Trinity Bethlehem seeks Director of Youth Ministries

Position Announcement
Trinity Church, Bethlehem
Director of Youth Ministries
2015

Who we are…..

Trinity Episcopal Church, Bethlehem, is seeking a Director of Youth Ministries. This part-time position oversees Christian Formation for our youngest members through graduation from high school. It will also participate in developing intergenerational programming and activities for families.

Trinity is a 350-member congregation in the historic district of Bethlehem, whose Youth Ministries Program currently includes: Godly Play, a juniors’ program, Come As you Are for teens, and a nursery.

What we need…..

A strong leader with a love of children and young people; faith; the ability to work with a dedicated corps of adult volunteers; enthusiasm; good organizational, recruiting and communication skills; familiarity with programs, and with the Episcopal Church; and a vision of the Church as community.

Responsibilities include…..

The duties of our youth minister vary from day to day, but his/her main responsibility is to develop and coordinate children and youth ministry at Trinity, with the goal of teaching our young members to seek and serve Christ in all persons. Direction, communication and recruitment of volunteers are crucial responsibilities. Participation in parish activities is expected. He/she might arrange for workshops and programming for families; develop educational materials; attend meetings to educate Vestry, congregation, parish ministry groups, staff and others about the activities of the youth ministry. He/she will also be responsible for additional administrative tasks relating to Youth Ministry, and will be responsible for developing and managing the budget for the program. The Youth Minister works under the direct supervision of the Rector.

Please send resume and cover letter telling us why you have an interest in this ministry. Please include details of pertinent experience. Send via email only to the Rector, [email protected].

Asking young adults: Why don't you come to church?

[NCR] A large Roman Catholic parish in DC invited 500 young adults, 18-40, to a listening session. Some 50 came to the session. Read on.

Christophany Registration opens today

Bishop's Beach Party with Youth on January 21st

[From Ellyn Siftar, Youth and Young Adult Missioner]

Happy New Year from the Diocese of Bethlehem!  I pray that your Christmas and Epiphany were filled with the Holy Spirit.   I am writing to invite you and your youth to celebrate a beach party with the Bishop, your friends and neighbors in the diocese on Saturday, January 21^st.  This is a very special event with a great band, games and activities, time to chill and hang out with friends, dinner and ending with worship.   It will be held at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.   Doors will open at 3:00 pm, program begins at 4, and youth should be picked up by 9 pm that evening.  I know that this is late in the evening, so if you are coming from the north, please let me know if you’d like to stay overnight at the Cathedral (we have room for up to 15), have breakfast together and then join them for church in the morning.  Parents can then pick you up by noon.         
The event is open for youth in grades 6- 12.  The cost is $20.00 per person; this covers the cost of a T-shirt and dinner.  Reduced group rates ARE available, as space permits.  Registration is now open on http://www.diobeth.org/Ministries/Youth/youth.html and is filling up fast!!  In order to be registered for the event, please also fill in the Diocesan Medical Release form and Youth Covenant.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact me directly at esiftardiobeth.org or 610-751-3931. 

Blessings,

Ellyn Siftar
Missioner for Youth and Young Adult Ministries
Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem

Diocesan Life for December 2011/January 2012

Open publication - Free publishing - More floods

You can download a .pdf of the file here: Download DECEMBER2011_DiocesanLife_SMALL

Observe the Foul Line

Scranton Prep students refinished the bowling alley at Good Shepherd, Scranton for Seasons of Love. This is their story. Produced by Conner Coleman.

Financial Sanity Seminar at Trinity, Easton: how to build sane financial values.

Who’s shaping your money habits?

What are healthy money habits and how can we develop them?

When it comes to teaching children about money, parents have a choice. They can either allow today’s culture of immediate gratification to inform the money decisions their kids make or choose the better option of using their own family values, goals and actions to help them shape a narrative around money.

Dan Charney, a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, Easton and Stewardship Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, will present The Financial Sanity Seminar that was designed for families and adults by Nathan Dungan, founder and President of Share Save Spend®. The Financial Sanity Seminar will consist of four one hour sessions for youth ages 8 and over, and adults for the purpose of starting sane conversations about money in the home.

These conversations can go a long way toward helping youth and adults understand the cause of money challenges, reasons why people are slaves to the lender, and what can be done to avoid or escape the trap of the advertising agencies.

This seminar will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 234 Spring Garden St., Easton, PA on March 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2012*,  from 7:00 – 8:00 pm in the Langner Lounge in the Parish Hall. The cost is $14.00 for the participant’s book; one for each adult and youth participant is required. To register for this seminar go to SignupGenius.com.

(You may pay the registration fee by returning to the home page and clicking on "Donate." Please indicate "Financial Sanity Seminary" in the comments.)

Nathan Dungan, founder and President of Share Save Spend ®, has for over 20 years been an industry thought-leader on helping youth and adults link their money decisions to their values. “We are living in uncharted economic waters. Now, more than ever, it is critical that faith communities convene multi-generational conversations that not only help to alleviate fear and anxiety, but also inspire and motivate youth and adults in the choices they make with money.” With Share Save Spend®, we have a unique opportunity to offer opportunities for conversation with a hopeful message and practical tools that youth and adults can use to re-balance their money habits in ways that honor their values.

For information, please call Trinity Episcopal Church in Easton at 610-253-0792. Trinity is located on Spring Garden Street between Second and Third Street. www.trinityeaston.org.

Sign up  here.

* = Note: Please note the change in dates. It is rescheduled from November, 2011.

West Pittston Flood update from Trinity

[From Fr. John Major, Rector of Trinity, West Pittston]

Dear Bakery Friends,

As our neighbors work to recover from the devastating September floods, Trinity West Pittston has continued to look for ways to help meet their most immediate material needs and to remind them that they are not alone in their struggles.

Projects are underway to distribute the gift cards that were donated at the recent Diocesan Convention and that are continuing to come in from collections held in individual parishes throughout the diocese. Our sincere thanks to those who have already contributed cards for our neighbors, and to those who are continuing to collect cards and forward them to us for distribution. These cards are much needed and appreciated, and will go a long way towards easing the financial burden our neighbors face as a result of the flood.

We are also planning weekend-long distribution of the donated furniture procured by Father Daniel Gunn to be held November 18, 19 & 20. Help will be recruited from schools and community organizations to assist with moving the furniture from the donor site in Wilkes-Barre to West Pittston and to help at the distribution, and we'd love to have some of our fellow Episcopal churches join in to show the community the Episcopal Church as a whole is here for them. Please email [email protected] if you or your church is interested in helping.

In addition to these projects to help meet the material needs of those affected by the flooding, Trinity's Disaster Response Team also wanted to brighten spirits, encourage hope and let our neighbors know we are praying for them. On Saturday, October 23, a group of our Sunday School students along with their parents and other parishioners visited almost 100 homes in some of the most devastated neighborhoods to talk with the residents and give them a pumpkin or potted mum to bring them a little bit of fall color and cheer.

Those who took part will not soon forget the reactions of those they spoke to that day, from the kids excited to have a pumpkin to carve even though their home doesn't have inside walls to the man who asked us to give the mum to his pregnant wife to cheer her up as they faced the seventh of many Saturdays working to restore their flooded home.

We spoke to a woman who said she had been thinking about getting our her fall door wreath but couldn't quite muster up the mood...and whose home later displayed not only the wreath but a little scarecrow and one of our hand-delivered mums as well. And then there was the father who got choked up as he told us his little girl had been asking him for days to get her a pumpkin, but his long hours of work first at his job and then on their home kept him from fulfilling her request. "She's gonna be so happy tonight," he said, and even the kids in Trinity's group could see how happy that made him. Our Sunday School parents report that days later, the kids are still talking about the people they visited and the things they saw and heard.

This was a very low-cost project: the pumpkins were purchased at a discount and the mums were graciously donated by a local grower. But these small tokens made a big impact on our neighbors, and, because each mum and pumpkin carried a tag that explained the project and told our neighbors that we are all praying for them, they served as a reminder that there is a source of hope in even the darkest days.

Trinity West Pittston plans other projects like this to help our neighbors remember that they are not alone and that they will get through this. It is our hope that through little reminders of our caring and by sharing the gift cards so generously provided by our sisters and brothers throughout the diocese as well as other donated items like the furniture, our neighbors will be strengthened and sustained through this difficult time.

Thank you for your continued support of our neighbors, and please keep them and our efforts to help them in your prayers.

Gratefully,
Father John Major and the parishioners of Trinity West Pittston

Shown above are some members of Trinity West Pittston's Sunday School classes who recently took part in an outreach project for victims of the September flooding.

Grace, Honesdale Halloween Parade Fun

Members of Grace Church's Youth Group and others participated once again in Honesdale's annual Halloween Parade on October 24th. The hearse belongs to parishioners, Sebastian and Miklos Kiraly whose idea was this year's theme.
 
Holding the parish banner are Jeanne Roskoski and Katie Schupe (with Fr. Ed Erb, in the middle).  Holding the signs which followed the hearse are other members of the youth group. Photos are by Sue Erb

Diocesan Life for November 2011

Open publication - Free publishing - More bluegrass

Want the .pdf version instead? You can download load the 2.3 MB file here: Download November2011_DiocesanLife_SMALL

H20 Happening 20 November 11-13

Diocesan Life for October 2011

Open publication - Free publishing - More 9-11

You can download the 2.4 MB .pdf here: Download October2011_DiocesanLife_SMALL

Diocesan Life for September 2011

Download the September issue of Diocesan Life as a .pdf
Download September2011_DiocesanLife_SMALL (3.3 MB file)

Diocesan Life for July/August 2011

 

You can download the .pdf version here as well: Download July-August2011_DiocesanLife_SMALL

Souper Bowl of Caring at St. Brigid's Nazareth

The youth of St. Brigid's Episcopal Church in Nazareth collected $249.00 for the "Souper Bowl of Caring" on Feb. 6. and donated it to the Nazareth Area Food Bank. They are pictured here presenting the check to Ann Power a member of St. Brigid's and the Recording Secretary for the food bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Episcopal Youth Event, June 20-28

Come Together
for The Tri-annual National
Episcopal Youth Event:
E.Y.E.  2011
 
EYE is a celebration to inspire our deeper faith in Jesus Christ and a renewed commitment to mission and ministry. Designed and led by a team of youth and adults who represent the rich diversity of the Episcopal Church. A six-day, life-changing experience. June 20-28  in Minneapolis
 
Eligible: Youth from the Diocese in grades 9 - 12 who have participated in a youth event in the last 12 months.
 
Applications for the Diocese of Bethlehem's Youth Delegation are now open. 

Download below a flier explaining the application process.  Please print and post in your home parish.

Download EYE Flyer 2011.pdf     Download Black and White EYE Flyer 2011.pdf 

Questions: Kimberly Rowles, Youth Missioner, 610-751-3931, or [email protected].

Bishop's Day Pilgrimage with Youth

Diocesan Life for November 2010

Attached is the latest Diocesan Life for November, 2010. Remember, we love to get stories and pictures! If you have something you want featured, please contact Kat Lehman to discuss publication. Diocesan Life deadlines are posted on the calendar as well so you know when to get the stories in. For December's issue, we need the stories by November 2nd. The attached file is 2.7 MB in .pdf format.

Download November2010_DiocesanLifeSMALL

 

Rebuilt home in New Orleans

From: Calvin Adams <[email protected]>
Date: April 7, 2010 3:54:54 PM EDT
To: Kimberly ROWLES <[email protected]>, Kimberly ROWLES <[email protected]>
Subject: Fwd: Davallier Home in New Orleans

Begin forwarded message:

From: EDOLA Rebuild <[email protected]>
Date: April 7, 2010 11:42:08 AM EDT
To: EDOLA Rebuild <[email protected]>
Subject: Davallier Home in New Orleans

Hello All!

Greetings from New Orleans!  We are writing to inform you that the Davallier home in Gentilly has been finished.  We have had this house in the works since way back in 2008, and we first started gutting in March 2009.  Since then, we have put in hundreds of volunteer hours to restore this beautiful home for the Davallier family.  They will soon be packing up and moving in from Little Rock, Arkansas and arriving later this week, and they are incredibly excited to see the finished product.  Pictures of the home in various phases of the rebuild process are available here:  http://picasaweb.google.com/edolarebuild/MsDavallierSHouse#.

We are incredibly grateful to all of your for the help you have thus far provided, but we can still always use more help!  We are still trying to work out the logistics of getting their belongings back to New Orleans from Little Rock, which is a rather pricey prospect, and we could certainly use a little extra financial assistance to help us get them back.  Also, we are always in need of donations to help us fund the rebuilding process for our current homes.  If you would be willing to help us out with monetary or material donations, please e-mail Liz Carrier at [email protected].  Remember, every little bit counts, and we graciously accept donations of all sizes.  

We sincerely and whole-heartedly thank all of the volunteer groups and individuals who volunteered their time, patience, energy, and knowledge to help make this incredible work possible, including:

Western Michigan University
St. Luke’s Atlanta
St. Peter by the Lake, Denver, NC
Chris Griffin and Ryan Lawlor
St. Michael’s, Milton, MA
Building the Beloved Community Seminarian Course
Slippery Rock University
St. John’s Lafayette Square
Diocese of Southwest Virginia
James Madison University Ultimate Frisbee Team
Sandy Sullivan
Diocese of Western Michigan
St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, WA
St. John’s Hampton, VA
St. Paul's Delray Beach, FL
All Saints Chicago
James Durcin
Zanny Carlson
Diocese of Bethlehem
Our Savior Elmhurst, IL
St John’s, Tampa, FL
St John's, Lynchburg, VA
University of Oklahoma
Grinnell College students and alumni
Teach for America - Greater New Orleans
Kenny Gillis, Julie Sundermann, Jane O’Brien, Dane Niderost, Steph Cox, Spencer Green, Anne Valauri, Van Kenyon, Hannah Sagin, Alice Revenig, Laura Mason-Marshall
Finally, we wish to thank the crew chiefs who took charge of this project: Mary Bess Dubose and Ollie Casson-Gary.  Without their tireless efforts, we never would have been able to get the Davalliers back in their home, and we are all very grateful to them!

We thank you again for your generosity and hope to see each of you back down here in New Orleans in the very near future!

Sincerely,

The Episcopal Community Services Rebuild Team

P.S.  If you were a group leader for your New Orleans trip, please forward this e-mail to any of your group members who may not have been on the recipient list!

newSpin 100117

On Haiti ... • Bob and Gwendolyn-Jane Romeril's daughter, Winnie, joined the rescue teams in Haiti on Saturday. She is a field press officer for the American Red Cross and is expected to be there for 2 or 3 weeks. Pray for her safety and for her concerned husband and parents. • Updates from across the country on missionaries, church responses, persons in Haiti, etc., are available from the Episcopal Church Office of Communication. • The Diocese of Haiti is the largest and fastest-growing diocese in The Episcopal Church. There are over 83,000 Episcopalians, 97 Episcopal churches, 115 congregations and communities of faith, and over 200 Episcopal schools with more than 6,000 students in Haiti. It has lost a cathedral, convent, Holy Trinity Complex, College St. Pierre, and a Jubilee Center.  • Episcopal Relief & Development has disbursed emergency funding to the Diocese of Haiti to help meet critical needs such as food, water and shelter for those affected. Donations can be made to Episcopal Relief & Development online or by calling 800-334-7626 ext 5129. ERD has a four star rating on Charity Navigator and meets all 20 standards of the Better Business Bureau. Some 92% to 96% of each dollar given to ERD goes directly to the program be it for disaster relief or for development. • This website provides reports mapped in near real time and gathered from reports coming from inside Haiti via: SMS, Web, Email, Radio, Phone, Twitter, Facebook, Television, List-serves, Live streams, & Situation Reports. [H/T to Beth Felice, communication director, Diocese of Missouri].

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ... What would Dr. King have to say about the earthquake in Haiti? Likely, he would have stressed the interconnectedness between people, and the radical call to action on behalf of those who are poor and suffering. "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly" Dr. King's words from the Letter from a Birmingham Jail provide yet another rationale for digging deeply into our hearts (and wallets) as we reach out to the victims in Haiti. Here is an excerpt: "Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial 'outside agitator' idea." [From Peter Carey, reporting at Episcopal Cafe] More quotes and The King Center.