News of the Family from The United Presbyterian Church at Whitinsville Christian Growth and Nurture News! Back to school, back to church, welcome FALL! As our relaxing summer comes to an end, we welcome the opportunities to reconnect with our church family! This September, we are offering ample opportunities for our church family and friends to enjoy some fellowship and connecting with the Word of God. First, we have our CHURCH PICNIC which will be Sunday, September 13 @ the Uxbridge Rod and Gun Club following our Worship Service. We are asking that you please purchase your tickets in advance. We are selling tickets after church on September 6, or you can email Gaye Shannon @shannons.jg@gmail.com to reserve your tickets no later than September 9 th. The tickets are $8.00 and that includes a half barbeque chicken, corn on the cob, potato, and salad. We need at least 25 participants to have this social event so please RESERVE your tickets today!!! We will enjoy some fun outdoors at the club with games and maybe a scavenger hunt! New Members Class Are you interested in joining our church? Membership is one of the ways that we profess our faith and grow in our Christian journey. It is also a way that we commit ourselves to being a part of what God is doing in our very own community and allows you to participate more fully in the leadership and vision of our church. For those who are interested in learning more about our church and want to see if membership is for you, we will be having a three part membership class this Fall. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about what we believe and to learn more about our church's particular vision. Please let Pastor Renn know if you are interested in participating, and we will find a time to meet that works for everybody. September 2015 The United Presbyterian Church at Whitinsville 51 Cottage St. (church) - 7 Spring St. (office), Whitinsville, MA 01588 Phone: 508.234.8220 Website: www.whitinpres.org Office E-mail: Office@whitinpres.net Pastor Renn E-mail: rev.renn.serna@gmail.com Office Hours: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM Monday & Wednesday 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday & Friday Pastoral Emergency Line 774-246-6313
September Anniversary Corner September Birthday Corner Tom Frieswyk 9/1 Aaron Phoebe 9/1 Kyla Nadeau 9/2 Corine Shannon 9/3 Lily Bilodeau 9/10 Christopher Szajna 9/16 Dan Gniadek 9/17 Danielle Redden 9/17 Jason Morin 9/20 Mike Zeis 9/22 Corey Matchett 9/26 Diana Pedersen 9/27 Bob & Harriet Platt 9/1 Ron & Judy Garabedian 9/22 Kevin & Liz Redden 9/23 NOTE: Sunday morning service time will be back to 10:30 AM starting on September 13th. Ministries Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Worship Leader Welcome Center G. Shannon A. Reichert S. Phoebe V. Coakley C. Matchett B. Keeler H. Platt J. Baker Greeter S. Mateer J. Baker J & N Joyce K. Miedema Offering Counters Children s Sermon Coffee Fellowship M. Reynolds S. Szajna Communion Sunday L. Joyce (Lemonade) M.Thomas T. Schein J.Baker C. Pilibosian Your service is very important. If you cannot serve on the date listed, please switch with another person and inform the church secretary (508-234-8220) of the change. **Sunday Morning Worship Schedule** D. Mateer S. Mateer A. Reichert G. Shannon L. Reichert Church Picnic B. Keeler G. McCrea L. Reichert L. Redden Sunday School for all Ages Morning Worship Service Coffee Fellowship 9:30AM - 10:20AM 10:30AM - 11:30AM 11:30AM For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them Matthew 18:20 Page 2
Pastor s Piece The Pastor s Piece As we are getting ready for Rally Day and the official start of our church year, I am excited about the work that God is calling us to. This past year we spent a lot of time discerning who we are and the unique mission that God has for us, and through New Beginnings program we believe God is calling to us focus on three distinct areas. To WORSHIP God, GROW in faith and to SERVE in love. These are all things that define who we are as a church and are near and dear to our hearts. It has been amazing to me to see how much progress we ve made in each of these areas just in the past few months. In WORSHIP, our Peace of Music outreach service has been growing consistently throughout the summer, and we frequently have upwards of 25 people worshiping with us, both from our congregation and from Peace of Bread. For some people this is the first time that they have been in church for decades, and they have told me how much this time has meant to them. In terms of GROWTH, our new Women s Book Club has been a great hit! A dozen or more women gather monthly to encourage one another and to share how they have been blessed by the various books they have been reading. And while our church has always excelled at SERVICE, it has been such a joy to see all the new ways that our church has been supporting Peace of Bread and blessing those right here in our very own neighborhood. Whether it is Gay McCrea and Teddy Daily greeting people at the door, Judy Salzberg preparing the Summer Lunch Bags, Gaye Shannon doing crafts with the kids, Leslie Reichert participating in the POB Bible Study, the Morin Family helping pick up donations, or Amanda Leveillee helping fill the food pantry, the outpouring of love has been incredible! God has been doing amazing things in the life of our church lately, and as we prepare to start a new year, I invite you to get involved. Come check out our Peace of Music service if you haven t had the chance to experience it yet. We are there every Wednesday night from 6:15 to about 7pm, and we d love to have you join us. If you are looking for opportunities to grow, consider coming to the Friday morning men s prayer group that meets weekly at 6:15am. Or participate in the Financial Peace University or one of the other small groups we are hoping to start this Fall. And if you are looking for ways to serve, consider coming to the Peace of Bread Bible Study on Wednesday afternoons and then staying for dinner afterwards. Bible Study starts at 4:30, and all are welcome. God is doing incredible things in and through our church, and it wouldn t be possible without the ongoing love and generosity of our congregation. Thank you for all you do to support God s work right here in the Blackstone Valley! Page 3
A PIECE OF PEACE Recently while I was volunteering on a Wednesday night at Peace of Bread Community Kitchen, I was greeted by one of our dinner guests, a woman who looked familiar, but I couldn't quite remember her name. We meet hundreds of people in any given year of ministry at Peace of Bread, and while some remain our beloved "regulars," many others come & go never, or rarely, to be seen again. With a big smile she reminded me of her name & that she used to be a regular attender at Peace of Bread some years ago. I looked into her eyes and remembered her. It was so good to see her again. I didn't know where she had gone, or what had happened to her when she stopped coming for dinner at Peace of Bread. She told me of how her life had been so blessed by all the help she received while she came to Peace of Bread. It had been a hard time in her life. She had needed our help in a big way, and to quote her, "I probably would have ended up in a gutter somewhere if it wasn't for all you here!" Wow! We never know sometimes, just how meaningful our ministry is! But that's not even the best part! She went on to tell me that she now is in a good place in her life in Florida. She is part of a church doing outreach into the community providing meals & food to those in need...as she used to be. She is also part of a wonderful women's group through the church she attends that helps at risk school age kids. The happy smile on this woman's face spoke volumes. Isn't that great?! God is so good! We just continue to be so thankful that He blesses our ministry efforts so much, which allows us to faithfully serve His people and share His love with all who come to Peace of Bread! Sometimes we wish we could reach out to more people than we do...then someone shares their story with us...and we are reminded how helping only ONE person can end up being a way to help many, many more people than we could ever imagine! May God be glorified in all we do in His name. Laurie Ecumenical Vacation Bible School 2015 The Ecumenical Vacation Bible School was held July 13-17 at the Village Congregational Church in Whitinsville. The joys of VBS were many. One of the joys was knowing children were learning about God s love. Another joy was seeing the fun and cooperation between the 97 children at VBS and the 82 volunteers helping, encouraging, and caring for the children. The VBS children came from 18 church including churches in Northridge and from other towns. We welcome children from any town and from any church. Generous children and their parents brought their offering for the Peace of Bread Christmas Fund which will enable parents to give Christmas gifts to their children and for children to give Christmas gifts to their parents. The VBS children also brought badly needed diapers and baby wipes for the Department of Children and Families. In addition, over 300 canned and boxed food items were donated to the NAC Food Pantry. The VBS week was filled with Bible activities, singing, outreach projects, crafts, science experiments, recreation, sacred dance, bells worship, and refreshments. We would like to thank everyone who donated or participated in any way to make our week so awesome. We pray that God will continue to bless the children and the volunteers. Carolyn Mitchell Page 4
Kathryn M. Huston Mission Circle The Mission Circle will hold its first meeting after the summer recess on Tuesday, September 8th, at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. It will commence with a pot luck supper followed by a business meeting to plan for Homespun Holidays on Saturday, November 14th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. All Church women are cordially invited to attend this gathering. What an opportunity to usher in another busy year doing our Lord s work through Missions! Homespun Holidays Once again Suzanne Santoro (508-2346456) will be chairing this major fundraiser. Any donations to the various tables are always appreciated! If you are a crafter, please consider being a Crafter for Christ and help Suzanne stock this popular table for our holiday shoppers. The Harvest Table with all the blessings of the season is another fair favorite. Suzanne has already started her famous jams and jellies! Won t you add some of your favorites as well as relishes and other products of your harvest? These make fantastic hostessing gifts for holiday entertaining! Attic Treasures Donations The office building basement will be opened from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, September 19th, for any donations. Please no clothes or electronics! If this date is inconvenient, please contact Carol Pilibosian (508-234-5368) or Bev Keeler (508-234-3003) to make other arrangements. All donations should be in by October 1, 2015 for pricing. CHURCH PICNIC, September 13 Get your tickets now for our end of summer Church Picnic @ the Uxbridge Rod and Gun Club, 562 West. St., Uxbridge on Sunday, September 13 immediately following the Worship Service. Tickets will be $8.00 per person which includes 1/2 barbeque chicken, potatoes, salad, and corn on the cob. We will be selling tickets after church the next few Sundays OR you can contact Gaye Shannon@ shannons.jg@gmail.com and she will set them aside for you. Checks payable to United Presbyterian Church of Whitinsville. Choir News Are you interested in joining the Choir or supporting our Music Ministry program? Then join us on Wednesday, September 9th as we talk about different ways to get involved this coming year or talk with Chris Bilodeau directly. We are working on our updating our church directory. Please send in any updated info you would like in the new directory. We d also love to stay in touch with our college students out there, so please send us updated mailing addresses and emails as well. Page 5
Our ANNUAL RALLY DAY will be SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20! We invite our entire CHURCH FAMILY and friends to our Annual Fall Rally Day beginning at 9:15 a.m.! Come enjoy some waffles and fresh fruit. This rally day is NOT just for the kids; we want all of you to participate!!! Come hear a story from the Bible and participate in a craft. Rejoice with your church family!! This year, we will also be starting off our Sunday School year with family style Sunday New Church Contact Info 774-246-6313 We now have a dedicated number in the case of a pastoral emergency. This number will reach Pastor Renn when she is in town, or one of our Elders when she is away. We want to be there for you in your time of need and calling this number is the best way to reach someone if you need immediate pastoral attention. For non emergencies, Pastor Renn can be reached by calling her directly at 626-524-0898 or by emailing rev.renn.serna@gmail.com. Pastor Renn's day off is Tuesday, and any nonemergency calls will be returned the next day. mornings. For the first few weeks, we want all of our church family to come and enjoy a light breakfast, and hear some of our favorite stories from the Bible. A group craft will follow. Join the opportunities to re-connect with God and your church family! HELP WANTED!!! Let us share with you how you can possibly help the Christian Education Program. We need an Adult Sunday School teacher, substitutes, etc. Perhaps you are a crafter, a sewer, a woodworker, or a storyteller, a singer, or a musician,. Let us know, and we will plug you in a Sunday or two! Come and share your talents! Or maybe you like to cook? We are planning Special Sunday morning breakfasts, and we need volunteers. Is Sunday before church not your thing? Our high school youth need a youth fellowship leader. Come to Rally Day, and we will share with you how you can help or email Gaye Shannon @ shannons.jg@gmail.com Financial Peace University We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace University (FPU) is that plan! It teaches God's ways of handling money. Through video teaching, class discussions, and interactive small group activities, FPU presents Biblical, practical steps to get from where you are to where you've dreamed you could be. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend, save wisely, and much more! Dave Ramsey's world renowned program is coming to our church this Fall, and we want you to join us! This 9 week program meets 6:30 8:00 pm Sunday evenings, starting on September 27 and will teach you real world tools to gain control of your finances. The entire program costs $99 per family, and guests are invited to join for only $19.95. Registration is required, so please talk to Leslie Reichert to signup. More information about the program and testimonies from those who have participated can be found at www.daveramsey.com Page 6
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Labor Day 8 9 10 11 12 9:30 Worship Service 10:30 Lemonade 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10:30 Worship Service 10:30 Church Picnic 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 9:15 Rally Day 10:30 Worship Service 11:30 Coffee Fellowship 7:00 PM Session Business Meeting 27 28 29 30 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Worship Service 11:30 Coffee Fellowship 6:30 Financial Peace University 7:00 PM Deacon Mtg 6:30 PM KMHMC 7:00 PM Trustee Mtg 7:00 PM Session Prayer Meeting 6:30 PM Women s Book Club Meeting 9:00 AM 1200PM Attic reassures Drop- Off in the office building basement 9:30 AM Presbytery Mtg
The United Presbyterian Church at Whitinsville Church Office: 7 Spring Street Whitinsville, MA 01588 NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 27 Whitinsville, MA 01588 Update from the Boards Our church boards have had a busy summer welcoming new members and planning for the coming year. Session has been diligently planning for the coming year and looking for ways to emphasize our New Beginnings objectives of Worship, Grow and Serve. Along with planning a leadership retreat for the entire church, Session has also been talking about how it can better support the various ministries of the church and to provide a clear vision for the year ahead. The Deacons are off to a fantastic start, welcoming a number of first time Deacons and making plans of their own. From college care packages to Peace of Bread donations to the Hat and Mitten Tree, they have an action packed year planned! The Deacons continue, as always, to reach out to our homebound, sick, and elderly and would love to have the opportunity to care for you or a loved one. If you or someone you know would appreciate a visit, please let Judy Salzberg know. The Trustees have had a busy summer! One notable project has been upgrading the sound system at church and making it possible for us to get our weekly service back on the local television station as well as on our church webpage. Another big change has been working with Mass Save to upgrade the lighting at church to a more cost effective system. A big thank you to Peace of Bread whose generous donation made this upgrade possible! The Trustees are also working on updating our fire alarm system and doing various other projects as needed. From mowing to repairs, there is never a dull moment!