our blended 10 AM worship service to experience this gift of music and to welcome our new bell choir director, Chris Perfetti. 

What's new in this edition of the Weekly E-news...

Prayer Shawl Gathering

We invite interested knitters and crocheters to join us on Friday October 14 between 2 PM and 4 PM for an informal prayer shawl gathering. Come join us to pick up some yarn, needles or patterns to create prayer shawls for our church to distribute to people who need extras prayers and comfort. Our current focus is on replenishing our supply of prayer shawls for adults. Even if you already have a project in process, we'd love to see you on Friday. For more information, contact Karen Rose by phone (610-657-5440) or email.

Pumpkin Spice Fellowship Hour

Let's celebrate fall together with a special "pumpkin spice" themed fellowship hour! On Sunday October 16, we'll gather in the atrium after worship for delicious coffee (perhaps with a touch of pumpkin spice?), baked goods, and conversation starters. (Not a fan of pumpkin spice? No worries! We'll have regular coffee and hot apple cider, too.) This is a great opportunity to reconnect with your church family!

To donate baked goods, or to volunteer with setup or cleanup, please sign up here

A Service of Celebration in Honor of Lisa Jacobsen

All are welcome to join us for a service of praise music to celebrate the life of Lisa Jacobsen. The service will take place on Sunday October 23 at 2 PM in the church sanctuary. Lisa passed away in July of this year. While we held a funeral service for her at that time, we also began making plans for a Celebration of Life service for later this fall, both to accommodate those who were unable to attend Lisa's service and to have the opportunity to gather and praise God in the way she loved best. 

Trunk or Treat!

On Sunday October 30, join us for our annual Trunk or Treat celebration after worship (approximately 11:15 AM). Decorate your trunks, prepare some treats, and enjoy the costumes of the kiddos of Wesley! To register your child for trunk-or-treating, or to volunteer to decorate your car or donate treats, please sign up here. Questions? Contact Miss Deb, our Director of Christian Education. 
 

Meals for BES

This year, our church will once again be supporting the work of the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter (BES) -- and you can help make it happen! Once each month, we provide hot meals, monitor the shower schedule, and offer a loving presence to the guests of the shelter. We will be serving our first meal on Monday, November 21. We'll be at the shelter from 4 PM to 9 PM, but shorter shifts are available to fit your schedule. To get involved, please contact our coordinator Becky

What's coming up...

Save the Date - Youth Group Corn Maze

On Saturday October 22 (time TBA), join the Wesley youth group for a nighttime corn maze. Bring flashlights and get ready for some fun! Questions? Contact Brian (Wesley's Minister to Youth). Youth group activities are open to students from 6th grade through 12th grade. 
 

Men's Fellowship Breakfast

The next Men's Fellowship Breakfast will take place on Saturday October 15. Breakfast will begin at 7:30 AM, and the meeting with begin at 8 AM. For more information on the men's ministry, please contact Rich Chambers

Lehigh Valley Outreach Depot Fundraiser

The LVOD is participating in the Boscov's Friends Helping Friends fundraiser on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 from 8 AM to 11 PM. You purchase a Shopping Pass for $5.00 (This goes to the LVOD). You can shop all day and get up to 25% off most items. Consider doing some early Christmas shopping! Contact Karen Schaefer or other LVOD volunteers to purchase your "pass."

Pet Supply Drive

Throughout the month of October, we will be collecting animal food, pet toys, pet litter, leashes, and other supplies to be donated to the Animal Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley. Donations can be placed in the bin at the church from October 1 through October 20. Thank you for caring for all of God's creatures!

Wesley Church Fall Sale - Save the Date!

Mark your calendars for Saturday October 22, 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM, for the church's annual fall sale. Come shop from many yard sale and vendor tables. Enjoy some "trick or treating" for kids at participating tables, too! The kitchen will be open for lunch purchases, and we'll offer a silent auction and bake sale, too. 

To become a vendor, or for more information on volunteering, please contact Debbie Ace by phone (215-804-7509) or email, or contact Betty Killo by email.  

Penny Wars 2022

Announcing the matchup for this year's edition of Penny Wars: Graybeal vs. Graybeal!  Becky Graybeal (Wesley's Director of Music) and Brian Graybeal (Wesley's Minister to Youth) will go head-to-head this year for a great cause. Proceeds from this year's Penny Wars will help defray the costs of relationship-building & faith-forming activities through this year's "Year of the Table" program. 

Penny Wars is a game of friendly sabotage through donations of coins and cash. Put your pennies in the jar of the competitor you want to win the penny war, and all other donations in the jar of the competitor you want to sabotage. At the end, the competitor with the most points (not necessarily the most money!) will be declared the winner -- and the other competitor will get a pie in the face!

The penny jars will be available on Sundays in October. We'll announce the winner on Sunday November 6, and celebrate with the pie-in-the-face on Sunday November 13

Library News

“I thought you just had religious books.” This is a comment we hear fairly frequently, and we do have a lot of “religious” books or books of a spiritual nature. However, we also have a lot of novels, memoirs, and books on topics of current interest. Come in and browse! We will be featuring suggestions of books in these categories in the next few weeks.

Adult Study Leaders Needed

If you have a love of learning or a desire to connect with other people of faith, we encourage you to volunteer as an adult study group leader! Leaders are needed for adult Sunday School classes (either before or after worship) as well as mid-week Bible study groups. Not sure where to begin? Pastor Candy will be happy to help you pick out a study resource and walk you through the process. For more information, or to volunteer, contact Pastor Candy.

Have something to add to e-news?

To include your ministry update or appeal in an upcoming edition of the Wesley Church e-news, please send the announcement to Pastor Candy

Catching Up with Pastor Candy

This week, I had the opportunity to offer blessings for our favorite furry and scaly friends through our annual Blessing of the Animals! It was a joy to meet these beloved members of your family. Included in the pictures below (along with their humans) are dogs Tucker, Romeo, Chance, and Shadow; reptiles Pesto (the snake) and Rex (the bearded dragon); hermit crabs Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (who now live in the church office); and rats Dorito and Frito. Thank you to everyone who brought their pets for this year's blessing, and thank you to Debbie Ace for offer certificates and treats to these pets.
 

Our Staff


Candy LaBar, Lead Pastor
Susan Matacavage,
Church Administrator
Brian Graybeal,
Minister to Youth
Deb Silliman,
Director of Children's Ministries
Becky Graybeal,
Director of Music
Chris Perfetti,
Director of Bell and Chime Choirs
Keranie Whipple,
Childcare Coordinator
Debbie Ace, Housekeeper
Betty Killo, Housekeeper/Data Entry

Popular website links:

Home Page
Updated Worship Guidelines
Prayer Requests
Donate
Eastern PA Conference News

COVID Update


Masking will remain optional at Wesley Church.
In order to help you make an informed decision about your own mitigation practices, the church will share our county's updated risk category and corresponding CDC guidelines in each edition of our weekly enews. For more information, visit cdc.gov.

Northampton County is currently in the "medium risk" category.
CDC guidelines include:
  • If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions
  • Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
  • Get tested if you have symptoms

Ongoing Reminders

  • Pastoral Care: If you have a pastoral care need, please contact the church office or email Pastor Candy. 
  • Garden Ministry: Remember to drop off your produce before our produce pickups on Mondays and Thursdays at 9AM
  • Prayer Shawl Ministry: Put your love of craft to some holy use! To get involved, contact Karen Rose at 610-657-5440, or by email
  • Coffee Hour: Help us connect with one another through our weekly coffee hour! If you would like to volunteer with cleanup or provide food items on any given week, please use our Coffee Hour Signup.
  • Altar Flowers: Mark a special occasion by providing altar flowers in worship! To sign up, email Susan Matacavage. Each bouquet costs $40. 
  • Amazon Smile: Support Wesley Church by using AmazonSmile -- for each Amazon purchase you make, a donation is made to our church. Visit smile.amazon.com for more details. 
  • WCOF Wawa Coupons: Support our preschool by purchasing Wawa coupons! Each coupon costs $4, can be redeemed for a Wawa Shorti hoagie (valued at $4.79-5.59), and includes a $1 donation to Wesley Circle of Friends Preschool. It's a win-win fundraiser! To order gift cards, or for more information, contact Susan Matacavage
  • Vanco Mobile: Download Vanco Mobile (formerly Give+) for more information on making a one-time or recurring financial gift. 
  • Birthday Cards: Our prayer team is seeking to send birthday cards to senior adults in our congregation. To be included, email Susan Matacavage (susan@wesleychurch.com) with your name and birth date. 
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