Saturday, October 4, 11:00 AM

Church Parking Lot

Rain or Shine

For the very first time, College Hill will offer a joyful, outdoor, animal blessing opportunity. On October 4, bring your leashed or crated animal companions to be blessed beginning at 11:00 AM and continuing for as long as needed for Pastor Chris to visit individually with all pets and their people.

At the request of the Joint Board, Jacquie Jamison is arranging this delightful event, and is looking for pictures

of your pets of all kinds—cats, dogs, horses, turtles, etc. And does anyone have a pop-up canopy to lend for the event?

Animal blessing services have grown in popularity in recent years and are often conducted on or near October 4 to coincide with the Feast Day of St. Francis, remembered for his tenderness toward all of God’s creatures. Bringing our pets for a blessing is a way we can acknowledge and celebrate our Creator and all of creation!

The Pennsylvania Jazz Society is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and presentation of traditional jazz, including Dixieland, Swing, Big Band and Ragtime.

The Society was founded in 1978 by a group of local jazz fans who, upon returning from New Orleans, decided they wanted to bring the music to the Lehigh Valley.

At 2:00 PM on Sunday, October 5, they will present a concert here at College Hill Moravian Church featuring Stone Dixie, performing traditional songs of New Orleans, swinging in the style of Chicago Dixieland. 

Tickets are $15 at the door (cash or checks only).

College Hill will be holding our Fall Craft Show on Saturday, October 18, 2025 from 9:00 AM–2:00 PM. We will be offering indoor and outdoor spots for crafters. We will also be serving food and having a bake sale.

If interested in volunteering or making a baked good, please add your name to the corresponding signup sheet on

the Craft Show Table in Fellowship Hall.

All proceeds from the show will go toward the general operating fund.

If you have any questions, please contact Amy DeLong at 610-704-0014 or amdelong3@gmail.com.

The Tuesday Book Group continues to meet on the last Tuesday of each month at 10:30 AM in Room 4.

NO MEETING IN AUGUST

September 30     Night Angels

October 28            Passing Storm

November 25       River Sing Me Home

All are invited to join our informal gathering. Contact Sue Youtz for further updates at 610-751-0654 or syoutz@ptd.net.

We’re getting very close to hearing the sound of the organ again in our sanctuary!

The old organ console has been removed and the new one put in its place. All three keyboards (one more than on our previous console) have been installed. We are now awaiting the last step – installation of new software – before the organ rumbles again. 

Soon – VERY soon – the mighty sounds of the organ will again be able to lead us in worship.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! (Ps. 150)

College Hill Moravian Church and the Lehigh Valley Labyrinth Project invite you to join us for labyrinth walks at the church, 72 West Laurel Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018.

Walks will take place on the following Sunday dates:

August 24, September 28, October 26, November 23 and a pre–New Year’s walk on December 28.

In these times of uncertainty, it is beneficial to gather in community to be together for prayer and meditation. While walking the labyrinth is a very personal journey, it is a comfort to gather in community.

All are welcome. Peace to all as we gather. If you have any questions, please call Linda Toggart, Spiritual Director, at 610-217-1971.

Children’s Sunday School will be held twice a month during the 10 AM Worship service. The children will start in the Sanctuary and then be dismissed to the Sunday School room where they will enjoy a Sunday School lesson, crafts, music, and treats. The schedule for Fall 2025 is as follows:

October 12 & 26

November 9 & 23

December 14 & 28

We hope that you will mark your calendars and bring your children, grandchildren, and their friends to share in the fun.

The Trustees ask that you come out for a few hours on Saturday, November 1 from 9 AM – Noon for our Fall Church Cleanup Day. There are many chores that need to 

be undertaken. Helping to tidy, clean, and polish our church is important, enabling members and visitors to experience God in a welcoming environment. 

Our custodian takes care of the week-to-week cleaning and each year we ask for your help to attend to bigger clean-up tasks. We will be working inside and outside by weeding, trimming, washing, polishing, dusting, etc. 

Please come out even if you are only available for a few hours that day—we would appreciate your help. There are many rooms that have not had a good cleaning in several years.

The Community Outreach Team will be collecting donations for the West Bethlehem Emergency Food Pantry, located at Star of Bethlehem Lutheran Church (a neighbor and friend of Essentials Café!) on Third Avenue. This will be an ongoing collection of whatever items you would like to donate. Some suggestions include coffee, tea, oatmeal, pancake mix, cereal, rice, canned corn, jams and jellies, paper products, and toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste). The food pantry will be letting us know of especially needed items, so please check the weekly announcements for updates.

We are currently collecting Halloween candy for William Penn’s in-school Halloween parties. There is a basket on the COT table in Fellowship Hall for your donations. Thank you!

Summer is over and before we know it Christmas will be here. We are continuing to collect supplies for William Penn students and teachers. Visit the COT table in Fellowship Hall for a list of needed items (or see below). 

All donations can be placed in the bins on and under the table. Everything will be blessed and packed up at our annual Advent Workshop and delivered to the school. Let’s make it a meaningful Christmas for our community school!

SCHOOL SUPPLY DONATION REQUESTS

FOR 2025 – 2026

*Brand-specific requested for quality and durability:

*Crayola crayons

*Crayola colored pencils

*Crayola markers — broad and fine-tip

*Elmer glue sticks

*Expo black dry-erase markers

Narrow pencil boxes or pencil pouches

Dry-erase erasers

Pencil-top erasers

Construction paper

Small whiteboards

1ʺ & 1.5ʺ hard binders

Adult-size scissors

Headphones with wires (NO EARBUDS)

Backpacks

Individually wrapped snacks (Goldfish, pretzels, etc.)

Tissues

Hand sanitizer

Clorox wipes

FOR RECESS

Kickballs

Soccer balls

Adult-size basketballs

Following up on the statement from the Board of Elders first published in last month’s newsletter (repeated below), “PRIVATE” signs have been posted in the north section of the church basement to designate a non-public area in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are legally prohibited from entering without a court-ordered, signed, Judicial Warrant.

A STATEMENT ON

SANCTUARY AND CARE FOR ALL

Since our Moravian motto ends with “in all things love,” it is who we are and is a call to follow Jesus’s example of caring for the least of these. We are called to welcome the stranger and to help those in need. In that love, we as fellow children of a Loving God, offer sanctuary and care to all who come to our community for help and safety. “In all things love” is more than a motto; it is a call to Peace and Justice as a church and as followers of Christ.

—College Hill Moravian Church

Board of Elders,

approved March 6, 2025