The Good News-Letter

The First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville

February 2013

Spaghetti Dinner

Saturday, February 23

5:00 - 7:00 PM

First Presbyterian Church Washingtonville

Come join us!

Ash Wednesday

February 13

6:00 pm Soup & Bread Supper

7:30 pm Worship Service

First Presbyterian Church

of Washingtonville

Session Moderator

Rev. Alex Lever

Clerk of Session

Deborah Chedister

The Session

Hal Jones 2013* Bob Miller 2013

Wendy Spierling 2013 LouAnne Blanchard 2014

Tim Erchick 2014 Chris Pasquarelli 2014 Bobbie Trager 2014* Lois Dunikowski 2015 Nancy Bruscino 2015

Board of Deacons

Tanya Bray 2013 Beth Cooke 2013 Peggy Wright 2013

Steven Paulus-Youth 2013 Jorus Beasley 2014* Mark Chedister 2014 Beth Tyrrell 2014 Carrie Maurya 2015

Debbie Woodmansee 2015

*indicates second term **indicates youth deacon

Office Manager Cynthia Carey

30 Goshen Avenue

Washingtonville NY

845-496-3814

firstpres@frontiernet.net

Office Hours are:

Tuesday - Thursday

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

First Presbyterian Church www.fpcw.makeswebsites.com

Presbytery of Hudson River

www.hudrivpres.org

Important News: Pastoral Emergency Care

We have pastoral emergency coverage for our congregation. If you know of a need for emergency care please call the church office (496-3814) and leave a message if Cynthia is not there. We have two church officers checking the answering machine three times a day when Cynthia is not working and in the evening on the days she is working. Pastors from area churches have volunteered to help us during our time of transition. Any questions please email Wendy Spierling: wendyj@hvc.rr.com

Ministry Meeting Ministry Meeting is Sunday, February 10 following coffee hour.

All are welcome to attend. Come and join one of the ministries of your church.

For those who may not be familiar with Ministry Night, all ministries and their members and anyone else who wants to attend will meet in Hazekamp Hall for a devotional and sharing time and then break into different parts of the church for individual ministry meetings. It is a great time for everyone to have the opportunity to share needs or ideas with others. It could also be a chance for new members to find where they might want to participate and share their talents.

• The Chancel Choir offered beautiful music, well done, throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons. Especially

remarkable was their offering of the extended anthem, “Christmas Day” by Gustav Holst. This was offered by the

Augmented Chancel Choir on “Christmas Sunday” December 23. The The combined Chancel Choir and Youth Choir

sang “A Children’s Cradle Carol” on this same morning. The pared-down choir sang three anthems on Christmas Eve

for the Lessons and Carols service which was preceded by special music. During these twenty minutes, solos were

sung by Chancel Choir member Courtney MacNab, M&M’s member Kieran Bray-Jones, and Barb and Nancy Popoloski

offered an organ-piano duet. With Deke leading the service, it was indeed lovely.

Of special note was Epiphany Sunday, January 6, 2013, when our Chancel Choir offered “The Three Kings” arranged

for choir and soloist. Guest soloist Ron Barber came over from Orange Congregational Church in Orange, CT (Barb’s

former church) to sing the baritone solo. It was a lovely rendition of this special Epiphany piece. Special thanks to

the Deacons and others who participated in the Festive Coffee Hour following worship.

The Chancel Choir is working to increase its repertoire by learning more music of different genres from different

eras of music. We will also begin preparing music for Lent, Holy Week and Easter.

• Handbells: This choir was was supposed to ring the prelude 12/23, but due to illness, was not able to do so.

Illness also prevented the choir from ringing on January 13 and 20. The FPC Ringers look forward to ringing in

February. Barb began a New Member Ringing Class prior to the bell rehearsal hoping to attract new members and

substitute ringers. We expect to participate in the Hudson Valley Handbell Festival held at Nyack Community

College on Saturday, April 27. Barb is exploring ways to have the bells repaired; they are almost un-ringable in their

present condition.

• The Melodious Munchkins provided special music for the Sunday School Christmas pageant when they sang

Natalie Sleeth's “Sing Noel!” and “Light One Candle” on December 16. On December 23 in worship, the M&Ms joined

their voices with the Chancel Choir singing “A Children's Cradle Carol.” Thank you to Makaila Barnett, Raelin

Barnett, Kieran Bray-Jones, Daniel Grove, Danielle Imperato and Aryanna Maurya for sharing your gifts of song! The

M&Ms resumed rehearsals on Sunday, January 13, at 11:15 a.m. and will be preparing anthems for Lent and Easter.

• Communion will be served in the pews on Sunday February 3rd.

• The Scouts will be recognized on Scout Sunday, February 10th. Also that Sunday, our No Strings Attached

Puppets will enhance the service with one of their wonderful skits.

• Mark your calendars for Ash Wednesday on February 13th. We will have our traditional Soup & Bread Supper at

6:00 p.m. and worship service at 7:30 p.m. The Chancel Choir will be singing at this service. A sign-up sheet is

posted for Soup and Bread makers and helpers.

• Our Sundays in February and March will be led by:

February 3 - Deke Spierling March 3 - Deke Spierling

February 10 - Heather Brown-Huston March 10 - Harriet Sandmeier

February 17 - Mark Douyard March 24 - Deke Spierling (Palm Sunday)

February 24 - Mark Douyard March 26 - Deke Spierling (Tuesday - The Upper Room Experience)

March 28 - Deke Spierling (Maundy Thursday-

Communion by Intinction)

March 31 - Deke Spierling (Easter Sunday-

Communion served in the pews)

We will also be holding our Prayer Vigil on Good Friday, March 29, through Saturday, March 30.

We are looking forward to the upcoming season of Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Please join us for this inspiring time

in the life of our church.

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S T T SM W F

F E B

3:00 PM - 7:00 PM Private Party Hazekamp Hall

10:00 AM Worship, Rev. Deke Spierling Lord’s Supper 11:15 AM Melodious Munchkins 8:00 PM A.A.

7:00 PM Troop 416

9:30 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Bible Study 8:00 PM A.A.

5:30 Bell Ring Class 6:00 FPC Ringers 7:00 Venture Crew 7:00 Chancel Choir 7:30 PM N.A.

10:00 AM Worship, Rev. Heather Brown-Huston 11:00 AM Ministry 1:00-5:00 PM Boy/Girl Scouts

7:00 PM Troop 416

9:30 AM Bible Study 6:00 Soup & Bread 7:30 PM Ash Wed. Worship Service No PM Bible Study 8:00 PM A.A.

5:30 Bell Ring Class 6:00 FPC Ringers 7:00 Venture Crew 7:00 Chancel Choir 7:30 PM N.A.

10:00 AM Worship, First Sunday in Lent Mark Douyard 11:00 AM SIS 8:00 PM A.A.

7:00 PM Session 7:00 PM Troop 416

Newsletter

Deadline 9:30 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Bible Study 8:00 PM A.A.

5:30 Bell Ring Class 6:00 FPC Ringers 7:00 Venture Crew 7:00 Chancel Choir 7:30 PM N.A.

5:00 - 7:00 PM

Spaghetti

Dinner

10:00 AM Worship, Mark Douyard 11:00 Prayer Shawl 1:00-5:00 PM Boy/Girl Scouts 8:00 PM A.A.

6:30 PM Troop 416

Court of Honor (sanc & H.H.)

9:30 AM Bible Study 6:30 PM Brownie Troop #493 7:00 PM Bible Study 8:00 PM A.A.

5:30 Bell Ring Class 6:00 FPC Ringers 7:00 Venture Crew 7:00 Chancel Choir 7:30 PM N.A.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Sundays - 10:00 am Worship Service

11:00 am Coffee Hour

2 Jackie Levy 8 Kim Miller 11 Mary Kate Paulus 12 Beth Cooke Pat Gardiner 13 Luke Bruscino

16 Helen Robinson Owen Rowlands 22 Suzanne Dunn 24 Bobbie Trager 27 Ray Fuentes 28 Irving Steenrod

Church Office Hours are:

Tuesday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Washingtonville Cemetery

A huge thank you to all who have contributed their time and donations to our recent fundraisers:

Flower-power(Spring clean up project) $373.00 Spring family remembrance $435.00 Shrimp cocktail $540.00 Pumpkin Patch $568.50 Winter family remembrance $1,205.00 Taco soup sale $386.00

The deadline for the monthly newsletter is the 20th of each month. Please submit the news you want to share, to Cynthia on or before the 20th of each month at firstpres@frontiernet.net.

Friends and their Limitations

We need friends. Friends guide us, care for us, confront us in love, console us in times of pain. Although we speak of “making friends,” friends cannot be made. Friends are free gifts from God. But God gives us the friends we need when we need them if we fully trust in God’s love. Friends cannot replace God. They have limitations and weaknesses like we have. Their love is never faultless, never complete. But in their limitations they can be signposts on our journey toward the unlimited and unconditional love of God. Let’s enjoy the friends God has sent our way. – Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith by Henri Nouwen With blessings from the Nurture Ministry

SIS

SIS will meet on February 17 for lunch, following the worship service. Our

theme will be “Valen-Due” again this year, a combination of Valentine’s Day and Fondue. Please watch for a SIS wide email of what to bring. Plan to join us, it will be a very fun meeting! Thanks to everyone who donated gift cards at Christmas to Orange County Safe Homes! The cards were greatly appreciated!

Vacation Bible School 2013

JULY 15-19

SO MANYSO MANYSO MANYSO MANY

ROADS!!ROADS!!ROADS!!ROADS!!

Board of Deacons

Food Pantry - The Pantry needs for the month of February are macaroni & cheese, beans (cans or bags), canned fruit, pudding or Jell-O. Please add these items to your shopping list. We welcome any food donation - the items listed are suggestion from the pantry. Please put your donations in the wicker basket outside Hazekamp Hall. Coffee Hour Needs - Paper napkins, small plates, decaf coffee and juice are needed. Thank you all for helping the Deacons keep the kitchen stocked up. Prayer Shawl - The Deacons are so happy to have this special ministry to help with their shepherding. E Prayer Circle - Please contact Lois Dunikowski at lbd9999@hrc.rr.com if you have any prayer requests. The Deacons are very happy to serve the members of this congregation. Please let your deacon shepherd know if they can help you in anyway. There is a list posted on the bulletin board in the Denniston Room if you are not sure who your deacon shepherd is. Emergency Use of the Church Building - If any person in our church family is without power, water, or heat and needs to use the church as a safe haven, please contact your deacon shepherd so they can direct your need to the appropriate ministry elder(s).

Bible Quiz

Who were the craftsmen appointed by the Lord to design the Tent of Meeting and its furnishings while Israel was still in the wilderness

before entering the Promised Land? A. Moses and Joshua B. Bezalel and Oholiab C. Judah and Reuben D. David and Jonathan

Answer: B (See Exodus 31:1-11)

God's Perfect Timing

After serving as a missionary with her husband for 20 years, L.B. Cowman compiled the widely read devotional Streams in the Desert. Below are two insights from Cowman about the need for patience: "God is never an instant too late. He may keep us from the knowledge of what he is going to do; but he always has his perfect plans successfully made. All we need to do is to put ourselves wholly in his hands, ask his guidance, follow his leadings and count confidently upon his blessings.”

When I cannot understand my Father’s leading, And it seems to be but hard and cruel fate, Still I hear that gentle whisper ever pleading, God is working, God is faithful, ONLY WAIT.

Call Cynthia at 496-3814 or send an e-mail to firstpres@frontiernet.net to share your news with our church family!

First Presbyterian Church

30 Goshen Avenue

Washingtonville NY 10992

Address Correction Requested

VISION STATEMENT

Together, we worship God through our

Study, Stewardship, Service, and Song.

Calendar of Prayer for our Congregations and Leadership

The endorsed calendar of prayer is a way for us to be united.

It’s an awesome responsibility and gift to pray for one

another. To make our offering on behalf of one another.

Each member congregation, staff member, elected servant

leader, ministry team, and mission commitment of our

Presbytery is represented:

Patterson PC, Calvary PC-Newburgh, The Rev. Harold

Delhagen-Synod Transitional Leader, First Church Mahopac,

First Church Denton-New Hampton, Committee on Ministry,

Smithfield PC-Amenia, United PC-Freedom Plains, Committee

on the Preparation for Ministry, Cornwall-on-Hudson PC,

Hughsonville PC, and Healthy Congregations Team.

Newsletter articles for the March

issue are due before February 20th!