Faith Lutheran Church

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4150 Woodhaven Road
Philadelphia, PA 19154

(215)-637-4210

flcphiladelphia@verizon.net

ALL are Welcome!

A small, family church

Adult Education

ALL are Welcome!

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Welcome

Thank you for visiting Faith Lutheran Church online!

We are a small, family-friendly church in NE Philadelphia.

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life's journey--married or single, old or young, black or white, native-born or immigrant, gay or straight, bisexual or transgender, parent or childless, rich or poor--you are always welcome here at Faith Lutheran.

Help us out: If you missed your weekly offering, or if you just want to support the ministry of Faith or the ELCA, you can make an online donation by clicking the "GIVE!" button on the menu bar.

Our Mission

Our mission is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people through worship, education, service to our community and world, fellowship, caring, and prayer.

We would love to have you join us!

Baptisms & Weddings

Call the Pastor at (215)-637-4210

for information on how to schedule baptisms and weddings; he will be glad to work with you.

SUNDAY WORSHIP

You can enjoy VIRTUAL worship on Facebook Live every Sunday.

Go to Faith Luther on Facebook!

Just click the underlined link!

Worship Schedule

Sunday Worship

10 AM

Sunday School

10:00 AM

News

Harvest Home Sunday is This Sunday

Harvest Home Sunday is THIS Sunday! As we are called to be in service to our neighborhood and the world, faith will again observe the Sunday before Thanksgiving, November 19th, as Harvest Home Sunday. We will make this a special day to collect non-perishable food items for Feast of Justice. Thanksgiving-style foods are always appreciated such as instant mashed potatoes, stuffing mix, soups, cranberry sauce, etc. We will bless the donations at the altar. Please stay for a SPECIAL DESSERT AND COFFEE HOUR after church!

Thanksgiving Eve Eve

We have so much to be thankful for as a worshiping community here at Faith! We’ll celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with a special worship service on Tuesday evening, November 21 at 7:00pm. It’s not the night before Thanksgiving, but rather the night before the night before—just in case you’re traveling or using Wednesday night to prepare your own Thanksgiving feast. After church we’ll meet downstairs for coffee and pie and celebrate as a family. If you can make a dessert, please sign up on the bulletin board in the hallway.

Silver Springs Gifts

It’s not too early to start thinking about those who are less fortunate at Christmas time. As we have in the past, Faith will be collecting gifts for the children of Martin Luther-Silver Springs School. A list of gift ideas is posted on the bulletin board in the hallway, but our traditional ornament tree is scheduled to go up in early November. The deadline for bringing gifts to church will be December 3, the First Sunday in Advent. Toys and games make great gifts, but many kids also need clothing items such as pajamas and winter coats in both youth and adult sizes. As you start your Christmas shopping, please keep in mind how you can do something very special for someone you’ve never met.

Additionally, we’ll make our Last Sunday of the Month Offering for November to Gemma Services, the organization which operates Martin Luther-Silver Springs.

Advent

It’s hard to believe, but the season of Advent is almost upon us, that special time of year when we ready our homes and hearts to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It has been a tradition at Faith that we, as individuals or as families, take turns lighting the candles on the Advent Wreath. There are still 2 Sundays left: December 10 and December 17.

This year Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent (the Pink Candle Sunday) on December 17, will be observed as Ugly Christmas Sweater Sunday. We encourage all to dress in your favorite ugly Christmas sweater—the tackier and gaudier the better! Let’s have some silliness to welcome the season.

Carolers and Cookie Makers Needed! Calling all present and past Praise Team members and anyone who likes to sing! We are planning a Christmas Caroling Event for Tuesday, December 12 starting at Faith at 5:30pm. Our plan is to serenade the homes of some of our members who are less mobile and can’t make it out to church. We’ll be delivering cookies, song, and love. We’ll be driving house-to-house (Not walking like last year!), so we’ll need volunteers to drive. We’ll also need some volunteers to make cookies. Afterwards we’ll come back to church for some pizza and fellowship. Please let Pastor know ASAP if you plan to help out. It is sure to help you get your jingle on this Advent season!

Upcoming Events

November 19: Harvest Home Sunday.

November 21: Tuesday evening 7 PM. Thanksgiving Eve’s Eve Service. A special service to give thanks to God which won’t interfere with travel or holiday preparation plans. Refreshments to be served following the service.

November 26: Pastor is away.

December 3: First Sunday in Advent and last Sunday to bring gifts for Silver Springs children. We will need volunteers to light the Advent wreath. We are also planning another Christmas caroling party. Watch for details.

December 12: Christmas Caroling Event

December 24: 4th Sunday in Advent and Christmas Eve. The morning service will be celebrated as Advent 4. There will be two Christmas Eve services of Lessons and Carols at 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM.

WELCOME ! VIRTUAL WORSHIP NEWS:

If you can't make it to church on Sunday morning, we're bringing church to you. We are livestreaming Sunday morning worship at 10 AM on the Faith Luther Facebook page. You can also read the texts of Pastor's sermons by clicking on the "Pastor's Blog" tab on the toolbar. Please remember, too that you can make online donations by clicking on the "GIVE!" button above.

You can also check out videos from our national church body, the ELCA, our Synod, or our congregation below. We usually start our livestream about 10 minutes BEFORE the worship begins, so you can fast forward through the video to hear this week's announcements and experience the previous Sunday's service.

Lessons for Sunday, November 19, 2023

Pentecost 24

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 25:14-30

14“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

First Lesson: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18

7Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests. 12At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, “The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.” 13Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.

14The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. 15That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. 17I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.