Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church

Weekly News for

Sunday,

August 3, 2014

 

Dear Friends,

 

This Sunday we will be looking at darkness. Often times in scripture, Christian doctrine and literature, darkness is presented as that which is evil.  Darkness is bad; light is good. Darkness represents sin and light represents goodness. 

 

However, there are many stories in scripture where night and darkness are the places where the one in the story encounters God. The darkness is necessary for God to reach us, to teach us, to transform us. 

 

Come this Sunday to perhaps learn how darkness is necessary, even vital to our growth and well-being as Christians.

 

I am also sharing with you some thoughts on darkness that come from Leslie D. Weatherhead from "Prescription for Anxiety" taken from the book Christian Meditations.


"When I was once passing through a very dark phase, due largely to physical illness - and of course when we are physically ill we all suffer both from a degree of anxiety and from regression to a more infantile level - I did not know whether to accept an onerous and very demanding position or withdraw from it.  One day my wife said she thought the darkness could be part of God's training for the job.  I came to accept that view.  Fear itself can be used by God to equip us for our tasks, so long as we take the right attitude to it and do not let it cow us into surrender or into any of the many avenues of escape which the frightened mind suggests to us.  I can only write down this simple testimony.  Like everybody, I love and prefer the sunny uplands of experience, when health, happiness and success abound, but I have learned far more about God and life and myself in the darkness of fear and failure than I have ever learned in the sunshine.  There are such things as the treasures of darkness.   The darkness, thank God, passes.  But what one learns in the darkness, one possesses for ever."

See you in Church this Sunday 

 

Peace and Blessings,

Pastor Linda

This Sunday
 

Sunday, August 3

 

10:00 a.m. Worship with Communion

11:00 a.m. - Sundae Sunday


Sundae Sunday

Join us after worship for Sundae Sunday in the Chittick Lounge.  We will be making ice cream sundaes as part of our fellowship. You won't want to miss the delicious treat!  

 

Prayerfully Consider
 

"Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people." - Ephesians 6:18 (CEV) 

 

The Prayer Person for the week of August 3 is Alice Brzyski. Let us be prayerfully aware of Alice, as well as all our members and friends.

Other prayer concerns: Joe DeRosa; the family of the Rev. Alan Chaves; Margaret Olsavsky (Heidi Steinert's grandmother); Michelle Avary (Andrea Purtell's mother); Virginia Benham (Joan Kocur's mother); Rich (Terri Williams brother); Les Thornton; Jeff Bissey; Audrey Pearce; all those in the military, as well as those struggling with addictions and mental illness.

         PPPC NEWS


News and Notes
ST. GREGORY'S PANTRY NEEDS - St. Gregory's Pantry gives temporary aid (a 4 day supply of food and personal items) to approximately 1200 individuals annually.  This Summer pantry items are running quite low.  Items to be donated to the Pantry can be dropped off in the baskets in the Narthex.  Currently the Pantry is collecting personal hygiene supplies (toothpaste, lotion, deodorant).  A lot of their clients have microwave cooking only, so items that can be microwaved or eaten out of a can are always needed.  Can openers are also desperately needed with the last one given out this past week to someone living out of their car.  Do you have a surplus of produce from your garden this Summer?  Consider dropping it off at the Pantry M-F from 10:00 a.m. to Noon.  Clients especially love receiving fresh produce.  Thank you for continually supporting this great need in our own community.
 
DID YOU KNOW?  Phyllis Zoon serves as the Hunger Action Enabler (HAE) for Monmouth Presbytery. Last year the Monmouth Presbytery had eight congregations that had community gardens, while 45 congregations supported food pantries/soup kitchens/etc. with about 12,000 people served each month. Four congregations did some kind of gleaning. Gleaning projects included youth groups picking apples in the Fall; as well as volunteers gleaning with Farmers Against Hunger. Approximately 20 people gleaned 12,000 pounds of produce last year. To find out more about gleaning please visit the Farmers Against Hunger website or Facebook page.

THINKING AHEAD - On Sunday August 18 - We invite anyone who would like to be part of an informal pickup "praise team" to join us for a rehearsal prior to the start of the service. Please meet at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary for a relaxed practice. We will sing during the 10 a.m. service. All are welcome to sing in praising our God with music. For more information, please speak with Pat Shoppell or Sara Hoey.

Registration For VBS Continues
 
Your children won't want to miss out this Summer as we go to Rome to help Paul in prison!  We will explore ancient Rome from 6-8 pm during the week of August 18. Our adventure will begin and finish downstairs in the CE Annex classrooms.  Registration is off to a strong start and continues.

This program is for all children who have finished grades Pre-K through 5 and is open to kids from the entire community, so invite your neighbors and friends. 

Registration Forms can be downloaded or picked up in the Narthex and returned to the church office.

For questions and Registration, please call the church office at 732-899-0587. You can also email Christina Parrott who is leading this year's VBS!  You can also visit our FAQ VBS  page.

      VOLUNTEER VILLAGE

 
What's Happened Here?
 
Volunteer Village seating
As the two year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy approaches, so does the anniversary of the opening of the Volunteer Village. Anyone who has visited the second floor of the annex is bound to have noticed many changes that have occurred. You may wonder "who paid for all of this?" The answer is simple and lengthy at the same time. The Volunteer Village is financially independent from the Church finances. So, how were all the changes financed? 

They were financed in three ways: grants, donations, and per diem payments (to be addressed later).

PPPC was fortunate enough to receive two grants. One came from the Robin Hood Foundation and the second came from the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund. Together, they amounted to $56,300.00. Nearly all of the funds have been spent. Together, they paid for:
1. The installation of the showers,
2. The key fob system for the rear door of the annex,
3. $5,000.00 worth of tools for the visiting volunteers to use,
4. New baseboard heating units in all of the annex restrooms,
5. New stall partitions in the annex second floor restrooms,
6. The salaries of the seminarian interns,
7. Materials for the bunk bed ladders,
8. Materials for the second storage cabinet in the great hall,
9. The majority of the kitchen renovations.

Now, let's address donations (forgive me if something was omitted).
1. $2,500.00 worth of tools donated by Klein Tools.
2. Bunk beds and mattresses donated by the Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
3. 50 bedcovers donated by London Luxury.
4. Blinds in the sleeping area donated by a church family.
5. The commercial refrigerator donated by a church family.
6. The ice machine donated by a church family.
7. The fabric for the curtain dividers that close off the sleeping area donated 
    by a church family.
8. The lounge furniture donated by multiple church families.
9. The van donated by a former church member.

We also received some donated labor.
1. The Boy Scouts stained the bunk bed ladders.
2. The ladies from Busy Hands fashioned the curtain dividers.
3. Visiting volunteers from Lend A Hand moved and rebuilt the existing second floor storage cabinet and built a second one.
On another trip, they divided the Manse garage into two sections. One section became a work and tool storage area.

Now, getting back to per diem payments. It is the per diem payments received from each volunteer that make the Volunteer Village financially self sustaining. In fact, upon the recommendation of PDA, a percentage of all per diem payments received by the church is set aside in a separate savings account. When all the recovery work is done and the Volunteer Village is closed, the church will have funds to use (at the discretion of Session) to freshen up the annex.

Each time people from our church go on a mission trip, a daily fee is charged for each person by the host site. Such is also the case with our visiting volunteers. What is this per diem used for? First and foremost, the per diem money is used to purchase food to feed the volunteers. Then, the remainder is used to cover expenses the church would not have incurred if the village didn't exist (like increased utility costs). It is also used to pay for items to make the volunteers more comfortable while they are staying with us (purchase first aid kits, for example). Session also approved paying for the small portion of the latest kitchen renovation that was not covered by the grants as the renovation would not have been done if the village didn't exist.

At PPPC, there is frequently mention made of donating your time and treasures. You've just read about the treasures. The Volunteer Village only works thanks to the church members and their friends who donate countless hours shopping for food, cooking meals, scheduling the visiting groups, scheduling/organizing the work days, spending time visiting with the volunteers, evaluating the skill levels of the volunteers, providing administrative services, etc. Come, join the fun.
Groups Staying in the Volunteer Village
 
Woodbury Presbyterian
First Presbyterian Church, Woodbury, NJ
We have a full complement of work groups staying in our Volunteer Village this Summer and Fall. Following is our latest list of groups scheduled: 
Aug 10-16 The Presbyterian Church at Woodbury, Woodbury, NJ 
Aug 10-16 Cook's Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC
Aug 17-21 Lend A Hand
Sep 7-13 Pass A Grille Beach Community Church, St. Pete Beach, FL
Sep 7-13 Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, NC  - CANCELLED
Sep 14-20 Crossroads Community Presbyterian Church, Leechburg, PA 
Sept 28-Oct 4 Presbytery of Detroit 
Oct 5-11 Rosedale Presbyterian Church Livonia, MI
Oct 12-17 Lend A Hand
Oct 19-25 Scioto Valley Presbytery, Columbus, OH
Nov 9-14 Lend A Hand - CANCELLED

      ON THE CALENDAR

 

Calendar For The Week

 

The latest edition of the church calendar is available online, on the church's website. 

 

Sunday, August 3

10:00 a.m. Worship with Communion

11:00 a.m. - Sundae Sunday


Monday, August 4

 

Tuesday, August 5

 

Wednesday, August 6

9:00 a.m. - Women's Breakfast at the Rainbow Diner

  

Thursday, August 7

7:30 a.m. - Men's Breakfast

 

Friday, August 8

 

Saturday, August 9

 

Sunday, August 10

10:00 a.m. Worship/Healing Prayers

BirthdaysBirthday Blessings

 

Aug 3 James Cleveland

Aug 4 Joanne McGuire, Robert Moran, Thomas O'Hara,
Travis Popiel, Jean Wilson
Aug 5 Sheri DeCantis, Noah Steinert
Aug 6 Audrey Crane, Russsell Gilbert, Daniel Scarpone
Aug 7
Aug 8 John Ekarius
Aug 9 Peggy Martin
Aug 10 Dorothy Giddes
Aug 11 Glenn Bongiovi, Peter Crawley, Elizabeth Ploskonka
Aug 12 Betsy Jinks
Aug 13 Maryanne Leach, Jeannette Peterson
Aug 14 Sandra Grebel
Aug 15 Norma Appel, Joseph Friedrich
Aug 16 Brielle Shekon
Aug 17 Emily Culos, Stephen Reid, Kenneth Winter
Aug 18 Christina Parrott
Aug 19 Lindsay Bucsek,Theresa Williams
Aug 20 Heather Jensen, Lois Thieleman
Aug 21 Samuel Nelson, Kaitlyn Ridge
Aug 22 Patrick Cox, Joseph DeRosa, Julie Nase, Lynn O'Hara, Shayne Shekon
Aug 23 Jessica Nagan, Matthew Freeman
Aug 24 Zachary Leek-Clayton
Aug 25 Sean McCrossan
Aug 26 Joan Borduin, Vincent Robinson, Linda Quimby
Aug 27 Danielle Allgor
Aug 28 Courtney Bixby
Aug 29
Aug 30 Lynn Hahm
Aug 31 Elaine Flannelly, Lisa Van Winkle 

      COMING UP


Start Up Dates in the Fall
 
August 25 - PW Coordinating Team Meeting
September 8 - First Day of Point Beach Prep
September 8 - Choral Bell Rehearsals Begin
September 8 - Deacon's Meeting
September 10 - Dove Choir Rehearsals Begin
September 11 - Chancel Choir Rehearsals Begin
September 18 - Session Meeting
September 21 - Youth Connection Begins
September 21 - Sunday School Begins
Upcoming Events - Mark Your Calendar  
 
August 18-22 Vacation Bible School
September 14 - Rally Day
October 18 - Presbytery "Nuts and Bolts" Officer and Leader Training event
 

Additional information will follow

       CONTACT US

 

Pastors   

The Rev. Carl Wilton, Ph.D., Pastor

The Rev. Linda Chase, Associate Pastor

 

Office Staff 

Kim Gaydos, Church Secretary 

Donna Ferry, Financial Secretary

Dee D'Amore, Volunteer Village Bookkeeper 

Nancy Stout, Treasurer

 

Music Staff

Sara Hoey, Organist

William Shoppell, Chancel Choir and Choral Bells Director

Rebecca Muraglia, Acting Dove Choir Director

 

Christian Education Staff

 Courtney Norton, Youth Connection Coordinator

Tricia Stoffers, Sunday School Coordinator 

Devlin House, Point Beach Prep Preschool Director

Quick Links 

Full Calendar of Events

Make a Safe, Online Contribution

Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church

 701 Forman Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742

(Corner of Bay and Forman Avenues) 

 

Church Office: 732-899-0587 Fax: 732-899-2946

Visit us at http://www.pointpresbyterian.org

Church Office: [email protected]