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JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
As COVID restrictions continue, Old Union Church offers three options for our Sunday 10:30 worship services. You may worship in-person by wearing a mask and following our social distancing guidelines. You may join us by livestream at the church’s Facebook group (or watch the recording there later). Or, you may join us by phone by calling 605-468-8003 and using access code 627725#. WORSHIP IN APRIL Worship at Old Union this month begins with our celebration of Christ’s resurrection victory on Easter. Josh H., our mission co-worker in Ghana, will deliver a virtual sermon, and we will consider Bible passages being used in the “Understanding Spiritual Gifts” study. April 4: Easter April 11: Josh H. guest preaches April 18: 1 Samuel 16:14-23 April 25: Galatians 1:13-24 The session is continuing to monitor pandemic conditions and recommended guidelines. Our hope is that as the infection rate decreases and more people receive the vaccination, we will be able to ease the restrictions that we’ve been using to ensure everyone’s safety. Please keep in touch to find out if there are any changes! MAUNDY THURSDAY WORSHIP Join us in person, by livestream, or by telephone for our Maundy Thursday worship service, which will be held on April 1 at 7:30 PM. This solemn worship time will help us to focus our spirits upon the significance of Christ’s crucifixion. COMMUNITY GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE Old Union will participate in the Mars Community Good Friday service on April 2, beginning at 12:15 PM. Pastors from churches in our community will lead a service of prayers, reading, and song as we worship the One who died for us. EASTER AT OLD UNION Our church’s Easter plans will be a bit different this year, as we seek to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. There will be no Easter breakfast, and we will have three worship services (7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and 10:30 AM) in order for as many people as possible to celebrate Christ’s resurrection with us, while also maintaining social distancing. Please sign up in the church lobby or call the church to reserve you and your family’s spots for the service of your choice. UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL GIFTS Our study of the gifts the Lord has given us has already started, but there’s still time for you to join us if you missed out on the beginning. The Sunday 9:30 group will not meet on April 4 (because of Easter) and on April 11 (because the pastor will be on vacation), but will resume on April 18. The Tuesday 7:00 PM group will not meet on April 30 (because of Holy Week) or on April 13 (because of the pastor’s vacation) but will meet on April 6, 20, and 27. The pastor will be on vacation April 7-13. MEMORIAL BRICKS We are continuing to take orders for memorial bricks at the church’s entrance. The cost is $50 per brick, and the proceeds will raise money for church improvement projects. Please sign up in the lobby or contact the church for information about how to place your order. When you enter the church building, please wear a mask and use one of the touchless hand sanitizer stations located just inside each entrance. |
VIDEO DEVOTIONS
The pastor posts video devotions every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2:00 to the church’s Facebook group and YouTube channel. You can also find links to the devotions on the church’s website. Mark your calendar and sign up to donate! Old Union will host a blood drive on Wednesday, April 21. Please speak with the pastor if you’d like to lend a hand at registration. Sign up in the lobby or contact the pastor if you’d like to read Scripture for one of our upcoming worship services. You can participate even if you are not joining us in-person for worship: we can record you in advance! AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER Thanks to a grant from the Wood Charitable Trust and the generosity of an anonymous donor, we now have an automatic door opener at the church’s main entrance. (The session decided not to install openers on the restroom doors because of the prohibitive cost). Simply press the big blue button by the door on the inside, or on the post on the outside, to operate the door. When locking or unlocking the door, please turn the opener off and on. Instructions are posted by the door. The session is making plans to reseal the pavement of the parking lot this summer. MISSION ENDOWMENT FUND Old Union’s Mission Endowment Fund generates money each year to be used for missions. (The fund may not be used for church operating expenses.) Last year the fund contributed to the Lighthouse Foundation’s transitional housing program. In 2021 we have up to $8500 that may be used for mission purposes. Please speak with Mary Rae T., chair of the Mission and Outreach committee, if you ideas or suggestions. The session has investigated the possibility of installing solar panels on the south-facing roof of the fellowship hall. However, such a project would not be cost-effective at this time. Perhaps in the future, if electricity costs rise and/or solar installation costs decrease, we may revisit this idea. SEMINAR ON AGING ISSUES We are beginning to make plans for a seminar to address issues of interest related to aging. (These plans, of course, depend upon pandemic restrictions being lifted by then.) Please speak with Mary Rae T. or a session member if you have an idea for a topic to be addressed, or for a speaker or agency whom we could invite to make a presentation. Because of continuing concerns about the pandemic, we will not have a mission trip this summer. Instead, we are looking into local projects to help with. BLOOD DRIVE Old Union will sponsor a Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, April 21, from noon until 5:00. To donate, please go to redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767; walk-in appointments are not available. At press time, half of the 39 available appointments have already been scheduled. We also need 2-4 volunteers to assist with registration; please speak with the pastor if you’d like to lend a hand. |
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com