Trinity Happenings

Sunday worship at Trinity Lutheran Church, 175 S. Third St., Lehighton, begins at 9:30 a.m. Licensed Lay Minister Kathy Long presides. Coffeehouse fellowship begins at 10:30 a.m. in Luther Hall.

Weekly Lenten soup suppers held at 6 p.m. Wednesdays through April 9.

Livestream Sunday worship available on the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TrinityLehighton) or on the church website (tlclehighton.com).

Sunday Church School and confirmation classes begin at 10:45 a.m. Youth group for students grades seven through 12 meet at noon with adviser Alex Haggerty.

First Holy Communion classes for students in fifth grade and above will be held March 30 and April 6, noon-2 p.m. Lunch is provided. Please call the church office during business hours to preregister your child by March 22. The children completing both classes will receive their first Holy Communion on April 17 during the 7 p.m. worship.

Church initiatives:

The Food Pantry is open from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays (and third Tuesday from 5:30-7 p.m.) with an outdoor drive-up setting. Residents who reside in the Lehighton Area School District are eligible to receive supplemental food. Participants must remain in their vehicle at time of pickup. Pantry volunteers will assist pedestrians/those not in vehicles.

The Trinity Thrift Store regular store hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays; and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays. Household goods and clothing donations will be accepted during store hours on Wednesdays. There is a five bag limit. Use door 2 to bring clothing inside.

Looking ahead:

Spaghetti dinner: An all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner and basket raffle will be held from 4-7 p.m. on March 29. Advance dinner tickets may be purchased during weekday office hours or after Sunday worship. The dinner is a youth fundraiser.

Variety show: Trinity is planning a variety show for anyone interested in music, singing, dancing and entertaining. Date to be announced at a later time. Call the church office to sign up.

St. John’s

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mahoning, 826 Mahoning Dr. W., Lehighton, will hold worship service with Holy Communion at 10:45 a.m. Sunday. Sunday school takes place at 9:30 a.m.

Dinner and discussion: The group will meet at 6:30 p.m. on March 20 in the church office. For more information, contact Cheryl Kistler at 610-533-5723.

Book Club: Book Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on March 25. The book “All the Forgiveness” by Elizabeth Hardinger will be discussed.

Rummage sale: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. March 28 and 8 a.m.-noon March 29. Donations are still being accepted. Call the church for items that are not accepted. There will be a collection for the Carbon County Animal Shelter and Carbon County Friends of Animals. Bring a donation for a chance to win a gift card. The ticket will be drawn at noon on March 29.

In addition to the sale, there will also be free items available under the pavilion. For questions, contact Kistler at above number.

Spring bazaar: April 11 from 5-7:30 p.m. and April 12 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free Easter egg hunt at 11 a.m. for ages up to 12.

Community Cupboard: Dinkey Memorial Church in Ashfield has a food cupboard available to those in need who are members of Dinkey Memorial and St. John’s or residents of East Penn Township. The distribution is the third Thursday of every month from 3:30-5 p.m. in Dinkey’s Social Room. For more information, speak with Pastor Tony.

Cemetery decorations: All Christmas decorations must be removed from the cemetery by April 11. Please be sure to put your cemetery decorations in the garbage container marked specifically for “cemetery decorations.”

Ben Salem UCC

Ben Salem UCC, 1965 Church Hill Road, Lehighton, will hold Sunday Worship at 8 a.m. with a Praise Band and at 10:15 a.m. for a traditional service that is also livestreamed on the church website. Communion service will be the first Sunday of each month.

Sunday school is held at 9 a.m. Sunday and is open to anyone from nursery through youth.

• Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Senior Choir practice.

• Thursday at 6:45 p.m., Handbell Choir practice.

Lenten schedule:

All services during this time will be held at 7 p.m.:

• March 26: Zion Stone Church, 45 Cemetery Road, New Ringgold.

• April 2: Ben Salem UCC, 1965 Church Hill Road, Lehighton.

• April 9: Dinkey Memorial Church, 1742 Dinkey Road, Lehighton.

• April 17: St Peter’s Church, Tamaqua.

• April 18: Ben Salem UCC, Lehighton.

Fundraiser events:

• The Spring Bazaar will be held from 5-7:30 p.m. on April 4 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. of April 5. It includes a food and bake sale, homemade Easter candy, a basket raffle, knotted blankets and homemade crafts.

• Ham and dandelion dinner will be held from 3-6 p.m. on April 26.

Visit www.bensalemucc.com or Facebook for more information or call the office at 570-386-3870.

To submit a news item, email tneditor@tnonline.com.