Souper Bowl Sunday collections help tackle hunger [Religion Digest]

Feb. 11----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. Youth will be holding soup pots following both services for Souper Bowl of Caring, tackling hunger around the world. Reformation's donations will benefit Hope's Pantry, North Front Street, Reading. Worshipers are invited to wear their favorite team jerseys to church. 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.

—St. John's Gernant's Church (A Federated Congregation), 13 Gernant's Church Road, Ontelaunee Township, will worship Sunday at 9:30 a.m., with Holy Communion, in the Memorial Hall, 12 Gernant's Church Road, which is handicap accessible. Sondra Barth-Delp will perform a solo titled "He Has Set Me Free". We will be also celebrating Souper Bowl Sunday, focusing on helping to provide food for the Schuylkill Valley Food Pantry by bringing in canned goods, pasta and non-perishable food items for distribution to families in need. Bible study will be held on Tuesday at 1 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. For lunch on Super Bowl Sunday, the congregation will bring various soups to taste a bit of each in little cups or to have a bowl of one or more. Bring crackers, bread, butter and desserts. Sunday school is available for all ages at 9. Tuesday morning Bible study meets at 9 by Zoom. Wednesday evening Bible study meets at 6:30 by Zoom or in person.

—Calvary United Church of Christ, 1231 Route 100, Washington Township, will hold worship in-person and livestreamed on Facebook and by Zoom on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. To mark Souper Bowl Sunday, offerings will be taken for the Anne Frances Outreach Foundation, which will be used to provide a hot meal to those that are unsheltered. For Zoom, call 1-646-558-8656 and enter the meeting ID 913 8085 8414, passcode 848423. There will be a 25-cent sale and indoor flea market today from 8-11 a.m.

—Zion's Lutheran Church, 354 Zions Church Road, Perry Township, will be celebrating Scout Sunday and Souper Bowl Sunday at 10:30 a.m., with Holy Communion. Cans of soup as well as monetary donation will be collected in support of Helping Harvest Food Bank. The service will be in person, Facebook Live and the church website. Sunday school for all ages begins at 9:15.

—Christ Lutheran Church, 222 Niantic Road, Washington Township, will worship Sunday at 9 a.m. The new green paraments for the altar and pulpit donated in memory of Arlene Delp will be dedicated. The annual congregational meeting will be held following the service. Coffee & Conversation will be held at 8:30 in the Welcome Center. No adult Sunday school class. Confirmation class will meet in room I after the meeting.

—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.

—Schwarzwald United Church of Christ, 75 Church Lane Road, Exeter Township, will be holding an in-person and Zoom service on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. It will also be available on YouTube. Adult Sunday school starts at 9:15. Game night will be held tonight from 6-8. Bring a game and snack or ice cream. For more information, visit www.schwarzwalducc-pa.org.

—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 The Rev. 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.

—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. Free drive through, take-out meal every Saturday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. No registration necessary. Ash Wednesday worship will be held on Feb. 22 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. Sunday school for all ages is at 9:30. Visit www.eplerschurch.org for more information.

—Friedens United Church of Christ, 337 Main St., Oley, will hold in-person (also on YouTube) worship Sunday at 10:15 a.m. Teri Hoffman will be guest musician. There will be a children's message during worship, and then children will be excused for Sunday school. For more information, visit www.friedensuccoley.org.

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

—Friedens United Church of Christ, 337 Main St., Oley, will worship in person, by Zoom and on YouTube on Sunday at 10:15 a.m. After a children's message for ages 3-12, the children are invited to attend Sunday school. The Mission Team will be conducting another food drive for the Oley Valley Food Pantry today from 9-11 a.m. Slightly worn shoes can also be donatedas the team continues to work toward raising money for the Peru mission trip. Over 1,500 pounds have been collected so far toward the goal of 5,000 pounds. For more information, visit www.friedensuccoley.org.

—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. At 9 in the first-floor parlor, adult forum will present "Bluegrass and Gospel Songs of Life," with Matt Wlasniewski. 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. On Wednesday, worship services including Holy Eucharist will be held at noon and 5:30, the latter with healing available. 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.

—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.

—Trinity United Church of Christ, 2449 Cumberland Ave., Mount Penn, will worship Sunday at 10:15 a.m. The Handbell Choir will ring "Shine, Jesus, Shine" under the direction of Dr. Ina Slater Grapenthin. Church school for adults is held at 9.

—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.

—Maidencreek Church, 261 Main St., Maidencreek Township, will hold a hybrid worship service on Sunday at 9 a.m., with installation of shared board, baptisms and receiving new members. Music includes selections by the Youth Choir and Senior Choir with Kelli Rosenberger on flute; piano selection by Eliza Bailey; and Kimberly Ayrton, organ. The service is livestreamed to Facebook and YouTube. Links can be found at www.maidencreekchurch.org.