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Friedens United Church of Christ 337 Main Street Oley, PA 19547
Return Service Requested
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
READING, PA
Permit No. 420
Friedens United Church of Christ 337 Main Street
Oley, PA 19547
610-987-3536
www.friedensuccoley.com
Church Office Hours
Monday thru Thursday
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
[email protected]
Rev. Dr. Tyson L. Frey
[email protected]
Denise Bucciaglia
Office Administrator
[email protected]
Sunday School 9 a.m.
Sunday Bible Study 9 a.m.
Worship Service 10:15 a.m.
The deadline to submit articles for the June 2019 Newsletter is May 15.
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Friedens United Church of Christ
May 2019 Newsletter
From the
Pastor’s Desk
Spring is all around us and the joy of the resurrection uplifts the church each day. Love has
an amazing way of lifting us up, moving us forward and giving us the courage to face each
day. Several days from now we will celebrate Mother’s Day. Memories of mothers will be
shared, flowers, candy, and cards will be given to our mothers and women who became like
mothers to us.
Communicating our love to others is not always so easy even in an age of high technology
and instant communication.
One mother wanted to know the meaning of some acronyms she had seen. So she
texted her son. ‘What do IDK, LY & TTYL mean?’ she asked in her text message.
Without explanation, the son texted back: ‘I don’t know, love you, talk to you later.’
Those, of course, were the meanings of IDK, LY, & TTYL.
Mom didn’t get it. She thought he was ignoring her with his message: ‘I don’t know,
love you, talk to you later.’ She replied: ‘OK, I’ll ask your sister.’
Another mother texted her son: ‘Your great-aunt just passed away. LOL.’
The son replied: ‘Why is that funny?’
Mom texted back: ‘It’s not funny, David! What do you mean?’
The son texted: ‘Mom, LOL means Laughing Out Loud.’
Mom replied: ‘Oh, no! I thought it meant Lots of Love.’ Then she added:
‘I have to call everyone back.’
That’s all right, Mom. It’s hard to keep up nowadays.1
But, try we must. Communicating and sharing love is at the top of the list for Christians
every day. In this season Eastertide, may we remember the love God has clearly shown us
in the resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ. God offers us eternal life as a sign of his love.
See you in church on Sunday as we share that love with each other and the world around
us.
Yours in this wondrous Eastertide,
The Rev. Dr. Tyson L. Frey
1King Duncan, “A Loving Parent,” Dynamic Preaching, April-June, 2019, 37.
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HOAGIE PROJECT
Our next hoagie sale will be held on Thursday, June 6 with orders due Sunday, June
4. We offer Italian and ham and cheese hoagies. The cost per hoagie is $6. If you
would like to place an order, use the sign-up sheet in the Narthex, contact the church
office at 610-987-3536 during regular office hours or leave a message on the Hoagie
Hotline at 610-987-3536, ext. 2 any other time. If you have order changes after the June 4 deadline,
please contact Jeff Parkhouse (phone 215-272-7451, e-mail [email protected] ) or Jeff
Schearer (phone 610-921-2896, e-mail [email protected] ).
PRAYERS
Please keep the following members and friends in your prayers:
Pauline Lendacki, Stephanie Hyde (sister in-law of Rev. & Mrs. Frey), Sara
McMaster, Rachel Benning (friend of Tonya Fisher), Woodrow Sowers (cousin of
Tonya Fisher), Russ Walters (friend of Lee & Carol Miller), Marvin Konyha, Larry Angstadt, Kevin Geist,
Hank Hyde (nephew of Pastor & Mrs. Frey), Suzanne Klein (daughter in-law of Ron & Naomi Klein),
Elizabeth Miller (daughter of Rev. & Mrs. Frey), Alice Shirey, Lexi Thomas.
Please keep those serving to protect our country in your prayers, especially:
Ethan Fox, Jimmy Gresh, Josh Gresh, Emily Hain, Ryan Kardoley, Sam McMaster and Michael Boyer.
NOTE: The Prayer List is updated monthly. If you would like to keep your request or add a request to the list,
contact Rev. Frey or the church office by the newsletter deadline.
BLOOD DRIVE
The Miller-Keystone Blood Center will be holding a blood drive on Saturday, May 11 from 8 am to 12
noon in Weidner Hall. Donors are desperately needed. When you give a pint, you give more than just
blood. You give the gift of life. You give someone hope for a second chance. You give
back to the community. Blood transfusions save more than 4 million Americans each year.
Please call Craig Conrad at 610-987-9508 if you are willing to donate. Drop-ins are also
gladly welcomed!
YOUNG AT HEART
The Women’s Guild will meet on Monday, May 13 at 7 pm for our Annual Tea Party and a
short business meeting. Ladies: Please don’t forget your hat, tea cup and saucer and a
light snack to share.
You probably have heard about Daniel Boone and Davey Crocket. These pioneers played an
important part in the westward development of our great country. As Boone and Crocket explored
the new lands of the west, small settlements sprang up. Eventually these small settlements became
some of our major cities.
How much do you know about Chief Thunderbull or the settlements in western
Berks County? If you would like to learn more, come to our next Young At Heart
meeting on Thursday, May 16 at 10 am in Weidner Hall. Terry Boyer will tell us
about these settlements. If you have any questions, please call Naomi or Ron Klein
at 610-929-4898. Our programs are always free!
WOMEN’S GUILD - Sue Smith
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Income & Expense by Month: January through March 2019
TREASURER’S REPORT - Cindy Conrad
Expense Summary: January through March 2019
conditioning totaled $22,375.20. The balance of the project was to be paid from the Building
Fund. Because the balance was initially paid out of the inheritance received from the Estate of Ralph
Groff, a motion was carried to transfer $53,322.30 within the investment account from the Building Fund
to the Ralph Groff Estate Fund. A motion was carried to transfer $28,044.70 from the current account to
the investment account. Of this amount, $21,677.70 would be added to the Ralph Groff Estate account
to fully fund the account with $75,000 and the remaining $6,367, representing contributions made during
2018 to the Memorial Fund, would be added to the Memorial Fund account. Dave Wolfe will draft a letter
to invigorate the “Keep Cool” Initiative and bring focus to the on-going campaign.
Hartman Center is a camp, conference and retreat center operated by the Penn Central
Conference of the United Church of Christ located in central Pennsylvania. Nestled in the
foothills of the Seven Mountains region of Pennsylvania, Hartman Center offers half-week
and week-long summer camps for children, youth and adults with a variety of interests. The
easiest way to register is by going online to www.harmancenter.com and clicking the summer camp
button. Camp themes include: MADD (Music, Arts, Drama & Dance), Intergenerational Camp,
Adventure Camp, Fishing Camp, Body, Mind, Spirit Camp, Soccer Camp, Extreme Camp, and Water
World Camp. There are brochures containing more information available in the Narthex.
HARTMAN CENTER SUMMER CAMP
If you plan to hold a meeting or an event at the church, please contact the church office as soon as you
know your date. There are many groups that use our facility. The calendar kept electronically in the
church office is the master church calendar, and all meetings and events must be added to it to avoid
conflicts. This also helps Kathy Seidel, our sexton, to arrange her cleaning schedule. Simply visit our
web site, www.friedensuccoley.org and click on the calendar tab to view the calendar.
CHURCH CALENDAR
← Transferred into investment funds
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CONSISTORY MEETING HIGHLIGHTS - March 12, 2019
IN ATTENDANCE: Dave Wolfe, Pastor Frey, Mark Hoch, Brian Ott, Amanda Angstadt, Betty Hoffman,
Joe Bilski, Terry Boyer, Stan Degler, Ron Klein, Kurt Weiser, Cindy Conrad (Treasurer) and Shirley
Riegel-Ferreri
Ron Klein reported that the Audit Committee has completed the audit. He also reported that there are
ongoing questions regarding the Rental Policy of Weidner Hall. It is apparently an inconsistent process.
Who is responsible for the post event inspection? What is cleaned? What is the objective, standard
criteria for returning a deposit? There are two issues: 1) The transaction; 2) The checklist. This issue
will be referred to the Property Committee for them to develop a policy, including a staff person who will
be assigned the checklist responsibility.
OLD BUSINESS
Parsonage Rent: A letter was sent to the renters about the rent increase, as per the recommendation at
the February 2019 Consistory Meeting.
Oley Valley Community Library Rent: A letter was sent to the Library from Andy Samuelson, Property
Committee Chairman, to inform them of their rent increase .
Safe Deposit Box: Dave Wolfe volunteered to contact Carol Daniels, Branch Manager of BB&T Oley, for
the purpose of opening the box.
Alarm System: Agreements have been signed to upgrade equipment to monitor via the Verizon
Network and to engage in annual testing of the system.
NEW BUSINESS
Brian Sexton Eagle Scout Donation Request: Brian’s Eagle Scout Project will attempt to modernize
record keeping for the Cemetery Board. He will also create a Geographic Information System which
would allow cemetery personnel to navigate the cemetery. A motion was carried to sponsor a full page
ad for $300 in the cemetery booklet.
Organist Search and Interim Substitute: Jake Leonowitz, current organist and choir director, (resigned
the position) contacted Justin Delvecchio, a Penn State University graduate student who is in the area
for the summer and is willing to lead the choir and play music May 12 through August 4. Mark Hoch
obtained the contact information from an organist who may be looking for a position as her church is
closing.
PASTOR’S REPORT
Dr. Greg Carey from the Lancaster Theological Seminary will be leading the worship Service on
Sunday, March 31. Rev. Frey recommended making a donation to the seminary. A motion was made
and carried to donate $200. Bethany Children’s Home is facing many challenges and is asking for your
prayers as government regulations are pushing Bethany to house violent youths.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Property Committee: To begin the sale of the parsonage, next steps include a zoning hearing, how to
handle the lead paint issue, long-term are we going to divest the property? The Property Committee will
propose a plan of action. Another concern is to fix the church sign which sustained some damage. Also
there may have been unauthorized dumping into our large trash bins. This situation will continue to be
monitored in order to seek out the offenders. Continued dumping make cause the church to lose its
current trash vendor.
Church Directory Committee: There has been a glitch in the transfer of church pictures as Lifetouch did
not receive them. There will be a delay in completing this project.
Air Conditioning Funding: Brian Ott reviewed his request for various fund transfers now that the air
conditioning project is complete. The total cost of the project was $75,697.80. Fundraising for the air
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
On Sunday, April 7, we welcomed Carolyn Cressley and Larry Spayd into the membership of Friedens
UCC. Carolyn Cressley is the fiancé of Larry Angstadt. She is originally from Palmerton. Carolyn
enjoys traveling, crafts, gardening and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Larry Spayd
is a retired floor salesman. He has lived in five states throughout his career. Larry helps to deliver with
Meals on Wheels, is the president of the Exeter Senior Citizens Club and enjoys sports - especially golf.
We look forward to seeing both of these new members as they get involved with our church life.
Carolyn Cressley Larry Spayd
FRIEDENS LUAU - Rev. Frey & Veronica Schoellkopf
Can you smell the pig roasting? Do you hear the Hawaiian music playing? If you
listen closely, you can hear children and adults laughing and playing together. On
Saturday, May 18 we will gather in Weidner Hall for a Luau to support the Work
Camp. It will be a great time for Christian fellowship from 5 to 9 pm. Bring along
your family and friends. All are welcome! Don’t forget to wear your favorite
Hawaiian shirt or grass skirt!
Tickets are on sale now. Prices are: Ages 10 and older - $10, ages 6 to 9 - $5, ages 5 and under - free.
Tickets are available from Sue Henne by calling 610-451-3209 or email [email protected]
and Denise in the church office by calling 610-987-3536 or email [email protected] or . If
paying by check, please make checks payable to Friedens UCC and indicate “Luau” on the memo line.
Please also be sure to add your name to the sign-up sheet in the Narthex for a covered dish,
decorations, set-up, clean-up or entertainment.
Food will be available for dine-in (all you can eat) or take out. To get an idea of how much food will be
needed, the soft deadline for ticket sales and sign-up is May 5. Tickets will still be available for
purchase after May 5 and at the door. A raffle will be held each hour. Your entry ticket will serve as
your raffle ticket. You must be present to win.
We still have room for people to sign-up to make or bring store-bought food items. Help with set-up and
clean-up is also needed. If you have any questions, please call Veronica Schoellkopf at 610-468-0813
or email [email protected] .
ASCENSION DAY WORSHIP
Jesus met several times with his disciples during the 40 days after his resurrection to instruct
them on how to carry out his teachings. On the 40th day he took them to the Mount of
Olives, where they watched as he ascended to heaven. Ascension Day marks the end of the
Easter season. Join us as we gather with the churches of the Oley Valley Ministerium at
Friedens UCC on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 30 at 11 am to celebrate Jesus’ ascension
into Heaven. Our worship will include hymn singing, prayers, a sermon by Rev. Frey and
Holy Communion.
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MISSION TEAM - Barb Covey & Sue Henne
FRIEDENS LIBRARY seems to be filling a purpose as there are always some books being
enjoyed by a number of people. If you have any suggestions of what you would like to have
available for you to borrow, please tell Linda Schlegel or Barbara Covey. We aim to please!
Thanks to our generous congregation, a larger number than ever of hoagies was bought
specifically for the VETERANS this past month. This allows the Mission Team to have
more money available to help in other ways.
Scheduling is taking place for our preparing and serving meals at the VETERANS
SOCIAL CENTER. If you would like to help with this on a regular basis or maybe just
one time, please call Betty Hoffman at 610-301-4500.
An extra $100 worth of pasta and soup was donated by the Mission Team to meet the needs
of the OLEY VALLEY FOOD PANTRY over the past two months. Because of your support
we are able to do this. Thank you for the items you contribute each month.
It’s time again to make BUDGET DECISIONS for the best use of our Mission Team funds. If
you have any suggestions of what you feel would benefit from our monetary donations or
support in any other ways, please tell any member of Mission Team. These are your mission
efforts at work!
Please keep those grocery COUPONS coming for our military. They can be used for
six months after expiration dates. Also, your donations of gently used and new
CLOTHING meet a forever need. Thank you for always remembering that someone
can use that item you no longer need or want.
We were thrilled to see that everyone accepted the "MEET THE MEAT CHALLENGE" for
the month of April, which benefited the Oley Valley Food Pantry. We actually exceeded
our goal of collecting 250 cans of meat! We were able to donate 184 cans of tuna and 90
cans of chicken for a total of 274 cans of meat. The Mission Team would like to thank
everyone for their generous support of this local ministry.
May is the BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS at the Oley Valley Food Pantry. The Mission Team
is interested in knowing what you consider the Breakfast of Champions to be. Do you consider
it to be cereal, and if so, what kinds? Or, do you consider it to be pancakes or breakfast
bars? Show us what you think by bringing in your breakfast items. Our goal is to collect 125
boxes of cereal or other boxed breakfast foods so that each family served by the OVFP can experience
what a "Breakfast of Champions" is really like. We will be collecting items until Sunday, May 12.
There will be a meeting for anyone who is going on the MISSION TRIP / WORK CAMP trip
to Florida on Sunday, May 19 following the morning worship service. We will be discussing
important information about the trip and making final preparation plans. If you are unable
to attend this meeting, please contact Brian Ott or Sue Henne, at your earliest
convenience.
ENVIRONMENTAL TIP: Earth Day was last month, but it is never too late to remind
ourselves that this amazing planet is one of our greatest gifts, and we are responsible for
taking care of it. Some shocking facts to consider: Marine animal populations have fallen by
40% overall; about 75% of the world’s coral reefs are at risk from local and global stresses;
and since 1970, wildlife populations living on the land have fallen by 40% and animal
populations in freshwater ecosystems have plummeted by 75%. Please think about those numbers and
ask yourself what will it take for us to realize we need to change our lifestyle and attitudes? (figures
obtained from the Earth Day Network)
The next meeting of the Mission Team will be on Monday, May 6 at 7 pm. All are welcome!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY
David Egolf May 1
Terry Boyer 2
Daniel Burkert 3
Sherry Sexton 4
Judy Boyer 6
Naomi Klein 6
Amanda Angstadt 9
Emma Reifsnyder 9
Ron Wolfe 9
Jody Geist 10
Jennifer Rothenberger 10
Cathy Frey 12
Raymond Monyer 12
Devon Heffner 11
Becky Kisling 13
Gloria Frankhouser 14
Brian Sexton 14
Tonya Fisher 17
Nevin Hamm 17
Michael McKently 20
Donald Hoffmaster 21
Joanne Keller 22
Samuel Keller 23
Zachary Schelgel 24
Eric Oxenreider 25
Norman Taylor 29
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Daryl & Karen Hoch May 1
Mark & Pamela Rittwage 6
Carl & Janet Levan 7
Stephen & Shirley Riegel-Ferreri 11
Michael & Karen Schaeffer 12
Brian & Lori Burkert 14
Rev. Tyson & Cathy Frey 14
Timothy & Sherry Sexton 22
Richard & Carol Bitting 23
Robert & Ruth DeTurck 28
Dave & Kathy Wolfe 30
If your birthday or anniversary is not included, it may be we do not have your information. Please
contact the church office to provide it.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - Rev. Frey
Howdie Pardners! Mark your calendars! Vacation Bible School is returning to Friedens UCC!!! Our
theme is “GiddyUp Junction.” At this wild-western town, kids will learn about the good news of God's
love - the gospel - going to new frontiers in the book of Acts. Saddle up your horse and dust off your
cowboy hat and boots and get ready for a time of great fun!
Vacation Bible School is scheduled for Tuesday, June 18, Wednesday, June 19 and Thursday, June 20.
Volunteers are currently being recruited. Contact Veronica Schoellkopf at 610-987-6638 or 610-468-
0813 or Russ Leach at 610-987-3012 to volunteer or for more details. Excitement is building as more
and more families place VBS on their agendas!
