Rector's Message: Saturday, January 22, 2022
Sunday, 23 January
The Third Sunday After the Epiphany

A Scripture Verse for the Week:

A Message from the Rector
Soups! Soup! Soup! What a wonderful choice for this season. It’s fun to put soups together with all of their varied ingredients. And soup smells so good while it’s simmering. I’ve made these often. Enjoy!
Barbara
16 Bean Pasta E Fagioli
1 1 lb bag Goya 16 Bean Soup mix
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 oz pancetta, 1/4 inch diced
1 large onion, chopped
Small amount of diced garlic
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano)
1 cup dry red wine
4 - 6 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt, black pepper
1 cup ditalini pasta
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
Prepare the beans ( soak or cook.). Then drain the beans. Place the beans in a large pot with 8 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer for 1 hour. Heat oil in medium stock pot over medium heat. Add pancetta and onion and sauté over medium heat for 12 - 18 minutes, until browned. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, wine, 4 cups chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and turn off heat. Drain beans and add 2/4 of them to soup. Put remaining beans through food mill. Stir bean purée and pasta into soup, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add up to 2 cups of chicken stock of soup is too thick. Stir in Parmesan and vinegar. Serve.
6 servings
Chicken Soup
9 cups water
2 cups baby carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
Small amount of diced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 cubes chicken bouillon
5 cups fine egg noodles, uncooked
Place all ingredients, except noodles, in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until Chicken and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken from simmering broth. Let chicken cool slightly. Stir noodles into broth. Simmer, uncovered, until done, about 5 minutes. While noodles are cooking, dice chicken and return to soup.
8 servings

O God, our times are in your hands: Look with favor, we pray, on these your servants as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
rd. Amen.
James Snyder
Brooke Hallman
Isabelle Ault
Annaliese Meier
Jessica McHugh
Teddy Harrison
Wes Champlin
Charlie Kriebel
Tim Beaver

VISIT THE WEBSITE: Here you can find a video of the Sunday service as well as the bulletin and the sermon. https://www.messiahgwynedd.org/
VIEW THE CALENDAR
OFFICE HOURS
Monday through Friday 9:30 to 2:30
IN CASE OF A PASTORAL EMERGENCY AFTER HOURS
Should you have an urgent need to contact the Rector outside of Church Office hours, please use his cell phone: 215-692-2667.

Dine and Donate
Monday, January 31st
4:00pm-9:00pm
Harvest Seasonal Grill
1460 Bethlehem Pike, North Wales, PA 19454

RECTOR'S BIBLE STUDY
GENESIS – PART II
After taking a break for the month of December, the second half of the GENESIS Bible Study will resume on Wednesday, January 12th. We will meet each Wednesday evening via Zoom at 7:00pm for six weeks (1/12-2/16), covering the events of Noah and the Great Flood through the Tower of Babel. If you would like to join us, please contact the Rector to receive the weekly readings and Zoom invitations.
JOIN OUR BOOK DISCUSSION
If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk
Finding a Faith that Makes Us Better Humans
By John Pavlovitz
“Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra. What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived? What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence? What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans? John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others.”
These words from Amazon invite us into a book discussion unlike any other. Will you join us?
Via Zoom – Thursdays February 3 – March 10, 2022 at 2 p.m. The book may be purchased at Amazon – paperback $14.49; kindle $7.98 Please contact Rev. MaryJo Melberger at revmjmelb@verizon.net to join.
Forward Day by Day
The Day by Day devotionals for February through April 2022 are now available. They are currently available to pick up in the office during office hours. They will also be available Sunday mornings once the church reopens for services.
Online Rummage Sale
Do you have items in your home that you no longer need or want? If so, please consider donating them to Messiah. We will post them online on Facebook marketplace and will arrange for the sale. All proceeds will go towards achieving our annual fundraising goal. Items that tend to sell online are furniture, clothing lots, shoes, accessories, books, seasonal products, home goods, sports and fitness equipment, electronic appliances, etc. If you have any of these items that you wish to donate, reach out to Jennifer Marsh at jhmarsh21@gmail.com with a detailed description of your item as well as photographs of the item from different angles. Jennifer will post the item on Facebook and will communicate with interested buyers to arrange for a sale at the best price. Once a sale is made we will coordinate with you to bring the item to the parish hall (either Jennifer will pick it up from your location or you may drop it off). If an item is too big (like a large piece of furniture) Jennifer will meet with the buyer at your location at a time that is convenient for you. The buyer is fully responsible for lifting and transporting large items from your location.
LOCAL JOB OPPORTUNITY:
The church office shared by St. John's and Church of Our Saviour seeks a part-time Office Manager capable of providing administrative support through a range of responsibilities including parish communications, publications, and schedule coordination. Ideal candidates will have at least 3 years of experience working in an office environment, strong interpersonal and organizational skills, an ability to multi-task, and a high level of attention to detail. Familiarity with Office, Publisher, and Quickbooks preferred--experience in a church office is a plus! Prospective applicants are invited to contact the church at stjohnshvoffice@gmail.com or 215-947-3212.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and the hard work of several parishioners, we are able to offer a variety of ways to participate in Sunday services:
IN-PERSON – In-Person Services are temporarily paused for the month of January due to the rising number of Covid cases
LIVE-STREAMED - the service will be broadcast on YouTube – follow the link posted on the church website (messiahgwynedd.org)
WEBSITE – at the close of the service, a video will be posted to the parish website (messiahgwynedd.org) for viewing at a time convenient for you

Ministry Opportunity:
We are in need of intercessors for our prayer chain ministry.
When someone has a need or concern, they can be placed on our prayer chain. That person is prayed for daily and the concern lifted before the Lord. If you want to join this crucial ministry, please contact Ciara Prezuhy at 215-353-1343 or cprezuhy@gmail.com.
Thank you!

HAT AND GLOVE DRIVE FOR MITZVAH CIRCLE
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, join the outreach committee in collecting hats and gloves for Mitzvah Circle. Mitzvah Circle is an organization in Norristown that was created to fill the gaps, to provide items that are not covered by government assistance. You can purchase hats and gloves to donate (Walmart, Amazon or Target will ship right to your house if you don’t want to go out), or you can offer ones you have knitted/crocheted. Please drop off all items to the church before January 31st. There will be a bin labeled Mitzvah Circle. You can also include a handwritten note of encouragement!
Messiah Meals from Home Update
All packages of supplies have been picked up for Messiah Meals from Home. Thank you to everyone who picked up one or more packages! Happy Cooking!
SUPPORT FOR MANNA ON MAIN STREET
We Continue to Collect & Deliver Non-Perishable Items
As you do your weekly shopping, please pick up some non-perishable food items, toiletries and cleaning supplies. These donations can be left on the back pew of the church or left outside the Rector’s office door. These will then be delivered to Manna to stock their shelves for distribution to meet clients’ needs.

RECTOR'S BIBLE STUDY
GENESIS – PART II
After taking a break for the month of December, the second half of the GENESIS Bible Study will resume on Wednesday, January 12th. We will meet each Wednesday evening via Zoom at 7:00pm for six weeks (1/12-2/16), covering the events of Noah and the Great Flood through the Tower of Babel. If you would like to join us, please contact the Rector to receive the weekly readings and Zoom invitations.
JOIN OUR BOOK DISCUSSION
If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk
Finding a Faith that Makes Us Better Humans
By John Pavlovitz
“Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra. What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived? What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence? What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans? John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others.”
These words from Amazon invite us into a book discussion unlike any other. Will you join us?
Via Zoom – Thursdays February 3 – March 10, 2022 at 2 p.m. The book may be purchased at Amazon – paperback $14.49; kindle $7.98 Please contact Rev. MaryJo Melberger at revmjmelb@verizon.net to join.

Church School will be meeting virtually at 10:30 Sunday mornings for the month of January. A meeting link will be sent out on Saturday evening.

Due to the rising numer of Covid cases, YOM meetings and events are temporarily suspended for the month of January.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS YEAR'S CALENDAR OF MEETINGS AND EVENTS

NOTE: Barbara Stevenson continues to need recipes and craft ideas to pass along to the parish through the weekly email messages. You can send your submissions to Barbara at bebstevenson@yahoo.com.
Soups! Soup! Soup! What a wonderful choice for this season. It’s fun to put soups together with all of their varied ingredients. And soup smells so good while it’s simmering. I’ve made these often. Enjoy!
Barbara
16 Bean Pasta E Fagioli
1 1 lb bag Goya 16 Bean Soup mix
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 oz pancetta, 1/4 inch diced
1 large onion, chopped
Small amount of diced garlic
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano)
1 cup dry red wine
4 - 6 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt, black pepper
1 cup ditalini pasta
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
Prepare the beans ( soak or cook.). Then drain the beans. Place the beans in a large pot with 8 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer for 1 hour. Heat oil in medium stock pot over medium heat. Add pancetta and onion and sauté over medium heat for 12 - 18 minutes, until browned. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, wine, 4 cups chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and turn off heat. Drain beans and add 2/4 of them to soup. Put remaining beans through food mill. Stir bean purée and pasta into soup, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add up to 2 cups of chicken stock of soup is too thick. Stir in Parmesan and vinegar. Serve.
6 servings
Chicken Soup
9 cups water
2 cups baby carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
Small amount of diced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 cubes chicken bouillon
5 cups fine egg noodles, uncooked
Place all ingredients, except noodles, in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until Chicken and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken from simmering broth. Let chicken cool slightly. Stir noodles into broth. Simmer, uncovered, until done, about 5 minutes. While noodles are cooking, dice chicken and return to soup.
8 servings