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S E R V I N G TAY L OR , OL D F OR G E , MOOSIC & SURROUNDING AREAS TRIBOROBANNER.COM | MARCH 21, 2019
Students from the Riverside School District did well in the annual media and design competition | PAGE 5
Students from Old Forge High School were selected for the monthly Devil PRIDE award | PAGE 7
Lenten inspiration Ministerium group offers spiritual uplift BY JOSH MCAULIFFE SPECIAL TO THE TRIBORO BANNER
Members of the Triboro region’s religious community are using the Lenten season to strengthen bonds among the faithful. The 4-Boro Ministerium is currently hosting weekly Ecumenical Lenten Services each Tuesday during Lent. Held at a different Ministerium church each week, the services begin at 7 p.m. So far, services were held March 12 at Bethel United Methodist Church in Avoca, with homilist Pastor Roger Griffin, and March 19 at Moosic United Methodist Church, with homilist Pastor Sharon Deitz. The next service is set for March 26 at Queen of Apostles Church in Avoca, with Father Carmen Bolock serving as homilist. From there, services will be held April 2 at Moosic Presbyterian Church, with homilist Father Philip Sladika, and April 9 at St. John’s Primitive Methodist Church in Avoca, with homilist Pastor Michael Shamboro. The 4-Boro Ministerium was established about a decade ago as a way to foster fellowship and collaboration among the different denominational churches of Old Forge, Moosic, Duryea and Avoca. “It’s just a nice group of people from
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the different churches,” said Father Bolock, pastor of St. Mary’s Polish National Catholic Church in Duryea. “We’ve formed a family of God in this area. People who never went to each other’s services are now doing that. And no one church is trying to push their theology on the other.” The Ecumenical Lenten Services have become the centerpiece of the 4-Boro Ministerium’s mission. The services typically draw between 40 and 60 people, and each one is followed by a social. “It’s a good time of prayer and being together,” Father Bolock said. “The common thing we’re sharing is our love for our Lord Jesus Christ. We all share that same faith in Christ.” There’s also a charitable component to the services, with the proceeds of the weekly offering donated in support of the food pantry at Moosic United Methodist Church. “And we’ve put some money in reserve for grants for people who might need help,” Father Bolock said. “For instance, there was a family from Pittston who lost their home in a fire. We gave them a grant to help them get back on their feet.” Meanwhile, the 4-Boro Ministerium has resulted in strong bonds among the clergy members. “We’ve formed a good fellowship. We get together once a month and have breakfast and talk about things we need to address. It gets the clergy out of their offices,” Father Bolock said
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The 4-Boro Ministerium is currently hosting weekly Ecumenical Lenten Services each Tuesday during Lent. with a laugh. “When we get together for breakfast, we find how no matter which church it is, many of the pastoral [duties] are the same.” Besides the Lenten services, the 4-B oro Ministeri um also holds a Thanksgiving Eve service at a different church in Duryea. And, on Good Friday, the clerg y members come together to serve at the three-hour daytime service at Langcliffe Presbyterian Church in Avoca.
Father Bolock expressed hope that the Ministerium will continue to grow and evolve. “We’ve ke pt it a nice, infor mal group of people, and it’s worked out that way,” he said. “We are praying together for the good of the community and the world, and trying to make things better.” For more information on the Ecumenical Lenten Services, contact Rev. Bolock at 570-457-2291.