Newsletter of the South Branch Reformed Church South Branch Reformed Church 870 River Road Hillsborough, NJ 08844 Office: (908) 369-4956 Fax: (908) 369-4602 Web: www.sbrchurch.org Inside this issue: Treasurer s Notes 2 2018 Assessment 2 Lectionary Readings for February Women s Group 3 Youth Group 3 Birthdays & Anniversaries Monthly Calendar 5 3 4 From the Pastor... February is upon us (already!) and there is a lot taking place at SBRC! I hope that you take some time to look through the Newsletter & watch the bulletins for upcoming activities, programs and worship opportunities. Most of us know that February means that I share information about the Denominational Assessment. A letter will be going out shortly to each of you defining and breaking down the Assessment and information can be found on the next page. Stay tuned! I am very excited to share that SBRC started using a new church management software program and it is almost completely set up & ready to go! I will be sharing more information about the software during Announcements and here in the Newsletter, but it is an exciting time! The new software will allow the Church Office to track membership & groups much easier. What is most exciting about the software is that SBRC will finally embrace the 21st Century when it comes to financial contributions. We all know that most people do not carry cash and even fewer write checks. So, in an effort to meet the desires of those wishing to donate/ support SBRC in other ways, soon we will be able to receive pledges, offerings & donations online!!! SBRC will also be able to receive credit card/debit card payments for church dinners, etc. There a few more things that I need to work out before going live, but I am excited to see SBRC move forward!! Also, I wanted to give an update about our Smile Amazon account. If you remember, you can do all of your shopping on smile.amazon.com & choose South Branch Reformed Church as the charity that you would like to support. Once you do that and shop through smile.amazon.com, a portion of your total spending is donated to SBRC. This past year, SBRC received over $500.00 through this program! It is really simple to do & it benefits our church! Be sure to share the information with family and friends. Any questions, please speak with me and I will be happy to get you started!! Don t forget the Ash Wednesday Service on February 14th at 8:00pm & the start of the Lenten Season! In Christ s Service, February, 2018
PAGE 2 Treasurer s Notes... November 2017 The offering donations for November were $10,196 (4 Sundays - weekly average of $2,559). We started the month $1,610 in the red. Pledges were great this month! Thanksgiving and energy envelopes provided additional income. We had a very successful Roast Beef Dinner that yielded a profit of $2,093. As a result of your generosity, we ended November $3,389 in the black! December 2017 The offering donations for December were $14,631 (5 Sundays - weekly average of $2,926). Advent and Christmas offerings were more generous this year. Despite the large quarterly payments made this month, plus our first snow plowing/salting bill of the season, we ended the year $4,160 in the black. What a great way to end 2017! Thank you for your generosity and hard work. Comparisons January - December 2017 Offering: $115,956 ($2,230 weekly average) & Year End Balance: $4,160 January - December 2016 Offering: $111,231 ($2,139 weekly average) & Year End Balance: -$955 ~ Robyn Friedlander Ash Wednesday Service! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 14th for our Annual Ash Wednesday Service at 8:00pm in the Sanctuary. Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Season of Lent and what better way to begin the time of reflection and repentance than joining together for worship. 2018 Denominational Assessment The 2018 Denominational Assessment is $85.67 per member and the total for SBRC is $8,909.68. If you have any questions about the Assessment, please speak with Pastor Steve.
Women s Group Women's Group met Sunday, January 14, to clip and sort stamps to send out for Sunday School materials written in Spanish. We're almost at the bottom of the stamp basket and hope that people will help refill it. For those who might not know, the stamp basket is on the shelf, just inside the Office door. The generosity of coins (and some bills) allowed us to deposit $21 for river blindness. A mere 67 cents provides a year's worth of medicine to prevent a lifetime of blindness among the poorest people, young and old, in Africa. Please save the date of March 18th from 1-3 pm for the next Women's Group "Sip N Craft" project of making Easter baskets. These baskets can either be for your own home or to use as a gift of generosity for a friend, shut in, neighbor, or maybe someone you haven't seen in church for a while. ~Lynne Diehl Youth Group Lectionary Readings for February Feb. 4 Isaiah 40:31-31 Psalm 147:1-11, 20 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39 Feb. 11 2 Kings 2:1-12 Psalm 50:1-6 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 Mark 9:2-9 Feb 14 Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Psalm 51:1-17 2 Corinthians 5:2-6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Feb. 18 Genesis 9:8-17 Psalm 25:1-10 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:9-15 Feb. 25 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Psalm 22:23-31 Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38 or 9:2-9 PAGE 3 The SBRC youth group will be meeting February 11 th and 25th. Plans are still being worked out for the meeting on February 11th so stay tuned for those details as they become available. February 25th will be a Movie Night we welcome any and all suggestions for a movie. Bring some snacks and a friend if you d like. If you are in grades 5 th through 8 th, and haven t joined in on any of the youth group activities, there s no time like the present to get involved. We have a lot of fun ahead of us! Food Bank Remember that the first Sunday of each month is Food Bank Sunday. Items can be left in the boxes at the Sanctuary entrance and the hallway entrance.
PAGE 4 A very Happy Birthday and a blessed year ahead to those who are celebrating a birthday in February: 03 Kyle Ammerlaan Debbie Sheldon 06 Frank Eckert Brianna Li Brizzi 08 Dick Coates James Nunn 12 Jack Sarles 13 Collin De Pace 14 Tom Bernard Valerie Franco Ashley LiBrizzi 15 Matthew Burt Blair DeRoner Amanda Simon 17 Steve Eckert Megan Sheridan 20 Kristen Kletz 21 Susan Rohner 24 Jim Ruocco Elyssa Ofray Sarles 25 Kay McCray 26 Katelyn Woodruf 27 Jacob Simon Birthdays and Anniversaries Also, congratulations and Happy Anniversary to: 14 Charles & Jane Huck 17 Anthony & Dana De Pace 20 Tom & Patti Kletz Brent & Holly Kowalenko SBRC Choirs Our Choirs always welcome new members! If you love to sing, we would love to have you join us! Adult Choir rehearses Thursdays at 7:30pm in the Parlor. No experience necessary! The Adult Choir sings most Sundays from Sept. through May. Angel Choir is for preschoolers through 1st graders, and Junior Choir is for 2nd graders thru 7th graders. Both children s choirs rehearse after worship on Sundays and sing in church about once a month from Oct. through May. Please see John Colaiacovo or Emily Windus with any questions.
February 2018 Information for March s Newsletter is due on Feb. 16th! Leave your info. in the Church Office or e- mail to the Church at newsletter@sbrchurch.org with Newsletter in the subject line. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 4 Communion No Confirmation Class (Super Bowl) 11 New Members Class in Parlor Sunday School Mtg in Church Office Youth Group at 7pm in Parlor 18 New Members Class Confirmation Class at 7pm in Parlor 25 New Members meet with Elders Book Club at 7pm in the Parlor Youth Group Movie Night at 7pm 5 6 12 Preschool Mtg at 13 19 20 26 27 1 7 8 14 Knit, Pray, Crochet at 7pm at the Stockman Home Ash Wednesday Service at 8pm in Sanctuary 21 Consistory at 7:30pm in Parlor 28 Knit, Pray, Crochet at 7pm at the Stockman Home 15 22 2 Family Fun Night at 7pm in Dining Room 9 10 16 17 23 24 3 Rug Hookers 10a-2p in Parlor Preschool Open House 9:30a-12p PAGE 5
South Branch Reformed Church 870 River Road Hillsborough, NJ 08844 2018 Church Dinners The following dates were set for the 2018 SBRC Dinners! Please be sure to mark your calendar so that you do not miss a wonderful meal and fellowship! Jan. 27th Roast Pork Dinner Live and Love Like Jesus! Rev. Stephen Eckert ~ Pastor Mr. John Colaiacovo ~ Music Director Mrs. Karen Abbatiello ~ Church Secretary Mrs. Maureen DeMarco ~ Preschool Director Mar. 17th Corned Beef Dinner Apr. 28th Roast Beef Dinner Sept. 8th Ham Dinner Oct. 13th Chicken Cordon Bleu Dinner Nov. 10th Roast Beef Dinner Mrs. Maritza Acosta ~ Sexton Dec. 8th Breakfast with Santa