West End news

Lenten services

Zion Lutheran Brodheadsville, will have its last midweek Lenten supper and Bible study at 6:15 p.m. and midweek Lenten worship Contemplative Prayer Services at 7:30 p.m. today. That will include a healing service.

Effort Methodist continues with its Lenten services at 7 p.m. today. The topic is Crucified With Criminals, based on Luke 23:39-43.

Jerusalem Lutheran in Trachsville will host the last of the five-church cooperative Lenten services with St. Matthew's UCC, Kunkletown; Jerusalem UCC, Trachsville; Salem UCC, Gilbert; and Salem-St. Paul's Lutheran, Kresgeville. Kathryn Foster will preach on Receive Forgiveness, based on Luke 15:11-32.

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Gilbert, will hold a Lenten Penance Service at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Rotary speakers

Monroe County Commissioners Charlie Garris and John Moyer are slated to speak at the breakfast meeting of the Western Pocono Rotary Club Thursday. The club meets at 7:30 a.m. at the Western Pocono Community Library in Brodheadsville.

PVI PAC meets

The Pleasant Valley Intermediate School PAC will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Little League

The League Meeting for March will be for T-ball and all softball division managers and coaches only at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Chestnuthill Park Building on Route 715 in Brodheadsville.

This is the mandatory safety meeting required by Little League.

School board

The Pleasant Valley School District Board of Education will meet at 8 p.m. Thursday in the Administrative Building in Brodheadsville.

Jump Start

A Junior Jump Start presentation will be made at Pleasant Valley High School at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the new auditorium.

Monroe Seniors

On Friday, the menu for the Monroe Seniors meeting at Zion Lutheran in Brodheadsville is crispy baked fish.

The Chestnut Hill Center opens at 9 a.m. To register for lunch, call site manager Dolores Casalaspro at 570-242-6770 by 11 a.m. the day before.

The April menu has not yet been posted.

CWU meets

Church Women United of Monroe County, established in 1959, invites all Christian women to its business meeting at 1:30 p.m. Friday, at the Hughes main library, Ninth and Chipperfield Drive in Stroudsburg.

For more information call 570-629-0649.

Greyhound adoption

Pocono Greyhound Adoption will be participating in pet adoption day at Tractor Supply Co., Route 209, Brodheadsville, from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Visit www.poconogreyhound.org or call 570-856-0377 to learn more about this event, or about adopting a greyhound.

Food pantry open

Effort UMC's Supplemental Food Resource Center will be open from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. The church helps feed families going through emergency or other short-term situations that are not eligible for local, county or state programs. Help is limited to a 12-week life time duration per family. A valid driver's license or state ID with address proving residency in the West End is required. Screened volunteers are always welcome and needed, including drivers.

The director of the food pantry, Joe Mitchell, is seeking a few volunteers who would be willing to do food pickups at BJ's in Stroudsburg on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday of the second and fourth week of each month. Contact him at extension 570-629-1890 ext. 109 at the church for information.

The food pantry is also seeking an assistant director. One or two people are sought to volunteer to fill this position. Contact Mitchell at joekm@ptd.net or at 570-629-1890 ext. 109.

Egg hunts

Zion Lutheran Church in Brodheadsville will host a community Easter activity at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. It is open to those age 3 through grade five and will include face painting, an Easter egg hunt with prizes, and lunch available for purchase. To register, call the church at 570-992-6988. Proceeds will be used to help those in need.

The party at the American Legion Post Home in Gilbert will be from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. It is open to children of the community up to age 10. Donations will be accepted at the door.

The annual Easter egg hunt at the Ross Township Park, Anchorage Road in Saylorsburg, begins at 1 p.m. Saturday for children ages 10 and under. The Easter Bunny may be available for pictures.

St. Matthew's UCC Church will hold its children's Easter egg party from 1 to 3 p.m. April 4 in the Church Grove. Children age 0-12 years old are invited to a fun two-hour event featuring an egg hunt, games, prizes and a bounce house. For more information contact Staci at 610-951-4214 or stacigeorge0317@gmail.com. The event is free and open to the public. The church address is 102 Church Road, Kunkletown.

Holy Week events

Passion/Palm Sunday will be celebrated by various churches.

Effort Methodist will have services at 5 p.m. Saturday and at 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday, and present its Easter Cantata: God So Loved The World, by Lloyd Larson, at the second service.

Pleasant Valley Assembly of God Church in Brodheadsville will have Palm Sunday services at 8:30, 10 and 11:30 a.m.

Zion Lutheran, Brodheadsville, will have a Procession with Palms at its 8 and 10:30 a.m. worship services.

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Gilbert will have Masses at 8 and 10:30 a.m., noon, and a Spanish Mass at 1:30 p.m.

Cornerstone Community Church in Kresgeville has worship services at 8:30 a.m. with nursery, toddler and preschool and again at 11 a.m. with nursery, toddler, Preschool Jr. Worship and Preteen Zone. Baptisms will be part of the second service. Sunday school for all ages is at 9:45 a.m.

St. Matthew's UCC in Kunkletown, will present its Easter Cantata-God So Loved the World at 9 a.m.

St. John's Lutheran, Effort, will celebrate Palm Sunday at its 9:30 a.m. service.

McMichaels UMC will hold its Palm Sunday worship service at 9:30 a.m. with Sunday school. The children's egg hunt will follow the worship service. The Sunday school will supply refreshments of hot dogs and beverages as well as cupcakes.

Children infant to seventh grade should bring a basket to collect plastic filled eggs.

Blood drive

Blue Ridge Hook & Ladder Volunteer Fire Company, Old Route 115, Saylorsburg, will host a Red Cross blood drive from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday.

At this drive donors can give blood or double red cells.

The Western Pocono Community Library hosts Keystone-Miller blood drives from noon to 6 p.m. every Wednesday.

Home Association

The West End Home Association is slated to meet at 7:30 p.m. April 1 at the Legion Post Home in Gilbert.

Breakfast success

The Keep Sunday Holy Team was pleased with the prayer breakfast hosted by Mountaintop Christian Community Church, which hosted the first Pastors and Ministry Leaders Day of Prayer recently.

The morning fellowship was led by Pastor Betty Grant of MCCC along with prayer by Pastor Angel Casiano of Covenant World Outreach Ministries. Present also were Minister Godfrey Benn of MCCC, Pastor Richard Martin of Divine Healing & Deliverance Ministry, Elder Shelah McDaniel of MCCC, Pastor Elizabeth Salazar of God's True Church International; and Cletus Campbell of Pleasant Valley Presbyterian Church

Evangelist Maxine Foster of MCCC sang and The Rev. Michael Quinnan of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church provided an inspirational exhortation on the ongoing mission of the Keep Sunday Holy group.

The next meeting will take place at 7 p.m. April 16 in the Café of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, chapel side, to discuss plans for the group's ongoing mission and participation at the West End Fair.

Free program

Pocono Medical Center will present a free program on Advanced Care Planning at the Western Pocono Community Library in Brodheadsville from 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 1.

The program will provide brief discussions by Dr. Rose Guilbe, Medical Director of Palliative Care; Jill Howell, Medical Art Therapist; Lori J. Cerato; and Pocono Health Systems Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care.

Teri Gaglione, LSW, Supervisor of Support Service, will provide resource information.

Preregistration for this free community program is required online and can be made at PoconoMedicalCenter.org/wellness.

For more information email wellness@poconomedicalcenter.org or call 570-426-2879.

Light refreshments will be served.

Youth trout days

Youth anglers and their adult mentors can get an early start fishing and Catch the Value on the two Mentored Youth Trout Days from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on all commission-stocked waters managed under commonwealth inland regulations. Saturday is the regional day for the 18 southeastern Pennsylvania counties and April 11 applies statewide. Visit ww.fishandboat.com/stocked.htm to see which waters are stocked by the commission.

A youth angler must be accompanied by an adult angler when participating.

For more information, visit: www.GoneFishingPa.com or http://fishandboat.com/MentoredYouth.htm.

Fair talent

The West End Fair is looking for local talent to perform at the West End Fair at 7 p.m. Aug. 23. Anyone who can sing, dance, do comedy, tumble, juggle or magic and would like to perform has a chance to be on stage. First-place winners will receive $250 and perform on the Main Stage at 7 p.m. Aug. 29, second place will receive $150 and third $100.

For more information, go to www.TheWestEndFair.com for more details or upload your performance to YouTube (2-4 minutes maximum) and send it to wefairgottalent@hotmail.com along with the name of your act and contact information. Deadline to enter is July 15. Past winners (Katie Rubino & Jordyn Albanese) and runners-up (Red Pandas & Lacey Lynn) will be in the Band Shell Thursday night at 6 and 8 p.m.