Up and Down the Valleys: October 2025

October 2 was the Fall Bishop’s Day at St. John’s, Northumberland. Nearly 40 clergy and lay leaders gathered to hear Pastor Angela Zimmann talk about how to preach in divisive times. They enjoyed fellowship, worship, and learned more about changes in Portico and updates from the Go Tell It in the Mountains initiative.

St. Matthew, Bloomsburg, celebrated the 100th anniversary of its current building on October 12. Pastor Robert Logan was baptized at St. Matthew in 1932 and ordained in the church in 1958.

As part the new Mount Luther Faith Community, they will be hosting dinner church every first Sunday of the month from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at Camp Mount Luther. Dinner church is a unique experience of worship and fellowship. We gather at 4:00 to cook together, then engage in fellowship, discussion time, communion, prayer, and worship. The next event will be November 2. They are hoping to gather a solid intergenerational crowd for this experience. If you’re interested, please email cml@campmountluther.org or call 570-922-1587 so enough food camp be purchased.

The Upper Susquehanna Synod Youth Team is looking to send as many youth as we can to Winterfest on January 2-4, 2026, at the Wyndham Resort in Lancaster. This is a great weekend of faith formation, fun, and fellowship with fellow youth, sponsored by the Lower Susquehanna Synod. Encourage youth to attend and consider being an adult chaperone. Reach out to cml@campmountluther.org if you are interested and/or need a scholarship.

Several synod congregations held Trunk or Treats this October. Beaver, Beavertown (Pastor Larry Herrold) held an event in their parking lot on October 25. Milton Lutheran (Pastor Gary Schaeffer) held an event in mid-October with over 250 children and 500 people attending.