missionMEET OUR LOCAL & GLOBAL MISSION PARTNERS OCTOBER 2016

Did you know that our church is now working with more than 25 global mission and outreach partners through more than 15 missions and ministry agencies? First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem currently has commissioned partners serving Christ on four continents in more than ten countries as well as in the United States.

To help you better understand the scope of our world-wide outreach, we would like to introduce you to four of our global mission families and invite you to join our mission trip to serve our long-term mission partner Capilla del Camino in Costa Rica.

25G L O B A L M I S S I O N & O U T R E A C H P A R T N E R S

G E T I N V O L V E DIf you are interested in connecting with our global or local mission partners, please reach out to Beth Peters-Ferrara at 610-867-5865, ext 201 or via email at bpeters@fpc-bethlehem.org.

If God is calling you to learn more about, pray for, or offer your support to these or any of our Global Mission Partners, go to our website, fpc-bethlehem.org/mission.

C O S T A R I C A L O N G - T E R M P A R T N E R S H I P W I T H C A P I L L A D E L C A M I N O

EXACTLY HOW MUCH TIME does it take to fit a group of Ticos (Costa Ricans) and Gringos (North Americans) together to take a group picture? You will find out as you travel with us to Costa Rica this coming January (6/7–14). Leave the winter behind and welcome friendship and warmth!

It is amazing to think that this year marks the fifth year into our long-term international church-to-church partnership with Capilla del Camino (Chapel of the Way). Our partnership with this local congregation is intended to give both partners the opportunity to experience how the other expresses faith in Jesus Christ, to see their faith with new eyes and to grow in their daily walk with Christ.

WHY GO? It is a life-changing experience, read what Kim Wright wrote:

In Tirrases, I experienced God’s love through the fellowship, the building of relationships, even more than by doing physical work. As we lived with the people of this neighborhood of San Jose our faith united us and we became one group, the Body of Christ, despite our different cultures. This is God’s love in action. I was also deeply touched by the pure and unspoiled belief of the local people that God would provide for everything. They praised God frequently and openly for all gifts big and small. I was renewed spiritually.

In 2017, we will continue to worship, have fellowship, and serve alongside our partners in their community outreaches. As a team is built, participants should expect to work hard yet find an equal amount of spiritual refreshment as they step out in faith, worship, and service. Join us January 6/7–14, 2017. Deadline is October 30, 2016. Do not wait! For more information and registration please go to:www.fpc-bethlehem.org/costarica.

Blessings,Manuela Kauer Pastor for Mission & Outreach

It has become harder and harder to communicate internationally in the last two years from their previous location. And Sue has felt a need to find translators of various languages and resources to help many countries get their Beauty for Ashes ministries started. Sue will be directing Beauty for Ashes International by developing materials, leading conferences worldwide, expanding the ministry, leading small groups to internationals around Philadelphia, and mentoring Beauty for Ashes leaders around the world via Skype. Todd will be working full time with Bridges International/USA reaching out to international students in the Philadelphia area.

To quote Sue: “We would not want to go through this change without your encouragement and prayers. I (Sue) have lived in a different culture for 35 years! As we will remain on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU), we will continue to need a financial and prayer support base. We hope that you will continue to support us as we need you more than ever. It will be a huge transition for us and we need your prayers. We also will need more financial support to live in the USA [because it is more expensive to live here than where the Corls had been living].”

BEAUTY FOR ASHES PROVIDES HOPE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THOUSANDS OF WOMEN THROUGH MEANINGFUL BIBLICAL TEACHING IN CHINA, KOREA, TAIWAN, AND UGANDA.

SUE WILL BE DIRECTING BEAUTY FOR ASHES INTERNATIONAL AND MENTORING BEAUTY FOR ASHES LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD...

MINISTRY FOCUS: SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALING THROUGH BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER FOR GOD’S SPIRIT TO INDWELL BELIEVERSSENT BY: CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST (CRU) COMMISSIONED: 1983 BY REV. DIT FENTON

ABOUT Todd and Sue Corl have been leading the ministry of More Than Conquerors for men and Beauty for Ashes for women for twenty years. They conducted retreats for men and women, trained staff, spoke at conferences, and developed curriculum for small group Bible studies.

RECENTLY After ministering for twenty years in Asia and reaching their goal to raise up national believers to “take over” the ministry they began, Todd and Sue felt God calling them to move back to Philadelphia! They returned to the United States on June 16 this year. Sue explains: “The primary reason for this is so that we can help our parents. It has been particularly difficult for my mother being a widow and having no family nearby. We also would prefer to be closer to our children as they adjust to living in the USA for the first time during their college years. Another reason we are coming back is that Beauty for Ashes has really expanded internationally and I need to give international leadership to this.”

TODD & SUE CORL P H I L A D E L P H I A

For more information on More Than Conquerors and Beauty for Ashes conferences, visit:www.shilohbiblechurchbloomsburg.org/ministries/missions/todd-sue-coral.

ABOUTMichael and Beverly both felt the call to missions while they were teenagers! Bev felt led to work as an educator with missionary translators’ children, while Michael has dedicated his considerable skills as an artist and illustrator to aid in the work publishing Bibles and literacy materials. Michael and Bev “dated” by ham radio in 1980–1981 when Michael was in Columbia and Bev was in Peru.

RECENTLYIn April, 2016, Michael went to Tanzania to teach a two-week artist workshop for 15 men who are now equipped to do the illustrations needed for local stories that will allow people to read in six different language groups. For more insight on careers that support the work of overseas missions, see https://www.wycliffe.org/serve/career.

MICHAEL & BEVERLEY HARRAR J O S , N I G E R I AMINISTRY FOCUS: BIBLE TRANSLATION THROUGH ART AND EDUCATIONSENT BY: WYCLIFFE BIBLE TRANSLATORS COMMISSIONED: 1980

DAVE & ROSEMARY ROSS D A L L A S , T XMINISTRY FOCUS: LINGUISTICS AND CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING SENT BY: SUMMER INSTITUTE OF LINGUISTICS (SIL), A DIVISION OF WYCLIFFE COMMISSIONED: 1983

ABOUTDavid and Rosemary are Mission Partners with Wycliffe’s Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (GIAL) in Dallas, Texas. David spent eleven years in Asia as a Bible translator. During his furloughs, he also worked on a Masters in Linguistics at the University of Texas at Arlington. Returning to the United States, he completed his degree as well as the translation on which he had been working. Then, David joined SIL administration as associate director and later became the director.

RECENTLY When GIAL was established, David transitioned into a new role as GIAL’s president. Since its founding, David has led this Christ-centered school with passion and vision, desiring to provide an effective training ground to raise up qualified cross-cultural workers. For more information on what GIAL offers, see www.gial.edu. In 2017, David and Rosemary will experience major changes since David will no longer be GIAL President and hope to be more involved with Bible translation projects in other countries. Prayers are needed!

ABOUTJim and Janet have been working with Wycliffe for 33 and 27 years respectively. Together they served 15 years in Vanuatu, an island in the South Pacific, training people there to do Bible translation and literacy work. RECENTLY They are now spending two weeks in the Philippines among three language groups applying their years of experience toward innovations for incorporating the ancient media of oral Bible storytelling as well as current new digital media to do the work of Bible translation. They are Oral Bible Storytelling Coordinators designing methods for helping communities tell Bible stories in languages without translated Scripture. For more news about this effort, go to www.wycliffe.org/partner/C61B7D31-36EF-47AD-8143-06511063746F.

J IM & JANET STAHLS O U T H P A C I F I CMINISTRY FOCUS: ORAL BIBLE STORYTELLING SENT BY: THE SEED COMPANY OF WYCLIFFE COMMISSIONED: JIM WAS COMMISSIONED IN 1981 BY THE EC DENOMINATION JANET WAS COMMISSIONED IN 1989 BY FPCB

For more information on More Than Conquerors and Beauty for Ashes conferences, visit:www.shilohbiblechurchbloomsburg.org/ministries/missions/todd-sue-coral.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM 2344 CENTER ST., BETHLEHEM, PA 18017 610-867-5865 WWW.FPC-BETHLEHEM.ORG

EL CAMINO FELLOWSHIPOne of the best ways to connect to a local community is simply to be present, to walk with people in their daily lives. El Camino Fellowship is part of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem’s South Side Initiative to support our neighbors with hospitality and bi-lingual worship. Volunteers from El Camino Fellowship also partner with the Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley (HCLV) for community outreach, to help keep the HCLV food pantry well stocked and organized, and offer ESL classes.

BREAKING BREAD RELIEFFPC Bethlehem’s monthly mobile ministry serves the city on the first Saturday of the month from 12–2 p.m. at Tranquility Park on 4th St., between Buchanan & Monroe on the South Side of Bethlehem. We offer free soup, bread, lemonade, and toothbrushes/toothpaste as well as a listening ear and prayers to those who stop by. Knowledgeable community members are available to answer questions about food pantries, shelters, housing, and social services.

FEED BETHLEHEMIn the summer of 2016, FPCB introduced the Feed Bethlehem initiative to help stock the food pantries of our local mission partners, New Bethany and Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley (HCLV), and ensure our neighbors in the Lehigh Valley continue to receive food to feed themselves and their families. Together with community partners, Valley Fruits and Veggies and America’s Grow-a-Row and FPCB’s own First Fruits Gardners, we provided more than 1200 non-perishable and personal care items as well as more than 5,000 pounds of fresh fruits and veggies to our community. Even though the summer has officially ended, we are still delivering fresh produce to our community partners. If you are interested in finding out how you can help, contact Beth Peters at bpeters@fpc-bethlehem.org.

SERVE DAY & SATURDAY SERVEFor more than seven years, FPCB has participated in an annual Serve Day, where we send hundreds of volunteers into the community to serve in any way possible. We partner with non-profit and social service agencies as well as schools to paint, clean, landscape, cook, organize, and more. Mark your calendars now for FPCB’s next Serve Day on May 6, 2017.

Similar to our annual Serve Day, Saturday Serve is our monthly outreach opportunity where volunteers are sent out to work with local community partners, such as New Bethany, Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley (CACLV), Northeast Ministries, and Truth for Women.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSAMERICA’S GROW-A-ROW

BETHLEHEM EMERGENCY SHELTER (BES)

CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST (CRU)

COMMUNITY ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY (CACLV)

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LV

HISPANIC CENTER OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY

INTERVARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP (IVCF) LEHIGH UNIVERSITY

MENTORING AT NITSCHMANN MIDDLE SCHOOL

MENTORING AT DONEGAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NEW BETHANY MINISTRIES

NORTHEAST MINISTRY

PRIORITY ONE

SHARECARE

TRUTH FOR WOMEN (TFW)

VALLEY FRUITS AND VEGGIES

VICTORY HOUSE

YOUNG LIFE LV

YOUTH FOR CHRIST LV

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

FPCB STAFF AND LEADERS AT AMERICA’S GROW-A-ROW