Polk column

Salem St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Food Offering is every first Sunday of the month. It helps feed the hungry in the West End. Please bring boxes or cans of food any time, and place them in barrel by church office. (SSP sets aside the first Sunday to help them remember.) SSP's PVEN volunteers take the food on Tuesday.

If you need food, clothing or rental assistance, call the director of PVEN, Eloise Laubach, at 570-992-3136.

Health Ministry at Salem St. Paul's

Health Ministry at Salem St. Paul's continues to offer blood pressure monitoring in the bell tower room on the last Sunday of every month after the 10:30 a.m. service. It's all worthwhile because helping even one person then helps all the people who know that person, and so on…

Many churches advocate the blood pressure program as a means to promote good health. Good health takes on three dimensions: body, mind and spirit. All influence each other, so when one area "breaks down" all other are as are affected. Programs like this remind us to take time to check in with ourselves; think of it as a free human battery check.

Parish Health Ministry volunteers meet on occasion, to brainstorm, network, go on retreats together and discuss the spirituality of working in health care. It is a rewarding experience being able to help people as part of a healing team.

The Health Ministry Program at SSP also includes blood drives. Blood donations are always desperately needed. You potentially save a life every time you donate blood. The next blood drive will be on Feb. 7. Sign up sheets will be posted on the bulletin board. SSP thanks you for your support.

Community Lenten services

Community Lenten services are the five Wednesdays in Lent to be held in local churches. They gather at 6:30 p.m. for a soup supper. Worship is at 7:30 p.m. This year's theme is the "I am" sayings of Jesus from John's gospel. SSP hosts the first Wednesday, Feb. 24. Pastor Eckroth from Salem UCC will preach on "I am the bread of life." The weekly offering will benefit Disaster Relief to help the Haitians earthquake victims.