Maidencreek Church to hold service of farewell for retiring pastor [Religion Digest]

Feb. 18----The. Rev Sara Hertzog is retiring after serving 17 years as pastor of Maidencreek Church, 261 Main St., Maidencreek Township. A service of farewell will be held at 9 a.m. on Sunday. Assisting in the service is the Rev. Bill Worley, PA Southeast Conference Minister; the Rev. Rachael Dietz, executive associate to the bishop, Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod; and Cory Putt, Covenant Association Committee on Ministry. Music Includes the Maidencreek Ensemble; Youth Chimes; Senior Choir; SaraAnn Harbonic, vocal solo; Nathan and Natalie Hertzog duet, vocal with guitar; three trombones and a flute; Maynard Koplin, clarinet, and Glenn Fisher, flute, duet; SaraAnn Harbonic, piano; Aimee Fangman, hand bell solo The in-person service is livestreamed to Facebook and YouTube. Links can be found at maidencreekchurch.org. There will be a drop-in time from 6:30-8:30 a.m. on Ash Wednesday for ashes and Communion. The Rev. Deborah Schwartz will preside at a worship service at 7 p.m.

—St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church will hold St. Paul's One Family Gala on March 5 at 5 p.m. at St. Catharine of Siena's Parish Social Hall, 4975 Boyertown Pike, Exeter Township. The One Family Award, focusing on a celebration of service, will be presented to Msgr. John Grabish, the Rev. Joseph Ganser, the Rev. John Anthony Hutta and the Rev. Quyet Pham. The featured speaker will be the Most. Rev. Ronald W. Gainer, bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg. Tickets are $50 per person and can be obtained by contacting parish secretary Patty Blessing at 610-372-1531 or stpaulsrcchurch@comcast.net. Deadline for reservations is Monday.

—Allegheny United Church of Christ, 1219 Kurtz Mill Road, Brecknock Township, will hold a meet the pastor breakfast on Sunday following the 9 a.m. worship service. The church is welcoming the Rev. Mark Stryjak, who previously served at Brownbacks UCC in Spring City, Chester County, and is currently the full-time chaplain at Reading Hospital. Stryjak received his masters of divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary in 2009. He and his family live in Exeter Township.

—Christ Lutheran Church, 222 Niantic Road, Washington Township, will worship Sunday at 9 a.m., with Holy Communion. Coffee & Conversation will be held at 8:30 and 10 in the Welcome Center. The adult Sunday school class will be held at 10 in the parlor. Confirmation class will meet in room I after worship.

—St. John's Lutheran Church, 4125 Penn Ave., Sinking Spring, will hold in-person worship Sunday at 9 a.m., with Holy Communion and special music. The service also will be livestreamed on Facebook.

—St. John's Reformed Church, 4001 Penn Ave., Sinking Spring, will host another session of the Grief Share Support Group on March 2 from 3-4:30 p.m., then meeting on subsequent Thursday afternoons. This support group will be led by Sue Weisman, associate pastor, and is a 13-week session that consists of videos led by Christian experts, group discussion and a personal workbook. It is open to the public. Those interested in participating can visit www.griefshare.org or contact the church office at 610-678-1446.

—Reformation Lutheran Church, 3670 Perkiomen Ave., Exeter Township, will worship Sunday at 8:30 a.m., with Holy Communion, and 10:30 a.m. with Holy Communion and music by the Reformation Choir, under the direction of Dr. Heidi Rochlin. The worship service will be livestreamed on Reformation's Facebook page and may be viewed live or later at www.Reformationlutheran.org under worship videos. Sunday school for all ages begins at 9:30. There will be a pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday from 5-7 p.m.in the parish hall. An Ash Wednesday service with Imposition of ashes will be held at 7 p.m.

—St. John's Gernant's Church (A Federated Congregation), 13 Gernant's Church Road, Ontelaunee Township, will worship Sunday at 9:30 a.m in the Memorial Hall, 12 Gernant's Church Road, which is handicap accessible. Shirley Breininger will be the musician for the service and will also perform a piano solo entitled "Be Thou My Vision." An Ash Wednesday service will be held at Epler's United Church, 1151 W. Leesport Road, Bern Township, at 7 p.m.

—The United Church of Christ of Robesonia, 301 W. Penn Ave., will worship Sunday at 10:15 a.m. by YouTube, in person, by telephone and Facebook. Details can be found at sprucc.org and 1zion.org. Small groups are forming, based on interests such as greeting card crafting, addiction recovery and faith, bowling, Bible Study, choirs and more. Participants in small groups do not need to be members. Contact the Rev. Mary Etta Mest at mestme@aol.com with questions or to join a group. Bible study happens on Tuesday at 9 a.m. There will be an Ash Wednesday service at 6:30 p.m. with the distribution of ashes. A community meal, Soup 'n' Such, will be offered on Thursday from 4-6 p.m. The Clothing Closet will be open during the same hours but additionally by appointment by calling the church office at 610-621-5770.

—St. John's Lutheran Church, 45 N. Reading Ave., Boyertown, will worship on Sunday at 9:30 a.m., livestreamed on YouTube (St. John's ELC Boyertown). Children's Sunday school is at 9:30 a.m. There will be worship on Ash Wednesday at 7 p.m. Free drive-through, take-out meal every Saturday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. No registration necessary.

—Schwarzwald Lutheran Church, 250 Church Lane Road, Exeter Township, will worship in person on Sunday at 10:30 a.m., with Holy Communion.

—Calvary United Church of Christ, 640 Centre Ave., Reading, will worship at 8 and 10 a.m. on Sunday with Betsy Majewski, who also will lead adult forum at 9. Harriet Rauenzahn will play "Dance of the Graceful Young Maidens" on piano. There will be Ash Wednesday services with the Rev. Steve Ohnsman, pastor, at noon and 7 p.m.

—St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 5 W. Arch St., Fleetwood, will have two worship services on Sunday, at 9, also online, and 10:30 a.m. The links to FaceBook and YouTube are found at www.stpaulsfleetwood.org. Worship leaders will be Carol Aulenbach at 9 and Gary Reinert at 10:30. There will be an Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.

—Epler's United Church of Christ, 1151 W. Leesport Road, Bern Township, will worship in person and on Facebook at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, which includes a healing service. Sunday school for all ages is at 9:30. A community Ash Wednesday service will be held at 7 p.m. Visit www.eplerschurch.org for more information.

—Christ Episcopal Church, 435 Court St., Reading, will hold two services on Sunday, each including Holy Eucharist; at 8 a.m., a spoken-word service from the Book of Common Prayer, and at 10 a.m., a family service with music. Adult forum will be held at 9 in the first-floor parlor with Dr. Richard Androne speaking on "The History of Christ Episcopal Church" and then move upstairs (elevator available), where Androne will conduct a tour of the sanctuary.. Parking is available at the Abe Lincoln Hotel parking garage and the M&T Bank lot, both off of Washington Street. Handicap spaces are available beside the church on Court Street. Ash Wednesday services will be held at 7 a.m. (spoken), noon (spoken) and 5:30 p.m. (with music), all with the imposition of ashes and including Holy Eucharist. On Thursday at 11, a Morning Prayer service from the Book of Common Prayer will be held in the first-floor chapel. To access the Centering Prayer Zoom link or learn more, go to rdgchristchurch.org.

—Kissinger's Church, 715 Berkshire Blvd., Wyomissing, will hold an Hour of Prayer on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The public is invited to attend to submit prayer requests and to pray for others. Pray for our country and for each other.