Tamaqua news

Garden club

The Lewistown Valley Garden Club met Sept. 23 at the Zion Church social hall in the Lewistown Valley. President Kathy McGee conducted the business session. Reports were offered by the secretary and treasurer.

Monroe Crossley presented a program on bees, providing information on their life cycles as well as the three different classes of bees: queen, workers and drones.

Upcoming events include: Oct. 11, meet at 9 a.m. at the church to car pool to Otts Gardens; Oct. 28, annual dinner meeting, 6 p.m., Normal Square Inn. Reservations are required for the dinner meeting and may be made by contacting President McGee.

Refreshments were served by Judy Kellner and Kathy McGee.

The arrangement category for this meeting was "Wheat/Grains." Evelyn Adams took first-place honors, with June Leiby placing second and Mary Bridygham taking third place.

Mums were the selection for the specimen category. First place went to Evelyn Adams, with a second place for Mary Bridygham.

Senior citizens

The Tamaqua Senior Citizens group met Sept. 25 with 59 members in attendance. New member Anita Arcand was given a warm welcome.

President Melody Weicker conducted the business session.

Norma Lee Burke provided an inspirational reading, "Autumn Is On The Way." Darlene Skasko was welcomed back to the group. Penny Schlorf and Harry Heffelfinger were added to the sick list.

An election of officers will be held during the Oct. 9 meeting.

The meeting concluded with cards and social games.

The seniors meet at 1 p.m. every Thursday, at the Masonic Lodge on Route 54 (East) in Hometown. Anyone 55 or older is welcome to join. The center is handicap accessible.

Bethany EC

The Rev. Kevin Roberts will officiate at the 8 a.m. traditional service Sunday in Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church. Sunday school will meet at 9:15 a.m. A contemporary worship service will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the Tamaqua YMCA. Both worship services will include Holy Communion.

Activities for next week include: Monday, Made to Crave growth group meets at 6 p.m.; Tuesday, prayer time at 8:30 a.m., Smart Stepfamily Growth Group meets at 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Psalms Growth group meets at 1 p.m. at the Majestic House, Tamaqua Youth Ministry meets at 6:30 p.m., GriefShare meets at 7 p.m.; Saturday, musician rehearsal at 8:30 a.m., praise practice at 9 a.m.

Growth groups

Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church in Tamaqua is offering the community an opportunity to make an impact through a series of small, Bible based "Growth Groups." There will be a total of six different groups beginning in October.

While some of the series are geared for specific age groups, there are also sessions open to everyone.

First up will be a GriefShare group, which will meet at 7 p.m. on Oct. 1. GriefShare is a program designed to help those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. The course is biblically-based, but nondenominational and will be held for 13 consecutive weeks.

A Couple Group study session will begin on Oct. 4 and will be held bi-weekly. Titled "His Needs, Her Needs," it is designed to provide insights into the emotional needs of husbands and wives and to help "affair proof" a marriage

Tamaqua Youth Ministry is offering a group session for teens in grades 6 through 12. The first meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 6. This study group will investigate the wrong and right ways to handle the messy, painful stuff in life.

For more information or to enroll, call 570-668-2520 or email tamaquaym@gmail.com There are no fees.

Step parents will have a study group just for them, offering insight for effective stepparenting. These sessions will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 and continue for eight weeks.

The Book of Psalms will be the subject of a Bible study group that will meet at the Majestic House Community Room at 201 E. Broad St., Tamaqua. The sessions will begin at 1 p.m. on Oct. 8 and will continue for six weeks.

Teens will also have the opportunity to take part in the "To Save A Life" study group, which will meet at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 9, at the Tamaqua Community Art Center, 125 Pine St., Tamaqua. The six week session is based on a movie and addresses the topic of bullying.

Some of the sessions require a small fee for materials.

With the exception of the Psalms and bullying sessions, all groups will meet at Bethany EC Church, 223 E. Broad St., Tamaqua.

For more information, or to register, call 570-668-2520 or email GrowthGroups@BethanyEC.org.