A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR KATHLEEN
Dear Beloveds, Welcome to the beginning of Lent. A time of time .... how we spend it and how it chooses its place with us. The 40 Days of Lent represent a time of waiting; reminding us of Jesus' time in the wilderness -- a time of deepening our listening and encounter with our own connection and relationship to God. I invite you to the Spiritual Disciplines this Lenten Season…
On Ash Wednesday, come and open the Season by being marked once again, as a reminder of your baptism--a reminder of your welcome and your inclusion in the Family of God. Services in the Sanctuary at 4:00 pm. Every Wednesday at noon in Lent, including Holy Week, we will be in St. Paul’s Parish Hall for a brief reflective service and singing. [ St. Paul’s is at 5918 N. 5th Street.]
Every Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm we will come together for a community meal of soup and salad and then gather together in worship at different congregations in our conference. (The flyer with details is on the bulletin board at church and in the Sunday bulletin.) Tune in to Facebook each day during Lent for a brief devotion that I will share from the book, 40-Day Journey with Martin Luther, from Fortress Press. Enter into Lent once again this year. Enter fully open to hearing God's voice for guidance, direction, and welcome. God's Love poured out for you, dear ones. Pastor Kathleen
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT ST. TIM’S IN MARCH
THURSDAY NIGHT ZOOM BIBLE STUDY IS ON HIATUS UNTIL MAY 1
Pastor Kathleen and the study participants have decided to take a break from Acts to focus on Lenten reflections--offered on Facebook daily, at a noontime service on Wednesdays at St. Paul’s (Olney), and at the Lenten supper/services at churches throughout the North East/West Conference on Wednesday evenings (see schedule on enclosed flyer).
CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY EARLY AT HOPE’S TABLE ON MARCH 8,
FROM 11 AM TO 1 PM
Is it ever too early to enjoy a nice meal with nice people? Bring a friend or enjoy making a friend! This month’s menu is tentatively scheduled as vegetable soup, roast beef sandwiches, coleslaw, potatoes, and a St. Patrick’s Day dessert. A vegetarian entree will be available, too. Call or email Liz Soltan if you can help with cooking or serving (215-828-1619 or soltan320@comcast.net).
SUPER SOUP SATURDAY WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, MARCH 22ND, FROM 11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM.
We will be filling containers with homemade soups prepared by congregation volunteers. The soups will be delivered to Caring For Friends. I am sure that the people who receive these soups will be very appreciative of a delicious meal.
I will have a sign-up sheet in the Cafe on the countertop, if you can donate a pot/container of soup. It does not have to be a huge pot! Whatever kind of soup you would like to make will be very appreciated!
If you are able to make soup, you can drop it off at church on Thursday, March 20th, between the hours of 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. If you need me to pick it up, please call me (267) 879-4637.
Thank you in advance for helping us out with this service for others event.
--Tina Snyder
Service Commissioner
INSTALLATION OF NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS ON SUNDAY, MARCH 2,
AT OUR 9:15 AM SERVICE
At St. Tim’s February 23 Annual Congregational meeting, the 28 members in attendance voted to approve two new members for Council: Dawn Weber Creedon as Education Commissioner and Sharon Madden as Council Secretary. (They are shown seated in the picture below.)
Dawn and her husband, John, joined St. Tim’s in 2022 as they prepared for their 2023 wedding. As she demonstrated during our successful VBS program last summer, Dawn has a wonderful rapport with children, honed through years of teaching experience in the Philadelphia school system. She is currently an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for grades 4-6 at Hopkinson Elementary School. She has helped with Mission Makers, Hope’s Table, the Pop-Up Christmas Cookie and Wreath sale, Caring for Friends, and many other activities at St. Tim’s.
The Madden family—Sharon, Tim, and son Timmy—became members in 2012-13 when Timmy, now a senior at Abington High School, was only six. Sharon remembers that her volunteering at St. Tim’s started when she said “yes” to head usher Bill Nagle’s request for help. She has been a group leader at VBS for years and pitches in enthusiastically for many service projects. When Susan Feola became Education Commissioner, Sharon completed her term as Evangelism Commissioner (2014-15). She then served two terms, from 2015-22. Sharon is now working toward completing her bachelor’s degree from Manor College, where she is Executive Assistant to the Provost.
Thank you, Dawn and Sharon! Council is still looking for Evangelism and Service Commissioners. If you are interested, please talk to any Council member or call Council President Susan Feola at 215-718-9600.
As we welcome new members to Church Council, we must say goodbye and thanks to Carolyn Denzel, who is “retiring” as Secretary. She first served on Council as Church Vice President in the 1980s. When the Council President resigned due to medical reasons, Carolyn stepped in to complete his term. In the late 1990s, she served two terms as Secretary. In 2009, she agreed to complete a departing member’s term as Worship Commissioner. In 2013, Carolyn was elected Secretary and served four terms.
During her years of service on Council, Carolyn was a department head at the prominent Philadelphia law firm Morgan Lewis but somehow found time to be part of the choir, leader of the counting team, budget committee member, pierogi maker, Zumba dancer (see photo), and registrar at our VBS programs. She and her husband, Ron, provided their famous vegetable soup to Hope’s Table every month for 10 years. Ably assisted by their family, she and Ron ran the highly-praised kitchen at St. Tim’s Christmas bazaars. Although Carolyn is stepping away from Council, we suspect this “good and faithful servant” will always somehow find a way to serve St. Tim’s and its mission.
MANY THANKS, CAROLYN!
WHO’S WHO ON COUNCIL
If you have a question or concern, reach out to any member. If you wish to attend a Council meeting—usually held the third Monday of the month-- please let us know beforehand.
SUSAN FEOLA (PRESIDENT) -- 215-718-9600 or suefeola07@msn.com
· VANESSA FINEBERG (VICE PRESIDENT) —215-605-2653 or vfineberg@comcast.net
· SHARON MADDEN (SECRETARY)—267-205-1560 or shmadden8133@gmail.com
· KATHY SWIFT (TREASURER) –215-813-0824 or kswift6267@comcast.net
· DAWN WEBER CREEDON (EDUCATION)—215-828-6370 or ddirl@hotmail.com
· JOHN CREEDON (PROPERTY) –267-249-8369 or creedonsr@comcast.net
· TINA SNYDER (PARISH LIFE/SERVICE) – 267-879-4637 or jimntina87@comcast.net
· ELISA DAVIS (WORSHIP) —215-532-1773 or edsmjjd@gmail.com
· PASTOR KATHLEEN KERIN –201-638-8217 or kathkerin@gmail.com
THE NEXT CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING IS MONDAY, MARCH 17, TIME TO BE DECIDED
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
SUNDAY WORSHIP (9:15 AM), MARCH 2: TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD (INSTALLATION OF COUNCIL OFFICERS)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5: ASH WEDNESDAY –DISTRIBUTION OF ASHES –12 noon at St. Paul’s (Olney), 4 pm at St. Tim’s, and 7 PM at St. Paul’s (Olney)
WEDNESDAY LENTEN SERVICES, SUPPER 6 PM; SERVICE 7 PM—MARCH 12, MARCH 19, MARCH 26, APRIL 2, AND APRIL 9 (see enclosed flyer)
SATURDAY, MARCH 8: HOPE’S TABLE, 11 am to 1 pm.
MONDAY, MARCH 17: COUNCIL MEETING, Time to be decided
SATURDAY, MARCH 22: SUPER SOUP SATURDAY, from 11 am to 1 pm.
MARCH LECTIONARY READINGS
MARCH 16: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17—4:1; Luke 13:31-35
MARCH 23: Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
MARCH 30: Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Scenes from a busy February…
To learn how the Synod works “to equip the saints for ministry,” a group of St. Tim’s church leaders attended a Saturday morning presentation given by Bishop Bryan Penman and Synod Vice President Tracey Beasley. As pictured earlier, the group included Council President Susan Feola, Parish Life/Service Commissioner Tina Snyder, and the newly-elected Secretary Sharon Madden, as well as the newly-elected Education Commissioner Dawn Weber Creedon.
This month’s Mission Makers featured the popular movie Inside Out.
Attendees at our Annual Meeting enjoy a chance to chat and “Look Ahead to 2025” over lunch, courtesy of Thrivent.
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