At Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, 604 Fourth St., Catasauqua, supporting your neighbors means not only serving the spiritual needs of the community, but also the social and physical needs of your neighbors. Following the lead of Pastor Brian Riedy, Holy Trinity’s church family has spent the last two years getting to know Catasauqua residents and community leaders.

You may have seen their faces the past two summers when church members distributed bag lunches at Catasauqua Park & Playground and North Catasauqua William J. Albert Memorial Park.

Holy Trinity sponsors the monthly Coffee with a Cop event the church co-hosts with Catasauqua Police Chief Douglas Kish. The event is sponsored by various businesses that provide a tasting of their specialties. Coffee with a Cop typically takes place the third Thursday of the month.

A community lunch is offered the last Saturday of each month in Holy Trinity’s community room.

Spring is time for the community egg hunt held by Holy Trinity’s youth group. Trick-or-treat night features a hot dog and cocoa party in the church’s parking lot.

Riedy stresses a church in a community is not just about feeding people; rather, it’s about being “in the community.” None of the lunches or gatherings are for profit. They’re all about members getting out from behind the church walls and spending time together as neighbors.

Serving spiritual needs also extends beyond the old stone walls of the church. New this year is a movement and meditation program held 7 p.m. Wednesdays to serve individuals who might not favor traditional church services.

Other spiritual events happened at the Catasauqua park where, two summers ago, Holy Trinity co-hosted a butterfly release, and last summer, a Blessing of the Angels ceremony - both a hands-on opportunity for neighbors to deal with the loss of loved ones.

Holy Trinity’s neighbor-supporting-neighbor theme has not stopped during admonitions to shelter in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The church is actively addressing issues arising from the quarantine and the slow economy.

Sunday worship opportunities have been replaced by a live feed on Sunday mornings, with prayers and hymns sung via Facebook Live on the Arts at Holy Trinity page.

Although Wednesday evening services are on hold, a mindfulness and movement yoga experience is available from parishioner Rebecca Zukowski-Gillespie via Facebook Live on the Blondies page. Broadcast is 7 p.m. Thursdays.

Riedy continues to stay in touch with congregation members via phone, email and social media. The community is invited to pray the Lord’s prayer with church members every evening in your homes 6:04 p.m. The time was picked to match the church’s address.

The church office remains open for limited hours. Discussions are ongoing with several Catasauqua businesses about their financial future and that of their staff. Business owners in Catasauqua can call the church at 610-264-2641 if they need to talk. As a former restaurant owner, Riedy understands the impact of the quarantine on the food service industry.

The food connection - dear to the heart of chef-turned-pastor - continues. Week one of sheltering in place found a small group busy in the church kitchen, preparing lunches for delivery by the Catasauqua Area School District. Food concerns are heightened by school closings.

Week two found the kitchen filled with the aroma of a whopping 270 pounds of meat cooking. The intent is to have frozen meals available for distribution 4-6 p.m. April 2.

On the last Saturday of each month, the church has a free community lunch. This month, Riedy ordered pizza from local restaurants Pie’s On Pizzeria, Catty Pizza and Catty Corner Neighborhood Pub and Pie for the March 28 event. Parishioners were able to take home pizza, some donated snacks, homemade goodies and canned food.