General Church News
The Charge Conference scheduled for Thursday, March 18, to vote on the proposed merger between Asbury and Salem UMC (Allentown) is being postponed. This postponement is due to a delay in the sale of the Salem real estate that includes their church building and parsonage. The new Charge Conference date will be announced as soon as possible.
Asbury’s leadership announces a merger with Salem UMC of Allentown, officially approved by Asbury’s Church Council on May 5, 2021. The merger is set to go into effect June 1, 2021.
“Salem UMC has done amazing things to be the hands and feet of Christ in Center City Allentown,” says Pastor Eric, and notes that some of their financial resources will be set aside for use for ministry in Center City Allentown.
Salem UMC previously met on Linden Street in Allentown. Their first service was held in 1817 but the Salem Church was officially established in 1838.
THE HARRY & MOLLIE DILCHER TRUST provides grants for deserving Asbury Church college and university students. The Center for Scholarship Administration (CSA), a non-profit, independent organization is the Facilitator of the scholarship fund. Applications will be accepted starting on January 28, 2021 and ending on March 25, 2021. Scholarship candidates will apply online at www.csascholars.org/dilcher. For information, please contact Ellen Holder (ellen@scascholars.org or 864-268-3303).
Email applications for the UMW CLARA D. KOCH STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP are available by completing this form. The completed applications are due no later than Thursday, April 15, 2021 for the 2021/ 2022 academic year. Please return completed applications to Linda McCreight by email or by a physical mailing to the church.
To qualify the applicant must demonstrate: scholastic achievement and motivation for continued education; leadership, good citizenship and Christian service; and a definite financial need.
In addition to Asbury members, UMW scholarship applications are also available to members of Salem UMC, La Trinidad UMC and St. James A.M.E. Zion.
THE CLARKE ENGINEERING & MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND provides grants for Asbury Church college juniors and seniors who have declared a major in engineering or music. Guidelines and applications for Clarke grants are available in the Church office. Application deadline for the 2021-2022 school year is Wednesday, 4/09/2021.
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES SCHOLARSHIP: The objective of this $3,000 scholarship is to provide opportunities for students to study internationally and to develop an appreciation for other cultures and other countries. The scholarship is available for juniors, seniors, or graduate students who will be studying outside of the United States for a full semester. Specific requirements// Applications (hard copies available in the Church office). Application deadline: December 31.
Asbury is pleased to offer a number of scholarships for students pursuing higher education. For additional information, contact the church office.
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES SCHOLARSHIP: The objective of this $3,000 scholarship is to provide opportunities for students to study internationally and to develop an appreciation for other cultures and other countries. The scholarship is available for juniors, seniors, or graduate students who will be studying outside of the United States for a full semester. Specific requirements// Applications (hard copies available in the Church office).
THE CLARKE ENGINEERING & MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND provides grants for Asbury Church college juniors and seniors who have declared a major in engineering or music. Guidelines and applications for Clarke grants are available in the Church office. Application deadline for the 2020-2021 school year is Wednesday, 4/15/2020.
THE HARRY & MOLLIE DILCHER TRUST provides grants for deserving Asbury Church college and university students. The Center for Scholarship Administration (CSA), a non-profit, independent organization is the Facilitator of the scholarship fund. Applications will be accepted beginning 1/28/2020 and are due 3/26/2020, and may be found at www.csascholars.org/dilcher. For more information, please contact Ellen Holder ( ellen@csascholars.org or 864-268-3303).
UMW CLARA D. KOCH STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP: Applications for the UMW student scholarships are available in the Asbury church office. Completed applications are due no later than Wednesday, 4/15/2020 for the 2020-2021 academic year. Please return completed applications to the UMW mailbox in the church Work Room (located on the lower level near the church office). To qualify, the applicant must demonstrate: scholastic achievement and motivation for continued education, leadership, good citizenship, and Christian service to his/her church and a definite financial need. In addition to Asbury members, UMW scholarship applications are also available to members of Salem UMC, LaTrinidad UMC and St. James AME Zion Church – all in Allentown, PA.
More scholarships are also available through the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Click here to learn more.
Make your reservation! Asbury is holding an outdoor worship service on Sunday, August 2, at 8 AM! Here’s a brief rundown everything you’ll need to know:
The service will feature…
What You Need to Do
The service will be held on the lawn on the lower level outside of the Worship Center area.
A restroom will be available if needed.
An outdoor service is obviously dependent on good weather, so make sure to check our website (asburylv.org) the night prior to the service to make sure it’s still on as planned!
Each worshiper will be required to abide by the Asbury Code of Conduct, developed as part of the Trustee Resolution Addressing COVID-19.
Worship will continue to be streamed live at 10 AM on Sunday mornings.
Asbury’s 2020 Charge Conference has been scheduled for Thursday, September 24th at 6:00 PM at Asbury. More details to follow.
A note from Pastor Eric
As many of you know, Stephanie Cramer accepted a position as co-pastor, along with her husband, at Grace-St. Paul United Methodist Church in Jim Thorpe, PA. Therefore, Stephanie resigned her position as part-time Director of Youth Ministry at Asbury. I hope you join me in praying for Stephanie and her family during this transition.
Although we will miss Stephanie’s leadership with our youth, I am excited to announce that Pam Unrath will now take on a new role as the Director of Children/Youth ministry at Asbury. Pam has done a tremendous job in leading Asbury’s children’s ministry over the past 7 years and she is excited for this new opportunity to lead Asbury’s youth as well.
Since Pam will be the director of both children and youth ministry she will need more volunteers to work with our youth and children. In the coming weeks, Pam and Pastor Barbara will be evaluating both the youth and children’s programs and determining where help will be needed. If you are the parent of Asbury youth, please pray where you could assist.
Asbury’s Church Council held a webinar on Sunday, June 7, to share updates on Asbury, including the steps Asbury will take as Lehigh County moves into the “yellow” phase of reopening. The replay of this webinar can be viewed below; and a link to the slide presentation as a PDF follows.
PDF Not Displaying Properly? Click Here.
Church Council will be hosting a meeting via Zoom on Sunday, June 7, at 11:30 AM to share updates on Asbury. Registration for this meeting is REQUIRED. Register below to receive meeting access details via email.
UPDATED June 7, 2020 – Registration for this event is now closed.
In the midst of a challenging time, we still have much to celebrate! Thanks to your amazing generosity, we have reached our goal for the Capital Campaign of $350,000! Praise God!! Thank you to all who supported this important initiative; and continue to watch for updates on project progress in the coming months.
View past updates at asburylv.org/capitalcampaign
At a special Charge Conference held on Friday, April 10, Asbury’s Church Council voted to approve a motion to apply for a loan via the CARES Act. If secured, this loan will provide payroll protection for Asbury’s over the coming months.
Time: Apr 10, 2020 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
A PASSWORD IS REQUIRED FOR THIS MEETING. To get a password, email us. Make sure to give us your name – we may not know you by your email address.
Out of an abundance of caution – and with a heart to protect the congregation – Church Council has decided to close Asbury’s building and is cancelling all on-site gatherings, including worship services, for the next 2 weeks, effective Saturday, March 14 and continuing through March 28, with a goal to minimize the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Further evaluation will take place based on how the situation develops during that time period. An online-only worship service will be streamed at 10 AM on Sundays for these 2 weeks. Please visit asburylv.org/coronavirus for more information and for ongoing updates.
Palms and assorted spring flowers will decorate the church during the Easter season. You are invited to make a contribution toward the display or place a
plant in the Sanctuary that may be picked up after the 11:00 AM service on Easter Sunday.
If you are willing to make a donation, please complete the Easter Flower form and return it to the church office.
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Shellie Fritchman Hired as Administrative Secretary
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Shellie Fritchman
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Asbury’s Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) is pleased to announce the hiring of Shellie Fritchman for the role of Administrative Secretary, the position long-filled by Sara Brown, who is retiring after 26 years of service at and ministry to Asbury Church. Shellie begins her full-time role on Monday, January 27. She comes to Asbury after most recently serving as the Office Manager for the JCC Early Childhood Program. Shellie is a member of Christ Lutheran Church, Allentown, where she also works as part-time staff in the Family Ministries area. Please stop by the office to both thank Sara for her faithful, loyal service to Asbury and to welcome Shellie! |
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES SCHOLARSHIP: The objective of this $3,000 scholarship is to provide opportunities for students to study internationally and to develop an appreciation for other cultures and other countries. The scholarship is available for juniors, seniors, or graduate students who will be studying outside of the United States for a full semester. Specific requirements// Applications (hard copies available in the Church office).
THE CLARKE ENGINEERING & MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND provides grants for Asbury Church college juniors and seniors who have declared a major in engineering or music. Guidelines and applications for Clarke grants are available in the Church office. Application deadline for the 2020-2021 school year is Wednesday, 4/15/2020.
THE HARRY & MOLLIE DILCHER TRUST provides grants for deserving Asbury Church college and university students. The Center for Scholarship Administration (CSA), a non-profit, independent organization is the Facilitator of the scholarship fund. Applications will be accepted beginning 1/28/2020 and are due 3/26/2020, and may be found at www.csascholars.org/dilcher. For more information, please contact Ellen Holder (ellen@csascholars.org or 864-268-3303).
UMW CLARA D. KOCH STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP: Applications for the UMW student scholarships are available in the Asbury church office. Completed applications are due no later than Wednesday, 4/15/2020 for the 2020-2021 academic year. Please return completed applications to the UMW mailbox in the church Work Room (located on the lower level near the church office). To qualify, the applicant must demonstrate: scholastic achievement and motivation for continued education, leadership, good citizenship, and Christian service to his/her church and a definite financial need. In addition to Asbury members, UMW scholarship applications are also available to members of Salem UMC, LaTrinidad UMC and St. James AME Zion Church – all in Allentown, PA.
More scholarships are also available through the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Click here to learn more.
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Special Announcement from Pastor Eric
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Stephanie Cramer
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Asbury has hired Stephanie Cramer as the new Director of Youth Ministries at Asbury. Stephanie was a licensed local pastor at a church in Iowa for the past two years and she recently moved to Bethlehem with her husband Tim and their two children Lucas and Tom. Stephanie and her husband have Master’s Degrees in World Christianity and she has entered the process for Elder ordination within the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church. Stephanie will be introduced to the congregation at each worship service this Sunday. I hope you will join us to welcome Stephanie this Sunday, January 19.
Grace and Peace,
A Note from Stephanie: I have been married to my husband Tim since before Y2K. We have two children, Lucas and Tom, and have recently moved into the area. I was a French teacher for 14 ½ years, with the majority of those years at Biglerville High School near Gettysburg, PA. I retired from teaching to attend seminary full-time, having no idea why I was in seminary other than I loved all my classes. Tim and I both graduated in May 2015 with a master’s degree in World Christianity. At that time in our lives we were struggling to find our place in the church and in the world so we moved the family to the Republic of Ireland and attended classes at Trinity College in Dublin. You could say I was running away from God. I refer to 2015/2016 as My Jonah Years. How often we take what God places before us and run in the opposite direction! After Ireland we ended up in Iowa and fell in love with the United Methodist Church. It was in Iowa that we finally began to understand God’s call for us to enter into ministry. I am always humbled and amazed at how God never gives up on us even when we have given up on ourselves. Tim and I entered the process for Elder ordination and served as pastors in small churches in western Iowa for two years before moving back to Pennsylvania this past August.
I am excited to continue my journey here at Asbury in service to our youth and the entire community of Asbury. Having lived in many different states, countries, and cultures I look forward to sharing the unending ways God has us and all of his creation in his loving care no matter how we choose to walk our personal path. Blessings and encouragement for an amazing year 2020.” |
