Pres Clippings. Inside this issue: Inside this issue: Pledge. Movie Night 4. Calling Team 4. Operati 56. * Sunday 22 Worship * GriefShare 3 Surviving

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1 Pres Clippings Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, The statistics are alarming. In 2015 it is estimated that some 10,000 churches closed their doors. It is also estimated that at the same time some 3,500 individuals left the church each day. Some of the movement away from church is directly related to church closures. You see, when a church closes, people often feel they no longer have a spiritual home so they just don t go anymore. I know of 2 churches in our presbytery that are in serious conversations about closing right now. We can all point to external factors we can t control as we seek to explain these statistics. Population shifts and demographic remapping are factors. An increase in the number of choices that people have with the use of their time competes with weekend worship too. However, there are internal factors that we can control such as rut thinking. Rut thinking involves the Seven Deadly Words of the Church: We ve always done it this way. Such thinking stifles creativity and forward movement. Closely associated with rut thinking is the tendency to opt for comfort over risk. The fact remains, without risk, growth is stunted. Pessimism and inability to dream are factors that are closely related. My experience is that pessimism quickly leads to griping and complaining rather than focusing on how we can work together while failure to dream leads to stagnation. Remember Proverbs 29:18 (KJV): Where there is no vision, the people perish. I ve been to churches that exude an unwelcoming spirit. However, if it were not for strangers and people who are not like us, the church would have died out long ago. I ve also been to churches where the expectation is that the paid leaders will do all the ministry for members. Think of all the spiritual gifts that are not employed thanks to that kind of attitude. It reminds me of the old adage: God has no grandchildren. In other words no one can do another s faith walk for them. (continued >) First Presbyterian Church November 7, 2017 Inside this issue: Inside this issue: * Sunday 22 Worship * GriefShare 3 Surviving Pledge the 3 Holidays! Movie Night 4 * Rummage Sale 4 Information Calling Team 4 * Puerto Rico 4 Relief Women s Fundrais- 4 * Free Operati 56 Thanksgiving Dinner * Hanging of the Greens! INSERTS: Thanksgiving Dinner Flyer & Poinsettia Order Form Please Remember! FEED MY SHEEP November 12th: 5 CEREALS (all varieties)

2 I don t play golf but I do know enough about the game to know that there are certain places on the golf course where you don t want your ball to land the rough, the sand and the water. Knowing where the traps are helps the golfer avoid the traps and direct the ball to the green. I think it s the same with church life if we know the internal factors that tend to trip up churches, we can do something to prevent trouble. The next six weeks will be extremely busy in the life of our church. I am confident that whatever stress we feel along the way will not get the best of us because we know where the traps are and we know how to avoid them we will continue to be outgoing, warm and friendly, loving and compassionate toward all; excited about ministry and mission; and focused on prayerfully working together in the name of Jesus Christ. Love and peace, Betsey * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * THIS WEEK S SUNDAY SERVICE November 12, 2017 ~ 10:30 a.m. 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Stewardship Dedication Sunday The Rev. Dr. Betsey Crimmins will lead us in worship and preach. The Chancel Choir will sing. The Greeters and Ushers are Jim Barr, Dottie Tholfsen, Mike and Rehana Stanley. The Lay Reader will be Tom Stegbauer. The Sunday School leader will be Lynn Hornbuckle. The Chancel Flowers will be given by Ellen Marsh Death. Childcare will be available. All are welcome to attend! NEXT WEEK S SUNDAY SERVICE November 19, 2017 ~ 10:30 a.m. 24th Sunday after Pentecost Two Cents A Meal Sunday The Rev. Dr. Betsey Crimmins will lead us in worship and preach. The Chancel Choir will sing. The Greeters and Ushers are Chuck Stewart, Liz Holloway, and Sue Kruckow. The Lay Reader will be Ron Rehner. The Sunday School leaders will be Kera and John Stanley. The Chancel Flowers will be given by Norm and Alida 2 Schamel. Childcare will be available. All are welcome to attend! OFFICE NEWS.the church office will be CLOSED on Friday, November 10, 2017 in observance of Veterans Day holiday. CY 2018 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE CAMPAIGN is near the end. Please if you intend to pledge, get your pledge cards into the church office ASAP. Thanks, Greg Lamb THANK YOU to Dennis Cooper and Harry Fitzsimmons for building the new wooden frame for the outside church banners. THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the Sunday worship service on November 5th...the Chancel Choir for singing...pat Holmstrom, Nan Peterson, Greg and Anne Lamb for Greeting and Ushering...Ron Tunison for giving the Minute for Mission...Liz Holloway for Lay Reading Stacia Kruckow and Carole Wereski for leading the Sunday School during worship...deacons, Mike Crimmins and Rich Buchheimer for preparing the

3 Communion...Elders, Pat Holmstrom, Mike and Patricia Kapusta, Desiree Rogers, and John Stanley for serving the Communion...Tom and Betsy Stegbauer for giving the Chancel Flowers, The Chancel Flowers are given in loving memory of Betsy s Mom....Greg and Anne Lamb for hosting the Fellowship Hour. ADULT BIBLE GROUP "BIBLE BASICS: ABOUT GOD" "Bible Basics" is a new Bible group for adults who desire to deepen their understanding of God, the Bible, and living the Christian life. This five-week series "Bible Basics: About God" takes place Sundays at 9:30 a.m. from November 5 through December 10 (no class November 26). "Bible Basics: About God" explores the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, and the humanity of Jesus as Christmas approaches. Adults are welcome to join any or all gatherings. For more information, please contact the church office or Patricia Kapusta at (607) or patricia.kapusta@outlook.com. ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL The Adult Sunday School class invites you to join them at 9:30 a.m. in the parlor area. The class will be discussing the lectionary readings for each Sunday. The lectionary readings for Sunday, November 12 th : Joshua 24:1-3a, and Psalm 78:1-7; Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 or Amos 5:18-24 and Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20 or Psalm 70; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; and Matthew 25:1-13. The KNITTING4PEACE POD will have their next meeting on Tuesday, November 7 th, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Parlor. 3 VOLUNTEER AT THE FOOD BANK! Volunteers are needed to support the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. We have committed to the Food Bank to work a 6-8 p.m. shift on the 2nd Thursday of each month. The next volunteer time is on November 9th. If you are able and interested in helping our First Pres group help the Food Bank we would love to have you join us. If you would like to get a better idea about what the Food Bank of the Southern Tier does you can go to their website at GRIEFSHARE PRESENTS... SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS Monday, November 13th ~ 6 p.m. GriefShare Presents: Surviving the Holidays is a helpful, encouraging seminar for people facing the holidays after the death of a loved one. The seminar offers practical suggestions and reassurance through video interviews with counselors, grief experts and other individuals who have experienced the holidays after their loved one s death. While created for individuals grieving the death of a loved one, the seminar is relevant for anyone facing the holidays after a life change like divorce or the empty nest. For more information, contact the church office at (607) or kespreselm@stny.rr.com. The CIRCLE OF WOMEN will have their next meeting on Monday, November 20th at 10 a.m. All women are welcome to come. OFFICE NEWS the church office will be CLOSED on Thursday, November 23rd & Friday, 24th for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

4 RUMMAGE SALE INFORMATION RUMMAGE SALE MEMBER SALE...THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9th beginning at 6:30 p.m. We have a lot of lovely and interesting treasures and we look forward to seeing everyone there. Come and join the fun! WORKERS NEEDED!!...SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11th. We really need workers for the actual sale on November 11 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. We need about 10 more people from 8am -12:00 pm and from 12:30-4:00 pm for clean-up. RUMMAGE SALE NO-NO S...We do not accept electronics such as TV s, computers, computer monitors and computer printers. Please do not send in stained clothing or broken items. Norm Schamel asks that metal recycling and bottles not be brought in during the rummage sale week-november 4 th -11. We need the room for kitchen sale items. Please hold on to the bottles and metal recycling until the rummage sale has ended. Thanks for understanding. RUMMAGE SALE PICK-UP...if you need things picked up from your house, please call the church at and then we can schedule the pick up. Please let us know if we are picking up furniture. If the item is very large, Cynthia Malcovitch will come and take a picture of the item and put it on Craig s list. TAX INFORMATION...Sue Weaver has printed out tax forms where you list what you have given to the church rummage sale and you can assign a value to the items. It does not RUMMAGE SALE WORKERS SCHEDULE: A Quick Guide To When Your Help Is Needed Tuesday, November 7 ~ 9 am 3 pm or later - Continue setting up and pricing of items. Wednesday, November 8 ~ 9 am 3 pm or later - Organization of items and pricing. Friday, November 10 ~ 9 am - Making sure we are ready for Saturday. Saturday, November 11 ~ Rummage Sale 8:30 am-noon - Need workers from 8 am-4:30 pm. Clean-up from the sale and disassemble of the racks, etc. Need at least 10 more people for this. FUNDRAISING EVENT FOR PUERTO RICO RELIEF Friday, December 1, :00-7:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church will host a community fundraising event on Friday, December 1st from 5:00 7:30 p.m. There will be a dinner and a silent auction. We will need donations for the auction, which could be baskets, gift certificates, etc. We are in need of any and all who would be willing to 4 volunteer to make this event successful. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 8th at 6:30 p.m. where specific details will be discussed and decided. This is an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a time of critical need. It is also an opportunity to reach out and engage our greater community. Please consider this important calling. For more information, please contact Joanne Tunison at

5 FREE THANKSGIVING DINNER You are invited to attend our church Free Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, November 23rd at 2 p.m. in the Hoffman Great Room. Everyone in the church and in the community is invited to come! Please RSVP by calling the church office at We are looking for volunteers to come and help. Please contact Mike Kapusta at if you are able to help FLOWER CHART The 2018 Chancel Flower Chart is now posted on the bulletin board in the hallway across from the kitchen. You are welcome to sign up for your favorite date(s) when you chose to provide the Chancel Flowers for worship. Bouquets for the chancel are $40 each. Unless otherwise indicated by the donor, the flowers then are separated into bouquets after worship. The bouquets are then delivered to those who are sick or homebound, by the Deacons. FLOWER CHART The Chancel Flower chart is located in the hallway across from the kitchen. The next available date is December 3rd. Bouquets for the chancel are $40 each. The flowers are separated into bouquets after worship and then delivered to those who are sick or homebound, by the Deacons. Please sign up on the Flower Chart or call the office for assistance. Thank you. 5 HANGING OF THE GREEENS Please join us on Saturday, December 9th for Hanging of the Greens from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Everyone is invited to help prepare our church for the Christmas season. All ages welcome! SAVE THE DATE! December 10, 2017 Trolley Sunday! Come join us in spreading Christmas cheer by caroling, having fun and fellowship beginning at 12:15 p.m. and returning to church about 4:00 p.m. We will be visiting Elcor, Appleridge and Woodbrook. Lunch will be provided at 11:30 prior to leaving and the bus transportation is provided. Any questions, please contact Eileen or Tom Leslie at Hope to see you then. 28th ANNUAL YANKEE TRADER CHRISTMAS PARTY! Saturday, December 16th ~ 6:00 p.m. Young at Heart is the name for the fellowship and fun activities for the adults of our church aged 21 and over. The Yankee Trader Party is pure fun tucked into a very busy season a chance to relax and enjoy each other s company. You are invited! The party will be held at the home of Mark and Jane Ivanick in Elmira, starting at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 16th. Please bring your favorite hors d oeuvres and beverage to share. Also, please bring a wrapped gift that costs no more than $12, one per adult. Because parking is limited at the Ivanick s house, guests will meet at a nearby location TBD at 6 p.m. and car pool to their house.

6 THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK... The best wireless plan? PRAYER unlimited minutes, unlimited messages! The Rev. Dr. Betsey R. Crimmins, Pastor Felix Perez, Outreach & Service Specialist Gary Tucker, Organist Scott Kelley, Instrumental Director Kelly Stewart, Church Secretary Fred Betschen, Church Treasurer Barbara Squires, Clerk of Session Melissa Moore, Director of Music James Stewart, Sr., Church Sexton Susan Weaver, Financial Secretary Paul Kingsbury, Assistant Church Treasurer Church Office (607) Visit our website: