In the summer of 1941, Charlotte “Betty” Webb had every intention of joining the war effort to do more than simply “baking sausage rolls.” While partway through a college course, she enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, in which she was assigned the duty of code breaking during World War II. Her duties were so secretive that when she signed on to the Official Secrets Act, the officer across the table explained without hesitation or frills that she was to never speak about her duties or work contents with anyone. The expectation was not-so-subtly reinforced by the handgun on the table beside him.
Betty’s initial responsibilities included cataloguing decoded messages from the European front, but she was later transferred to a different department involved with translating and paraphrasing the Japanese messages. The intention behind the paraphrasing was to avoid Axis suspicions that the Allies had, in fact, cracked their codes. They had to make it sound as though the intelligence information was obtained by spies, stolen documents, or other reconnaissance. Betty was so respected in her craft that she was eventually sent to America to work in the Pentagon, paraphrasing decoded messages for the Americans.
After the war, even though her division’s efforts were declassified in the 1970s, Betty did not speak about her involvement until nearly 20 years later in the 1990s. Before passing at the end of March 2025 at the age of 101, she had been honored several times, including being an invited guest to the recent coronation ceremonies. Betty’s life is a testament to a generation of folks that had incredible resolve and patriotism.
I found Ms. Webb’s story to be captivating, not simply because of the secrecy and the intrigue of code-breaking during the war effort. But something I found particularly interesting was that her talents were cultivated at home during her upbringing. Her mother “always encouraged us to relate stories in our own words. We would read something in the Bible, for instance, and then we were told to write it down in our own words,” said Ms. Webb.
In Proverbs 1:7-9, King Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.” This has tremendous implications for all of us. Children, do not forsake the teachings from your parents or even grandparents. Make a point to spend time with them, and truly make every effort to cherish it. They have a wisdom that comes from years of experience, and while they can’t stop you from making all the bad decisions, hopefully by learning from their mistakes, you can avoid some of the pitfalls that they’ve run into. Parents, likewise, teach and instruct your children, particularly in the knowledge of the Lord and in the richness of His word. They might not necessarily go on to crack codes or participate in governmental espionage, but by teaching them to not only listen to God’s word, but also to understand and apply it, you are gifting them with a treasure worth more than honors or valuable jewelry.
Tim Leidy
An exceptional group of persons has been meeting and studying and talking and eating and memorizing and . . . well, a whole lot more. They’ve been doing this every week since September of 2022, only taking off during the summer months. Who are these persevering persons? The members of the 2025 Leidy’s Church Confirmation Class, that’s who.
A Service of Confirmation will take place during the June 8th service of worship which just happens to be Pentecost Sunday. The Lord’s Supper will be served and there will be a light Confirmation Luncheon following the service of worship. You’re invited to stay for the luncheon and extend your personal congratulations to the class members.
This class consisted of ten young persons and three really old persons. Here are the young folk:
Evan Divens Jack Heebner
Melody Smith Lydia Shafer
Levi Smith Madeleine Kulp
Shawnee Kehs Sam Shafer
Cheyenne Kehs Will Shafer
The old folk who joined them for this delightful time of learning were:
Ken Merritt Larissa Kulp Ben Shafer
For the first year the class studied the Bible, doing weekly worksheets of 20 or 25 fill-in-the-blank sentences from the 15 to 20 chapters of the Bible assigned for each week. They also memorized significant passages of Scripture, including the entire text of Psalm 103.
During the second year they had 14 weeks of church history study, beginning with the apostolic era and continuing through to the present day. For this section they also had the 20 to 25 fill-in-the-blank sentences for each week’s assigned reading. But no memorization – whew!
Then they had weeks of working through the Heidelberg Catechism. They were overjoyed there were no more worksheets to be done each week. Fortunately, to keep their minds and spirits tuned up, the character-forming discipline of memorization was brought back into play. They survived.
Finally, they ended up learning about the history, beliefs, and workings of Leidy’s Church. All ended well!
It is a time of great joy. Plan to be present on this special day in the life of our congregation and in the lives of these young people.
With joyful hearts and grateful spirits, we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating seniors! This season marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, and we give thanks to God for His guidance in their journey thus far.
• Cameron Gillis is graduating from Pennridge High School and will be attending Messiah University in the fall to major in Civil Engineering. His parents are Mike & Luvenia Gillis.
• Ben Divens graduated from Classical Conversations and will be attending Immaculata University in the fall where he plans to study pre-law. He also plans to play baseball for the Mighty Macs! His parents are Ben & Kristen Divens.
• Anna Heebner is graduating from North Penn High School and is heading to Baylor University in TX to pursue a degree in accounting. Her parents are Josh & Laura Heebner.
• Madeleine Kulp is graduating from Souderton High School and plans to attend MONTCO in Blue Bell to begin her degree in early childhood education. Her parents are Tim & Larissa Kulp.
• Brad Peck is graduating from Souderton High School. He received an ROTC scholarship from the Navy and will be going to Penn State to fulfill a lifelong vision to be a nurse in the Navy. His parents are Ken & Nicole Peck.
Our prayers will be with them as we trust the Lord to direct their paths according to His wise counsel. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.'”
Congratulations, Class of 2025! May your next chapter be filled with purpose, peace, and God’s abundant grace.
We're looking for items to be donated or loaned to the church for VBS! We want VBS to feel like the kids are riding the train to a town in the Wild West. Think of your favorite Western movie! Do you have any of the items below that you would be willing to donate or lend to the decorations team? Please contact the office if you can provide one or more of these items:
Needed: Rope, burlap fabric, green spray paint, thick masking tape, large cardboard boxes, large sheets of cardboard, large paper rolls - (3-4' tall): (Kraft paper - brown, orange, yellow, rust red, dark brown, gray), 20 plastic red checkered tablecloths - for dinner tables, grapevine wreaths to make tumbleweed.
Items to Borrow: (from July 27-August 2) burlap sacks, wooden barrels, wooden crates, hay bales, wagon wheels, old lanterns, old tin pails, old fence wood/posts, 20 red paisley bandanas - (for Fellowship Hall tables), any train enthusiasts? RR signs, lights, etc.
Contact the church office if you can help with any of these needs. Thank you!
Wonder Junction
July 28 - August 1, 2025
Program 6:00 - 8:00pm
Family Dinner at 5:15
Join us for Vacation Bible School! For kids who have completed grades K - 5!
Howdy, partners! Welcome to Wonder Junction! There’s no greater joy than to praise the name of the Lord all day long. Join us to learn about Jesus and what's he’s done for you so we can marvel at Jesus and live for his glory.
Sessions include:
~Lesson time to explore who Jesus is and what He's done for us
~Rambunctious rec time to play games outside & in the gym
~Science & Crafts - explorers get their hands dirty as they make crafts and explore God's world through science experiments!
We hope you can join us!
*We are offering 0-5 year old childcare for Volunteers Only!
Visit the website to register your child(ren) or to volunteer.
Ladies of Leidy’s
Welcome all ladies to the last Ladies of Leidy's meeting before our break during the summer months. We'll review how the tea went and make final preparations for preparing the luncheon to celebrate and honor our confirmands.
Summer is coming and we would like to give our faithful Children’s Sunday School teachers some time off to refresh! We are looking for volunteers to step in and fill some teaching and assistant roles in the months of June and August. If you are willing to serve in this way, please reach out to Bekah Kulp for more information.
Our infant nursery is filling up! We are hoping to reopen our toddler nursery room within the next few months. Unfortunately, with our current volunteers, we do not have the resources to make this happen. If you are willing to serve the parents and the youngest children of our church a few times a year, please reach out to Bekah Kulp.
We need YOU to bring Wonder Junction to life!
Bring your Western accent, maybe even a good mustache and a willingness to serve our kids by performing in our VBS evening skits. No previous theater experience necessary, just your best acting skills and availability for evening performances at VBS!
July 28-August 1
See Donna Frueh for more information
Dave Guntz, Dave Freed, Drew Weiss, Lucas VanDerbeek, Usher Coordinator: Karl Ernst
Present: Francis Weiss, Jerry Kulp, Jim Foote, Jim Kinney, Ken Merritt, Kendall Musselman, Shaun Permar, Tony Kapusta, Brian Radcliff, Darren DePaul. Absent- Josh Heebner, Brian Shoemaker, Dave Doran.
Meeting was called to order at by Consistory VP Francis Weiss at 7:08PM
Devotions: Francis Weiss led devotions on Moses after crossing the Red Sea. They are grumbling and how can they do that after everything Go did or them. He read from Exodus where they could not drink the water because it was bitter, but after Moses threw a “branch” in and suddenly the water was drinkable. Not long after this, the people turn again against Moses and Aaron, and instead of God being mad, He sends them bread from Heaven. Instead of getting “even” the Lord shows His Grace and Mercy. It had been only two months since the Israelites were allowed to leave Egypt and all the good things that the Lord did for them. Francis was wondering how the people could be “this stupid”… Then he realized how much he grumbles in his own life after all the Lord has blessed him with.
March Minutes Motions for Approval
First: Brian Shoemaker Second: Jim Foote Unanimously Carried
March Budget Report
Highlights: Good giving month. About 2k over budget was given weekly. 20k was raised at the auction, which gives about 6k to Missions and 14k to Children's Ministry. Through April we have spent 53k more than brought in. The need to be more careful with the spending was discussed.
April Budget
Fund Non-designated giving & Spend Ending Fund Balance
other income
General $74,674.92 $83,117.80 $63,880.89
Renovation $1,049 $5,374.92 $202,852.39
Financial Report Motions for Approval: First: Jerry K Second: Ken M Unanimously Carried
Team Reporting/Big Rocks
AV- Looking at getting an outside Consultant to help with tech issues. Phil S is looking to step down from the heavy role he has been in.
Finances: Jim met with Gary Brown about Endowment Policy, once it was approved by the consistory.
Christian Ed: July is a thinner month for teaching, so everyone will meet in the Fellowship Hall during the Sunday school hour.
Community Outreach: First Fridays which are really 3rd Fridays are on schedule. Working with Ed S with Helping Hands. Also did Baby Bottle fundraiser.
Food & Fellowship/Building: Look into Cameras at doors. Fall Outside worship, Friday, October 24th.
Mission Team: Vangie is going to take over the Mission Team. Dominican Republic Trip in August is a go. Two Carriage House Trips sandwiched on either end of the VBS week is a go. North Carolina Trip- 11-18 is a go. Iryna Sept 10-Nov 10 Mission House. Remind Nate S that he needs to be out May 31st.
Property: Drawings done by the end of the week. Meet with Rich. Then meeting with the design team. Hoping to have a solid game plan for the July Congregational Meeting. Need to “sell” it accurately and honestly to the congregation. No work has been done in 25 years or so.
Welcoming: Campaigning to grow the team. Greeters at door for VBS potentially
General Identify/Discuss/Solve: Auxano Update: One meeting left next week. Going through the mission statement on Sunday Morning. Once that's complete, it'll be the value statements and strategy stuff. There will be some sort of meeting to tell everyone once it’s done. Gathering Every Generation to Pursue the Fullness of Christ …Together is the new “Slogan”
Mission House: A quote for the roof was passed around. There was discussion about an insurance adjuster looking at it Thursday this week to see if anything can be done in that avenue. Brian is also meeting with Mark Weaver soon to get a final quote and such. The last roof was redone about 20 years ago. Talk about the fence around the cemetery and needs to be fixed. Going to reach out to Tom Leidy and try to figure out what is going on with Shoemakers.
Parsonage: Drawings are on track to be done this week.
Fundraising at ILC: JHCN texted Francis about getting a vehicle at Pik for Colleen. Looking at getting funds raised to get a vehicle. Bergeys are putting 15k toward the vehicle. The Mission Committee can tap various people to raise the desired funds needed. Before committing to spending outside of the approved budgeted funds, any committee needs to get approval from the Consistory.
Adopt an Island: It's back, and everyone will keep their island from last year unless they let the office know. Signups should be done by the end of the month.
Deacons and Elders Selection: Need to solicit names for the 2026 year. Needs to go in the newsletter and bulletin to talk to consistory members and or office staff about people they may want to nominate. Two deacons are to be selected. Deacon and Elder roles and responsibility will be drafted by Darren.
Francis gathered prayer requests and after praying, closed out in the Lord's Prayer being said in unison. Meeting closed at 9:53
Introduction - Our Only Comfort
The word catechism comes from the Latin word catechesis which means instruction. A catechism is just a document that is used to instruct people (young and old). With regards to the Church, catechisms have been used for thousands of years to help people understand the basics of the Christian faith. You might wonder why they are necessary; sometimes ideas can become confusing. Without instruction, we might misunderstand.
Immanuel Leidy’s Church uses many catechisms in different ways. However, the resource our church most often uses is the Heidelberg Catechism. It was written in German in 1563. Fortunately for us, it has been translated into English and fairly readable.
Question 1: What is your only comfort, in life and in death?
Answer: That I belong—body and soul, in life and in death—not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of His own blood has fully paid for all my since and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that He protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit His purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.
Question 2: How many things must you know that you may live and die in the blessedness of this comfort?
Answer: Three, first, the greatness of my sin and wretchedness. Second, how I am freed from all my sins and their wretched consequences. Third, what gratitude I owe to God for such redemption.
Congratulations to Melody Smith, Levi Smith, Lydia Shafer, Cheyenne Kehs, and Jack Heebner at their believers baptisms. May God be with them as they grow in Him.
Congratulations to Anthony and Ruth (Niederhaus) Reinford who were united in Christian marriage on May 31st. May God be with them as they grow together in Him.
Birthdays
1 Luvenia Gillis
2 Cameron Gillis, Wendy Murphy
3 Sarah Kulp, Evelyn Niederhaus, Grace, Pakhtigian, Jacqui Shafer
4 Elijah Smith
6 Jim Smedberg, John Vasey
8 Hazel Krier
9 Tony Kapusta, Daytona Lepping
10 Judy Leidy
11 Shirley Kulp
13 Angela Kinney, Sharon Kostishion, Pat Niederhaus
16 Bria Niederhaus, Elaine Teate
17 Caren Elliott, Jesse Fisher
19 Lillian King, Austin Merritt, Joe Sciacca
20 Meg Huber, Jakob Niederhaus
21 Katelyn Kulp
22 Courtney Lepping
23 Jack Edling, Don Haggerty, Marcy Kirkpatrick
29 John Schilling
30 Christy Fisher, Will Shafer
Anniversaries
2 George & Donna Frueh
3 Jack & Karen Parry
4 Nathan & Bekah Kulp
8 Stan & Judy Ott
13 Oskar & Megan Huber
14 Dave & Adine Doran
17 John & Pat Niederhaus, Bob & Jill Ott
21 John & Cynthia Schilling
22 Alex & Ally Hager, Stewart & Patty Kendall
23 Matt & Tara McVaugh
24 Tom & Alice Kraus, Greg & Sandy Nase
26 John & Janelle Rittenhouse, Bill & Elaine Teate
