WEATHER BULLETIN
In case of snow, ice, or otherwise inclement weather conditions on Sunday mornings, call the church office at 215-745-4453 to listen to our recorded message. It will let you know if we’ve been forced to cancel our service.
NEWS FROM OUR PASTORAL TRANSITION CONSULTANT, PASTOR SANDRA J. BROWN
Pastor Brown would like to say THANK YOU for the very generous congregational Christmas gift!
Transition Update:
Church Council has the name of a candidate and will be meeting with them soon. More information will be shared as it becomes available. Please continue to pray for our council and congregation during this process.
What follows are two articles Pastor Brown thought readers might enjoy:
The Twelve Days of Christmas
What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
The two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
The three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
The four colley birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
The five gold rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
The six geese a‑laying stood for the six days of creation
The seven swans a‑swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
The eight maids a‑milking were the eight beatitudes.
The nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
The ten lords a‑leaping were the ten commandments.
The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
Explanation of The Epiphany Season
We are entering into the season of Epiphany. Epiphany is one of the oldest seasons in the Christian Church year, second only to the Easter season. This season of lights emphasizes Jesus’ manifestation (or epiphany, from the Greek epiphaneia) as God and human. When the Gentile Magi come to worship Jesus, they show that everyone now has access to God. All people, Jew and Gentile, can come to God’s temple to worship, because Jesus is the new temple.
There may be as many as nine Sundays in the Epiphany season, depending on the date of Easter. There are three feast days in this season, the day of Epiphany, the Baptism of our Lord, and the Transfiguration, and the liturgical color is white for those days. For the rest of the Sundays in the season the color is green, symbolizing the growth of Jesus’ ministry, the focus of the lessons on those Sundays.
Some Happenings at St. Tim’s…
BUILDING OUR BUILDING MAINTENANCE FUND THROUGH A “GIVING TUESDAY” CAMPAIGN
Here’s a story we can all feel good about:
St. Timothy’s Preschool uses Cheddar Up, an online tuition payment program, for the convenience of the students’ parents. This November, Cheddar Up offered clients a chance to earn an additional $1,000 for their cause if they ran a Giving Tuesday campaign via Cheddar Up.
The Preschool selected a goal of $1,000 toward St. Tim’s Building Maintenance Fund for its campaign and invited both the students’ parents and church members to participate. We didn’t win the raffle, but St. Tim’s did surpass its goal, receiving $1,050! Thank you, Preschool staff and all who participated.
LEARNING THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEASON
Our preschoolers learned about sharing at their Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving snack on November 22. (Doing the “turkey dance” was fun, too!)
In early December, they experienced the joy of giving to others by selecting just the right gifts at their Secret Santa Shop. On December 20, they presented the story of “One Special Night” in the sanctuary and had a merry little Christmas party with their teachers and families before heading off for the holidays. See you next year, little ones!
A word to the wise: Registration for the 2024-25 school year begins January 16. Tell your neighbors and friends--and remind them that student spaces fill up fast.
Pastor Brown leads the preschoolers in song
OH, HAPPY DAY!
On November 25, family and friends filled the pews of St. Tim’s to attend the wedding of members Dawn Weber and John Creedon. Best wishes! See more photos on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sttimslutheranchurchfoxrok
CHRISTMAS AT ST. TIM’S: A BLEND OF TRADITION AND THE NEW
**Tradition: Inviting the Community to a Christmas Bazaar. For many years, St. Tim’s Annual Bazaar was a highlight of the Christmas season for volunteers and attendees alike. This year: Co-chairs Tina Snyder and Barbara Huber tried a new “Best of the Bazaar” approach—concentrating efforts on bestselling items and winning strategies.
An early date was set: November 11.
In October, a band of volunteers made over 400 pierogies, then bagged and froze them for sale. Ron and Carolyn Denzel contributed many, many containers filled with their popular vegetable soup or German potato salad. Members stocked the Café with delicious baked goods, and the Library became Crafts Central.
What the pictures that follow can’t show is the pretty profit that resulted from everyone’s hard work: Over $1,825.
Carol Delgado and Val Filipenko at the Café Bakery
Barbara Huber and Tina Snyder making Pierogies
Some of the lovely and useful Crafts for sale
**Tradition: Giving to the Less Fortunate. Generosity is a year-round tradition at St. Tim’s. This year: We provided bagfuls of toys, warm hats, and coats to Gemma Services; donated food and personal care items to Feast of Justice; made meals for Caring for Friends; and gave food store gift cards to people in need.
SUV/Santa Sleigh, headed for Gemma Services
**Tradition: Creating Beautiful, Meaningful Worship. From the first Sunday of Advent through Epiphany, St. Tim’s traditionally celebrates the Christmas season with candles, special decorations, and uplifting music. This year: Pastor Joey Klinger led our Christmas Eve service, which included an anthem from our choir as well as solos from guest oboist Evan Pelletier and our music director, Timothy D. Brown. Working behind the scenes were Pastor Sandra J. Brown, worship chair Kathy Swift, and her husband, Stephen, and a volunteer decorating crew including, among others, our sexton Ed Lord, Timmy Madden, and Tom Lyden. Thanks also to our administrative assistant, Katie McAlorum, and to all who pitched in to do whatever was needed. That willingness to help is a tradition that remains strong at St. Tim’s.
Tim Brown, Evan Pelletier, choir, and Pastor Klinger
What’s Coming UP at St. Tim’s…
“VICAR” KYLE TO BE ORDAINED SATURDAY, JANUARY 13
Professor Kyle Schiefelbein-Guerrero, MDiv, PhD, better known to us as “Vicar Kyle” from his time as our interim pastor, will be ordained to Word and Sacrament at St. Mark Lutheran Church in San Francisco at 6 pm EST. The service will be livestreamed at https://smlc.live/kylelivestream.
He will be called to his professorship as the Grace Professor of Leadership and Director of Contextual Formation at the Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon.
God bless you, Reverend Kyle!
A NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW IDEAS
In the coming weeks, St. Tim’s will begin sharing our non-perishable food donations with both Feast of Justice and Memorial Presbyterian Church of Fox Chase’s food banks. Since the pandemic, the number of our neighbors needing help from the MPCFC food bank has nearly tripled. The food bank is open on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, from 9 am to noon.
Look for a list of foods in high demand in a weekly bulletin, or at MPCFC - Food for Hope .Pantry (google.com). Bring your contributions to St. Tim’s Library on Sundays, or Tuesday or Thursday mornings (please call 215-745-4453 first to be sure someone will be in the office).
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
· WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY RETURNS – JANUARY 9 AT 4 PM
· ASH WEDNESDAY – FEBRUARY 14
· EASTER SUNDAY -- MARCH 31
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THE DATE OF OUR ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Please help us to provide good pastoral care. Please call Pastor Sandra Brown (215-680-3972), or leave a message at the church office (215-745-4453). If:
You are in need of prayer
You are ill or hospitalized
A baby is born into your family
You are planning to marry
You want to receive the sacraments of Baptism or Holy Communion
You are moving, or your phone number or email address has changed.
Please be sure your next of kin has the Pastor Brown’s phone number in case of emergency.
WHO’S WHO ON COUNCIL
Church Council usually holds meetings after worship on the third Sunday of the month, although summer vacations may necessitate a break in that schedule.
Anyone is welcome to attend a Council meeting, but we do request notice beforehand. Similarly, feel free to bring up your suggestions, concerns, or questions to any Council member.
Here is the contact information for Council members.
· Liz Soltan (President) – 215-828-1619 or (soltan320@comcast.net)
· Rich Soltan (Vice President)—215-828-1617 or (soltanesq@comcast.net)
· Carolyn Denzel (Secretary)—On leave
· Susan Feola (Christian Education)—215-718-9600 or (suefeola07@msn.com)
· Vanessa Fineberg (Parish Life)—215-605-2653 or (vfineberg@comcast.net)
· Thomas Lyden (Property) – 215-340-9811 or thomas.lyden513@icloud.com
If You Resolved To Declutter In 2024, Remember We Still Are Collecting Used Sneakers, Glasses, And Printer Cartridges.
If You Resolved To Try Something New In 2024, Try SHOPRAISE (Www.ShopRaise.Com) For Online Shopping And Gift Cards You Can Use In Stores!
LECTIONARY READINGS
January 7
January 14
January 21
January 28
February 4
February 11
February 14 (Ash Wednesday)
Isaiah 58:1-12 (alternate)
February 18
February 25