分类: 2025 05 May

May 2025 Mustard Seed - A Word from Our Pastor

5/1/2025

We are now entering into the month of May. We are nearing the end of the school year, and soon we will be entering into the summer months. I do not know about you all, but I am tired. It has been an overwhelming few months, or at least it has been for me. There have been multiple health issues within my family. My grandfather, Bill Stender, has been in and out of the hospital. My stepfather, Mike Pierce, received bad news and has an important decision to make for his health. My wife, Eileen, has been dealing with a pain in her leg. So, all of that has just been a lot, and I want to thank you all for your continued prayers. Then, Lent and Easter are just busy times. The rainy weather also does not help anybody's mood. Life has just been busy, and I just need a break. I need to take a breath.

One of my favorite passages in scripture that we hear around this time of the year in the season of Easter or around Pentecost comes from John 20:19-23. This text reads:

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

This text is very important to me, because it stands as a reminder of the peace that Christ brings into our lives. It stands as a reminder for me in these busy times to stop, take a breath, and receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon the disciples as they were hiding in fear after Jesus’ resurrection, and Jesus breathes that same Spirit upon us too. When we receive this Spirit, we receive the peace of Christ. We are put at ease. We are given the opportunity to take a breath and remember that Christ is with us. Things may sometimes be hard and tiring. However, the good news is that Christ is with us throughout it all, and because of this we can be at peace. We can allow the Holy Spirit to energize us so that we can be who Christ has called us to be. So, as we enter into the summer months, stop and take a breath. Receive the Holy Spirit and be at peace. I pray that you all have a great summer, and that you always remember that Christ is with you. Amen.

Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ethan Doan

May 2025 Mustard Seed - Council Minutes

5/1/2025

Council Minutes April 2, 2025

Council was called to order by President Rich Hollenbach.
Minutes of the March regular council meeting were approved as written.
Treasurer’s Report: At 25% of the year, our receipts are about 28% and our expenses are just below 25%. Our year-to-date deficit is $4,542. The treasurer’s report was approved as written.
President’s Report: Our new supply organist, Pat Keen, has started and will be playing through Easter and then on select Sundays throughout the rest of 2025. Our Palm Sunday preparations are well under way, and we should have a great 60th anniversary celebration. We will be meeting with Grace Lutheran’s council along with Bishop Penman and his staff on Friday, 4/11.
Pastor’s Report: I have led and presided at worship regularly throughout the month of March at Faith and Jerusalem. Our last Faith Education Dinner was on March 9, 2025. The focus was on the prophets of the Old Testament. Our April gathering is cancelled due to a busy church calendar. Our next dinner will be in May 2025 TBD. Our participation in the Nourishing Vocation Project continued March 5, 2025, with the beginning of Lent. Our focus for this Lent is on values and our theme for Lent is “Unbroken: A Living Faith.” Small groups have also begun. I also participated in the Nourshing Vocation Project monthly cohort meeting on March 20, 204. Attended a ”Preaching with Power” event at United Lutheran Seminary on March 19, 2025. I have sent official documents to the SEPA synod declaring our support of Rich in entering candidacy for rostered ministry.

MINISTRY TEAM REPORTS:
Christian Education:
  Sunday School - For Palm Sunday, April 13, during Sunday School we will read the Resurrection Story using the Resurrection eggs; the children will also be given an Easter Story Activity Booklet that they may enjoy doing during Holy Week.   We will have an egg hunt for all the children who attend Worship Service that day. We prepared bags with an Easter Story Activity Booklet plus a few filled plastic eggs to give to all the children in our church community who were not able to be present on Palm Sunday.   Reminder, there will be no Sunday school on Easter.   In addition, our lectionary Sunday school lessons will end on May 25 and resume on Rally Day, September 7. Sunday school will be held at the same time during worship service for the summer months starting June 8 and ending August 31, but we will be meeting down in the Fellowship Hall for teacher directed Summer Fun Fellowship.
Young Adult Fellowship (ages 12-17) - Our March 23 bowling event at Earl Bowl Lanes was so much fun. There were 12 bowlers and 4 observers. We had many laughs and some of us even danced to the lively background music. We would like to make this an annual event. Our next two meetings will be held on April 27 and May 18, 6 pm to 7:30 pm in the Church Fellowship Hall.
PNO-YF (ages 3 to 11) – April 11, the children will enjoy an Easter Theme and the Fruits of the Spirit lesson on faithfulness and peace. Our May meeting on the 9th we are planning a Mother’s Day Theme highlighting mothers of the Bible.   We will also continue teaching the Fruits of the Spirit focusing on goodness and gentleness.   Both dates are Fridays, 6 pm to 9 pm
VBS 2025- --“True North: Trusting Jesus in a Wild World,” is scheduled Monday through Friday, August 4 thru 8, from 9am to 12 noon. We will have an April 6 meeting for volunteers and those who want to support VBS in any capacity. We hope the meeting will be very fruitful, but we can always use more help. So, if you would like to be part of this fun Christian formation event for our youth please contact Gail Achilles, [email protected] (email) or 267-664-3328 (cell).
MNBS - Our small group, which meets on Mondays via zoom, finished up the “Deeper Connections, Parables of Jesus” book and are grateful for gaining a better understanding how we can apply Jesus’ teachings to our daily lives. Our next study is John Ortberg’s “The Me I Want to Be’ Becoming God’s Best Version of You” which we will begin on April 7 and will end on May 19.   All are welcome. If interested, there is contact information available in the back of the Mustard Seed and weekly church worship service bulletins. (Note: our MNBS does not meet through the summer months; we will resume on September 8, 2025).
Communications: Holy Week Announcements
Hospitality: Palm Sunday Luncheon - will be putting out a signup sheet for finger sandwiches and we will supply a cake for the anniversary. Need Low-carb/no sugar items for the bishop. Started coming up with recipes for the Feast Incarnate at University Lutheran Church, Philadelphia on Tuesday, the 27th where we will be planning meals for approximately 95 to 100 people.
Long-Range Planning: Coordination with the Nourishing Vocation Project. Will be scheduling a meeting soon.
Property Team: Adam Feldman is contacting the owner of what looks like an abandoned car in our church parking lot. If the owner does not respond, Adam will call the Development Association Manager, and if that step fails to produce action, the township police department will be notified. A pipe inspection camera was rented to find out where the underground downspout drain system was clogged. There were three spots that were found to be blocked and were temporarily fixed. A permanent fix will happen on our workday when more people will be there to help. Adam would like to be reimbursed for the camera rental, the total was $252.61. Pest services sprayed the building for carpenter ants. Spring workday is April 5 9am-noon. We will be spreading mulch and cleaning up the church property. If it rains, mulching will be postponed until April 12.
Shepherding: The Shepherding team will be sending out cards for Easter.
Social Ministry: Social Ministry Project – March (Mary Lou Foster) The total donations for Covenant House Pennsylvania (CHPA) were $351.
Social Ministry Project – April (Debbie Hollenbach, Sharon Hood, Nancy Gansner, Mary Lou Foster) The congregation is being asked to donate food items for the “Feast Incarnate” at University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in University City, Philadelphia. We will provide a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, iced tea and honey cake dinner on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, for 95-115 people. The congregation will also be asked to prepare the food at home, bring it to Faith, organize it for transport, and help serve at University Lutheran.
Social Ministry Project for 2025 For January, February, & March God’s Global Barnyard “noisy coin collection” has received a total of $140. This collection is taken on the third Sunday of each month through November. If anyone knows of a coin collector, please contact Sharon (215) 822-2579. We have several coins that need to be evaluated.
Special Funds: Property expense for the pipe camera: $252.61; Pastor’s replacement laptop: $419.99. Will send out to the team for the approvals.
Worship & Music: Substitute organist, Pat Keen started to play on Sunday, March 30. Our Holy Week Services: Palm Sunday at 9:30am with Bishop Penman; Maundy Thursday Service will be held at Jerusalem at 7pm; Good Friday Service at Grace at 12:00pm; Good Friday Tenebrae Service at Faith will be held at 7pm (not 7:30pm); Easter Vigil Service at 7:30am and Easter Worship Service at 9am.

OLD BUSINESS
Constitution Update: Needs a few changes based on feedback from council review before being sent to the congregation for review. Also seeking guidance from SEPA Synod on the review and approval process.
Faith 60th Anniversary on Palm Sunday, April 13th Planning continues. Bishop Penman expressed to Rich that he is excited to reside over the worship service and deliver the sermon for our church anniversary.
Discussion with Grace Leadership and the Synod, meeting scheduled for Friday, April 11th at 6pm at Grace Lutheran Church in Hatfield. Synod Assembly, May 30 & May 31, 2025, at Trinity Lansdale. Gary and Gail are the Faith lay representatives and will attend along with Pastor Ethan.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 7th at 7pm.

May 2025 Mustard Seed - Announcements

5/1/2025

Thursday, May 1, 2025, is the National Day of Prayer

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble
themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

Humble yourself, reach out to God and pray (have a conversation with God). Pour out your heart to him. And thank him for all the blessings He has given you.
Let’s all make a decision to pray - especially on May 1st, knowing that Christians all over our country are praying with us.

FaithNotes...

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A BIG THANK YOU to all who came out for Spring Workday on April 5th
Even though it was drizzly (and sometimes downright raining) we got all the sticks picked up, weeded the beds and laid down the mulch. Thank you to the strong arms and backs of John Taylor, Andy McCully, Dale Foster, Rich Hollenbach, and Adam Feldman for shoveling, pushing wheelbarrows and spreading the mulch. Thank you to Mary Lou Foster and Janet Hill for picking up sticks, weeding and spreading mulch. Your efforts are much appreciated, and the church grounds look great!.


Please keep the stamps coming!
It’s a continuing need! Thank you for all your contributions. It really helps!

Do you shop at Giant?
If you do, you can buy Giant gift cards from the church. A $50 card costs you $50. How does the church make money? Well, when Faith purchases $1,000 worth of cards from Giant, they only charge us $950 (a 5% discount.) So, when we sell those cards to you, the church makes $50. It adds up…

Hatfield Flowers and Gifts (215) 822-1530) provides Faith with two lovely flower arrangements for our sanctuary each Sunday.
   You can sign up to sponsor flowers, bulletins or a food basket. The flowers are $35, the bulletins are $10 and the food basket is $25.
    You can dedicate any one of these things to someone special, to celebrate a birthday or in memory of a loved one. You may take the flowers home, or they will be given to an ill or homebound member. The $10 for the bulletins is to help cover the cost of making the bulletins and the $25 for the food basket is money donated to “Manna on Main Street” to help feed those in the North Penn area.
          To sign up for a particular Sunday either sign up on the chart on the Foyer bulletin board or call Janet in the church office (215) 368-0240.

If you shop at Redner’s, please save your receipts. Anna Friedrich turns them in and the church receives a monetary donation from Redner’s. All you need to do is to put your receipts in the labeled basket outside of the sanctuary. Thank you to those who bring in their receipts and to Anna who does the paperwork to receive this donation! Please note that when bringing in your receipts we need the entire receipt. Please do not tear off the bottom. Redner’s will not accept the receipt if the bottom is torn off.

SAVE THE DATE:
Annual Church Family Picnic
Sunday, June 1, 2025, 11am to 2 pm
Rain or Shine!

Spring Valley Park
       Claremont Drive
      Montgomery Township

On Sunday, June 1st right after the 9:30am worship service we are planning on having the Annual Church Picnic at Spring Valley Park. We’ll provide hamburgers, hot dogs, rolls, drinks and paper products and condiments (through funding from a Thrivent Action Team card). If you’d like to bring a side or dessert, please sign up on the sheet on the table outside of the sanctuary. Please sign up on the sheet even if you will not be bringing anything just so we know how many people will be attending. Also bring a lawn chair if you don’t want to sit on the cement benches. Come out on the 1st to fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ!

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

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT)



Sunday School: Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Sunday School hours are at 9:30am during the worship service.
The children will leave worship service after the Pastor-led children’s sermon with one of our teachers, Nancy Gansner,
Anna Friedrich, Gail Achilles or Kate Waldman and return to worship service before the rite of Holy Communion.
Please call the Church office 215-368-0240 or email [email protected] to register your child for Sunday School. Any questions or comments, contact Gail Achilles, Christian Education Chair

We are looking forward in sharing Jesus’ love and word with your Child(ren).

Proverbs 22:6 ESV Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

* * * * * * *
Our Monday Night Bible Study group meets on Zoom on Monday nights from 7-9pm. If you would like to grow in your relationship with Jesus and fortify your Faith in fellowship, please join us.

Here is the zoom link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89517994658?pwd=2AE3yRc631cCcIP7aNDBRK1WrhIQ1X.1

Meeting ID: 895 1799 4658      Passcode: 478541

All are welcome to join.

Parents’ Night Out (PNO) – Youth Fellowship (YF)
Looking for a night out and a fun, safe place to bring the kids? Well, look no further! We here at Faith Lutheran Church are ready to care for your child(ren) in a safe environment, provide food and fun activities, and share the love of Jesus.

The children will have dinner when they arrive consisting of pizza or chicken nuggets, grape and apple slices with caramel dip, water, 100% fruit juice, then enjoy music, games, crafts, stories, and end the evening with popcorn and a movie!

PNO-YF will be held on Friday, May 9, 2025
from 6 pm to 9 pm.

If interested, please register at www.faithmontgomeryville.org
and click on the PNO – YF tab or call 215-368-0240.
Note: A minimum donation of $5.00 per child is suggested so we can provide future youth events.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Where the Word of Jesus is spoken, heard, and lived

Our Vacation Bible School theme this year will be “True North: Trusting Jesus in a Wild World” As kids trek the tundra, they’ll discover how easy it is to lose sight of what’s true in our wild world today. Guiding them towards Jesus, True North VBS reveals that He is a faithful friend we can always trust. He’s our True North! Gail Achilles, our coordinator, is enthusiastically looking forward to this adventure. The dates for this year are Monday through Friday, August 4-8, 2025, from 9am to 12noon.
    Please contact Gail or the church office to volunteer to help. Thank you, Church Family!

* * * * * * *

Youth Ministry
(ages 12-17)

Looking for somewhere to learn about Jesus with others your age? Join us at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Montgomeryville every third Sunday in 2024-25 from 6:00-7:30pm! We will be meeting this month on Sunday, May 18, 2025.

Expect to have fun while learning about the Word of God by joining in prayer, devotions and readings at the church. We will also have occasional outings around the area such as mini golf, bowling and more! Our adult support team will provide snacks and beverages during meetings. We hope to see you soon!

Faith’s Transportation Initiative
If you need a ride to church on Sunday or you are interested in providing a ride to church to someone, please contact Dale Foster.
We currently receive donations of WAWA Food through the Food Donation Connection. We may receive anything from sizzlies, to breakfast burritos, to lunch sandwiches, to muffins, to sweet treats, to hot dogs...anything they didn’t sell the day before and have now frozen. If you are in need of some supplemental food or know of someone who is, please let either Janet Hill in the church office or Dale Foster know and we will make sure you receive some Wawa food.

Lord, when did we see you...?
The purpose of the Social Ministry Team is to follow Jesus' commandment to love one another as he loved us. To offer opportunities to our congregation to be good and faithful servants. To share the love and truth of Jesus Christ and to offer hope to all God's children by giving of our time, our money and ourselves to our church, our community, and the world.

Feast Incarnate –
A New “Social Ministry” Outreach for Faith
We are continuing this ministry into May. A year-round food & hospitality outreach ministry since November 1988 at University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, Faith will share this “feast” with 95-115 people.

Please check our poster board each Sunday to see if there are still items to donate: boxes of Idahoan instant mashed potatoes, bags of frozen mixed vegetables, Dunkin Hines yellow cake mixes, beef gravy, honey.

When we get closer to May 27, we will ask for additional ingredients to make the meatloaf and cakes (eggs, walnuts, etc.).   Please check the poster board.

A Thrivent grant will help cover the meatloaf meat and milk.

Please volunteer on our designated sign up sheet to let us know what you will like to make (meatloaf, cake, etc.). Indicate also If you are available to put all the food together for transport to Philadelphia and/or available to go to University Lutheran to serve the meal.   Needed are 5 to 6 people to serve. We will carpool to Philadelphia.
Thank you for serving others as God has commissioned us!

Any questions, contact: Deb Hollenbach

“Noisy Can” Offering – We continue to collect change for God’s Global Barnyard, every third Sunday,
which will be May 18, 2025 this month
A noisy coin offering is a worship service collection where members donate loose change to a specific cause. The collection is called "noisy" because the coins make a clanging sound as they are placed in the offering bucket.
    On the third Sunday of each month, you will be asked by our Sunday School children to donate your “loose change” in our collection can for God’s Global Barnyard. The more noise the better.    Of course, paper money is fine too.   This is our continuing Christian love to serve others.
    This collection will continue from January through November. In December, the Sunday School children will be asked what animals to purchase based on your total donations. A variety of animals helps provide ample nutrition and a sustainable source of income for many families.

      In Christ, Sharon Hood & Debbie Hollenbach, Co-Chairs

First Communion
Congratulations to Taylor Witkowski and Carson Rice who received their First Holy Communion on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025!

In Memory…
David Gansner
December 1, 1936 – April 10, 2025
Celebration of life at Faith Lutheran Church,
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 -11am service, 10am calling time Reception to follow service

Check out the can in the Fellowship Hall to recycle aluminum cans. Not only does it help the environment, but it will generate some cash for the church. Beth Schoening has volunteered to empty the can periodically and take the cans to the recycling center. So, if you have any aluminum cans at home, please bring them in and it will help the earth and Faith Church! Thank you! (Make sure they are aluminum though…if a magnet does not attach to it, it’s aluminum.) Thank you to everyone who is filling the can!

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

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May 2025 Mustard Seed - A Word from Our Pastor

May 2025 Mustard Seed - Council Minutes

May 2025 Mustard Seed - Announcements

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