What We Do


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	The following links will take you directlly to each section on this page. CONGREGATIONAL MINISTRIES I LOCAL MINISTRIES I WORLDWIDE MINISTRIES SPECIAL MINISTRIES I OUR NEWSLETTER
	Congregational Ministries
	Mission Team Support Group Our Mission Team Support Group provides opportunities for growth and nurture of all of our members by creating a sense of service outreach community. Here we discover Christ living in our members' lives. The Mission Team Support Group is the vehicle by which the entire congregation can be involved in the service outreach ministry of the church. Team and church members grow, are nurtured, and participate in the expansion of Christ's work through the Support Group . If you are a member of a Mission Team or you would like to support the work of the Mission Teams, we invite you to join the Support Group. The specific purpose of a the Mission Team Support Group is "to experience, nurture and support in order to express our faith in Jesus Christ in mission and service outreach to those beyond the church." The Mission Team Support Group meets the fourth Sunday of the month at 12 p.m. in the church Lounge. Choirs St. Timothy is blessed with excellent musicians in its choirs and ensembles. Music helps us to express what cannot be put into words alone. Everyone is welcome to join any of our musical groups, and we encourage people to participate as much as their schedules allow, whether it’s all year, or just for special services. Senior Choir—The Senior Choir sings for the glory of God, supports the singing of the congregation, and offers appropriate music during worship services. This choir is open to everyone from middle school age and older, and meets in the church sanctuary every Wednesday, September to June, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. The choir is open to everyone who can sing in tune and enjoys singing. The Senior Choir sings in church almost every Sunday and for special services during Lent and Christmas. Children’s Choir—The Children’s Choir gives young singers the opportunity to be an important part of the worship service. This is done by having them offer their music in the church service once a month. The choir is made up of all the children in Sunday School. They meet every Sunday, September to June, at 9:30 am in the Choir Room for 15 minutes of singing and praying together before their Sunday School classes. All children are welcome! Bell Choir The Bell Choir provides an opportunity for ringers to present music in the worship service approximately once a month to glorify God. This choir rehearses in the church sanctuary from 6:45 to 7:15 pm two Wednesdays a month and before the Sunday service in which they play. The Bell Choir is open to everyone from grade four and older who enjoys hearing the bells, and like to play them. Bread of Life Ensemble The purpose of this group of guitar and percussion players is to accompany the contemporary services throughout the year for God's greater glory. It is open to anyone who enjoys playing guitar or percussion. Rehearsals are held as needed. Instrumental Ensemble The Instrumental Ensemble provides an opportunity for instrumentalists to use their talents for the glory of God. It is made up of anyone with at least two years’ experience on a brass, woodwind, or percussion instrument. They present appropriate music at the 8:00 pm Christmas Eve service and at the 10:30 am Easter service. Rehearsals are held in the fellowship hall following worship services four Sundays prior to Christmas Eve and four Sundays before Easter. Covenant Brass Instrumental Ensemble The Covenant Brass was originally formed out of our Covenant relationship with First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, Episcopal Church of the Mediator, and Saint Thomas More Roman Catholic Church. This group of musicians provide special music at the four congregations’ worship services during the holiday seasons and other special occasions. Sunday School Sunday School—Sunday School for children of all ages is held Sunday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. in the Fellowship hall. Adult Forum—The Adult Form meets from 9 to 10 am on Sunday mornings in the Lounge. The group studies and discusses various religious and social subjects. Everyone is invited to join the group on Sunday mornings. See News & Events for upcoming topics. Endowment Fund The Endowment Fund is a program designed to enhance the mission outreach of St. Timothy church apart from the general operation of the congregation. Grants are made for individual development and use that will enhance the outreach programs of the church. Eucharistic Ministry for Homebound Members St. Timothy Eucharistic Ministry provides the Eucharist to members of the congregation who, for health or age reasons, are unable to attend our Sunday morning worship. There are five teams of lay members who supplement the pastor's five Holy Communion visitations per year to the homebound with five more of their own. The Holy Communion kits are filled with the elements of bread and wine during the first Sunday Eucharist of each month, to reflect to the homebound how they are still part of the St. Timothy community. Please contact the pastor if you feel a calling to participate in this ministry. Mutual Ministry The Mutual Minstry group consists of the pastor, two members of church council, and two persons from the congregation and the chair person. Except for the pastor and chair person, members serve only for two or three meetings. The group meets quarterly to support, affirm and informally evaluate the ministry of the pastor, to share joys, concerns and dreams for the future of St. Timothy congregation in a relaxed setting. Staff Support The Staff Support Committee provides ministry to the paid staff of the congregation. Women of the E.L.C.A. (WELCA) Women of the E.L.C.A. meetings are held in the lounge on Tuesdays at 7 pm (check News & Events for a schedule). They share devotions and have a presentation, a speaker, or entertainment. PALS PALS (People Against Loneliness) was formed in 1986 as a ministry to those in situations of grief and loss. It is a grief support ministry to the whole person, offering emotional and spiritual support, as well as information about physical, economic and legal impact of death on the "surviving spouse." In addition to providing support for people experiencing a loss, the group has luncheons, invites speakers, attends plays, has picnics, make trips together, and lunch together after church services. The group meets the second Friday of each month at 1 p.m. in the church Lounge. Parish Nursing and Congregational Health Ministries What is Health Ministry? Health Ministry, as understood in the Christian and Lutheran tradition, is a living witness to the healing activity of God that encourages whole-person health through integration of body, mind and spirit; increased self-knowledge, personal responsibility, and interdependence among God's people. What is a Parish Nurse? A Parish Nurse is a registered professional nurse who serves as a member of the ministry staff of a faith community to promote health as wholeness of the faith community. The Parish Nurse serves through the independent practice of nursing as defined by the nurse practice art in the jurisdiction in which he or she practices and the standards set forth in "Scope and Standards of Parish Nursing Practice" published by Health Ministries Association, Inc., and American Nurses Association. A Parish Nurse is… A Health Educator, discussing health issues and promoting wellness A Personal Health Counselor to the elderly, to parents and men over 40 A Teacher of Volunteers A liaison with community health organizations A clarifier of the close relationship between faith and health, dealing with losses, fears, doubts, lack of faith Does not provide medical care Social and Family Programs The congregation at St. Timothy Lutheran Church has many social events and programs. Among them are our Triduum (Peach Festival, FunFest and Sunday Outdoor worship) and our Mardi Gras celebration. There are a number of other social gatherings such as the pot luck meals we have at our Congregational Meetings. Many small groups also have social events. Some of these events are depicted pictorially elsewhere on this site. Watch for some new events planned for the coming year! Hospitality The St. Timothy Hospitality Committee organizes refreshments for various events such as baptisms, new member receptions, when we gather in grief over the death of a member, and many other special occasions. Witness and Visitor Team Our Witness and Visitor Team makes calls to visitors as a follow-up to their attending a Sunday morning worship service. Book Discussion Group The Book Discussion Group independently reads selected books and then meets to discuss them. T.O.L.I.P. T.O.L.I.P. (Taking Others to the Lord In Prayer) is an intercessory prayer group that prays dailiy for people's needs and concerns. They also include each member of the congregation in their weekly prayers. For more information about our prayer ministry please click here. 3D (Discovery, Devotion, Discipleship) Women on a FAITH JOURNEY meet throughout the year to share small group bible study, prayer, social gatherings and outings. They meet several times each month to discover God's truths while providing support to one another. Property Committee The Property Committee inspects the building and grounds and ensures they are properly maintained. The committee meets the second Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. Extra work days are planned for repairs, clean-up and general maintenance as needed. We encourage anyone who is interested to join the committee. Return to TOP
	Local Ministries
	St. Paul’s Breakfast Team The St. Paul’s Breakfast Team joins with the Lehigh County Conference of Churches to help prepare and serve breakfast on the third Sunday of the month at St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Eighth and Walnut Streets in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The breakfast is part of the Ecumenical Soup Kitchen. The Soup Kitchen serves hot, well-balanced meals on a daily basis. The Soup Kitchen is staffed by volunteers from churches, synagogues and community groups from around the Lehigh Valley. The Soup Kitchen provides meals to more than 15,500 people annually, including 1,500 children. St. Timothy Lutheran serves a breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, juice, coffee and buns to about 100 adults and children on an average Sunday morning. Click here for pictures of the team at work! Daybreak Mission Team Daybreak is a program of the Lehigh County Conference of Churches that reaches out to individuals who are active in or have successfully completed treatment for mental health/mental retardation, HIV/AIDS, and/or drug/alcohol abuse. The program provides life skills training, talk time, membership and three meals daily. The St. Timothy Daybreak Mission team prepares and serves a warm dinner meal to an average of thirty to thirty-five needy persons on the third Thursday of each month to an average of 30 to 50 individuals. The cost of the monthly meals is underwritten by individual members of the congregation. For more information about Daybreak Click Here Quilters Morning Circle The Quilters Ministry was begun in 1991. The first year the quilters made 29 quilts which went to Lutheran Relief. The group currently makes 12-15 quilts a year which are given to the American Red Cross for local distribution to those in need as the result of fire or natural disaster. The group also made over 100 tote bags for the Children's Program and 8 aprons for the Children's Book Program at Lehigh Valley Hospital. During 2006 the group completed five baby-size quilts that were all hand quilted. They also made 15 large bed-size quilts that were machine sewn and hand tied. One baby quilt was sold to help cover the cost of batting materials. All of the remaining quilts were donated to the local Red Cross Chapter for disaster relief. The group purchases their own batting, but are always looking for donations of scrap material that can be used to create new quilts. The groups meets in the lounge on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 9 a.m. They frequently bring a light lunch and work until early afternoon. Click here for pictures of the quilters. Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank Team Members of St. Timothy Lutheran regularly bring much-needed non-perishable foods for the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank. The Sunday School children each bring an item as part of their weekly offering. Each year we supply over 150 bags of groceries to the Food Bank. Additionally, team members provide packing services for the food bank on the 5th Wednesday of the month (when that occurs) to pack an average of 90 bags per session for needy people. The team is known at the food bank as the “Fast Packer Team.” YMCO YMCO (Young Missioners' Construction Outreach) is a group of men and women of our congregation with construction skills who seek out and receive pertinent calls for assistance. The elderly and widows/widowers who are unable to perform certain tasks or persons demonstrating financial hardship are eligible for assistance. Appropriate work projects include work that is maintenance oriented (as opposed to renovation-oriented), is short in duration and small enough to be completed in a timely manner. Repair of serious structural or electrical problems are not appropriate. The recipient is requested to cover 100% of the material costs, but the group may cover up to 50% in the cases of severe financial need. Christmas Ingathering The Christmas Ingathering is an effort of the Lehigh Mission District of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The purpose of the Ingathering is to brighten the holy season of Christmas for our Christian brothers and sisters who have special needs. Each congregation collects needed items for distribution to the following community service organizations: Allentown Rescue Mission Allentown State Hospital Cedarbrook (County Home) Community Service Center Daybreak Downtown Ministries Good Shepherd Home—Keenan House Lehigh County Juvenile Center Sixth Street Shelter Topton Home Turning Point The items are collected by the churches and delivered to St. John's Lutheran Church, Emmaus where a service of blessing and dedication of the gifts takes place. The items are then distributed to the locations shown above. For a complete list of the items on the Ingathering list Click Here. CROP Walk The CROP Hunger Walk is a community action effort to raise funds to fight world hunger. Various churches and organizations raise awareness and funds for international relief and development by sponsoring "walkers" either through a per-mile or flat contribution for walking in the CROP Walk. St. Timothy Lutheran serves as the start and finish point of the annual Walk. Souper Bowl of Caring The "Souper Bowl of Caring" is held on the same Sunday as the NFL's Super Bowl and is traditionally led by youth who stand at sanctuary exits following worship services and collect $1 or more from each parishoner. The money supports local, national, and international anti-hunger efforts. Community Support The following is a list of some of the community organizations that we support through various means including providing a location for meetings, etc. Cub Scouts Boy Scouts Girl Scouts Venture Crew The Lutheran Academy Summer Enrichment Camp District Polling Place AARP Neighborhood Crime Watch Mental Health Support Group Amnesty International Alcoholics Anonymous Family Life Services (Counseling) Hiking Club Chess Club Return to TOP
	Worldwide Ministries
	St. Timothy Lutheran is involved with many ministries worldwide. These ministries are coordinated through a number of church-wide ministries such as… Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Lutheran World Relief Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Return to TOP
	Special Ministries
	St. Timothy Lutheran Church was approached in mid-January of 2004 by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services of Philadelphia concerning the need for sponsors for Liberian refugee families. We were asked to sponsor a family that was to be resettled in the Lehigh Valley. They told us two members of the family would be arriving in February! We prayed about the task and said yes, despite the fact that we had no idea what to do. With the help of members from other local churches, we quickly put together a network of resources to support the family. The story is a complicated one and has had many twists and turns. Click here for pictures and a complete story of the Zulu family. Return to TOP
	Liberian Outreach
	St. Timothy church welcomed Rufus Zulu and his 4-year-old daughter, Famela, In February, 2004. They were Liberian refugees coming from years in refugee camps in Ivory Coast. We were expecting the rest of the family, ten people in all, some time after that. This included Rufus’ parents, siblings and a niece and nephew. Unfortunately, the U.S. Government decided things were calming down in Liberia and canceled the refugee program. A year or so later there appeared to be hope that the family could still come and we geared up again. That didn’t work out either. (Click here to see the complete accounting of the Rufus and Famela saga.) Eventually the family returned to Liberia from Ivory Coast. There they found someone had taken over the land where they had a cocoa farm. After petitioning the government they were given other land. They discovered, however, that this land ws overgrown with “bush.” They did not have the resources to clear it or build a house on it. They were living in the town of Zwedru, just eking out an existence. In the spring of 2007, the Adult Forum invited Rufus to update us on his family and how things were going for them. We learned they barely had enough to eat and no money to send the children to school. A committee was formed to see what St. Timothy could do to help; after all, we had planned to help them when they resettled here. We decided to give the family “subsistence assistance” of $100 per month for 15 months, in hopes they can get the farm going by then. This represented approximately 40% of their monthly rent and food costs. We also planned to give them money to buy seed for the farm when they were ready for it. We have been paying for tuition and uniforms for the children to go to school. The “children” range from a 5-year-old going to Kindergarten to a 24-year-old going into 7th grade. The older ones are very far behind because there were no schools in the refugee camps. In addition, two of Rufus' brothers (not in our original expected group) were living in Monrovia and wanted to go to University. Rufus told us that it is impossible to get a decent job without a college degree. There simply are no jobs other than with the UN or the government. Other than that they pick up “ contracts” (odd jobs) to exist. With tuition at $234 per semester we decided to help them as well. When they graduated they could get good jobs and help the rest of the family. The family cleared the land and planted the first crop of rice and vegetables which they harvested in September. After the rice crop was harvested, the land was to be reused for planting cocoa plant seedlings while another section of land would be cleared for rice and vegetables. Cocoa plants require five years to mature before a crop can be harvested. Thus, the process of clearing, burning, etc. will continue on more land until they can begin harvesting the cocoa. The two men, Cephus (age 31) and Rajackson (age 33), began their second year at the univeristy in 2008. They attended the African Methodist Episcopal University in Monrovia. Cephus majored in Accounting and Economics, Rajackson in Economics and Management. They also picked up odd jobs to cover the rest of their costs. The children attended the Catholic School in Zwedru in 2008. They included Helen (age 25, 8th grade), Catherine (age 21, 7th grade), Roseline (age 18, 7th grade), Princess (age 14, 3rd grade), Snah (age 11, 2nd grade), Sherline (age 10, 2nd grade), and Shad, Jr. (age 6, 1st grade). Registration and tuition for the two men was $600 and $400 for the seven children. School uniforms and supplies were $275. For uniforms, they bought the cloth from the school and had a tailor make the have uniforms. Rufus said the money would cover that, plus shoes, notebooks, bookbags, pencils and pencil sharpeners. A bargain! We also sent the monthly subsistence allowance (for a second meal a day) of $100. The farm is coming along well. The land that was cleared for this year's crops will be planted with cocoa trees. Additional land was cleared in 2009 to use for planting the same crops they planted previously. The family is already doing well and beginning to hire other people from their village to assist with the farm. We launched our “Open Your HeartZ” campaign in February, 2009 to continue our support of the Zulu family in Liberia and to begin aid for the Zleh family as well. Click here for Details and Pictures The summer concluded with the final HeartZ event for 2009… the Nourish Your HeartZZZ Tapas hors d'oeuvres and Silent Auction which was held on Sunday evening, October 18. The congregation pulled out all the stops to make the event a hugh success! One hundred fifty people were present to sample the many foods and desserts, and to bid on a vast array of auction items. The event was such a hit that people asked when the next one would be held! Over $10,000.00 was raised to support the Zulu and Zleh families in Liberia, Africa. Click here for pictures of the Tapas Event Graduation! Rajackson Zulu, Rufus’ brother, graduate in the fall of 2009 from the African Methodist Episcopal University in Monrovia with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. He has sent us a copy of his Senior Research Paper (thesis) and some photographs of his graduation and celebration. In his paper, “The Impact of Inflation on the Living Standard of Consumers in Liberia 2004-2007,” he has a Dedication. This says, “This work is in honor of my parents, Mr. Robert Gaye Zulu, Sr., Mrs. Esther Z. Zulu along with my brother Rufus Zulu and the St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA, who have encouraged and supported me financially during my undergraduate study. May the Almighty God bless you for your tireless effort.” The paper is available for you to see if you are interested. St. Timothy assisted Rajackson with his tuition and some other expenses. We also helped fund the graduation party back in Zwedru. Click here for pictures of the proud graduate and the party Rufus’ father, Robert Zulu, has been in and out of the hospital in Monrovia for a few weeks now. His wife is there with him. Please keep him in your prayers. The cocoa workers and the family in Zwedru are tending the farm. The cocoa plants are still in the “nursery” but growing nicely. Ophelia’s mother, Theresa Zleh, has requested assistance for getting her farm started. We’ve sent her $150. We are no longer sending her a monthly subsistence allowance but will continue to help her out as needed. She’s managing well. Summer, 2010 We are sad to report that Robert Zulu, father of Rufus, died in Monrovia in July after a long illness. The funeral was in Zwedru. Friends and family came from near and far and stayed for two weeks to grieve with his wife, Esther, and all of the children. Robert’s legacy lives on, however. He was the one who planned and organized the farm. We gave financial help but it was all his vision and hard work that made it happen. Cephus and Rajackson, his sons who live in Monrovia, were there for the funeral and traveled out to see the farm. They were amazed at the changes. A village has grown up on Robert’s land with many houses and now even a small marketplace. In addition to the farmers some hunters have moved in and they provide meat for the market. Rufus’s cousin has been helping Robert with running the farm and he will continue to oversee it along with Rufus’s aunt who has a farm in the area. The cocoa workers are still there seeing to the cocoa plants and farming the land Robert gave them as well as helping on Robert’s farm. Other local people have been working on the farm too. Crops are coming in and rice will be ready for harvest in September. We provided some financial help for funeral expenses–$500 from the Zulu-Zleh fund and all the money that was given in memory of Patrice Kidd’s mother (another $500). It is time to pay tuition for the fall semester as well. Six in the family will continue in school in Zwedru. Helen is in 10th grade, Catherine in 9th, Princess in 4th, Snah & Shaline in 3rd, Shad, Jr. in 1st. Roseline will be in 10th grade in Monrovia. They have to pass a “national exam” to go from 8th to 9th grade. The cost for tuition, registration, national exam for Catherine, uniforms and supplies for 6 students is only $565. The cost for the Monrovia school is $150 total. We are so thankful to have the Zulu-Zleh fund to be able to do this. Return to TOP
	Our Newsletter
	St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church publishes a newsletter eleven times per year (monthly, except August). The links below connect to copies of the most recent issues. The files are in Adobe Acrobat pdf format. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, you can download a free copy directly from Adobe at the link below. For more information on our newsletter, or to be added to our mailing list, please complete the request form on the “How To Reach Us” page. Our Current Newsletter February, 2012 (2 Mb) Previous Issues January, 2012 (1.6 Mb) December, 2011 (2.6 Mb) November, 2011 (934 kb) October, 2011 (5.3 Mb) September, 2011 (1.1 Mb) July-August, 2011 (8 Mb) June, 2011 (1.6 Mb) May, 2011 (4.1 Mb) April, 2011 (2.1 Mb) March, 2011 (2.1 Mb) Return to TOP

	Revised 02-12
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