February Hamburg Turnpike Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442

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1 POMPTON REFORMED CHURCH NEWSLETTER February Hamburg Turnpike Pompton Lakes, NJ ~ prc59@aol.com ~ prcletter@gmail.com ~ ~ ~ THE FAMILIES ARE COMING! THE FAMILIES ARE COMING! THE FAMILIES ARE COMING! It s finally here, starting February 23rd; Pompton Reformed Church, with the support of Pequannock Reformed Church, will be hosting families for Family Promise Passaic County. Currently we have 14 guests (four mothers and 10 children) in the program. The children range in age from four months to 12 years old. Training for all volunteers took place on January 29 th at PRC. The guests will be arriving on Sunday, Feb. 23 rd. From Monday through Friday, they will leave the church around 6:30 am and return between 5-6 pm each evening. On Saturday, they will spend the day at PRC and on Sunday, March 2 nd they will leave around noon. When I walked through the doors of PRC approximately two years ago, I felt like I was home. The PRC family was so friendly and opened their arms and hearts to me. We are so lucky to have such an AWESOME family here at PRC, that I am so excited to share this with our guests. There are so many opportunities to support this amazing outreach opportunity, if you choose so. A volunteer signup sheet is available in church. Some of the volunteer opportunities include: -Help straighten up the church and prep for our guests arrival - Saturday 2/22 from 10am-1pm. -Volunteer in person -Cook a meal (dinner) at home and drop it off at the Church -Take home and clean bedding (sheets & blankets) when the guests leave on Sunday, March 2 nd. I look forward to working with everyone who wants to volunteer so we can make our guests stay a memorable one. If anyone has any questions, please reach out to me at ( ) or emkascik@gmail.com. ~ Elyse Kascik

2 Here is a run-down for the upcoming year! There is something for everyone in every month, except for November so far!! Keep an eye out for details as they are added for the events & activities below as well as for any other new events that may be added, perhaps even in November!! February 2 - Pick up your Super Bowl Hoagies and/or Salads from the Deacons today immediately following the Church Service. March 2 Appetizer Social. March 22 - Free Community Breakfast. April 6 - Fish and Chips Dinner at 5 pm. Sponsored by the Deacons. Tickets will be going on sale this month. April 13 - Palm Sunday Soup Luncheon. Our Church Family will be asked to bring in its favorite soup to share. May 20 - Adult Church Dinner. *The Deacons are working on an Applebee's Fundraiser some time in May. June 8 - Ice Cream Soda Social. July 13 - Pie and Strawberry Festival. August 17 - Ice Cream Social. *In September the Fellowship Committee will be sponsoring the Church Wide Picnic. Also, the Deacons will be having their pre- Autumnfest Mum and Pumpkin Sale. October 4 - Fellowship will be sponsoring the Trip to Sight-and-Sound to see "Moses". October 18 - Autumnfest 2014 from 10-4 pm. December 10 - Senior Luncheon. December 21 - Cookie Social.

3 Roundtable of Thanks (From January s Consistory) --Lucas Spann, Jessica Fischer, Allie Evangelista, Anna Gordon and Shana VanSchaack for all their brainstorming and enthusiasm for upcoming programs for PRC youth! Are you looking for a creative a way to serve PRC? Then the Newsletter needs YOU!! Beth has been single-handedly creating the Newsletter for over a year, so any help is appreciated. Contact her at prcletter@gmail.com. CLASSIS ASSESSMENT In your offering box, you will find a Classis Assessment envelope. As was mentioned in the funds appeal letter, PRC is assessed $80 per active member. This fee covers new church starts, mission support, assistance to struggling churches, denominational staff and programs and much more. If you are able to cover all or a portion of this assessment, it will go a long way to aiding OUR budget.

4 Given By In Memory of Designated George & MaryAnne Montanari Rick Montanari Scholarship Helen Wisbauer Wilma McKechnie Philippines Relief Kevin & Lorna Carroll Wilma McKechnie Carillion Music Eleanor Haling Loved Ones Undesignated Cas & Jean Stark Nancy Carnes Endowment Kay Bergin Nancy Carnes Music Fund Helen & Chuck Gioia Nancy Carnes Scholarship John & Nancy Nelson Nancy Carnes Scholarship Kevin & Lorna Carroll Nancy Carnes Undesignated Helen Wisbauer Nancy Carnes Undesignated Dot Ploch Nancy Carnes Undesignated Eleanor Haling Nancy Carnes Undesignated Carol Trommelen Nancy Carnes Undesignated E.J. Johnson Nancy Carnes Undesignated Theresa D Agostino Herb Rodgers Undesignated Dot Ploch Herb Rodgers Undesignated Kevin & Lorna Carroll Herbie Rodgers Undesignated Daniel DeJesus Grammy & Granpa Waibel Endowment From In Honor Of Designation Cas & Jean Stark Dot Ploch Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Harry Bruderly Endowment Cas & Jean Stark David & Olive Hague Endowment Cas & Jean Stark John & Lorraine Moody Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Stan & Elinor Connor Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Chuck & Helen Gioia Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Madge & Warren Schlapfer Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Richard (Dick) Christie Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Corinne Corky Tyndall Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Nancy & John Nelson Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Kay Bergin Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Bill Sinke Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Ed Fischer Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Dot & Jim Doland Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Carole & Jeff Romaine Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Barbara & George Buckman Endowment Cas & Jean Stark Janet & David Hackbarth Endowment

5 What Do You Hunger For? by: Anna Gordon On February 7-8 from 7pm until 7am, the youth of our church will be gathering for a Hunger Games lock-in. All teens in 6th-12th grade are invited to join us, bring a friend and take part in the games. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a trilogy that has inspired movies, music, and fashion. The Hunger Games follows Katniss Everdeen as her life changes on the day of the reaping when her sister Primrose is chosen to be a tribute who must fight to the death. Fearing for her sister's life, Katniss volunteers to go in her place to fight. While our tributes won t be fighting to the death, they will be asked what they fight and/or hunger for. The guiding verse for our time together will be Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." All night we will have activities, challenges, and service projects for the teens to complete. Working together as districts they will conquer all the obstacles that are thrown at them. To participate all a teen needs is $3, a signed permission slip, and a non-perishable food item. When you see our teens after the lock-in please ask them how it was! Strike up a conversation about our verse Matthew 5:6 or their favorite activity. Love Is In the Air By Elaine Peacock Well it is that time again: love is in the air. Can you feel it? Between the expensive bouquets of roses, boxes of chocolates, racks of Valentines to buy for the one you love, jewelry or an expensive dinner, it s no wonder this is not a holiday for the faint of heart. Actually I miss the good old days of the valentine box by the teacher s desk where you would put your hand made or 5 & 10 cent Valentines and hope you would get one from that cute boy or girl that you had a secret crush on. You remember those don t you? Sure you do. This Valentine s Day we at PRC have a very special reason to celebrate: Elena & Ed Van Schaack s daughter Briana will marry her fiancé Luke on February 14 th and you know love will certainly be in the air at PRC. Best Wishes for a happy and wonderful life Briana and Luke. May your joys be as deep as the ocean and your troubles as light as its foam. Ed Van Schaack Meridith Davis Connor Conklin Wanda Scully Mark Warner

6 Elder Care Teams One of the ways we strive for ongoing care of the body of Christ is by dividing our membership alphabetically among the elders. Each elder has particular care and oversight for a portion of the church family, to supplement the care and prayer of the pastors. In the pastors' absence (or even in their presence), feel free to contact your elder as special concerns or matters for prayer arise. Their contact information is listed on Page 10 in this newsletter, and is posted on the hallway bulletin board. A - C Elaine Peacock L - O Pat Gordon D - F Gerry Mamalis P - S Ken Waibel G - K Joanie Warner T - Z Jim Laux IMPORTANT ADDRESS CHANGE: Jo Ann Sisco s address has changed! Please change your contacts to Joanngiant@optimum.net. If you previously received s and are no longer receiving them, please contact her to be added to her contact list. Care and Kindness Conference This is a good time to mark May 2-3 on your calendars, as the Care and Kindness Conference returns to New Jersey. This is a weekend event of 25 workshops on a variety of themes, plus three addresses from Keynote Speaker Dr. James Kok. More information can be f0und on page 8 and brochures are available on tables throughout the church. Early registration is $65 through March 31, but there is a group rate of $50 for six or more who register at the same time. This conference--held at First Reformed Church in Pompton Plains--is especially beneficial for caregivers, and those seeking growth/healing for themselves and others. This is first mention, but you will be hearing more.

7 Vision Team Update Greetings Brothers and Sisters of PRC: We d like to take this opportunity to update our church family on what the Vision Team has been working on thus far as well as its focus over the next few months. We have now met five times beginning back in November. First of all, none of us cared very much for the term Taskforce and therefore after prayerful consideration of various ideas, settled on the Vision Team name for this group as we, along with our Pastors, Consistory, and the entire congregation, will seek to discern what our Lord s vision has been, is, and will be for this wonderful place as we begin the journey into the third century of his work through his children here in Pompton Lakes. First, a few brief thoughts on what we are and what we are not. This group was tasked by Consistory to prayerfully explore all aspects of ministry here in an attempt to determine possible causes and contributors to the undeniable decline in attendance and the subsequent financial struggles over the past years as well as some ideas to consider for hopefully reversing this trend without compromising or diluting the many things we all love so much about PRC. We recognize of course, that we are not alone and that most mainline, traditional Protestant denominations are experiencing similar decline. Many other Christian churches are thriving and growing, however, including some RCA congregations. What is it that they are doing and what can we potentially incorporate here without compromising our sound biblical focus? This and much more is what we hope to explore over the next several months. Volunteer service on this team was open to any church member for several weeks prior to its inception and we ended up with nine members (Eva Terhune, Greg Cockefair, Nancy Begin, Jack Tice, Jill Laux, Elena Van Schaack, Michael Earle, Gerry Mamalis, and Mark Warner). Our pastors are not part of this group by design because they are already overburdened with way too many meetings and also so that any and all topics can be discussed and explored without reservation. Our pastors are perfectly happy with this arrangement and are being regularly updated on our process and progress along with the consistory. The congregation will also be updated regularly (the purpose of this note). Having been tasked by Consistory, this group is fully answerable to them and can do nothing without their approval. In addition, even if we could, we would never do anything of significance without communicating it to them and to you. Any preliminary recommendations are likely months away. Our primary focus to this point has been in reviewing and analyzing the survey responses. On that front, thanks to all of you for the amazing response to the surveys! We received 96 completed surveys which speaks to the love and care that we all have for this place! Each survey has 41 questions, most of which are not yes/no or black/white type questions. Many are free text responses with very valuable feedback/comments/suggestions/praise/concern, etc. We are determined to honor the time everyone took to complete these surveys by reviewing each and every one individually and as a group. As you can imagine, this is quite time consuming, but we re getting there. Our Consistory has asked for a summary of the survey reviews which will be forth coming. This was not a professionally developed survey (these cost money, which we don t have much of these days). As important as these survey responses are, we as a group see this as an initial step and just one part of an overall process aimed again at seeking God s will for PRC in its third century. A core question we ll prayerfully explore is how can we reach out in our communities and bring more of His children to a saving knowledge of Christ through our work here WITHOUT upsetting the apple cart or diluting in any way the wonderful, rich Christian tradition that has been our very identity these past 200 years. We plan very soon to have an open forum in room 108 after worship so that anyone can have an opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification from this group. Please stay tuned and thank you for keeping this group and PRC in your prayers as we move forward together! To God be the glory!! Sincerely, Eva, Greg, Nancy, Jack, Jill, Elena, Michael, Gerry, Mark

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10 Pompton Reformed Church Legacy Garden The Endowment Committee is proposing a long-term program directed to the beautification of the grounds surrounding the Church and the Gerrit Heemstra Memorial Building (Friendship Hall). The first phase in this program is the creation of the Legacy Garden prominently located in the roughly triangular area next to the playground and to the right of the west side entrance of the Heemstra Building. Within the Garden will be an area consisting of engraved commemorative bricks that will be surrounded by bushes, shrubs, two benches and a central tree planting. The inscriptions on these bricks may, for example, commemorate a deceased loved one, or celebrate a family or a special event such as an anniversary, wedding, birth of a child, or honor a living person. Your purchase of a commemorative brick will not only make a special remembrance for you but also will make you a participant in the creation of the Legacy Garden and in the long term improvement program of the Pompton Reformed Church grounds. Please use the order form below for your inscription. Playground S I D E Sample of Bricks C H U R C H E N T R A N C E

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13 Apple Juice donations are needed for after worship service. Please drop them off in the kitchen. Thanks. 1st Wed., Feb. 5: 6:30 pm Operations Committee 7:30 pm Worship Committee 2 nd Sat., Feb. 8: Quilting Ministry 2 nd Sun., Feb. 9: 11:30 am Youth Team 2 nd Mon., Feb. 10: 7 pm Finance Committee 2 nd Wed., Feb. 12: 7:30 pm Missions Team 3 rd Mon., Feb. 17: 7:15 pm Christian Education Committee 3 rd Wed., Feb. 19: 7:00 pm Consistory 4 th Wed., Feb. 26: 7:00 pm Fellowship Every Tuesday: 1:30 pm Knitters & Crocheters ~Bell Choir Meets on Tues. nights at 6:30. Be a part of our music ministry.~ Pasta sauce, canned fruit, mac & cheese, peanut butter, jelly, Parmalat milk, canned veggies (corn, carrots, peas and beans), shampoo, deodorant, toilet paper, toothpaste, detergent, Jell-o, pudding and baked beans. Low-fat, low-sodium products are always accepted. Thank you for supporting this important mission needed by so many. The Deadline for Newsletter Articles is the last Sunday of each month. Please send submissions to prcletter@gmail.com or feel free to drop it in the mail slot in the church office. The deadline for March s newsletter is Sunday, February 23, 2014.