We are looking forward to worship and other religious activities in the summer of 2022!

 

Current plans include returning to worship in the Social Hall on May 30 and every Sunday from

opening weekend (June 27) through Labor Day (September 5). We also plan to hold shorter,

outdoor services for the first three Sundays in June. Worship will begin at 10:30 a.m.

 

Updated pandemic precautions:

Masks are optional for those who have been vaccinated.

 

SUMMER WORSHIP

May 29 — Memorial service, led by our own Rev. Bob Linders – Fellowship Time will be held

following the service.

​

Pastor Robert H. Linders and his wife Debbie have had a cottage at Paradise Falls for 24 years. He is currently Theologian in Residence at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, after serving as senior pastor there from 1977 to 2020. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He also holds an M.A. in English from Monmouth College and master’s and doctoral degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has lectured and preached at prestigious academic institutions as well as many churches, and has published articles as well as books of sermons and essays.

 

June 5 — Participatory, family-friendly 30-minute service at the beach will focus on PFLA Social Outreach, including the second annual PFLA Crop Walk and mission help for Nicaragua.

​

June 12 and June 19 — Family-friendly 30-minute services will be held at the beach.

​

June 26 — Our opening weekend service in Social Hall will be followed by fellowship time on the porch.  

​

We are pleased to welcome visiting pastor Rev. Dr. Miles Hopgood, Pastor of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Ewing, New Jersey, a call he began in February 2020. Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Pastor Hopgood first came to New Jersey in 2013 to pursue a doctorate in Church History at Princeton Theological Seminary, which he completed in October 2019 with a defense of his dissertation on Martin Luther’s lectures on Deuteronomy. Before studying at Princeton Seminary, Miles lived in Chicago for seven years, earning both his Master of Divinity and Bachelor’s degrees at the University of Chicago.

 

Miles shares his life with his wife, Kayla, and their son, Felix, who will be three in November. When he’s not working, Miles enjoys several outdoor activities from rowing to mountaineering. At home, you can find him in the kitchen, where he loves to cook and bake, or around a table playing board games with anyone who’ll join him. He’ll certainly have a number of his favorite games with him this week, so let him know if you’re interested in a game!

​​

July 3 — Bo Bannister serves as Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Hatboro, Pennsylvania (Carol DePue’s church). He is a self-described “Air Force brat” who moved around a great deal as a kid, but who now considers himself to be from Florida, where his parents currently live. He enjoys all types of music and loves to play guitar and sing. He and his wife, Annette, have been married for 22 years and have four children. He does not come from a Lutheran tradition but has fallen in love with Lutheran thought and worship. His main goal as a pastor is to help Christians be instruments of God’s peace, kindness and grace in a world that so desperately needs just that.

​​

July 10 — James Thomas is the Interim Pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Smithfield after retiring from an extensive career in ministry. He serves on the faculty of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir Rhyne University, Columbia, South Carolina, and has held many adjunct professor appointments. He holds master’s degrees in Divinity, Education, Special Education, and Sacred Theology, and a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Administration, and has served as an Air Force chaplain for over 20 years. He has served as a director of African Outreach, Christian Peacemaker, a facilitator for discussions of race relations, and in many other capacities within the Lutheran church and social service agencies. He currently lives with his wife in East Stroudsburg.

​

July 17 —Pastor Dave Lutcher was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, raised a few blocks from the Little League World Series Stadium in South Williamsport, and now lives in Souderton. He is celebrating his 40th Ordination anniversary this month as well as his 35th wedding anniversary with his wife Robin. They have two children and three granddaughters. He attended Susquehanna University and the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg. Pastor Lutcher retired in February 2019, and now serves as bridge pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Sellersville. He enjoys working as an usher at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs games, time with his family, gardening and visits to nursing homes with his therapy dog, Riley.

​

July 24 — Pastor Cotnoir (or Pastor G as most folks know her) has been a pastor in the ELCA for 34 years. She began her ministry in Rochester, New York, after graduating from the LTSP (now United Lutheran Seminary).  Her ministry has combined professional chaplaincy with parish ministry. Pastor Cotnoir returned to the Philadelphia area 10 years ago and currently works for Liberty Lutheran as chaplain at Artman Home and at The Hearth at Drexel. Pastor G is also a trained Interim Pastor currently serving as transition and bridge pastor at St Peter's Lutheran in Chester Springs. She has two grown daughters and, when not working, loves anything on the water, anything with family and anything with food.

​​

July 31 — Rev. Julie DeWerth has served as the Pastor of The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in King of Prussia for the past 11 years. Prior to that, she served four other congregations in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod. She grew up in Westport, Connecticut, and graduated from Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, in 1987. In 1991, she was ordained after graduating from The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Rev. DeWerth resides in Havertown, Pennsylvania, with her husband Dr. Tim Horner who teaches in the Center for Peace and Justice at Villanova University. She has three sons and four step-children with her husband.
She is delighted to be back at Paradise Falls to lead worship.​

​

August 7 — Dan Krewson is the Lead Pastor at Calvary Lutheran Church, West Chester, Pennsylvania. He is also the Convener of the local Religious and Spiritual Council. He served congratulations in Fairfax,Virginia, and Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Dan and his wife Jill have three teenage children. Dan enjoys spending time with family and Muffin, their dog. He also enjoys cooking, music and exercise. ​

​

August 14 —  

The Rev. Dr. Karyn L. Wiseman is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ. She is the Lead Pastor at Gloria Dei Church in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. She has a Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies/Preaching and Worship from Drew University and 21 years of experience pastoring churches in Kansas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Dr. Wiseman is the Herman G. Stuempfle Professor of Homiletics at the United Lutheran Seminary, where she teaches on both the Philadelphia and Gettysburg campuses.

 

She is married to Cindy Clawson, a social worker in Philadelphia, and has a son, Shelby, who just graduated from Temple University. Karyn loves action movies, social media, Broadway musicals and plays, New York Yankees baseball and the Dallas Cowboys. Her love of the church means she is often dreaming of new ways for the church to be all it can be in a new and changing world.

​​

August 21 —​  

Pastor Grace Olson was born in Philadelphia in 1940 and was raised in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

She graduated from Upper Darby High School and then attended Lankenau

Hospital School of Nursing. She married The Rev. Royal L. Olson and later

graduated from Wagner College and Union Theological Seminary in New York

City and was ordained on June 1, 1984.

 

Pastor Grace served two congregations in Brooklyn and Queens, then was assistant

to two bishops in the Metro New York Synod. She became the Pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1997. After retirement, she served as

a part-time transitional pastor at eight congregations in the Allentown area. She is

now the Transitional Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Allentown and lives

at Luther Crest Senior Living with her husband Roy.

 

The couple purchased a home in Paradise Falls in 1972 during its 50th

anniversary. They happily vacationed at PF for over 40 years with their four children

Cindy, Royal, Gary and Eric. Their son, Royal Jr., with his family, is still part of the

Paradise Falls Community. Pastor Olson is happy to lead worship at Paradise Falls during its

100th anniversary year.

 

August 28 — 

The Rev. William R. Mueller serves as Pastor at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Audubon, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of LaSalle University with a degree in Elementary/Special Education and received his Master of Divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Prior to attending seminary, he was a teacher in the Pennridge School District in Sellersville. Pastor Mueller served at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Smithtown, New York, and Advent Lutheran Church in West Chester before joining the staff of St. Andrew’s, Audubon in February of 2010.

 

His path to ordained ministry was paved through his involvement in camping/outdoor ministries (Camp Fernbrook in North Coventry Township and Bear Creek Camp in Wilkes Barre) as well as his involvement in his home church of St. Paul’s in the Olney section of Philadelphia. Pastor Mueller has done much work in the area of Youth and Family Ministry and is passionate about preaching and teaching to people of every age and stage of life. He enjoys hiking and is a lifelong (and long-suffering) Phillies and Eagles fan.

 

His wife, Laurie, serves as Music Director at Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe, serves as office manager for Norristown Hospitality Center (ministry with the homeless, and teaches English to Chinese students through VIP Kid. With what little spare time they have, the couple enjoys spending time with their two adult children and tiny dog. Pastor Mueller is so grateful for the opportunity to share with you today.

​​

September 4 — Pastor Bob Linders will lead us in worship on our closing weekend.

​

September 11 and 18 — Family-friendly 30-minute services at the beach.  

​

Volunteers needed:

Can you help as an usher or reader, provide flowers, assist with Fellowship Time, or join a pickup choir?

​

Email or phone Joan Scarpa (scarpajoan@gmail.com, 610-509-0253), or Nancy Tkacs

(ntkacs@gmail.com, 267-408-0942)

​

Signup sheets will be available at every worship service.