www.westfieldchurch.org 1

OCTOBER 2019

The CORNERSTONE

2 New Transitional Pastor

2 Pastor David and YO!

2 Christmas Shoeboxes

3 Mission Update

3 Music Notes

4 Senior Adult Ministry

4 Special Friends

Insert: Kwetu Faraja

Container Project

A publication of Westfield Presbyterian Church: An ECO congregation

Volunteers are needed on October 19

It’s Trunk or Treat Time!

We need Trunks! Lots and lots of Trunks!

It doesn't have to be fancy, just welcom-

ing and fun! This year we are hoping to

have at least 25 decorated trunks for our

guests. In the past, we have had nearly

300 visitors at this event so the more the

merrier when it comes to participants! If

you have a friend or neighbor who would

like to provide a trunk, they are more than

welcome to join in the fun. All partici-

pants will need to arrive in the church

parking lot by 12:15 in order to get every-

one set up. If the weather doesn't cooper-

ate, the event will be held in the Fellow-

ship Hall.

We are also in need of 2-3 people to

cook and serve hot dogs (which will

be provided) and 4-5 people to

oversee the parking lot. If you

would like to do either of those

jobs, please see the poster in the

narthex on September 29.

If you just aren’t able to participate

that day but would like to assist in

some way, we will be collecting

What’s INSIDE

On the last Wednesday of the month we serve a free

Community Meal. This ministry is facilitated by our Dea-

cons, but there are a number of ways you can help. Set

up, clean up, greeting, even preparing a dessert ahead of

time. We invite you to serve with us! Visit our next meal

on October 30 from 5-7 P.M. to see our team in action.

Please contact Abby Stambul to learn more.

bags of candy to help out our partici-

pants as well as asking for donations of

hot dogs and buns.

There will be a sign-up poster in the

narthex for everything on September 29.

We appreciate the support that this event

has had over the last 10+ years! It’s an-

other family friendly event that our

Westfield Family provides for the com-

munity.

This event is organized by the Disciple-

ship and Membership Committee. If you

have any questions, please contact

Phyllis McCullough at 724-651-6285.

Thank you!

Join Our Community Meal Team

www.westfieldchurch.org 2

Pack Them With Lots of Love Ten years ago, Samaritan’s Purse launched “The Greatest Journey, “ a Bible study for all the children who received a Christmas shoe box. Today, 9 million children in 124 countries have made a deci-sion for Christ. As Franklin Gra-ham said, “Because of your dedi-cation, children are learning the true meaning of Christmas found only in Jesus Christ.” Last year Westfield packed 272 Christmas shoe boxes! This brought the total Westfield has packed to 1,802! As you pack your boxes this year remember to NOT include candy or toothpaste. The price is still $9. Our kick off Sunday is October 20. Our dedication Sunday is Novem-ber 10. Please have your boxes packed and returned by that day so we can dedicate and prepare them for shipping. Thank you so much for your gen-erosity!

─Deborah Replogle

Please welcome Pastor Chris and his wife

Cyndi to our church family and commu-

nity. Pastor Chris has 36 years of ordained

pastoral ministry, serving 8 churches. He

has his BA from Duke University, Master

of Arts from Westminster Theological

Seminary, Doctor of Ministry from Union

Theological Seminary in Virginia, and

Master of Arts in Counseling from Colo-

rado Christian University. He served as a

Chaplain for 26 years in the Army Re-

serves, retiring with the rank of Colonel.

He is also a Stephen Ministry training

leader.

He and his wife Cyndi look forward to

working with Westfield and our transi-

tional process. Please be praying for

them as they get settled and be sure to

introduce yourself as they begin to learn

many new names and faces.

Sharing the Story of Jesus by Pastor David Champ

Our Youth Ministry (YO!) is looking for-

ward to our big fall event - the annual D-

Now retreat at Camp Frederick on No-

vember 8-10. We will be staying in the

Trinity Center, cooking our own meals,

studying God’s Word, and having a week-

end jampacked with fellowship. This is

open to any student in grades 7-12. Watch

for more details soon.

Meanwhile our fall programs are up and

running! The new Family Room evenings

on Sundays from 6-8 P.M. with dinner and

our Wednesday afternoon partnership

with MoCo House continue. Please pray

for our students as we get into the heart

of our programs this fall.

For our curriculum, we are focusing on

the 4 Gospels. The overall purpose of

these studies is to build a better founda-

tion and knowledge for our students in

who Jesus is and what it is like to study

His life.

Coming up in the fall we have a few of

our annual events. On October 20th, we

will have our annual Fall Party at Cool-

Spring Corn Maze up in Mercer. We will

still have our 5th Quarter bonfires in Oc-

tober as well as our Family Room events

and Wednesday evenings at MoCo-

House.

Thank you all for your support of the

youth of our community! We are looking

forward to a great fall!

Beginning the Search

The members of our Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC)

have been confirmed and soon will start the important job of

searching for Westfield’s next Senior Pastor. Keep these

individuals in your prayers as they seek God’s direction:

Heather Brenner, Dave Eichenlaub, Mandy Mays, Carl

Mace, Miranda Nero, Dave Schmolly, Susan Schweikert,

Amy Vastano, and Brad White

Westfield Welcomes Transitional Pastor Rev. Dr. Christopher Carlson

The CORNERSTONE October 2019

KICKOFF: OCTOBER 20

DEDICATION: November 10

www.westfieldchurch.org 3

The CORNERSTONE October 2019

The Chancel Choir is happy to be back

leading worship. Members enjoyed a

great picnic at the home of Bonnie and

Evan Ernst to kick off the season. West-

field is the only church in the Mohawk

Area Church Association (MACA) to

maintain a chancel choir that leads wor-

ship on a regular basis. Many churches

simply do not have enough singers to

maintain a functioning choir.

The Westfield Choir is the anchor for the

MACA Community Choir which will be

performing at the upcoming community

Thanksgiving and Palm Sunday worship

services, both to be hosted at Westfield.

There are some other opportunities for

choral singing in the area:

The New Castle Music Club Chorus

meets on Monday evenings at First Pres-

byterian Church in New Castle. Every

year they present Messiah by G. F. Han-

del. This year the performance is at the

Alliance Church in New Castle.

The Shenango Valley Chorale is an es-

tablished choir that is celebrating its 50th

anniversary. They meet on Monday eve-

nings at First Presbyterian Church in

Sharon. I am a participant in this choir.

Messiah will be presented in December

at Sharon First. The Boar’s Head

Festival is presented in January at

Sharon First. In May, we will be joining

with the Stambaugh Chorus of Youngs-

town for concerts at St. Columba Cathe-

dral and Stambaugh Auditorium, both in

Youngstown. Later in May, the chorale

will be traveling to NYC for a concert at

Carnegie Hall.

The Circle of Friends of Zelienople has

established a non-denominational choir

that is open to members of the commu-

nity. They practice on Tuesday evenings

at St. Peter’s Reformed Church in Zelie.

Esther Stevenson, Paula Schmolly, and

Dave Schmolly are participating in this

choir. They are preparing music for the

Christmas season.

Choral singing is a unique form of musi-

cal expression, especially when it is used

to glorify God. It has been a vehicle of

praise and worship for generations.

Hopefully, this disciplined art form can

continue in our churches and communi-

ties for many generations to come.

Music Notes by Sarah Phillips

Mission & Outreach Update

We are grateful for the work of

our missionary couples around

the world.

The Masons in Hungary

Kevin continues to work with

other leaders to discover new

collaborative avenues of effective

ministry among the displaced

Muslim population in Europe.

Wendy teaches English Lan-

guage Learners at the Interna-

tional Christian School of Buda-

pest.

The Scheels in Kenya

After visiting ministry partners in

the States this summer, Dan has

returned to his role as art teacher

and Kim heads up the Student

Health Services team at Rift Val-

ley Academy.

The Rugs in Chile

John & Cathy have started a

new church plant that continues

to grow. Their ministry of out-

reach to some of Chile’s

“disposable” people, including

the blind, provides needed help

and resources.

In Communion

In 1936, a group of pastors launched World-Wide Communion Day. Amid the Great De-

pression, they were looking for a way to meet people’s spiritual needs and unite Chris-

tians in their dedication to Christ.

The observance, now known as World Communion Sunday, is held on the first Sunday of

October. For eight decades, it has served as a reminder that Christians around the globe

share the same meal in remembrance of Jesus.

… that together you

may with one voice glo-

rify the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6 NRSV

www.westfieldchurch.org 4

Russ & Judy Bryan

at Golden Hill

Shirley Gibson

at Carriage Court

Eleanor Gwin

at Avalon

Hazel Hassig

at her residence

Pearl Jolley

at her residence

Dorothea Lindsay

at her residence

Hazel Pence

at Golden Hill

Mary Lou Williams

at Avalon

So you say you like to eat?! JOY will be

the place to be in October, beginning with

our Oktoberfest on the 3rd and followed

by other activities which will include

making doughnuts and another Potluck on

the 31st. Then, once again, the Deacons

have graciously invited us to attend their

annual Senior Luncheon on the 10th at

noon. Be sure and mark your calendar for

a food-filled month!

Just in case you wanted to know… Octo-

ber is the month for World Space Week,

World Animal Day, World Teacher’s

Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Inter-

national Day of Old People (my personal

favorite!), and Reformation Day!

At JOY, we will celebrate the month by

making it a “Socktober”. Please bring in

socks of any size and style to be shared

with those in need.

A Farewell Party

On October 20 our Session invites you to

join them right after worship in the parlor

to offer a fond farewell to Hazel Hassig as

she prepares to relocate to North Carolina

to be near her family. Her new address

will be:

Hazel Hassig

LaMoor Commons

4874 Caremoor Place

Kannapolis, NC 28081

Senior Adults Celebrate

The Deacons invite all senior adults (50 and over) to

attend their annual celebratory luncheon set for Octo-

ber 10 at noon. The menu features recipes from our

Bicentennial Cookbook and special guest Roberta

Thomas will speak on Leaving a Legacy. Reserva-

tions are suggested. Please contact the church office

by October 1 or fill out a bulletin reservation form.

JOYful October by Doreen Hietsch, Director of Senior Adult Ministries

The CORNERSTONE October 2019

JOY Tip of the Month: “Gratitude turns whatever we have into enough.”

www.westfieldchurch.org 5

Support

KWETU FARAJA

Our friends at Kwetu Faraja need our help, Westfield! Boys who once lived on the streets of Tanzania are building their own school, called The Bridge, and need help getting supplies! A shipping container is currently waiting in the USA to be filled with supplies for The Bridge. We are excited to partner with other churches to help fill this container and send it to Tanzania. Praise God! If you would like to contribute, there are two ways: Donate Used Items They are looking for the following:

sewing machines and adapter for 220V electricity 220V power tools: band saw, drills (cord and cordless), belt sander, thickness

planer, circular saw, joinery tools, clamps, chisels, router, etc. gently used children’s books of all varieties - fiction and nonfiction (please noth-

ing referring to American holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc., as these holidays are not celebrated in Tanzania. Holiday books about the biblical per-spectives on Easter and Christmas are welcomed).

metal shelving units, office furniture, book shelves agricultural tools: electric pole saw, corn sheller, rakes, work gloves industrial strength folding tables and folding chairs chalkboards, white boards, globes

If you currently have any of these items to give, please send to Cornerstone Church

c/o Kwetu Faraja 401 N Oak Forest Road Goldsboro, NC 27534

or contact Deborah Replogle to arrange a time to pick up.

Cover an Item on their Amazon Wish List Click here to visit amazon.com to see a wish list of items for the school. Commit to an item as an individual, family, Sunday School class, etc. Items start at under $10.

Due November 1Due November 1Due November 1

Container Project