THE RED DOOR WANTED! FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BIG FLATS, NY SEPTEMBER 2011

Transcription

1 THE RED DOOR FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BIG FLATS, NY SEPTEMBER 2011 (607) / Founded Pride In Our Past Faith In Our Future WANTED! To fill church pews, serve on committees, provide coffee hours, sing in the choir, greet, learn and grow, become friends, bring friends, become new members, become part of our church family, share a life... MALE: Sort of tall, sort of short, sort of plump, sort of thin, sort of young, sort of old, lots of hair, some hair, no hair, sense of humor dry or not, sense of honor, average sort of man. FEMALE: Sort of tall, sort of petite, sort of chubby, sort of lean, sort of young, sort of wise, long hair, short hair, thinning hair, may wear dresses, may wear pants, sense of humor laughs easily, sense of self, average sort of woman Either, or both, may be accompanied by... CHILDREN: Old or young, loud or quiet, active or calm, plump, thin, short, tall, athletic, clumsy, full of smiles, hugs or tears, imaginative, complete with dreams and disappointments, quick to ask questions, sure to grow. Approach with caution and care may be armed with any number of stunning talents or personality attributes. Carefully apprehend and gently lead to the FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BIG FLATS, Church and Main Streets, Big Flats. Rewards are many and may include: Love, Peace, Joy, Faithfulness, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Compassion, just to name a few... God Bless You! Please join us as we mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy with a " Service of Healing and Reconciliation " on Sunday, September 11. All are welcome!

2 CHARLES E. EASTERBROOK ( ) Charles Easterbrook passed away on Friday, July 22, at the age of eighty-five. He was a resident of the Mississippi State Veterans Home (Oxford, MS) at the time of his passing. Charles spent most of his life in Big Flats. He was a decorated veteran of World War II, who served in Europe. Charles taught Industrial Arts for thirty-six years in Elmira Heights and was active in Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, local theater, and in the Boy Scouts of America. He served our church as an elder, and he was very much involved in our Property Committee. Charles contributed his creativity, ingenuity, and his skills to many projects over the years. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and a true friend to many. Charles was one of the pillars of our church, and we were blessed by his presence among us. JOYS AND CONCERNS It was another busy and rewarding summer at our little church. Inspiring worship services, uplifting music, a successful Vacation Bible School program, and a lot of hard work by willing volunteers, made for a rich and rewarding July and August. Rev. Rick always makes Sunday services special. This summer his messages have dealt with the depiction of Peter in the Gospel of Matthew. We thank Bill Howells, Bill Powell, and Tom Seem for leading us in morning worship when Rev. Rick was on vacation. Even though our choir enjoyed a much-deserved summer respite, Nancy Compton, our Director of Music, and a variety of talented guest artists gave us music to make our spirits soar each week. Thanks to Carrie Hooper, Jon German, Paul Holland, Sue Kramer, Scott Frye, Randy Cornell, Sam Francis, Alissa French, Todd Wilsoncroft, and all who made summer worship so meaningful! During the third week of July, over twenty-five children, along with youth and adult volunteers, experienced four evenings of challenges, adventure, and fun as they spent time at The Shake It Up Cafe -- Where Kids Carry Out God's Recipe during our 2011 Vacation Bible School program. In this kid-friendly café full of chef's hats and aprons, pots and pans, checkered tablecloths, and chalkboard menus, kids explored the Bible as a cookbook filled with recipes for living out God's word. Thank you, Stacie Belosky, and all our helpers for your hard work and commitment to making this such a special experience for all who participated. Thanks to Tom Rhodes and the Property Committee for all their hard work in maintaining our church and its grounds this summer. A detailed report of their activities can be found on page three. The sympathy of our church family is extended to the family of Charles Easterbrook. In other concerns this month, we ask for prayers for: Glen Bates, Jessie Compton, Art Devenport, John Hoos, Lydia Middaugh, Lucile Easterbrook, Florence Luppold, Dick and Peg Shockner, Ruth Price (Rev. Rick's mother), and Marge Larocque (Gigi's mother), and others who are dealing with ill health, loss, or life changes. Please continue to pray for our servicemen and women and their families and for peace in our troubled world. Do you have a special joy or concern that you would like to share with our Big Flats Presbyterian Church community? See Rev. Rick or Bill Howells, and we will include your news in our Joys/Concerns column. SUNDAY SCHOOL RESUMES SEPTEMBER 11 Our Christian Education Committee has announced that regular Sunday School classes will resume on Sunday, September 12. Classes are held during morning worship and are open to youths from pre-k through grade eight. All are welcome! Volunteers are always welcome!!!!! Questions? Talk to Stacie Belosky or any Christian Ed member. SEPTEMBER 4 morning worship at 9:30 AM SEPTEMBER 11 morning worship at 10:30 AM

3 PROPERTY COMMITTEE HAS A BUSY SUMMER! Our Property Committee was hard at work this summer. Committee members and willing volunteers spent many, many hours maintaining and beautifying our building and grounds. We are most appreciative of this hard-working group. PROJECT UPDATE -- Some of the work done this summer included: Pat Seem, Jenny Dean, and Bill Howells painted our "Church House" Fellowship Hall and Sunday School room. The new color and trim give this vital area a warm and friendly look. We are very thankful to Pat Seem for her leadership on this big project. Scott and Sheila French and Bill Howells made sure that our lawn and our Welles Land property were kept mowed each week. Skip and Priscilla Smith kept our shrubs and other landscape plantings looking beautiful. Tom Rhodes and Bill Howells moved our supply of various hand tools from a kitchen drawer into a toolbox that Bill made for us. Our church Library has been given a fresh, new look thanks to the painting skills of Kim and Todd Wilsoncroft. Thanks, also, to Jenny Dean, who donated the paint that Kim and Todd used to beautify the room. WHEELCHAIRS AND WALKERS AVAILABLE --We keep a folding wheelchair, a folding walker, and a set of crutches in the narthex area. They can be used during Sunday worship. We also have a number of wheelchairs and walkers that can be borrowed for home use. Please talk to Rev. Rick or Tom Rhodes if you would like more information. HELPING HANDS PROGRAM -- Our Property Committee would like to offer its expertise to members of our church family (and friends). We would be happy to help out with small repairs, painting, moving projects, etc. In addition, there are often larger repair jobs that crop up in the course of owning a home, and advice is needed as to how to proceed (do-it-yourself, hire a contractor, etc.). Our committee's "Helping Hands" are willing to help you appraise these problems and suggest options for you. If you (or someone you know) need a "Helping Hand," or for more information, contact Tom Rhodes, or any member of the Property Committee. WE CAN USE YOUR HELP! -- Our Property Committee members will be busy on a number of projects this fall. Jobs to be tackled will involve painting, cleaning, fixing, and building. Donations of time, service, and financial support are most welcome. Please join with us as we maintain our church property and work to make it safer, more attractive, and more energyefficient. Questions? -- Tom Rhodes ( ) PRAISING VOICES SETS FALL REHEARSALS Praising Voices is a choir for youth 4 years of age through 8th grade. Mary Ellen Rudnick is the director of this wonderful group of eager and enthusiastic young singers. The group will rehearse each Thursday evening, 6:30-7:15 PM, in our sanctuary. The first rehearsal will be held on Thursday, September 8. We are always eager to welcome new members to Praising Voices. Questions: Contact Mary Ellen Rudnick or merudnick@hotmail.com USED CLOTHING DROP-OFF SHED MARKS TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY For the past two years, our church has been working with St. Pauly Mission, a locally owned company and member of the Better Business Bureau, to get useable clothing to people who can use it, here in the USA and in third world countries. The drop-off shed (on our church's Welles Land property --along Church Street) has made it possible for people to donate clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, blankets, sheets, pillowcases, drapes, and stuffed toys. We are assured by the St. Pauly organization that donations are never cut up or shredded! Donors are asked to place items in plastic bags, if possible, and to not bring rags, fabric scraps, pillows, toys, or household goods, as these unwanted items are a hardship and expense when it come time to dispose of them. In addition to providing a valuable service to those in need, the clothing collection is a fund-raising project for our church, as St. Pauly has provided significant remuneration to our church for the donated items. Questions? Talk to Rev. Rick or and member of our Church Session.

4 BUTTON CLUB TO MEET The Elmira Button Club will meet September 14th from 11AM until 2PM at the Retirement Estates Clubhouse on Retirement Drive (off Sing Sing Road). There will be buttons on display, button crafts and refreshments. All are welcome to attend. For more information call Pat Silvernail at FALL RUMMAGE SALE SET FOR OCTOBER Please start collecting all your fall and winter rummage (spring/summer coats, etc. please keep until the spring rummage sale) for our Fall Rummage Sale. The sale sill be held in mid-october. The exact date of the sale will be announced in church and on our website when the date is set. We are going to need volunteers for setting up, working at the sale, taking down, and a variety of other jobs. Ann Hayes ( ) and Neal Gummoe ( ) are chairpersons of this event and can answer your questions. TROOP #87 NEWS The boys had another great week of camping at Tuscarora this year, and more recently they served water at the Time to Sperr run on August 27th. Special thanks go out to Pam Clemmons, who coordinated our participation in the Sperr run, Laura Adiego, who attended a day of training for this year s Popcorn sales drive, and Scoutmaster Steve Nagle, who will be attending three days of training in September for his position. Thanks also to Assistant Scoutmaster Bill Brodginski, who joined the boys and Scoutmaster Nagle for a full week of summer camp. Alex Carmody is working on a 40ft tall osprey nest for his Eagle project, and Benjamin Farr has completed 5 weeks at Camp Tuscarora as a Counselor in Training. This was an experience of a lifetime for him! Coming up, the Troop is planning to hike and camp at Ricketts Glen State Park (Sept ) and attend the Cope Course at Camp Brule on (Oct. 7-9). You should join us on an outing to see what it s all about! We are always looking for dedicated scouts and adult leaders to join our Troop, and you can participate in a variety of ways. As a Leader, you could attend training and bring the scouting program to the boys. As a committee member, you could provide ideas and support for particular projects, campouts, merit badges, fundraisers, or other activities. You truly get out of it what you put into it, you do some good, and you meet some great people along the way. For more information, please call John Farr at STEWARDSHIP DRIVE SLATED FOR SEPTEMBER START The arrival of September with its cooler nights and more comfortable daytime temperatures lets us know that autumn is just around the corner. Once again we return to the later church service hour on Sunday mornings, and church activities begin anew. In light of this, this year s Stewardship Committee hopes to begin the annual stewardship campaign in September and finalize it by the end of October. This earlier time frame will prevent an overlap with the busyness of the holidays in November and December. You will soon all be hearing from us, so please begin to prayerfully think about our church, its ongoing needs, and your role in the upcoming stewardship campaign. Many thanks -- Pat Seem, Stewardship Committee Chairperson THE MUSIC RETURNS The choir of the First Presbyterian Church of Big Flats will hold its first rehearsal on Sunday, September 11 at 9:30 AM. Oldies, Goldies and New Recruits are all welcome. We are looking for singers for all voice parts, high, low and in the middle. So if you have ever sung in the shower, hummed while washing dishes or fixing the car - you have the credentials. Just show up. We have lots of fun and still get the job done. Join us! We'll save you a seat!

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6 WEEKLY EVENTS SUNDAY, September 4 Worship at 9:30 SUNDAY (beginning September 11) 9:30 AM Choir Rehearsal 10:30 AM Morning Worship with Sunday School and Nursery Care TUESDAY 12:00 2:00 PM Food Pantry is open 6:30 PM Boy Scout Troop #87 THURSDAY (beginning September 8) Praising Voices Rehearsal 6:30 7:15 September 4 SPECIAL EVENTS Holy Communion September 11 Service of Healing and Reconciliation to mark10th anniversary of 9/11 Sunday School Rally Day September 25 September 25 Information due for the October RED DOOR Pennies from Heaven COMMITTEE MEETINGS Worship Committee September 11 following morning worship Membership Committee September following morning worship 6 Property Committee Session (Wed) September 21 6:30 PM (Wed) September 21 7:30 PM PROVIDERS NEEDED FOR FLOWERS, BULLETINS AND COFFEE HOUR Our new church year starts on Sunday, September 11. Worship time resumes at 10:30, our choir returns, and our Sunday School kicks off a new year! Some of the things that make for special Sundays at our church include flowers for our sanctuary, special bulletins for our worship services, and our wonderful coffee hours. Signup sheets have been posted on the bulletin board in our Church House please help keep Sundays special at Big Flats First Presbyterian Church.