Outreach Ministries
Better Buy Thrift Shop
The Better Buy Thrift Shop is an outreach of Southside Ministries
and is staffed by volunteers from Nativity, First United Church
of Christ, Fritz Memorial Methodist Church, St John’s Windish
Lutheran Church, and St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
and members of SPARC. The shop is located in the undercroft of the
Cathedral. People who are given vouchers by New Bethany, Center
City Ministries, Turning Point and the various churches are provided
with free clothing. The Shop also provides our neighbors in the
community the opportunity to buy good, serviceable clothing at reasonable
prices. Donations of clothing in good condition by members of the
congregation are welcomed and necessary for continued operation.
Jan Beer is the manager of the shop and Vivian Hippensteal is the
Nativity coordinator with the other churches. Volunteers from Nativity
give their time three Wednesdays each month (not on the third Wednesday).
Volunteers are needed to sort donations and act as sales persons.
Please call Jan Beer, 610-282-3444, to offer your services.
Cathedral Lay Pastoral Ministry
The Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers in the Lehigh Valley offers
short and/or long term care giving assistance for elderly or disabled
individuals living independently and needing additional personal
support. Volunteers provide assistance and care for members of the
Cathedral who are homebound and need respite care, friendly visiting,
transportation to and from appointments, light housekeeping, telephone
reassurance, light yard work, errands, reading and writing, and
information and referral. The caregivers of the Cathedral are part
of our Lay pastoral Ministry and also assist the Interfaith Lehigh
Valley Caregivers. Requests are welcome and should be made by calling
the Cathedral office.
The coordinator for the Cathedral Lay Ministry is Carlo Strack,
610-282-2033. Volunteers who enjoy helping people on a personal
basis are always welcome.
Fellowship
A period of fellowship is held in the Sayre Hall from 10 -10:25
AM on Sunday morning from September to the end of May. In the summer
time lemonade and iced tea are served on the terrace after the 10
AM service. Individuals and families set up and clear away. If you
would like to meet new people and enjoy fellowship, please call
Angelica Baez, 610-797-1416, to volunteer during the winter. Judy
Neunzig, 610-866- 1279, coordinates volunteers during the summer.
Friendly Freezer
The Friendly Freezer is stocked with nourishing meals for anyone
who is sick or homebound and could make use of this service. The
Freezer is stocked either by a cooking session in the church kitchen
or by individuals who cook at home and place the food in the freezer.
The meals are delivered at the direction of the clergy.
Hospitality
The Hospitality Committee works with the Cathedral Clergy, staff
and Other committees, and Diocesan Staff to plan and serve food
for parish and diocesan functions. This encompasses coordinating
all aspects of meal planning, including identifying hosts and hostesses,
scheduling workers, menu selection, soliciting food donations when
appropriate, food purchas- ing, providing floral arrangements and
table settings, and supervising the preparation, serving and clean
up of assigned meals. This is a very big job and can only be achieved
with the help of many parishioners. Please call Sally Snyder, 610-867-6049,
to volunteer.
New Bethany Ministries
New Bethany is a shelter for homeless families and individuals,
a meal center, and a place where homeless individuals can receive
counseling. The Family Residences are our close neighbor at 337
Wyandotte Street. There are ten additional apartments located at
Restoration House at 202 East Third Street. The meal center is located
on the lower level of New Bethany on the side that faces East Fourth
Street. Members from Nativity serve at the meal center on the first
Tuesday and Friday of the Month. Jean Montgomery, 610-691-2889,
arranges the schedule of workers and welcomes individuals who like
to cook. New Bethany Ministries is happy to receive pieces of good
furniture that can be given to families who very much need furniture.
New Bethany Ministries Office located just down the street at
337 Wyandotte Street, 610-691-5602. Visit
their website at www.newbethanyministries.org.
Prayer Chain
Members of the Cathedral Prayer Chain pray for special needs of
our members and for others for whom prayer is requested. Prayer
is continued for a period of seven days unless a longer period is
specified in the request. All prayers requests are completely confidential.
To start a prayer request simply call the church office, Beverly
Craul, 610-838-2288, or Dolores Schiesser, 610-797-5898. Please
call Beverly Craul if you would like to become a member of the Prayer
Chain.
ShareCare
ShareCare, Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers in the Lehigh Valley
has completed three years of providing and facilitating quality,
loving volunteer caregiving services to persons who are elderly
and with special needs in order to enhance dignity, independence,
quality of life and spiritual enrichment for all participants. Six
Bethlehem congregations are presently active members of ShareCare.
The ShareCare Office is located on the first floor of Old Deanery.
Training is provided for caregivers from time to time. If you would
like to receive training, please call Lynn Heiney, ShareCare Coordinator
at 610-867-2177.
South Bethlehem Neighborhood Center
South Bethlehem Neighborhood Center is located at 700 Evans Street.
There are two outreach activities of SBNC here at Nativity. The
Welcome Place is located on the lowest level of Sayre Hall. It is
one of four locations of after school programs sponsored by SBNC.
Program leaders monitor homework completion and grades, and keep
in contact with the children’s classroom teachers during the
School year. In the summer program mornings are spent doing academic
enrichment activities and afternoons the children go on field trips
or do other recreational or sports activities. SBNC receives the
food that we collect on the fourth Sunday of each month for distribution
through its emergency food pantry which serves needy south side
residents. SBNC coordinates the Nativity Youth Group's distribution
of twenty turkey baskets at Thanksgiving and gifts to two needy
families at Christmas. Volunteers are welcomed at the Nativity programs
as well as the other programs sponsored by SBNC. Sue Bergman is
Director of SBNC. The phone number is 610-865-2791.
Southside Ministries
Southside Ministries is an outreach program co-sponsored by five
Bethlehem Southside churches: First United Church of Christ, Holy
Ghost Roman Catholic Church, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church,
St. John’s Windish Lutheran Church and the Cathedral. Southside
Ministries sponsors an Ecumenical Service for Christian Unity, a
Thanksgiving service and a Lenten Ecumenical Service. The KIDS Vacation
Bible School is held in the summer and concludes with a musical
performance. During the year activities such as basketball, dances,
tennis, and movies are scheduled for the youth. The Southside Ministries
office is located on the second floor of Sayre Hall through the
double doors on the balcony. Judy Neunzig is coordinator and welcomes
volunteers who like to work with children and young people. Judy
can be reached at home at 610-866-1279.
Van Drivers
We are pleased to be able to provide assistance for some of our
members who need transportation to attend the Sunday 10:30 AM (10
AM in summer) service. The Van is wheel chair accessible and has
steps with hand rails to provide assistance getting in and out of
the van. Please call the church office before Friday noon if you
would like to be picked up for the Sunday service. Other groups
in the church can schedule the van for outings and activities. Arrangements
are made through the office. The van is an excellent service opportunity
for any reliable parishioner with a good driving record. Drivers
are scheduled to drive once about every six weeks. Anyone interested
in driving the van should call the Church Office.
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