St

ew

ar

ds

hip

n

ew

sl

et

te

r—

Ma

y 2

013

El

mw

oo

d U

nit

ed

Pre

sbyt

eri

an C

hu

rch

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

The Elmwood Stewardship Committee is proud to offer you this newsletter with the hope that

you will be able to see how your stewardship helps your church positively impact lives for Jesus

Christ.

Our Committee’s mission is “to further the ministry of Elmwood Church by fostering

an awareness of God’s abundant blessings in the gifts He has given each of us; and

encouraging and enabling our members to respond to God’s love by freely sharing

the gifts of time, talent and treasure.” Our goal is to help our church live out its vision of

becoming “one spirit-filled, intergenerational, multicultural church with multiple

campuses– each numbering 1,000 or more– transforming lives to work for the sal-

vation of our communities, the nation and the world.”

As a congregation we have a plan for the future. We’re working to leave a lasting legacy to the

next generation. We want the next generation to inherit a church and ministries that will make

them strong disciples who see themselves as servants of Christ working for the reconciliation of

the world.

If we value our ministries, the growth of our church, our warm fellowship opportunities, our

talented music ministry, our awesome media ministry, our creative worship services, our dedi-

cated and efficient staff, our growing youth & young adult ministry, our world-class visiting

preachers and the people whose lives are made stronger and better because of it all, together we

will do all that we can to support Elmwood’s operating budget and three-year capital campaign.

Elmwood Church is a special place for so many people. A place where people enrich their faith

every week. We are a community blessed by a dynamic and far reaching ministry. Your gifts help

make it happen.

"For where your treasures are, there will your heart be, also."

- Matthew 6:21

T h e E l m w o o d s t e w a r d s h i p c o m m i t t e e

IN THIS ISSUE:

Elmwood West Gets Major Upgrades 2

Elmwood Central - What’s Happening? 2

Employment Ministry 3

Pastor Nominating Committee 3

Congratulations, Advocates For Criminal Justice Reform!

4

Ways You Can Support Elmwood 4

IN THIS ISSUE:

Morning Glory Fellowship Breakfast 4

SEE INSERT FOR:

Youth Sunday Funday

Our New Website Has Launched!

Juneteenth Worship Service

Asking Life’s Hard Questions

10-10-80 Ministry

Ruling Elder Adonna Blackwell,

Chair

Ruling Elder KC Burton

Deacon Cynthia Herbert

Ruling Elder Dara Gronau

Brandon Jackson

Ruling Elder Vanessa Whitney

Ruling Elder Hodari Williams

Natalie Wynn-Rodd

Pastor Burkins, ex officio

Your Stewardship Committee

“Keep the Faith: Create the Future”

St

ew

ar

ds

hip

n

ew

sl

et

te

r—

Ma

y 2

013

“A

t t

he e

nd

of l

ife y

ou

wil

l b

e e

va

lu

at

ed

an

d r

ew

ar

ded

ac

co

rd

ing

to

ho

w w

ell y

ou

ha

nd

led

wh

at

go

d e

nt

ru

st

ed

to

yo

u”

-

R

ic

k

Wa

rr

en

Page 2

Thanks to a grant from a former Elmwood West member, Elmwood

West will soon be able to stream their worship services live and on

demand via our church’s website. It is anticipated that the installation will

be completed in the next week or so. Elmwood will then be able to

stream from each campus. The United Presbyterian Church of West

Orange is sharing in the cost of this project which will be available to both

congregations at the West Orange Presbyterian Center.

Also, after suffering through sweltering summers over the last 12 years,

Elmwood West is getting some air! On May 15th through 16th, a brand new air conditioning

system will be installed for the West Orange Presbyterian Center sanctuary. Once installed, all

three of Elmwood’s campuses will be air conditioned so worshipers may worship in comfort

during the hot, humid, hazy days of summer.

Elmwood plans to call a full-time associate pastor for congregational & community

development by this summer. This person will have primary responsibility for Elmwood West

and its ministries. Your financial support of the three-year capital campaign is making this

possible.

E l m w o o d w e s t G e t s m a j o r u p g r a d e s

Plans for the renovation of the Central campus fellowship hall and bookstore are underway. The

architect and engineer’s plans are in the final week of completion. Once finished, the plans will

be ready for submission to the Newark Building Permit Department to obtain the required

permits. Then, the work will finally begin. Thank you for your patience and prayers.

E l m w o o d C e n t r a l - W h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g ?

Minister Hodari Williams, Assistant to the Pastor

St

ew

ar

ds

hip

n

ew

sl

et

te

r—

Ma

y 2

013

ST

EW

AR

DSH

IP A

WA

REN

ESS I

S T

HE A

RT

OF T

ELL

ING

ST

EW

AR

DSH

IP S

TO

RIE

S

Page 3

Elmwood’s Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) is working diligently

to present two associate pastor candidates to the Newark Presbytery’s

Committee on Ministry for their approval at their June 13th meeting. If

approved, those two candidates will go before the Newark Presbytery

for an official vote at its June 25th meeting. The PNC chair, Ruling

Elder Bridgett Green, and all the members of the Committee solicit your

prayers as they move into this critical part of the search process.

The salaries for the two positions are made possible through your gifts to the “Keep the Faith:

Create the Future” Capital Campaign. During the first year, funding for the two positions will

come almost solely from the Capital Campaign with a percentage decline each year over the

three-year period. After three years, the expectation is that sufficient growth will have taken

place at Elmwood to fund the positions from the church’s operating budget.

P A S T O R N O M I N A T I N G C O M M I T T E E

Help is on the way . . . . The Elmwood Employment Ministry

will provide support and assistance to members and friends in and

around the Elmwood community who are seeking jobs. This ministry

aims to help job seekers identify and obtain employment that meet their

needs, skills, passion and personal & professional goals. The ministry

relies on members, volunteers and community partnerships to share

current job openings, create networking opportunities, and connect

seekers to education and job training opportunities. We will work with

other Elmwood ministries to provide spiritual encouragement, prayer,

and other supports for those who are seeking employment.

How can you help? One important way you can help the Elmwood Employment

Ministry is by notifying us about available jobs you are aware of via your employer or

network. We will also be looking for members to help job seekers prepare to be employed

through prayer, encouragement and resume & interview preparation.

Members of the Employment Ministry include: Walter McDowell, Pat Johnson, Gretchen

Brown, Deidre Wilder, Leslaine Lambert, Marcelle Abrams, and Lawrence Jackson.

E m p l o y m e n t m i n i s t r y

Deacon Amber Randolph Employment Ministry Chair

Ruling Elder Bridgett Green,

PNC Chair

“g

iv

e

to

g

od

w

ha

t’s

r

ig

ht

–

no

t

wh

at

’s

l

ef

t”

-

An

on

ym

ou

s

St

ew

ar

ds

hip

n

ew

sl

et

te

r—

Ma

y 2

013

Page 4

The Advocates For Criminal Justice Reform

(AFCJR) held a major conference on yesterday, with the

Rev. Dr. W. Wilson Goode, Sr., former mayor of

Philadelphia, as the keynote speaker. Seminars were held

on such topics as, “Prodigal Sons and Daughters: ABC’s of

Re-Entry”, “NJ Municipal Planning Boards: Preventing

Youth Delinquency,” “Substance Abuse Prevention &

Recovery Assistance with Love,” and several others. Ruling

Elder, William Brown, III (standing) is the chair of AFCJR. AFCJR’s mission is “to educate

and energize NJ residents to reverse mass incarceration and its impact on

communities of color by empowering people through education, advocacy,

mentoring youth and supporting those impacted by the criminal justice system.”

Well done good and faithful servants!

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s , A d v o c a t e s f o r

c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e r e f o r m M i n i s t r y !

Members and friends who have had the privilege of participating in Morning Glory— Elmwood’s 10-minute weekday devotionals— are cordially invited to attend a Morning Glory Fellowship Breakfast on Saturday, June 8th from 9 – 10:30 a.m. in the Elmwood East Fellowship Hall.

Morning Glory began on Ash Wednesday, February 13th and has had over 300 persons participate over the last four months. The average attendance over the last two weeks has exceeded 100 callers. The fellowship breakfast will be a celebration of

how God has been at work through that ministry and will give callers an opportunity to break bread together and share stories about how their lives have been impacted since this growing ministry was established.

Morning Glory Call-in Devotionals each weekday at 7:00 a.m. 1(805) 399-1200 — Access Code 593364

M o r n i n g G l o r y F e l l o w s h i p B r e a k f a s t

W a y s y o u c a n s u p p o r t e l m w o o d

ONLINE GIVING

You can visit our website at

www.elmwoodchurchnj.org and give using

your credit card or checking account.

MAKE A GIFT BY MAIL

Can’t get with online giving or bank drafts? The

post office still delivers! Mail your check to the

church office.

PLANNED GIVING

Include Elmwood Church in your estate

planning and ensure the future of our dynamic

and life-changing ministry.

MAKE A MAJOR ONE-TIME GIFT

Your one-time contribution can be charged to

your credit card or your checking account

through our website.

There are many ways to financially support Elmwood’s ministries, outreach, and other enriching experiences our church offers:

INSERT BELOW

St

ew

ar

ds

hip

n

ew

sl

et

te

r—

Ma

y 2

013

“Y

ou

h

av

e

no

t

li

ve

d

un

ti

l

yo

u

ha

ve

d

on

e

so

me

th

in

g

fo

r

so

me

on

e

wh

o

ca

n

ne

ve

r

re

pa

y

yo

u.”

-

Jo

hn

B

un

ya

n

Join us for worship on Wednesday, June 19th at 7 p.m. at Elmwood East as we show the award-winning film, “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North.” In the film, Katrina Browne makes a troubling discovery— her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine fellow descendants set off to retrace the Triangle Trade: from their old hometown in Rhode Island to slave forts in Ghana to sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. Step by step, they uncover the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery while also stumbling and stretching their way through the minefield of contemporary race relations.

J u n e t e e n t h w o r s h i p s e r v i c e

Elmwood youth and young adults will “takeover” worship at Elmwood

East and Elmwood Central on Sunday, June 9th.

The services will feature:

Dramatic presentation by Bodies Of Worship (B.O.W.)

Teen Ministry skit

Recognition of volunteers and parents

Spoken Word by oratory competition winner

Much, much more!

The Elmwood Youth & Young Adult Ministry is a growing and exciting part of the Elmwood

Church and community landscape. Your financial support of the three-year capital campaign will

enable Elmwood to call a full-time associate pastor for youth & young adults. This

position is likely to be filled this summer. Once the full-time associate joins Elmwood’s staff

team, the church will be well positioned to pursue a key component of Elmwood’s larger vision

as it relates to aggressive youth and young adult engagement & mobilization.

Y o u t h S u n d a y f u n d a y

Rev. Maria Crompton, Pastor for Youth & Young Adults

Check out our new website which launched Friday, May 3rd! www.elmwoodchurchnj.org

O u r N e w W e b s i t e h a s l a u n c h e d !

St

ew

ar

ds

hip

n

ew

sl

et

te

r—

ma

y 2

013

“G

od

l

oo

ks

a

t

th

e

he

ar

t,

no

t

th

e

ha

nd

–

th

e

gi

ve

r,

no

t

th

e

gi

ft

.”

-

Un

kn

ow

n

Have you ever “WONDERED”:

Why some Christians are so doggone dull?

What can you do with your mood swings?

How you can get more faith?

How can you do your job without losing your

mind?”

Many people “just don’t know” what they think or believe in response to the awesome questions

of life. Most of them are afraid to ask hard questions, and even more frightened that they may be

asked by someone else and unable to answer. Answers to life’s hard questions– questions you’ve

always WONDERED about– can be found in God’s Word.

Join us for the next five weeks for WONDER-Full Wednesday Worship!

a s k i n g l i f e ’ s h a r d q u e s t i o n s

Jackie Allen (center) is surrounded by members of the

10-10-80 Ministry after the dedication of her PT

Cruiser (background). Since joining the 10-10-80

Ministry, Jackie has been able to establish a savings

account for herself and purchase her car in cash. The

10-10-80 ministry is open to all and is designed to

help participants “Honor God First, Save Wisely,

and Plan Their Spending.”

Walter McDowell (far right) is the 10-10-80 Ministry instructor.

The next 10-10-80 meeting will be held on Saturday, June 1st at 10 a.m. at Elmwood

East. Come prepared to learn what it truly means to be a good steward of the resources God has

entrusted to you. Persons who are interested in financial freedom and becoming debt-

free will be particularly blessed by this ministry. In addition, participants have an opportunity to

share best practices, ask questions, develop friendships with others who are seeking financial

freedom and have one-on-one time with the instructor . This ministry is guaranteed to make a

difference in your finances.

1 0 - 1 0 - 8 0 M i n i s t r y

Jackie Allen and 10-10-80 Ministry