Churches schedule worship services, special events

Zion’s UCC

POTTSTOWN — April 28 is the Fifth Sunday of Easter and Zion’s United Church of Christ, Hanover and Chestnuts streets, welcomes all to in-person worship at 10:15 am. Join us as we extend our farewell and retirement wishes to Pastor Austin Chinault. Rev. Bill Worley of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference will join us to recognize Pastor Austin and release him of his vows. Zion’s UCC is grateful for Pastor Austin’s dedication to our church and the Pottstown Community. Services are live-streamed on Zion’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/zionsucc.

Trinity UCC

POTTSTOWN — Join us this week at Zion’s UCC at 10:15 as Trinity joins with the members of Zion’s in celebrating worship for Rev. Austin Chinault’s final Sunday as their pastor and wishes him all the very best in his retirement. In place of a traditional sermon this week, there will be a hymn-sing with words from the pastors of both congregations intermixed. Mark your calendars and feel invited to join us on Saturday, May 4, as the Arts Bubble presents its “Arts & Karaoke Coffee House” at 6 pm. It is a fun and free event that will include music, raffles, crafts and refreshments. Donations in support of the Arts Bubble’s work are gratefully accepted. We continue to offer a Community meal for anyone in need at 5:00 pm every Tuesday. This week, Brownback’s is sponsoring the meal. All are welcome.

St. Peter’s Lutheran

POTTSTOWN — St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 564 Glasgow St., will celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Easter at our 9:30 a.m. Worship Service with Deacon Kathie Afflerbach. Visitors are always welcome. Worship with us online via Facebook on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. or any time during the week on Facebook, YouTube, and our website: https://www.stpeterslutheranpottstown.com.

St. John’s UCC

POTTSTOWN — St. John’s UCC welcomes all to join in worship on Sunday at 10:15 am. The service will be available for viewing on YouTube later in the day. The Little Pantry is stocked weekly with food, water, and personal care items for community members in need. Food items will collected through the end of the month to support Operation 143 which serves children in the Pottstown and surrounding school districts. St. John’s also hosts AA Meetings throughout the week.

First Presbyterian

POTTSTOWN — Join First Presbyterian Church of Pottstown, 750 N. Evans St., on Sunday, April 28, for Faith & Friendship at 9:15 am and worship at 10:30 am. Join us in Fellowship Hall after worship for fellowship time hosted by the Spiritual Formation Committee.

Emmanuel Lutheran

POTTSTOWN — You are invited to Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 150 N. Hanover St., on Sunday, April 28, at 10:45 AM as we celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Easter and Volunteer Recognition Sunday. The service will feature traditional and contemporary aspects. Deacon Kathie Afflerbach will lead the service and offer the day’s message. Services are broadcast live on our Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/EmmanuelPottstown. Emmanuel’s Indoor Attic Sale is open to the public on Saturday, April 27, May 4, and May 11. Outreach schedule for the coming week: Community Meals (use Walnut St. entrance) on Monday at 5 PM and Friday at 11:30 AM; Emmanuel’s Closet Clothing Ministry (use Hanover St. entrance) on Monday from 1 PM to 3 PM and 5:00 to 6:30 PM, Wednesday from 1:00 to 3:00 PM and Friday at 11 AM. NA meetings (use parking lot door closets to Walnut St.) on Monday and Wednesday at 7 PM, Saturday at 12 PM and 6 PM.

St. Paul’s UCC

POTTSTOWN — St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 927 N. Franklin St., invites you to join us for worship on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. Minister Chanel Alexander will serve as guest preacher. Our service will also be broadcast live on our Facebook page at: https://www. facebook.com/stpaulsuccpottstown. Join us on May 18th for a yard sale! From 8 am-1 pm — we’ll have lots of things for sale plus food inside. Spaces are available for a $10 donation; tables are an additional $4. Proceeds benefit the general ministry of St. Paul’s. Our Diaper Bank is open on the fourth Wednesday of each month, from 10 am -12 noon. The next date is May 22. The Diaper Bank assists Pottstown families in need with diapers, wipes and other baby essentials.

St. Luke Lutheran

GILBERTSVILLE — Join us at St. Luke Lutheran Church, Wilson Ave., for worship on the Fifth Sunday of Easter at 9:30 a.m. Minister Bobbie Hoffman will lead us in worship. Communion will be celebrated. The gospel lesson for the day is John 15:1-8 Christ the vine. Ron Ball will be lector. Services are broadcast at 91.3 FM and live-streamed at stlukegilbertsville.org. The Community Clothing Rack will be open from 1:00-4:00 p.m. for donations on May 5. It will be open for shoppers on May 8, 15, and 22 for shoppers.

St. James Lutheran

POTTSTOWN — St. James Lutheran Church, 1101 High St., welcomes you to Worship and Holy Communion at 9:30 am with Pastor Kay Braun presiding. Children in preschool through 5th Grade are invited to attend G.I.F.T (Growing In Faith Together) during worship, returning after The Prayers. Also available is The Playground and Nursery for small children. The Senior Choir will provide Sunday anthems with rehearsal for both choir and handbells on Thursday evenings through May. Snack ‘n Chat Fellowship follows worship in Horn Hall each week. Adult Bible Study begins after worship at 10:45 am led by Sharon Smith. The monthly Third Sunday Offering recipient for April is Mustard Seed of Malawi, a Christian-based preschool located in Malawi, Africa. The next Rejoicing Spirits worship service will be held May 8 at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary. The Pottstown Crop Walk & Fun is May 5th at 2:00 pm at The Hill School. Visit www.stjamespottstown.org or call the Church Office at 610-3262810. Our 9:30 service is also livestreamed.

First Baptist

POTTSTOWN — Join First Baptist Church of Pottstown on this Sunday, April 28, at 4:30 PM via Zoom or in person at 575 N. Keim St. Our Seminary Intern Amanda Maher will be our guest preacher. Sunday is our last Mission Offering for CCLU, the only Pottstown organization focused on our Spanish-speaking community. This year’s CROP Hunger Walk, a community-wide event, will take place on Sunday, May 5, at 2:00 pm at The Hill School. Hosted by the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities, it raises money to combat food insecurity locally. Go to https:// www.pottstowncluster.org/pottstowncrophungerwalk2024/ to learn more about this event. Our new Learning Community, The Big and Small of Climate Crisis has begun! Join us Sundays at 3:15 pm in the Library. Our Book Group will start reading “The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith and Refounding Democracy” by Jim Wallis, (the forward through chapter 2), on Wednesday, May 1, at 7 PM on Zoom. Check out our website https://www.fbcpottstown.org/group-life.html for details. Save the date: May 15 at 6-7:30 pm POWER Action will host an important conversation about taxes and education funding. This event will be held at the TriCounty Active Adult Center, 288 Moser Road, Pottstown, PA 19464. We encourage you to attend and to invite others!

St. John’s ELC

BOYERTOWN — As children of God and disciples of Christ seeking peace and justice in the world, we welcome, affirm, and include all people into the fullness of God’s love. Join us for worship Sundays at 9:30 am and livestreamed on YouTube (St. John’s ELC Boyertown). Ascension worship service Thursday, May 9 at 7:00 pm. 2024-25 Preschool Registration now open online! Free drive-through, takeout meal every Saturday evening from 4:30-5:30 pm. No registration necessary. For updates and further details, check our website at stjohnsboyertown.org or call the office at 610.369.1024.

Christ Lutheran

BARTO — Christ Lutheran Church will worship on this the Fifth Sunday of Easter on Sunday, April 28, at 9:00 a.m. with the Rev. Matthew Finney leading worship and presenting the sermon for the morning. The Sacrament of Baptism of Miles Lapinski, son of Rachel and Drew Lapinski, will be held during the service. Guest pianist for the morning will be Diane Houck. Coffee & Conversation will be held at 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. in the Welcome Center. The Handbell Choir will rehearse on Wednesday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Senior Choir rehearsal at 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 222 Niantic Road between Routes 663 and 100 about a mile east of Bally.

Grace Lutheran

POTTSTOWN — Grace Lutheran Church, 660 N. Charlotte St, welcomes you to worship with us as we observe the Fifth Sunday of Easter at 10:15 AM with Sally Bechtel presiding over the service. We welcome Alyson Trout as our guest pianist. The service will be live-streamed on our Facebook page https://www. facebook.com/GLCPottstown. Children’s Sunday School is held every Sunday at 10:15 a.m. All children ages 3-5 years old are welcome. Parents are invited to stay for service while their little ones are learning God’s love. Our mission focus for the month of April is the Diaper Bank at St. Paul’s UCC. Donations of diapers and baby wipes will be collected throughout the month. Monetary donations will be accepted on Giving Sunday, April 28. We will be holding a Community Yard Sale on Saturday, May 18 from 9 AM to Noon in our parking lot. There will be a $10 donation per table supplied by the church. Interested? Email gracepottstown@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

Bethel UMC

SPRING CITY — Bethel United Methodist Church, 952 Bethel Church Road, invites you to join us this Sunday, April 28, for praise service at 8:30 am or worship service at 10:30 am, led by Pastor John Keretzman. We will be having a Women’s Tea on Saturday, May 18, at 1 pm, so save the date and tell your friends! There will be tea sandwiches and decadent desserts. Reservations are now being accepted. Call the office at 610-495-6807 to reserve your place. Our Annual Chicken BBQ will be on Saturday, June 1! More information will be available in the coming weeks. We hope to see you there! Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/bethelumchurch or visit our website at https://bethelumchurch.com for more information on church activities.

St. James Lutheran

LIMERICK — St James Lutheran Church is located at 93 Kugler Road. Our motto is “Following Jesus, we love God and Neighbor” and we invite you to join us this Sunday, April 28, for worship. We will have two services. The Contemporary service starts at 9:00 AM with age-appropriate Christian Education classes following the Children’s

message. If you can’t attend the service in person, it will be live-streamed on our website at stjameslimericvicek.org. A time

of Fellowship and Hospitality follows the first service. The Traditional service begins at 10:45 AM. Three different Bible Study groups meet during the week. The first one meets on Tuesdays via Zoom at 7:00 PM. They are studying the book of 1 Samuel. The second one meets in person at the Willow Run Club House from 11:00 — 12:15 and they are studying the Gospel of John. The third group meets on Friday via Zoom from 3:30-4:30 PM and are studying the book of Titus. New members class for St James Lutheran will be held on Saturday, May 11, at 3:00 PM. The class will close with dinner. If you’re interested, contact the church at 610287-7231, ext 12.

Calvary UCC

BARTO — Calvary United Church of Christ, 1321 Rt. 100, Barto will have worship this coming Sunday, April 28, at 9:30 AM.

All are welcome to attend worship and to stay afterward for a Pizza, food, and Bingo Party. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the games. Pastor David Brumbaugh will preach the message “Bearing Fruit” at the worship service. A free clothing giveaway will take place in the upper Church fellowship hall this Saturday, April 27, from 9-11 AM. The public is invited to come and take free clothing home. The fellowship commission will meet on Wednesday, May 1, at 7:00 PM to plan for the upcoming community back-toschool free giveaway and carnival day which will be open to the community on Saturday, July 27. More information will be available for this annual community event in the future.

Congregation Hesed Shel Emet

POTTSTOWN — Upcoming Shabbat services

on May 4. Services are both in-person and virtual, via Zoom. Visitors are welcome. Rabbi Cynthia Kravitz hosts noontime and evening adult education sessions. Contact: 610-326-1717. Email: Hesedshelemet575@gmail. com. Services are both in-person and virtual, via Zoom. Visitors are welcome. Rabbi Cynthia Kravitz hosts noontime and evening adult education sessions. Contact: 610-3261717. Email: Hesedshelemet575@gmail.com.

St. Gabriel Catholic

STOWE — Join us for the Fifth Sunday of Easter — Father Wilson and Deacon Ray will celebrate Mass today at 4 PM and Mass on Sunday morning at 9 AM which will include the sacrament of First Holy Communion (the Rosary will be recited prior to Mass). Confessions are heard on Saturday afternoon from 3 to 3:45 pm. Adoration of the

Blessed Sacrament is every Wednesday from 9:30 am until 5 pm (closing with Benediction). We are now live-streaming services for those who cannot make it to church due to health concerns https://stgabrielstowepa.org/livestream/ Congratulations to our Communicants — Dylan, Domiano, Landon, Max, Morgan and Sebastian! Save the Date: Parish Social/95th Anniversary Celebration is Saturday, June 1 — tickets are on sale after Masses and at the parish office. $16/person American Red Cross Blood Drive on April 29 from 2-7 p.m. in the social hall. Call 1-800-REDCROSS to make an appointment. For more information visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ sgsmstowe or our website https://stgabrielstowepa. org

St. John’s Lutheran

SUMNEYTOWN — St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3104 Main St., Green Lane, is hosting a Yard Sale/E-recycling Event /Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, May 18, from 10 AM to 2 PM Yard Sale. Mama’s Majik Kitchen Food Truck will also be on site. Tables are available for Yard Sale for $20. Visit stjsumneytown. org/events or call 215-2344888 for details.

SUBMIT NEWS: Area houses of worship are invited to share their news for our free weekly listings. Email information to Mercury Editor Tony Phyrillas at tphyrillas@pottsmerc. com. Submissions will run on a space-available basis and are subject to editing. The information must be submitted before Noon on Thursday for publication in that Saturday’s edition. Please use the words “Church News” in the subject line of the email.