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Point Pleasant
Presbyterian Church
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Weekly News for
Palm Sunday,
March 29, 2015
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PLEASE NOTE: Maundy Thursday service is at 7:00 pm
(congregational mailing has incorrect time)
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Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago, pictures of the Edmund Pettus bridge were all over our television and computer screens. Fifty years before, the bridge, just outside Selma, Alabama, was the site of "Bloody Sunday," when law-enforcement officials violently attacked a column of peaceful voting-rights protestors who had just set off for the state capital, Montgomery.
America was horrified at the violence of the state troopers' response. Two more marches followed, with the last one - comprising more than 8,000 marchers of all races, including the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. - finally getting through.
This Sunday, we remember another march, one that happened two thousand years ago. It, too, was a march on a capital city, by people desperate for change. Unlike the Selma-to-Montgomery march, Jesus and the crowds cheering him into Jerusalem were not bludgeoned by club-wielding law-enforcement officials. Surely, Roman soldiers and Temple guards were present, looking on from the sidelines. But they bided their time. A week later, the leader of the march to Jerusalem hung bleeding on a cross.
Congressman John Lewis, as a young man barely out of his teens, was one of the first civil-rights marchers to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Friends carried him to the hospital, bloodied and unconscious, his skull cracked by a trooper's baton. Reflecting back on the experience years later, Lewis emphasized that no one in the crowd that day carried weapons. "We were armed with a dream," he explained.
 What sort of dream was on the minds of Jesus' ecstatic followers as they marched with him into Jerusalem? What were the crowds looking for this carpenter-rabbi from Nazareth to do for them? What are we looking for Jesus to do for us, today?
These are some of the questions we'll ask in our worship service, this Palm Sunday.
Who knows? Maybe we'll get in touch with some fresh dreams of our own...
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This Sunday
Sunday, March 29 - Palm Sunday
Mark 11:1-11
Dr. Wilton preaching: "ARMED WITH A DREAM"
9:00 a.m. - Youth Connection
10:00 a.m. - Sunday School Begins in Worship, with Palm Procession
10:00 a.m - Worship/Chancel Choir/One Great Hour of Sharing
2:00 p.m. - Youth Move Food at St.. Gregory's Pantry
4:00 p.m. - Webelos
5:00 p.m. - Confirmation Class
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Attention Sunday School Children
Please meet us in the Chittick Lounge before the service begins this Sunday.
Following our annual tradition, we will will be singing and waving palms as we process into the Sanctuary during the first hymn.
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The offering will be received
THIS Sunday, March 29, 2015
By supporting One Great Hour of Sharing, you're sustaining programs that provide disaster relief, food, clean water, training, and resources to people all over the world. When you give, you're changing lives.
GIFTS IN ACTION - SOME OF LAST YEAR'S OUTCOMES
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: 40 countries and 24 states received help for natural and human-caused disasters.
Presbyterian Hunger Program: 154,731 people who were living in extreme poverty now have increased food security and livelihoods through international development work. Self-Development of People: 4,619 children/parents received improved educational opportunities. Three ways to Give
- Through our congregation - Envelopes are in the pews and will be received on March 29 during the offering.
- Text OGHS to 20222 to give $10
- Visit presbyterianmission.org/give-oghs
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NOTES
1 Yonetani, Michelle. Global Estimates 2014: People Displaced by Disasters. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 22 Aug. 2014.
2 http://www.uis.unesco.org/FactSheets/Documents/fs-28-out-of-school-children-en.PDF
3 The State of Food Insecurity. FAO, IFAD, WFP, 2014.
4 Cree, Anthony. Kay, Andrew. Steward, June. The Economic & Social Cost of Illiteracy: A Snapshot Of Illiteracy In A Global Context. World Literacy Foundation, April 2012.
5 Bartram, Jamie. Bos, Robert. Gore, Fiona. Pr�ss-�st�n, Annette. Safer Water, Better Health: Costs, Benefits and Sustainability of Interventions to Protect and Promote Health. World Health Organization, 2008.
6 Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: 2012 Update. WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, 2012.
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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 family for the week of March 29 is the Cook family. Let us be prayerfully aware of Chris, Nancy, and Caitlyn as well as all our members and friends.
Prayer concerns: The family of Stephen Pendino (father of June Pendino); The family of Kathleen McCaffrey (mother of Devlin House), the family of Bill Jarvey (brother of Jean Peterson); the family of George Clevenger (friends of the Conheeneys); Bill Leach, Lou Couche, Sharon Hock, Bob Hankins; Helen Unglaub, Julie Budrick; George Elliott; Cherisse Petruzzi; Dawson Wittmann; Irene Meserlin (grandmother of Greg Hall); Jeffrey Matthews; Londa Scarpone
Long term concerns: Vincent DeMartino; Nicholas Hudnut; Gerda Mooney; Nancy and Ralph Smith; Kathryn Feldman (Bill Shoppell's sister); Andre Bucsek; Michelle Avary and Chris Loeffler (family of Andrea Purtell); Bill Blauvelt (Jacque Thornton's brother-in-law); Scott Millar; those struggling with addictions and mental illness.
Military: Michael Limpantsis; all those in the military.
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COFFEE HOUR - Please join us for coffee and fellowship in the Chittick Lounge after the service this Sunday.
SESSION MEETING - For the month of March has been moved to March 31. The Committees will meet at 7 pm followed by the Session meeting at 8 p.m.
THESE DAYS - Daily devotional booklet for April, May and June is now available in the Narthex. Cost is $3 each.
HOLY WEEK BULLETIN PREPARATION - Volunteers are needed on Thursday, April 2 to help fold bulletins for the Holy Week Services. Meet in the Fellowship Room beginning at 1:30 p.m. As always, thank you for your continual help!
CONFIRMATION CLASS is off to a great start. This year's class is already putting their faith into action in different ways. Take a look at the poster in the North Hall that was created at the Confirmation Retreat at Camp Johnsonburg. The poster represents the confirmands' journey from baptism to confirmation. Along the way there will be obstacles but God will always leads them through. We pray that their faith will find root and grow in their hearts, and that by faith they will gain what has been promised to them.
ATTENTION GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS - Applications are now being accepted for the Griggs Scholarship. Please provide a printed synopsis of your church, community and school activities. All graduating high school seniors seeking further study are eligible to apply. Applications are due Sunday, April 26, 2015. Further questions? Contact Diane Legriede.
PPPC AT THE LAKEWOOD BLUE CLAWS GAME - Is Friday April, 10. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. at Energy Park in Lakewood. Admission is only $1 per person! There is still room for you. For more information, see the posters posted throughout the building or speak with Dee D'Amore who is organizing the event. Deadline for signups is March 31st.
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Holy Week's more than just a waiting period between Palm Sunday and Easter Day. We have two very significant evening worship services during the week - Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
The Maundy Thursday Communion Service is when we remember Jesus' words to his disciples at the Last Supper. The service also contains the beautiful and haunting rite of Tenebrae, as candles are gradually extinguished during a series of scripture readings that tell the story of Jesus' passion. The Chancel Choir will present a series of moving Holy Week anthems.
On Good Friday evening, we have something new this year. Guest musicians Andy Demos (saxophone) and Jerry McAvoy (harmonica) - along with the Chancel Choir - will be with us for a very special worship service we're calling Good Friday Blues. Blues music lends itself especially well to Good Friday lament. The blues tunes and spirituals we'll sing (and the anthems we'll hear, sung by the Chancel Choir) will bring us to a new awareness of the depth of God's caring for the human race, and how we can see love shining even in the darkness.
Don't miss out on the full Easter experience: join us for these special Holy Week services!
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Holy Week Worship Schedule
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 Maundy Thursday, April 2nd
7:00 p.m. - Service of Tenebrae with the Lord's Supper
Chancel Choir
The Rev. Linda Chase, preaching
Good Friday, April 3rd
Noon-3:00 p.m. - Church Sanctuary Open for Prayer
7:00 p.m.-8:00 pm. - "Good Friday Blues" Worship
Chancel Choir, Blues Musicians
Easter Day, April 5th
6:00 a.m. - Ecumenical Sunrise Service
Jenkinson's Pavilion, Parkway & the Boardwalk
The Rev. Dr. Carl Wilton, preaching
Easter Day, April 5th 9:00 Sunday School begins in worship; 10:15 Easter Egg Hunt
9:00 & 11:00 Worship in the Sanctuary, with the Lord's Supper
Chancel Choir
The Rev. Dr. Carl Wilton, Preaching
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Eco-Palms
 To celebrate Palm Sunday, our congregation partnered with the Presbyterian Hunger Program to use Eco-Palms - branches truly worthy of celebration.
Usually, palms are harvested in rainforests that are critical habitats for migrating birds. The more fronds harvesters cut, the more income they generate, which results in over-harvesting and threatens the rainforest.
Eco-Palm harvesters, however, gather only quality palm fronds in a way that allows the plant to keep growing. The communities process and package the palms instead of selling to middlemen, allowing them to capture more of the profits.
With this money, impoverished harvesters are able to buy shoes and school uniforms for their children and can pay for basic healthcare. These jobs also mean youth stay in their communities instead of migrating for work.
In addition, five cents of every Eco-Palm sold for Palm Sunday directly funds projects that improve the lives of all community members. This money provides scholarships for students, pays a teacher's salary and supports elderly members of the community. This year, we share the jubilation of Palm Sunday with the people who harvested our palms. As we wave our palms, we can truly say, "Hosanna in the Highest!"
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Sunday School Recap
Last Week:
Last week, we discussed what it means to call Jesus the Messiah. We talked about why some people were excited to see the Messiah, and why some people were upset about it. We made our own prayer books to help remind us who we are praying for. Thanks again, Dove Choir for all of your hard work! You all sang beautifully and did a wonderful job in the service!
 This Week:
This week, we will be discussing Holy Week. We will talk about Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, as well as the Last Supper. We will also talk about why people were so angry with Jesus.
**Reminder** Please meet us in the Chittick Lounge before the service begins. Following our annual tradition, we will will be singing and waving palms as we process into the Sanctuary during the first hymn.
Upcoming Events:
April 5: Annual Easter Sunday egg hunt. Come join us after Sunday School for our annual PPPC Easter Egg Hunt! There will be two egg hunts, one for our Pre-K and Kindergarten friends and then another for 1st-5th graders. The fun starts at 10:15!
 April 17: Join us for a Friday Fun Night- Movie Night! This month we will be showing Big Hero 6! The fun starts at 6 p.m. We will have crafts and activities before the movie starts. Pizza and snacks will be served. Cost is $5 per child. This is a drop off event, but parents are welcome (and encouraged) to stay!! See you on Sunday! Peace and Blessings.
Tricia Stoffers
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Volunteer Village
 We're just a couple of weeks away from welcoming the first of many volunteer work groups who will be staying in our Volunteer Village this spring and summer. Here are the bookings so far: 2015 Scheduled Groups Sunday, March 29 - Webster Presbyterian, Webster, NY Sunday April 12 - Presbytery of Detroit, MI/Webster Presbyterian, Webster NY Sunday, April 19 - Lend A Hand & Presbytery of Western NY Sunday, May 17 - Lend A Hand, Carlisle, PA Sunday, June 14 - Macalester Plymouth United Church, St. Paul, MN Sunday, June 21 - Langhorne Presbyterian Church, Langhorne, PA Sunday, June 28 - Presbytery of West Virginia, South Charleston, WV Sunday, July 12 - St. Giles Presbyterian Church, Orange Park, FL Sunday, July 19 - First Presbyterian Church Yorktown, Yorktown, NY Sunday, July 26 - Pine Run Presbyterian Church, Apollo, PA Sunday, August 2 - Presbyterian Church of Morristown, NJ Sunday, August 16 - Lend A Hand, Carlisle, PA Sunday, Sept 20 - Lend A Hand, Carlisle, PA Sunday, Oct 4 - Presbytery of Detroit, MI Sunday, Oct 11- Lend A Hand, Carlisle, PA Sunday, Oct 18 - Scioto Valley Presbyterian, Columbus, OH
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Presbyteries Vote to Permit Same-Sex Marriage
by Carl Wilton
Those who keep an eye on the news headlines heard about the recommendation of the 2014 General Assembly to amend our Constitution, the Book of Order, allowing Presbyterian ministers to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies. Last week, the denomination announced that a majority of presbyteries nationwide have concurred with this recommendation, making the change official.
I've been aware of the inevitability of this change for some months now. I wrote about it in my stated clerk's blog entry of March 9th. At that time, the vote tally had been 2 presbyteries to 1 in favor of the move. (Our own Monmouth Presbytery voted on February 24th to concur with the recommendation.) Beginning this June, the Directory for Worship - the section of the Book of Order governing worship - will define marriage as " a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives." Previously, the Directory has described marriage as "a civil contract between a woman and a man." The new language permits ministers - but does not require them - to preside at same-sex marriage ceremonies in states, like New Jersey, where they are legally recognized. You can read the full text of the amended section here.
For more than 40 years, Presbyterians have been debating the question of full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered members in the life of the church. With each year that's gone by, the number of Presbyterians favoring full inclusion has gradually been increasing, a slowly rising tide. Three years ago, a majority of presbyteries voted to remove the constitutional ban on ordaining Presbyterians living in committed, same-sex relationships as deacons, ruling elders or ministers. In the eyes of many, the move to allow same-sex marriages seems like a natural outgrowth of that action. Others are not so sure. In many ways, it's been a generationally-driven change. A majority of Presbyterians of older years, the pollsters tell us, tend to oppose this development, or at least have serious questions about it. Those of middle years are more likely, on the average, to favor it. Those in their 20s and 30s are overwhelmingly likely to welcome the change. Many of them, in fact, express consternation that the church is still debating this issue that - to the minds of most of their generation - is no longer even an issue. From a biblical standpoint, the issue is complex - although no more complex than the church's decision, decades ago, to allow for remarriage after divorce (something that appears, at first glance, to be explicitly prohibited by the words of Jesus himself in Matthew 19:9). That change in biblical interpretation - which seemed to some, back in the 1950s, to be scandalous - causes no one a second thought today. A careful, nuanced reading of that biblical text - like the several texts often cited to prohibit same-sex relationships - reveals that the matter is not as simple as it may at first seem. Those who are interested in reading more on biblical aspects of the same-sex marriage decision will find an address delivered by theologian Mark Achtemeier at the last General Assembly to be a vivid account of how a leading evangelical seminary professor's mind has changed on this subject. We are at a tender time as a denomination - as well as in our congregation. Not everyone is of one mind on this issue. The actions by both our General Assembly and Monmouth Presbytery were taken with the utmost concern for the sensibilities of those whose biblical interpretation differs from that of the newfound majority. The new language makes room for individual conscience. As I've suggested in my blog posting, we all do well in such a time to rediscover our historic principle of mutual forbearance based on Ephesians 4:2, "bearing with one another in love." Dialogue is of vital importance. If you have concerns about this change, let's talk about it. I remain committed - as does Linda - to listening closely to members' concerns and studying the biblical texts together, with open minds and open hearts. |
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The latest edition of the church calendar is available online, on the church's website. 
Sunday, March 29 - Palm Sunday
9:00 a.m. - Youth Connection
10:00 a.m. - Sunday School Begins in Worship
10:00 a.m - Worship/Chancel Choir/One Great Hour of Sharing
2:00 p.m. - Youth Move Food at St.. Gregory's Pantry
4:00 p.m. - Webelos
5:00 p.m. - Confirmation Class
Monday, March 30
6:15 p.m. - Choral Bells, Fellowship Room
Tuesday, March 31
10:00 a.m. - Service for Stephen Pendino
10:30 a.m. - Busy Hands, Fellowship Room
7:00 p.m. - Session Meeting
Wednesday, April 1
9:00 a.m. - Women's Breakfast at the Rainbow Diner
9:15 a.m. - Charismatic Calisthenics with Linda Chase
5:00 p.m. - Dove Choir
7:30 p.m. - Troop 6
Thursday, April 2
7:30 a.m. - Men's Breakfast at US Subs
4:30 p.m. Brownie Girl Scouts
7:00 p.m. - Maundy Thursday Service of Tenebrae with the Lord's Supper
Friday, April 3
7:00 p.m. - "Good Friday Blues" Worship
Saturday, April 4
Sunday, April 5 - Easter
6:00 a.m. - Ecumenical Sunrise Service, the Rev. Dr. Carl Wilton, preaching
9:00 a.m. - Sunday School begins in worship
9:00 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary, with the Lord's Supper/Chancel Choir
10:15 a.m. - Easter Egg Hunt
11:00 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary, with the Lord's Supper/Chancel Choir
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 Birthday Blessings
Mar 29 Susan Hess
Mar 30 Kenneth King, Jordan Muraglia, Alissa Pazienza
Mar 31 Gail Birdsong, Elizabeth McGuire, Kim Schaefer
April 1 Melinda Gilbert, Edward Havranek,
Richard Leonhard, Sarah Nase
April 2 Kenneth Bamburak, Madeline D'Amore, Matthew McDermitt
April 3
April 4 Kelly Satterlee
April 5 Austin Braaten, Shane Braaten, Susan Cooper, Susan Robbins
April 6
April 7
April 8 Samantha Cox, Kyle Desiderio, Frank Scarpone
April 9 Gregory Hall, Nancy Stout
April 10 David Ferry, Howard Gilbert, Brent Rogers
April 11 Kelly Millar, Sean O'Connor
April 12 Jean DeMartino, Ania Wilton
April 13 Tyler Colonno, Joseph Decker, James Liotta, Kaitlyn Marshall, Kimberly Scott, Janet Smith, Henry Stout
April 14 Kaitlyn Potter
April 15
April 16 Christian Fiorentino, Kelsey Fiorentino, Marilyn Rice, Regina Stoffers-Reinhold
April 17 Alice Brzyski, Robert Norton, Thomas Sadowski
April 18 Susan Friedrich, Betty Gilbert, Anesa Oquendo
April 19 Marion Blackford, Robert Bissey, Ian Cooper, Katelyn Cooper
April 20
April 21 Richard Lees, Will Landre
April 22 John Pasola, David Satterlee, Ralph Smith
April 23 James DeBenedett, Ellen DeMartino, Taylor Lappke, Kelsey Norton
April 24 Rachael Bomenblit, Kyle Leach, Brian McCrossan, Austin Simpson
April 25 Henry Honeywell
April 26 Edward King
April 27 Audrey Stolfe-Legreide
April 28 Christopher Parish, Evangeline Reid, Dorothy Weidele
April 29 Isabella Barbieri, Diantha Mathews-Brown
April 30
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Sunday, April 18, 2015
8:00 -12:00 p.m. - Presbyterian Women Clothing Drive
Sunday. April 19, 2015
Anniversary Sunday
Friday, April 26, 2015
12:15 p.m. - Presbyterian Women Spring Gathering
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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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