Events

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March 2010 Newsletter

February 2010 Newsletter

January 2010 Newsletter

December 2009 Newsletter

November 2009 Newsletter

2010 Per Capita

$34.92 per church member

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Haitian Hospital

Haitian Hospital Receives PDA Relief Funds (Photo from a February 1 news release by Presbyterian News Service; photo is pre-earthquake.)

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance approved a $200,000 grant for Hôpital Sainte Croix (Holy Cross Hospital) and an affiliated nursing school in Léogâne, Haiti, from the $1.2 million donated thus far for earthquake recovery.

PDA approved the email request within two hours of receiving it on January 22. The hospital and nursing school are ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and have been a major focus of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission in Haiti. Léogâne is near the epicenter of the January 12 earthquake and both facilities sustained serious damage.

"We've been told by our Episcopal partners in Haiti that despite the damage, the nursing school began operating as a makeshift hospital within a half-hour of the quake," said Randy Ackley, PDA coordinator. "In addition, nursing students have established 10 first-aid stations around the main part of Léogâne. The people on the ground are working hard to help one another and this grant is one way we can support their live-saving efforts."

News media have reported that 80 to 90 percent of the buildings in the main part of Léogâne were destroyed. The PDA grant will support electrical power and distribution needs, water and sanitation facilities, fuel for generators and vehicles, and salaries for local staff involved in the cleanup.

You can contribute to PDA's work in three ways:

∙ by making a check to our church with “Haiti earthquake” in the memo line

∙ by making an online gift through the denomination’s website (http://www.pcusa.org/pda/), being sure to specify that you’re making your gift on behalf of First Presbyterian Church of Bordentown.

∙ give generously to OGHS (One Great Hour of Sharing), and 32% of that gift will go to PDA.

RESPONSE TO EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is coordinating its efforts with our ecumenical and international partners in the relief work in Haiti. Carlos Cardenas is on the ground in Port-au-Prince as part of the initial response team. The past few days’ priorities have focused on search and rescue, medical attention for those injured by the earthquake, along with food distribution for the survivors.

The greatest need from the church, along with prayer, is financial support. Also needed are Gift of the Heart hygiene kits and baby kits.

Bordentown Presbyterian is collecting items for baby kits, as listed below. All items should be new and under 12 months in size.

Please bring your donations to church and put them in the box in the back. For more information please contact Bobbi Maiuro: 291-0359; db.maiuro@verizon.net.

Baby Kit

6 — cloth diapers*

2 — T-shirts or undershirts (no onesies)
2 — washcloths

2 — gowns or sleepers
2 — diaper pins

1 — sweater or sweatshirt
2 — receiving blankets (one can be hand-knitted or crocheted baby blanket)

*Note: While cloth diapers are not as commonly used in the United States, they are a necessary part of the layette. 12-packs of cloth diapers can be purchased at Target and many Sears stores or may be purchased online at one of the following sites: Cotton Babies;   ClothDiaper.com;   BabyBestBuy;   Thanks Mama.

We will be looking for volunteers to complete the kits per these instructions:

To complete the kits: Wrap items inside one of the receiving blankets and secure with both diaper pins. Patterns are available for many of the components on the Church World Service web site

(http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kits_babycare).

For more information on material aid and shipping instructions, see:

http://www.pcusa.org/pda/help/goh.htm#health.

FAIR TRADE COFFEE, TEA AND CHOCOLATE SALES

The Mission Team is taking over the Fair Trade Sales, look for us during fellowship hour to restock or to buy a great gift for someone.

Contact Karen Chamberlin if you have a special order or if you have any questions… 609-291-0603 or kcpix@verizon.net

Our next Bread of Life Mission Meeting:

There will be a new Session representative taking over for Mission in February. The will be contacted with meeting dates in February. Karen will continue to organize the meals for February.

Our next Bread of Life Mission Meals:

Sunday, March 27, 2010, (changed due to Pancake Breakfast on the 28th)

Sunday, April 25, 2010, immediately following worship

Ready to distribute Mission Meals:
On a regular basis throughout the year we have visitors that come to our church asking for food because they are either transitioning to a new place to live, homeless or have found it financially impossible to feed themselves and their family. The Mission Team has been making up paper bags containing non-perishable food that can be stored and ready to be distributed. The bags consist of bottles of water, juice, cereal, soups, microwaveable meals, fruit cups, puddings and anything else that stores well and doesn’t need refrigeration. Please help us continue this important mission in our church by making up a bag now and then that can be stored at the church. You can leave your bags in the “cake room” on top of the refrigerator and label it “Mission Meal”. Thank you!

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

Next Grocery Bag Mission due date:

Week of March 22-27, deliver to the First Baptist Church in Bordentown.

Our church provides 50 microwaveable meals for the homeless each month. Our donation is combined with donations from other churches to provide approximately 40 grocery bags to homeless families living in local area motels. Some examples are pop-top soup cans, Chef-Boyardee pasta meals, or cans of stew. Donna Potts has left a pot in the back of the church with soup can labels for your reference. If you can donate some items for this monthly collection, please place them in this pot.

Grace and Peace from the Mission Team!

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month at 7:00 pm at The Julien House.

If you would like a book and haven’t received it, please contact Kathie Ackerman at 298-0661.

All women of the church are invited to join us.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL is held from 9:15 to 10:15 am on Sunday mornings at The Julien House. We talk, we share, we wonder out loud, and we listen and are listened to. We laugh together as well, and we certainly don’t agree with each other.

We discuss current events, theology, parables, biblical personalities, books of the Bible, history of the Bible, the church and the world. We get to choose what we want to explore and discuss together. Some topics may be for one week; others continue for two or three or more weeks before we choose again.

This is a very special Sunday morning hour. Such gatherings are not east to find. You are cordially invited to this one! Come check it out.

We hope to see you soon!
The Adult Sunday School class.

BOOK CLUB: Join us at 7:30 pm at The Julien House (unless otherwise announced!)

Our schedule for the next three months is:

March 17: Home Another Way by Christa Parrish. This is a Christian novel about Sarah, a young woman who is required by the terms of her father’s will to move to his house in rural New York. The novel traces Sarah’s bumpy road to conversion and introduces a variety of well-drawn characters.

April 21: The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb, a long, complex and powerful novel centered on the Columbine shootings as they affect Columbine teacher/narrator Caelum Quirk and his wife. It draws on major events to explore a multitude of issues and themes — marriage, alienation, psychological trauma, identity, redemption.

MUSIC NOTES

Children's Chimes and Choir rehearsals begin at 8:55am on February 21st and will continue to Palm Sunday when the children will sing the anthem in church.

Evening rehearsals begin 7:00pm and go to 8:00pm

Handbells rehearse starting 8:15pm.

Sunday Morning Chime Rehearsals will begin October 6th and be held from 8:55 to 9:15. Please contact Wendy at giduly@juno.com if your child is interested.

There is a possibility that we will have Sunday Morning Children’s Choir Rehearsal from 8:55 to 9:15. Again, please contact Wendy at giduly@juno.com if your child is interested.

If once a week rehearsals aren’t right for you, there are opportunities to participate in other ensembles that will make less demands on your time. For instance: Old Hymn Group; Mens Group; Ladies Group; Psalm Ensemble; Christmas Choir (starting October 30); Easter Choir.

Please talk to me or email me of your interest in any of the above: phone 215-794-2187; or email giduly@juno.com.

Wendy

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.

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. 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! We will be holding Fellowship Hour every week after worship. This is a time when you can share your thoughts and concerns and ask relevant questions in an informal setting. Fellowship Hour continues our worship by building community.

Please consider participating in and helping with this important ministry.

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.

SNACKS FOR EXTENDED CARE:

Throughout the year we need individually wrapped snacks and juice boxes for Extended Child Care during the worship service. Some ideas for snacks are:

small bags of cookies

crackers

pretzel

fruit snacks

*No chips please!

Please leave donations in the Sunday School room above Play and Learn, or on the steps. Thanks for your help!

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!