Lenten resources can be found on our Lenten Page here. Faith formation resources available on our Christian formation page found here.

Information on Haiti
The Diocese of Haiti is the largest and fastest-growing diocese in The Episcopal Church. There are over 83,000 Episcopalians, 97 Episcopal churches, 115 congregations and communities of faith, and over 200 Episcopal schools with more than 6,000 students in Haiti. It has lost a cathedral, convent, Holy Trinity Complex, College St. Pierre, and a Jubilee Center.

From the Presiding Bishop:
The people of Haiti have suffered a devastating earthquake, and it is already clear that many have died and many more are injured. Even under “normal” circumstances, Haiti struggles to care for her 9 million people. The nation is the poorest in the western hemisphere, and this latest disaster will set back many recent efforts at development. I urge your prayers for those who have died, been injured, and are searching for loved ones – and I urge your concrete and immediate prayers in the form of contributions to Episcopal Relief & Development, who are already working with the Diocese of Haiti to send aid where it is most needed.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church

The following are links and resources about the crisis in Haiti
The Episcopal Church Haiti Page
Episcopal Relief and Development's Haiti Crisis
Episcopal Public Policy Network
Episcopal Cafe
Episcopal Church YouTube site
Province 2 (Haiti is one of their Dioceses)
Diocese of Haiti
Diocese of Chicago
Diocese of Connecticut
Diocese of Maryland
Litany by Haitian priest, The Ven. William Stokes of the Diocese of Southeast Florida
Ushahidi Crisis Map of Haiti
Wall Street Journal Video featuring Bishop Duracin
Water Missions International an Episcopalian led non-profit organization providing water treatment systems in developing countries and are providing systems in Haiti
Interview with Winnie Romeril, daughter of Gwendolyn-Jane and Robert Romeril who is in Haiti working for the Red Cross.

NewsLine articles on Haiti
Fraudulent emails circulating concerning Haiti relief
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori at Haiti Prayer Service: Our Hearts Are Broken
The Episcopal Church: Facts about the Diocese of Haiti and the aftermath of the earthquake
Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Relief & Development President Discuss Situation in Haiti
Episcopal Diocese of Haiti caring for 23,000 quake survivors
'There is hope' in Haiti, bishop's aide says
Diocese of Haiti pledges to continue legacy of founder
Haiti crisis has global impact; Anglicans display concern through generosity, prayer
Haitian Episcopalians struggle in the present, look to the future

Are church leaders getting it, at last?
by Bishop Paul V. Marshall
Just when we religious leaders thought we were done with large-scale sex scandals, a bomb was dropped in Dublin, but I came away from that story somewhat heartened. Church leaders may be getting it at long last. Read more here.

Gressle, Shannon and Leonard Hall College Scholarship Information
Applications for the following college scholarship funds are available for the 2010-2011 School Year. The Leonard Hall Scholarship is designed for diocesan youth active in youth ministries. The Gressle Scholarship is for sons of clergy canonically resident in the diocese. The Shannon Fund Scholarship is for daughters of clergy resident in Pennsylvania. Priority is given to clergy families in the Diocese of Bethlehem. Applications will be available March 1st and can be obtained from Edna Rauco at Trinity Church, Pottsville (570-622-8720). Deadline for all applications is May 15. Leonard Hall and Gressle Scholarships are awarded in June. Checks are mailed in August. Please contact the Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow or his assistant Ely Valentin for Leonard Hall and Gressle Scholarships at Diocesan House, 610-691-5655, ext. 222 or 1-800-358-5655. The applications for Leonard Hall and Gressle scholarships can be downloaded below:
Leonard Hall .pdf or Word
Gressle .pdf or Word

Diocesan Training Day
Diocesan Training Day will be Saturday, April 24th at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre. You can download a brochure here.

Health Ministry
A new group has been added to our "Get Connected" box on the right and it has an interactive listserve email list component as well. The Health Ministry group will share information, insights, concerns, success stories, etc. Please recruit your Health Ministries contacts to join us as well. You will be able to send notes to "Health Ministry" by addressing them to HealthMinistry@churchreply.com or by simply hitting reply to any message you receive from the group. Please keep in mind, however, that "reply" defaults to the entire list, not to the person who sent the note. If you want to respond to an individual, you must remove the Health Ministry address and insert that individual’s address. Questions or problems signing up contact Diana Marshall. [Diana Marshall is our diocesan liaison to National Episcopal Health Ministries and the Diocese of Bethlehem Health Ministries Committee Chair.]

Christophany Mission Project
The youth of the diocese are collecting personal hygiene items for the upcoming Christophany mission project. You can download a flyer for posting here. Items to be collected are new hand towels, wide tooth combs, large tubes of toothpaste, bars of soap, gallon sized ziplock bags, wash cloths, toothbrushes (indivdiually wrapped), bandages, and gift cards to Wal-Mart. Items can be brought to Diocesan House or can be arranged for pick up through Kim Rowles.

In The Episcopal Church and beyond
Episcopal Church World Mission Sunday highlights caring for all God’s creation
Upcoming Consecrations, Elections and Consents in The Episcopal Church
Episcopal Presiding Bishop on Dr. Martin Luther King Day: “His message pointed toward the universal liberation of all people
New Episcopal Church web pages: engaging, welcoming, informative

In Allentown
Fegley's Brew Works encourages diners to donate to Haiti relief via ERD
Working with help from Grace Episcopal Church in Allentown, both the Fegley's Allentown and Bethlehem Brew Works are encouraging dining guests to make a donation to our brothers and sisters in Haiti. They will add on the donation to the bill. For every dollar diners donate, they will be given a form to register for a gift card drawing; each location will be drawing separately for a $100, a $50, and a $25 gift card. The drawing for the six cards will be conducted by a member of Grace Church on Sunday, February 14th. All contributions will be forwarded to the Episcopal Relief & Development Haiti Fund.

In West Pittston
Sounds like fun
Trinity West Pittston brings national music program for children, parents to area. It was his own experience that led The Rev. John Major to bring the program to Trinity. He said when he and wife Sandy visit their nieces they become part of the girls’ lives in every way — including attending Music Together classes. Read the article from the Times-Leader here.

In Montrose
Celebration of New Ministry at St. Paul's
Check out the story and some pictures from the Susquehanna Independent Weekender here.

In the Lehigh Valley
New Bethany and help for the homeless
The Easton based Times Express recently wrote an article on New Bethany and their $250,000 grant for transitional housing. Read the article here. In addition, the Allentown based Morning Call also wrote an article on New Bethany and their new grant which can be read here.

Upcoming events
Feb. 6: Celebration of New Ministry, Grace, Kingston 4:00 P.M.
Feb. 7: Carnation sale deadline to benefit the Pennsylvania Avenue Interfaith Food Bank. Flowers can be ordered in red, white, or pink at $1.25 each. Flowers can be picked up February 13th or 14th at St. Andrew’s, Allentown. Call Craig Updegrove at 484-892-1589 for more details or to order flowers.
Feb. 9: Clergy Bible Study 7, St. Mark’s, Moscow 2:00 P.M.
Feb. 11: Clergy Bible Study 2, St. Stephen’s, Whitehall 2:00 P.M.
Feb. 12: Liturgy and Music Commission Meeting, Diocesan House, Bethlehem 12:45 P.M.
Feb. 12: Valentine’s Sweetheart Dinner and Dance, St. John’s, Palmerton 7:00 to 11:00 P.M. Cost is $10 for Students, $15 for Adults, and $25 for couples. Deadline to register is February 5th. Call Bonnie Green to register 610-349-0954.
Feb. 13: Commission on Ministry Meeting (via Conference Call)
Feb. 14: Bishop Paul, St. Peter’s, Tunkhannock
Feb. 14: Bishop Jack, Trinity, West Pittston
Feb. 16: Clergy Bible Study 8, Christ, Towanda 4:00 P.M.
Feb. 16: Pancake Supper, Church of the Epiphany, Clarks Summit 5:00 to 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 16: Pancake Supper, Trinity, Bethlehem 5:00 to 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 16: Pancake Supper, St. Anne’s, Trexlertown 5:30 to 7:00 P.M.
Feb. 16: Pancake Supper, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. Suggested donation $5.00. Proceeds benefit Nativity youth programs. Dixieland Five will provide live music.
Feb. 17: Ash Wednesday
Feb. 19: Organ recital to benefit Haiti by Dale Grandfield, Trinity, Easton 7:30 P.M. Program includes J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in g minor, BWV 535, F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Organ Sonata in f minor, Op 65, No 1, and O. Messiaen’s L’Ascencion. Small reception to follow.
Feb. 21: Bishop Paul, St. Clement’s and St. Peter’s, Wilkes-Barre
Feb. 21: Bishop Jack, Holy Cross, Wilkes-Barre
Feb. 21: Victory House Dinner, meet at St. George’s, Hellertown 4:30 P.M. to serve dinner at Victory House at 5:00 P.M. Please call the church office at 610-838-9355 or email stgeorges@rcn.com to assist.
Feb. 21: Youth Camp Spaghetti Dinner, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 6:00 P.M. Talent Show featuring the Nativity Jazz Band. Call Carol Yale 610-559-5959 for details.
Feb. 23: Clergy Bible Study 3, St. Alban’s, Sinking Springs 2:00 P.M.
Feb. 23: Archdeacon Visit, Redeemer, Sayre 6:00 P.M.
Feb. 27: Dive In: A Day Exploring Baptism with the Rev. Canon Anne Kitch and the Rev. Hillary Raining, Good Shepherd, Scranton 9:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Cost is $10. Registration is now open at www.diobeth.org. Registration online closes February 22nd.
Feb. 28: Bishop Paul, St. Luke’s, Lebanon
Feb. 28: ShareCare Faith in Action Annual Bowl-a-thon, sponosored by Cathedral Church of the Nativity at Town and Country Lanes 12:30 to 3:00 P.M. $25 minimum pledge. Contact Carol Yale at 610-559-5959 for more details.
For the full Diocesan Calendar, download the latest one from the news blog here.

February 27
Dive In: A Day Exploring Christian Baptism
Dive In! A Day Exploring Baptism This day of Christian Formation will offer resources for parents, Christian educators, clergy, and anyone seeking a deeper life in Christ. What does it mean to be baptized and to live a baptized life? How can you nurture your life in Christ? How can your congregation live more deeply into baptismal ministry? Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 9:30 am until 3:30 pm at Church of the Good Shepherd in Scranton. Register online at Diocesan Event Registration here. For registration assistance contact Rosie Hummel rhummel@diobeth.org or 610-691-5655. For more information contact Canon Anne E. Kitch akitch@diobeth.org or 610-691-5655 more information is available here.

April 17
Parish Nurse Training
Parish Nurse training is set to begin on April 17, 2010 in North Central PA, utilizing the IPNRC endorsed curriculum. Participants will receive 47 contact hours upon completion. Course will be held over seven Saturdays: April 17, May 8, June 5, September 11, October 9, November 6, and December 4, 2010 from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at Office of Upper Susquehanna Synod, Lewisburg, PA. Cost: $350 To receive a brochure/application: Contact Debbie Best at (570)320-0520 or bestd@diakon.org. Scholarships are available for members of parishes in the Diocese of Bethlehem. Contact Diana Marshall: d.marsh@rcn.com

Safeguarding God's children - See Church Administration