Soup sale now

Effort UMC is holding a quart of soup sale now through Jan. 20. Pickup will be on Jan. 24 after each service. Choose bacon corn chowder or lentil, with or without sausage.

Call the church office at 570-629-1890 to place an order or sign up at the welcome center.

Bingo night

The West End Park & Open Space Commission has its first bingo night on the calendar for Friday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Chestnuthill Park Building in Brodheadsville.

The event will follow COVID-19 guidelines.

Masks are required inside.

Refreshments will only be prepackaged snacks sold at this time. Snacks are to be eaten while seated.

No outside drink or food.

Food distribution

The West End Food Pantry in Kunkletown is scheduled to have a food distribution from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. It serves families in Monroe County’s West End and neighboring areas in Carbon County.

For qualifying information, visit westendpantry.com or call 610-895-4444.

McMichaels news

Services are now being held inside at McMichaels UMC, with only 25 people allowed in the sanctuary. Any overflow will have to be seated at a safe distance in the fellowship hall.

The pews have been sectioned off with rope and one can only sit in every other pew with one’s family.

Masks must be worn all the time one is inside. There is no singing except for Dennis, the church musician, and no woodwind instruments can be played in worship.

Social distancing is required in the fellowship hall.

Virtual service

Salem-St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Kresgeville, will have a virtual service Sunday through email at ssplc@ptd.net and YouTube, plus it will be on the church’s Facebook site.

Sunday services

Pleasant Valley Assembly of God Church will have Sunday services at 9 and 11 a.m. Registration is required.

Children’s ministries are offered only during the 11 a.m. service.

Two services

Zion Lutheran, Brodheadsville, has resumed indoor worship services. However, the evening service on Saturdays is suspended as of this Saturday.

The Sunday services are indoor at 8 and 10:30 a.m., at which physical distancing is practiced and masks are required.

No in-person

Effort UMC has announced that as per Miss Brenda, there will be no live-in-person Sunday school/Body Building for the youth until February, at which time meeting in-person will be re-evaluated.

Continue to watch for notices of online Zoom meetings.

Offices closed

Polk Township will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The township will reopen for normal hours Tuesday.

The Monroe County Aging Office will be closed also.

Christian Unity

Pastors from local community houses of worship will be participating in a virtual ecumenical prayer service for the Week of Christian Unity 2021.

The service, sponsored by the Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network, will be livestreamed from Our Lady Queen of Peace Church at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Watch it live or recorded on the church’s Facebook page or YouTube.

PVEN distribution

Tuesday is a choice distribution for the PVEN Food Pantry.

For more information on how to qualify for help, call the PVEN at 570-992-3136.

Chestnuthill

The Chestnuthill Township Board of Supervisors may meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal building in Brodheadsville.

The decision has not yet been made.

Check the website or call the township office at 570-992-7247.

LIHEAP help

From the Monroe County Assistance Office comes a reminder that the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is available to help low-income families pay heating bills.

For more information, including qualifications and how to apply, call the Monroe County Assistance Office at 570-424-3915 or toll-free at 877-905-1495, or visit www.compass.state.pa.us.

Meetings canceled

Operation Touch of Home has canceled its January and February meetings. March’s meeting is yet to be decided.

Eldred meeting

The Eldred Township Board of Supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the municipal building on Kunkletown Road.

It will be a combination of in-person and virtual.

Instructions on how to join the meeting are on the website or call 610-381-4252.

Sunday supper

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church’s next Sunday supper will be served at 3 p.m., as a takeout only. People are asked to stay in their vehicle and the meal will be brought out to them.

Prayer Shawl

Effort UMC’s Prayer Shawl Ministry is to meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday in the church kitchen.

Items needed

The Supplemental Food Resource Center at Effort UMC would appreciate donations of pasta/and or sauce.

It will again be open to serve people in need from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 23.

Alpha series

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church will begin an 11-week journey and retreat that explores life, faith and Jesus on Feb. 3.

For questions or to register, contact Linda Carbone, Director of Parish Engagement, Alpha Coordinator, at carbone@qopchurch.org.

Driving class

According to the Monroe County Aging office, there are no live classes being offered for the former 55-Alive AARP Driver Safety Program, now the new SMART DRIVER 4 & 8-hour classroom refresher/defensive driving course. It is designed for qualified drivers 50 and older. There are no tests, and membership in the AARP is not necessary.

All automobile insurance companies doing business in Pennsylvania are required by state law to give a minimum discount of 5 percent to all qualified policy holders age 55 and over who take the course.

People should first check with their insurance agent or company to make sure they qualify to receive a discount.

However, for those who would like to take the class online, they can do so at https://www.aarpdriversafety.org.

Contact Adele Argot at 717-933-4028 or arargot3@verizon.net. Contact the Times News at 800-443-0377 or tneditor@tnonline.com.