Outreach First Presbyterian Church 505 Cayuga St., Lewiston, NY /

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1 September 2018 Outreach First Presbyterian Church 505 Cayuga St., Lewiston, NY / ************************************************************************************* Dear Friends in Christ, The summer has flown past as always, and here we are at the beginning of Fall! I trust the summer was a time when you could find moments of rest and renewal. I wanted to remind you that on Saturday, September 15, at am, we are hosting a Blessing of Pets. This custom is conducted in remembrance of Saint Francis of Assisi s love for all creatures. Francis, whose feast day is October 4th, loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey. In case of rain, we ll hold this short service in the Social Hall. The Fellowship Team is planning to provide a simple snack of hotdogs and salads afterwards. This is a great way to reach out to our community, so please let your pet-loving friends know about this! There s usually also a great deal of fun and fellowship! Mark the date! And even if you don t have pets, why not come and join us? Being around animals is good for your emotional health! Grace, peace, blessings, Rev. Elizabeth Morgan Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God s living things. All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures. And there was testimony in the cause for Saint Clare of Assisi s canonization that referred to her little cat! A Blessing of Pets is a way to witness to God's and the Church's love, care, and concern for creation. As we recognize our mutual interdependence with God's creatures, the Church's witness of stewardship of creation is strengthened. It is also a time with special appeal to children. For those of us with pets, they are indeed part of our families. So if you have pets, please consider bringing them to be blessed! For safety and security, we ask that all pets be restrained dogs on leashes, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, snakes (yes, I blessed a snake a few years back!) etc. should be in crates. Larger animals such as horses or donkeys are also welcome. SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY Will begin Sunday, October am North Learning Center See You there!

2 Board of Deacons Paul Colburn Heather Ewy Lois Davey Kathy Janik Barbara Lymburner Sue McBee Sharon Barto Maxine Stewart Rita Welker Next Session meeting Tuesday, Sept. 18 th 6pm Next Deacons meeting Tuesday, Sept. 18 th at 7pm Choir Practice Resumes Thursday, Sept. 13 th at 5pm If you enjoy singing and can make the majority (we know everyone cannot make them all) of Thursday evening and Sunday morning (usually 10:30 or 10:45) rehearsals please come and join us!!!! Terri & Bill Brown Louise & Gary Wasko Jennifer & Charles Dewey Sept 2 nd Sept. 6 th Sept. 28th Jeremy Heary Louis Silvaggi Judy Lee Michael Hodgins Richard Witkowski Gloria Platter Carole Carli Barbara Piper Carol Glassner Lanice Ford Kandy Ricotta Annamarie McConnell Millie Crane Paul Andrzejewski Pamala Shanahan Susan Corey Zarrillo Mary Ellen Sperduti Betty Murphy John Zaccarella Patrick Hodgins Janice Lewis Sue Rice Gavin Burns Rev. Charles Lamb Jackie Wnuk Juanita Pearl Let us keep all our active service men and women in our prayers. (If you have put a name on the prayer list, please let the office know how they are doing and if able to be removed from the list.) If you are able, send a card or stop by if you have not seen someone in church. Your current Session & Deacons Elders Patty Berggren Linda Newman Terri Brown Cynthia Davey Jeff Schuster Lena Bellingham Jimmy Ewy Louise Wasko Louise Wasko Sept. 8 th Bonnie Nye Sept. 11 th Don McCormick Sept. 14 th Ron McCormick Sept. 14 th Emily Schuster Sept. 16 th Gary Wasko Sept. 17 th Terri Brown Sept. 24 th Caroline Latham Sept. 25 th Ralph Barto Sept. 26 th. Ruth Drake Memorial Service Wednesday, Sept. 19 th at 11am There will be a reception in the Blue Room following the service. If you would like to help the Deacons with the reception please let Sharon Barto know.

3 Property Team Update Before AFTER Old Furnace coming out During work New Furnace being installed The Property Team and Session would like to thank all those who have made extra donations this year to help us cover some of the cost of the major repairs (Boiler in the spring, furnace and chimney of Old Stone Church) that arose this year. March repairs - $ , July repairs - $9, Total repair costs this year - $ To date $6, has been donated over and above this years pledged amount to the church to help cover the costs of these repairs. The balance will come from the church s savings account. (In May the Session approved transfer of $25,000 from our Manse Investment Account to the churches savings account to help cover some of these unexpected expenses.

4 Sunday for Undies!! July 22 nd Niagara Falls Community Mission Thank you to all who donated to this need put out by City Mission they were truly thankful for the donation. Center Bike Adventure to continue our mission to help the poor find housing. If you would like to know more about this group go to FullerCenterBikeAdventure.org. Donated items: over 200 items for Women & Girls Over 150 items for Men & Boys Fuller Center Bike Adventure For The Fuller Center for Housing On Aug. 2 nd a group of 35 riders arrived at the church after biking from Ohio. They (a lot of them) started this adventure in Astoria Oregon and will be biking all the way to Portland Maine. As the group crosses the country they stop at prearranged areas and help with repairs to homes. The church provided housing for them overnight and they slept on the floors throughout the building. In the morning they were porvaded a wonderful breakfast to start their day riding on to Rochester. Members of this group were from all across the country, some from Oregon, Idaho, Minnesota, Indiana, Georgia just to name a few. They were all very appreciative of the church s hospitality. In the morning prior to leaving they all gathered for information pertaining to the days ride, had a time of devotion and prayer. On the table in the social hall they left a book Building Materials for Life by Millard Fuller, a thank you card and a T-shirt. (These items will be on the table in the narthex if you wish to see them.) The card reads, Thank you for your generous hospitality. We are indebted to you. It s through the generosity of the wonderful folks like you that allow The Fuller

5 Share Your Garden!! Collecting for School Kits Thank you to those who have already donated. If you have not, it s not too late. As in the past many years the YELLOW BUS is parked out on the table in the narthex for donations. These kits are used here in the US when there is a disaster and used around the world in impoverished communities and refugee camps. If you are able the items needed for each kit are listed below. Purchase items for a whole kit or partial, Presbyterian Women are covering the cost of processing for all kits donated and will supply the bags the kits will be put into. 1 Blunt Scissors 3 70 Count Notebook or totaling 1 12 Inch Ruler pages, NO LOOSE PAPER 1 - Hand held Pencil Sharpener 1 Large Eraser 1- Box of 24 Crayons 6 New, UNSHARPENED Pencils with erasers To First Presbyterian Church of Lewiston, I would like to thank you once again for your generous scholarship. Your support means the world to me and it was so great to come back to the church where my faith journey began. I enjoyed getting to know the different members of your church through the church service, and I loved talking with the scholarship committee once again. I thank you, I am so blessed Madison Dunn For October Outreach Thursday, Sept. 20 th 9AM Nothing will be able to be added after this date! Thank you to all who have brought in extra produce from your gardens to share with us. It has truly been a blessing to many! Lockport Presbyterian Home Potluck Fundraiser Sept. 6 th 11:30am Tickets are $25 per person Included is the main dish, table setting and beverages. Please bring a dish to pass or a dessert to share. 100% of all funds collected go directly to the Lockport Presbyterian Home and is tax deductible. RSVP BY Sept. 3 rd, to Allison at ext Lockport Presbyterian Home 327 High St., Lockport NY Pavilion back of Williams Hours Fellowship Team hosting a time of fellowship after the Blessing of the Animals on the 15 th. If you are willing to make and donate a salad that we will be serving with grilled Hotdogs please sign up on the sheet in the narthex. Please mark what kind of salad you will be donating!

6 SUNDAY USHERS NEEDED Eleven-year old Elmer and his family live in a very remote part of the Negros Oriental province of the Philippines. Last year he received a shoebox gift and was eager to share the contents with his 13-year-old brother and 14- year-old sister. Elmer began faithfully attending The Greatest Journey discipleship classes and invited his siblings to join him. His brother came along to session three as an observer and even went home and memorized the Bible verse for that week. Elmer s sister grew curious about what her younger brothers were learning, so she decided to join them for the next session of The Greatest Journey. This is an excellent way for you to meet members and friends of the congregation. In the past people had asked about ushering and stated they would really like to help in that capacity. For a variety of reasons some of them are no longer able to help. We do have a very dedicated group of volunteers that have been signing up, but we could really use a few more. Feel free to look at the sign-up sheet that is always on the table in the narthex. (You only need to sign up for one week at a time.) Presbyterian Woman There will be no regular meeting in September. Please mark on your calendars Saturday, October 6 th for the next meeting at 10am. We will be looking at the calendar and planning activities for the remainder of During that fourth session, a pastor invited the children to receive Christ as their Savior. Elmer and his siblings all prayed to receive Jesus into their hearts. In addition, their parents, who were preparing snacks for the class that day, also heard the Gospel and gave their lives to the Lord. All three siblings continued on to complete the rest of The Greatest Journey classes and memorize all twelve Bible verses. Elmer s family is now faithfully serving the Lord in the local church each Sunday even though it requires them to walk a long distance in varying weather conditions. In addition, a local man who works for Elmer s father is inviting young teens in the community to attend a Bible sharing time. With all that God is doing, Elmer s father recently testified that Operation Christmas Child was a great help in building lives and in strengthening the church in their community, thereby furthering the Great Commission. Collection for this year s boxes at the church will be Nov. 12 th 19 th. Many stores have summer toys and some school supplies that would be wonderful in the shoeboxes. Example: Crayons, pencils, little boxes to help keep them in; jump ropes and other outside toys. Never too early when you see something on sale to pick it up!!!! Fall Bazaar Tuesday, Nov. 6 th If you like to make crafts, can seasonal items, bake, quilt, etc. we can use all items. We will also be having our white elephant table again this year. So if you have some nicer items you are not using at home and would like to donate we are happy to accept them. (NO CLOTHING PLEASE)

7 Local Businesses Rhoney Funeral Home, Inc. Dedicated to Service Since 1938 Cayuga & 9 th St 1124 Ontario Ave. Lewiston, NY Niagara Falls, NY Hoover Rd. Sanborn, NY Do you know of a business that might like to advertise in our monthly newlsetter? There is space available, all we need is a copy of their busness card, or whatever they would like to have included. Please see Louise Wasko with any questions. Donation for 11 Issues - $100 or $10 for one month Louise does not need to be the only one contacting the businesses, feel free to contact them yourselves, especiall if you have a personal relationship with the company! - Louise