POMPTON REFORMED CHURCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER Hamburg Turnpike Pompton Lakes, NJ

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1 POMPTON REFORMED CHURCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER Hamburg Turnpike Pompton Lakes, NJ Dear Pompton Friends and Family, When I entered seminary in 1978, I was a relatively new follower of Jesus, and my grasp of scripture was minimal. This became evident in early courses and tests. Plus, the incoming class of students took a 150 multiple choice biblical test. I finished dead last, at least 30 points below the next-to-last student. Talk about feeling miserable! Classroom scores revealed my inability to understand and follow scripture. So one afternoon, my Old Testament professor, Dr. John Piet, pulled me aside after class. "Bartha, I see that you are having difficulty with my tests." "Yes, sir." "In fact, you are failing every test." "I know." "So, I'll tell you what. I still want you to take the tests, and do all the class assignments. But I also want you to read the entire Bible, Genesis through Revelation, during this semester. Then, read it again over the summer. If you agree to that, you can give yourself your own grade for my course this semester. Talk about grace! I took him up on the offer, and still have the Bible I used. I made my way through all the genealogies and laws and lists of kings. I read the entire Bible twice in a six-month period, and my understanding mushroomed, as did my love for the Lord. Things I never understood came together. I have since read the Bible cover to cover numerous times in a year's stretch, but not for at least a decade So, I am one of those committing to this scriptural journey during Twenty-six PRC members have ordered copies of Through the Bible in a Year (from Words of Hope), and more books will be available. One idea is for any making this trek to meet monthly, share insights, and encourage one another. The book is formatted in such a way that if you do fall behind, that's okay. It may be a two-year journey for you. God will meet us in His Word, and broaden our understanding. You determine the pace. It has all the potential to be one of the finest gifts you have ever given yourself. Hope to see you on the journey! Your friend and pastor, Tom Bartha

2 So What about Christmas Over these weeks calendars filling to overflowing Shopping, concerts, parties and work all going; There is no room for one more thing Not in the car, refrigerator, or under the bed, There is no space at all from foot to head. No room to be found in our cluttered world, No space, no place not even to herald. No where to go within the heart of the day, No opening to receive anything no way. Yet one night a long time ago At a Bethlehem Inn a family did show, Turned down, no space, In the Inn no place. Then to the stable The family was able The birth of a baby For the crowded world maybe There could be room For the love of God whom Our form did take to heal not to break Flooding our hearts, minds and souls With much more than personal goals Is there space in your heart Will you give Christ a start Into your crowded agenda day Births the Lord making a way Where peace, love and joy dwell The myth of no room to dispel. -Jim O Connell This Advent the theme is whispers. To hear a whisper the listener needs to quiet themselves, lean in close and be attentive. Whispers are intimate, personal. That is what Jesus did when he took on flesh and became God-with-us, Emmanuel. He made it personal. God whispers to us through scripture, in creation, and in each other. In this Advent season of waiting it is my prayer for us, as a people who gather in Jesus name, that we make room in our hearts to listen for whispers of Hope, of Peace, of Joy and of Love. What practices can we change or try so that we are able to slow down, lean in and be attentive to God? Fasting? Prayer? Journaling? It could be anything. God honors the heart willing to make room for his Son. Merry Christmas! May Christ be your gift. On the Journey, Pastor Debbie

3 MEMORIAL GIFTS Given By In Memory Of Designation Kay and Elaine Peacock Shirley Shaw Undesignated Andrea Cocula Shirley Shaw Undesignated June E. Glascock Shirley Shaw Undesignated Shirley & Rick Montanari Shirley Shaw Handbells Jennie Bryk Shirley Shaw Undesignated Kenneth Huey, Sr. Shirley Shaw Undesignated From Eleanor Haling remembering her PRC friends at Thanksgiving Undesignated To Mark Warner LIBRARY NEWS From Roben Roon What a nice way to celebrate a birthday or to remember someone special, than to put a book in our Library. If you have any books at home you can donate them. We have memorial plaques in the Library! The Best Christmas Gift of All by Elaine Peacock Christmas is here again along with all the pressure of what gift to give the special people in our lives. I've always heard the best gift we can give is ourselves; our time, a listening ear, a word of encouragement, a hug or thank you. I heard about someone who instead of buying gifts gave a donation to that person's favorite charity in their name. At first a few of his friends were miffed when they opened up their package and saw just a thank you from the charity, but later more people he knew took his lead and did the same thing. My girlfriend's grandchildren have a tradition; they have to go through their good used toys before Christmas and donate them to Toys 4 Tots or another local charity before they write their letters to Santa. She said this started when her children were small and she has continued it with her grandchildren. She said they ask for less: their letter to Santa includes only the item they especially want, and the children feel that they have made a difference by making another child's Christmas special. So this Christmas plan to give a bit of yourself. Not only will Christmas be less hectic, but God will smile that your gifts will honor His son's birthday Merry Christmas PRC.

4 GREETINGS FROM THE PARISH HEALTH MINISTRY This article is a gift from Carol O'Neil, a member of Old Paramus Reformed Church in Ridgewood, friend of PRC, and mother of PRC member Nancy Begin. Advent overwhelmed by waiting Days of Advent a time of waiting Waiting is built into our daily lives. Reflect on how many waiting times occur on a regular basis in our ordinary lives. It can be a frustration or it can be a time of reflection by taking advantage of the scattered minutes of those waiting times in the midst of busy ness. A few times we may overlook are: standing in line during holiday shopping waiting for cookies or cake to finish baking waiting for the light to turn green sitting in the car waiting for the rest of the family These and many more are opportunities to quietly reflect on the joyful waiting of Advent. The special waiting of Advent Waiting is essential to the spiritual life. But waiting as a follower of Jesus is not an empty waiting. It is waiting with a promise in our hearts that makes already present what we are waiting for. Advent is the beginning of the Church year. It is significant that it begins with waiting for the birth of Jesus. We wait after Easter for the coming of the Spirit, and after the Ascension of Jesus we wait for His coming again in glory. Henri Nouwen says, Waiting for God is an active, alert yes, joyful waiting. As we wait we remember Him for whom we are waiting, and as we remember Him we create a community ready to welcome Him when He comes. Advent preparations An Advent wreath is a visual way to look forward to the birth of Christ through the symbolism of lighted candles. The act of lighting the candle(s) creates a focus on the Light who came on that first Christmas day. As each additional candle is lit in our worship service and/or in our home we see the light reaching further and further into the darkness and the waiting grows shorter and shorter. The members of the Health Ministry extend to all hope for a joyful Advent and a blessed Christmas season.

5 Consistory Roundtable of Thanks Thanks to those who spent a chilly Saturday planting hundreds of flower bulbs (tulips, daffodils and more), that will bloom for our church's 200th Anniversary: Nancy Shimmel, Mary Bartha, Drew Altorfer, Jim and Jill Laux, and Tim Laux with his scout troop pals-- Matthew Cherico, Bryan Becker, Andrew Cronin, and Nicholas Belfondo! A Special Thanks to PRC! Dear Members of our Church Family, Jo-Ann and I wish to thank Pastor Tom and Mary and all those of our Church Family who offered us a place to stay during the recent power outage. We are grateful to all who offered, including those we only know slightly. We are so happy to be members of such a caring church. Blessings to all of you. Betty Sisco To My Church Family, Many thanks to Pastor Tom for the prayers while I was in the hospital. Also thanks to all for the cards and phone calls for my 92nd birthday. It was all greatly appreciated. You are all a great family. Much love to you all, Kay Peacock

6 ADVENT AND ITS CUSTOMS The term "advent" comes from the Latin adventus, meaning "coming" or "appearance." Advent is the season marking the four Sundays before Christmas and developed as a way of helping Christians prepare not only to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in his First Coming but also to help them look forward to his glorious Second Coming. One of the best known Advent customs is the lighting of the candles in an Advent wreath, a simple or decorated evergreen wreath with four candles placed in the circle and a single white candle in the center. The wreath itself represents the never-ending circle of God s love, that he is the same and forever in his love towards his people. The green of the wreath, as in the Christmas tree, represents the hope of eternal life that comes through Christ and serves as a reminder of the freshness of God s love and promises. The light of the candles reminds us that Jesus is the Light of the World, that his birth represented the coming of the light into darkness, and that we are called to reflect that light in our lives. The outer candles are purple, the color of royalty, although customarily the third one is rose or pink. Traditions differ regarding the symbolism of the candles. One is that they represent the hope, love, joy, and peace that come through Jesus Christ. Each Sunday before Christmas an additional candle is lit, creating a beautiful stepped-effect as the previous weeks candles burn down further. The central white candle is known as the Christ candle. It is lit on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and represents the new covenant made possible through Christ.

7 GREETINGS FROM THE FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE The fellowship committee would like to thank everyone who was involved in Autumnfest and made it so successful once again! We are happy to announce that we made $ this year. We were able to give money to Robert Barrett, Sabine Kroeger, and Debbie Pierce, our three Seminary Students. We also gave money to the Deacon's Fund and the 200th Anniversary Committee. It is wonderful to be able to help out our Church Family in so many ways. We are looking forward to having it again next year during our 200th Anniversary Celebration. In January, plans will once again be under way for Autumnfest. If anyone would like to get involved or has a suggestion, please talk to any Fellowship Committee Member, we look forward to your input. A big thanks to our Church Family for your generous donations, your time, enthusiasm, and prayers that you put into Autumnfest to make it such an enjoyable day! The outside Vendors commented on how friendly and thoughtful the people from this church are. God blessed us with a beautiful day! We felt he was smiling down on us! Once again thank you very much and we are looking forward to working with all of you once again next year. God Bless you all! Your Fellowship Committee

8 Second Sunday of Advent December 4, 2011 Third Sunday of Advent December 11, 2011 Fourth Sunday of Advent December 18, 2011 First day of Winter December 21, 2011 Christmas Eve December 24, 2011 Christmas Day December 25, 2011 New Year's Eve December 31, 2011 Cereal, spaghetti sauce, pasta, canned fruit, tuna fish (we are out), jell-o, pudding, soup, peanut butter and we have no jelly. The Deadline for Newsletter Articles is the third Sunday of every month. Please send submissions to or feel free to drop it in the mail slot in the church office!