Blog Posts

April 2021 Mustard Seed - Announcement

3/25/2021

Technology Volunteers
We are looking for a few volunteers who are willing to learn and help with the technology behind our virtual and in-person worship services.  Each week we host our Zoom meeting for worship as well as running the video cameras and sound system in the sanctuary.  Over the past year we have refined this process and its running very smoothly now.  But its being managed by the same few people every week and we are looking to train others to share in this responsibility.  We have engaged a professional to help review our processes and to provide training and want to have other volunteers participate.  Please contact Rich Hollenbach if you are interested.

Faith’s Adult Forum
Adult Forum continues their Bible study on Sunday, April 11, 2021. They meet on Zoom at 9:00am on Sundays and are led by Rich Hollenbach.  For Zoom info, please email Janet: janetatfaith@verizon.net
All are welcome!  Hope to see you there!

Sunday School on Wednesdays at 4:30pm for 30 to 45 minutes!
All children are invited to join Wednesday “Sunday” School. During this Spring session we will be exploring Jesus’ ministry leading up to Easter and beyond and having some fun along the way. For Zoom info, please email Janet: janetatfaith@verizon.net

We look forward to this new way to share the love of Jesus with so many more families in their homes via zoom!

    For more information see, Melissa Prunkel, Education Leader

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP OUR CHURCH REMAIN STRONG
In the spirit of making it easier on each member and family to give to our great church, we are asking each of you to consider giving via the E-GIVING method going forward. The collective power of E-Giving has been proven to help churches across the country raise larger funds, but more importantly e-giving helps our Council Leadership be able to predict the financial healthof our church.  Nothing could be more importantas the Faith Evangelical Call Committee and Leadership Council makes the decision to embrace a future leader for this congregation. We need your help to solidify our strong financial foundation.
The good news is E-giving is EASY. Simply enroll by going to the Faith Evangelical website www.faithmontgomeryville.org and then click on the E-giving button

Jack Walls is available via cell phone (484) 433-7420 or email jackwalls36@gmail.com to help get you set up via the E-Giving Vanco™process. Thank you for all that you do for Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church.

April 2021 Mustard Seed - Council Notes

3/25/2021

Council Minutes                            March 3, 2021
Council was called to order by President Rich Hollenbach.  Gail lead devotions on a healthy church.  Minutes of the February 3rd regular council meeting was approved as written.

Treasurer’s Report: The income for February was $6,386.58, expense $7,448.97 for a monthly deficit of $1,062.39.
Denise stated there are 3 reports this month.  Balance sheet designated for memorial purposes noted. Amazon Smile Earnings came in and are shown in profit and loss report.  Adam pointed out that on the Budget vs. actuals report the Budget Pledge Amount should read $85,338 (not $84,818) and the year surplus should read $35,516.76.  Denise will make corrections as noted.  The treasurer’s report was approved with the corrections.

President’s Report: While we are still waiting to find a new pastor to call and won’t be making huge changes, there are a few items we need to address in 2021.  Pastor Mary is helping to update our constitution which is very out of date.  The property team is working to update our aging HVAC systems.  And we need to replace our sign on Cowpath Rd.  And finally, we need to work out the more permanent processes for video and Zoom with our hybrid worship services including church owned equipment and training of additional folks.

Pastor’s Report: At the Worship & Music Team meeting on Feb. 28ththe $1,000 grant Faith received from the SEPA Synod the “Forward Together in Faith” program was discussed. Approximately $450 of that grant is allocated to training congregation members to use & manage the technology available for worship and other meetings & programming; the remaining funds can be used to purchase additional equipment – in the grant most of it was for lighting. However, these numbers are flexible to some extent as long as we notify the Synod about how we’re intending to spend the funds.
Pastor Mary recently spoke to Linda Kratz regarding the progress of the Constitution and reported that it is a time-consuming process but it is moving forward.  Pastor Mary also announced that she will be ending her role as Designated Pastor of Faith Lutheran Church on Easter Sunday.  She plans to work with Worship and Music on coverage.  Rich reached out to Pastor Penman for coverage, and Rich will be meeting with him soon.  Rich is preaching on Palm Sunday and Pastor Ainslee will cover the third Sunday of the month until Easter.

Ministry Team Reports:

Call Committee:Gail emailed Pastor Bryan Penman on 2-17-21 to learn if we had any pastoral candidates to interview in the near future; Pastor Penman replied that there was a Dean’s meeting coming up the following Thursday and maybe he will have something to report, but no pastoral candidates as of today.

Christian Education: Melissa reported that an email went out from Janet to the township regarding having the annual church picnic on June 6, 2021.  As of now, there is no cost for this and the township will let us know in April there are any changes.   Melissa will be setting up a meeting to discuss VBS 2021 (date to be determined). Monday Night Bible group is studying the Book of Isaiah and Adult Forum is studying the Book of Acts.  Forty Dollars was donated to provide “Jesus Bags” to our Wednesday Bible Whirl kids to hold all their Bibles and other bible study related items in one place.

Communications:Jack will relay information to Lauren to put information discussed on the church web page.  The banner for Holy Week will be installed soon in front of the church. Rich added to tell people that the church is open, but reservations are required in advance due to covid safety precautions.  Rich said that palms will be available on Palm Sunday at church as well as pick up on the Saturday before from 10 am to 12 noon and palms can be delivered too if the need arises.

Evangelism:Dale had a meeting with Doug (Chair) and their team is working on a “Running for Jesus 5K” sometime in September 2021.  Rich suggested that they work with Communications to get word out when things are up and “running.”

Finance:Adam stated that Gary Apgar is still working on the PPP loan forgiveness, hopefully it will be settled by mid-March.  Thrivent was updated with Richard Hollenbach’s signature as the new Council President.  Adam informed council that we had a professional audit in 2019 and after discussion with Tracy Beasley Faith Lutheran Church will need an internal audit for 2020, and then a professional audit in 2021.

Fundraising: Sharon noted that Amazon Smile brought some money in recently, but no new ideas right now.   Melissa suggested to schedule a hoagie sale with pick up outside.

Property Team: Vince reported that Landis completed their quote for the new furnaces ($39,600) plus permit fee ($1,244) totaling $40,844.  Vince said that we have $22,000 earmarked for the cost of new furnaces but would have to finance the rest.  Jack made a motion to approve an $18,000 interest free loan over 3 – 6 years and Dale seconded the motion; all members approved this motion.  Vince should send quote and all related paperwork to Debbie Hollenbach, chair of Finance and then Special Funds would need to approve.  Vince also said that the Church sign would be getting installed soon.  Vince brought forward new business that the church building needs a $200 to $300 backflow preventer to be done by March 31 per the township.  Vince will get the actual quote and hand it over to special funds for approval.  The work can be done in three days once the okay for payment is given.

Shepherding: Sharon’s team will be sending out Easter cards.

Social Ministry: Sharon shared two ideas suggested by Nancy Gansner.  Council agreed to hold off on the altar flower sign-up sheet right now due to the pandemic but supported the “soup chart” and the “food basket” ideas but Sharon will go back to Nancy Gansner to figure out the best way to execute this project.

Special Funds:Will be getting together for the heaters and the backflow preventer.

Stewardship: Jack shared a video about the steps and ease of online giving; he also has a list of seven reasons why online giving is the way to go.  Jack will contact Janet with the announcement of these ideas to put in the bulletin the week before Palm Sunday and then show the video at Palm Sunday announcements.

Transportation: Dale is still making Wawa deliveries every Wednesday and Friday to people in our congregation and in our community.  “The Lord loves to feed His Sheep.”

Worship & Music:Our team met this past Sunday, February 28, and covered Holy Week with tentative plans for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.  The team talked about the Synod grant.  Part of it goes to training and part is for equipment.  Using Faith equipment at home for convenience for virtual church.  Rich mentioned that they plan to still have virtual church service for those who cannot come even after the majority of members get back to worship at Faith Church.  Rich stated that we need another computer (Adam has been using his personal laptop for church events) so they will be getting a quote for a new computer and take it to Special Funds, but it will not be happening in the next two weeks, he added.  Pastor Mary questioned the light around the screen in the sanctuary appears to be dark. Adam said that it was the fault of his camera.

OLD BUSINESS

Replacement of the Faith Sign– Sign will be going up!
Furnace replacement– Was already discussed in the above Property Team Report.
Constitution Update– Pastor Mary reported that Lauren Krupp is working on the corrections and when finished, Council needs to approve and then the Congregation.

NEW BUSINESS

Audit Team– We need to put together a team to perform an internal audit of our finances for CY2020. Sharon is on council so cannot be on this team (Rich also noted no one on Finance Team can be on the audit team}. Sharon agreed with her past experience of doing internal audits that she will guide the Audit Team of three members. Sharon said it was not a hard task and takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete. Rich pointed out that the audit should be completed sometime in April after Easter Sunday.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 7pm. Will be a hybrid meeting and Adam has devotions.

April 2021 Mustard Seed - Note from Pastor Mary

3/25/2021

Endings and Beginnings
At the March 3, 2021 Church Council, I announced that my last Sunday serving as the Designated Pastor at Faith would be Easter Sunday and my last day of service would be Wednesday, April 8, 2021 which will enable me to say farewell to the children who attend Wednesday Sunday School as we are not meeting the week before during Holy Week.

When I was asked by our SEPA Synod Conference Dean, Pr. Bryan Penman, to serve for 2-3 months as the Designation Pastor (formally known as the “Bridge Pastor) at Faith, I think it’s fair to say that none of us had any idea of what 2020 would hold for any of us and, indeed, the entire world. It proved to be a year of extraordinary challenge which required extraordinary creativity and work on the part of many to literally ‘re-create’ life as we know it in all areas of the congregation’s ministry and mission!

Worship happened online and then in person albeit for a limited number to comply with the exacting requirements to achieve safe in-person worship. Christian Education moved online as well with the Monday Bible study, the Sunday Adult Bible Study and the Wednesday Sunday School continuing to happen every week.

VBS happened via Zoom in August. Administration and planning by the various ministry teams continued as well. Property was attended to; food was delivered, caring phone calls and cards were made and sent … Because of my own safety requirements, my entire pastoral functioning happened online or on the phone as well. For me, this was at the beginning a significant challenge which I frankly was dreading because it meant that all my pastoral ‘getting to know you’ and support would happen without the usual and customary in-person physical contact. But I was falling victim to a common human failing: I seriously underestimated the power, creativity, and activity of the Holy Spirit!

As I reflected on yet another ending chapter of ministry, I realized how much of my life and, in fact, all our lives. are a series of endings and beginnings – both large and small - as each new chapter of our life unfolds. As each day comes, we make many decisions from the relatively insignificant such as what to eat or what to wear to the major decisions that will affect the course of our entire lives … and everything in between.
It has been a blessing to serve at Faith and I pray God’s rich blessings on each of you, your families, your work and the ministry & mission of Faith as you move into the future the Lord has in mind for you.

Sincerely, in Christ,

Pr. Mary Konopka, Designated Pastor

March 2021 Mustard Seed - Annual Meeting Notes

2/27/2021

56th Annual Congregation Meeting, January24, 2021

Call to Order:  President Gary Apgar called the meeting to order at 12:07 PMwhich consisted of members virtually on Zoom as well as physically in the church building.  There were 35 confirmed members in the assembly.  Pastor Mary Konopka led the assembly in prayer.

President’s Opening Remarks:  Gary thanked everyone for attending and noted the unique nature of this year’s meeting. He described the voting procedures that were sent out but during any vote if there are any issues, please ask questions. Gary explained that anyone with an interest in Faith is welcome to speak, but only members who have made a financial contribution of record and communed during the past 2 years may vote.

Minutes of the 55th Annual Congregational Meeting held on January 26, 2020: Linda Kratz moved that the minutes be approved as submitted and Melissa Prunkel seconded.  There were no nays and most members voted yea and the minutes were approved.

President’s Report:Gary reported that we had Pastor Ghislaine Cotnoir (Pastor G) for the first 3 months of 2020 and then Pastor Mary Konopka (Pastor Mary) since April.  Our congregation mastered using Zoom for both worship and meetings. We had a professional Financial Review of our books as part of the Call Process and the finance team has incorporated the recommendations.  We received a PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Loan to help cover our staff and mortgage interest expenses.  We reopened our church building for worship in November. The Call Committee has been working on finding a new pastor.

Pastor’s Report/Remarks:  Pastor Mary noted it was a year of adapting to this new virtual environment especially with her having to start as the Bridge Pastor at Faith at the beginning of the pandemic and not getting to meet everyone in person.  She thanked everyone for stepping up to help keep Faith running in this two-dimensional world.  Pastor Mary noted on her report that despite the new membership numbers at zero, there were still many positive events including Sunday School and VBS.  In addition, she has had several phone consulting sessions and through the Holy Spirit we have all adapted to continuing the mission and functions of our church.

Nominating Team Report:  The nominating team consisted of Debbie Hollenbach (Chair), Paul Prunkel and Gail Achilles.  Debbie reported that Gary Apgar and Linda Kratz would be leaving after the completion of 6 years on council as mandated by our constitution.  Anne Hutnyk completed a 1-year term due to a vacated position and is eligible to run again for council.  There are 3 open positions on council to elect new members for 3-year terms. The slate of candidates that the team presented included Gail Achilles, Sharon Diggans and Anne Hutnyk.  Debbie introduced all three candidates and they each verbally accepted the nomination to the slate.  Due to the current situation, the congregation was invited to send in nominations ahead of this meeting.  Two members were nominated: Vince Hill and Paul Prunkel.  Vince verbally accepted while Paul declined.  Gary then called for a motion to close the slate which was made by Melissa Prunkel and seconded by Linda Kratz.  All were in favor and the slate of 4 candidates for the 3 council seats would proceed to a ballot.

Congregational Council Election:  For members at the church, they voted by paper ballots while members on Zoom voted by private Zoom chat. Janet Hill and Anita Halpern collected and counted the paper ballots while Rich and Debbie Hollenbach collected the Zoom votes.  The votes were combined and recorded on a spreadsheet for later verification and the results would be announced later in the meeting.

2022 Nominating Team:  The Nominating Team for next year’s council elections will be led by Linda Kratz.  Gary Apgar and Dale Foster volunteered to be on the team.

Ministry Team Reports:

Nancy Gansner reported that the personal care kits which were collected in early 2020 were distributed to the Keystone Opportunity Center due to COVID.
Melissa Prunkel reported that virtual Sunday School which is held on Wednesday afternoon has continued although attendance has dropped a bit. She is asking everyone to spread the word to see if there are other children who may be interested in attending. As it’s virtual, students can attend from anywhere.
Sharon Hood discussed that the Shepherding team has their plan set up for the year to send cards out to the congregation.
Jack Walls acknowledged the challenging year for stewardship and thanked the congregation for their continued faithful giving. The 2021 pledges are in line with the levels of 2020.

Call Committee Report: Gail Achilles reviewed the status of the Call Committee and noted that finding a part time pastor has been a challenge. Following a meeting with our Conference Dean, Pastor Bryan Penman, we have agreed to consider looking at pastoral candidates who will be shared with another congregation.  To date, we are still waiting for such candidates.  Gail offered a prayer for the process.

Property Team Report: Vince Hill, the chair of the property team, presented a plan to replace 3 of the 8 heating systems for our church due to their age and one unit is already condemned.  They have received 3 different quotes and are recommending the proposal from one of the vendors for approximately $40,000.  Debbie noted that since this expenditure exceeded 3% of the budget, it will need to have a formal approval from council and then a special congregational meeting and vote will have to be called.  It will be added to the agenda of the February council meeting.

Treasurer’s Report and Finance Team’s Report:

Debbie Hollenbach, Finance Team Chair, reported the external Financial Review as part of our Call Process and reported we are very transparent in our processes and have incorporated the many recommendations from the review.
We received the forgivable PPP loan for $11,300 to cover our staff salaries, utilities, and mortgage interest for 8 weeks of 2020.
The December 2020 Treasurer’s Report was presented noting that there was a $45,517 surplus at year end 2020, largely due to lower pastoral costs because of the transition, the PPP loan, and reduced costs due to not being in the building.
- $10,000 will be added to the furnace fund taking the total to $22,000
- The remaining surplus will be carried over into 2021
There are additional expenses in the 2021 budget:
- Paychex was added for handing the paychecks of our employees - $880/year
- Quick Books On-Line - $75/year
- Zoom License - $160/year
Debbie noted that the pastoral salary numbers included in the budget were on the lower side and would most likely be higher.
Dale Foster motioned for the 2021 budget to be approved and Chris Jones seconded it. A vote was taken, and the 2021 budget was approved.

Announcement of Election Results:  The votes for the election of the 3 council members were counted and the results were: Gail Achilles, Vince Hill, and Anne Hutnyk.

Recognition of Retiring Council Members:  Pastor Mary thanked Gary Apgar and Linda Kratz for their 6 years of council service.

Old Business:

The revisions and comments on our constitution were finally received from the SEPA Synod in December 2020 and Pastor Mary will work with Linda Kratz and Lauren Krupp (Allegrezza) in 2021 on updating our constitution.
Moving our Annual meeting to the 4thSunday in January has been well received.

New Business:

The Property Team requested we put a couch in one of the Sunday School rooms in case someone gets sick and needs to lie down. Vince will take care of this request.

Adjournment: Rich Hollenbach led the closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned at 1:38 PM.

March 2021 Mustard Seed - Announcements

2/27/2021

Monday Night Bible Study Small Group
Monday Evening Virtual Small Group has started a 6 week (February 22 - March 29) session on the book of Isaiah. The session started Monday, February 22 and will continue until Monday, March 29. Anyone who is interested is welcome to join. Please contact Nancy Allegrezza

Sunday Morning Bible Study
Adult Forum continues their study of the Book of Acts of the Apostles. They meet on Zoom at 9:00am on Sundays and are led by Rich Hollenbach. Please contact Rich or Janet (janetatfaith@verizon.net) for the Zoom link. All are welcome!  Hope to see you there!

2021 Phone Directories are  available.
Hard copies are available on the Foyer desk or can be mailed to you by either calling or emailing Janet (215) 368 0240 or janetatfaith@verizon.net.  The directory can also be emailed to you if you prefer.  Just let Janet know.

Amazon Smiles on Faith Lutheran Church!
Another great fund-raiser for Faith Lutheran Church that will cost you nothing (and help us a whole lot, we hope). Many of you have already heard of Amazon Smile. Whenever you purchase something from Amazon Smile, be sure to have Faith Lutheran Church set up as your charity of choice. The church will then receive a portion of the value of your order at no cost to you. Here is a direct link so that the charitable proceeds come to Faith:
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-1675520

March 2021 Mustard Seed - Council Notes

2/27/2021

Council Notes, February 3, 2021

Council was called to order by President Gary Apgar. The opening devotions were given by Rich Hollenbach.

NEW COUNCIL ACTIONS
- Confirmation of newly elected council members – we have performed an independent verification of the election results from the voting at the annual congregational meeting for the 3 open council positions.
- Election of new Council Officers for 2021
  - President:Rich Hollenbach
  - Vice-President:Adam Feldman
  - Secretary:Gail Achilles
  - Treasurer: Denise Bailey, Assistant:Debbie Hollenbach
  - Financial Secretary: Janet Hill, Assistant: Carol Taylor
- Assignment of Committee Chairs (C) / Council Liaisons (L)
  - Christian Education: Melissa Prunkel (C)
  - Communications – Lauren Krupp (C), Jack Walls (L)
  - Evangelism – Doug Renner (C), Dale Foster (L)
  - Finance – Debbie Hollenbach (C), Adam Feldman (L)
  - Fundraising – Linda Kratz (C), Sharon Hood (L)
  - Health – Nancy Allegrezza (C), Anne Hutnyk (L)
  - Hospitality/Fellowship – Anne Hutnyk (C)
  - Long Range Planning – on hold until we call a new pastor
  - Mutual Ministry –need to investigate with the constitution as its chaired by the Vice President, but Adam is also a staff employee
  - Property – Vince Hill (C)
  - Social Ministry –Nancy Gansner (C), Sharon Hood (L)
  - Special Funds – President: Rich Hollenbach (C), will designate another member of the Worship & Music Team to be on the team
  - Stewardship – Jack Walls (C)
  - Transportation – Dale Foster (C)
  - W&M – Rich Hollenbach (C)
  - Audit – Pastor Mary will check into whether we need an audit this year as we did the Financial Review in 2020.
  - Nominating Team –Linda Kratz (Chair), Gary Apgar, Anne Hutnyk (substituting for Dale Foster who goes off council next year)
- Council 2021 Devotions: alphabetical by last name
  - Devotion Subject:Rich will work with Pastor Mary to select the topic/material
Rich Mar:Gail Apr:Adam May:Dale
Vince Jul:TBD Aug:Sharon Sep:Anne
Melissa Nov:Jack Dec:Pastor Jan:Rich
- Council Emergency Phone Tree – decision to close the church will be made by: Pastor, Council President & Property Team chair. Right now, we only need to contact those who come into the church building. Long term: Page assignments: Dale (1), Sharon (2), Jack (3). We need to update our process for communicating a closure.

REPORTS TO BE APPROVED
- Council Minutesfrom the January 6th regular council meeting were distributed to council members for review. A motion to approve was made by Melissa and seconded by Adam, all members voted in favor and the minutes were approved.
- Annual Congregational Meeting Minuteswere distributed for review.
- Pastor Mary made a clarification that Sunday school attendance on Zoom has remained constant but is lower than when we were in the building.
- For the nominating team, it was noted that Dale Foster goes off council at the end of this term and by practice will chair next year’s (2022) nominating team. Since a person cannot serve two consecutive years on this team, Anne Hutnyk agreed to be on the 2021 nominating team.
- Melissa asked where the sofa will be located. She noted there is a process, which needs to be followed. Vince proposed putting the donated sofa in the former music room right now and we will discuss again following the COVID quarantine on how best to utilize the Sunday School rooms. Council approved the action.

A motion to approve the updated minutes was made by Melissa and seconded by Sharon, all members voted in favor and the minutes were approved.

Treasurer’s report:(Denise) – Starting in January 2021, we will only be using Quick Books for the reports. There were a few questions:
- Adam asked about the layout of the Profit & Loss Statementcolumns and the % of budget is confusing. Denise is having issues with Quick Books to figure this out. It was recommended that she follow up with Tracey Beasley to help answer her questions.
- Adam asked about what the Misc. Income was, and Denise reported it was the $1000 Synod Grant and $1.16 in the monthly interest from our bank account.
- Adam request that line 2022 be changed from Telephone to Verizon so it aligns better with the service.
- On the Balance Sheet, there was a question on the memorials Accounts, and which are designated or not. It was on the old report but not on the Balance Sheet. Denise will look to better describe and track these.

A motion to approve was made by Adam and seconded by Dale, all members voted in favor and the report was approved.

REPORTS TO BE REVIEWED
- President’s Report:(Gary) – Gary reviewed the work of the council and teams that are included in these minutes.
- Pastor’s Report: (Pastor Mary) - The Annual Meeting, in my view, went very well – much was discussed and achieved as we continue to navigate in ‘these unprecedented times!’ Congratulations and blessings to the newly elected Council members, Gail Achilles, Vince Hill and Anne Hutnyk as well as thanksgiving and much gratitude for Gary Apgar and Linda Kratz for their years of faithful service on Council!

We had a Deacons meeting to discuss the history of the ministry of Deacons at Faith and confirm who the current Deacons were visiting. We set a date (Sun., Feb 7that 12:30pm) to conduct a Home Communion training and share additional information about visitation in general.

Also, in January, Faith received $1,000 grant from the SEPA Synod the “Forward Together in Faith” program. The original grant was for $2,084 to purchase a video camera and lighting for the sanctuary (anticipating the ‘sooner or later’ return to worship in the sanctuary) and funds to train more people to use it. We will have to decide how those funds will be applied. However, they must conform to the parameters of the original grant.

MINISTRY TEAM REPORTS

Christian Education: (Melissa) – Monday Night Bible Study continues and is starting the book of Isaiah. The group is not limited to women only.
Communications:- No report
Evangelism:(Dale) – There was no meeting in December but there is still $1600 available to spend. Dale checked with Doug who will continue as chair.
Finance:(Adam) – See report. New rules for PPP loans so investigating to see if we qualify for another loan in 2021. Gary will complete the paperwork for the forgiveness of the 2020 loan. Pastor Mary checked to see if we need an internal audit this year and confirmed we do so will add to the March agenda.
Fundraising:(Linda) – The AmazonSmile link is https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-1675520. Remember to buy your GIANT gift cards.
Property Team:(Dale) – See new business below on furnaces.
Shepherding: (Sharon) – working on valentine cards. Proposing a “Coffee with Council” session after worship to periodically discuss church business and council events. Council selected the Sunday following the monthly Council meeting.
Special Funds:(Gary) – Will need to meet to approve the proposed furnace replacement funding request once the final costs are determined.
Social Ministry:(Sharon) –
- We can still donate to Manna: https://mannaonmain.org/give-money/donate-now or to
- Keystone Opportunity Center – http://Keystoneopportunity.org
Stewardship: (Jack)– no report
Transportation: (Dale)– Dale continues to drop off Wawa food Tuesdays and Thursdays to people in our congregation and in the community!
Worship & Music:(Rich) – Will be working on Lent. And will coordinate how we should spend the Synod Grant $1000. Adam asked to play the entire song during the distribution which will now happen.
Mutual Ministry:(Jack) – No report.
Hospitality and Fellowship: (Anne) – Council approval is needed to hold any event in the building.

OLD BUSINESS

Property – See Faith Replacement of sign document. Property team will present the proposal at the March meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

New Furnaces Quotes
- Council agreed to go with the Property Team recommendation of IT Landes but to get an updated quote and answer the questions on BTU numbers. Need to confirm all the costs including the permit.
- Jack made the motion to proceed and Dale seconded. All members of council were in favor of proceeding on this quickly.
Pastor Mary received the comments on our revised constitution from the SEPA Synod and will work with Linda Kratz and Lauren (Allegrezza) Krupp on updating our constitution.

Meeting Adjourned:9:31pm
Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 7:00 PM. Will be a hybrid meeting.

March 2021 Mustard Seed - Note from Pastor Mary

2/27/2021

WHAT IS LENT?

For many of us raised in the church (particularly the Roman Catholic Church as I was), we never really talked about what Lent is. We just knew we had to be on our best behavior and “give up” something (the most common items being soda or candy.)

LENT is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is preparation through prayer, repentance, charity and self-denial for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the suffering and death of Jesus, ending with Easter Sunday and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
The word comes from the German word for Spring (lencten) and the Anglo-Saxon name for March – lenct –because Lent usually runs through the month of March as it does this year. Here’s another example of the Christian faith borrowing from other traditions since its beginnings to help make worship more familiar to the people.

From the earliest days of the Church it’s been the time to prepare for Easter, when those early Christians reaffirmed their commitment to Christ and those preparing to become Christians received instruction for Baptism.

Of course, it doesn’t take a biblical scholar to know that “40” figures prominently throughout scripture: Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai before receiving the ten commandments, the flood in the days of Noah lasted 40 days, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the Evil One and preparing to begin his public ministry and so on.

SHROVE TUESDAY: In many places around the world, the last day before Lent (known variously as Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, or Carnivale) is celebrated as a last fling before the solemn days of Lent. Carnival is the common name for the celebration of Shrove Tuesday because Christian people were expected “give up” meat during Lent and the term carnivaleis Latin for “farewell to meat.”
ASH WEDNESDAY: Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, the day when the ashes from the burned palms from last Palm Sunday are used to place a mark of the cross on our foreheads. As it says in the Bible, from dust we came and to dust we shall return.

PALM or PASSION SUNDAY: Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. People stood along the road and waved palms as he passed by.

MAUNDY (or HOLY) THURSDAY: Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ last supper with his 12 disciples (apostles). After the Last Supper, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray for strength to endure his upcoming suffering and crucifixion.

GOOD FRIDAY: Christian tradition says that Jesus was hung on the cross at noon on Good Friday and died at 3 pm, as the world turned dark as night. Churches often hold a vigil during this three-hour period.
As we mark the last 40 days of Jesus' journey to the cross, let’s use this Lenten Season to look at our own lives and move forward in love and service as we prepare to celebrate the new life sealed forever by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

– Pr. Mary Konopka

February 2021 - Announcements

2/1/2021

Phone Directories
2021 Phone Directories will be coming out the second week in February.
If you would like a copy please call Janet at the church (215) 368 0240 or on her cell phone (215) 285 6428 and you can either pick one up or it can be mailed to you.

Adult Forum
Faith Adult Forum is starting up again in the new year on January 10, 2021 continuing their study of the Book of Acts of the Apostles. They meet on Zoom at 9:00am on Sundays and are led by Rich Hollenbach. Hope to see you there!

Call Committee Report
Since our start, we have had four candidates apply, but have not secured a fit for Faith as yet. The committee met with Pastor Penman before the holidays and agreed that Part time Pastor candidates are few and far between, so my understanding is that it was determined by Faith Council that we are open to sharing a pastor with another congregation. This information was made known to Pastor Penman, but as of this date no candidate applications are forthcoming. Our Call Committee is devoted to finding a Pastor for Faith Church, and we continually pray for the Holy Spirit's wisdom to do God's will in this calling. We pray that God sends Faith Church the Pastor He knows we need.

God Bless,
Gail Achilles, Call Committee Chair

Lectors & Worship Assistants Needed
We are in need of Lectors (reading the lesson and psalm) and Worship Assistants (reading the prayers and few other passages) for our Zoom worship. If you would like to volunteer or would like more information, please call Anna Friedrich.

COVID-19 Vaccine
As we move toward Phase 1B in COVID19 vaccinations, please check out the Montgomery County PA Official Website at: https://www.montcopa.org/3660/COVID-19-Vaccine

for updated information about vaccination sites and registration.

Amazon Smiles on Faith Lutheran Church!
Another great fund-raiser for Faith Lutheran Church that will cost you nothing (and help us a whole lot, we hope). Many of you have already heard of Amazon Smile. Whenever you purchase something from Amazon Smile, be sure to have Faith Lutheran Church set up as your charity of choice. The church will then receive a portion of the value of your order at no cost to you.

Here is a direct link so that the charitable proceeds come to Faith:
smile.amazon.com/ch/23-1675520

Please share this information with all your family, friends, colleagues, etc. Don’t shop on line? That’s OK – you probably have a lot of family and friends that do – so share this info with them. You only need to set it up once, then we’re the lucky recipients whenever that person shops on Amazon.

Christian Education
“Sunday School” on Wednesdays at 4:30pm for 30 to 45 minutes!
All children are invited to join Wednesday “Sunday” School. This Winter we’ll be exploring some gospel stories and having some fun along the way.

For more information & the Zoom link, see Melissa Prunkel, Education Leader

The Church is Open
The Church building is open for in-person worship for a limited number of people. Pastor Mary and Laura will still be participating from their homes. Rich will be facilitating from his home. Those in the sanctuary will be watching and participating in the church service via Zoom.
Here’s how it will work:

No more than 25 people can attend worship on Sunday.
People wishing to attend worship need to either email the church at faithmont@verizon.netor call the church at 215-368-0240 by Saturday at noon. Janet will call or email you to let you know that we have received your reservation.
The only staff will be three or four ushers.
Chairs will be marked and ushers will seat families and individuals.
Sanitizer will be available
Masks must be worn at all times. This includes children. (Masks will be provided if you don’t have one.
There will be no nursery, so parents are asked to keep their children in their seats.
Only the rest rooms in the hallway outside of the sanctuary will be used.
An usher will monitor those using the restrooms so there is only one person in there at a time. The usher will wipe down the bathroom after each usage.
There will be no singing during Phase one, only humming.
There will be no congregating in the church before or after the service.
Paper bulletins and individual communion cups will be placed on the seats in the sanctuary before the service by the ushers wearing gloves.
Greeter/usher will be at door to greet people and answer any questions. This usher will also take the temperature of everyone entering the building. That usher will direct people to an usher at the top of the steps who will take family/individual to their seat(s.) People will be seated from front to back in the sanctuary.
Once seated please do not leave your seat unless you need to use the bathroom.
Please keep 6 ft. apart at all times.
If you feel ill, please don’t attend worship at the building, stay home and watch it on Zoom.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP OUR CHURCH REMAIN STRONG
In the spirit of making it easier on each member and family to give to our great church, we are asking each of you to consider giving via the E-GIVING method going forward. The collective power of E-Giving has been proven to help churches across the country raise larger funds, but more importantly e-giving helps our Council Leadership be able to predict the financial health of our church. Nothing could be more important as the Faith Evangelical Call Committee and Leadership Council makes the decision to embrace a future leader for this congregation. We need your help to solidify our strong financial foundation.

The good news is E-giving is EASY. Simply enroll by three methods:

1. Fill out a Paper enrollment form and mail it in Download an App on your mobile phone
2. The Faith Evangelical websitwww.faithmontgomeryville.org ( E-giving button is on the Home Page)
3. This direct website link to e-giving

Faith Lutheran EGiving 2020
Jack Walls is available via cell phone (484) 433-7420 or email jackwalls36@gmail.com to help get you set up via the E-Giving VancoTM process. Thank you for all that you do for Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church.

February 2021 Mustard Seed - Council Notes

2/1/2021

Council met on Wednesday, January 6. Council was called to order by President Gary Apgar. Minutes of the December 2nd regular council meeting was approved as written.

Treasurer’s Report: The year ended with a surplus of $45,516.76. There was one change: The $605 income for Sunday School should be moved to Special Envelopes. The treasurer’s report was approved with the one correction.

President’s Report: I think we can all agree that 2020 was a very trying, sometime troubling year! But through it all with God’ Grace and Blessings we persevered! We learned that even during a pandemic that life goes on. I am sure we are looking forward to a new beginning in 2021!

Pastor’s Report: One rather wonderful thing that happened in December was recruiting one of our Wednesday Sunday School kids, Kyle Fritzinger, to read a lesson on Sunday morning. We had a Zoom practice together and he did a wonderful job reading and was very pleased to do it! I’d like to discuss using some of the other kids like this in worship moving forward.

- I have not yet heard if we received all, or part of, the SEPA Synod the “Forward Together in Faith” grant which I submitted last month for $2,084 to purchase a video camera and lighting for the sanctuary and funds to train more people to use it (funds are slated to be disbursed by the end of January 2021).
- Sadly, Virginia Wilson passed away on January 2, 2021. (She was 98 years old.) Arrangements have been deferred.
- I continue to remain exceedingly cautious about participation in ‘in person’ worship at the building with the recent surge of Corona virus cases across Pennsylvania.

Ministry Team Reports:
Christian Education:

Wednesday “Sunday” school resumed on Jan 6th for kids and has been going longer than the half hour.
And Adult Forum meets on Sunday at 9am and will start again on Sunday, Jan 10th.

Evangelism:

There was no meeting in December but there is still $1600 available to spend. Gary will get with Doug to review this.

Fundraising:

The AmazonSmile link is https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23- 1675520. Remember to buy your GIANT gift cards.

Property:

See new business below.

Shepherding:

Christmas cards were sent out and they performed visitations to many homebound members. Will be meeting with the team to determine the next plans.

Social Ministry:

We can still donate to: Manna on Main Street or Keystone Opportunity Center.

Stewardship:

There is a video on e-giving that Jack will work with Lauren to put a link to this on our website. Will also discuss e-giving at the annual meeting.

Transportation:

Dale Foster continues to drop off Wawa food Tuesday and Thursdays to people in our congregation and in the community!

Worship & Music:

The Christmas Eve Zoom service went well even though we had to cancel the 6:30 in-person worship due to bad weather. We will be continuing with both Zoom and limited in-person worship

Hospitality and Fellowship:

Council approval is needed to hold any event. OLD BUSINESS

Property –

Nothing new on the purchase of a new sign.

NEW BUSINESS
New Furnaces Quotes

The property team received three quotes for work to our heating and air conditioning system. Adam Feldman will put together a proposal to give the options including the costs and financials at the annual meeting. Council requested that the property team get some references and financing details.

2021 Annual Congregational meeting planning

Send an email to the congregation with the slate of new council candidates and ask for any nominations from the floor ahead of the annual meeting so can prepare if a vote is needed.
The meeting will start at 12 pm on Sunday,1/24/2021 on Zoom
Will need to take attendance at the beginning of the meeting for both zoom (especially if there are multiple members in a household) and at the church to confirm we have a quorum.
Include an update from the Call Committee.

• Pastor Mary received the comments on our revised constitution from the Synod that will need to be review.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 7pm with the new 2021 Council.

February 2021 Mustard Seed - Note from Pastor Mary

2/1/2021

"The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

In John’s gospel, Jesus’ public ministry begins with his recruiting disciples. We read in John’s story that Phillip, a new disciple, is so impressed with Jesus he invites a friend Nathanael to “come and see.” “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote.” So begins the story of the gospel, a story in which we too belong.

As the story of Jesus’ ministry unfolds, what happens next to Jesus and the disciples is full of ups and downs, questions and uncertainties.

When we were baptized (which for most of us happened when we were infants) and confirmed in faith, like those first disciples, our lives and the future was before us but, like those first disciples, we didn’t yet know exactly what that future would hold. But we were now on the road to follow Jesus. Of course, many of us have taken some side roads and detours in our journey of discipleship, but when we look back over our faith lives, it can be valuable to take some time to reflect on that journey to understand how our faith has been shaped and formed over the years.

To me, one of the most interesting aspects of this report of Jesus calling his disciples is Phillip inviting Nathanael to ‘come and see’ after Phillip has encountered Jesus. Over the years, there have been many ‘programs’ designed to spur growth in congregations, yet still the most enduring way to promote that growth has been the power of invitation. For over the last 40 years or so, study after study investigating congregational growth has yielded the same two results: the first is family history and the second is that ‘someone invited me.’

The power of invitation is still as relevant today as it was when Jesus called his first disciples. Of course, given the strange year we’ve just lived through, with all the cautions and restrictions, we can invite people to join us on Zoom OR attend worship in person. Still, the key remains invitation (in whatever particular form of attendance that may take!)

It’s also true that because we can now invite folks to participate either in person or on Zoom, more paths to invitation have been opened up for us to do that.

So, as we start this year, perhaps it would be worth asking ourselves, ‘is there someone I can invite to ‘come and see’ this year?’

God’s peace be with us all as we begin our discipleship journey into 2021!
Pr. Mary Konopka, Bridge Pastor

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