A Birthday Card Shower has been requested by Sharon Weyant-Muir in honor of Tom Kisling’s 65th birthday on July 27.  If you would like to help fill Tom’s mailbox with birthday greetings, send your card to: Tom Kisling, 123 Elizabeth Drive, Reading, PA, 19608.

The Mission Team is collecting school supplies to fill backpacks for the children of families who are served by the OVFP.  Pencils, pens, colored pencils, erasers, notebook paper, 1 inch three-ring binders, single subject notebooks, colored markers and hi-lighters are needed to fill the backpacks.  Please sign up on the display board located in the Narthex.  If you prefer to donate money for the purchase of school supplies, speak to Sue Henne or mark “MT School Supplies” on your offering envelope.  All school supplies and/or monetary donations must be received by Sunday, July 28. 

On Sunday, July 7 at 9 am we will hold a special worship service, Happy Birthday America III.  During the service there will be a reader’s theater featuring famous Americans.  Holy communion will also be celebrated.  Come out to praise God in word and song as we give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy.

The Oley Valley Food Pantry is always in need of canned vegetables.  We have not collected any of these items yet this year, so July has been deemed “Canned Veggie Month” for our collection.  Let’s see which veggie reigns supreme—canned carrots, canned corn, canned green beans, or canned peas.  Please place your donations in the appropriately marked boxes located at the front of the Sanctuary through Sunday, July 14. 

Come out for food, fellowship and fun at the annual Friedens UCC Church Picnic on Sunday, July 14 at Eric & Veronica Schoellkopf’s barn, 447 Oley Road, Fleetwood.  We will begin with worship at 10:30 am, followed by lunch and fun activities for all ages.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, iced tea lemonade, condiments and paper products will be provided.  Please bring a side dish or dessert.  Remember to bring your lawn chairs, swim suits, towels, fishing gear or any personal items you may need.  Everyone attending is asked to bring with them a canned of bottled juice to donate to the Oley Valley Food Pantry.  A special activity will be a game developed by Rev. Frey called, “So You Know A Zillion Things.”  All will be asked to play this game by forming teams of four who will play against the other teams.  Rev. Frey is challenging everyone to make this picnic the best success yet by coming out and participating in all of the activities. 

A check was recently received from Redner’s in the amount of $77.80.  This donation represents 1% of the total of sales tapes submitted by Friedens UCC.  If you shop at Redner’s and do not have a Save-A-Tape card, simply stop by the store office or customer service area and request a card.  The card is free!  By presenting this card at check-out, your receipt will be designated as a Save-A-Tape customer receipt.  Bring your receipts to church for collection.  Do not cut the tapes in any way!  The entire receipt must be submitted for acceptance by the program.

Our neighbors at Clay on Main, 313 Main Street, Oley are in the middle of hosting a two-week long program with Berks County Migrant Education for children of families who have moved from one school district to another in the last three years to work in agricultural related work. The children are participating in a summer camp that includes daily activities at the Oley Valley Community Library.  The program does not provide lunch for these children and that is where Friedens UCC has been asked to help out.  Sue Henne has purchased supplies to make lunches for the children.  If you are able to help reimburse Sue for the money she has already spent to purchase supplies, please include a donation in your offering envelope marked “lunch” to offset the cost of these supplies.

Church Directories are here!  If you did not pick yours up yet, they are available on Sundays or by contacting the church office.  If you did not get your picture taken and you would like a copy of the Directory, there is a limited supply available for $3 each.

Help is needed for our Funeral Baking Team.  If you are able to provide bars, cakes or cookies for funeral luncheons, please contact Linda Schlegel at 610-987-3337.  Team members do not need to be available for the luncheon—just to provide baked goods.  Because funerals are not planned, you will be contacted to help out, but may only have a couple of days notice. 

If you have a family member graduating this year from high school, college, the military or a technical school, please contact the church office with the information.  This information will be including in our upcoming summer newsletter.