August 2023 Fellowship Connections Newsletter

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From the Elders

As many of you know, we recently held our VBS at the church. This was a great opportunity for our church to serve over 50 families, some from our church and some from the community. It was amazing to see kids excited to walk through our doors, sing songs praising our God, memorize Scripture, and learn about our great God. This would not have been possible if not for all the people who volunteered.

We had an amazing group of people who put in countless hours in the weeks prior to VBS. They transformed our whole church to make it a place that the children loved to come to each day by making decorations and putting them up. After VBS, others gave of their time to tear down and clean up.

We also had people volunteer to be here all week and give several hours of their evening each and every day to serve the children, from group leaders to teachers and station leaders. These people spent the most time with the children and made a huge impact, even if they did not realize it.

VBS would not have been possible if not for the sacrifice and dedication of all these individuals. From the bottom of our hearts, the Elders would like to say thank you so much for your sacrifice and dedication.

If you would like to continue to serve at our church (or perhaps you have been on the fence and decide now is a great time to jump in and serve at Faith BFC), the good news is that, with September less than a month away, there are several opportunities for you to serve at Faith BFC. From the worship team to the hospitality or welcome team to children’s church, there are a plethora of areas to get involved in. Reach out to an elder, and we would love to point you in the right direction.

— Pastor Ricardo Vargas

Announcements

Pastor Wes on Vacation — The Buntings will be on vacation from August 7 through August 21. Please reach out to the elder board if you are in need of pastoral care during this time.

Children’s Ministry Workers — A training meeting for all Children’s Ministry workers is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, August 20, after the service. Please keep this date open and be watching for further details.

Youth Group — The Youth Group will be meeting this month on Friday, August 4, and Friday, August 18. All students in grades 7 through 12 are invited to attend. Also, the youth are tentatively planning a trip to Sky Zone in early September. See Pastor Ricardo to find out more.

Teen Week — All youth are invited to join others from the BFC for a week of fun, fellowship, and solid Bible teaching from August 16—19 at the Lebanon church. Check out the bulletin board in the hall across from the rest rooms or see Pastor Ricardo for more information about this exciting event.

Men’s Bible Study — The Men’s Bible Study will meet on Tuesday, August 1, at 6:00 P.M. Please contact Pastor Ricardo if you’d like more information.

Women’s Ministry — On Saturday, August , the Ladies’ Bible Study will meet at 10:00 AM. Contact Kasha Vargas to find out more. In addition, the Ladies’ Fellowship Group will continue to meet on August 10 and 24 at 10:00 AM. See Jean Soyke for more information on this group.

Child Dedication — Our Child Dedication Sunday will be held on September 3. Please see one of the pastors for more information or if you would like to participate.

VBS 2023: “Kingdom of the Son”

Kingdom of the Son Safari VBS was a huge success this year thanks to our Faith Bible Fellowship Church family—all those who helped and those who supported us in prayer. We had 53 kids join us on our safari, learning about our God and how He listens, provides, forgives, protects, and rules. The kids enjoyed great singing/dancing, humorous skits, neat crafts, fun games, wonderful Bible stories, and delicious snacks. It was great to see how our individual talents came together to provide just what we needed to pull off all those things. The week ended with families joining us for our closing presentation, which included a gospel message for all, a pie-full celebration (the winning group of the week got to pie Pastor Ricardo in the face), and family fun evening which included bounce houses, carnival games, face painting, balloon animals, and snacks. We continue to pray that God will bear gospel fruit in the lives of these children and their families.

— Liz Bunting

Meet the Browns

Hello! We are the Browns! Aaron works for Clark Associates as a senior vendor manager, and JoAnne is a seventh-grade social studies teacher in the Red Lion Area School District. Our favorite things include spending time with family and friends and going on vacation. The best decision we ever made as a couple was to attend Faith Bible Fellowship. The number one argument that we had prior to getting married was where we would attend church. After finding Faith Bible Fellowship, we never argued about it again, and we enjoy serving in the church together and meeting all the new friends that we would call family. We are happy to announce that our family will be growing in 2024 as we are expecting our first baby!

Meet Jean Soyke

Hi, there! I’m Jean Soyke, and I’ve been attending FBFC since June of 2019. I grew up in Pittsburgh, went to college in West Virginia, became a believer in 1976, and lived in the Baltimore area for over 35 years. It was there that I had my four children (one son and three daughters), who together have blessed me with 7 grandchildren (plus some fosters). Over the years I’ve been involved in all forms of elementary education: public school, Christian school, homeschool, and online school (as well as teaching in various children’s ministries). In 2018 I went into semi-retirement and moved to New Freedom (near Shrewsbury), where I live in an in-law apartment in my middle daughter’s home. I am SO thankful that God brought me to Faith Bible Fellowship where I can serve Him by serving the wonderful church family here. I’m looking forward to seeing what God will do in and through our church in the future!

Church Extension Ministries

Church Extension Ministries is an arm of the Bible Fellowship Church that seeks to plant and develop new churches. This year CEM is working in each of the six regions of the BFC to accomplish this mission:

  • The Buxmont Region is assisting with the church plant in Elverson and the revitalization of the former Maple Glen BFC, now Welsh Road BFC.

  • The DELMARVA Region is supporting Steve Morton and the church he is planting in Elkton, MD.

  • In the Capitol Region, Pastor Steve Delduco is leading a Church Planting Resource Team to plant a BFC church in an area around Harrisburg. Our own Pastor Ricardo Vargas is a part of this team to learn how to lead a team from our church in a possible church plant in the future.

  • The Berks Region is supporting Dan Hoffstetter and assisting the church plant in Topton, PA.

  • The Lancaster Region is supporting Los Morales in Lancaster City.

  • The Lehigh Valley Region helped Ben Treistman plant the Orchard Hills BFC and is assisting the newly merged City Light BFC in Allentown.

Needless to say, this exciting work needs both prayer and financial support. To help meet these needs, CEM is sponsoring an initiative called Summer 20. Their goal is to have each BFC member contribute just $20 to their work. This would more than meet the financial needs of our church plants. If you are interested in participating in Summer 20, you can send a check to Church Extension Ministries, PO Box 3534, Allentown, PA 18106, or link to Church Extension Ministries to give online.