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News and Events News FEBRUARY, 2010 POINT PRESS | FEBRUARY, 2010 POINT PRESS |
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| Written by Dr. Carlos Wilton | |
| Sunday, 14 February 2010 | |
 The February, 2010 issue of our monthly newsletter, Point Press, is now available in our e-mail archives. CLICK HERE to read it. For a plain-text version of Point Press, please click on "Read More," below. Point PressPoint Pleasant Presbyterian Church February, 2010 In This Issue From the Pastor Worship Services Ash Wednesday New Secretary Sandwich Sunday Soup & More Bible Study Inquirers Group Italian Dinner Deacons Church School PW Flea Market Pt Beach Prep Hymn Sing Birthdays Pt Press Deadline Haitian Relief Church Staff Carl Wilton, Pastor -- Kim Gaydos, Church Secretary Donna Ferry, Financial Secretary -- Sara Hoey, Organist Amanda Rauffer, Youth Director William Shoppell, Chancel Choir Director Joanne Van Sant, Church School Coordinator Robin Vogel, Point Beach Prep Director Leticia Walker, Voices of Praise & Childrens' Choirs Director Phone Us Church Office (732) 899-0587 Point Beach Prep (732) 701-9900 Mail Us 701 Forman Avenue Pt Pleasant Beach NJ 08742 From the Pastor... Housecat or Wildcat? You may have seen the recent articles in the Asbury Park Press about a Monmouth County megachurch that's fallen on hard times. Their membership plummeted from 1,200 to 200 and the mortgage-holder has just foreclosed on the property -- apparently unmoved by the pastor's vague promises about a big grant about to arrive from a United Nations agency. It's sad to see another congregation in such dire straits. I don't know the pastor or any leaders of this non-denominational church personally, but I wish them well as they seek to turn a difficult situation around. Reading the newspaper articles, I couldn't help but reflect on their experience as a cautionary tale. It points out some advantages of our Presbyterian system of church government, which includes important safeguards. I happen to be Stated Clerk of Monmouth Presbytery -- which means I walk around like a shop foreman with an oil can, making sure the old Presbyterian machinery keeps humming along. When I read a story of a non-denominational church in deep trouble, I gain a fresh appreciation for the generations of Presbyterians before us, who designed this ingenious contraption of church governance so elegantly and so well. Here at Point Pleasant Presbyterian, we've just completed the routine business of our Annual General Meeting. I was reminded of a few significant differences between the way our church and some others are governed: 1) Our congregation elects its own officers, rather than following the dictates of a self-perpetuating board. Not only that, when we elect the Nominating Committee, we're required to maintain a two-to-one ratio of members-at-large to officers. Although ordination is for life, no officer serves more than 2 terms (6 years) on the Session or Board of Deacons, before stepping aside and letting someone else have a chance. 2) Although it's not written down anyplace as a formal rule, the Nominating Committee has always followed the principle of not having more than one person from the same immediate family serving on either the Session or the Board of Deacons. We spread the governing authority around. (Occasionally we make an exception for the one-year Youth Elder and Youth Deacon positions, so as not to disqualify youth during the narrow time-window of high school.) 3) Our finances are transparent. The currrent and prior years' budgets are published in the Annual Report for all to see. If any member requests a further breakdown of any budget category, we're glad to provide it. 4) As pastor, I don't handle church funds. I prefer it that way. Except for a small discretionary account (not supported by the church budget, where I voluntarily deposit money people give me for conducting weddings and funerals), I don't have authority as even a backup signer of church checks. Church members do that, under the oversight of the Session's Finance Team. 5) Our church accounts are subject to an annual financial review, by people other than those who handle the money. 6) Our church does not stand alone. We're a member congregation of Monmouth Presbytery, 47 Presbyterian churches located throughout central New Jersey. If we ever need to put up church property as collateral for a loan (as we did to purchase the land where Point Beach Prep's "Oma's Playground" is now located), the Presbytery reviews our finances to make sure the loan's not going to swamp us. Should we ever experience conflict, the Presbytery's Committee on Ministry will send experienced pastors and elders to help us resolve it. (In case you're wondering what benefit we get from our per capita dollars, these services are part of it.) 7) We're governed by a Constitution (The Book of Confessions and The Book of Order) and congregational By-Laws. The rules are out there, for everyone to see. There are clear procedures for appeals and grievances, if anyone ever has a concern about a decision that's been made. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) grew up Presbyterian. Here and there in his humorous writings, he pokes fun at the faith-tradition that nurtured him -- as in this passage: "I do not take any credit to my better-balanced head because I never went crazy on Presbyterianism. We go too slow for that. You never see us ranting and shouting and tearing up the ground, You never heard of a Presbyterian going crazy on religion. Notice us, and you will see how we do. We get up of a Sunday morning and put on the best harness we have got and trip cheerfully down town; we subside into solemnity and enter the church; we stand up and duck our heads and bear down on a hymn book propped on the pew in front when the minister prays; we stand up again while our hired choir are singing, and look in the hymn book and check off the verses to see that they don't shirk any of the stanzas; we sit silent and grave while the minister is preaching, and count the waterfalls and bonnets furtively, and catch flies; we grab our hats and bonnets when the benediction is begun; when it is finished, we shove, so to speak. No frenzy, no fanaticism--no skirmishing; everything perfectly serene. You never see any of us Presbyterians getting in a sweat about religion and trying to massacre the neighbors. Let us all be content with the tried and safe old regular religions, and take no chances on wildcat." (From "The New Wildcat Religion") So, which do you think is better, when it comes to church government -- a housecat or a wildcat? Carl This Month in Worship Season of Lent Sunday, February 14 Transfiguration Sunday Valentine's Day 9:00 am - Chancel Choir 11:00 am - Special Music Proverbs 12:17-22, 28 1 Corinthians 13 Dr. Wilton preaching: "WHAT LOVE LOVES" - Today is Valentine's Day, so it's only appropriate that we examine together 1 Corinthians 13, the most famous passage on love in all the Bible. Amidst his great list of the things love does, Paul includes one thing love actually feels: love "rejoices in the truth." Love and truth, he's saying, go hand in hand. Come along, celebrate Valentine's Day with your church family, and we'll explore how truth makes love stronger! Wednesday, February 17 Ash Wednesday 6:00 pm - Soup Supper and Service, Education Annex Chancel Choir Dr. Wilton preaching (See article below for details) Sunday, February 21 First Sunday in Lent SANDWICH SUNDAY (See article below for details) 9:00 am - Special Music 11:00 am - Chancel Choir Acts 8:26-40 Dr. Wilton preaching: "The Church Emerging, 10: GOD'S UNWIRED WORD" - The new iPad, the Kindle - suddenly, e-book readers are all around us. For centuries, we've thought of books as words on paper. Now, with these new electronic devices, words have been cut loose. In Acts 8, a visitor from afar asks Philip to help him understand the scriptures. The apostle's guidance sets the biblical words free, making them, by the Holy Spirit, God's living word to this man hungry for good news. What is it that sets the written word free so we, too, may understand? Sunday, February 28 9:00 am - Voices of Praise 11:00 am - Chancel Choir Acts 9:1-25 Dr. Wilton preaching: "The Church Emerging, 11: ROADSIDE ATTRACTION" - When Saul, persecutor of Christians, meets the risen Jesus, it happens on a road. So, too, with a couple of disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Lots of other biblical stories tell of powerful spiritual experiences that happen to people as they are traveling. One of the earliest names for Christianity, in fact, is The Way (literally, The Road). What is it about a road, a journey, that is so conducive to life-changing encounters with God? Ash Wednesday Soup Supper Join us on Wednesday, February 17 as we begin our Lenten observance with a simple Soup Supper, followed by an informal Communion service, with the Chancel Choir singing. Both events take place in the Education Annex. Soup's on at 6:00 pm. The worship service follows right after that, probably starting around 6:45. Please bring either a pot of soup to share, or a loaf of unsliced bread. No reservations necessary; just come! A New Church Secretary We're pleased to welcome Kim Gaydos as our new Church Secretary, beginning on Tuesday, February 16. Kim, a resident of Brick, is a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Herbertsville Road. She is the mother of three children, ages 15, 13 and 8. After losing her husband to cancer several years ago, Kim served as hospice caregiver to first one of her parents, then the other. These experiences, she says, have taught her much about compassionate caring and the importance of faith in her life. Kim previously worked as a Business Development Manager and a Program and Cost Analyst for companies doing consulting work at Fort Monmouth. She took some time off to raise her children, and has worked part-time in recent years as a Lunch/Recess Aide and Substitute Teacher at the elementary school run by her church. Sandwich Sunday Food and fellowship following worship Sandwich Sunday Sandwich Sunday last month was a resounding success. Between services on Sunday, February 21, the Kitchen Team will be once again be offering this light brunch/lunch in the Education Annex. Although the main event will be between services, some sandwiches will be set aside for those who come over for coffee hour following the 11:00 service (which will also take place in the Annex). A free-will offering will be received to cover expenses, with anything left over going to Mission. Sandwich Sunday takes place on the third Sunday of each month. Souper Wednesday! It's every Wednesday evening ... Come join us for soup, salad and dessert. Drop in any time between 4:30 and 7:00 pm. to enjoy great food and fellowship! (On Ash Wednesday, February 17, Soup Supper is at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Communion service.) Bible Study: The Sermon on the Mount New attendees are welcome each week! Each Wednesday, a Bible study on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 & 6) continues, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Chittick Lounge. Pastor Carl Wilton is the leader. Come to the Annex for a quick and delicious Souper Wednesday supper first, or just come for the study. No study guide, no workbooks, no frills: just Bible study. No prior Bible knowledge assumed or required. Newcomers are welcome! We'll begin and end promptly. (No Bible Study on February 17, due to the Ash Wednesday Soup Supper and Service.) Inquirers Group, February 28 An Inquirers Group, for those exploring membership in the church, will take place on Sunday, February 28 at 12:00 noon. A light lunch will be provided, and child care can be made available upon prior request. New members will be received in worship on Palm Sunday, March 28. Please contact the Church Office to sign up, or to find out more! Youth Connection Italian Dinner On Saturday, February 27, from 4:30-7:00 pm, the Youth Connection is again offering its traditional Italian Dinner. Menu includes spaghetti, pasta with vodka sauce and Fettucine Alfredo -- all of them served with or without meatballs and/or Italian sausage. Seating is restaurant-style, with Youth Connection members taking orders and serving. No reservations needed. The free-will offering, after costs of the meal are covered, will be used to fund youth mission trips and for other mission outreach. From the Board of Deacons The Board of Deacons will not meet in February. The next meeting will be Monday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m. Deacon of the Month for February: Susan Robbins (732-528-7728) (From February 11-15, contact Charlene Mendelsohn, 732-477-2252) The WoRM NEWS FROM THE CHURCH SCHOOL Upcoming Dates to Know: February 2010 7 Family Sunday 14 A Samaritan's Heart celebration 17 Ash Wednesday Soup Supper and Service 21 Storytelling - Lent 28 Storytelling - Lent** ** also 3rd grade Bible presentation during 9 AM worship time A Samaritan's Heart To complete our rotation on the Good Samaritan, the Church School will be hosting A Samaritan's Heart Sunday concluding with a celebration on February 14th! The first part of our gathering is to complete our personal emergency kits. We are currently accepting contributions of these items: Adhesive bandages, individual packages of antiseptic ointment; cotton swabs; individual sanitized handwipes; lip balm; cough drops and teeth wipes (the kind that slide on your finger and are disposable). The underlined items are the greatest need. You can bring your contributions to the church anytime, but no later than February 12th so we can prepare everything for packaging. There is a bin in the Narthex for the Samaritan's Heart items. The children will gather upstairs on February 14th to make the kits that are assembled and placed into zip sandwich bags. We will distribute them to food pantries and organizations that have a need for emergency supplies for people in need locally. If you have any suggestions, please let Joanne Van Sant know, as we will have several hundred and can donate them to a number of places. In addition to our service project, we will be deciding what mission project the Church School will adopt. Last Spring we had a rotation of Mission I.M.possible (I Make it). We studied several PDA mission projects involving water, food and livestock. It is time now to select what mission work we'd like to support as a group. BUT that's not all! We will have a special presentation of the Good Samaritan drama by the 3/4 grade; as well as a birthday celebration and gifts of attendance prizes. A very full day indeed! We thank everyone in advance for their support and contributions. We look forward to the work we can do as we serve our community. Lent February 17th brings us Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. During Lent we prepare for the coming of Easter and Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross. Through Jesus' death and resurrection we know that we have God's eternal promise of forgiveness, of God's mercy and of God's grace. Through Jesus we know that we have a place in God's kingdom for eternity. We honor this event by preparing ourselves during Lent, we remember Jesus' sacrifice and what he has done for us; we look at our lives and think about what kind of things Jesus taught us so we can be more like him. We remember that we are called to love and forgive each other, that we are to live a life of joy as people of God. Our Church School Lenten workshop will use the Children and Worship stories to remember these things. Our storytellers will provide a wondrous time to relive each story as it unfolded, and to reflect on and remember what Jesus did for us. In addition, there are some things families can do at home, and we will provide a Lent calendar (like the Advent calendar) to see what happens each day during Lent. We will also have an activity book for children and their families to do at home as you talk about your preparation time for this season of Lent. Since we know that this is a time of sacrifice by Jesus, you can consider together what sacrifice you may make, or what service you may want to take on, to remember and honor Jesus' gift to you. Our Lent materials will be distributed on February 14th so you have them by Ash Wednesday. Please consider joining your church family on Ash Wednesday (February 17th, for our soup supper and Ash Wednesday Service held in the Annex building). It is our time together to pause and recognize the season of Lent and the preparation for Jesus' road to the cross that has begun. A LOOK AHEAD: Volunteers Needed for Rotation E, that begins In April after Easter! As usual, we look to parents and church members to assist with the Church School WoRM rotations. Rotation E began on April 11th and continues on the 18th; May 9th and May 16th. We will continue with the Good Samaritan and have Drama, Computers and Cooking as our three rotation classes. Workshops run from 9:20 to 10:15. Classroom prep time is from 8:30 to 9:20 - whatever works best for the facilitator. Curriculum and workshop outlines are completed for you, as facilitators - volunteers take care of the day's set-up, class facilitation, clean-up and dismissal of children. Thank you all in advance for your help with the success of our program! Please make note of these important dates on your calendar: March 21 Passover Seder 4PM March 28 Church school "Procession of the Palms" @ Worship April 25 Youth Sunday May 2 First grade communion May 23 Year End Splash party and 2nd Annual Triple Play Sunday Games Tournament and Church Picnic hosted by the Church School, all are encouraged to join us. June 11-13 Family Retreat at Johnsonburg March Madness Flea Market It's Time to Reserve Your Space When: Saturday, March 13 from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm Where: CE Annex (main floor only) Set Up: Friday, March 12, 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm Cost: $25 for a 6' x 8' space... includes 1 table and 2 chairs (if needed) FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!!! Contracts available in the Church Office or by e-mailing Judy Antonucci. Sponsored by Presbyterian Women Point Beach Prep Open House Our Point Beach Prep Preschool is growing! On two Saturdays this month, the staff will be on hand to conduct Open Houses. Point Beach Prep director, Robin Vogel, will give tours of the facility and will speak with parents about the program and the extra boost it offers young children, ages 2-and-a-half through 5, as they prepare for Kindergarten. Point Beach Prep is currently gathering interest for a possible afternoon session. Together with the morning session, that opens the possibility of an all-day program for those families who need it. Come to one of the Open Houses to find out more: February 20 and 27 from 10 am till 12 noon Please spread the word! Community Hymn Sing This month's Hymn Sing will take place on Sunday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Rt. 88, Point Pleasant February 2010 Birthdays 1 Jean Findlay, Charlotte Rath 2 3 Sandro Barbieri 4 Robin DeRosa, Michael Koolidge, Helen McKay 5 6 Laurie Borkowski, Quinlan Hogan, Russell Gilbert, Dylan Marx, Jean Stoll, Gwendolyn Whitworth 7 Heather Ackerman, Jake Brzyski, Jarod Brzyski, Joshua Duffield, Tyler Ebner 8 Jill Murat, Suzanne Robinson 9 Justin Fairhurst, Peter Farwell, Virginia Jasko, Sarah Stewart 10 Kathleen Clayton, Nancy Cook, Jane Erler, Annaliese Gilbert, David Palmer, Betty Schroeder, Emery Wheeler 11 Karyn Smykowski, Marion Squilanti-Johnson 12 Tomas Forsberg, Elizabeth Havranek 13 Deborah Haggerty 14 Billy Fix, Brandy Martin, Melanie Proud 15 Jeannie Fiocchi-Marden, Emma Scarpone 16 Ryan Lees, Virginia Zimmerman 17 Sue Hankins, Morgan Sarbello 18 Grace Gravino, Kylee Kells, Brittany Saul, Mary Wade 19 David Ackerman, Harvey Mendelsohn, Timothy O'Neill, Sharyn Vadimski 20 Jennifer Culos, Erica Thieleman 21 Cody Conrad 22 Muriel Carlson-Simon, Frank Teuschler, Lois Wisniewski 23 Joshua Duffield, Terri Satterlee, Bill Williams 24 Jamie McGuire, Heidi Steinert 25 Larsen Green, Scott Nelson 26 Tyler Barbieri, Allan Novick, Traci Van Wagenen 27 Thomas D'Amore, Deborah Rodgers, Charlize Smith, Michael Torres 28 Emily Birdsong, Ellen Hank, GreenLee Marsala, Eva Pula Point Press Deadline Deadline for the March issue of Point Press is February 15, 2010. You may drop your article off at the Church Office. Please include a name and phone number with it. E-mailed articles are preferred (plain text, please; no pdf files). If you have a photo or graphic, please send it separately in jpeg format. Thank you! Haitian Hospital Receives PDA Relief Funds (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 one of three ways 1) By writing a check to "Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church," with "Haiti earthquake" on the memo line; 2) By making an online gift through Point Pleasant Presbyterian, via credit card or bank-account debit (please enter the amount in the "Special Giving" field and specify "Haiti earthquake" in the box beside it); 3) By making an online gift through the PC(USA) website. Please specify that you're making your gift on behalf of Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church. Thank you for giving from the heart. Upcoming Events Saturday, March 27 - Point Beach Prep Open House Sunday, March 28 - Palm Sunday Sunday, April 4 - Easter "Strengthening Families, Sowing Friendships, Serving Community... For the Sake of Jesus Christ" Thank you for reading this month's issue of Point Press! Got a question? Please call the Church Office at (732) 899-0587, or SEND US AN E-MAIL. Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church 701 Forman Avenue Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742 office: (732) 899-0587 fax: (732) 899-2946 http://www.pointpresbyterian.org |
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