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CHURCH NEWS MARCH, 2008
CONTENTS
From the Pastors Study
March Worship Schedule
Parish
Health Ministry
Outreach Projects
Kerygma Class
Inquirers' Class
Caring for Creation Update
Mortgage Reduction Challenge
Stephen Ministry News
Kermit!
March Church Calendar
Missionary Letter
From the Pastor's Study....
Dear Church family,
Holy Week! We are fast approaching the most powerful
week of the life of a Christian -- Holy Week. Holy week begins on March
16th, with Palm Sunday, and ends on March 23rd, Easter Sunday.
Jesus said the following after his entry into Jerusalem: "The hour has
come for the Son of Man to be glorified." The people of the day were
already drawn to Jesus and, after 2000 years, Christians are still
drawn to him. Jesus said, "Whoever serves me, must follow me." And so,
follow Jesus we do, all the way to eternal life. As Christians,
we know the story of Christ. We continue to seek the Joy, the Promise,
the Hope, the Love that is ours because of the resurrection of Christ.
I encourage you to travel with Jesus during Holy Week. Come and join us
as we follow the events of the life of Christ, and seek to live as
Christ-like as we can each day.
250th Celebration year! Our church is off to a great
birthday year of celebrations. In January, we kicked off our 250th
celebration with a very special birthday party during and after
worship. The month of February we had a wonderful evening with Thomas
Jefferson in our midst. Our next celebration will be in April when we
break ground for our very own "Circle of Life Garden" and
labyrinth. Each month we have a special celebration planned,
thanks to the hard work of our 250th Celebration Committee. We also
will have the joy of hearing from many previous pastors who served this
great church, as well as hearing from sons/daughters of our church who
are currently in the ministry. We have already had the joy of being led
in worship by the Rev. Scott Brown in January. All who attended were
blessed to hear Scott. So, come and join us during this special time of
our church's life.
Blessings,
Keith
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MARCH-
2008 WORSHIP SCHEDULE
March
2 Worship at 9:15 and 11:00
a.m. -- Sunday School, 9:15
a.m.
Communion "The
Attributes of Lent: Service"
9
"The Attributes of Lent:
Commitment
A Sunday with Daffodils for the
American Cancer Society
16
Palm Sunday
"The Triumph"
20
Maundy Thursday: 8:00
p.m. "The Cup of Life"
21
Good Friday: 8:00
p.m. "Claiming a Place on Calvary" John
19:16b-42
23
EASTER SUNDAY – "HE IS
RISEN!" "Through Closed Doors"
6:00
a.m. Easter Sunrise, sanctuary, followed by breakfast
- Please sign up
9:15 &
11:00 a.m. IDENTICAL EASTER SERVICES (No Sunday School)
30
"Personal
Evolutions" Acts 2:14a, 22-32
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From Your Associate Pastor....
Dear Friends,
Traditions play an important role in who we are as a
church family. Sometimes these traditions stay exactly the same,
and sometimes they are transformed by new ideas that make them even
more meaningful with time.
In 2005, I experienced my first Holy Week at
NHRC. The Good Friday Tenebrae service was particularly
beautiful, and I loved the tradition of carrying the Christ Candle out
of the sanctuary as the church bell tolled 33 times in remembrance of
the 33 years of Jesus' life. I had seen this tradition in other
churches – but with a slightly different twist. Rather than
returning the candle on Good Friday night, it was returned on Easter
Sunday morning. The church lights were out as the candle was
carried in from the back of the sanctuary accompanied by the low roll
on the tympani, which became louder and louder as the candle approached
its place in the chancel. When, finally, it reached its holder,
the lights went on and the organ and brass launched the joyful Easter
hymn, "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today." All of this, to indicate the
Resurrection of Our Lord.
Our Worship Council has decided to try this idea on
Easter Sunday morning 2008. We hope it will make the gift of
Christ's passion, death and resurrection more real for you and those
you love. Happy Easter!
Grace and peace,
Marie
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Parish
Health Ministry ....
Mary Lou Grott, R.N., 462-0810, Ext 105, Mon., Tues., Thurs.
The Health Ministry is expecting the second Phillips FRX Defibrillator
(AED) to arrive in the next few weeks for the Education Center.
This AED is being purchased with the $3,000 Grant awarded to NHRC by
the John T. Sloper Community Fund of the Community Foundation of
Dutchess County. As part of the established protocol for being a
Public Access Defibrillation Site for Dutchess County, our ongoing CPR
training continues with our next class offered on:
Saturday, April 26th 2008 – Heartsaver AED Certification through the
American Heart Association, 9:00 - 3:00 p.m., in Fellowship Hall, with
adult, child, and infant CPR covered. Please bring a brown bag
lunch; coffee, tea, and water will be provided. Cost is
$25/person, with the balance covered by the Health Ministry and grant
funds. Sign up soon in the Gathering Area; mail or drop off
checks to the church office, made out to NHRC, with CPR Training in the
memo line. We look forward to helping you learn how to save a
life! Questions? Call Mary Lou Grott, Parish Nurse or
Louise Dalton, AED Coordinator (240-1186).
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OUTREACH
Outreach Celebrates our 250th....In honor of our 250th Birthday
Celebration, the Outreach Council has decided to collect 250 sets of
sheets for Dutchess County Coalition for the Homeless, to help sustain
the sheet supply for their sixty bed homeless shelter in Poughkeepsie.
The sheet sets (consisting of a fitted and flat
sheet as well as a pillowcase):
Must be twin size
Must be NEW
Solid colors only (no prints, please)
We request a thread count of no less than 280
because they will be wash every night.
The collection will begin in March and will run throughout the year or
until we meet our goal of 250 sets. They will be distributed to
the shelter on a monthly basis throughout the year. To keep the
congregation informed of our progress toward the goal, a paper
thermometer will be placed on the Outreach bulletin board located in
the hall by the kitchen. We hope to reach our goal by this
summer. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact
Joan Heller, Outreach Council Chair, at 896-8733. We thank you in
advance for your support!
Midnight Run to NYC....There
will be Midnight Run to the Upper
Manhattan area on Saturday, March 22nd. This mission is where
people from our own church go to NYC after 7:00 p.m. and deliver
clothes and food to the homeless along a designated route. In
order to make this a successful mission, we need your help. We
are looking for people who are willing to go with us. We meet at
the church at 7:00 p.m. and serve all night. We also need people
to make or donate food, package the meals (6:00 p.m. on 3/22), and/or
donate clothing. We are also in need of people to prepare a warm
breakfast for our return to the church early on Sunday morning.
We are looking for donations of the following items: bananas or
oranges, cookies, candy, tube socks, belts, duffle bags or backpacks,
underpants, hats, men's shoes (sizes 9-12 and above), nice t-shirts and
sweatshirts, men's pants size 34, 36, 38, plus a few larger sizes, and
travel-size toiletries (soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, razor,
shaving cream, deodorant, and lip balm). There are sign-up sheets
in the Gathering Area for those of you willing to help. You will
receive an email reminder or a phone call one week before the
mission. Donations of food can be made to the church kitchen on
3/22. All toiletries and various other donations can be dropped
off at the large desk in the Education Center. Any questions,
please contact Kim Scoralick, 724-3780. Thanks so much and
blessings, Kim.
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Spring Kerygma
Class on the Book of Job
Beginning in April, Marie will be teaching a
7-session Kerygma class on the biblical book of Job entitled Job and
the Life of Faith: Wisdom for Today's World. The class will be
held on seven consecutive Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. until noon, and
again from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. on the following dates:
April 16, 23 and 30; May 7, 14, 21, 28.
The cost of the student resource book is $20.00, and it may be shared
with someone. The deadline to sign up is Thursday, April 1 – so
that books can be ordered and handed out to participants before the
first class. Please make checks payable to NHRC and memo Job
Kerygma book. If anyone needs financial assistance, please see
one of the pastors. Sign-up sheets will be available in the
Gathering Area.
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Spring
Inquirers' Class
A Spring Inquirers' Class will be offered by the pastors, for those who
are considering the possibility of membership at New Hackensack
Reformed Church. On Saturday, April 5, we will meet from 9:00
a.m. until noon to share faith journeys, learn about the Reformed
Church in America, and NHRC programs and opportunities. On
Saturday, April 12, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., people interested in becoming
members will meet with the elders. New members will be received
by the congregation on Sunday, April 20 (time of service to be decided
by the group). If you are interested in being part of this
Inquirers' Class, please call the church office (462-0810, ext. 0).
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Caring
for Creation Update
Hold off sending recycled Christmas cards to St.
Jude's ---- The information in the Caring for Creation article in the
January newsletter was accurate in early December. Since then,
however, the website information has changed and St. Jude's Ranch is
asking folks to refrain from sending cards until spring 2008. You
can find more information at their website, www.stjudesranch.org.
You can still order the finished recycled greeting cards at $8.00 for
10 cards/envelopes. Just don't send used cards now. Thanks
for your cooperation.
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Join
the Challenge!!
NHRC has received a challenge from a member of the
congregation to reduce our mortgage debt. Any funds given in 2008
specifically for mortgage reduction will be matched by an anonymous
donor up to $5,000. With your help we could reduce our debt by an
additional $10,000 this year. Our current mortgage debt is
$182,705 at 6%. We will keep you posted during the year how the
challenge is going.
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Stephen
Ministry News
The New Hackensack Reformed Church has a new Stephen Leader.
Faith Schwenker was among 263 pastors and congregation leaders at a
Stephen Ministry Leader's training course held from January 26th to
February 3rd in Portland, Oregon. Faith attended the one-week
training event hosted by the St. Louis-based Stephen Ministries
organization. Participants came from across the U.S. and Canada
to learn how to implement and direct Stephen Ministry, a system of
Christian caregiving, in their congregations. Faith was the only
attendee from New York.
"I came back to New Hackensack exhausted, but
energized with the promise of helping the people of my
congregation. I met so many wonderful Christians of many, many
different denominations who were working together for the sole purpose
of caregiving. It was a beautiful experience and one that I will
long remember. This experience also enriched my heart and soul
and I hope others will join the ministry so that they, too, will be
able to receive this amazing experience and in turn enrich others!!
I learned that the need for this type of care
greatly exceeds what pastors alone can provide. All Christians
are called to care for and love one another in one way or another and
this is a very special avenue!!"
Faith already met with the other Stephen Leaders
(Pastor Keith Tamlyn, Mary Lou Grott and Jackie Carey) to discuss the
next steps the ministry will be taking. If anyone has any
questions and/or would like to learn more about Stephen Ministry,
please call the church office at 462-0810.
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Greetings
from Kermit!
Here we are in March already - where do the days go? I was just looking
over a calendar (a very peculiar thing for a frog to be doing) and I
discovered that the coming weeks will be VERY important for this year's
Bazaar. In addition to the Workshops for this month, we have to get the
Take-Home Kits ready, too. So let's get right into all the news!!
Wednesday Morning Workshops for March will be held on the 5th, 12th,
19th and 26th, in Room 15, at 9:30 a.m. There are lots of exciting,
new, easy projects planned, including decorating a pine swag, making a
washcloth elephant, stuffing assorted fleece pillows, painting a wooden
cross which is then decorated with seed beads, painting frames for pet
pictures, decorating a shovel with greens and a snowman, and creating a
wire trimmed pillar candle. There are usually several projects going on
at once, so one is just bound to be something YOU can work with,
whether you are very skilled or just starting out. Last year the folks
at the workshops - people just like YOU!! - made 675 gifts for the
Bazaar, and this year we want to make at least that many, so the
Workshops can really use YOUR help! Young humans are always welcome,
too!!
Take-Home Kit Sunday is April 13th, and we'll want to have LOTS of kits
ready for all the nice people who will want to take some home to work
on over the summer. To do this, we need YOUR help to design a kit (or
perhaps more.) Kit designers take a craft idea, make a sample of the
craft, write directions, and assemble the materials needed to make more
of the item. Please call Mrs. Ray (Carol, my nice human friend
who has LOTS of ideas and catalogs to help you get started) at 297-4830
and volunteer if this sounds like something YOU would enjoy.
Remember, it's fun, and it's for a VERY good cause!!
The Workshops are in full swing, and folks will soon be busy getting
the Take-Home kits put together, so we find ourselves in need of some
supplies, in particular rick rack, floral foam, floral moss, baskets,
basket grass like Easter grass, beads, jewelry-making supplies, mugs,
sandpaper, small birds, new candles (all sizes), new nails, screws,
hooks, and washers, wool plaid fabric, fleece fabric, felt, yardsticks,
rulers, Styrofoam balls and cones, craft wire, wiggle eyes, silk
flowers, polyester stuffing and batting, pom poms, jingle bells, yarn,
craft paints, buttons, and any miscellaneous craft supplies. Thank you
SO much for YOUR contributions - the gang loves to look through all the
goodies and think of things they can make!
That's about all the news I have for now - I'm starting to look around
for some water that isn't frozen - I'm actually thinking about
SPRING! I hope to see YOU at the Workshops!!
Yours in love,
Kermit
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March
Church Calendar
2,
Sunday Communion/Lent 4
Deacons' Fund
8:00
a.m. Adult Sunday School
9:15
a.m. Worship, Sunday School
Jr. and Sr. High
10:30
a.m. Cherub Choir
Celebration Choir
11:00
a.m. Worship
5:15
p.m. Confirmation Class
3, Monday
4:45
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
6:00
p.m. Klokken I
8:00
p.m. Campanola Ringers
4, Tuesday
10:30
a.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
11:45
a.m. JOY Committee Meeting
5:00 p.m.
Chime Time
6:00
p.m. Klokken II
7:00
p.m. Councils/Committees
5, Wednesday
6:45
a.m. Men's Christ_Care
9:30
a.m. Piggy Bank Workshop
10:30
a.m. Moral Compass Study Group
6:30
p.m. Lenten Dinner/Program
7:00
p.m. Boy Scout Troop 56
6, Thursday
9:30
a.m. Bible Study at the Hoyt's
10:00
a.m. Wellness Committee Meeting
4:45
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
7:00
p.m. CIA Youth Study
7:15
p.m. Senior Choir
7, Friday
10:30
a.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
6:30
p.m. GEMS
8, Saturday
9:00
a.m. Confirmation Class Retreat
9,
Sunday Sunday With
Daffodils/Lent 5
8:00
a.m. Adult Sunday School
9:15
a.m. Worship, Sunday School
Jr. and Sr. High
10:30
a.m. Cherub Choir
Celebration Choir
11:00
a.m. Worship
10, Monday
4:45
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
6:00
p.m. Klokken I
8:00 p.m.
Campanola Ringers
11, Tuesday
10:30
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
5:00
p.m. Chime Time
6:00
p.m. Klokken II
12, Wednesday
6:45
a.m. Men's Christ_Care
9:30
a.m. Piggy Bank Workshop
10:30
a.m. Moral Compass Study Group
7:00
p.m. Interfaith Story Circle
Stephen Ministry
Meeting
Boy Scout Troop 56
13, Thursday
9:30
a.m. Bible Study at the Hoyt's
4:45
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
7:00
p.m. CIA Youth Group
7:15
p.m. Senior Choir
14, Friday
10:30
a.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
16,
Sunday Palm Sunday
9:15
a.m. Worship, Sunday School
Jr. and Sr.
High
Children's Message
10:30
a.m. Cherub Choir
Celebration Choir
11:00
a.m. Worship
5:15
p.m. Confirmation Class
6:30
p.m. Youth Group St. Patrick's Party
17,
Monday St. Patrick's Day
4:45
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
6:00
p.m. Klokken I
8:00
p.m. Campanola Ringers
18, Tuesday
10:30
a.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
5:00 p.m.
Chime Time
6:00
p.m. Klokken II
19, Wednesday
6:45
a.m. Men's Christ_Care
9:30
a.m. Piggy Bank Workshop
10:30
a.m. Moral Compass Study Group
7:00
p.m. Boy Scout Troop 56
7:30
p.m. Nursery School Board
20,
Thursday Maundy Thursday
9:30
a.m. Bible Study at the Hoyts'
4:45
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
7:00
p.m. CIA Youth Study
7:15
p.m. Senior Choir
8:00
p.m. Maundy Thursday Service
21,
Friday Good Friday
10:30
a.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
3:30
p.m. April News Deadline
8:00
p.m. Good Friday Service
23,
Sunday Easter
6:30
a.m. Sunrise Service
7:15
a.m. Breakfast
9:15 &
11:00 a.m. Worship/Children's
message
8:30
p.m. Dutchess Homeless Shelter Meal
24,
Monday Office Closed
25, Tuesday
10:30
a.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
7:00
p.m. Consistory Meeting
26, Wednesday
6:45
a.m. Men's Christ_Care
9:30
a.m. Piggy Bank Workshop
10:30 a.m.
Moral Compass Study Group
7:00
p.m. Stephen Ministry Meeting
Boy Scout
Troop 56
27, Thursday
9:30
a.m. Bible Study at the Hoyt's
4:45
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
7:00
p.m. CIA Youth Study
7:30
p.m. Senior Choir
28, Friday
9:30
a.m. Collate April News
10:30
a.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
6:30
p.m. GEMS
30, Sunday
8:00
a.m. Adult Sunday School
9:15
a.m. Worship, Sunday School
Jr. and Sr. High
10:30
a.m. Cherub Choir
Celebration Choir
11:00
a.m. Worship
5:15
p.m. Confirmation Class
6:45
p.m. Youth Group/Wap. Cent. Jr. High
31, Monday
4:45
p.m. Strength and Balance Exercise
6:00
p.m. Klokken I
8:00
p.m. Campanola Ringers
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Special Prayer
Request and News from our Missionaries, the Titus'
From Kosovo
Dear Faithful Prayer Partners: Sorry it has been so long
since I have written. We are generally quite busy, but we know even
without specific prayer updates that you are praying for us. It is
apparent, as we could not do this without such powerful prayer
support. Today, I am writing about two requests: 1)
Kosovo declared its independence today. Serbia is opposed to this and
Russia has joined on its side, as well as other countries with
separatist groups that want to break away. The US and other European
allies are expected to recognize Kosovar independence tomorrow.
Tensions within Serbia toward the US are high. Questions about border
crossings have already begun to affect us at the seminary as we have a
Macedonia-based American missionary expected to arrive next Sunday to
teach a class. He is not sure if he will be able to drive across the
borders to get to us, and there may not be any flights when he is
available.
As you know, Kosovo is a hotbed of tension. Serbs
see this as their ancient homeland, their sacred beginning point.
Though it is mostly ethnically Albanian, secular Muslims, there are
still a large number of Serbs living there, and there are a number of
important Serbian Orthodox monasteries there. UN and NATO have had
16,000 troops keeping the peace there since the end of the war in 1999.
We would ask you to pray for calm and for wisdom in
every area of this, from what happens in Kosovo and Serbia to what
happens at the UN, in the emergency meeting of the Security Council
which Russia called, to NATO and to ordinary citizens trying to cross
borders or conduct business. Also, we ask you for pray for our
professor who is supposed to teach a class here next week, that he
would be able to travel without incident. We do not expect anything to
happen in Croatia in regard to this as far as we know at this time, but
you really never know about this important Balkan powderkeg. 2)
Our family is sick. Every one of us has the flu. Penny got it first,
and has been sick for a full week. She seems to be feeling better and
may be able to go back to school on Monday. The rest of us are not so
well. I have been down for three and a half days already and don't feel
well at all as I write this. Eric and I both have classes to teach
tomorrow, and he also has a class on Tuesday as well. Pray that we will
recover quickly so that we can attend to our work.
Thank you again for your faithfulness in praying for
us. We so appreciate how you carry our burdens before the Lord. This is
an important ministry that you do for us. May God bless you richly for
your efforts on our behalf!
Together with Him in service to
Croatia, Rev. Eric and Nancy Titus
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