Worship
Please join us in worship Sunday, January 25th at 9:30 a.m.
People pick up battery-operated votive candles and write their prayers during a Jan. 9 prayer vigil hosted by Minneapolis’ Park Avenue United Methodist Church. The church is just two blocks from where a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good. At Sunday services, worshippers at Park Avenue and other United Methodist congregations remembered Good, mourned the week’s violence by federal officials and took comfort in God’s presence. Photo courtesy of Park Avenue United Methodist Church.
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY JAN 25, 2026
First reading
Isaiah 9:1-4
Psalm
Psalm 27:1, 4-9
Second reading
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Gospel
Matthew 4:12-23
As articulated by Bishop A. Robert Hirschfeld in his address to New Hampshire leaders, the time for carefully worded statements may have well passed. Words without cost have become a form of moral evasion. The opportunity before us is not just to remember King but to embody his call. The call is to place our bodies, our institutions, our reputations, and our comfort between empire and those it would crush. Anything less is sentimentality masquerading as discipleship.
Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling
Lively music, reading, and preaching with special guests and a warm welcome. Communion on First Sundays.
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Hundreds of people gather on Jan. 10 in Portland, Ore., at a candlelight vigil for those killed or injured by federal immigration agents. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Ministries
Missions
We raise money to support local food banks, shelters, and charities, including our Good Samaritan Fund for needy neighbors. We cook for Emmanuel Dining Room and host a perpetual
food drive all year to feed the hungry.
To volunteer please call Nancy.
Contact Nancy Storer
storernancy@aol.com / 302-475-3549
In the old stone church, we are full of affordable treasures & staffed by
volunteers. The proceeds go to charities such as Claymont Food Closet, Sojourner's House, Sunday Breakfast, Friendship House, and others.
Open Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 10-3
Volunteers needed Mon morning 9-11 to stock & price; Wed, Thurs. & Fri half day at checkout counter. Call Dora to help!
Presently we enroll 85 children, in three classes for ages 2-5. We are a Christian preschool and daycare. Hours are full or part-time with lunch options as well as a summer camp.
Contact Vicki Antignani
chester.bethel.Preschool@gmail.com
Tel: 302-475-0377
Music Ministry
Carmella Selvaggio-Lynch is our Director of Music and organist. There is a bell choir headed by
Pam Manocchio and many opportunities to sing God's praise.
Contact Carmella Selvaggio-Lynch
carm12340@comcast.net | Tel: 302-475-3549
Weddings and Funerals
Weddings in the sanctuary are available to church members, their families, and folks in our surrounding community.
If you are interested in holding a funeral here, Pastor Kelly is ready to minister to you and your family, schedule permitting, regardless of your membership. Please contact the office at 302-475-3549.
