FPC NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS

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May 08 Newsletter April 08 Newsletter March 2008 Newsletter February 2008 Newsletter     

 

  Sharing and Caring Hands Form       

FAIR TRADE SALES ORDER FORM.....CHECK OUT ALL THE GREAT THINGS YOU CAN PURCHASE AT A FAIR PRICE!

 

Fair Trade Order Form

 

Fair Trade Products for Sale on Sundays After Worship

Coffee $7 Tea $3
Chocolate $2.75 Mugs $3.00

Contact Lisa Hartmann at 609-332-6854 for more information.

 

FAIR TRADE IS GOOD NEWS

The stewardship committee is committed to the Fair Trade project and the first order of coffee is almost gone.  We will be pre-ordering coffee, tea, chocolate and hot cocoa in the month of February to support Fair Trade. Order forms can be obtained in the church and office, as well as being distributed during fellowship hour.  If you have any questions please contact Lisa Hartmann at 609-332-6854 or chefhartmann@comcast.net.

One answer for small-scale farmers is fair trade. Fair trade shares the  bounty of the coffee trade with those who grow the crop, helping them  build a better future for themselves and their communities. Through fair  trade, farmers earn a fairer share of income, have access to services that  are otherwise unavailable, and gain long-term trading partners they can  trust.  By working together and pooling their resources to form a cooperative,  farmers can sell their coffee directly to international buyers without  relying on middlemen. They receive a fair price that not only covers their  costs of production but guarantees a fair wage for their labors.  Fair trade far surpasses the temporary assistance provided to farmers  through charity. Instead, the ongoing business of long-term, fair trade  relationships consistently contributes to the living conditions of  farmers, their families and their communities. Cooperatives use profits  from fair trade coffee sales to establish community development or  improvement programs such as schools, health clinics, and training in  areas such as leadership development. Fair trade farmers tend to use  environmentally friendly growing practices — such as organic farming,  composting, and shade growing (interspersing coffee trees among other  plants) — all of which benefit the farmers, the land and the quality  of the coffee.    The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) co-sponsors  the Presbyterian Coffee Project with Equal Exchange, an employee-owned  certified fair trade company which purchases 100% of its products  according to fair trade standards. Equal Exchange was founded in 1986 to  create a new approach to trade, one that includes informed consumers,  honest and fair trade relationships and cooperative principles. Equal  Exchange accomplishes these goals by offering consumers fairly traded  gourmet products directly from 28 democratically run  farmer cooperatives.
 

Monthly meetings - We had our monthly meeting in April and finalized plans for home communion/extended service for after church on Sundays beginning in April. At home communion/extended service is available to those who are shut-ins and unable to attend church on Sundays when we offer communion. If you know of someone in need of at home communion, please let one of the deacons know

Deacon of the Month – Jodi Hawryluk was the Deacon of the Month for March. During the month she activated the prayer chain, recorded prayer requests during church for the church secretary to include in the following week’s church bulletin, and sent thinking of you, Easter, sympathy, and get well cards to members of our congregation.

The Deacon of the Month for April is Pat Andrus, who can be reached at 499-1038.

Easter flowers were delivered by Pat Andrus to members of our church.

Training – We are scheduled to attend an Officer’s Training on May 18 for the deacons.

Senior Luncheon – Our March Senior Luncheon had a St. Patty’s Day theme. Jodi made some delicious Irish Potatoes candy.

Respectfully submitted, Kim Kelly
 

Our next Bread of Life Mission Meal:

Sunday, June 22, 2008


Look for a signup sheet or call Karen Chamberlin @ 609-291-0603 if you are interested in helping with this meal.
email: kchamberlin3@comcast.net

 

 

WE ARE A FIVE FOR FIVE CHURCH! 

What does that mean?  Five for Five means that our congregation supports Presbyterian mission around the corner and around the globe through the four churchwide Special Offerings and basic mission support. The four churchwide Special Offerings include One Great Hour of Sharing (Easter Sunday), Christmas Joy Offering (12/21/2008), Peacemaking Offering (10/5/2008), and the Pentecost Offering (5/11/2008).  Mission support is the term used for those funds that support the basic mission and ministry programs of the presbytery, synod, and General Assembly. That includes missionary support, national networks, as well as congregational resources and programming.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Mission Team contributes a food item for the grocery bags that are put together and delivered by members of the Ellisdale Church in Allentown, NJ each month.
The item needs to be purchased and delivered to their church by the third Sunday of each month and they do the rest...if anyone is interested in helping with this mission, contact Karen Chamberlin @ (609) 291-0603 or email kchamberlin3@comcast.net.
April’s donation needs to be delivered by Saturday, May 17, 2008 to the Ellisdale Church in Allentown. (anytime the week before or that day is fine)

Next Book Club meeting On Wednesday, May 21st at 7:30 pm, the Book Club will meet in the Julien House.
 

CHECK OUT THESE MUSICAL ENSEMBLES THAT ARE FORMING IF ONE OF THEM SEEMS INTERESTING TO YOU TALK TO WENDY OR EMAIL giduly@juno.com.

Ladies Ensemble
Folk Ensemble
Men's Group
Old Hymnal Group

A cappella group - possible Sunday morning rehearsals
Youth / Praise Band style - drums, guitars, "whatever" - see Kim Genus.... 
Children's Choir- Once a month rehearsal led by Jenny Kovach & assisted by Erin Chamberlin
Handbell Choir - Wendy will be arranging a tutorial this summer for those who've always wanted to try handbells. Let her know if you're interested in attending.
Instrumental- Hope to get an instrumental ensemble together in the fall.
Psalms - Would you be interested in "chanting" or singing psalms with a small group, for fun and occasionally to lead the congregation during the service?
Other - What other musical skills do you have?  What else have you always wanted to try if it wouldn't take up too much time or if you could listen and learn instead of "reading" music?

Alternative Giving

 

Disasters, whether natural or human-caused, can devastate a community. In most cases homes, businesses, and infrastructure are destroyed or damaged. Many times, people lose their lives, and always, lives are disrupted. 

Over the years, many individuals and congregations have requested projects for alternative giving and/or other special giving opportunities to help disaster survivors.   Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has identified some areas where additional funds are very much needed and has provided a realistic estimate of the cost to meet a specific need.  This information is available online http://www.pcusa.org/pda/tools/alternativegiving.htm or brochures can be ordered by calling PDS (800-524-2612) and requesting item #25412-07-020. 

In response to congregations that hold Alternative Gift Markets and also in response to specific requests received at the recent Mission Celebration '07, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is making available pre-printed Alternative Gift cards in varying amounts.   Four different cards with a value of $12.00, $20.00,  $50.00, and $250.00 are available. The subjects for the cards were chosen based on the magnitude of the disaster or ongoing recovery needs. Proceeds from each of the four cards will be put into an account designated for the particular disaster response. 

Photos and text of these cards can be found at http://www.pcusa.org/pda/tools/alternativegiftmarketcards.htm. 

The initial focus of the cards is for alternative Christmas giving; however, cards are available with wording for gifts in honor of special occasions or gifts in memory of loved ones. 

Please consider one of these projects as an opportunity where you can share the gift of God's love. Cards can be ordered by contacting PDA at pda@pcusa.org. 

 

 

TO PROVIDE FLOWERS FOR WORSHIP


1. Please choose your date and fill in your name on the “Flowers for Worship” calendar located by the bulletin board in the back of the Church and advise the
office (298-1243) that flowers are being ordered.


2. The current designated Church florist is the Chesterfield Floral Company – 298-1212, and their requested minimum per order is $25.00. Your flowers will be delivered to the Church on Saturday afternoon. You may pay by personal check or credit card directly to the Chesterfield Floral Company. Orders must be pre-paid before delivery.


3. Please have the order information below ready when you place your order with the Chesterfield Floral Company at least one week in advance of your date.

a. Delivery date for flower order (delivery will be on Saturday)
b. Choose either: Standard Altar Bouquet – flower arrangement is triangular in shape, with a flat back; or Flowers arranged in a vase.
c. Please specify flower selection and colors when ordering.


Bulletin information must be received on Tuesday between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to be printed in the bulletin for Sunday. Call the church office at 298-1243 and leave a message on the answering machine; or e-mail the information to o ffice@bordentownpresbyterian.org or mail to the church office.


Indicate: (1) Whether the flowers are a memorial, in celebration of, in honor of, or a special dedication; and (2) Give the full name(s) of the person(s) being remembered
or honored.


If you are ordering from your own florist and bringing the flowers to Church: The height of the arrangement or vase of flowers should be 18 to 20 inches tall and the width of the container should be between 6" and 8". You may place your flowers on the mantle (centered in front of the cross or on either side of the cross) before the service begins.

 

 

Our congregation requests prayers for members, friends, families and all God’s creation in several ways. On Sunday mornings we share our Joys and Concerns, requesting prayers for that week. For urgent concerns we contact the deacon on call or our pastor to ask our Prayer Chain for immediate, short term support. For ongoing concerns we want the congregation to lift up until resolved, we ask our pastor or deacon on call to place the prayer request on the Long Term Prayer List, which appears in our monthly newsletter.

Commitment to our church’s prayer life is important and has been growing. To honor and nurture this commitment, we need to keep our prayer lists as accurate and meaningful as possible.

Here are some guidelines that will help us do that.

Prayer requests need only include as much information as you or the person for whom you are making the request wishes. It is important to check before you make your request. Each of us has our own privacy boundaries, especially about medical and other personal information. All concerns directed to our Prayer Chain (i.e. urgent, short-term requests) remain confidential. When requested, confidentiality for any prayer request, including those noted in the friendship folders, will be honored.
When making a prayer request, if possible and relevant, please provide the correct spelling of the individual’s or family’s name to the pastor or deacon on call. Using the friendship folder is one way to do this.
Updates on prayer requests are always welcome, as is information regarding any additional needs we might help meet.
For the Long Term Prayer List, especially, please let us know when there is no longer need for prayer. Let us know, also, when the need continues but has changed in ways you want us to be aware of as we pray.

Thank you for your assistance and commitment to the prayer life of our congregation. Our pastor and church officers continue to think about ways to enrich our communal prayer and welcome your ideas and comments.

Please review this newsletter’s Long Term Prayer List and let the pastor or deacon on call know if there have been any omissions, if there need to be any additions, and if there are any names that should be removed from the list.

Thank you for actively supporting our church’s prayer life.

 

 

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY

Above & Beyond:

Hearing God’s Call in Jonah and Ruth

(continuing discussion May 18th)

Join us for Bible Study, held the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at The Julien House. For more information contact Kathie Ackerman, 298-0661, or Anne Reilly, 324-2744.
 

 

We invite all children and youth, from second grade and up, to participate in worship by being an acolyte.  We are looking for acolytes for all Sundays starting in 2007.  There is a sheet in the Sign-Up Book on the back counter in the sanctuary, or you may e-mail me at seamank@pepperlaw.com or call me at 324-7252 to volunteer.               

Thanks!  Kathie Seaman

 

Fellowship Hour 

Willing Disciples Needed! Volunteers are needed to prepare Fellowship Hour.  I will be happy to walk you through your first day if you have any questions. If you have questions about what is needed, please contact Lisa Hartmann: email chefhartmann@comcast.net or call 609-792-9422.


 

  Volunteers Needed

 

Extended Care happens each Sunday during worship.  Please remember that children ages three years through first grade may attend.  Second graders and older remain in the Sanctuary for worship. 

Volunteers are needed to help provide care, and youth may assist on any Sunday for which they have signed up. 

To volunteer, please contact Simmee Darpino at 298-1796 or Elke McAteer at 324-0271.  Thanks!