NEWS

First Lutheran will be participating again this year in the downtown Carlisle trick-or-treat event known as “Spooky Saturday”. In recent years, several hundred children and parents have passed through our doors and received candy and information about our congregation. This is a great opportunity to show hospitality to our neighbors.

We will need volunteers to welcome trick-or-treaters and help give out candy on October 21. If you can help for an hour or two between noon and 3 p.m., please let the church office know. If you cannot volunteer that afternoon, you can still help by bringing a bag of candy to the church office sometime before Friday, October 20. Thank you!!

Sunday morning adult faith formation has resumed! We gather from 9:15 – 10:00 a.m. in room 22 (upper level of the Christian Education wing). 

Myths about Religion and Politics in America – September 10, 17 & 24 – Dr. Sarah Niebler

Slavery, Religion and the Civil War – October 8, 15, & 22 – Richard Wood

Coffee and tea is available in the Atrium following faith formation, from 10-10:15 a.m.

Join us!

Chancel Choir rehearsals resumed on Thursday, August 31, at 7:00 p.m. in the choir room (lower level). The choir, lead by David Erickson, will rehearse most Thursdays this fall and sing during the 10:30 a.m. worship service 1-2 times a month. The choir will also begin preparing music for the December 17th service of Lessons and Carols.

Please consider joining the Chancel Choir to “Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord”. It’s not too late! Contact David with any questions, dve@pa.net or (717) 602-7736 (cell).

Thanks to all who helped us celebrate “Christmas in July”! Hundreds of “care kits” – socks for men, women and children filled with personal hygiene items and snacks – were assembled from your donations.

The care kits were blessed during worship on Sunday, September 3, and are being distributed through the Community CARES locations in Shippensburg and Carlisle. 

Community CARES provides emergency shelter, resources, and supportive services to individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and First Lutheran is grateful to be able to support its ministries.

May we be inspired all year long by the joy, peace and hope of Christmas!

Our next Fine Arts at First concert will be a bit jazzy. The Creswell Club Dixieland Quintet, who specializes in traditional Jazz music, will be performing at First Lutheran Church on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 4 p.m.

The Creswell Club is led by bassist Dan Martin and features Betina Hershey (vocals/guitar), Nick Russo (guitar/banjo), Danny Tobias (trumpet) and Dan Monaghan (drums). They’ve played with Cécile McLorin, Bruce Barth, Jon Batiste, Vince Giordano, the Nighthawks, and so many others.

Come on out for a musical treat. Concert admission is free, and open to the Public. A freewill offering will gladly be accepted.

On Wednesday evenings during Lent, we will gather for study and discussion about being mortal, the promises made to us in baptism, historic and new funeral practices, the emergence of “green” burials, and funeral/memorial worship planning. Pastor Leber will share some of her 2022 sabbatical experiences and learnings along the way. Study/discussion begins at 6:30 in the Martin Luther Room and is followed by a brief worship service, concluding by 7:30 p.m.

Through Easter Sunday, the Social Ministry and World Outreach Committee will be collecting items for Lutheran World Relief personal care kits, with a stretch goal of assembling 258 kits in celebration of First Lutheran’s 258th birthday this year!

Items may be dropped off on Sunday mornings or in the church office during regular office hours. Each kit consists of:

Read More “Lent Service Project”

First Lutheran Church will be offering quarterly blood pressure screenings on the LAST SUNDAY of each of the following months: January, April, July and October.

Blood Pressure Screening will take place in the Martin Luther Room following each service, beginning January 29, 2023. Subsequent dates will be April 30, July 30 and October 29.

Please plan to participate in our annual “Souper Bowl of Caring” food drive, sponsored by the Faith Formation Committee, to benefit Project SHARE on Super Bowl Sunday.  We will have a collection table in both the narthex and atrium before and after both worship services to collect non-perishable food items and monetary donations to benefit Project SHARE.  Last year we raised over $650, which helped to fund SHARE’s summer feeding program, helping 430 children have healthy meals over their summer break.  Let’s tackle hunger together and continue to generously support Project SHARE’s valuable work in our community!

Read More “Souper Bowl of Caring – Sunday, February 12”

The 2023 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration service will be held on Sunday, January 15, 2023, at 4 p.m. at The Meeting House, 1155 Walnut Bottom Road, Carlisle. The keynote speaker will be Danielle M. Conway, Dean and Donald J. Farge Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson School of Law.

Image from Flickr. Public Domain