Many voices with one faith, one heart. One family under God.

Transcription

1 FEBRUARY 2018 THE COMMUNITY CHURCH OF LAMBERTVILLE First Presbyterian Church Many voices with one faith, one heart. One family under God. From the Heart: February as a month gets very little respect. It falls in winter, its usually very cold and very snowy. It s the shortest month of the year. The fact that I was born in February not withstanding, it s a type of month we usually cannot wait to get through and done with, to the promise of March and Spring. But we, as the Fellowship of Christ, have much to celebrate. We welcome our Troop 49 and Scouts back for our annual Scout Sunday. We will once again join with our sister churches in our annual Lenten series. We will continue to serve our community in the Friday night skating and Hang. And oh, we will have my favorite church activity, a pot luck and annual meeting. What s not to love? The cycles of the years and seasons come and, the passage of time comes and goes. What remains has always been. The Grace and mercy of our Lord and His Love that endures forever. What remains is that every time we choose to open the doors to the church. Every time we welcome folks into our house we do so in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Every time we choose to turn on the lights, be it Sunday, Friday, Tuesday or any other day of the week, we do so in the name of Jesus Christ. Consider for a moment, we do a single church worship service on Sunday, combine that with Sunday School on a typical Sunday we will operate the church for about 2-3 hours counting care and share. Combine what happens in the church a typical week in the season we host LBL, Scouts, AAs and the like. We are open and operational hours per week. Looking at it like this, for every hour we are open and do formal worship, the church operates about 20 hours doing something else. Is not God praised and not God served by what we do and the ministries and programs we support and host? I think so. The church has its life blood and impact in the impact it makes outside the formal walls of the church, just as much as what happens in those walls. So yes, February can indeed be cold, snowy, short and all that. But God be praised, He is with us and blessing us everyday. Love, Peter

2 PAGE 2 ASK THE PASTOR. Pastor, all my close friends are getting divorced, I am so down, why is that modern marriages never last? A very good question. Recent statistics on marriage and divorce may surprise you. In age groups 18-35, the divorce rate has actually deceased over the last 20 years. It is in the age groups that divorce has skyrocket in the last 20, 25 years. Why is that? Its very complex but the traditional explanations apply. People who re-marry after a 1 st divorce are far more likely to get divorced again within 10 years. People are now co-habituating and common law types of are more likely, in relationships now. There is a general loss of faith and belief in American culture by and large. The social acceptance of divorce than generations past. Today we also have issues of relationships over social networks and other forms of cyber. And so on. What is surprising about older couples who divorce is the reported domestic abuse and violence, verbal, physical, sexual that may have existed for decades in those relationships. Addictions to porn, alcohol, and other substances are also highly reported in older age groups. Also health issues, in one or the other play a factor. I can only speak from my experience as a marriage and family counselor both in civilian life and the military. Many, many times a couple or marriage in trouble will present to me with one or the other spouse saying, Pastor or Chaplain, you need to change my husband/wife, you need to fix them because they are at fault, not me Well, like dancing it takes two, often to make or not make a healthy relationship. Many times one or the other spouse want me to change the other person in the marriage to be just like them, or agree with them most of the time. If that is the basis of any marriage or any relationship, we are all doomed to failure. People are people, we are all different and there is no perfect mate out there who will agree with you, or will be just like you all the time, regardless of what all modern computer dating websites promise. We need to flexible, understanding and forgiving of our mates various personality traits, and before we point fingers we need to look in the mirror and assess where we are in the relationship and what we have contributed, or not, to its health and vitality. Rather than concentrate on the negatives, these are all habits of healthy and productive marriages at any stage or age. Do you really value your mate and is he or she the most important person in your life. Are you willing to adapt to the changes in personality, vocational, family goals, issues in retirement, life style as we age. Do we actually say to our mates or spouses how much we love them and show that not only in word but in deed and acts? Not surprising the number one issue why couples divorce at any age are what we expect, money issues and conflicts over that. Child rearing and conflicting ideals about that. And the number one reason cited in many studies is not matters of infidelity or other people. It is lack of respect, understanding, and verbal insults that are most often cited as reasons couples separate. I know all this is much to digest, but I hope it helps in getting your arms around a very complex and always a painful experience many couples do face. Blessings, Peter

3 Page PPPAGE 3 3 Pastor s Veteran s Page For all vets and those who love them. I often deal with families in crises. They are the caregivers of an older relative, usually a WW2 or Korea era vet and cannot locate their statement of service (DD-214) for vets who served post 1955 and or a certificate of discharge for those prior to Without said documentation one cannot be buried in a national cemetery. One cannot access any benefits at time of death, and their loved one is not afforded military honors graveside. My counsel is if you are a caregiver or the responsible person who you know is a veteran, please act now to locate and secure their military papers or record of service. If you cannot find the information, it is the best choice is to contact your local congressional office who has dedicated staff for veteran services and affairs. In Hunterdon and Bucks, each county has full time staffed veteran affairs rep. located at their county complexes. Do not wait until it s too late! Blessings, Peter Gregory CDR USN (ret)

4 Page PPPAGE 4 4 Scripture and Sermons for February Scripture Message 4 February Philemon 1: 1- You Never Owned it to Begin With Annual Boy Scout Sunday 11 February Titus 2: 11-3: 6 Good Order and Discipline Ash Wednesday 14 February Mark 1: 15 Sorry, is the Hardest Word Lent 1 18 February John 13: 1-17 The Price of Love, Part 1 21 February Lenten Devotional 7:00 pm-titusville Pres. 25 February Lent 2 The Price of Love, Part 2 John 13: February Lenten Devotional 7:00 pm-mt. Airy Pres.

5 Page PPPAGE 5 5 Please see the below schedule for our upcoming 2018 Lent Season. All times are at 7:00 pm unless otherwise noted. February 14 th -Ash Wednesday Service here at First Pres. of Lambertville February 21 st -Titusville Pres. February 28 th - Mt. Airy Pres. March 7 th - Lambertville Pres. March 14 th - Titusville Pres. March 21 st - Passover Seder Provided by Jews for Jesus Ministries Kirkpatrick Memorial-Hosting Maundy Thursday, March 29 th -Mt. Airy Good Friday, March 30 th - 12:00 pm- Titusville Pres. 7:00 pm-kirkpatrick Memorial

6 Page PPPAGE 6 6 From the Office The Adult Handbell Choir will be starting practices again on Thursday February 15th. We will be ringing in church, hopefully sometime in March. I am usually in the office Tues-Fri. 9-1 pm. Items for the March Newsletter are due to the church office by Tues. February 20th. Thank you for your submissions for the Annual Report, if you haven t gotten your information to me, you are still able to send it in via no later than, February 9th. Blessings! Sue Church News: Communion Sunday is on Sunday February 4th. Emily Atzert and Beverly Scheibert will be our Accompanists for the this month. Boy and Cub Scout Sunday is on the 11th. On Wednesday February 21st, from 2-7 pm., a blood drive will be held at the Lambertville-New Hope Rescue Squad. 70 Alexander Ave., Lambertville NJ Sponsored by the American Red Cross and Callaway Henderson Sotheby s International Reality.

7 Page PAGE 7 Ministry and Outreach: News from our Missions Team~ See the bulletin board in the back of the Church for the outreach done by the Missions Team for updates. Your Missions Team: Addie Andino, Gail Armitage, Helen Jane Baker, Konni Sandford, Russ Topping and Donna Zambella A Message from the Deacons~ A big part of being a Deacon is outreach and prayer to church Members and local families in need. We do financial gift cards, flowers, fruit baskets and in-home visits. But more importantly we pray. God has blessed each Deacon with a different talent. We have worked this past year wonderfully as a team and also individually. We thank you for selecting us for this important job. Your Deacons: Debbie Crow, Heidi Danberry, Danielle Griffiths, Phil McCloughan, Terry Peck and Cooie Pidcock

8 Page 8 February Birthdays 1 Josh Serlenga 3 Julia Armano 4 John Zambella 9 Peter Gregory 9 Marianne Clark 26 Joel Thatcher

9 Page PAGE 99 Just For Kids.. Crock Pot Applesauce 6 apples, peeled and cut in chunks 1/3 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, optional Place in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Allow to cool and serve for snacks. Freeze in small containers and take out for school lunches and snacks. *Adult Supervision is required.

10 Page PAGE 10 Elders: February 4- Communion February 11-Rich Hopkins February 21-Karen Thatcher February 25- Open Deacons: February Assisting, Greeting and Care & Share Schedule: February 4- Communion *Debbie Crow (Stair Glide), Heidi Danberry February 11-Terry Peck February 21- Cooie Pidcock February 25- Danielle Griffiths Greeters: February 4- Carol Griffiths February 11- Boy/Cub Scouts February 21- Terry Peck February 25- Gail Armitage Care & Share- LaNelle Gallagher, Ginny Moraski, Desre Pidcock & Pat Warford *If you unable to serve your scheduled dates, please find a replacement and contact the church office. Thank you!

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