The Consistory and members of Pennsburg UCC are honored and delighted to partner with Open Link and the Upper Perkiomen Homeless Coalition to offer the house on our property for use as a Code Blue shelter! Thankfully the Pennsburg Borough passed the measure to allow the Coalition and Open Link to operate a Code Blue shelter out of the House at 777 Main Street in Pennsburg. What does this mean? With a planned opening in December, the shelter will be open through the end of April to house the homeless throughout the community on any night that the wind-chill temperature is expected to fall below 32 degrees. Unfortunately, the Valley is not immune to homelessness, and this shelter is needed to help keep those affected safe during the winter months.

Volunteers with the Coalition have been working very hard to get the House ready with cleaning, painting, and general repair days scheduled. For more information, or if you are interested in donating items to Code Blue or Open Link, or you are interested in volunteering with Code Blue, please visit the Code Blue (https://www.upperperkcodeblue.org/) and Open Link (https://theopenlink.org/) websites. You can also follow the Upper Perk Homeless Coalition on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/upperperkhomelessnesscoalition/) to stay up-to-date on all of their current needs and volunteer opportunities. The shelter will host an Open House on Sunday, December 8th from 1-3 pm.

Respectfully,

Scott C. Mest

Consistory President

First Monday Meal!

The next First Monday Meal at Pennsburg UCC will be January 6, 2024, and will be prepared and served by the Upper Perk Rotary. The menu is:

Pork

Mashed potatoes

Sauerkraut

Green beans

Rolls

Dessert

Assorted beverages

Serving will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Help is always appreciated for the First Monday Meal, from preparation, to serving, to clean up. Please call or email the church office if you are interested in helping out, or if you are an organization interested in hosting a Monday meal.

Thank you to all members that attended our annual Congregational meeting and luncheon this past Sunday. We had enjoyed some time for fellowship and engaged in some productive discussion. Thank you to Charlene Heinrich and Holly Lash for joining the 2025 Consistory. Thank you to Wendy Mensch and Scott Mest for completing their second terms on Consistory. Lastly, thank you to everyone that provided a side dish or dessert to share for lunch.