the mission of the edgeboro moravian church family is to...

Dear Edgeboro Family & Friends,

We all have good weeks and bad weeks at work, school, on the field, or at home. The same goes

for preachers like me as well! A good week is when perspective, inspiration, research, the

church calendar, and the Holy Spirit all work together in just the right way. This past week

was one of those weeks for me and I thought I’d walk you through some of the puzzle pieces

that assembled themselves in my head (thanks in large part to help from my colleagues) with

the hopes that they are relevant and insightful for us all.

The assigned gospel reading for that week was from the gospel of Luke. If you really want to

get the gist of what I’ll be talking about from here on out, go read Luke 8:22-39 right now and

come back to this.

Go on, I’ll wait…

Back? Good. Let’s start by noticing how much Jesus went through to get to the man known as

the Gerasene Demoniac. To do that, you must have an idea of what the terms “clean” and

“unclean” mean in a Jewish context.

In the Hebrew Bible (notably Leviticus), there are laws given by God which state what is clean

and unclean – people, places, food, animal, objects, etc. Without going into too much detail,

here’s my crude explanation: Jews believed there are things in life that bring them closer to

God (clean) and things in life that do not or do the opposite (unclean). Thus, pursuing clean

things led to pursuing God. It was a unique way of life for Jewish people. So if someone like a

rabbi, like Jesus, were to pursue unclean things or interact with unclean people, their Jewish

friends and colleagues would let them know about it by correcting, questioning, ridiculing, or

even punishing them, putting their reputation at stake.

Knowing all that, let’s look to the gospel story. Jesus went to Gerasene, a gentile (non-Jewish)

land full of unclean things since the people living there didn’t observe the same laws. As soon

as Jesus stepped off the boat he came in on, he was at the tombs – the place of the dead, a

place considered unclean. Then he interacted with a man possessed by an unclean spirit.

Though the spirit acted like a single spirit, it could have been way more than that! The spirit

said his name was Legion, which was also the term used for a group of Roman soldiers that

numbered 5,000. All of this is to say, Jesus was in a situation surrounded by uncleanliness,

which made it a situation that a rabbi should have never gotten into in the first place.

The Envoy July/August 2019 Vol. 11 Issue 7/8

Church Office

Phone: 610-866-8793

[email protected]

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10:30am-2:30pm

Website: www.edgeboromoravian.org Stay in the loop!

Visit the website to see the church calendar.

Enroll in our weekly email announcements and phone blasts for special announcements by visiting edgeboromoravian.org/communications.

Find us on Facebook and join our Group!

The Mission of the Edgeboro Moravian Church Family is to Love God, Grow in Christ and Share the Holy Spirit through worship, fellowship, discipleship,

ministry and evangelism.

Pastor: Rev. Dan Miller

[email protected]

Emergency Contact Phone: 7747-REVDAN

(Call, Text, Leave Message—It will be received on all his electronic devices.)

Administrative Assistant: Mary Ann Lynn Organist & Senior Choir Director: Gayle Justice Custodian: Greg Clugston

Let’s pair all this uncleanliness with two more details:

(1) Notice that instead of waiting, Jesus sailed on a boat through a really dangerous storm

just to get there, meaning it was really important to Jesus to get to his destination as soon

as possible.

(2) Notice that when Jesus healed the Gerasene Demoniac, the local people who heard about

this were not thrilled at all. They actually asked Jesus to leave. From other gospel stories,

we know that Jesus can be a bit of an escape artist when confronted with crowds that

confront him. So it wouldn’t be beyond Jesus to just slip by the crowd and stay in the town

anyway even if the crowd wants him to leave. But he doesn’t do that. He just leaves. Which

means that the only thing he accomplishes in Gerasene is the healing of that man – and he

seems to be alright with that. In other words, there’s a good chance that the only reason

Jesus went to Gerasene was that man (no longer a demoniac).

So to what lengths did Jesus go to get to that man? Let’s put these puzzle pieces together

here.

Jesus went out of his way by sailing through a dangerous storm to an unclean place in an

unclean land to meet a man who was beyond unclean with a spirit that behaved like

thousands for the sole purpose of healing and restoring him.

Now that sounds like the incredible love of Jesus. And the good news is he’d do the same for

you, too. Amen, and thanks be to Christ!

So what do we do with that love? How could we ever keep that to ourselves? Well, this gospel

story’s not done yet!

Often times in the gospels, when someone comes to love Jesus for what he has done, his

invitation to them is “Come, follow me.” The newly healed man wanted to, but Jesus invites

him to do something else:

“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him

away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’” (Luke 8:38-39)

That’s our invitation, too. Wherever you call home, tell how much God has done for you. Tell

how much you are loved. This is evangelism. This is spreading good news. This is the

underlying purpose for worship, Vacation Bible School, the Ice Cream Festival, camp, the

Salvation Army lunches, and more. This is the underlying purpose of every ministry at

Edgeboro and every ministry of the Body of Christ. As we engage in all of the ministries

listed in this newsletter and beyond, may we keep Christ’s incredible love in our hearts and

keep his invitation to share the good news in our minds. Thanks for sticking with me

throughout this awesome gospel story!

Beloved and invited, just like you,

Pastor Dan


Joyful Noise Offering

The Joyful Noise Offering for May was for

VBS. The amount was $165.24

The Joyful Noise for June was for Camp

Hope. The amount was $138.00.

The Joyful Noise Offering in July will be

for Iglesia Pentecostal de Bethlehem,

August will the Salvation Army.

Thank you for your generosity!


In this section you will find information about

special offerings, services and activities for the

communal worship of our congregation.

Outdoor Worship

On Sunday, July 14th and August

18th, we will be holding worship

outside on the church lawn. Seating will

be available, but feel free to bring your

own. Dress comfortably to be outside.

Holy Communion Services

July & August

On Sunday, July 7th we will celebrate

Holy Communion in thanks to Christ for

the leadership of the forerunner of the

establishment of the Moravian Church—

John Hus– who was burned at the stake

for his beliefs on July 6, 1415. Join us on

that Sunday to hear Rev. Paul Silwamba

preach and lead Communion in his

native language of Bemba.

On Sunday, August 11th, we will

receive Holy Communion in celebration

of the August 13th Festival Commemo-

rating the Renewal of the Unitas

Fratrum.

Miller-Keystone Blood Center Summer is traditionally a difficult time for community blood centers, as blood supplies traditionally diminish due to family vacation combined with accidents and seasonal illnesses. However, Miller-Keystone Blood Center needs more than 500 donors every day to assist our community hospitals in their lifesaving care. Register to donate at any MKBC donor center or community blood drive this summer.

Servants in July

Elders 7 Myra Jones/ Paul Silwamba 14 Andrew Miller 21 Tom Pheiffer 28 ( No Elder needed)

Sacristans

7 Bob & Elley Silfies 14 Brad & Mary Williamson 21 Craig & Tammy Baer 28 John Bauman & Peggy Leith

Ushers 7 Brent & Kyle Sergent 14 Art Sergent & Family 21 John & Rosie Bauman 28 John Knox & Family

Greeters 7 Cheryl Kindt 14 Scott & Jessica Sine 21 Linda Lindemuth 28 Ryan & Becky Beller

Sunday Worship Schedule

July 7

John Hus—Communion

Joyful Noise

9:15 AM Adult Sunday School

10:30 AM Worship

July 14

Outdoor Worship


10:30 AM Worship

July 21


10:30 AM Worship

July 28

Hymn Sing / Singstunde


10:30AM Worship

Date Toddler Room Infant Room

July 7 Robyn Balsai Carole Schachter

July 14 Jen & Justin Hoff Karen & Woody Werner

July 21 Gaye Elderidge Karen & Woody Werner

July 28 Jenny Minnich Karen & Woody Werner

Our Worship Attendance

2018 2019

85 Week 1 68 (C)

108

(MD)

(CFL)

Week 2 104

(MD)

(CFL)

91 (C) Week 3 74 (B)

47 (SS) Week 4 40 (SS)

B = Baptism

C = Communion

CFL-Christian Family Lovefeast

MD = Mother’s Day

SS = Summer Service

Nursery Schedule

Elders 4 Tom Pheiffer 11 Andrew Miller 18 Shannon Swingle 25 Robyn Balsai

Sacristans 4 David & Sharon Bond 11 Ron & Carol Freyman 18 Michael & Myra Jones 25 David Bond & Linda Lindemuth

Ushers 4 LaRue Jones & Ruth Zaun 11 Eric Smith Family 18 Rod Sergent & Earl Kunsman 25 Nancy Bartleman & LaRue Jones

Greeters

4 Heather James 11 Hope & Tim Harrell 18 Nelson & Sherri Hoff 25 Jane Williamson

Nursery Schedule

Date Toddler Room Infant Room

August 4 Season Pagano Carole Schachter

August 11 Hope & Tim

Harrell

Karen & Woody Werner

August 18 Val Hoff Karen & Woody Werner

August 25 Lisa Courtade Karen & Woody Werner

Sunday Worship Schedule

August 4

Joyful Noise

9;15 AM Adult Sunday School

10:30 AM Worship

August 11

Holy Communion


10:30 AM Worship

August 18

Outdoor Worship


10:00 AM Salvation Army Lunch

10:30 AM Worship

August 25


10:30 AM Worship

Looking Forward—Sept. 8

9:15 AM Rally Day—Sunday

School begins for all ages

10:30 AM Worship

4:00—7:00 PM BAM Picnic (Advent

Moravian)

Our Worship Attendance

for June

2018 2019

95 (CP) Week

1

55 (CP)

81 (SS) Week

2

65

(C, SS)

58 (SS) Week

3

70 (SS)

57 (SS)

Week

4

72 (SS)

C - Communion

CP - Church Picnic

SS -Summer Service

Servants in August

The Envoy

Fellowship

In this section you will find

information about fellow-

ship events, correspond-

ence received during the

month and birthday and

anniversary dates!

JULY BIRTHDAYS 2) Jamie Batson

Louie Velez

4) Jacob Kindt

7) Sidney Brown

Michael Long

Gary Rohn

8) Kaitlyn Ruhf

Laura Bannon

Gilda Pheiffer

11) Scott Jones

12) Andrew Morgan

Eleanor Silfies

15) Matthew Hosterman

16) Brian Smith

Jane Williamson

Debra Weikert

18) Ryan Beller

Jeremiah Beller

Kelly DiGiacinto

Samantha Madison

19) John Bender

Neil Kovaleski

21) Hollie Langkamer

23) Susan Becker

24) Jessie Bucchin

Peggy Leith

25) Cheryl Kindt

27) Megan Terry

29) Michele Townsend

31) Jason Zulli

Leah Hosterman

Birthdays

Children 2) Gabriel Baer

18) Jackson Lauderman

19) Penny Miller

20) Ruby Miller

28) Rylan Harkcom

Declan Podhyski

30) Braden Smith

JULY ANNIVERSARIES

6) Andrew & Season Pagano

10) William & Barbara Burkhardt

11) Andrew & Jamie Batson

18) Jamie & Kristen Scalise

20) Louis & Ellen Pagano

23) Holly & Bruce Haines

Sean & Kelly Harkcom

25) Matthew & Aleace Walrath

26) Mary & David Rader

Amanda Burkhardt-McGoff & Tara McGoff

30) Bill & Leah Henry

31) Robyn & Jeffrey Balsai

Michael & Terri Long

Michelle & Joseph Volkert

The Envoy

Play guitar? Learning how to play another instrument?

Enjoy singing along with the Edge Band? Join other

Moravians from around the area for a praise and worship

hangout, Pick Up & Play - the second of its kind. This

will take place at Edgeboro Moravian Church on

Thursday, August 22nd, 6:30-9:00pm. Pizza will be

provided. Bring your own instrument (which includes your

voice) for a night of playing, learning, and singing praise

songs.


Birthdays

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS

1) Teddy Messman

2) Sharon Hollowell

4) Cynthia Grebs

Laura Neiman

5) Charles McDonald

6) John Nagle

Debra Smith Nobles

9) Robert Gross

Johanna Heft

12) Kevin Knox

15) Marcia Madison

Christine Shafer

17) Dale Rice

18) Julie Groner

Emily Sergent

Makenzi Williamson

19) Vanceen Langkamer

Olivia Lieberman

Jamie Scalise

Sherwood Werner

David Nagle

21) Robyn Balsai

Jillian Emig

23) Amy Leader

24) Sherrie Rohn

25) Kay Black

28) Luke DiGiacinto

Children

9) Jonathan Frank

19) Henry Minnich

22) Ross Groner

30) Sophia Zulli

In this section you will find infor-

mation about fellowship events, cor-

respondence received during the

month and birthday and anniver-

sary dates!

Thank you from the Staff of

Vacation Bible School!!!

VBS was a success! 58 children and a myriad of

helpers and teachers learned or re-learned that

Jesus is ALWAYS with us. ALWAYS!!

Thank you to the congregation, teachers and

staff for their support. Looking forward to next

year.

Your VBS Committee

Rebecca Miller

Becky Beller

Gaye Eldridge

AUGUST ANNIVERSARIES

1) Dan and Brittany Lilly

3) James and Beverly Clause

5) Steven and Donna Henning

8) James and Debra Smith Nobles

13) Eric and Stephanie Smith

19) Linda and Theodore Ruhf, Jr.

21) Arthur and Penny Sergent

Dustin and Nancy Duro

24) Michael and Susan Becker

Terry and Linda Kunsman

Brian and Dorothy Smith

25) John and Rosemarie Bauman

27) Mike and Myra Jones

Summer Cleaning

The Board of Trustees is looking at cleaning out some of the “treasures” that have

accumulated around the church building. Although they will be looking throughout the

entire building, they are specifically targeting the areas behind the Putz; near the

elevator; and on the stage in Fellowship Hall. If your group is currently storing items in

these areas, and these items are to be kept, please make sure boxes and containers are

clearly marked. If you’ve been meaning to go through things ~ now is the time to

do it. Please consider recycling or throwing out those items that your group no longer

needs/uses. CEC and Sunday school teachers ~ please take some time to go through your

classrooms and dispose of materials you don’t need/use. If you are concerned about

storage, there will be some extra closet space for storage in the near future. The Trustees

plan on beginning the cleanup Saturday, July 13th. If you have any questions, please

contact a member of the Board of Trustees. Thanks for helping to clean the inside of the

building!

A "Pay-As-You-Can" rummage sale will be hosted on Saturday, August 3rd,

8:00am - 2:00pm at Edgeboro to support our partners in ministry, Bethlehem

Emergency Sheltering (BES). All items will be free. Donations to BES will be

encouraged.

Items (gently used clothes, household items, and other miscellaneous items) can

be donated for the rummage sale starting July 14. Place items in the designated

drop-off area at the church (in the Fellowship Hall). All items left after the sale

will be donated to other agencies.

Volunteers are needed for set up and organization on the day of the sale. Contact

Beth Behrend ([email protected]) or the church office with any questions.

The Moravian Historical Society is Hiring!

The Moravian Historical Society in Nazareth, Pa. is seeking a Development Manager to

plan, organize, implement, and promote the Museum’s events and programs. This position

is part-time (20-25 hours/week) Monday – Friday, with occasional weekend and evening

hours. To learn more visit: www.moravianhistory.org or contact

[email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.moravianhistory.org


Ice Cream Festival Volunteers Needed

Monday August 19th

We need: Food servers 4:30—6:15 p.m. 6:15—8:00 p.m. Set Up Crew members 12:30 p.m. Take down crew members 7:30—8:30 p.m. Bakers/salad makers Sign putter uppers (please) Would you like to buy: A case of soda A case of Snapple 100 hotdogs or 50 hotdogs 90 hamburgers or 30 hamburgers This event has our Mission Statement written all over it … LOVE, GROW, SHARE...with a focus on fellowship and evangelism Call the office or Blake Messman (610-954-5173 or [email protected]) to volunteer time or food!! If you have a favorite job you have done in the past, please call/email.. It will save time! Sign ups at church coming soon! Blake would also welcome the help of others in planning and thinking of new ideas for the event. Please contact her if interested!

Emergency Exit Reminder

In case of an emergency, it is important that a publicly used building like a church has multiple clear and accessible exits. One of these exits at Edgeboro is located downstairs in the fellowship hall behind the putz stage leading out to Elm Street. While this door is not used as a regular entrance or exit, this door's accessibility is crucial to our safety. If you participate in a ministry that stores items in the space be-hind the putz stage, please make sure that the space leading up to this door (indicated by the black and yellow floor tape) is clear. Thank you.


Board of Trustees’ May Meeting Highlight

New tree has been planted on Hamilton Ave.

Thank you Bob Silfies for repairing belfry rope.

Bathroom towel dispensers are being replaced to trifold towel dispensers as these are

more cost effective.

Are you a faithful giver? We understand that it may not be possible to attend

church every Sunday. The work of the church continues even when you can’t be here.

Thank you for considering becoming faithful in your giving. And if you are already a

faithful giver – thanks!

Highlights from the May and June Board of Elders meetings

A motion was made and passed to approve transfer of membership for Carol Saeger

from Schoeneck Moravian Church to Edgeboro. Carol was welcomed into the

congregation on June 16.

A motion was made and passed to approve Iglesia Pentecostal de Bethlehem CLA

as the recipient of the Joyful Noise offering on July 7 and the Salvation Army as the

recipient of the Joyful Noise offering on August 11.

Elders discussed possible projects for the upcoming Be the Church Day on Sunday,

September 15 from ideas that were generated at the church picnic on June 2. Elders

are looking to form teams to complete a variety of projects. More details will follow

in the next few weeks as team leaders and projects are finalized. Elders are excited

about this opportunity to serve the needs of our church’s neighborhood and those of

greater Bethlehem. What a chance to let our light shine and act as Jesus’ hands and

feet! Put the date on your calendars!

Salvation Army Lunch The next time Edgeboro is serving lunch at the Salvation Army is Sunday,

August 18, 10:00am-2:00pm. Come any time in that time frame. All kitchen skill

levels welcome!

Listed below are opportunities to serve, to pray and to give this month.

Serve:

Reverend Richard Lwali of Tanzania is extending invitations to interested individuals

who would like to serve with the staff of two Moravian boarding schools, Bishop Kisanji

Girls Secondary School or Lusangi Junior Seminary, (both female and male students).

Volunteers will be primarily involved with the teaching of English in the classrooms but

also parcipate in sports and games with the students and staff. If you can commit to one

month or longer of service between January and November, Please contact Jill Kolodziej,

Director of Mission Service, at [email protected] for more details of this service.

Pray:

Sister Habona Kisamwa of Kenya requests prayer for the Ray of Hope boarding school in general and, in

particular, 10 Masai children who will be joining the school. Please pray for the students and the staff as they

provide a home and an education or the young people.

Give:

The Mission Grants that are provided to global partners (Mission Areas, Mission Provinces and Unity

Provinces) help to support projects all around the world. Recently, funds were granted to two projects in

Tanzania: The Sukuma Outreach Ministry and a workshop for Leadership Capacity Building. Grant proposals

have been received for the expansion of a medical clinic in Tabora and for publication of Sunday School mate-

rials. Your gifts can help to make more funds available for more projects and ministries like these.

www.moravianmission.org/give

BETHLEHEM AREA MORAVIANS

KNOEBELS PARK TRIP

Friday, July 19, 2019, 8:45 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Bus pulls out at 9:00 am from Central Moravian Church parking lot!

Join the Bethlehem Area Moravians for a trip to Knoebels Amusement Park. Knoebels is an historic park with pay-as-

you-go rides for all ages, lots of shade and benches, a large swimming pool, and covered pavilions for picnicking.

Cost:

Reservation A: $15 includes round-trip bus transportation, lunch, and bottled water before departure. Reservation B: $10 for those who want to bring their own lunches. This reservation includes round-trip bus transpor-

tation and bottled water before departure.

(Due to bus requirements, all children must have a reserved seat.) Reservations are available on a first come, first

served basis and must be purchased in advance from the Central Moravian Church office by June 30. No refunds

are available after JUNE 30. Reservation forms are available ……

For more information: Karen Ferrey, [email protected], 484-892-1529 or Central Moravian Church Office, 610-

866-5661, [email protected]



the mission of the edgeboro moravian church family is to...

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