Newsletter of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Women of the ELCA
Volume 15 Issue 1 WINTER 2015 Newsletter of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Women of the ELCA 2 3 4 Spring Retreat on April 11, 2015- Turn Your Faith into Action “The Lord has prepared good works for us to do.”-Ephesians 2:10. We will meet at The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Nativity (Nativity Lutheran Church, Reading) at 1501 N. 13th Street, Reading, in the Fern Noll Room up the hill on Amity Street. Our keynote speaker is Board Member Anissa Canova. She has been trained in “Today’s Dream, Tomorrow’s Reality”. Anissa lives in the NEPA Synod and is active at Grace Lutheran Church and in her community. She is a graduate of Lackawanna College in Scranton, PA. The ELCA social statement: ”Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture” offers reflection on the church’s commitment to undo racism and move toward reconciliation, healing, and embracing all people. We are called as a church to embrace each person and to confront unjust treatment, inequalities, exclusion, and violence. Anissa will give ideas on how to be a catalyst and bridge builder. Her program will include 1) a definition of racism, 2) how it exists, 3) how we are culturally conditioned to accept this as the norm, and 4) how it is not God’s will that God’s people be so divided. Our workshop leader is Pastor Eileen M. Smith LeVan, who is currently serving at Nativity Lutheran Church, Reading. She is the daughter of Lutheran missionaries who served in Liberia. She was a Navy corpsman and a R.N. She is a graduate of Cedar Crest College in Allentown and of the Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem. She is on the NEPA Synod’s task force for World Hunger. She is an advocate for hunger, poverty, and immigration through Advocacy Ministry in PA (LAMPa) and Bread for the World. Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. David Beckman is the president. He has stated that they will work for a good reorganization of the nation’s child nutrition programs, for reforms to correct injustices in the criminal system that lead to more poverty, and for tax credits for low-wage workers. Pastor LeVan’s presentation begins with a question. Since there are many people and organizations concerned about hunger, does our Christian faith make a difference in the way we respond to it? Participants are asked to identify their Congressional member and their office address and to bring that information with them to the retreat on April 11. We are collecting in-kind non-perishable foods for the Reading Area Food Pantries. Our service project is LWR Personal Care Kits. These include one dark bath towel, two 4 oz. bath soap bars, one fingernail clipper with metal file or a separate metal nail file, one wide-toothed comb, and one toothbrush in its wrapper or in a self-sealed envelope. Money can be donated for purchasing toothpaste and shipping. The designated offering will be divided between Bread for the World and The Lutheran Immigration/ Refugee Service. The cost is $10.00. We hope you can come. See you there! We have quite a few hungry people and refugees in our synod. Our prayers do many miracles. God bless you for sending them out to our fellow humans. Wendy Moll, Pat Reitnauer, and Anissa Canova 5 MISSION DISCIPLESHIP SPRING 2015 REPORT The Mission Discipleship Team is responsible for providing information and supporting the programs and functions within the nine cluster units of the NEPA Synod of the Women of the ELCA. The spring cluster meetings will be held between April 20—May 4, 2015. The Topic will be Immigration, and is entitled “The Other Side of Chosen”. Cluster contacts will be asked to report at these meetings. The Special Offering will be going to Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) this year. Respectfully submitted, Hildegard Kurt Mission Discipleship 2015 SPRING CLUSTER MEETINGS Cluster Bethlehem/Easton Schuylkill Lehigh Northern Lehigh East Berks West Berks Date 4/20 4/25 4/25 4/21 4/20 5/4 Location Arndt’s / Easton Friedens / Hegins St. Timothy’s/Allentown St. John’s / Nazareth St. Joseph Hills Church Bern / Leesport Time 5-8 pm 9-12 pm 9-12 pm 6:30 pm 6:15-9 pm Reminder! The Annual Conference of President’s in Chicago will be held on February 19-20, 2015. Please remember to pray for Marilyn as she travels to and from Chicago and that the Lord is with all the Presidents as they work to forward the work of Women of the ELCA. 6 Spring Retreat – April 11, 2015 Turn Your Faith into Action The Lord has prepared good works for us to do –Ephesians 2:10 Location: Nativity Lutheran Church 610-374-3230 1501 N. 13th St, Reading, PA 19604 Registration deadline: March 23, 2015 Time: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM Synodical board meeting follows the event Name________________________________________________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number ________________________Email___________________________________________________ US Congressional Representative_________________________________________________________________ Home church and Cluster ______________________________________________________________________ Cost: $10.00 (includes breakfast & lunch) Make check payable to NEPA Women of the ELCA Keynote Speaker: Anissa Canova presenting “Today’s Dream, Tomorrow’s Reality” Workshop leader – Pastor Eileen Smith LeVan on the initiatives of Bread for the World Service Project: Personal care kits for Lutheran World Relief Items needed: Dark bath towel (2)- 4 oz. bath soap bars (1) fingernail clipper with file – otherwise separate metal file also (1) wide-toothed comb (1) toothbrush in wrapper or self-sealed envelope Designated Offerings: –1/2 to Bread for the World 1/2 to Lutheran Immigration/Refugee Service In Kind - Offering to benefit the Reading Area Food Pantries – Nonperishable items Scholarships are available: Send registration form with check to: Contact: Marilyn Mazsa Pat Reitnauer 610-820-9361 2678 W. Phila., Ave Oley, PA 19547 [email protected] [email protected] 7 CLUSTER LEADERS BETHLEHEM/EASTON Coordinator: Linda Rice 43 Gordon Drive Easton PA 18045 610-258-8748 [email protected] HAZLETON/LEHIGHTON Coordinator Vacant Secretary: Kathleen Mathews 52 Oak Drive Easton PA 18042-7014 610-252-6341 [email protected] Secretary Mary Ann Hazel 495 Briar St Palmerton PA 18071 610-851-6490 [email protected] Recorder: Donna Duckworth 2890 Green Pond Rd Easton PA 18045 610-258-4611 [email protected] Recorder Kathy Heller 632 Center Ave Jim Thorpe PA 18229 570-325-2282 EAST BERKS Coordinator Diane Mc Elwee 547 Fancy Hill Road Boyertown PA 19512-8181 610-367-1635 [email protected] 8 LEHIGH Coordinator Patty Spencer 7767 Cross Creek Road Breinigsville PA 18031 610-530-1706 [email protected] Secretary Patricia Reitnauer 2678 W Philadelphia Ave Oley PA 19547 610-689-5153 [email protected] Secretary Joyce Eisenhard 2619 Schoeneck Rd Macungie PA 18062-9692 610-966-0353 [email protected] Lehigh/St Paul, Trexlertown Recorder Minerva Hoppes 334 South View Rd Fleetwood PA 19522 610-451-7352 [email protected] Recorder vacant CLUSTER LEADERS cont’d NORTHERN LEHIGH VALLEY Coordinator Kathy Walter 7685 Weisenberg Church Road New Tripoli PA 18066 610-298-2652 [email protected] SCHUYLKILL Coordinator Donna Wallace 2234 Walnut St Ashland PA 17921 570-875-2872 [email protected] Secretary Brenda Uhler 436 Nolf Road Nazareth PA 18064 610-759-1037 Secretary Leslie Oxenrider 300 E Colliery Ave Tower Tower PA 17980-1112 570-617-9035 Recorder Charlotte McFarland 2206 Hokendauqua Ave. Northampton, PA 18067 610-262-0964 Recorder Cheryl Kephart 423 Roosevelt Dr New Boston, PA 17948 570-617-3995 [email protected] Pocono Coordinator Vacant Scranton/Wilkes-Barre no information available Secretary Anissa Canova 594 Main St Gouldsboro PA 18424-8800 [email protected] Coordinator Linda Wickert 609 Elmer Circle Reading, PA 19605-9120 484-671-2579 [email protected] Recorder Priscilla Unger RR 2 Box 2051 Gouldsboro PA 18424 570-842-2449 [email protected] West Berks Secretary Thelma Bright 436 Big Spring Rd Robesonia, PA 19551 610-693-5934 [email protected] Recorder Gladys Rentschler 1326 Linden St Reading PA 19604 610-372-3778 9 BOARD MEMBERS OF THE NEPA SYNOD President Marilyn Mazsa (13-15) 1616 W Fairmont St Allentown PA 18102 610-820-9361 [email protected] Lehigh/St. Timothy, Allentown Vice President Pat Reitnauer (14-16) 2678 W Philadelphia Ave Oley PA 19547 610-689-5153 [email protected] East Berks/Friedens, Oley Secretary Kathleen Mathews (14-16) 52 Oak Drive Easton PA 18042-7014 610-252-6341 [email protected] Bethlehem-Easton/St. John’s, Williams Twp. Mission: Stewardship Brenda Benner (13-15) 124 S Second St Lehighton PA 18235-2033 [email protected] Hazleton-Lehighton/Trinity, Lehighton Mentor: Hazelton/Lehighton Joyce Wallace (14-16) 56 Gordon Drive Easton PA 18042 610-330-9113 [email protected] Northern Lehigh/St. John’s, Naz. 2017 Triennial Promoter Mentor: No Lehigh Valley Cluster Joyce Eisenhard (14-16) 2619 Schoeneck Rd Macungie PA 18062-9692 610-966-0353 [email protected] Lehigh/St. Paul, Trexlertown Mentor: Lehigh Cluster Treasurer Suzan Andrews (13-15) 4530 Virginia Drive Bethlehem PA 18017 610-866-2459 [email protected] Northern Lehigh/St John’s, Nazareth Mission: Justice Wendy Moll (14-16) 1422 North 14th St Reading PA 19604 610-374-8082 [email protected] West Berks/Nativity, Reading Mentor: West Berks Anissa Cornova (13-15) 594 Main St Gouldsboro PA 18424-8800 [email protected] Mentor: Pocono Mission: Discipleship Hildegard Kurt (13-15) 2 Glasgow Way Easton PA 18045 [email protected] Bethlehem-Easton/Hope, Tatamy Mentor: Bethlehem/Easton Lois Steward (13-15) 3831 Park Ave PO Box59 Neffs PA 18065 610-767-5808 [email protected] Mentor: Schuylkill Diane Mc Elwee (13-15) 547 Fancy Hill Road Boyertown PA 19512-8181 610-367-1635 [email protected] East Berks/St John’s Boyertown Gathering Coordinator & Mentor: East Berks Flame Editor Kathleen Mathews 52 Oak Drive Easton, PA 18042-7014 610-252-6341 [email protected] 10 Northeastern PA Synod 2354 Grove Rd Allentown PA 18109-3044 610-395-6891 1-800-638-3522 Ext 2730 [email protected] CWO President Patti Austin 8765 West Higgins Road Chicago IL 60631-4189 1-800-638-3522 COMING EVENTS IN 2015 February 19—22 Conference of Synodical Presidents February 22 Bold Women’s Day April 11 Spring Day of Renewal at Nativity, Reading & Board Meeting April 17—19 Region 7 Gathering at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, CT April 20—May 4 Spring Cluster Meetings May 29—30 NEPA Synod Assembly at Santander Arena, Reading June 13 26th Convention at Friedens, Oley June 27 Transition meeting – Grace, Gouldsboro September 21—October 5 Fall Cluster Meetings October 16—18 Fall Fun Event at Tuscarora Retreat Center October 24 2016 Cluster Planning Meeting followed by Fall Board Meeting 11 OFF BOARD/SPECIAL COMMITTEES – 2014-2015 Archives Committee - Current President Current Secretary Finance Committee - Diane McElwee – Chair Susan Andrews – Current Treasurer Pat Reitnauer - Current VP Anissa Canova Judy Hilberg Network Communicator – Newsletter Editor - Region 7 Planning Team Scholarship Committee Facebook Page – Jenn Andrews/Marilyn Mazsa Update website – Chris Andrews Kathleen Mathews Diane McElwee Priscilla Unger – chair Joyce Wallace 2017 Triennial Promoter Joyce Wallace Lois Steward Unit Assessment coordinator Current secretary Dream Team (Anti racism) Anissa Canova 2015 Fall Fun Event! Tuscarora Retreat Center October 16—18, 2015 $133.00/person includes 4 meals Friday night buffet $11.00 from 6—7:30 pm More information in the Spring Issue! 12
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