FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

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1 TOWER CHIMES Volume 9 Issues 7/8 July & August 2018 Special points of interest: Church Community News - pgs. 3 & 4 Prayer Requests - pg. 7 Church Calendars Inside this issue: Church Picnic on July 1st / Pastor s Article Deacon s Corner / YMCA Luncheon Pg. 2 Pg. 5 Summer Search Pg. 6 Eunice Schwietering The church office received a call from Eunice. She wanted to send her love to her church family, and to let us know that she is doing well and has moved to Belvidere, New Jersey. If you would like Eunice s new address and phone number, please give the office a call. Editor: CAB FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH From Pastor Erin... G reetings to all of the faithful! I just came home after serving our denomination at the General Assembly in St. Louis, Missouri. My heart is overwhelmed with excitement about our denomination and the ways that we continue to follow after Jesus. The General Assembly happens every two years. Commissioners from each presbytery, Young Adult Advisory delegates, Ecumenical Advisory Delegates, Mission Advisory Delegates, and Theological Advisory Delegates gather in committees over a few days to discuss recommendations and overtures from presbyteries and committees. I served on the Theological Institutions and Church Growth Issues Committee. We discussed everything from a commission to study the trends of Christian Education, to considering Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. s Letter from the Birmingham Jail as a confession of our church. Other attendees include Presbytery and Synod Executives, Stated Clerks, and other folks who enjoy the assembly. Once we finished our work in our committee s we joined over 500 people in the plenary sessions. During the plenary sessions we voted on the recommendations from each committee. We also worshipped together each day. Using the Robert s Rules of Order offered each delegate and commissioner the opportunity to speak for or against or for a recommendation. Although not perfect, it helped ensure all voices to be heard. I will be preaching about what we approved in my upcoming sermons. Words of encouragement The Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the PCUSA, began the assembly by asking us, Why did God bring us here for such a time as this? He reminded the church that we are called to reform at every level and that begins with the sanctified imagination that moves at levels far deeper than we can see. The opening worship began with the story of Joshua moving the Israelites into the new promised land. We were encouraged to, Get up. Get on. Go ahead. Rev. Jan Edminston and Rev. Denise Anderson preached about our success as a denomination being tied to being faithful to the gospel not exactly to how many bodies are in the pews. Words of challenge The city of St. Louis and the surrounding area have been in the news because of police brutality and the racial tensions that surrounded Michael Brown s death. We learned about the cash bail system in St. Louis that unfairly effects racial minorities and the poor in the city. The work of the Arch City Defenders and the Bail Project bails people out for their minor offenses. During opening worship we collected over $47,000 to help people caught up in this system. On Tuesday, June 19, hundreds of people from GA marched over a mile to the City Justice Center to deliver this money to help free people. Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk said, We are making a declaration in this era that we will return to the justice understanding of our faith that we had back in the 1960s when our stated clerk marched with Martin Luther King, when our stated clerk stood on the Lincoln Memorial and marched with Jobs and Justice. Continued page 2

2 Page 2 TOWER CHIMES First Pres. Church Family Picnic Save The Date! Sunday, July 1, 2018 Come one, come all, we plan on having a ball. Immediately after worship on July 1 st, we will hold our family picnic. After a busy year at First Pres., it is time to gather and enjoy some fellowship, food, fun, and games with everyone. The picnic was not held on the date of the Memorial Day Parade because two special guests will be able to come on July 1 st. Our brave servicemen, Odrique and Rodrique Josephs, will be home on leave and will be joining us. We will also be honoring six graduates, four in 2018 and two in Plus, the picnic will also give us a chance to say Thank You to our many members who have given their time and energy to take care of our church s needs. The committee will be providing hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, condiments, ice tea, and lemonade. They will also be formulating a list of other items they would like to have brought and ask each family to select what they would like to bring to share with everyone. Individuals can either select something from the list or make a donation for items the committee will be purchasing. Sign up sheets will be placed on the table as you enter Davis Hall. If you would like to invite a friend(s) to join us, please do. So mark your calendars, we want each and every one of you to come! Pastor s article continued We are returning to the days when we can actively engage all over this country, calling on the powers and principalities to release those from captivity, and to allow them to be in a place where they can make a life for themselves. We are here in a place where folks are locked up. Folks locked up, nobody to love them and care for them. That s what Jesus meant when he said release the captives. Why it is important Our very nature is to be a connectional church. Part of our polity and structure is to be connected by spirit and resources to our sister churches and the denomination as a whole. Learning about what happens at the General Assembly affords us the opportunity to see how the spirit is leading us, connect with resources, and find ways to connect. You will continue to hear more about my experience and how we as a church might foster these connections. Feel free to ask about my experience at any time. I d be happy to share! Pastor Erin

3 VOLUME 9 ISSUES 7/8 Page 3 SEPTEMBER 15, AM-3PM Items for the September flea market can be dropped off by the office from 9:30am-3:00pm, Monday-Thursday. No clothing, computers, VCRs, VHS tapes, encyclopedias, TVs, books, or printers, please. If you need a pickup, give the church office a call at Sign-up sheets will be in Davis Hall starting Sept. 1st. We hope to start setting the tables up on Saturday, Sept. 8 and bring the rest of the items up on Sunday, Sept. 9. MANY HANDS are needed, as we have a lot of items to be brought up from the downstairs storage rooms. This is a tremendous job and we always need many workers. Setting up will continue through the week from approximately 10am to 2pm. Items can be dropped off at the Davis Hall door up until Thursday this will give our workers time to set everything up. The tents will also be put up during the week. This event has grown over the years and has become a much needed fundraiser, which helps our church maintain its programs and outreach. We need our church family to volunteer as much time as possible. We are also counting on our youth to help out once again. Please plan on donating as much time as possible on the day of the sale, from 7am on. Those on the flea market committee were very grateful for the extra hands starting at 7am at the spring flea market. It is much easier when there is extra help to bring the outside items up. If we don t get enough help, the outside sale will have to be cancelled. 1-Monyka Elyzabeth K. 2-Tori Rae D. 3-Ray M. 4-Fred R. 8-Rev. Doug G. 10-David K. 10-Terry M. 10-Richard M. 11-Erwin A. 19-Bridget N. 23-Lauren H. 27-Joanne P. 27-Uma K. 14-Debby & Fred Please consider joining us on the 15th as early as you can, 7am if possible, and staying for as long as you can throughout the day. Food will be provided. REMINDER: the first Sunday of the month the area downstairs will be open for anyone who wants to shop.

4 Page 4 TOWER CHIMES Keep Up Your Steady Giving Through the Summer Months For many in the congregation summer means vacations, relaxation, and a time to unwind. The Finance Committee hopes you enjoy the next two months, but asks that you keep up with your individual pledges and maintain your individual giving. As you know, at our congregational meeting, we adopted a large deficit budget for the fiscal year and so far we have done very well in meeting our financial obligations. This success can be credited to the congregation s generosity, the Building & Grounds efforts to cut down on the church s bills by doing many jobs in house rather than hire outside contractors, and our successful fundraisers. To keep us on a solid financial footing in the 2 nd half of 2018, we ask that you continue to support the church especially during the summer months which can be a slow period for church giving. 2-Anna Marie G. 7-Vincent D. 8-Dan M. 12-Jacob L. 14-Stanley M. 15-Lawrence C. 16-Zachary W. 18-Caitlyn Anne O. 18-Tracie W. 19-Dorothy C. 20-Hazel Marion M. R. 21-Eric R. 21-Sam S. 23-Erika Marie V. 27-Ashley Nicole C. 27-Bill D. 27-Muriel R. 31-Michael T. Let s keep up our pledges and giving in July and August. Princeton Nwosu graduated from Rahway High school on June 20th, He is also one of the top 10 students in the Class of Next stop is the Steven Institute of Technology. Diana Nwosu graduated from Union County College on May 23rd, 2018, with an Associate's degree of Arts in Graphic Design. Next stop is the University of Memphis. 8-Kristen & Russell 13-Carol & Jake 22-Judy & Eric 29-Robin & Alex 29-Candy & Michael

5 VOLUME 9 ISSUES 7/8 Page 5 DEACONS CORNER With summer finally here we see the signs of God s renewing spirit in the flowers that are blooming and the growth on the trees. You may be feeling renewed and energized as well. You may even be thinking you d like to do something new to serve your community. One small but very much appreciated gesture is to send a card to someone on the prayer list or make a call to say Hi to a shut-in. This is something the Deacons do but we always can use reinforcements. If you need an updated church contact list call the church office and Carol Ann will be happy to get you a copy. Thank you for your prayerful support. On June 13th, we had an end of year luncheon with the YMCA ELR Program families and staff. As usual, the dishes everyone shared with each other were absolutely delicious! As you can see, there was quite a nice turnout. Thank you to the YMCA staff, the families, and to our church family who came and helped / shared a meal. The YMCA also has summer camp and some other fun activities for people of all ages. Some of the senior programs are even paid for by insurance. Pamphlets are available in the narthex and Davis Hall. Feel free to pick one up!

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7 VOLUME 9 ISSUES 7/8 Page 7 Please consider either calling or sending a card to church family who are homebound; call the church office ( ) if you need phone numbers and/or addresses. Prayer Requests Aldona, April A., Bryce, Candie A., Eva B., Florence B., Bill & Sue, Billy, Claudia Browne, Alyne Borst, Bob C., Kevin Castelluccio, Cathy, Charlie & Betsy, Diane Clark, Anthony D., Carol D., Jack D., Joe D., Darlene, Dave, Ryan Diskin, Donald, Dyan, Judy E., Bea F., Fran, Fred, Joan Fogerty, Gail, Carol Gould, Gretchen & Family, Bruce H., Burt H., Matt H., Brian Hartlaub, Ian, Ismael, Barbara J., Jason, Anna Marie G., Jesse G., John-Philip, Ilanda K., Katey, Kenneth, Kevin, Edna Lanuto, Lillian, Lily, Barbara M., David M., Joe M., Stanley M., Mary Ellen, Jim Mahachek, Tim Marsh, Dan Martin, Dotti Meyer, Mirla, Nick, Sylvia Nixon, Richard O., Shane O Donnell, James O Leary, Kevin O Neil, Olga, Olivia, Christine P., Harry P., Paul, Phil, Joanne Picarella, Preston, Roger, Roy, Allen S., Laurie S., Robin S., Sherry S., Savannah, Bob Schmidt, Seymour, Jeanie Spera, Linda T., Steve Thode, Terry, Janet Tobias, Toni, Dan V., Dorothy W., Kristy W., Tracie W., Walter, Wanda, Patrick Weaver, Christina Weaver, Philip Weaver & Family, Leslie White, William, Elaine Z. Those that are homebound Caroline Balla, Margaret Guile, Doris Kapus, Sallie Tyler, Beverly Woolley And those serving in our armed services especially Odrigue & Rodrigue Joseph JULY July 1st - Kristin B. July 8th - Ruth-Noemi B.-R. July 15th - Carol & Jake H. July 22nd - Eunice S. July 29th - Corrine R. AUGUST Aug. 5th - Marion P. Aug. 12th - Russell G. Aug. 19th - Ariana A. Aug. 26th - Barbra M.

8 FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION 1731 CHURCH STREET U.S. POSTAGE PAID RAHWAY, NJ RAHWAY, NJ PERMIT NO. 111 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED DATED MATERIAL Worship with us Each Sunday at 10:30AM in the sanctuary Office: Pastor: 1stpresrahway.org