General Church News
Asbury’s office is open weekly on Monday – Thursday from 9 AM – 2 PM.
A number of the staff are still working from home and may not be in the office during those times but can be reached via phone, email, or by appointment.
Join us for a reception to celebrate the merger of Asbury and Salem and take an opportunity to fellowship together as one congregation. The reception is on Kickoff Day (September 12) and will begin following the 11 AM worship service. Light refreshments will be served. The reception will be held outside, rain-or-shine; in the event of rain we’ll gather under the overhang at the upper entrance.
Asbury’s fall kickoff picnic has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to share in more church-wide fellowship opportunities in the near future.
Asbury’s 2021 Charge Conference has been scheduled for Thursday, September 27th at 6 PM. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s Charge Conference is open to Asbury’s leadership only.
Asbury is moving worship outside beginning on Sunday, May 30, at 9 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 parking lot on the lower level outside of the Worship Center area.
A restroom will be available if needed.
Each worshiper will be required to abide by the Asbury Code of Conduct, developed as part of the Trustee Resolution Addressing COVID-19.
Streaming-only worship will continue to be broadcast live at 10:30 AM on Sunday mornings at live.asburylv.org.
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.
