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Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church
| Weekly News For
Sunday, May 17, 2015 | |
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 Dear Friends,
One of the most cherished promises in scripture is the one found in John 3:16, that Jesus came into the world so "whoever believes in him will have eternal life."
But what is this eternal life? Is it the same sort of life we enjoy in our present existence, only longer? Or is it qualitatively different - more whole and more beautiful?
Are everlasting life and eternal life the same thing?
Does eternal life begin in the future, or are we somehow, by God's grace, participating in it already?
The answers to some questions are swathed in mystery, and these are like that. Some aspects of the life to come are surely beyond our understanding. Yet, the Bible does give us some powerful hints.
This Sunday, we'll examine some of those biblical passages, starting with the testimony of 1 John 5:6-13, that "God gave us eternal life and this life is in God's son." Come and worship, hear some spectacular music from the Choral Bells, and join us in exploring deep questions that are at the heart of our Christian faith! Pastor Carl
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Sunday, May 17, 2015 - Seventh Sunday of Easter
1 John 5:6-13
Dr. Wilton preaching: "WHAT IS ETERNAL LIFE?"
9:00 a.m. - Youth Connection
10:00 a.m. - Sunday School begins in worship
10:00 a.m. - Worship/Choral Bells
11:00 a.m. - Congregational Meeting
11:15 a.m. - Inquirers Group
4:00 p.m. - Webelos
5:00 p.m. - Confirmation Class
6:00 p.m. - Session Meeting with Confirmads
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 AN INQUIRERS GROUP, for those exploring membership in the church, will take place this Sunday, May 17, 2015. Stop by the Sandwich Sunday brunch for something to eat, then we'll leave about 11:30 and go across to the Chittick Lounge in the Sanctuary Building, continuing until 2:00 p.m. New members will be received in worship on May 31. This will be our last Inquirers Group until the Fall. We would love for you to join us and learn more about the church.
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Last Call for Sandwich Sunday It's the end of an era. Our beloved Sandwich Sunday will happen for the last time this Sunday. Communion Brunch will continue each month but it is time to to say goodbye to Sandwich Sunday.
Over the years, Rich Bavier and the Kitchen Team have faithfully created and served us a splendid spread of scrumptious delights on the third Sunday of the month.
Come one last time this Sunday following the Congregational Meeting and enjoy one last Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese sandwich. There will be other items to choose from too.
A free-will offering will be received to cover expenses, with anything left over going to Mission.
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 CHORAL BELL RECOGNITION
Today is the first of three "Recognition" Sundays when we offer thanks to the music ensembles of the church. Today, we recognize the Choral Bells. The ensemble will ring four numbers instead of their usual two. The first two selections, "Prayer" and "Reverbrations" were played in the annual Bell Festival at the Toms River Presbyterian Church. We are blessed to have such a dedicated group of ringers who rehearse one hour each Monday evening. We hope our selections today add an enhanced spirituality to the worship service here at Point Pleasant Presbyterian. Personally, I would like to extend my thanks and praise for the ringers before you as well as the substitute ringers who are always willing to step in.
*Jean Campbell Frank Perkowski
Alex Freer-Chilvers Courtney Rzeplinski
*Andrea Crate Chelsea Pula
Sue Hankins Claire Pula
*Karen Hauptmann Susan Reilly
Sara Hoey Keith Reilly
Barbara Lund Lacey Rogers
Karen Norby Donna Wittmann
*=substitute
Bill Shoppell
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Congregational Meeting
 A meeting of the Congregation of the Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church will take place this Sunday, May 17, at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. The purpose of the meeting is to act on the report of the Nominating Committee, which will be presenting the following names:
Endowment and Emergency Fund Trustee
William Hoey
Deacons, Class of 2018 Jean Campbell, Robin DeRosa, Karen Luicci,
Christina Parrot, William Williams
Youth Deacon: Joseph Maimone
Elders, Class of 2018
Lynn Hahm, Nancy Jalowski, Diane Manzo, Frank Perkowski, Londa Scarpone, Diane Sikora.
Youth Elder: Anna Landre
Ordination and Installation will take place on May 31, 2015.
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The Summer Heat
campaign is under way!
Our goal is $20,000 in special gifts and pledges, for new boilers to heat the Education Annex and the church offices and Nursery. Pledges may be paid over a six-month period. Here is an example of the range of gifts that will help us reach our goal (although gifts of any size are most welcome):
$5,000 - 1 gift needed
$2,500 - 2 gifts needed
$1,000 - 5 gifts needed (1 received)
$500 - 8 gifts needed (1 received)
$100 - 10 gifts needed
Maybe you're ready to say with joy, "Here I am, Lord - I can make one of those gifts!" Thanks to those who have already stepped forward - before we've even mailed out the pledge cards - with a gift of $1,000 and a pledge for $500. Please pray for the success of this campaign and check out the giving thermometer in the Sanctuary to track further progress. Thank you!
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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 May 17 is Richard Leonhard. Let us be prayerfully aware of Richard, as well as all our members and friends.
Prayer concerns: The family of Andrea Horbelt, the family of Michelle Loeffler Avary (sister of Andrea Purtell); Betty Schroeder; Londa Scarpone; Billy Eckert (friend of Bill Williams); Sharon Hock, Julie Budrick.
Long term concerns: Cherisse Petruzzi; Margie McGhee, Joe Auriemma; Vincent DeMartino; George Elliott; Nicholas Hudnut; Jeffrey Mathews; Gerda Mooney; Ralph Smith; Kathryn Feldman (Bill Shoppell's sister); Andre Bucsek; Chris Loeffler (father of Andrea Purtell); Bill Blauvelt (Jacque Thornton's brother in law); those struggling with addictions and mental illness.
Military: Michael Limpantsis; all those in the military.
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FISHING TRIP FUND-RAISER on the charter fishing boat Miss Michele III, next Sunday, May 24, 2:30-8:30 pm. $75 per person, space is limited. Benefits the church's music programs. To sign up, please call Jason Parrott at (732) 814-9914.
CONFIRMATION CLASS MEETS WITH SESSION - This Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m., the Confirmation Class meets, followed by a 6:00 p.m., meeting with the Session. Supper is provided.
WEAR RED FOR PENTECOST - Next Sunday, May 24 we will be celebrating the Feast of Pentecost. "Pentecost Sunday" is one of the greatest days of the Church calendar. We encourage you to wear something RED for next Sunday's "Pentecost" celebrations. A field of red filling the pews will surely have an impact, especially on children, and may create lasting memories for everyone, memories of the fire of the Holy Spirit.
PENTECOST FLOWER ORDERS DUE THIS SUNDAY - We will decorate the Sanctuary next Sunday with geraniums. Purchasing a red geranium plant is a way to celebrate someone whose faithful Christian witness has been an inspiration to you. Geraniums come in 4" pots and cost $5.00 each. Order forms can be found in Sunday's Bulletin, or call or email the church office.
CLASS OF 2015 - PPPC would like to recognize all those students who will be graduating from college or high school this year. If you know of someone graduating from high school or college, please let us know. You can drop a note with their name and the school where they are graduating from in the offering plate, or call/email the church office with the information.
BAPTISMS - Will take place on Sunday, June 28 during the 10:00 am worship service. Ordinarily, at least one parent must be a member of PPPC. For more information, please call the Church Office.
ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY - Are you celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary this year? Or have you been a member of the Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church for 50 years? If so, please contact the church office at 732-899-0587, so we can include you in the recognition of anniversaries. We will be recognizing those celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary as well as membership milestones on Sunday, June 7, 2015.
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 Just a quick recap of what we did last week, and what we will be covering this week.
Last Week: Last week, we had a great time celebrating moms! We talked about how the Bible instructs us to love and honor our mother and to obey her teachings. We had so much fun making the flower pens and finger-painting our surprises for our moms! Hope you all enjoyed receiving them as much as we enjoyed making them. This Week: This week, the weather is warm and we are going to relax and have some fun! We will be talking about making and keeping peace. We will be reading different scenarios of problems that may arise, and using passages in the Bible to help us make our decisions on how to handle these different scenarios. In lieu of a craft this week, weather permitting, we will be heading outside to enjoy some sunshine and warm weather! See you on Sunday!
Tricia Stoffers |
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News From Point Beach Prep
 This week we learned numbers 5 and 6. We have 5 fingers on each hand and 5 toes on each foot. We cut open an apple to see a star with 5 points in it! We learned about our 5 senses. We learned about insects and that there are 6 legs on an insect. We read Five Little Bats Flying Through the Night, It's Hard to Be 5, Five Little Sharks Swimming in the Sea, and Five Live Bongos. In honor of Aiden's lost tooth we also read Moose's Loose Tooth. During music, we sang "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed", "This Old Man", "Where is Thumbkin?" and "The Number Rock", along with some other favorites.
Our PreK class has caterpillars in a habitat. They are in the next stage and have formed a chrysalis. We are anxiously awaiting their transformation into butterflies! We also have a Ladybug land habitat, where we will be watching our Ladybugs grow, pupate, and hatch!
We are celebrating Harry's 5th birthday on Friday. He is excited to turn our number of the week!
Abe is our Student of the Week. We are looking forward to a visit from his father on Friday to do an experiment with a balloon rocket!
Summer Camp registration is underway. Our camp will run July 6th-31st. It is a great opportunity to keep the children in school routine for a portion of the 3-month summer. We will be having circle time, doing art projects, dancing to music, listening to stories, serving snack, and having the Point Pleasant Beach Librarian visit. We will be having fun with crazy hair day, sports day, karaoke day, mismatch day and other exciting themes! We will be getting plenty of fresh air with our morning recess and will also be enjoying our air conditioned classroom. We end camp with Hoffman's Ice Cream, yum!
Have a great weekend! See you next week with numbers 7 and 8!
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Interfaith Hospitality Network
Coming May 31 - June 7
 Many families today are facing crises. Beginning on Sunday evening, May 31 and continuing all week until June 7, families currently in need, will be arriving here at PPPC for overnight housing. They will be arriving as part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) program. Up to 15 people may be arriving.
The Interfaith Hospitality Network creates a vital safety net for such families in churches and synagogues all over Ocean County. All client families include at least one child. Were it not for IHN, the County's Board of Social Services would have no choice but to house them in motel rooms - which, in the long term, are not optimal settings for childrens' healthy development.
Volunteers are the heart and soul of IHN. Beyond providing meals, staying overnight and other services essential to the program, volunteers offer compassionate assistance. So many of you have continuously volunteered over the years. You do simple but immeasurable things. You talk to the guests...and listen. You have responded to them with much compassion. To some, you have been their source of hope.
We have several opportunities to volunteer but are always in need of overnight hosts especially. What do I need to do as an IHN volunteer?
There are three types of volunteers needed to welcome our families each night:
1. A Meal Provider - Dinner hosts arrive by 5:00 p.m. and leave by 7:00 p.m. Prior to your night of cooking, you will be notified as to the number of adults and children needing dinner, as well as any special diet concerns. A simple meal is often best.
2. Hospitality Hosts arrive at 7:00 p.m and leave by 9:00 p.m. Hosts visit with our guests as they enjoy it and even play a game with some of the kids.
3. An Overnight Host - You have to be good at one thing to do this job: sleeping. Well, it's a little more than that, because you'll be staying in the building as a contact person, in case any of the families experiences an emergency. You arrive by 9:00 p.m. when, things are usually pretty quiet. A comfy bunk bed or cot downstairs is provided as well as a Continental Breakfast. You'll be finished and on your way by 7:00 am.
Could the Lord be calling you to give of yourself in this way? If you feel that little nudge from the Lord, then please call or speak with Terri and Bill Williams at (732) 966-3315, and let them know you would be glad to help. Sign up sheets are now in the Narthex. |
Spaces Still Open in Young Adult Volunteer Program
The Young Adult Volunteer program is a one-year service opportunity for young adults from 19 to 30 years. YAVs live in intentional Christian community, deepening and developing their faith while serving serving alongside partners in sites across the United States and around the world. YAVs serve for one academic year, August - July, as they explore God's calling in their lives.
 Volunteers are placed in community agencies or local churches, with jobs depending on the needs of partners and the skills of the Young Adult Volunteer. The places still open in the 2015-2016 program are all within the United States. All YAVs receive health insurance, and student loan repayment is available for qualified applicants. |
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Volunteer Village
 Our next group of volunteers arrives this week. After that, we'll be very busy hosting volunteers through most of the summer! Here are the bookings so far: 2015 Scheduled GroupsSunday, 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 - Helping Hands, PA and First Presbyterian Church, Warren, PA Sunday, Oct 11- Lend A Hand, Carlisle, PA Sunday, Oct 18 - Scioto Valley Presbyterian, Columbus, OH
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Photo courtesy of Loren Donley
"Flashback Friday":
How many of these Chancel Choir members
can you identify?
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The latest edition of the church calendar is available online, on the church's website. 
Sunday, May 17 - Bell Recognition
9:00 a.m. - Youth Connection
10:00 a.m. - Sunday School begins in worship
10:00 a.m. - Worship/Choral Bells
11:00 a.m. - Congregational Meeting
11:15 a.m. - Inquirers Group
4:00 p.m. - Webelos
5:00 p.m. - Confirmation Class
6:00 p.m. - Session Meeting with Confirmads
Monday, May 18
9:00 a.m. - PW Coordinating Team
10:00 a.m. - Covenant Bible Study, Chittick Lounge
6:15 p.m. - Choral Bells, Fellowship Room
Tuesday, May 19
7:00 p.m. - Session Meeting
Wednesday, May 20
9:00 a.m. - Women's Breakfast at the Rainbow Diner
5:00 p.m. - Dove Choir
7:00 p.m. - Sandy Team
7:00 p.m. - Girl Scouts
Thursday, May 21
7:30 a.m. - Men's Breakfast at US Subs
4:30 p.m. - Brownie Troop
7:30 p.m. - Chancel Choir
Friday, May 22
6:30 p.m. Webelos
Saturday, May 23
3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Private CE Annex Hall Rental
Sunday, May 24 - Pentecost
9:00 a.m. - Youth Connection
10:00 a.m. - Sunday School begins in worship
10:00 a.m. - Worship/Chancel Choir/Confirmation
11:00 a.m. - Congregational Meeting
2:30 p.m. - Miss Michelle Fishing Trip
2:30 p.m. - Claremont Care Center Service
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 Birthday Blessings
May 17 Nancy Jalowski, Ashley Wilson
May 18 Jessica Banach, Andrea Crate, Frank Jones, Naomi Lappke, Celishia Scarpone
May 19
May 20 Kimberlee Trainor
May 21 Peggy Bierach, Lois Fischer Geene
May 22 Gerard Jalowski, Calvin Rice, Daniel Scarpone Jr.
May 23 Jacob Freer Balko, James Sahadi, Reina Santos, Catherine Walker, Jack Whitman
May 24 James Hudnut, Andrew Hudson
May 25 Deirdre D'Amore, Diane Legreide, Hannah Ploskonka, Barbara Sobel
May 26 Jane Lambie, Matthew Savage
May 27 Alexander Grebel, Rylan Parrott
May 28 Jo Anne Adamo, Diane Manzo
May 29 Bernard Fiorentino III, Ryan Pasola
May 30 Ryan Grebel, Jeffrey Johnson
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Sunday, May 24, 2015, Pentecost
10:00 a.m. - Confirmation
Sunday, May 24, 2015
2:30-8:30 - Fishing Trip Fund-Raiser on the Miss Michelle III
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Interfaith Hospitality Network Week Begins 10:00 a.m. - Install Ruling Elders & Deacons; Receive New Members; Dove Choir Recognition
Sunday, June 14. 2015
10:00 a.m. - Chancel Choir Recognition with sermon of anthems.
Monday, June 29 through Thursday, July 2
Youth Mission Trip to New York City 
Monday, August 3 through Friday, August 7
5:30-8:30 pm - Vacation Bible School
Sunday, August 9, 2015
10:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. - Church Picnic, YMCA Camp Zehnder, Brick (includes Sunday worship)
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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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