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Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church
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Weekly News for
Sunday,
October 12, 2014
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 Dear Friends,
Biblical scholar Robert Farrar Capon observes that the purpose of Jesus' parables is "not to explain things to people's satisfaction but to call attention to the unsatisfactoriness of all their previous explanations and understandings."
That's very true of the story we'll examine in worship this Sunday, the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14). A royal prince is getting married. His father, the king, invites the usual dignitaries - but none of them come. Not only that, some of them kill the messengers who'd delivered the invitations! The king dispatches more messengers, telling them "Don't bother with the celebrities, just invite the first people you see." The hall fills up with ordinary folk. One of these last-minute guests shows up without the proper wedding garb. The king is furious and boots him into "the outer darkness."
Just about everyone in this story behaves badly - or, if not badly, then at least in unexpected ways. It's tempting to interpret such a tale allegorically - in other words, to assign each character a symbolic role (the king as God, the snooty no-show guests as the proud-but-shallow religious people of that day, etc.). But that doesn't work, because the king is not a very nice person (he treats the ill-dressed wedding guest with all the compassion and consistency of a first-century Kim Jong-un).
So, what message is Jesus trying to get across with this parable? Come along to worship - let's talk about it!
(The picture above, by the way, is "The Great Banquet" by British artist Cicely Mary Parker. It portrays Luke's version of the parable, in which the last-minute guests are described as including many who are ill or lame.)
Pastor Carl
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This Sunday
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Matthew 22:1-14
Dr. Wilton preaching: "IN THE NOW" 9:00 a.m. - Youth Connection 10:00 a.m. Worship/Chancel Choir/Healing Prayers 10:00 a.m. - Sunday School begins in Worship 4:00 p.m. - Webelos, Basement
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Healing Prayers
You are welcome to come forward for prayers of Healing, Wholeness and Thanksgiving this Sunday during the final hymn this Sunday.
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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 October 12 is Barbara Griggs. Let us be prayerfully aware of Barbara, as well as all our members and friends.
Other prayer concerns: Nancy Cook; Ginny Zimmerman; Margaret Olsavsky; Les Thornton; Katherine Feldman; Trudy Pedersen; Karen Larsen; Fred Johnson; all those in the military, as well as those struggling with addictions and mental illness.
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New Hymn, "For Everyone Born"
This Sunday, we premiere (for our congregation, anyway) a moving new hymn from the Glory to God hymnal, "For Everyone Born." Check it out ahead of time by viewing this video (click on the photo below):
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ORGAN SPECTACULAR VII - Will be held October 12 at 3:00 p.m at the Community Reformed Church, 30 Lacey Road, Whiting, NJ. Admission is free. An informal reception will follow the recital. Come celebrate the organ and its music and support your local Church Musicians!
COVENANT BIBLE STUDY CONTINUES THIS WEEK - Bible Study will be held this week October 13 and 15th. There will be no class on October 20 and 22nd. We are currently on Episode 4 this week.
SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE - NOVEMBER 2
We will be offering prayers of thanksgiving in loving memory of members and friends of our church who have departed this life in the past year. Please call the church office or send us an email with the names of people to be remembered in the service.
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Attention High School Seniors: Young Presbyterian Scholarship
Westminster College, a PC(USA)-related liberal arts college located 65 miles north of Pittsburgh, is offering Young Presbyterian Scholarships of up to $74,000 per student ($18,500 per year) for the upcoming academic year. The Westminster College Board of Trustees is offering this scholarship to outstanding PC(USA) students - up to 2 students from every congregation - as a way for them to continue to grow in faith and leadership while on campus.
The scholarships are available to members of all PC(USA) churches. Each congregation can select two students who meet the following qualifications: PC(USA) membership3.5 cumulative high school GPA (through junior year)Nomination by Pastor/CongregationScholarship Deadlines are:December 1 - Pastor/Congregation NominationPlease contact Dr. Wilton for more details. Visit their website for more information
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Attention Elders, Deacons, Teachers, Leaders: "Nuts and Bolts" is this Saturday
Presbyterian Leadership Training Day
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Princeton Theological Seminary, Stuart Hall
64 Mercer St., Princeton, NJ 08524
Nuts & Bolts is a day of workshops, worship, resources and fellowship planned especially to support and equip church members in their ministries. This day is for new and ongoing church officers, pastors, worship leaders, educators, and any interested others.
Workshops are led - almost exclusively - by volunteer experts in their fields. All are welcome to attend! The event is free; cost for hot buffet lunch $10; lunch reservations will be taken through noon on Wednesday, October 15. Walk-ins welcome-just bring your own lunch!
A brochure on this year's event can be found online through the Monmouth Presbytery website.
Offered through the partnership of the educational ministries of Princeton Theological Seminary, the Presbyteries of Elizabeth, Monmouth and New Brunswick, and the Synod of the Northeast (PC(USA)).
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Sunday School
 Last week October 5, 2014 Bible Verses: Genesis 6:9-9:17 Last week, we covered Noah's Ark. As the children are all pretty familiar with the story, we decided to focus more on God's promise to Noah. We talked about why promises are made, and why it is important to keep our promises that we make to others. For our craft, we made rainbows that can be hung up in our windows. We each came up with a promise to make that we will try really hard to keep. Some of these promises included things like being a better brother or sister, helping mom with the chores, and always trying to help those in need. We wrote these promises on our crafts to remind ourselves of what we promised.
This week October 12, 2014) Bible Verses: Genesis 12:1-7, 13:5-18
This week, we will be keeping with the theme of "promises" and we will be talking about God's promise to Abraham. We will be discussing the importance of trusting in God and doing the right thing. The 1st - 5th graders will be playing a game and learning the importance of both following God's word and applying it to our daily lives. They will also be doing an exercise on teamwork and seeing the "bigger picture". Our Preschoolers and Kindergartners will be hearing the story of Abraham and Sarah, and making a cool craft to remind them of loving and trusting in God.
We will also be continuing our work on the Lord's Prayer. Our first Sunday School challenge is to learn the Lord's Prayer, what it exactly means, and to know it by heart.. If the kids can do this, they will get a special prize!
This Sunday we will also be having Bible dedication for 3rd graders. Every year, we give our 3rd graders their very own Bible to study and read from. This is a very quick ceremony that will be done before the congregation during the "Time For Children" portion of worship, before the kids come over to Sunday School
Upcoming Events: Sunday, October 26, 2014: Our very first "Sunday Fun Day"!! Every month, the last Sunday will be a fun day with a review of the lessons we have gone over, so far, through games and fun crafts. This one, in particular, will be our annual COSTUME PARTY! Please have the kids come dressed in their Halloween costumes. As always, we will start in the Sanctuary and head over after the "Time For Children". The kids will be able to show off their costumes to the entire congregation, then head over to the CE building for some fun games and festive treats.
See you all on Sunday! God Bless Tricia Stoffers
Sunday School Coordinator
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Point Beach Prep News
This week we met Firefighter Rich from the Brielle Fire Department. Firefighter Rich's son Zachary is in our Pre-K class, so he was kind enough to come to our school on Tuesday to talk about fire safety. The children enjoyed seeing all of his fire gear and becoming junior deputy firefighters!
On Friday, we are looking forward to a demonstration on Robotics from the company STEM learning center. Our future engineers are very excited!
Our letter of the week was D. At our project table we made ducks, dots, doughnuts, dogs, dinosaurs, made dinosaur tracks and opened dinosaur eggs. We practiced writing the letter D. We read many great books including Puff the Magic Dragon, which came with a lovely CD of songs. We became dancing dolls, played the drum, pretended to dig in dirt, dunked donuts, and acted like ducks and dinosaurs. It was delightful!
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Youth Connection Trip This Sunday
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We are going on a trip to Happy Day Farm in Manalapan this Sunday.
We will be leaving the church lot at 11:15 a.m. (after church) and returning around 5 p.m.
Youth need to bring a permission slip and any spending money they want. Admission will be covered by our fundraising money.
The farm offers hay rides, a 14 acre corn maze, petting zoo, pumpkin blast cannon, pig races, and other fun activities.
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 PW WORKING FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE Presbyterian Women in Monmouth Presbytery FALL GATHERING Saturday, October 25, 2014 Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church 9 AM to 1 PM Keynote Speaker: The Rev. Mark Koenig, Director Presbyterian Office at the United Nations Plaza Dedication of Thank Offering and Least Coin Offering Business Meeting October 24th is United Nations Day October 25th is Orange Day: Stop Violence Against Women and Girls WEAR AN ORANGE RIBBON Coffee, Lunch and Registration - $5.00
Registration is due October 20 to Kathy Schmidt.
Registration Form |
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SEEKING A CHURCH TREASURER
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 The Session's Finance Team has rewritten the job description for PPPC's volunteer Church Treasurer position. This key position in the life of the church has been completely redesigned, so as to require a visit to the church office just one or two times per week, for about 3-5 hours total. Got some financial savvy? Got basic computer skills? Want to help your church's many ministries have the strong support they deserve? If so, please give a call to the church office. We're eager to tell you more!
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Crop Walk - NEXT Sunday, October 19, 12:00 noon
 then click on REGISTER if you want to start a team, then follow the instructions. Click on DONATE if you want to make a donation as an individual or you want to support one if the dozen teams on the site. We begin the walk at The House of Hope in Toms River. They have a food pantry there so if you think of it, bring a nonperishable item for them. |
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Groups Staying in the Volunteer Village
Here are the groups that are currently scheduled to stay in our Volunteer Village:
Oct 19-25 Scioto Valley Presbytery, Columbus, OH
Feb 6 Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, PA
June 7 Trinity United Presbyterian Church, Modesto, CA
June 14 Macalester Plymouth United Church, St, Paul MN
June 21 Langhorne Presbyterian Church, Langhorne, PA |
Girls' Night Out this Thursday, Ocean Medical Center
 Women: enjoy "a night out with the girls"! You deserve it!
Take a break from your busy schedule and come to Girls' Night Out at Ocean Medical Center. Get pampered, shop 'til you drop, and learn how to stay healthy at this FREE event. Mingle with Ocean Medical Center medical experts and learn how to improve your health and quality of life.
The following free health screenings will be offered during Girls' Night Out:
Blood Pressure
Cholesterol
Blood Sugar
Stroke Risk Assessment
Body Mass Index
Bone Density
Bra fittings, Hair styling, pink hair extensions and nail polish treatments
Interactive hip-hop and piloxing demos
Chat with medical experts, choose from a variety of physician lectures
Tour our calming, spa-like Women's Imaging Pavilion
Door prizes, entry gift and light refreshments
Thursday, October 16, 2014 4:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Ocean Medical Center
Registration is requested.
Please call 1-800-DOCTORS to register.
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The latest edition of the church calendar is available online, on the church's website. 
Sunday, October 12
9:00 a.m. - Youth Connection
10:00 a.m. Worship/Chancel Choir/Healing Prayrs
10:00 a.m. - Sunday School begins in Worship
4:00 p.m. - Weblos, Basement
Monday, October 13
Columbus Day - Office Closed
10:00 a.m. - Covenant Bible Study, Chittick Lounge
11:30 a.m. - EliSabeth Circle, Fellowship Room
6:15 p.m. - Choral Bells, Fellowship Room
Tuesday, October 14
10:00 a.m. - Eye Openers, Chittick Lounge
1:00 p.m. - Lydia Day Circle, at the home of Jane Millar
5:30 p.m. - Tiger Den, Basement
6:30 p.m. Wolf and Bear Den, Basement
7:00 p.m. - Lydia Evening Circle, at the home of Diane Legreide
Wednesday, October 15
9:00 a.m. - Women's Breakfast at the Rainbow Diner
5:00 p.m. - Dove Choir, Choir Room
7:00 p.m. - Covenant Bible Study, Chittick Lounge
Thursday, October 16
7:30 a.m. - Men's Breakfast, US Subs
7:30 p.m. - Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Friday, October 17
6:30 p.m. Weblos Den, Basement
Saturday, October 18
9:00 a.m. - Tole Time, CE Annex
Sunday, October 19
9:00 a.m. - Youth Connection
10:00 a.m. Worship/Chancel Choir/Baptism/New Members
10:00 a.m. - Sunday School begins in Worship
11:00 a.m. - Sandwich Sunday
12:00 p.m. - CROP Walk, Toms River
4:00 p.m. - Weblos, Basement
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 Birthday Blessings
Oct 12 Ginger Decker, Jane Stryker
Oct 13
Oct 14
Oct 15 Jacquelin Woods
Oct 16
Oct 17 Thomas Bamburak
Oct 18 Jessica Holloway, Zachary Paulus
Oct 19 Jamie Jaekels, Marjorie McGhee
Oct 20 Randy Crate, Phyllis King, Carol Reid
Oct 21
Oct 22 William Smykowski
Oct 23
Oct 24 W N Smith
Oct 25 Riley Fiorentino, Adrian Jensen
Oct 26
Oct 27 Joan Reitmeyer
Oct 28 Sydney Hurley, Cynthia Kells, Carl Wilton
Oct 29
Oct 30 Claude Hurley, John Pasola, Lisa Simpson
Oct 31
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Upcoming Events - Mark Your Calendar 
November 2 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
November 2 - Service of Remembrance
November 8 - Youth Connection Lock In
November 17 - "Ladies Night Out" supporting IHN, 5-9 pm, Presbyterian Church of Toms River
November 23 - Deacon Blood Drive
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 Rzeplinski, 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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