The First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville

Transcription

1 The First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville The Good News-Letter December 2015 & January 2016 CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 8:00 PM

2 First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville Session Moderator Anne Wood Commissioned Ruling Elder Clerk of Session Deborah Chedister The Session Nancy Bruscino 2015 Lois Dunikowski 2015 Doris Dunn 2016 Nancy Popoloski 2016 Board of Deacons Debbie Woodmansee 2015 Peggy Wright 2015* Beth Cooke 2016 Beth Tyrrell 2017 Karen Lipton 2017 *indicates second term Office Manager Cynthia Carey 30 Goshen Avenue Washingtonville NY Office Hours are: Tuesday - Thursday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm First Presbyterian Church Presbytery of Hudson River We have pastoral emergency coverage for our congregation. If you know of a need for emergency care please call the church office ( ) and leave a message if Cynthia is not there. Pastors from area churches have volunteered to help us during our time of transition. We have a church officer checking the answering machine daily when Cynthia is not working. Any questions, please contact Elder Lois Dunikowski. Washingtonville Wizards Weekend Food WWWF The WWWF backpack program is currently serving 37 children in need. With the help of the Country Kids Food Pantry and food donations from local churches, the Catholic Daughters and individuals we have been able to stock our shelves since we began sending home backpacks of food on October 16th. We plan to send home a special supply of food for families with participating children during Thanksgiving Week. Walden Savings Bank and Moffat Library are current community drop-off locations for food donations. Shirley Mann from Bethany Presbyterian Church was permitted to place WWWF donation canisters in four local businesses willing to support the program: Catherine's Hair Design, Napoli's Family Restaurant, T&M II Go and Betty's Country Kitchen. Blooming Grove United Church of Christ has sponsored two children for the entire school year. Please add Chef Boyardee microwaveable cups to your shopping lists. This item is most needed at the present time. Several members of our church and of the Catholic Daughters have shown up every week to help pack food in the backpacks. The Taft school community has been working with us in gathering food donations, ensuring children take their backpacks of food home on weekends and returning the empty backpacks on Mondays. The Mission Ministry of FPCW is pleased to be the storage and packing location for this program. We are also thrilled to be "building bridges" with other local churches and within our community. Our website is now fully functional: Please visit the website for more information and please consider sponsoring a child. With love and gratitude, Lois and LouAnne, Mission Ministry co-chairs

3 Worship The blessed season of Advent is here! Our 10:00 AM Sunday worship services in December as well as Christmas Eve Candlelight at 8:00 PM will be led by CRE Gaye Hartwig. Looking ahead to January, Dr David Jacobsen will be leading us in worship for the month. We will celebrate The Baptism of the Lord with The Lord's Supper on January 10. Lois Dunikowski has received elder communion training from Presbytery and will preside that day. Thank you, Lois! The local Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the Village Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting on Saturday, December 5. The FPC Chancel Choir has been invited to sing carols beginning at 5:00 pm in the village center. Our choir will be followed by singers from El Shadai Christian Church, St. Anne's Episcopal Church and Girl Scouts. A parade featuring decorated classic cars and a very special guest will commence at 6:30 PM. Hope to see you there! The annual concert of Handel's Messiah at West Point is Sunday December 6 at 3:30 PM in the Cadet Chapel. Singers from the FPC choir will participate. This concert is open to the public with no tickets required. There is a free will offering. Do arrive early as parking is limited. Tidings of comfort and joy, Blessings, The FPC Worship Ministry Savvy Soul Sisters of Syntax An Amazon Best Book of the Month, January 2015: Intersecting, overlapping, not-quitewhat-they-seem lives. Jealousies and betrayals and wounded hearts. A haunting unease that clutches and won t let go. All this and more helps propel Paula Hawkins s addictive debut into a new stratum of the psychological thriller genre. At times, I couldn t help but think: Hitchcockian. From the opening line, the reader knows what they re in for: She s buried beneath a silver birch tree, down towards the old train tracks But Hawkins teases out the mystery with a veteran s finesse. The girl on the train is Rachel, who commutes into London and back each day, rolling past the backyard of a happy-looking couple she names Jess and Jason. Then one day Rachel sees Jess kissing another man. The day after that, Jess goes missing. The story is told from three character s not-to-be-trusted perspectives: Rachel, who mourns the loss of her former life with the help of canned gin and tonics; Megan (aka Jess); and Anna, Rachel s ex-husband s wife, who happens to be Jess/Megan s neighbor. Rachel s voyeuristic yearning for the seemingly idyllic life of Jess and Jason lures her closer and closer to the investigation into Jess/Megan s disappearance, and closer to a deeper understanding of who she really is. And who she isn t. This is a book to be devoured. -Neal Thompson The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins was chosen by the Savvy Soul Sisters of Syntax as their next book to read and discuss. If you have read or would like to read this book and join us for discussion, fun and food, we will meet at the home of Nancy P. on December 11 th at 7:30 p.m.

4 S M T W T F S Gaye Hartwig 7 7:00 PM Troop 416 Leadership Meeting :00 PM Troop # :00 AM Presbytery Meeting, Yorktown Heights PC 7:00 PM Troop # Gaye Hartwig 11:00 AM-Taste of Christmas 5:00-8:00 Carrie Scouts 7:00 PM Troop # :00 PM Session :00 PM Bible Study at Peggy Wright s :30 WWWF 4:30-5:30 PM Girl Scouts # :30-4:30 PM Girl Scouts # :30-4:30 PM Girl Scouts # :00 PM FPC Choir Washingtonville Square tree lighting Gaye Hartwig 27 Gaye Hartwig 7:00 PM Troop 416 Summer Planning 7:00 PM Troop # :00 PM Troop # :00 PM Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service 31 New Year s Eve! Merry Christmas! Sundays - 10:00 am Worship Service 11:00 am Coffee Hour Church Office Hours are: Tuesday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO 1 Harry Roosje 7 Missy Taylor 13 Tim Erchick 17 Peggy Wright 25 Jesus Christ 30 Holly Grove

5 S M T W T F S J A N 7:00 PM Troop 416 Leadership Meeting 7:00 PM Troop #416 7:00 PM Troop #416 7:00 PM Troop 416 Summer Planning 7:00 PM Troop # :30 PM PresbyBuild Cornwall PC :00 PM Bible Study at Peggy Wright s :30 WWWF 4:30-5:30 PM Girl Scouts # Happy New Year! 2:30-4:30 PM Girl Scouts #493 2:30-4:30 PM Girl Scouts # :00 PM Troop # Sundays - 10:00 am Worship Service 11:00 am Coffee Hour Church Office Hours are: Tuesday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO 2 Stephanie Imperato 5 Nancy Popoloski 8 Dylan Fuentes 8 Scott Zaccaro 11 Jessica Lipton 12 Margaret Steenrod 27 Kelson Miller

6 Remember The Wrapping Read: Philippians 2:5-1 At our house some Christmas events are the same each year. Among them is my wife Martie s appeal to the kids and grandkids as they attack their gifts: Save the paper, we can use it next year! Martie loves to give nice gifts, but she also appreciates the wrapping. Presentation is part of the beauty of the gift. It makes me think of the wrapping Christ chose when He came as a redemptive gift to rescue us from our sinful selves. Jesus could have wrapped Himself in a mind-boggling show of power, lighting up the sky with His presence in a celestial show of glory. Instead, in a beautiful reversal of Genesis 1:26, He chose to wrap Himself in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7). So why is this wrapping so important? Because, being like us, He is no stranger to our struggles. He experienced deep loneliness and the betrayal of a dear friend. He was publicly shamed, misunderstood, and falsely accused. In short, He feels our pain. As a result, the writer of Hebrews tells us that we can come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). When you think of the gift of Jesus this Christmas, remember to keep the wrapping in mind! Lord, thank You for wrapping Yourself in our likeness! Remind us that You understand our struggles and that we can confidently take advantage of the mercy and grace You offer to make us victorious Don t disregard the wrapping of the best Christmas gift of all INSIGHT: Philippians 2:5-11 is perhaps the greatest declaration of Christ s deity and humanity in the Bible. In His incarnation, Jesus did not replace His deity with humanity, but added humanity to His deity; He did not cease to be God, but surrendered the independent use of His divine powers and the right ot manifest His own glory as God. Before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed that the Father would restore to Him the glory He had with the Father before the world was (John 17:5). Jesus prayer was answered when the Father highly exalted Him and (gave) Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11). --Our Daily Bread With blessings of love from the Nurture Ministry

7 Food Pantry - The food pantry welcomes all donations. Needed for November will be: Stove Top stuffing, cranberry sauce, canned corn and canned sweet potatoes. Please add at least one of these items to your shopping list. Donations can be placed in the wicker basket outside Hazekamp Hall. Coffee Hour Needs - Needs for the coffee hour are as follows: small paper plates, juice, coffee and tea. We can always use goodies (baked or store bought). Thank you all for helping the Deacons keep the kitchen stocked! Prayer Shawl - The Deacons are so happy to have this special ministry to help with their shepherding. E Prayer Circle - Please contact Lois Dunikowski at lbd9999@hvc.rr.com if you have any prayer requests. Emergency Use of the Church Building - If any person in our church family is without power, water, or heat, and needs to use the church as a safe haven, please contact your deacon shepherd so he or she can direct your need to the appropriate ministry elder(s). The Deacons are very happy to serve the members of this congregation. Please let your deacon shepherd know if he or she can help you in any way. (There is a list posted on the bulletin board in the Denniston Room if you are not sure who your deacon shepherd is.) gratitude to Bill Cooke for removal of the air-conditioners throughout the building and preparing the heating system for the cold weather. to Derrek Cooke and Bill Cooke for beautifying our lawn throughout the summer and taking care of the fall clean up. Gratitude and Pay It Forward The Country Store/Thrift Store located on Hallock Drive in Washingtonville has been serving the community of Washingtonville since Their mission has always been to support those in need in our community. FPCW has recently been the recipient of a generous donation from the Thrift Store to use in ways we see fit to partner in this mission. We are very grateful for this gift and have some definite plans to use it for mission. The Country Store is very much in need of volunteers. The hours that the thrift store is open for business are Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Monday and Wednesday are the days that the volunteers come in to sort and clean up. They are generally there from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM. Diane Meore ( ) is the person to contact if anyone would like to volunteer or speak with Deborah Chedister to learn more about volunteering. A Taste of Christmas - Cookie Swap Prayer Shawl Ministry The Prayer Shawl Ministry presents a shawl to Nancy Popoloski made by LouAnne Blanchard. The shawl was blessed with prayers for healing and comfort. The Congregational Life Committee presents our annual "A Taste of Christmas" on December 13. The committee is asking for everyone to write their favorite cookie recipe(s) on a 3x5 index card and place it in the congregational life mailbox in the office or leave in Cynthia s mailbox. Bakers, please bring 2 1/2 dozen cookies to share and taste. If you have any questions, please speak with Sue Hegmann or Hanora Sullivan.

8 Calendar of Prayer for our Congregations and Leadership The endorsed calendar of prayer is a way for us to be united. It s an awesome responsibility and gift to pray for one another. To make our offering on behalf of one another. Each member congregation, staff member, elected servant leader, ministry team, and mission commitment of our Presbytery is represented: First Church Montgomery, First Church Wappingers Falls, Lori Hylton Food Justice Advocate, Westminster PC Salt Point, First Church Pine Plains, First Church Beacon, First Church Ancramdale, The Rev. Rhonda Kruse Connections & Change Presbyter, Bethlehem PC, First Church Highland, The Rev. Dr. Susan DeGeorge, Gilead PC. Newsletter articles for the February 2016 issue are due before January 20! VISION STATEMENT Together, we worship God through our Study, Stewardship, Service, and Song. Call Cynthia at or send an to firstpres@frontiernet.net to share your news with our church family! First Presbyterian Church 30 Goshen Avenue Washingtonville NY Address Correction Requested