Group Activities | Christian Education, Music, Family Events, Fundraising, Community Concerns

Sinfonia is a group of local musicians that perform as a casual orchestra or chamber style group. They will be performing in our sanctuary on Saturday, April 12 at 3pm. This is a FREE concert. Everyone is invited.

The Sunday Sinfonia Orchestra originated in 2010 as the Sinfonia Orchestra at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music (PAM) in Lancaster, PA. Founded by Smon Maurer and one of his students, Gail Frederick, the goal was to provide a place for adult community members to play in a casual orchestra. The orchestra at that time was divided into Chamber Music and String Orchestra, with rehearsals split between the two styles.

Sue Vituszynski urges congregational participation in our efforts to support the 48 residents of Berks Leisure Living. She suggested that we adopt a BLT (Berks Leisure Living Tenant). Support could include sending birthday cards, greeting cards on other occasions, visiting the tenant and perhaps small gifts. Sue V. has sheets with available names and birthday dates.

The holidays are fast approaching so it’s a good time to remind you to remember your friends at Berks Leisure Living. Thanksgiving and Christmas cards are greatly appreciated, and the residents often talk of the nice gifts their friends from Bern bring them. Please help to make the days more special for these residents of Berks Leisure. If you have any questions, please see Sue V. Thanks for all that you have done in the past in this project.

Community Concerns - This month's Community Concerns bagged lunch meal will be collected Sunday, March 30. Please consider helping with this important mission! We distribut 300 bag-lunch meals each month.

Bag-lunch should include:

Sandwich (of your choice) - indicate sandwich type on outside of bag.
Beverage in a plastic bottle (water is fine)
two or three of the following suggestions:
1. chips or crackers
2. snack
3. energy bar
4. piece of fruit (apple or clementine) or fruit cup

Keep an eye out for an email from Corey Wolf that makes signing up a breeze.

The following donations are always needed for the soup kitchen and pantry: canned soup, cereal, peanut butter, liquid dish soap, dish cloths, and scrubbies. We take these items to New Journey when we deliver the monthly meal.

Community Concerns is always looking for ways to expand our outreach so please share your ideas. Contact Corey Wolf, Community Concerns chairperson, with any suggestions or questions.

Many thanks to all of you who have donated to the Community Concerns cause! All donations (time, food, expertise, money) do make a difference and are greatly appreciated!

The great group of folks involved in our fundraising are pleased to report that in 2021 Bern Church contributed to these well deserving organizations:

Mt Pleasant Fire Company Apparatus Fund
Greenfields Fire Company Apparatus Fund
Keystone Veterans Organization
Schuylkill Valley Pantry
New Journey Pantry

Thank you to all who contributed their time, food, expertise, money, etc. to help Bern Church help these other organizations who do so much good for our community!

Making Missions Happen!

Missions are more than you might think. Everything we do here at Bern is a "mission" in one way or another. From running the soup kitchen to Sunday school, and even the Sunday service and all the fellowship activities are a mission in one way or another.

We’ll also ask you to give prayerful thought to your role in making Bern’s missions happen. Most of you have no doubt noted that we have been highlighting in the bulletin and newsletter a comparison of current income and expenses. We’re hoping that part of your prayerful consideration will result in your support that not only goes to individual missions—everything from Community Concerns to OCWM — but also to helping pay our current fund expenses.

We’re all aware that supporting the current fund doesn’t attract the same warm feeling as support for our direct missions. But our house of God is just like any home … it needs to rest on a good foundation for the rest of it to stay strong. Our support for the church’s current fund is our way of keeping that "foundation" in place so that our missions can keep pointing toward heaven.

And, of course, we’re aware that the "Pay Down the Note" campaign is a mission of its own that requires a payment of principal, month in and month out.

The Bern Cemetery has lots for sale. Prices are as follows:

1 grave - $500
2 graves - $600
4 graves - $800
8 graves - $1000

This price includes perpetual care. Please contact Barbara Reed or Ed Fisher if there are any questions or to make an appointments. We also want to remind lot holders that all plants and flowers are to be removed twenty days after a holiday. Also to be removed are wires, rods, or pins. No glass containers are to be used at any time. Starting this season we ask that no silk or plastic flowers be placed at the monuments during the mowing season from May 1 through October 1. Thank you for your cooperation!

Trustees of the Bern Cemetery Co.

Looking for Sunshine Assistance! Consistory is attempting to redistribute the many duties connected with the Sunshine Committee. Sunshine Committee – needs a new chairperson to guide various aspects of this committee:

Senior persons 90th birthday luncheons – Will ask for a volunteer to supervise.
Sunday Hospitality coffee and cookies - Suggestion that this be rotated monthly; it was suggested that one leader could be a point person for organizing monthly hosts/hostesses.
Funeral Luncheons - It was suggested that a point person could supervise the gathering of servers and determination of foods provided.
Gifts for shut-ins – Community Concerns said they would take this.

Bingo You are invited to participate in a retirement community out-reach ministry. We are so grateful for the many donations already contributed for the upcoming retirement community outreach on Thursday, October 10 from 2 - 3pm at Manor Care in Laureldale. Please let Barbara Reed know if you can volunteer your time.

These items were suggestions from residents for both bingo prizes and auction items.

Word Search Books
Sm. Bottles of hand sanitizer
Kleenex
Emery boards
Small neck pillows
Toothpaste
Shawls
Deodorant
Costume jewelry
Batteries
Scratch pads/pens
Small tablets
Shower caps and hairnets
Socks with treads or fuzzy soft socks
Solar dancing sun flowers
Hand soaps in pumps
Bar soap
Clear nail polish
Throw blankets
Scarves
Lipstick & Chapstick
Knee socks
Assorted greeting cards
Postage stamps
Nightlights
Small candy bars
Small snack bags

Grocery Gift Cards

$25 $50 $100

Available
EVERY Sunday

Bern Reformed
United Church Of Christ

Bern UCC Group Activities