Trinity happenings

Weekly Sunday indoor worship at Trinity Lutheran Church, 175 S. Third St., Lehighton, begins Oct. 25 with Holy Communion, 9:30 a.m. The Rite of Confirmation will be celebrated as five young people make public affirmations of their faith. The Rev. Nancy Moore presides. Vicar Joshua Krenz assists.

Safety restrictions and guidelines will be followed. Reservations must be made before the close of office hours on Thursday. Weekly reservations need to be made each Thursday prior to the Sunday worship at 610-377-4303 or email telc1872@ptd.net. Facebook: www.facebook.com/TrinityLehighton. Enter the doors on Iron Street. Masks covering the nose and mouth must be worn throughout the entirety of the worship service. There will be no singing. Livestream broadcast is available at the church website. Rebroadcasts are available on the Facebook page.

Sunday school sessions start 10:45 a.m. for students age 3 through sixth grade along Iron Street as a drive-thru format.

The Thrift Store has reopened. There are some changes: Shopping and donation drop-offs will be by appointment only. Call 610-377-4471 on Mondays from 9-5 p.m. to schedule an appointment. The store will be open for shoppers with an appointment on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Fridays from 1-6 p.m. Drop-offs can be scheduled on Thursdays by appointment only. Masks and social distancing will be required. Due to limited space, no children under the age of 12 will be allowed.

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

The NEPA Synod online assembly with the theme “We Are Church Together” started and proceeded well last weekend. The assembly continues in its final two sessions. Over 200 congregations are represented with 500 delegates from the nine mission districts. The major focus is election of a bishop. Current Bishop, the Rev. Samuel Zeiser, a Jim Thorpe native, is completing his second six-year term and is not eligible for re-election. There are seven pastors (four men, three women) who have received the highest number of votes. One of these clergy ordained in Word and Sacrament will be elected Saturday, to serve for the next six years. Two of the seven have prior ties in Lehighton: the Rev. Charles Grube and the Rev. Christopher deForest.

Any person is invited to view the livestream during the plenary (general) sessions. The website is nepasynod.org. Click on the “Watch Assembly Live” icon: 7-9:30 p.m. Friday and 1:30-4 p.m. Saturday.

The worship service for the Bishop-elect is 10 a.m. Dec. 5, via livestream facebook.com/nepsynod. ELCA Bishop the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton will preside.