A publication of The First Baptist Church of Westfield 2012

us as a congregation, sharing and

giving is much more than that.

We also ask crucial and life

forming questions: Have people

experienced the love of God con-

cretely? Have people been trans-

formed by what they have re-

ceived? Have people grown in

their faith and in their devotion to

Jesus? Have people understood

what motivates our generosity?

Is quality of life better be-

cause of people’s encounter

with God through the actions

of God’s people? What differ-

ence have we made in daily liv-

ing, in our community and in the

world? How awesome it is to

partner with God and share

our resources to make an eter-

nal difference in some one’s

life! During this season when we are

once reminded that God so loved

the world that God GAVE, I in-

vite us to continue to give our

love of God and of God’s Son in

felt ways. In this world of super-

ficiality, it is easy to become just

a body and even a no-body, as if

we didn’t have a heart that feels,

a mind that thinks and a spirit

that lives within us. The ever pre-

sent invitation is to Share our

Hope, Share our Peace, Share our

Joy, Share our Love, and Share

our Jesus. Thanks be to God for

a generous and giving congrega-

tion, whether gathered or scat-

tered, we are God’s people—

through it all!

Pastor Mayra

Each of you must give as you

have made up your mind, not

reluctantly or under compulsion,

for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to provide you

with every blessing in abun-

dance, so that by always having

enough of everything, you may

share abundantly in every good

work. --2 Corinthians 9:7-8

(NRSV)

We’ve come through the

season of thanksgiving after

Superstorm Sandy and now have

arrived at Advent and look for-

ward towards Christmas day.

While the church building was

without electrical power for 10

days, we were still very much

connected to each other through

our phone calls, our text mes-

sages, and the visits paid to

make sure all were okay. Many

of us were directly helping those

who experienced loss of proper-

ty and of health.

Much has happened through No-

vember and so we pause to re-

flect, to take stock and to thank

our God for one more day.We

pause to give thanks for all the

blessings that we have received

throughout the year. We hold

hands and sing together,

“Through it all, we’ve learned to

trust in Jesus and we’ve learned

to trust in God.”

We now look forward to the sea-

son of giving and receiving

when we celebrate our dear Sav-

ior’s birth. And what better way

to celebrate than sharing of what

we have and what we most treas-

ure. I’ve heard it said that the best

gift to give is the one we would

hope someone would give to us

because of its beauty, its meaning,

and its priceless value.

This past year we gave of our-

selves in meaningful activity and

programming so that we had

opportunities to grow in getting to

know one another, in serving our

community, in learning about the

Bible and in growing our faith, in

helping our children and our youth

learn lessons of service and of life

in faith, and in reconnecting

young adults to the church family.

We gave of ourselves in joyful

celebrations of baptisms, wed-

dings, and of recommitments unto

the Lord. We gave of our hearts

in comfort with those who mourn

even as we ourselves mourned for

our loved ones who passed in

2012. We gave of our time tend-

ing to the sick and sharing bread

with the homeless. We helped

with relief efforts after the storm.

We played, we prayed and we

sang and worshiped together in

unity of purpose. And yet, I am

certain that God is calling us to

more fruitful and faithful stew-

ardship in 2013.

We can quantify by way of num-

bers and by way of dollars and

cents our giving and sharing—

important reality checks—but for

page 2

Choir notes… THANKS... to Glen Brown for

playing guitar in worship during Oct/

Nov, and in particular for playing in

chilly temperatures on Nov. 4 when

the church was without power … to

Paul Koslowski, piano; Glen

Brown, guitar; and the Chancel

Choir and Song Leaders for step-

ping in and leading the musical parts

of worship on Oct. 21 when Bill

Mathews was out with a case of shin-

gles… to Katie Engel for running

bell rehearsal on Oct 18… to the

Children’s Choir and their director,

Erin Klein, for their joyful “Alleluias”

on Nov. 11… and to Carl Della Pe-

ruti for running the orchestra rehears-

al on Nov. 18...

Somewhere around 1983-84, Dot

Waugh took over as chair of the

“Choir Birthday Committee” from

Dick Franklin, when Dick retired

from Choir (the committee only has

one member — the chair!) Since then,

she faithfully reminds the director at

rehearsals that it is time to sing or ring

the birthday song; she even finds ways

to remember the summer birthdays

and, in fact, we found recently found

out it was she who encouraged many

of you to flood the Minister of Music

with cards on his day back in July (so,

thank you!) Dot’s special day was Oct.

21, so we’ll return the favor with a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOT right here in the Messenger where it

can be seen on-line by millions surfing

the net!

The NEW Song Leaders… The 1960’s had the NEW Christy Min-

strels (remember Green, Green?), and

here at FBC, we have the NEW Song

Leaders — well, maybe not in name,

we’re working on that — but our Song

Leaders from Chancel Choir have

merged with the Youth Song Leaders

and some young adults who were part

of the old Youth Choir days. Our new

ensemble, with Glen on guitar and

Devin on drums, is participating in

worship on a regular basis, leading the

congregation on the contemporary

songs.

Music in December

Children’s Choir

December 23

Chancel Ringers

December 9, 16

FBC Orchestra

December 16

Song Leaders

December 9, 16, 23

Christmas Eve

Chancel Choir

December 2, 9

Christmas Eve

Christmas Music

for flute, guitar,

& organ

Christmas Eve

beginning at 7PM

FBC Orchestra

Second rehearsal,

Sunday, December 9,

following worship

Orchestra plays

Sunday, December 16,

during worship.

9am rehearsal

Carols in the Round Saturday & Sunday,

December 1-2 at 4 PM

The Westfield Chorale in their 25th appearance

Child care provided. Call the church office for ticket availability.

Net proceeds to

benefit those affected by

Hurricane Sandy.

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” Saturday, December 15

at 4 PM Peter J. Horn, narrator

Westfield HS Concert Choir

Appropriate for all ages, the program lasts about an hour and 15 minutes. Mr. Horn will use the church’s sound system and the FM radios will be available for those who have difficulty hearing. Free-will offering to benefit Grace’s Kitchen in Plainfield.

On Friday evening of “Carols”

weekend, The Westfield Chorale

will be recording their fourth al-

bum, and once again, a double

CD. The CD’s are $15 — the

SAME price as Volume 3 back in

‘01! — and will be available in

February or March. Order forms

are in the narthex and can also be

found on the web site.

Christmas wth the

Westfield Chorale Volume IV

page 3

Women’s Book Club Saturday, December 15 ,

10am Church Lounge

Join us for a discussion of “Here if You Need Me”, by

Kate Braestrup. All are always welcome! Contact Bette Savage at

elzsvg@netscape.net with any questions.

Missions on The Move Thanksgiving Meals

Members of First Baptist once again worked to-gether to fill Thanksgiv-ing dinner

bags for ten families. Even the Sun-day School children participated (pictured below). They decorated the bags and brought donations to make a whole meal. Thank you to Atossa Cicchino, Beth Frantz, Mar-yann Friscia, and Wanda McCloud for help with packing the bags. Five of the dinners were delivered to

First Baptist Church in Manasquan which will ensure that families af-fected by the hurricane have a brighter holiday. For those families

12/3 Greg Mathews

12/4 Atossa Cicchino

12/6 Hilary Araujo

12/6 Warren Hanscom

12/7 Dudley Painter

12/11 Trevor Morris

12/13 Charles McCloud

12/14 Jennifer Gawronski

12/17 Alicia Lambros

12/18 Muriel Jones 12/20 Gillian Clark

12/22 Latifat Owolabi

12/18 Jay & Lalitha Kakileti

who have been allowed back in their home, it is very important to have a traditional Thanksgiving at home.

Once again we will participate in the Salvation Army Angel Tree pro-gram. This provides gifts for chil-dren who otherwise might not find any toys under the tree. Dec. 2nd – Choose a child and hang your tag on the tree. Dec. 9th – Bring your gift to church in a bag. Attach the tag securely. Do not wrap.

Home First Children’s Party This is the second year hosting a party for children of families that were homeless and are settling into a new house. Nova Spinner and Len Gabriel are planning craft pro-jects, and Paul Koslowski is provid-ing the music. We could use craft helpers for this event on Wednes-day, Dec. 12th from 4-6 at the

Home First office in Plainfield. We’d love to have Youth and Young Adults help with this. Transporta-tion will be provided from Westfield and Scotch Plains. Please let Janet Winey know if you can participate. We also welcome some cookies for refreshments. If you are willing to share some of your Christmas cook-ies, please bring them on Sunday, Dec. 9th.

The Christmas Offering When I delivered the Thanksgiving bags to Manasquan almost four weeks after the storm, the destruc-tion was still evident – many roads still blocked, piles of ruined house-hold items lining the streets along with sand that washed up from the beach, churches set up to feed peo-ple with no cooking facility and contractor staging areas. The deci-sion for this year was easy – Hurri-cane Relief.

Janet Winey, Missions Chair

page 4

News and Upcoming Events

Wednesday, December 5,

7 o’clock

A highlight of the season for

sure! Participants should

bring 4-5 dozen cookies, or

other small desserts to be

shared. We will set up the

plates of desserts on a festive

table and all will fill their own

containers or tins with samples

of their favorites. When we

are finished filling our

containers we will have

delicious desserts to take home

for our family and friends to

enjoy! Invite a friend or neigh-

bor—the more the merrier!

In loving memory of long-time First Baptist member Doris Beck Titsworth

September 13, 1922-November 13, 2012

A warm welcome to

our newest members,

Jim and Lynda Lloyd!

Jim and Lynda were

baptized on October

28, 2012 and received

the right hand of fel-

lowship into membership on the

same day. They are proud par-

ents to 5 children and we wel-

come them with open arms!

Advent and Christmas 2012

Reclaiming the Christ of Christmas!

Invite your neighbors and friends – share the hope, share the peace, share the joy, share the love --- Share Jesus!

12/2 -- Lighting of the Candle of Hope Sermon Title: Promises Kept! 12/9 – Lighting of the Candle of Peace Sermon Title: The Way of the Lord! 12/16 – Lighting of the Candle of Joy Sermon Title: Filled with Expectation! 12/23 – Lighting of the Love Candle Children’s Spontaneous Pageant Sermon Title: Fulfillment and Restora-tion!

Monday, 12/24, 7:30pm w/ Music for Prayer and Reflection

at 7pm (childcare provided)

The Light of The World is Jesus!

Meditation: A Simple Story.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

For Parents and Teachers

Sunday, December 2nd, following worship, join us for a Meet n Greet….beginning with a sing-along

in children’s choir!

We will also review the Safe Child & Safe Church Policy, plus take a look at our classrooms & nursery.

Please share any thoughts. Looking forward to spending the Advent season with your families!

AND FOR EVERYONE... Sunday, December 9th -Advent Festival Luncheon

Bring along a salad, sandwiches, bread or dessert to share and enjoy soups and chili provided by the Christian Education Committee. After lunch, our festival of crafts begins! All ages are invited to create a variety of Christmas ornaments and decorate gingerbread cookies, supplies provid-

ed. Some of the ornaments created will be given to Home First families. So, please come and

enjoy food, fellowship and fun while providing a service to local families in need!

Each Sunday in December, 10:30am

page 5

...Dot Waugh, Caroline Siess, and Lil Wheeler, with help mailing the October Messenger. ...Ken & Terry Wooster, Linda John-son, Lil Wheeler., Jean Kellogg, Mary Dobos, Cherie Parker Beth Frantz Maryann Friscia, and Janet Winey for helping with Bridges lunches in October. ...Steve and Donna Lind for trans-forming our sanctuary for Christ-mas, along with lot of help from Ike Alvarado, Gillian Clark, Wendy Engel, Morris Family, Erin Klein, Scott Lind, Atossa Cicchino, Caro-line Siess, and Pam & Alan Green-law, and thanks to Pam for the deli-cious homemade soup all the work-ers enjoyed so much, and Donna’s corn and pumpkin muffins to go along with it! ...Allison Johnson and Michelene Lambros for providing childcare during Congregational meeting. ...Paul Clark for changing light-bulbs. ...Alan Greenlaw with boiler help. And from Katie McGuire...

Thanks to all the Sunday School teachers and nursery helpers serv-ing with such cheer in dedication and loving care to the youngest of our church family! The little ones are growing in their faith through your lessons, smiles, stories and playtime. Such God moments to witness! When they are loved by their families and church families, they can begin to understand that God loves them, too. Thanks a latte!

CHURCH COUNCIL

The objective of the Church Council is governance and to lead our Faith in Action

Ministry towards a Disciple-Making Church. The elements of a Disciple-Making

Church include prayer, inspiring and vital worship of God, relevant education/

discipleship and impact mission. The pathway we must take with the guidance of

Pastor Mayra is through:

*COMMITTED LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP

*LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

*GIFT-BASED MINISTRY

*EFFICIENT ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

Members of Church Council are the Senior Minister/Pastor, Moderator, who acts

as chairperson, the chair/co-chairs of each of the church’s committees, two at-large

members and as of June 2010, the investment manager. Current committee mem-

bers are listed below:

The committee regularly meets on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m.

from September through June.

Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the mul-

titude of counselors there is victory.”

Wendell O. Scott

Moderator and Chairperson,

Church Council

CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

COMMITTEE & COUNCIL MEMBER COMMITTEE & COUNCIL MEMBER

Senior Minister/Pastor – Rev. Mayra Castañeda

Moderator & Chairperson – Wendell Scott Facilities & Finance – Barron Cashdollar

and Warren Hanscom

Christian Education – Carleen Morris Investment Manager – Trish Scott

Deacons – Cherie Parker Missions – Janet Winey

Evangelism – Elaine Pratt At Large Members – Janet Gabriel

Thank you for all your pledges to date. We

have received 41 pledges, for a total of

$175,000, with 7 more pledges expected.

Those who pledged last year have pledged

9.7% more this year. We also have three

new, first-time pledges! Our goal is

$200,000, so we still have some work to do to meet it and support our

ministries and programs without having to borrow from the Investment

Fund, but we are certainly a long way towards our goal.

For those who have not pledged, you can continue to provide your pledge

information to Ike Alvarado this Sunday, or as soon as possible within

the next few weeks.

Tyronne Singh

Stewardship Chair

page 6

Handyman Needed!!

to….. change light bulbs

paint move heavy items

help with some carpentry work, and pretty much anything and everything maintenance related! There is always build-ing work needed, and if you are willing and able to volunteer some time on occasion,

please contact the office and let us know. We may also from time to time post a maintenance project on the board outside the office. Thank you in advance.

The Facilities and Finance Committee

December Youth Calendar

Theme:

December 2nd

4:30pm CORE

5pm Youth Group

December 9th

Advent Festival (after Church)

YG on a Mission

December 16th

4:30pm CORE

5pm Youth Group

December 23rd

5pm Christmas Dinner—Bring a unisex gift (no more than $10)

December 30th– No Youth Group

page 7

Ongoing calendar on back page

December 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Carols in the Round, 4pm

2 12Noon -Meet n Greet; Carols in the Round, 4pm

3 4 7pm—Evangelism

5 7pm-Cookie Exchange

6 7 8 Memorial Service for Lillian Carter, 11am

9 12 Noon-Advent Festival

10 7:30pm—Deacons

11 7pm—F&F 12 13 14 15 Charles Dickens A Christmas Car-ol, 4pm

16 Special Congregational Meeting after worship

17 7:30pm—Council

18 19 20 21 22

23 Children’s Christmas pag-eant during 10:30 worship

24 7:30pm—Christmas Eve Service (w/music for pray-er and reflec-tion @7)

25 26 27 28 29

30 31

ONGOING SONGOING S CHEDULCHEDUL EE

(Weekly, unless otherwise noted.)

Sundays: 9:15 a.m. Bible Study, led by Pastor Mayra Youth Bible Study, led by Rev. Sully Singles Group Childcare available until 9-11:30

10:30 a.m. Worship Service (Lord’s Supper Dec 2)

10:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School (pre-school-5th grades) -

11:30 a.m. Children’s Choir rehearsal (pre-school to 5th grades) 5:00 p.m. Youth Ministry/Supper (6th-12th grades) Tuesdays: 7 a.m. GRUB w/ the Guys (1st Tues. of ea. Month, Dec 4) 10:30am Women’s Writing Group (monthly: Dec 11) Wednesdays: 12Noon Conversations w/God Prayer Time (sanctuary) 1-3pm Knitting/Craft Group - (2nd Wed, Dec 12) Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. The Hearing Society: Speech Reading Class 7:15/8 p.m. Chancel Choir & Ringers Saturdays: 10 :00 a.m. Women’s Book Club (monthly, Dec 15)

www.fbcwestfield.org

OO URUR PP URPOSEURPOSE Coming together in joyful worship,

we’re here…

To share the reality of God’s love,

To connect our lifestyles to

Christian truth,

And to put our faith into action

through responding to needs in our

community, nation, and world.

CC HURCHHURCH SS TAFFTAFF

Rev. Mayra Castañeda, Senior Pastor William R. Mathews, Minister of Music Rev. Suleima Rosario-Diaz, Associate Pastor for Student Ministries Katie McGuire, Director of Children’s Ministries Nancy Lambros, Church Administrator

Adriana Rodriguez, Custodian

170 Elm Street

Westfield, NJ 07090

ph: 908.233.2278/fax: 908.233.0555

e-mail Pastor Mayra Castañeda pastormayra@verizon.net Rev. Suleima Rosario-Diaz srosariodiaz@verizon.net Bill Mathews wrmaago@yahoo.com Katie McGuire katiem218@aol.com Nancy Lambros firstbaptist.westfield@verizon.net