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Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church
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Weekly News for
Sunday,
August 10, 2014
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 Dear Friends,
So, what is it with all those people in the Bible who hear God speaking to them?
In most of these incidents, God seems to be speaking in full sentences, clearly and unmistakably - as though God were sitting at the kitchen table with them.
Few people today - almost none, in my experience - report having that kind of auditory conversation with God. So, does this mean God used to talk to people in that direct way, but does so no longer?
Or, are those Bible stories saying something different - speaking poetically about an experience that's much more subtle, much more internal?
This Sunday, we'll examine a Bible story of a man who hears God speaking to him - although, unlike most other conversations, the connection is subtle and nearly silent. At a low point in his life, Elijah hears what one Bible translation calls "a still, small voice," and another, "a sound of sheer silence." It's the first time, in the history of God's people, that the Bible describes that kind of interior divine-human interaction.
How does such a story speak to the likes of you and me, in our own spiritual lives?
Come along, this Sunday, and let's find out together.
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This Sunday
Sunday, August 10
10:00 a.m. Worship/Healing Prayers
1 Kings 19:9-18Dr. Wilton preaching: "HOW GOD SPEAKS"
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Healing Prayers
 Prayers for healing, wholeness and thanksgiving will take place during Sunday's worship service. We invite those who wish to have prayer, for themselves or for loved ones, to come forward during the final hymn as the congregation is singing. |
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"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 10 is Judy Antonucci. Let us be prayerfully aware of Judy, as well as all our members and friends.
Other prayer concerns: The family of Norma Appel (Lynn Donley's Mother); the family of Angelo Coppolino, (Brother of Tony Coppolino); Jane Lambie; Les Thornton; Jeff Bissey; Audrey Pearce; all those in the military, as well as those struggling with addictions and mental illness.
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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 last 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.
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 next Sunday 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.
 HELP FOR MASON WITH AUTISM - Chris Nelson has asked PPPC friends to consider making a donation to help Sarah Benson, a co-worker of his who lives in Edison. Sarah is trying to balance single parenting with the demands of work, as she cares for her 2-and-a-half-year-old son, Mason, recently diagnosed as autistic. A crowdfunding website has been set up to receive donations to help cover the cost of special socialization therapy for Mason, to supplement the limited early-intervention help he's getting from the local schools. Visit the website to find out more.
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Seeking a Church Treasurer
After several years of faithful and effective service, Nancy Stout has submitted his resignation as Church Treasurer. We are grateful to Nancy for all she has done for the church, and for leaving the books in such good shape.
The Finance Team is seeking someone to fill this volunteer position, effective immediately. We will be making some changes to the job description to sharply reduce the number of hours per week the Treasurer must come into the office, and are looking into obtaining the cloud-based version of our Church Windows accounting software, so the new Treasurer will be able to monitor church finances from home. The Treasurer will work closely with Donna Ferry, the church's Financial Secretary.
Do you know someone with financial-management skills and a heart for the church's mission, who is interested in serving the Lord in this way? Or are you, perhaps, such a person? If so, please contact Pastor Carl immediately.
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Just ONE WEEK Until VBS Begins!
 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 classrooms in the CE Annex. 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.
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 Yes, we know it's still the middle of summer, and not many of you want to be thinking about the Fall just yet. September's just around the corner, though, which means it's time to start planning to join a Covenant Bible Study group.
If you've always planned to learn more about the Bible but weren't sure when or how to do it, this is your opportunity! Covenant is an introduction to the whole Bible, with weekly small-group discussions around a brief video. The video segments will bring expert Bible scholars right into the room with us. There are daily Bible readings with introductions for each day, as well as a longer weekly reading in the Covenant study book.
Right now, we're planning on two groups: Mondays at 11:00 am, led by the Rev. Linda Chase
Wednesdays at 7:00 pm, led by the Rev. Dr. Carl Wilton
If neither of those times is good for you, please let us know. We can schedule times for additional groups to meet. For instance, we're discussing the possibility of a Sunday-morning group. If you can't make a given session, it's possible to make it up by sitting in on another group that same week. Covenant Groups will start meeting in mid-September (dates to be announced) and will continue for 8 weeks. There are three 8-week units in the 24-week Covenant study - you can join any of the 3 units as we begin it (it's not necessary to do all 3 in sequence). We're planning to offer units in the Fall, Winter and Spring.
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to view the Covenant Introductory Video
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Each participant will be expected to have access to a good Study Bible, as well as the study book for the current term. We'll be making the Covenant study books available in the coming weeks, as sign-ups begin.
Each of our Covenant groups will have its own password-protected web page, as an optional way to keep in touch. Those who register for the website will receive daily emails of the Bible readings, as well as reminder emails for group meetings.
You can learn more about the program at the CovenantBibleStudy.com website. If you have an iPad, check out the Covenant Bible Study iPad app (Search for "Covenant Bible Study" in the iTunes Store). For a cost of $9.99 - half the price of the printed version - you get the first-unit book in electronic form, as well as interactive note-taking features. An Android app will be out soon, as well.
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Point Beach Prep Summer Camp Comes to an End!
Summer Camp was a blast! We ended the experience with a field trip to Hoffman's Ice Cream. The Point Pleasant Beach Police Department was kind enough to help us cross the streets. Everyone loved it!
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Groups Staying in the Volunteer Village
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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 (Carlisle Presbytery, Pennsylvania)
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 (Carlisle Presbytery, Pennsylvania)
Oct 19-25 Scioto Valley Presbytery, Columbus, OH
Nov 9-14 Lend A Hand - CANCELLED
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Troop 6 Visits Washington, D.C.
 Members of PPPC's own Troop 6, Boy Scouts of America, have been active this summer. This past week, they visited Washington, D.C., looking in on the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
This picture is of Life Scout (and PPPC member) Patrick Cox, who was along on the visit to Arlington.
Troop 6 (and its brother organization, Cub Scout Pack 6) are always open to new members.
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Mission in South Sudan
 South Sudan, Africa's newest nation, is a place of great unrest but also great hope. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-worker Leisa Wagstaff is on the job there, working in the area of education.
It's a challenging assigment: "The majority of the adult population in South Sudan [has] no education due to the unrest. Seventy percent of the children between the ages of 6 and 17 [have never] set foot inside a classroom. Only 12 percent of the teaching corps [is] trained. And the dropout rate for girl students, who are two-thirds fewer than male pupils, [is] the highest in the world," Leisa says.
Leisa is one of hundreds of mission workers whose work is supported by our giving to General Assembly general mission.
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Calendar For The Week
The latest edition of the church calendar is available online, on the church's website. 
Sunday, August 10
10:00 a.m. Worship/Healing Prayers
Monday, August 11
Tuesday, August 12
10:00 a.m. - Eye Openers
Wednesday, August 13
9:00 a.m. - Women's Breakfast at the Rainbow Diner
Thursday, August 14
7:30 a.m. - Men's Breakfast
Friday, August 15
Saturday, August 16
Sunday, August 17
10:00 a.m. Worship
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 Birthday Blessings
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
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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
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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
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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
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
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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: mail@pointpresbyterian.org |
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