New ministry aided by EPA Wholeness Center grant Anchor Lancaster, a ministry at First UMC Lancaster, served 30,000 hot breakfast meals in 2022. The breakfast ministry, which serves every weekday, including holidays, was recognized as “the best non-profit in Lancaster.” …
Giving to Advance Specials aids ministries in need
Jesus calls us to go the second mile (Matthew 5:41) in our sacrificial giving. Most Eastern PA churches do just that—giving beyond their apportioned askings to support conference and denominational ministries. And while many also fund causes in their own …
EPA clergy of color invited to renewal retreat in June
Just weeks after an Annual Conference focused on the theme “Possibility,” Eastern PA clergy of color will get to explore their own possibilities of learning self-renewal and restoration through a joyful, guided process of spiritual and emotional nurture. And they …
Church to dedicate Memorial to the Lost on MLK Day, Jan. 16
Lansdale UMC will remember gun violence victims during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by hosting a dedication of the Montgomery County Memorial to the Lost on Monday, Jan. 16, at 11 AM. The memorial, cosponsored by the advocacy group Heeding …
Christmas season activities, resources for families
Elizabeth Christie, education director at Fritz UMC in Bethlehem, a specialist in ministries for children and families, offers video links to Christmastime activities and resources for children, youth and families to enjoy at church and at home. She hosted a …
EPA’s camps prepare for winter retreats, summer fun
EPA’s Camp & Retreat Centers are looking back at a successful year in 2022 and looking forward to yet another, as they express both thanks and hopes for fundraising donations, while preparing for winter events and larger attendance at summer …
UMCOR increases EPA’s disaster recovery funds and wisdom
As the EPA Conference increases its support to survivors of devastating storms spawned by Hurricanes Ida in 2021 and Isaias in 2020, the UMC’s disaster relief agency is increasing its support of our ongoing efforts. UMCOR (the UM Committee on …
EPA sends over 10,000 Christmas cards to prisoners
A heart-to-heart ministry Eastern PA Conference members and churches again reached out to incarcerated persons with caring messages of encouragement penned on signed Christmas cards. And again, we went the second mile by also donating unsigned cards that inmates can …
Church food pantry feeds hundreds of neighbors
Bridesburg UMC in northeast Philadelphia, established in 1834, provides food to about 250 families from the 19134 and 19137 ZIP codes, through the Bridesburg Community Food Pantry, located on its lower level. The church is fighting hunger in an area …
EPA’s hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico continue
The Rev. Nicolas Camacho led his seventh mission team of Eastern PA volunteers to Puerto Rico Nov. 5-12 to help residents there recover from the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in 2018. The ramshackle, storm-damaged house they transformed into …