Dear FPCA Friends:
Grace and peace to you! July may be coming to an end, but our work in the name of Christ continues! It’s been such a good summer, and this Sunday is no different!
First, we welcome Janine Carambot Santoro back to the pulpit in our English-language services. Janine Carambot Santoro (she/her) serves the City of Bethlehem as the Director of Equity and Inclusion. She currently works alongside City Hall employees and community partners to co-create the City’s first Equity Plan and an Environmental Justice framework for approaching the City’s Climate Action Plan. Janine received her B.A. in English and Psychology from Rutgers University (NJ), her M.Div from Drew Theological School (NJ), and has obtained both her Diversity and Inclusion Certificate and Equitable Community Change certificates from Cornell University (NY). She currently serves as the President of the Latino Leadership Alliance of the Lehigh Valley (LLALV), a board member of Fairness PA, and is a candidate for ordination within the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination. Janine enjoys spending her time with her partner, Steve, and getting into (good) trouble with her beautiful, kind, and smart children, Joseph and Hannah.
Second, please bring your “Christmas in July” Reverse Advent Calendar food boxes with you to worship this Sunday. Over the last few weeks, each day we’ve been adding an item to a box, prayerfully thinking of the resources we have and the opportunity to share those resources with others. The contents of the boxes will be donated to the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank, which has recently seen a 24% increase of households in need. Your generosity is much appreciated! The food bank van will be outside of the Fellowship Hall before & after the 8:45 a.m. service and outside of the narthex before & after the 11:00 a.m. service; feel free to drive right up to the van with your donations! We do need a little help moving the donations so if you are able to help before or after either service, please contact Bev Levenson (bevlev@verizon.net). To see the items we are collecting, please see this list here.
See you on Sunday, my friends!
God’s Peace,
Taylor Hall
Pastor for Faith Formation
