Active Outreach

View and download the 2009 Short Term Mission Field Journal

2010 short term mission trips
Chile earthquake disaster response
Haiti earthquake disaster response
Outreach programs at FPC Bethlehem

Hear, Pray, TASTE, Go
Continue to keep all short-term mission teams and those they touched in your prayers! The international mission team members going to Argentina in October are inviting you to know more about the purpose of their trip and will hold an EMPANADAS tasting during the church picnic and on Sept. 18 and 19. Pre-order forms will also be available for ordering them for delivery at the end of the month (more info to follow). Empanadas are a typical Argentina meal and you can enjoy them as if you were joining us in that part of the world!

2010 SHORT TERM MISSION TRIPS (STM)
Download a 2010 STM application.

Christo Rey, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 22–31
Partnering with Christo Rey as they reach out to homeless and disadvantaged families in inner-city Buenos Aires. Email trip leaders This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Helping Hands in Nashville, TN, Oct. 9–24
Join members of the Lehigh Presbytery to help rebuild homes ravaged by flooding. This great opportunity is for one or two weeks from Oct. 9–24, 2010. For applications and more information click here are available at www.lehighpresbytery.org/hhct trips.htm or email trip registrar, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

SITE LEADER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SERVE DAY 2.0
FPC Bethlehem Serve Day is an intergenerational day of engagement through service with our Bethlehem community. This year’s Serve Day has been set for Saturday, Oct. 2. The committee is looking for individuals to serve as site leaders. Site leaders interface with the agency to which they have been assigned and coordinate the volunteers who will be volunteering at their assigned site. If you are interested in serving as a site leader, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Chile Earthquake Disaster Response
A devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile on Saturday, February 27, 2010, causing widespread damage and triggering tsunami warnings throughout the Pacific Rim. Approximately 1.5 million homes have been damaged or destroyed leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Damage to infrastructure is widespread as well. While Chile is a country well known for disaster preparedness (particularly in the case of earthquakes), the recovery from this disaster is obviously going to take a global effort.

To participate in this effort Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), in partnership with Church World Service (CWS), is working to provide basic humanitarian assistance and to help local partners in assessing the needs in Chile. To contribute to this effort. donations can be made out to First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem with either “Chile Earthquake” or PDA Acct DR000185 in the memo.

PDA has already committed $25,000 of its funds to this effort and will be giving more as the damage from the quake is further assessed.To learn more or to donate directly to PDA, please visit their website.

If you are interested in volunteering in the disaster response or recovery effort in Chile, please first consider InterAction’s guidelines on the most appropriate ways to help. Those with technical skills or international experience who would like to volunteer are encouraged to do so through the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI).

Thank you for your faithful responses to this and other global crises. It is through your response to and participation in these efforts that the hope of Christ is made known.

Haiti Earthquake Disaster Response
The catastrophic 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, and has devastated not only the capital, Port Au Prince, but virtually the entire country. The best way to respond to this disaster is to donate money through a relief organization with a presence in Haiti.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is collecting aid in order to respond to this earthquake and has set a one million dollar goal for their response, PDA account number DR000064. You can donate online, or you may write a check to First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem with Haiti Earthquake in the memo. We will be sending monies collected through FPC Bethlehem to PDA next week.

You can also donate through Red Cross, World Vision, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

On the local front, FPC Bethlehem is actively supporting the Life Church of Allentown in their work with Rescue Children Orphanage Please contact Jack Brace, FPC Bethlehem Pastor for Mission & Outreach, ext. 250, for more information or to get involved.

OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT FPC

Get Involved!
New Bethany Ministries needs food donations and volunteers from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on the 1st and 4th Mondays of each month. Please call Melinda Behrens at 610-282-3501 and offer your help.

The Giving Tree
Take an ornament from the Giving Tree in Fellowship Hall and bring a Christmas gift for someone less fortunate.

Gift World
Visit the global marketplace held in Fellowship Hall in November. See wares displayed from the countries in which First Presbyterian Church Bethlehem currently has missionaries. Buy "shares" to help the missionaries purchase what they need for their particular ministry.

One Great Hour of Sharing
A special offering collected over the course of a month that helps support Presbyterian ministries around the world.

Disaster Recovery and Short-term Mission Experiences
Our core values include the following implementation statement: Relevance—we live this value by reaching out beyond our social, political, economic, ethnic, generational, denominational and linguistic boundaries without compromising the Good News and, in doing so, being relevant to the people we touch.

Mission Partnering
We practice intentional partner with other churches and organizations to accomplish ministry and evangelism in the community and the rest of the world. Partnerships, overseen by our Mission Partner Support Committee, are comprised of:

- 22 missionary families and individuals ministering throughout the globe.
- Local mission organizations ministering evangelistically and holistically to members of our community. Local ministries we support include Victory House, New Bethany Ministries, Northeast Ministries, Youth for Christ, Habitat for Humanity and more.
- Denominational support for designated mission endeavors—locally, nationally and globally.